Kryn left the car running and Jolen slid over into the driver’s seat.  He popped the trunk release, and hoped Kryn knew what he was doing. 

“You know we can always just take her into the back and the woods.”

“Yeah we could, but that would be too easy. Instead we are going to take her to a safe house, one of the people on those cards you have in your pocket have to know where one is that we can use until we can get her to talk. That way we can keep her from finding out about you.”

“Fine, just do it.” Jolen took a deep breath and nodded to Kryn who walked up to the door nonchalantly with Lorna to knock.

George opened the door.

“Is Mrs. Tanley home?”

“No she isn’t, to what do I owe this pleasure?” George looked at Lorna first then to Kryn, who sighed. 

“Fine.  Lorna, give me the things from your pockets that Jolen gave you.  It seems he wants you to stay.”

“I don’t want to stay.  I want to help Jolen.”

“You can’t now.”

“Jolen has figured it out hasn’t he?”

“Yes sir.  He is also very upset about it, and that Loki was kidnapped in his place, sir.”

“So he knows about that, too, does he?”

“Yes, sir.  Now could you tell me where to find Mrs. Tanley, Jolen would like to speak to his mother about matters not concerning his quest, and since she is not wolfkin, there is no law saying he may not.”

“She has gone to a meeting at her group, I do believe at their headquarters.”

“Thank you Sir.”

“Keep him safe Kryn.”

“I will do my best, Sir, but he does not make it easy.”

“No, I’m sure he does not,” George smiled softly at Lorna, “why don’t you come inside and let us talk.”

“What if I don’t want to?”

“Then I will declare you rogue and you will be hunted down and killed.”

Lorna looked at Kryn who shrugged before walking away.  It could not be helped this little ‘chat’ with the ulfric, nor avoided.  Lorna entered the Tanley home for the first time as an adult wolfkin.

 

Kryn went back to the car and closed the trunk, then slid into the passenger seat. 

“Where’s Lorna.”

“She’s talking to your father.”

“So she found the Ulfric.”

“Guess so.”

“What now?”

“We go find your mother.  She’s at her club’s headquarters.  Do you know where that is?”

“Yep.”

“Then drive, Jolen.”

 

 

They headed back across town to a storefront shop that served as the headquarters for the GROUP and Jolen saw several cars parked in front.  “Well looks like they are having a meeting.”

“Yeah, but how are we going to get Loki out?”

“First we have to make sure Loki is in there.”

Jolen looked at Kryn… “I’m going in there, she’s my mother.  Maybe she will show me the evil ‘thrope.” he grinned.

“If they even have him in there. How will I know that they haven’t taken you hostage too?”

“She’s my mother, Kryn.  Why would she want to harm me?” Jolen asked him.

“Sounds fair enough, just be safe.” 

“I will, here take all this, you know just in case.” Jolen gave him everything from his pockets, including the credit card.  “If they took Loki instead of me I’m sure she don’t know pops is who he is, but that don’t mean she intended to do me harm by proxy.”

“Uh huh.”

“Just you know, in case, make some phone calls, ok?”

“I can do that.”

“Thanks.”  Then Jolen got out of the car and walked up to the building, opened the door and entered.  There was no front desk receptionist on a Sunday afternoon, but there were several lights on down the hall.  He walked down the hall, calling out “Mom!”

Nona exited the door at the end of the hall, all smiles, smoothing down her skirt.  “Jolen!  I didn’t expect to see you here!”

“Yeah, um, I just needed to talk to you and pops said you were here, so I figured, since I was coming into town anyway with some friends, that I could drop by rather than wait until I got home.”

“So what is this all about?”

“Do we have to discuss it in the hallway?”

“Well no.”  Nona looked around and found an empty office, “This is more private.”

Jolen looked more relieved.  “Thanks.  I mostly just wanted to apologize for not coming home last night; you know that is so not like me.  Loki kept me out until dawn dancing at this club downtown.  It was wrong I know, but he said he called pops.  I wasn’t sure if he did or not.”

“Is that all?”

“Did he call?”

“Of course he did.”

“Oh, well good.” Jolen looked relieved, “And there were some really weird things that happened… mom can you tell me how a person can catch lycanthropy, I’m really kind of nervous about it.”

“Do you think you caught it?”

“I don’t know.”

“Is it possible?”

“Well, that depends on how it’s transmitted.  I didn’t have sex with anyone, you can ask Loki, I mean he was right there with me all night, never left my side.”

“Never left your side huh?”

“No ma’am.”

“Do you know where he is right now?”

Jolen blushed and nodded his head.

Nona got in his face and grabbed his chin, “You’re lying.”

Jolen shook out of feigned fear which was barely masked rage and he had to push down the clawing need to rip her head from her shoulders and feast upon her flesh. “Why do you say that?” he asked with a trembling voice. 

“Because there is no way you can know where he is unless you are a lycanthrope.  You aren’t a lycanthrope are you Jolen?”

“No ma’am, at least I don’t think that I am.”

Jolen then took a deep breath to calm himself, and caught Loki’s scent on her.  His eyelids fluttered as he fought back the change and he wrapped his arms around his mother.  “Help me mama.  I’m so scared.”

Nona wrapped her arms around her son and patted his back.  “It’s all right Jolen, we have it under control.”

“Under control?” he asked as he sniffed her neck trying to scent if she was wolfkin at all.

“Yes, dear.  We have kidnapped the son of the Ulfric, and now he will be coming to us to surrender.  Soon the lyncathropes in this city will no longer have a leader and we will be able to pick them off family by family.”

“You want to kill them?” he trembled against her.

“It’s the only way son,” she patted his hair, “to treat the animals ethically they must be irradicated.”

“But you and pops fight for their rights.”

