Warming The Cold One - 41. Great, Another One...

They pulled into a parking spot outside the Dickerson Family Law Center and got out of the car while finalizing their plans of creating more friendly trouble, this time including Karla. “Is anyone clear on what to do,” Jay asked.

“Yep, the other three set in unison.

Karla and Jay went to the front door while Tala and Matthew waited off to the side to play their parts when the time came. “I really don’t know how to thank you for bringing me with you,” Matthew said.

“I have been spending a lot of time righting the wrong against my clan and the wolves around my clan’s former home. You are a victim not only of lies but also of having your birthright withheld. We can’t come together until everything is righted,” Tala explained.

“Thank you,” Matthew replied.

 

Karla walked into the office and caught everyone's attention. “I have some news. Please gather around.”

When they all got to the large conference room, Lyla was the first to speak. “What is so important and who is this young gentleman?”

Karla pointed at Jay. “This is Jason Michael Wilson, he is here on behalf of the council. The rest of the team from Ohio is set to arrive in a few moments.”

“The council,” Duane asked. “Why would people from the council be here?”

Jay stood up and addressed the group. “A decision was made by senior members of the council that a liaison between the trust and the council was needed. This firm was suggested as a possible option for retainment, and we are doing some due diligence before we make up our minds.”

“Are you the liaison,” Duane asked.

“No, I am part of the team doing the due diligence,” Jay explained. “The liaison and my partner are due at any moment.”

“I’m not sure what kind of services you are looking for,” Lyla began before being interrupted by Tala and Matthew entering the room.

“I apologize for the delay,” Matthew said. “My boss needed to use the restroom.”

“Mattie!” Lyla jumped up from the table and hugged Matthew. “What are you doing here?”

“While Matthew is being choked out, let me explain the situation a bit more.” Lyla let Matthew go and they all sat down. “My name is Tala. I am the head of the American Clan.”

“You’re Tala,” Duane asked.

“I am,” Tala said. “There is some funny business going on in the council, my clan’s offices included, that I felt put Matthew at risk. I decided to ask him to be my personal liaison between the trust and the council as a way to protect him and to put another set of feet on the ground to help with the massive amount of work needed to achieve my goals not only in Amidon, but the entirety of my family’s old lands.”

Wanda looked up from the notes she was taking. “You mean, even with Matthew here, you still want to do due diligence?”

“Wouldn’t you,” Tala asked and then turned to Matthew. “The floor is all yours. What do you want to ask?”

Matthew thought for a second. “Do you know any good places to rent an apartment?”

Duane tilted his head. “What does that have to do with the due diligence?”

Matthew smiled. “It doesn’t. You were hired before we left Ohio. I will need a place to live while I’m in town and I didn’t think it would be very cost effective to stay in a hotel room for who knows how long.”

“Does that mean I can get all your stuff out of the back of my closet,” Wanda asked.

“Wanda! I can’t believe you,” Lyla chastised. “Mattie can stay with us.”

Matthew waved Lyla off. “No, I want my own space.” Matthew could see the hurt in Duanne and Lyla’s faces. “I do appreciate the offer, but I am used to having space to relax. I also don’t want to feel like I’m imposing even though I know I wouldn’t be.”

“I have an idea on that,” Tala spoke up. “I would love to start on one of the compounds we had planned. It would add some needed housing and give a place for people to gather. Is there a place that was identified as a good building site? Maybe a bit north by Dakota Prairie Grasslands?”

Karla looked at the map on her laptop. “That was one of the areas Savannah and I identified as a good place to look at. The other was closer to Stewart Lake.”

Tala nodded. “I like the other one as well, but only as a backup. I really want running water and some hills. I know it won’t be a large build out as it would look out of place but a basic pack house, a barn, and maybe a few other small houses could fit in nicely.”

“Shouldn’t we take care of that other thing before we start building a compound,” Jay asked.

Tala nodded. “We will, it’s not like we are going to be able to start building tomorrow. We have time to deal with both issues.”

Wanda and Lyra both looked confused. “What issues are you talking about,” Wanda asked.

“The first issue is Greyson,” Jay began. “His pack is on trust land, so we need to deal with that.”

