A SECRET MEETING

9 FEBRUARY, TUESDAY, BEFORE DINNER

As our car approached the Lorent's home, the gates swung wide for our passage. We drove without guard or escort all the way down the long driveway, past the trees, and up to the front steps of the mansion. No one came to the car, so it turned out to be a good thing that Ben was with us. Harvey opened our car door and escorted us to the front doors. None of the guards moved. Ben drove the car around to look for a place to park.

We waited at the front door. The front door was huge and doubled. There were three sets of doubled doors. Harvey checked all the doors and found the one on the most right hand side equipped with a doorbell. He rung it and returned to us.

The sun had set and the wind was icy, biting through my stockings. Mum hugged her coat on tighter. I noticed Harvey shifted his position to use his body to physically block more of the wind from me.

What a weird reception.

If the gate opened, then shouldn't someone be at the front door waiting for our arrival?

There was a broken telephone line somewhere.

Ben got back to us. When he saw us there he looked p****ed as hell.

"Should I fetch the car for us to leave?" He asked.

"I've mindlinked Ki." Harvey informed us.

"What's the hell is the dog doing?" Ben growled.

"Ki was off duty. I might have woken him." Harvey answered.

"Then who the hell is on duty?" Ben asked.

The front door opened, but it was not the doors on the right where the bell was, but the set of doors on the left that opened.

At first there he just stood there, staring. And then he managed, "Good evening, Alpha Kingsley. I hope you had not been waiting long."

Who-the-hell turned out to be Anthony Lorent, the late Beta Lorent's son. Thanks to Harvey's brief, I could place a name on his face. He only opened one of the doors, not both. And he didn't step out of the warmth of the house.

Harvey's lips were pressed in a thin line. Ben's growling had turned suddenly silent. They didn't approve.

Dad simply led my mum through the door without a word.

Once inside, Anthony slid open the doors to a large walk-in closet for us to HANG OUR OWN COATS.

Okay, it's not that I minded self service or anything, but wasn't this something a polite host was supposed to do for polite guests? Like wouldn't it be totally rude if we just stormed in and made ourselves at home? I don't think we were at that level of friendship yet.

By now, I think Harvey and Ben had decided not to count on him for any hospitality. Ben helped me out of my white heavy hooded wool coat.

Anthony just stood there and watched Ben remove my coat. I felt uncomfortable at his stare so it was a relief when Harvey casually walked past and stopped with my parents coats on his arm, effectively cutting me out of his line of sight.

"When you're done, you may wait for Alpha Lorent in the receiving room. It's on your right. If you'd excuse me, I have matters to attend." Anthony informed us stiffly before turning to leave.

"Why? Where's the fire?" Ben asked.

Anthony turned but after a moment, it didn't look like he could think of a comeback, so he simply left.

Wow.

I felt a little stunned at the way we were received as guests.

My betas obviously took this as an outright snub, but maybe the poor guy just didn't know how. I mean, he totally drew a blank when Ben sassed him.

Dad and Mum remained silent about it. Knowing them, they were running with the "if you had nothing good to say, don't say anything" line of principal at this point.

I think Harvey deciphered my parent's stand, and had quietly hung up the coats. Ben hadn't moved, he was busy glaring at the space where Anthony left.

"I believe the receiving room is this way." Harvey gestured for us to follow him.

"Thank you, Harvey." Mum smiled for the first time since arriving.

I looked at Ben, and then I smiled too. I put a finger on my lips. Ben nodded, just an iota.

Mum paused a few paces away to look back, "Come along Sam."

Ben put a hand on the small of my back. We walked behind my parents, purposely falling back until they turned into the first room. Ben dropped his hand from my back and grabbed my wrist, and we ran for it.

"Not so fast, my heels!" I mindlinked.

Ben slowed.

Oh. WTH. I took off my shoes. Ben took them from me.

It was weird, like a dream, there were guards, but they only stared. The Lorents liked to stare a lot. It was as if they were protecting their Alpha's home with sheer eye power.

We followed Anthony's scent into the hallway. He had taken off down this side of the hall. Definitely a servant's corridor.

"Your Dad has asked me to bring you back at once." Ben informed me after receiving a mindlink.

Oh, we were busted. Mum and Dad probably found the receiving room and realized we had snuck away. I bet Mum made Dad mindlink. Mum was pretty stressed out about tonight for some reason. She seemed to feel I should want the Lorents' approval.

"Sam? Should we go back?" Ben prompted.

We hadn't even found out what was keeping Anthony busy.

And then I heard a familiar voice, "What do you mean there is a problem?"

I knew that voice!