“Honey, your father fights for their rights, I support your father because that is what a good wife does.  I am a good wife.  I gave him a son because that is what he wanted, and I’ve been a good mother to you.  But the only thing in the world I’ve ever wanted was to see lycanthropy irradicated.”

“Why?” Jolen didn’t have to fake the trembling in his voice this time, nor the tears that wet his cheeks.

“My uncle was a lycanthrope.  One day he and my father got into an arguement and my uncle killed my father.  My mother killed my uncle, her own brother, for killing her husband.  The courts put my mother to death for that murder they called it.  Murder.  The man tore my father apart with claws and fangs in front of us and I swear, he would have killed us next if my mother hadn’t have used the shotgun on him.  But the law wouldn’t believe my uncle was a lycanthrope, said a wild animal killed my father, not my uncle, that my mother was just a vengeful woman out for murder over my grandparents will.  Left all the money to me, but I was an orphan.  And it was all the fault of lycanthropes.”

Jolen wept for the death of his grandparents and the way his mother had to witness it.  He held her and finally when she was finished whispered, “I’m sorry, so sorry.”

Then she pulled away, “So you see why we have to stop them, you will help me stop them won’t you?”

“I’ll help it come to an end, mama,” Jolen said finally.  “Will you show me the son of the Ulfric?”

“Are you sure you can handle knowing that you were duped, Jolen?”

“Is it someone I know?”

“Yes.  It is.”

“I can handle it, mama.”

Nona took a step back and looked at her son, then she wiped the tears from his face.  “Do you think you have contracted the lycanthrope virus?”

“I don’t know mama.  I hope not.”

“I hope not too.  We have test kits here where we can test you if you want, but the easiest way to tell is to wait until the full moon.  Do you want to be tested?”

“Sure mama.  I’ll be tested.”

“Then come with me and we will get you tested and let you meet the son of the ulfric formally,” she smiled a wicked little smile and took him by the hand to lead him from the room.

Jolen followed her docily, not really sure how to handle the situation, but knowing he had to get himself and Loki out of this situation and quickly.  He was responsible for Loki, and he would never forgive himself if Loki were harmed. 

They crossed the hallway and entered the room his mother had first exited from.  Inside were several people, including the man Jolen had first recognized on the tape.  They had Loki stripped naked and handcuffed to a wall.  One was examining him inch by inch. 

“I’m telling you I don’t see any marks.”

“There has to be a mark, the books say there is always a mark on the most powerful line.”

“Maybe it hasn’t shown up yet because he’s just come into his power so recently.”

“That’s what they want us to think, Sam.  He could have come into his power years ago or maybe he hasn’t come into it yet and they don’t want us to know.”

“Oh he’s got his power, I can feel it.”

“What do you mean you can feel it?”

“You know I’m sensitive to these types of things.”

Jolen listened to the people around Loki talk and he looked at his friend.  Eventually they made eyecontact and Loki looked away.  Jolen misunderstood the sign and thought that Loki was embarrassed that Jolen was seeing him like this. 

“Mama, do you mind, I’d rather not see him naked.”

“You didn’t seem to mind yesterday morning.”

“Mama, I was drunk, nothing happened.  Honestly.”

“Fine, Sam, cover him up.”

“And does he have to really hang there like that?  Look, it’s cutting into his wrists, that’s got to hurt.”

“How else are we supposed to see if he has fur under his skin if we don’t remove a little?” his mother asked.

“Mama, that’s just silly.”

“Silly you think?  According to our research, it’s a scientific fact.”

Jolen looked at his mother and looked at the ohters around him and shuddered.  They were crazy, all of them were crazy.  He wasn’t sure if he could take them all, there were plenty of weapons around, but he feared he would be dead before Loki were free, then they would ahve killed the son of the ulfric.  He could not let that happen.

“Come on over here and let Dana draw some of your blood, she can test it to see if you have contracted the virus.”

Jolen glanced over at Loki, almost out of habit and Loki grinned.  Jolen sat down and let Dana take his blood.  A few minutes later, she reported to Nona that Jolen was clean.  As perfectly clean and healthy as could be expected of a young man his age. 

Nona looked at Jolen in disgust then she turned on Loki.  “I thought you said you had infected him.”

“No ma’am.  I said I had done everything in my power to get him infected except fucking him myself, and I swear, if you didn’t have such  bad timing I might have been able to do that, if he was still drunk enough.”

Jolen looked at his mother then he looked at Loki and he didn’t know what to believe anymore.  Loki had never lied to him that he knew of, but maybe he had asked the wrong questions.  Maybe he had been played for a fool along.  He stood there unsure what to think, what to do, how to feel when the phone rang. 

“It’s him,” said a man.

“Put it on speakerphone,” Nona said and the man flipped a switch on the phone. 

“Hello? Hello?”

“Hello Ulfric.”

“Oh thank you, I didn’t think you were going to answer.”

Jolen looked confused, that was not his father’s voice. 

“Do you have my son?  I want to hear proof.”

The hand that had been put over Loki’s mouth was removed and Loki very calmly said, “I’m here.”

“Have they harmed you?”

“I’m not dead yet, but I’ve bled blue for them.”

“Oh my.”  There was heavy breathing on the line for several moments. “What do you want?”

“We want you to present yourself at the corner of Main and First streets in one hour, bring your four top people with you.  We will bring your son.  Any deviation and he will be dead.”

“So my four top people for my son.”

“Something like that,” Nona responded then the phone line went dead.

 

George paled at the sound of the last voice that had transmitted over the phone line — Nona.

“What did he mean, Sir, when he said he bled blue?”

“He means Jolen is there.”

There were worried glances around the room.  “So what are we going to do?”

“What they say.  What else can we do?”