“What’s the second issue,” Wanda inquired.

“Funny enough, Greyson again,” Matthew said in a matter-of-fact tone. “We need to see what Tala can do to rectify a certain situation.”

 

“It’s all done!” Don spread his arms to the crowd. “I want to thank everyone that helped with these builds as we couldn’t have done it without you.”

“I too want to thank everyone,” Carrie agreed. “This was an amazing project to work on and I’m almost sad to leave. You accepted my family as part of your own pack knowing that we were just visitors.”

Lisbeth took the microphone that Don was holding. “Thank you, Don, thank you Carrie, and thank you to Seth as well.” Lisbeth pointed at Seth in the front row of the crowd. “Without you, we would still be in the planning stages.

Sean walked over and Carrie passed her microphone over to him before Don led her down to the front row to join Seth. “On behalf of the whole Cathlamet Pack, I want to thank the Storm family for all their hard work. I also want to thank all the other people that came out to our little hole in the wall pack to help build, to help care for others, and those who came to seek a home. This pack is stronger because of you.” Sean waited for the crowd to finish clapping and cheering. “I know Tala would have wanted to be here, but as you know, we got done ahead of schedule and he is ears deep in the problems of the whole American Clan.”

“So to not end this on a sad note,” Lisbeth interrupted. “I just got an email that Dangerpath is planning on opening in two weeks! When we pair that with Arrow looking at three weeks, we will have a shopping district open within a month.”

“When can we start moving in to all the houses,” someone from the crowd yelled. Sean looked down to Don and Don nodded. Sean smiled brightly. “Our planning team will be reaching out to everyone over the next day or two and we will be able to give you an address and keys to move in as soon as possible. We will start with families with kids and then move to everyone else by order of arrival. There will be no shortage of housing so don’t panic if you don’t get a call today.”

 

“Thank you for taking care of that, Sean,” Tala said on the video chat. “I would have been there if I had known.”

“The place looks amazing,” Jay added. “We’ll email Don, Carrie, and Seth later today and thank them for all the hard work they put in.”

“We got dates for the Dangerpath and Arrow as well. They should both be open within three weeks,” Sean said enthusiastically.

Tala smiled. “That is good to hear. I’d love to chat some more, but we are off to another planning meeting.”

 

Tala and Jay walked back into the conference room and sat down. “What did we miss,” Tala asked.

The four family members all looked at each other and laughed. “I swear it was nothing relevant to our tasks here,” Matthew said.

Jay gave Tala a look and Tala nodded. “It was that embarrassing,” Jay asked.

“Yes! I mean, I don’t know what you are talking about,” Matthew stammered.

Tala laughed. “But, I do.” Tala watched Matthew frown. “It’s part of my gift. I kind of just know people’s thoughts. It has always been really hard to lie to me since I was turned.”

“Does everyone get a gift like that,” Wanda asked.

“No,” Jay responded. “Only ancient wolf spirits have extra gifts. It wasn’t always the case. Even just a couple hundred years ago, it was common for alphas and even some betas to have extra gits but over time it slowly started to fade. Tala is the only wolf I know that has gifts beyond the change.”

Tala poked Jay’s arm and shook his head. “I know of at least three other wolves with extra gifts. Remember I unlocked them in Sean and Edward? I also know that Faolan has extra gifts.”

“You unlocked gifts,” Duane asked.

“Yes, in my beta and my chief enforcer. I didn’t know until it happened that I could do that,” Tala replied.

“Oh,” Duane said and looked down at the table.

“Duane, look at me.” Tala waited for Duane to look up. “Know I will try.”

Duane nodded. “So, you said earlier that you had business with Greyson.”

“Yes,” Karla said. “It is time we have a talk with him being on American Clan land without permission.”

Tala stood up. “Lyla, Mom, you are welcome to join us if you wish. I’m not going to call ahead. Duane, will you drive Jay and I in your car?”

“You want me to go,” Duane asked.

“I’m not asking if you are going because you are going. I’m asking if you will drive us.”

Karla and Lyla looked at each other and shook their heads. “I think we will stay here with Matthew and Wanda and look at options for the pack spaces.”