"I'm sure no one would notice!" Another familiar voice piped out.

"You imbeciles, even my aging eyes saw it in a glance!" An elderly male voice said, "What more a professional audit firm?"

Hahaha, Neil and Jax were in trouble again. I entered the room. Ben tried to grab me but he was just a second too slow, "F***."

I stopped inside the room, Ben right behind me. The room was furnished with a large wooden table, and only one chair behind it. A very elderly wolf sat there. Neil and Jax stood on his right, while Anthony and two other men turned at our intrusion from their position directly facing the old man.

When they turned, they exposed the contents on the table. There were lots of ledger books and accounting printouts. I recognized the printouts. I think our pack used the same accounting software. But their's had a lot of red numbers.

Ben stepped out from behind me, his wolf alert. His right hand held my heels, but I knew he was only keeping his left hand free to reach for his gun if it were needed. Ben was young and rash like that.

"Yo, Princess!" Neil greeted.

"Vavavoom!" Jax said with another of his saucy winks and opened mouth smiles.

Neil hit him over the back of his head. It was a good thing Neil hit him before Ben reached for the gun.

"Alpha Princess is here." Ben announced. His voice unusually gruff. I think his wolf was cheesed off by so many people, he couldn't decide who to bite first.

The elderly wolf stood up immediately, and all the men made stiff bows.

"We meet again, princess." Delta Emerson spoke first. He wore a smile of forced geniality, "To what do we owe this honor?"

"We got lost." Ben lied, looking pointedly at Anthony.

"I heard Neil and Jax." I said, "I thought they were in trouble."

"If I knew you'd come and rescue us, I'd get in trouble more often." Jax informed me cheerfully.

"Idiot!" Neil scolded, "You're always getting in trouble!"

I grinned at their banter, "What trouble are you in this time?" I approached the table.

None of the men looked comfortable about me getting involved.

"You don't have to worry, princess. Neil and Jax are not in trouble at all." Delta Emerson said in a bid to brush me off.

"Really?" I tilted my head.

"Yeah," Jax nodded happily, "They're the ones in trouble. They blotched the accounts and Rebel wants everything submitted by the end of the meeting tonight! When he sees all the zeros that are missing... He's going to Chi-Ka-Boom!"

What was "Chi-Ka-Boom"?

"Silence fool! There's nothing missing." Anthony had snapped at the mention of "Chi-Ka-Boom".

"There's no way to hide it though." Neil said, "I did try to spread it out, but it just made it look worse."

"Why are you so incompetent?" Anthony asked, "You were given a whole week to do this!"

"And I did it! Look! I did so many versions. True version, bad debt version, maybe typo error version, long term debt version...there are only so many ways to put it."

"You must have made a mistake!" Anthony insisted.

"Look, I might not be great at creative accounting, but I know how to push a calculator." Neil said.

"Disrespectful! How dare you speak to your beta that way." Anthony spat out.

"You're not the beta." Jax said.

"Yet." Delta Emerson quickly, "Now please calm down, Anthony. We said we'd help you, didn't we? I'm sure we can manage to solve the discrepancies if we just had a bit more time."

The old man in the seat furrowed his brows, "This is serious, Delta Emerson. Not something we can gloss over. I'm very concerned. Furthermore, I understand that Beta Ki plans to hand over the accounts to an external party to audit."

"Give it up, Jack. There's nothing we can do." The other man said with a sigh.

"No, there must be something we can do. Perhaps we could liquify some assets and make good the accounts." Delta Emerson

"No, Delta Holden is right. It's too late for that. I'm afraid there's no way around it." The elderly man on the chair said.

"Please Grandpa Williams! It's not my fault those gaps appeared. It was my dad. But you all know my cousin hates me and plans to destroy me. He would make every excuse to end my family line!" Anthony had taken to a low whine.

"Anthony, you are my grandson. You know I want to help you. But I am bound by honour to report the account duly. I cannot cover the gaps for you, not even you boy. It would ruin my reputation." Grandpa Williams sighed heavily, "Perhaps you should take your mother and sister, and stay with your aunt in the Gold Packlands."

"No! This was my birthright!" Anthony seethed, "I won't be robbed of it!"

"I heard your Aunt, Lady Amber plans to put in a good word for you." Delta Holden said, "Perhaps if Jack and myself also speak up on your behalf..."

"Not with your accounts... You are in trouble too, Harrison." Delta Emerson pointed out.

"Then will you speak to Alpha Lorent for Anthony's sake?" Grandpa Williams asked.

"I would." Delta Emerson sighed, "But I might have fallen from his grace lately. Even my past carelessness in the accounts could be an excuse to write me off for good."