“Sir, you can not be standing on that street corner.”

“No, but I will take five volunteers to stand there. The one who is Ulfric must be a different hair color than the rest.  In case they try to trip up Loki when they get them together.”

“Who should be chosen?”

“Take volunteers, if no one volunteers… let me know.”

 

Kryn had sat outside in the car long enough.  He got out and walked over to the nearest pay phone half a block away and dialed the first number on a card, choosing one at random.  These were Jolen’s favors to be cashing in on, not his and he felt wrong in doing it, but he had been told to do it, so he dialed.  The first person was home, he explained the best he could that he needed a small army of trained warrior types to get Jolen out from this group who seemed to be holding both him and Loki hostage.  The guy asked for half an hour.  Kryn hoped he had that long.

 

In fifteen minutes, a group of three older teens sauntered by his car.  Two minutes later, four different teens bounced a ball in the opposite direction.  A couple pushing a covered tam was next, and that is when Kryn noticed a man standing by his door.  “Do you intend to sit in that car all day or do we have people to rescue?”

Kryn grinned.  “The street was dead, but it seems to have gotten rather busy.”

“Well you can’t expect to hide everyone in the bushes, now can you?”

 

“No I guess you can’t.” Kryn laughed nervously. 

“So, where is our wolfling?”

“He went in that building there and hasn’t come out.  We think Iskender is in there as well and the Ulfric may or may not know Iskender was taken but may not know his where abouts.  Jolen did not want to tell him.”

“Why not?”

“His mother is also in there.”

“Ah. So how are we going to do this?”

“Well I thought I would go knocking on the door, like I’ve been waiting out here forever, and see if he’s ready to go.  If he acts like he can’t go, then we do something about it.  If he acts cool like everything is all right, then I don’t know.”

“Then we take him, and Iskender, that’s what.  This place gives all the wolfkin who have ever been forced to go in it the creeps and none of us can tell you exactly why.  Maybe we can get some answers today.”

“Maybe.”

“Well, Kryn, go knock.”

Kryn took a deep breath and went and knocked.  No one answered.  He knocked again louder, and still no answer.  He tried the knob, and it opened, so he walked in.  Two of the teenagers followed him quietly.  In the back room there was a loud arguement going on. 

 

“What the hell was that?” the one who claimed to be sensitive to lycanthropes yelped.

“Your damned imagination is what,” another one griped. “We have to get him down.”

“I’m telling you I can’t.  Everytime I touch him I get this charge from him, that’s not in any of the books.”

“Then make him stop it.”

A third one walked over to Loki and hit him upside the head with a baseball bat.  “That should stop it.”

Jolen cringed, but there was nothing he could do as he stood by his mother trying to get a feel for the people in the room.  Some were unawakened wolfkin, and it was those that he was ‘attacking’ by stirring up their awareness with the nearness of his own.  With his being so strong right now, it was easy to do.  When the sensitive one touched Loki again, Jolen rolled him harder than he rolled him before and he felt him almost climb to the edge of the abyss, but not quite.  He let go and backed away panting.  Jolen wasn’t sure if he should push him just then or not, however there were others who felt that roll as well and one did not back away from the abyss, but plunged into it instead.

 

“SHIT! Dana!” Nona yelled as she looked at her friend in wolf form.  “What the?”

“Mom back away slowly.  Very slowly.  She’s confused and frightened right now, she may attack.”  Jolen told Nona, trying to take charge of the situation but not let his position away either.  The others were dragging Loki down now, without the help of their friend.  Dana had found herself a corner to defend, and the humans were grouping in an opposite corner leaving the unconscious, bleeding Loki in a heap on the floor defenseless.  Nona looked at Jolen and ordered him to get with the others as she found a large object to wield at Dana.

“Don’t mom.  She will not hurt you right now if you just stay calm.”

“And what do you know of lycanthropes, Jolen?”

“I know a thing or two, remember Lorna mom?  I was with her one time when she changed.  I had to learn how to act with them when they do this.  It’s all right really if you stay calm, you go over with the others, I’ll go tend to Loki.”

“Need some help?” Kryn asked as he opened the door.

“Go see if Loki is alive.” Jolen told him, then he looked at the other two taking their measure.  “If you two think you can handle it, gather them all up and keep them cornered.  Make sure you get and keep her with them.  I’ll take care of Dana here.”

Jolen approached her like Loki had him approach Lorna and grasped her like he grasped Lorna.  She did not balk at his doing this, then he led her almost easily out the door and down the corridor, talking to her all the time about how she would have a new family who would love her and accept her and not treat her like she was different.  When they got to the door he stopped and cracked it a little and looked out.  There were several people outside.  He didn’t know how many were Kryn’s friends and how many were friends of the GROUP, so he had to take his chances. 

“Hey you,” he said softly and a man turned around, “yeah you there come here.”

“Who do you think you are boy ordering me about?”

Jolen barred his teeth like he had seen Kryn do and the man barred his back.  He did not need to get into a dominance thing right now, but here he was.

“I’m in a bit of a perdiciment, if she don’t think I’m in charge then she won’t go quietly.” Jolen growled and opened the door ever so slightly.

The man’s eyes widened a little and he nodded, understanding. 

“Where are you taking her?”

“No, clue, hoped you could help.”

“I got a truck and a cage for my dogs she might fit into.”

“Far?”

“Half a block.”

“Might be able to lead her that far.”

“Carry her.”

Jolen blinked. “Carry her?”

“Yep it’s the only way, ’specially if she’s new.”