 

Duane led Tala and Jay to his car, and Jay sat in front while Tala got in the back. They started heading out towards the Wolff's Den Bar before Duane spoke again. “Why did I need to go with you,” Duane asked.

“We needed you,” Jay responded.

“Why do I feel like there is something you aren’t telling me,” Duane mused.

“There are many things we aren’t tell you,” Tala answered. “I will when I can, but right now it is best you just do what is asked of you.”

“Greyson never liked surprised visitors,” Duane commented.

“Today will be no different. If fact, it may be the worst surprise visit ever.” Tala stared out the window and Duane pulled into town.

 

The guards surrounded them as they got out of Duane’s car. “I think it best if you just get back in your car and leave. You don’t belong here.”

Tala smiled. “Not today. Today I am going to have a chat with Greyson.”

The pack’s chief enforcer stepped in front of Tala and raised his gun. “Last chance, please leave and don’t come back on this land again.”

Tala calmly looked him in the eye and laced his vice with ancient speak. “Put the gun on the ground.” He waited for the gun to clatter to the ground. “Now, I believe I said I needed to talk to Greyson.”

The chief enforcer squeaked out words. “Who are you? What did you do to me?”

Tala waited calmly for him to catch his breath before responding. “My name is Tala. I am the head of the American Clan. We are here to speak with Alpha Greyson. Will you please take me to him?”

“Yes,” the man stammered and gave a signal for the rest of his men to clear a path for them.

 

They got inside and were shown to a large lounge where Greyson and his beta were laughing and drinking. Greyson looked at the group and frowned. “What are you doing here Duane?”

Before Duane could answer, Tala spoke instead. “Alpha Greyson, my name is Tala. I come as the Head of the American Clan to discuss your pack being on my clan’s land without permission.”

Greyson jumped up with anger and nearly fell over. “How dare you come onto my land and accuse me!”

“I have proof,” Tala said. “But, you already knew that.”

“This land was given to my father by the Red Lake pack over 80 years ago when we became a subpack of theirs. I have the documents in my safe,” Greyson barked.

Duane looked over at Greyson sheepishly. “Umm, Tala is right on this one.”

“What are you talking about,” Greyson demanded.

Duane looked sad to be the bearer of bad news. “I’ve known for a long time that the land your pack is on wasn’t yours. The Red Lake pack never owned the land and had no right to give it to you. It belongs to the land trust and always has.”

“Bullshit, Duane!” Greyson looked over at his beta. “Go get the leather bag out of the safe. I’ll prove this once and for all.”

“Wait,” Tala said. The beta wolf stopped. “I don’t want to remove you from this land. I want you to stay. There are a lot of American clan wolves in your pack and they deserve to be made legitimate.”

Greyson held his hand up and the beta wolf stopped. “This pack is Saharan. We have always been Saharan.”

“On paper, you are a Saharan pack. In reality, most of your members are distant cousins of my family. My American Clan family that has been on this land for hundreds of years.” Tala waited to see if Greyson would realize what he was saying. When he didn’t, Tala continued. “My grandparents live on the exact same homestead his grandfather lived on. I have seen records in the last few weeks that date back to the fracture of the country.”

“That may be all well and good,” Greyson began while shaking his head. “It doesn’t change anything.”

Tala sighed. “Okay. But before I leave, I have a favor to ask. Can you have about six more of your pack come in here to assist with something?”

“What? You want to challenge us,” Greyson asked.

Tala shook his head. “No, I am going to honor a promise I made to a scared little boy and his father.”

Greyson looked confused. “Huh?”

“I know you have resigned yourself to the pain you feel every day. I don’t think you should have to carry that burden anymore. I can ease that pain, but I need more people to do so,” Tala explained.

“What are you saying,” Greyson asked.

Tala just looked at Greyson and in a somber tone just shook his head.

Greyson frowned. “I understand now. Thank you but I cannot accept that.”

“Then don’t do it for yourself,” Jay interjected. “Do it for all the people that will benefit from having a strong alpha and a restored pack. You owe that to them.”

“What’s the catch,” Greyson demanded.

Tala spread his hands open towards Greyson. “No catch. If it works, it works. If it doesn’t work, then no harm and we walk away and never talk about that specific subject again.”

