Chapter 5

Cole’s POV

“That’s enough! For all the years I’ve been working with Red Fang, never have I encountered a group so keen on bickering with one another over something as simple as luggage! Especially since everything is labeled with first and last name before being placed on my bus. Now, everyone, get in a single line shoulder to shoulder! Damian!”

“Yes sir.”

I’m surprised at how calm he is considering his father’s yelling.

“Help the young man over by the pseudo pond. Never have I seen such disrespect for a pack member as that.”

“Yes sir.”

I stop in my tracks only a few feet from the edge of the water. The alpha is sending his own son over to help me? I’m shocked and confused with their kindness towards a stranger in their territory. I’ve heard stories of how rogues have never been seen again after entering their land. How Crimson Dawn is as brutal as they come. Yet I’ve seen more care and kindness in the thirty minutes that I’ve been here than any other pack I’ve been to so far. Maybe I won’t have to go rogue. Maybe I could come here instead. They seem nice.

“Hey. Cole, right?” Damian speaks while touching my arm, bringing me quickly from my thoughts.

“Yes, sir.” I manage to barely get out. I’ve had a hard time even speaking to upper-level wolves since I was a young child. It has always been easier just to stay quiet.

“Let’s see about retrieving your stuff, shall we?” I nod my head slightly.

“Yes, thank you.”

We walk back over to the pond. I shiver slightly as the wind starts blowing lightly. Even though I’m from an area with regular snow in the winter I’ve chilled easily ever since the whipping.

Just as I was getting ready to step into the water Alpha Damian grabs me causing me to startle badly enough to yelp. I cringe at my own failure to stifle, cursing my anxiety for getting so bad so quickly. Alpha Damian freezes as silence falls across the land.

“Are you okay?” I nod as I start to stutter.

“I-I’m okay. N-new places just make me an-anxious. I-I’m sorry.”

Just as I finish struggling with such a simple answer the rest of the pack burst out laughing. I can clearly hear the twins jeering at me.

“The alpha’s son is such a baby.”

I clench my fist and stifle a growl as Alpha Damian starts talking again.

“You look like you’re already getting cold so...” he slows down talking as he kicks off his shoes and removes his socks and pants.

“I’m going to go get your bag and anything near it, bring it back here to you, then go back out and toss the rest to you. It usually snows more than it rains in the winter but so far this winter has been mild. It’s rained hard for the last week, and this is a low spot near the training grounds. Anything that has sunk to the bottom that I don’t feel will turn up once the water dries up. I’ll make sure it gets back to you once we find it.”

As he finishes speaking, he’s already waded out to my duffel bag. I usually only bring it and two backpacks. My most important items are always in the pack that I keep with me. It’s as Alpha Damian is bringing my bag back with a handful of my clothing that the pack starts laughing resulting in the alpha’s booming voice again.

“Silence! Since a lot of you can’t seem to act much more than children, that's exactly how I’m going to treat you. Stand still in the line. Do not move or speak unless your name is called. Everyone in front of me pull out the key to your room. Patrick, collect the keys. Dominic and Lucas.”

“Yes sir.”

I hear in unison as I catch two more wet balls of clothes coming my way.

“Dominic, do you have the keys to the third floor?”

I cock my head as I hear Alpha Damian choke on a laugh.

“Yes sir.”

“Give half of the keys to Lucas. Now, since you can’t be grown-ups about collecting your things on your own and are so keen on destroying another pack member’s things my beta, Patrick, is going to grab a bag and call the name on the tag. Raise your hand and Patrick will hand your bag to either Alpha Dominic or Alpha Lucas. One of them will hand you a key to your new room on the third floor. There is an elevator, but it is only used by housekeeping to stock the supply closets and during medical emergencies. The stairs are indoors on the north end of the building.”

“This is the last that I can actually see floating on the surface.” Damian says as he throws the last of my clothes to me. “We’ll have to check again in the morning. We might even find anything that sank once the sun comes out.”

I nod lightly as I ring the water out of my clothes and toss them in my bag. I kneel to close it up just to hear Tyler start running his mouth again.

“If everyone here is being punished with a third-floor room then Cole should get one too. He’s one of us.”

“Oh, is he?”

I freeze in shock at his attitude. I stand slowly with my bag in my hand watching and listening to the alpha’s next moves. It is common for the lead alpha to treat a visiting pack as a single unit instead of trying to figure out the good prospects from the bad.

“And what exactly would make me think he’s one of you?” He asks surprisingly slowly and deliberately, waiting for someone to answer.

“He’s the alpha’s son. Of course he’s a member of Red Fang.” Dallas, one of the other troublemakers, responds.

“Who his father is doesn’t automatically make him one of you. Never, in all the years I’ve been in this program, have I seen a member of a pack treated with such demeaning, humiliating disrespect. To purposely degrade not just another wolf but a wolf you likely grew up with by attempting to destroy his belongings is NOT treating him as one of you. So, since all of you are so keen to show me your rejection of him so early in your stay here, I think it would be smart of me to do the same.”

My breath gets stuck in my chest as I have no understanding of what he’s about to do. Am I about to be rejected from the program? I’ve been told many times that if you get rejected from a pack within the first week of arriving in their territory that it’s an automatic rejection from the program. That the council will not approve of any other requests to go on another run.

I feel Damian’s hand on mine as he takes the heavy duffel bag filled with wet clothes from my hand.

“Come on. Let’s get closer so we know what’s going on.”

I’m a bundle of nerves now and I can’t hide the tremors in my hands or the fear in my eyes. Damian stops and studies me briefly before whispering.

“Cole, what’s going on?”

My eyes meet his as I whisper as well.

“I’m not ready to leave. I just got away from there.”

“My father wouldn’t do that. You’ve done nothing wrong. Just stay with me, you’re doing fine. You seem to get very anxious very easily. Do you take meds to help you with that?”

As much as I didn’t want to admit that I’m a nervous wreck when I’m in the attention of anyone higher than a gamma, I don’t want to lie to the alpha’s son either. At least, not a complete lie.

“I usually take several medications to ease my social anxiety and OCD. X***x if things get bad during the day, I’ll take that at night.”

“Obviously you're not on it now, why?”

“Dr*g test. I didn’t want you thinking I was a nut job when it showed up.”

Alpha Damian shakes his head with a slight chuckle.

“All you had to do was tell us. It’s right in the application.”

I shake my head while keeping pace walking with Alpha Damian heading back to the rest of the group.

“My dad is extremely controlling as to what packs I go to for training. He’s the one that fills out the application each time and submits it to the council. He knows I’m on medication but insists that I stay off them. Dr. Carter makes arrangements at Red General to make sure I can get them but I can’t always get there so my ability to take it is inconsistent.”

Alpha Damian stops in his tracks forcing me to stop as he turns to face me. He looks me in the eyes to which I look away, down to the ground.

“Talk to my dad, Cole. If you know what you were taking, he can get you back on it.”

He starts walking again after I nod my head. He motions for me to head off to the side of the group, standing with me so I’m not alone.

I watch silently as one of the men accompanying alpha picks up a bag. I immediately recognize it as mine. I sigh in relief that they didn’t find that one too.

“Cole Redmen,” the wolf calls out.

“Here.” I call back as I wave my hand lightly.

I see the one holding the bag hand it to another who starts over towards me with a key in his hand.

“Lucas.”

He stops before he even gets two feet from the alpha.