Jolen sighed then leaned over and picked Dana up.  “Come on girl, this ain’t going to be much fun for either of us, but we will get through it, then I promise you… a family who loves you for you.”  and he kept the talking up the whole way to the truck.   There were some teenagers bouncing a ball nearby, the man told them to come and sit in the truck and talk to Dana, until they could get her fed.  Jolen thanked them then hurried back to the GROUP’s office.  Kryn and the others had the people still cornered and Nona was in the group.  Loki was bleeding pretty badly but some of his wound were already beginning to heal. 

“I think Loki is going to make it.” Kryn said softly, “but what do we do about them?” 

Jolen grinned, “I have an idea.”  He pulled his mother out of the group and told Kryn to come with him.  They had planned on kidnapping her anyway earlier to get Loki back.  This time they took her and drove to the corner of Main and First (?).  On the corner was a group of five men, his father was not among them.  Jolen had been sitting in the back with his mother when Kryn slowed to a stop. 

“What is this?  Where is my son?” one of them asked. 

“Take her and give her to the real Ulfric, a present from his son.” Jolen said calmly as he pushed Nona out.  The man grabbed him as he recognized the boy and grinned.  He would be glad to take this little present back to the Ulfric.

 

Once that was done, Kryn returned to where his small army was dealing with the others.  He was seperating them into two groups, wolfkin and non-wolfkin.  “We got enough cages to deal with all these?” 

“We will in a few minutes, mobile units are on the way.”

“I can’t believe they had so many among them who were unawakened at such an advanced age.”

“It was only a matter of time.  That one there, I bet he snaps when he changes, so be prepared.” The man pointed to the man who had been sensitive to other wolfkin.

“Why do you say that?”

“He’s been riding his innerself for so long when it lets loose it’s going to want to ride him for a while.  It won’t be pretty.”

“Is that what I was doing?”

“Not exactly.  From what Loki has managed to tell me, you and your inner self fought from the start, and you managed to win the fight with out the change.  So when you changed the process was as simple as letting go.  It’s not that simple with most people.”

“Yes, that is how it was.”

“He’s been telling everyone, he’s so proud of you, you know.”

“He is?”

“Yes. You honored your responisability to him, even when you didn’t have to.  Your father had basically hired him to be you, to die in your place if need be.  He’s been you for years.”

“For years?”

“Yes.  At functions where the Ulfric has needed his ’son’ at his side, Iskender was there.  So you could remain hidden.  The two of you were never supposed to meet.  But when he couldn’t pretend any longer and he had to really protect him, or loose you, then well, you met and you know what happened next.”

“Loki says he comes from a good family.”

“One of the best blood lines there is.”

“And he’s taken precautions to see it carried on.”

“I don’t doubt it.  A young man his age, he might have a cub or two laying around behind a wood shed here and there.”

“So no one would mind if I kept him close.”

“They would mind if you kept him too close.”

“I would have a cub or two behind a wood shed and maybe one or two in the house, but I think I would want Loki around is all.”

“And how does he feel?”

“Haven’t asked him yet, more concerned with what the laws are.”

“No laws against it so long as the bloodlines are carried on.  Once you have that proven, then you are free to do as you please.”

 

About then several pickups with cages on the backs pulled up.  Into each cage was placed one person believed to be wolfkin. 

“You think you can roll them into changing?”

“I think if I do it will tire me out.”

“We will take care of you.”

“I’ll try.”

“That’s all we can ask of you.”

Jolen went from truck to truck and attempted to draw out the wolf in each person.  Some were more stubburn than others, some more eager.   He took a little time to talk each of them down after their change before moving on to the next one, and by the time he reached the last one, he could barely focus well enough to welcome the new wolfkin to the family and promise him a home where he would be accepted for who he was.  Then he turned to Kryn who had stayed by his side, “Loki.”

Kryn smiled and nodded.  Then he scooped Jolen up in his arms and carried him over to where Loki lay recuperating from his ordeal.  Loki accepted his charge with a smile and several of the warriors stood guard around them.

“He’s exhusted himself, Kryn,” Loki said after stroking Jolen’s hair out of his face, “he needs to eat.”

“And where are we going to get orthadox food for him here?”

Loki gave Kryn a sharp look.

“Fine, I’ll find a burger joint.  You want something too while I’m out?”

“Take the cash and get food for everyone.  Who is in charge here?”

“I’ll send him over when I go to get the food.” Kryn left him sitting there holding Jolen.

“You wanted to see me?”

“I hear you have a whole bunch of new wolfkin.”

“Sure do,” the man grinned from ear to ear, “hungry ones too.”

“And a whole bunch of people who wanted him dead.”

“Yep them too.”

“I suggest you feed the wolves, get them sleepy then move them to larger cages.  They may be in them for a while.”

“I was thinking that myself.”

“Kryn will be bringing back some burgers and such soon, I needed him out of the way so you could carry out that order, he might disagree.”

“What about that one?”

“Sound asleep.”

The man nodded.  “I’ll have the trucks gone in just a few minutes.”

And it was a few minutes too.  Each truck with a wolf took a human or two and left.  Kryn returned with burgers from three different burger places, and everyone who was left took some and left.  Loki thanked those he was able, but the one in charge said no thanks was needed to get rid of that menace.

Between the few who remained to act as bodyguards for Loki and Jolen and Kryn, they managed to get them in the car and when asked where to go, Loki said to his home.  Kryn asked for clarification, and Loki clarified and gave directions.  He was tired of pretending to be Jolen, he wanted to go home.

Kryn paused outside a security gate where he was asked who was requesting entry.  Iskender looked at him, “Tell them, the lost sheep.”

Kryn did as he was told and the gate swung open.  Once inside, Kryn followed the driveway down a long path to a cluster of houses set deep in the woods.  An elderly man stood out front with a younger version of himself at his side. 

The younger man came to the car as Kryn parked it and looked inside. “Where is he?”

“Backseat.”