Greyson motioned and they brought in six more security guards.

Tala smiled and nodded. “Duane, please come over here and sit down next to Greyson in this chair. Everyone else form a circle around the three of us. It might get weird, and you could feel a bit overwhelmed. It will pass quickly.

When everyone was ready Jay touched Tala on the shoulder. “I love you. I believe in you. Just don’t die, okay?”

Tala smiled. “No one is going to die. Today.” He turned to Greyson and Duane. “Close your eyes and listen to my voice. Do either of you have any questions before I begin?”

Greyson shook his head. “How do you know what to do?”

Tala nodded knowingly. “Let’s begin.” He pulled a small sheet of paper out of his pocket and set it down on a table next to him. Tala closed his eyes and he started to chant softly. They weren’t really words but just sounds that seemed to flow. The room got warmer, and a wind blew out of nowhere. In his mind, Tala could see both of the injured wolf spirits. They both were scared and afraid of Tala until he willed his spirit to touch them. The wind in the room changed and he could feel the energy of the other wolves now.

Jay stood there watching Tala and feeling the room change. The security guards all looked confused and could look away at the scene unfolding before them. Twenty minutes passed before things seemed to calm down. The wind in the room died down and he grew tired. Everyone else around Jay sat down on the ground but still kept a circle around the three men in the center.

Tala slowly stopped chanting and took a deep breath. “I have done all that I can,” Tala announced to the room. “They will need to do the next steps on their own. I’ll be outside if anyone needs me.”

 

Jay walked outside right behind Tala. “What happens now,” Jay asked.

“We sue the living crap out of the Red Lake Pack and the Dodge Spring Creek Pack,” Tala answered flatly.

“That isn’t what I meant,” Jay countered.

“Yeah, I know. Duane was deep into it, but Greyson resisted the entire time. I just hope his selfishness doesn’t hold Duane back. I might have been able to draw more energy too. It wasn’t feeling right anymore, and I can’t figure out why.” Tala mused for a moment and turned around. “I need to ask his security something.”

 

Tala walked over to one of the security guards. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Yeah, I guess,” the guy answered.

“What kind of visitors does Greyson get from outside the pack? Do people come from Red Lake or other packs very often,” Tala asked.

“Nope, not any visitors really. That’s why we thought it was strange you showed up here. Even the bar doesn’t get very busy,” the guard said.

“How about phone calls,” Tala asked.

“Nah, not really,” The guard said. “Well not until recently. Some old dude has been calling demanding to talk to the Alpha.”

“Really? Do you know who he is,” Tala inquired.

“I think he said his name was Amerrill,” the guard replied.

“You said it was just recently he started calling,” Tala implored.

“Yeah, maybe two weeks,” the guard replied. “Why is that important?”

“Just a hunch,” Tala said.

It was then that Duane staggered outside. “Greyson rudely told me to leave and to ask you not to return to his pack’s land”

Tala put his arm around Duane and led him back to the car. “Jay, can you drive? Duane is going to need to sit in back with me until we can get him back to the office.”

 

“Ashton, what did that bastard do to me,” Greyson demanded.

“Slow down, who did what,” Ashton replied over the phone.

“He rushed into my place with Duane and some other guy and gave me an ultimatum about being on his clan’s land without permission and then he did some spell to me,” Greyson explained.

“What was his name,” Ashton demanded forcefully.

Greyson gulped in air. “He said his name was Tala.”

“Goddammit! Why now?” Ashton fumed for a few seconds. “You’ll be fine, get some rest. I’ll take care of this guy.”

 

Jay parked the car in front of the office and assisted Tala in getting Duane inside. “Is there a place Duane can lay down for a little bit?”

“Yeah,” Wanda said leading them back to a small room with a couch in it. “Is he going to be okay?”

“He’ll be fine,” Tala grunted and laid Duane down. He slipped a bit of ancient speak into his voice and told Duane to take a small nap before closing the door and joining everyone else in the conference room.

“What happened,” Lyla asked

Tala tried to explain. “I did everything I could to fix Duane’s wolf spirit. It’s complicated but Greyson was fighting against it, so I don’t know if it actually worked or not.”

