Page 23 of Ice Wolf
I thought about all the rules and the ramifications of not following them as I was sitting in the back of a black SUV, the windows purposely darkened. No one could see in. It felt as if I was in a prison instead of being carted around like a prized member of the number one hockey team.
What pissed me off more than anything was that two more sponsors had backed out. Two. I was down to some diet pill and a soda no one had ever heard of and the coach had reminded me I should be damn grateful I had those.
Even my goddamn hockey sticks had been stripped from my locker.
There was nothing sacred in this business.
I rubbed my jaw, forced to remind myself this shit with the girl had to work. Hell, I wasn’t certain I could do it. What other choice did I have? I’d promised my father I’d made a decent go of it. Not that I was known for keeping my promises. I smacked my hand against the seat and the driver jumped.
Christ. Every team member was keeping a wide berth from me. Pussies.
The location of our meeting hadn’t been disclosed. Probably since the coach felt he couldn’t trust me any longer. What the hell was that all about? I’d never lied to the man. Was he actually buying the bullshit spouted off?
My frustration could easily build to anger. It certainly wouldn’t be the best first impression if I strode into the location with my canines exposed. I rolled my tongue across my perfect teeth, trying to laugh at the situation. That was better than feeding the anger. Maybe I’d return to the compound at some point to free some pent-up hostility.
The compound.
A dark name I’d coined for a large fenced-off block of land owned by several members of the pack. The pristine area was dense with trees and lush underbrush, the two hundred acres considered a playground by some pack members, an exercise facility for others.
There were also small neighborhoods scattered throughout the outskirts of Chicago where a few hundred pack members lived a normal life. An even larger one was located on the outskirts of town, completely blocked off, gated and fenced for security purposes. The land had been in my family’s holdings for years, my grandfather responsible for developing the gated community. Exclusive and secure, wolf shifters could truly be themselves.
Only the wealthiest could afford such a pristine location. That included my brother. Although I’d called his cabin in the woods more of a bachelor pad than a home. I owned half but was never there. One benefit of the compound—the grounds were ripe for young cubs to practice their more primal skills.
In contrast, my parents and a smattering of other affluent pack members resided in a picturesque wealthy neighborhood placed in the backdrop of a thick forest and the sunny shores of Lake Michigan. Gated and protected by highly trained security guards, Mom and Dad enjoyed my father’s prosperity in style. Only they weren’t involved in barbaric actions of hunting and scoring dinner from bloody kills.
No, they preferred having barbeques and catered events with their rich friends. They usually talked politics and traded stock tips. While pack members often stayed close, our lineage didn’t make them instant friends. Usually to the contrary. That meant not a single one of their friends knew about their ancestry and they never would.
My father had even managed to get himself elected as the president of the homeowner’s association. And he loved it. Who were my parents?
What happened under the cloak of darkness was nobody’s business. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d enjoyed the freedom of being a wolf, foraging in the night while escaping the tension and requirements of being a human. It was the same for most pack members. Most lived incredible lives. Why bother returning to our primal selves? I doubted most even knew how to hunt like the good old days, vying to win brutal competitions that had been ingrained into our psyches. That’s why the crap tossed out in the media pissed me off. We were doing nothing more than trying to live our lives like everyone else.
A sneer crossed my face. Hockey had been my hunting grounds, but for championships of a different nature.
At least stopping by after practice one day would allow me time to process everything as well as to continue asking questionsabout the changes occurring in my system. I was curious. Did that mean I’d need to take my fancy girlfriend along for the ride?
Could the poor girl even handle my extreme nature?
Another way of keeping her irritated.
Wherever we were going was far removed from my normal stomping grounds. I’d worn a hoodie, keeping my face down as I’d headed out the back door of my house, meeting the driver a block away. Somehow, I’d avoided the throng of reporters, but I doubted I could avoid them every time I headed out to go somewhere. And I certainly wasn’t going to be cooped up like a freaking prisoner. Not this guy.
The driver hired for his ability to keep his mouth shut drove into a small parking lot of an undisclosed building. There were no markers, no signs indicating what kind of business I was headed to. This was a location of her choosing. Where the fuck was I going?
“Hey, man. What is this place?”
“I have no idea, sir. I was just given an address.” The guy had done little more than flick me an occasional glance in the rearview mirror. Probably trying to determine if the reports were correct. Either that or he was worried the almost full moon in the night sky would cause a reaction.
Maybe I should conjure up a hefty growl and pretend to slash his neck.
I laughed inwardly as he pulled to a stop. There was a single car in the parking lot. Nothing impressive either. When I climbed out, the stench in the air became overpowering to my senses. The area was under renovation and the odors were old, so muchso I doubted the driver could detect anything. But I could gather a whiff of a hamburger a mile off.
I’d purposely dressed like shit just to piss the girl off. Sweatpants and an oversized team sweatshirt, with tennis shoes that had seen better days. Hell, I hadn’t even combed my hair. Why the hell should I care? If this was about laying low, that’s what I was going to do.
My way.
The driver remained in the car, not bothering to offer any instructions. What I’d been told was to come inside and wait.
It was obvious this girl thought she was something special.