The man opened the door and looked in.  He turned and spoke rapidly to the old man in some language that Kryn had never heard.  Then another young man dropped from the trees and several more came running. 

The old man approached the car.  “Welcome on my land.”

“Um, thank you.” Kryn said, but stayed where he was, to him this was the strangest group of wolfkin he had come across.

“Please, come, there is food.”

Kryn could not decline the invitation, that would be worse than rude, so he opened the door and slid out, taking the time to look and see what was happening to Loki and Jolen.

 

Loki looked up at his father, how to explain the sleeping boy in his lap. “He is mine.” Loki finally said when his father reached for Jolen, but then Jolen growled when Loki’s father reached over to stroke his son’s cheek.

“Looks as if he disagrees.”

“He growls in his sleep.”

“Only when I reach to touch you?” his father teased, “what trouble brings you home this time my son?”

“He is my trouble.”

“He looks like no trouble at all.”

“He is sleeping.”

“Well then let us see if we can get him in a more comfortable place to sleep.” The man nodded at some of the other men present and one reached in to grab Jolen to haul him out of the car.  However, Jolen did not want to loose contact with Loki, and he lashed out in his sleep, forcing the hands away and the body with it.

“Are you sure he is sleeping?” Loki’s father asked.

“Absolutely.”

“Would you be able to move him?”

“With some help, I think I might be able to if it wasn’t far.”

“We will take him to papa’s house, it’s the closest.”

Loki nodded and slid out of the seat, dragging Jolen with him.  His uncle helped to steady him and his brother helped to move Jolen. 

“How do you want him?”

“Shoulder.”

Together they hefted Jolen over Loki’s shoulder and the two older men supported Loki and Jolen’s weight as they moved toward the house.  The old man was sitting at the table in the kitchen with a just as old woman serving them a savory stew from a pot on the stove when the group moved through the door.

“Problem there?” Papa asked as he stood up to open the guest room door.

“A guest who seems very relunctant to leave our lost sheep.”

“Ah, our guest was just telling me about our other guest.  Seems he is a very special young man, a young Ulfric.”

Kryn looked at Papa in disbelief, “That’s not what I said, Sir.”

“Certianly you did, you just didn’t know you did, you see, we are not created.  We do not fight our way to the top like most people think, although among the young and the lower ranks and houses there is some fighting.  Ulfrics are born to their power.  Loki probably recognized the signs as he was helping awaken the boy, there are so few in the outside who know the power of a true Ulfric.”

“I don’t understand.”

“When you first saw him what did you first feel?”

“Confused.”

“Why?”

“He wanted to dance with the girl I was dancing with and I wanted him to pick me to dance with.  So I hit him.  Then when we were fighting, I wanted so much to fuck him so I hit him more.”

“Did he hit you?”

“A few times, but mostly defending himself.”

“How did he make you stop?”

“He didn’t.”

“Then how did you stop fighting?”

“I lost control and the bouncers broke it up, put me in lock up until I changed back.”

“Before that night had you ever lost control in a fight with another wolfkin or human for that matter?”

“No.”

“Did it strike you as odd?”

“Well, a little, but the whole night was a little odd.  I couldn’t get him out of my mind and the girl I was with changed that night too.”

“And I bet our lost sheep got him out of there as quickly as possible, before anyone else fed  off his power.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I true Ulfric feeds his people as much as he feeds off them.  He can walk among the wolfkin that he has pledged to protect or whom he knows their scent and he can give them strength.  He can also force them to change, even if they don’t want to.”

“That’s why he’s so tired, he forced several people to change today who didn’t want to.”

“And he didn’t know how to feed back on his people to regain his energy.  You are his.  I would bet our lost sheep is his.  The stew will keep, go lay with him, get him warm and he will wake up.  Then we all can have some stew.”

Kryn blushed but he headed toward the guest room where Loki had disappeared with Jolen and several men.

 

“I’m telling you I’m getting in that bed with him.” Loki said for the third time to his father.

“There are other beds.”

“Leave us. I can tend to his needs now. I told you he is mine.”

“I’ll help you.” Kryn said as he walked in.  “The guy who owns this house said if we want him to wake up we have to get in bed with him and get his body temperature up.”

Loki glared at his father, “Told you so.” Then he began to take off his clothing. 

Kryn shrugged and started stripping, too, but stopped when he reached his boxers.  Then he pulled back the covers to strip Jolen down but found he was already down to his skivvies, so he crawled in bed with him.  Loki stripped bare and climbed in on the other side. 

“Tell Papa thank you for letting me come home,” he said and closed his eyes.

The men filed out of the room in various states of disbelief, to go sit at the table and stare at the old man.

“Don’t stare at me.  They belong to him.  He needs them close.  He could probably use half a dozen more, but all he has is two, so that’s what he gets unless you have some young ones who would like to volunteer body heat.”

“I don’t understand, Papa.  What is going on with my lost sheep and that young one.”

“That young one is a young one indeed.  He is barely awake and weilding more power than I’ve ever held.  In the wrong hands he could turn into a tyrant, but I think our lost sheep has saved him from that fate.”

“Why did he bring him here?”

“If you were so scared you didn’t know you were scared where would you run?”

“To the only place I’ve ever known safety.”

“Exactly.”

“But he couldn’t be certian we would let him back in.”

“But he was scared enough to take the chance we would.”

“How did you know?”

“He didn’t use his name, he hasn’t used it yet.  Not the one we gave him or the one they gave him, as if to say a name would make it so they could find him.”

“Who has that kind of power?”

“Who did we send after him to watch over him?”

“Ishak.”

“Why would he be frightened of Ishak?”

“We will have to ask him when he wakes up.”

“And what of the other boy?”