“He always told me it wasn’t reversable,” Lyla said confused.

“It normally isn’t because it kills one or both wolves in the original process. Something about it seems wrong,” Tala said. “We’ll see what happens and go from there.”

“Okay,” Lyla sighed.

“One other thing though,” Tala added. “Prepare to sue the living shit out of the Red Lake Pack and the Dodge Spring Creek Pack. I want a notice to vacate and damages.”

 

“Alpha, what is going on? I don’t think you should be up and moving around,” Greyson’s beta said. “You haven’t been this bad in a long time.”

Greyson waved him off as he dug through papers in his desk drawer. Every few minutes, he had to stop and steady himself. “I’m fine. I’m still shaking off what the freak tried to do to me.”

“What did he do,” the beta asked.

“He tried to fix Duane,” Greyson answered. “He somehow figured out that he couldn’t fix him without me. I think I managed to block him enough.”

The beta frowned. “I thought that He altered the spell for you so that wasn’t possible.”

“We didn’t think that an ancient spirit was going to try to undo it,” Greyson fumed. “Where is that book?”

The beta moved some piles of papers and pulled out a pocket-sized book and handed it to Greyson. “Here, now go lay down.”

“Very well,” Greyson said. “I’ll rest for now and then call Ashton to restore the energy blocks. We can’t have Duane recovering.”

 

“Is it normal he isn’t waking up,” Lyla asked.

“No,” Tala replied. “I’m going to have to see what is wrong. Ask Matthew and Jay to come in here. I’m going to need them.”

“What can we do to help,” Matthew asked as he and Jay walked into the small room.

“Just kneel behind me and stay close.” Tala closed his eyes and hovered his hand over Duane. He slowly tried to feel the flow of energy and found an area it seemed to be blocked. He turned to Jay. “Do you know anything about energy blocks?”

“Not really,” Jay answered. “I’ve only ever seen physical ones like the one you had.”

Tala smacked his forehead. He opened Duane’s shirt and found a small pendent hanging around his neck. “Matthew, do you know why he wears this?”

“I don’t know why but he has worn it all my life,” Matthew replied.

Tala reached out to pick the pendant up but felt a sharp pain. He nodded and then grabbed the chain. He broke it and used it to put the pendant on the ground. “Nobody touches that!”

As soon as the pendant was lifted off Duane, he shifted. “What happened? Oh no, what happened to my pendant?”

“Stop! That pendant is enchanted,” Tala scolded Duane.

“Don’t you tell me what to do,” Duane seethed. He sat up and locked eyes with Tala. “Give me my pendant, now.”

Jay went to grab it, but Tala caught his arm. “Don’t. I need you to take Matthew out of here and close the door. Quickly!”

“How dare you talk about my son. You don’t have the right,” Duane roared.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Tala stood up and braced himself. “Duane, I need you to calm down,” he said with a heavy amount of ancient speak laced in.”

Duane laughed. “Your parlor tricks don’t affect me anymore. Now give me my pendant.”

Tala shook his head. “I cannot touch it without being shocked. That’s why I had to break the chain to get it off you.”

“Don’t be stupid!” Duane bent down to grab the pendant and it shocked him. “What did you do to it?”

Tala put his hands up. “I swear to you. All I did was pull it off you. It was blocking something, and I didn’t know why.” Tala sighed. “I do now! You also had an ancient spirit wolf.”

Duane’s head shot up to look at Tala. “What?”

“Duane, please. I think I can explain,” Tala said.

“I’m listening,” Duane answered impatiently.

“I’m going to say a few things that might shock you. Correct me when I’m wrong. When you were first turned, you recovered faster than normal. You got into a lot of trouble and could always talk your way out of it. You met Lyla and were intrigued by this person that didn’t fall under your influence. She didn’t like the person you were, so you went to your alpha and asked him to block your wolf. He did so by using a spell and gave you that pendant. He also said something bad would happen if you ever took it off. How did I do?”

Duane looked bemused. “So far so good.”

“Then let me tell you what happened since we went to see Greyson,” Tala continued. “I did reverse his spell but that activated the pendant’s magic a lot stronger since it was now actively fighting your wolf. Your wolf still needs to recover but your gift is back. A gift that needs to be used very carefully.”

“I think I understand,” Duane said. “What do I do now? How do I keep this gift in check?”

“It will take some time, but you will regain the control you had over it before,” Jay answered. “I’m sure Tala and I can also provide you with some assistance as well.”

“What does that mean for me,” Matthew asked. “I mean will that affect if I have an ancient wolf spirit?”

“I don’t know,” Tala admitted. “I never met another person with an ancient wolf spirit other than myself before today. I’ll reach out to an information source and see what all he knows.”

“Something doesn’t add up here,” Jay mused. “How did Greyson do the muzzle on an ancient wolf spirit and not die?”

Duane sighed. “He wasn’t alone. There was another man there. I think he was the one that did the magic on the pendent.”

Tala nodded. “I figured that was the case, but I couldn’t find it out on my own. My gifts don’t work the same on you as they do on others.” He turned to Jay. “Can you ask Toby if he knows of any really powerful wolves in the area that Greyson might have contacted?”

“I heard the name The Rancher whispered around the pack all those years ago,” Duane exclaimed. “You never were supposed to say his name.”

“The Rancher,” Tala questioned. “That’s not very specific. There are hundreds of ranches in this part of South Dakota. Plus, we don’t know if he is even from the area. I’ll do some asking around on that too. For now, just rest. Let your strength recover.” Tala ushered everyone else out of the room and turned off the light. He made sure no one saw him put the pendant still on the chain in a handkerchief and piece of trash to be able study it more later.

 

“That, ladies and gentlemen, is the situation so far,” Olav said to the assembled council. “Does anyone have any questions?”

“Yes,” Diedre pointed to someone near the back of the chamber.

“Has anyone found the contract that was signed,” the man asked.

“No, we have not been able to locate it,” Diedre answered. “We were hoping that there was someone that had been on the committee previously that could tell us where the records went.”

Cooper pointed to another person closer to the front. “You are next.”

“Is there a way to recover the money,” she asked.

“Based on the outcome of today’s session, we can have a legal request for the funds drafted and served by the end of the week,” Olav replied. “Before anyone asks, we do expect this to go to court.”

The room got loud with everyone commenting. “Order,” Rolf said and hit his gavel on the desk a few times. “Does the committee have a plan to deal with all of this?”

“Yes, we do,” answered Diedre. “We have drafted a proposal to move our finances to Fifth Third for a period of no less than one year. At that point we can either find another longer-term solution or expand our contract with them. This solution will give us a place to collect pack dues and start to work our way out of the financial backlog.”

“I propose we vote on things in sections,” Ulrik stated. “All those in favor of drafting a legal request for the return of all assets from AIMS, please raise your hands.” He waited. “All those opposed?”

“The count has been tallied and the yeas have it,” Bjorn said.

“For the matter of selecting Fifth Third Bancorp for financial services for no less than one year, please raise your hands,” Ulrik announced and waited again. “All those opposed?”

“The count has been tallied and the motion is split with 3 members of the council who did not vote,” Bjorn announced.

“I am reopening the floor to questions and returning control to the financial committee,” Ulrik said.

“Why did you pick Fifth Third,” someone called out.

“We selected Fifth Third because of their size and because they are well known,” Cooper responded. “AIMS is a very small part of PWC and not well known. We felt it would be safer to select an institution that dealt with more than just big corporations. We also didn’t want to go with the largest as we still want some element of secrecy.”

“Anyone else,” Diedre asked.

“What is to stop this from happening again,” someone else yelled.

“Good question,” Olav said. “While the current proposals are all for the short-term. We will be looking into a more long-term solution that could include expanding the day-to-day accounts handling internally.”

“Any other questions,” Cooper asked. When no hands were raised, he turned back to Ulrik. “I turn the floor back to Ulrik.”

“For the matter of selecting Fifth Third Bancorp for financial services for no less than one year, please raise your hands,” Ulrik declared. He waited for the hands to be counted. “All those opposed?”

“The count has been tallied and the yeas have it,” Bjorn said.

“That brings this part of the session to a close,” Rolf said. “Please return to the chamber in a period of two hours. This council is adjourned until then.”