“He will cause no trouble.”

Loki’s father gave instructions to his sons, and then he and his brother sat and waited with their father for the others to return.  If Papa wanted a warm bed for the boy, the a warm bed he would get.  Several children filed in, none anywhere near the age of change, and they were all sent into the room to lay on top the covers and be quiet.

 

The men grabbed Nona by the arms and dragged her to the nearest car they had arrived in, one slid in the back, another shoved her in, then slid in beside her.  The other three slid in the front seat.  It was tight but they managed.  It wasn’t a far drive to the nearest safe house.  They repeated the proceedure in reverse and marched her inside and down stairs where they locked her in the cage and paced.  It was a very short time later when Ishak arrived.

“Where is he Nona?”

“Loki escaped.  Jolen turned me over to these goons, as a gift for their pathetic Ulfric.  I know he can’t be one of them.  I should have known better than to believe he would come himself.”

“Shut up Nona.”

Nona stared at him. “Are you the Ulfric?”

“No, I’m not, but you have to be the stupidest bitch on this planet to not know who he is.  You’ve been living with him for… how long have you been married?”

“George?” she said in disbelief, “That’s not possible. I had his blood tested to see if he had the lycanthrope virus before we got married.”

“Let me guess, you used the same test on Jolen sometime in the recent past?”

“Yes, today.”

“Well guess what.  He’s a ‘thrope, and so is your husband.” Ishak told her bluntly.

“I don’t believe you.”

“Fine don’t believe me, I don’t care.  Just tell me where he is.”

“Where who is?”

“Loki.”

“I don’t know.”

Ishak grabbed the bars and yelled, “Why don’t you know?  He took your son somewhere.  He could be hurting him.”

Nona cowered in the corner and wept.  “I don’t know, Jolen pushed me out of the car and gave me to these people.  I just don’t know.”

“Well you better start thinking about it because you aren’t getting out of that cage until I find him.”

Nona shook and prayed that Ishak never found him, because in all likelyhood, Jolen was with him.

Finally Ishak stalked off and the five who had brought her trailed up the stairs after him, leaving her alone in the darkness.  An undetermined time later someone opened the door and brought food, slipping the tray in tracks along the floor.  There were no utensils, no movable parts, just food on a tray.  She refused to touch it.  Where she was behing held started to get cold, so cold in fact, she began to shiver, she lost track of time and eventually nodded off.  It was then when the door opened.  Slow, steady steps tread down the stairs in the dark.  Nona woke up with a start to see the silolette of a very familiar man in the darkness.

“Why am I being caged like the animal you are?”

“It’s for your safty, Nona, otherwise they may decide to kill you.”

“What difference does it make?” she snapped.  “I’ve been bedding with you.  Jolen is now one of them.  It’s only a matter of time before one of you turn on me anyway, or turn me into one of you.”

“It’s not like that, Nona, we can’t make you one of us any more than you can make us one of you.”

“But..”

“But nothing, my son is missing.  No one knows where he is gone, and you were the last one to be seen with him.”  George slid up near to the cage. “Now tell me everything you remember.  Tell me everything that happened today, Nona, and don’t leave out anything.”

“It was Loki.  We thought Loki was the Ulfric’s son.  So we took him, but then Jolen came, and things got weird.  I’m not sure what happened.  He seemed so frightened, but then when he saw Loki, he was in control.  Not just of himself, but of the whole room.” She shook her head and shivered.  “Some other boys came in and Jolen took Dana out.  She had turned into a wolf in front of our eyes.  He seemed so calm about it, almost as if he had expected it to happen.  One of the other boys tended to Loki and the others backed us into a corner.  Then Jolen was back.  They listened to him and did what he said, and soon I was being given to those goons and I don’t know what happened to everyone else.”

While she was talking Ishak had returned to stand by George’s side.  George could tell she was telling the truth.  She was too frightened to not be, and too stupid to lie. 

“So Jolen and Kryn are together possibly with Loki.” George said softly.

“And Loki is not in any of his usual hiding places.” Ishak replied.

“He didn’t exactly fail now did he?”

“Nor did he exactly succeed.”

“What do you mean?” George questioned Ishak.

“He was to take the place of Jolen, was he not?”

“That was his orders.”

“Yet, Jolen lives.”

“Of course he does, Jolen was never to die.”

“That wasn’t in the orders,” Ishak grinned and wrapped his arm around George’s shoulders.

“You can’t mean…”

“The Son of the Ulfric lives.  You will have your successor.  Too bad you did not believe in making sure your line carried on even if your chosen child did not,” Ishak said has he gripped George’s neck, and broke it.

Nona screamed.

Ishak left her in the cage, screaming.

 

When the Ulfric had asked for volunteers to retrieve his son, Simon had volunteered.  He knew it was very possibly a trap he would be walking into, but he also knew that the life of Jolen were the most precious thing he knew to protect.  His own son had been unable to change on his own and Jolen had pulled him over when he had changed.  For that, Simon would face anything.  He had been most surprised to see Jolen alive and well in the car and him pushing the woman out as a gift for the Ulfric.  When one of the others had placed a call to Ishak, Simon had called George.  Something was running foul, Ishak was not the Ulfric and Simon had wondered why he had been called.  He asked no questions though.  Instead he watched and listened.  Both George and Ishak arrived and took turns in the basement with the woman, then they were both down there together.  Only Ishak came out.  Simon wondered what was taking George so long when he was sent down to feed the woman again.  He did not expect to see George’s dead body on the floor.  He pushed the tray into the slots and did his best not to vomit as he made his way back up the stairs.  He went over to Ishak and bowed.  “The woman, I think there is something wrong with her.” 

Ishak scowled and headed for the basement.  Simon took a deep breath and followed him as far as the door, where he took a bottle of cooking oil and poured it on the wooden stairs then lit a match as Ishak checked on the woman.  Before Ishak had reached the top of the stair, Simon had pushed the door shut and deadbolted it in place.  Then he went to find the others, murder on his mind.

 

Jolen stirred in his sleep and Loki stirred beside him.  The man at the door watched them as the children had been called away a short time ago.  Kryn was curled up with his face in Jolen’s armpit and Loki lay with is head on Jolen’s shoulder, both very submissive positions.  The boy in the center didn’t seem to be old enough to hold two young men under him, much less be able to hold a whole pack like Papa said he was capable of doing.  He looked so innocent, almost fragile.  The man shook his head and closed the door again, returning to the kitchen to report to the others they still slept.

“He will be waking soon.”

“How can you be so sure, Papa?”

“There is a bit of a tingle in the air around that room.  His power has returned, maybe not in its fullness, but it has returned.  So he has no reason to stay asleep.”

“Except that he is lazy,” one of the men sneered.

“He is not lazy,” Papa corrected, “he is new to his powers.  Untrained is not the same as lazy.”

“So what does our lost sheep have to do with this?”

“When the lost sheep was forced into changing from sheep to wolf, he ran.  I sent a shepherd after him to bring him back, however, when the shepherd saw where he ran, other arrangements were made.  Our lost sheep was used to keep a young cub from being harmed, and since the penalty for straying is death… I decided death here or there… it did not matter.  The Ulfric would dispose of him when he no longer needed him.  Except that something went wrong, and now they are here.  The hunter has called stating the Ulfric has put a price on the lost sheep’s head, but he can not be found.  Trouble is the boy can not be found either.  He suspects they are together, but they are not in any of the lost sheep’s hidyholes.  I guess it is because he is looking in the wrong place.”  Papa grinned.  “Now, I know George Tanley, and if he thought his son were here with our lost sheep he would be on the phone asking he please be kept safe or returned depending on the situation at hand.  He was a Ulfric, but a weak one.  Where this boy got his power from… must have been his mother’s line.  So here is what I’m going to do, boys.  We are going to assume the worst until we hear any better.  Now what would the worst be?”

“The boy’s gone rogue.”

“Someone is trying to kill him and they ran for safety.”

“They got in more trouble than they could handle and didn’t know who to trust so they ran.”

Papa nodded at each suggestion, then added one of his own, “Or maybe it’s a little of each.”

“A little of each?”

“Well from what I got from that Kryn boy, Jolen didn’t even know he was wolfkin until a few days before his change.  Then he was sort of thrust into a whole new world at once.  Powerful boy like that can make some pretty nasty enemies damn quick and not be meaning to.  The boy also said something about a crazy group of people kidnapping our lost sheep thinking it was the other boy and trying to skin him to see if he had fur inside while the young one was supposed to be on his quest to see the ulfric, whom he had just figured out was his father.  His mother was in the group trying to do the skinning.  That’s a lot of heavy stuff to lay on a kid that young.  I don’t think he’s quite gone rogue, I think maybe he just needs some time to digest what he has been given so far, and be given some helpful advice.  And maybe, just maybe be around some wolfkin who are a bit more civilized than that.”

“But Papa, you are the one who sent the hunter after the lost sheep with very specific orders.”

“I know.”

“Are you going to recend them?”

“Not yet.  We will have to see if the lost one has found his way home yet.”

“Even if home is not here?”

Papa sighed.  “He already belongs to the young one, he can never belong to me.  I won’t interfeer with that, but I will test the bond.”

“And if it’s true?”

“Then the order will be recended and his name added to the roles of our order and he will be free to wed.”

“You mean free to give his bastards his name, the girls are already wed.”

“Fine, free to give his bastards his name.”

“Thank you Papa.”

“Don’t thank me, his trial will not be an easy one.”

“But at least he is getting one, it is for that I thank you.”

 

Jolen was warm, very warm and he was happy.  He started to move, but found bodies on two sides pinned him in.  For some reason his first thought was not panic.  It was who?  He took a deep breath and discovered the scents of Kryn and Loki and he smiled, suddenly he did not want to move.  Instead, he snuggled in closer, stroking their hair and touching them softly.  Then Loki whispered, “My father looked so pissed when I got in bed with you.  I think we have some explaining to do.”

“Did we do something wrong?” Jolen asked keeping his voice low.

“No, nothing at all.  Nothing you would understand at least.  It was something I did, and I do not regret it.”

“I do not regret it either, Jolen.  I didn’t quite understand what was happening at the time, but I do not regret it.”

“Regret what?”

“I’m not sure if you can sense it, as you put it there.  But my father could, I reek of you.” Loki chuckled.  “You have marked me as yours and rather strongly from the look on his face.”

 

 

“How can I mark you as mine?” Jolen asked somewhat confused.

Loki looked over at Kryn.  “He’s cute when he’s confused isn’t he?”

“Very much so.  Think we should keep him confused?”

“I don’t know, it is kind of rude to do, maybe we should clue him in on what is going on before he has to go out there and face my family.  They can be a bit overwhelming.”

“A bit?” Kryn asked.  “That one they call Papa had me telling my life history in a matter of moments, and I’m not usually like that.”

“He is.  Gads I’ve missed this place.”

“Why did you leave it then?”

“That’s a story for another time, Jolen, for now, let’s just say we didn’t see eye to eye on certain fundamental issues.”

Jolen nodded and sat up in the bed.  “All right I can accept that, so what do I need to know to survive what ever it is they are going to do to me out there?”

“What makes you think they are going to do anything to you out there?” Kryn asked.

“Gut feeling.” Jolen said sarcastically.

“Well there is no preparing you for it really.  You will basically just survive it.  It’s not impossible.  I did. You just have to find something you can believe in and believe in it with all your heart and soul.  Then when they try to shake your world, you hang on to that, and everything will be fine.”

“I can do that.” Jolen said calmly, “so long as I have the two of you with me.”

Kryn smiled at him. “Jolen, I fear that we will never be far from you.  You see, there is something different about you; I’m still not sure what it is.  But I know that if you called me, I would come.  Not because I had to but because I wanted to.”

“Like those numbers?”

“Yes, like the men who gave you the numbers.  They wanted to help you.  So they gave you their numbers, and when you called they said yes.”

“Jolen, you could have asked anything from them and they would have said yes.  You need to remember that.”

“But I didn’t.” Jolen looked frightened.

“I know you didn’t, you asked for simple needs.  Food, shelter, safe sleep.  They provided that to you.  But had you asked for them to rally up an army they would have.”

“They did, in your name, actually, because I asked.” Kryn said.  “To get you away from those loonies.  They came not knowing what to expect, ready to die for you.”

“Why?” asked Jolen who was beginning to tremble.

“Because you are the one they want to lead them.”

“Most of them hadn’t met me before that day.”

“But they have heard of you.”

“My father is their Ulfric.”

“Your father is the Ulfric by default, Jolen, honestly.  The families got together and picked someone he holds no power over any of the other families.  They… tolerate him… and he knows it, so he does not push his elevated status on them.  Even the greetings among some of them have become more habit than true surrender.”

 

The three of them crawled out of bed and got dressed noticing their various states of undress.  “I bet your father was really unhappy about that, wasn’t he?”

“Deserved what he got.  Shouldn’t be so damned judgmental.”

“Is that was this is all about?”

“Look, there is nothing wrong with the fact that…” Loki blushed. “I know we’ve not discussed this before Jolen but well…”

“You have feelings for me?” Jolen finished for him.

Loki nodded.

“I know.  I mean, I’ve known from well since I met you practically, I just didn’t know how to address them.  You always acted so weird around me.  It was like you knew me before we ever met.”

“I did, in a way, through your father.  All he ever talked about was you.  Jolen this and Jolen that and what a fine member of the community you would one day grow up to be — if we could just keep you alive long enough to see you through your change. He had such high hopes for you.  He never talked about you much around anyone else though, it was as if he were scared to. Almost as if you didn’t exist except to the two of us.”

“How did he explain me living in his house?”

“You were a poor relation on his wife’s side, not a wolfkin at all, poor thing, just like his wife.  Therefore you were never a threat, and never in danger so long as I was around.  Because people knew he had a son.  They just didn’t know exactly how old you were, or what your name was and he kept me closer to him than necessary for anyone other than a son or a lover.” Loki blushed.

“Were you and my father lovers?”

“No, but I wouldn’t have minded it if we were.  Instead there was another, but he already knew all my dirty little secrets.”

“Ishak.”

Loki nodded.

“And when you and I became closer he became jealous.”

“I would believe so, yes.”

“Do you think my family is in danger?”

“Do I believe he would harm your family?  Not to get at me, no.”

“But to get at me?”

“It’s possible.”

“Then we have to go back.”

“We will, but first we have to face Papa.”

Kryn cringed.

“He’s not that bad, come on.” Loki told them, “really guys, he’s my grandfather.”

 

They filed out of the room one behind the other with Jolen in the rear.  The man at the door stepped aside at the look on Loki’s face; it was a definite show of dominance here in this place where he was perceived as weak.  And had Papa not given the order to let them be, his cousin would have stepped up to the challenge he gave and they would have fought.  Loki was actually looking forward to one good fight between himself and his cousins so that they could see that he was not the weakling they thought him to be.  Then again, he had Jolen to protect, so he may not get his chance, unless Papa allowed it.

 

Jolen walked over to the table where Papa sat and stood in front of the old man for a moment, then he sat down too, with out so much as a by your leave.  Papa laughed. 

“Bold one you are.”

Jolen looked over at Loki unsure if he had done something wrong.  Loki blushed.

“I was told, Sir, that no man would be made submissive in his own house unless it were by his choice.   You have allowed me to enter here, therefore you have chosen, have you not?”  Jolen asked quite innocently.

Papa laughed some more guffawing and slapping his palm against his knee.  “He hasn’t any clue of the law does he?”  He asked Loki.

“Very little I’m afraid.  I’ve only begun teaching him, and just enough for him to embarrass himself too badly in public.”

“Well, let me help educate you son.  You entered my home unconscious that means you forfeited all rights of dominance or submission until you leave it and request entry again.  Now you can get up from here and try to leave and I will have my boys hold you until I decide that you can leave, or you can stay and accept willing that I am your superior.”

Jolen looked at Loki, then he looked at the men. 

“If you think you can keep me, sir, feel free to try.” Jolen nodded at him, “I do thank you for the use of your bed and for providing me safe slumber.”  Then he turned toward the nearest door and headed toward it.  When a man stepped in front of him and growled Jolen growled back and side stepped him, they danced getting closer and closer until they were face to face, however, Jolen did not touch him.  He knew how this game was played… first to loose control lost.  Tighter and tighter circles they moved, and then it began to happen… Loki’s cousin began to shift and when he did, he howled in frustration.  Jolen dove for the door and nearly made it when another grabbed him by the feet.  This time the rules were different.  Grappling in the floor, Jolen wrestled for the top position, using not only his physical strength but his metaphysical strength as well.  No one interfered with them as they wrestled; this was one on one.  Eventually Jolen pinned the cousin and made him cry out in defeat.  Then Jolen stood and placed his hand on the doorknob only to be grabbed from behind.

 

 

(to be continued?)