"Yours was only negligence over some bad debt. These things happen, Delta Emerson." Grandpa Williams consoled him, "I can't say the same for you Delta Holden."

Hello? Did anyone not see me standing right here in the room? I looked at Ben who only shrugged, "Come on, Princess. It's none of our business. Let's go back to your parents."

"Wait!" Delta Emerson said, "Perhaps the princess might be able to help us."

I stopped, "How might I help you?"

"Yeah, how can she help?" Jax wanted to know too, "She's just a girl."

"What are you saying Delta Emerson?" Grandpa Williams turned to regard me.

"The Young Alpha is rather taken in by his princess." Delta Emerson smiled, "Of course this is to be expected given the princess' enchanting beauty."

I bit my lip so that I wouldn't laugh in his face.

"He is?" Asked Grandpa Williams.

"I've heard that he cannot take his eyes off her when in the same room." Delta Holden said with a laugh.

"Well, it's easy to see why - even Anthony keeps looking her way." Delta Emerson smiled.

"I do not!" Anthony reddened.

"Perhaps the princess might distract the Young Alpha to leave the meeting early tonight." Delta Emerson suggested, "This would give us time to amend the mistakes in the accounts."

I blinked at them. Ben's wolf surfaced. He made no sound, but my wolf could feel it.

"Wait, hold it." Neil said, "I'm all for second chances and helping family and all, but you can't ask her to do that!"

"Why not?" Delta Emerson asked.

"She's 15." Neil answered.

"And he's a monster." Jax said, "He's not nice to his women."

Neil hit him for saying too much. Jax was the kind of guy who spoke without thought.

Delta Emerson growled, remembering that his daughter was one of "his women".

Ben smirked, "Why should the princess help you?"

The men blinked at that. It was as if they had not expected Ben to speak at all. Hahahaha. Did they think Ben to be like one of their totally silent guards outside? They obviously didn't know Ben.

And then the men obviously decided that the show must go on.

"Why the princess stepped in like the moon goddess herself! It could not be simply coincidence!" Delta Emerson explained, "She brings good luck where ever she goes, perhaps luck is finally on our side."

"You see princess, much as it pains me to say this, but our young alpha is a ruthless man. Already, he had his uncle publicly executed and he had vowed to destroy anyone else who had betrayed the pack even in the slightest. Everyone's head is on the board. Everyone will be burnt by his wrath." Perhaps Delta Holden might had been friends with Shakespeare in another life.

"I cannot believe the Lorent Pack had come to this point." Grandpa Williams sighed, "We are reduced to using a young girl to pay for our sins."

Who's paying for your sins?

"Delta Williams, you cannot go along with this." Neil said, "You're an honourable man."

"And look what honor has done for us. Where are we, all honourable men now? Meeting in secret to pour over past accounts...What had reduced us to this?" Grandpa Williams asked.

How about years of bad accounting practices, otherwise known as dishonesty? I don't know, it was just a wild guess on my part. Why DO honourable men have to meet in secret to hash out the accounts?

"We are all deltas, serving the Alpha family dutifully for years. But the Young Alpha James has no regard for us. He has no regard for anyone but himself since he was a child.

For years, his own father has tried to contain him, but it is true what the prophecies say about him, he will bring about the end of the Lorents." Grandpa Williams lent his grave voice for the narrative.

These guys should just quit and join the theatre. Hahaha.

Delta Holden shook his head, "I cannot count the times he had told me that he would like nothing better than to someday destroy us."

"Now he plans to return with an underground army - how can we believe that he truly comes in peace?" Delta Emerson asked.

"So you want to let him ravage the girl instead?" Jax asked.

Huh, what? What had that got to do with anything? Wow, this play was terrible.

"I'm sure even he would not dare. She is Alpha Kingsley's daughter." Delta Emerson said in his more reassuring tone.

Didn't Grandpa Williams just say he had no regard for anyone? Who was writing the script for this thing?

"At any rate, her sacrifice will also be for her pack. What would stop him from razing Night Leaf with his army?" Delta Emerson added.

Wait, who was going to sacrifice? I flared.

"Don't worry, Princess. It will only be for a little while. Eventually, he will be destroyed by his own evil. If you help us Princess, I give you my word, and I always keep my word, you will become Anthony's mate when this is over." Grandpa Williams promised.

Anthony looked sharply at me. I adverted my gaze. Ben growled and stepped directly in his line of sight.

"I don't want something my cousin has used." Anthony answered coldly.

"Plus she's a minor." Neil felt inclined to add at this point, "And not to mention this whole plan is just wrong. Count me out. Come on, Princess. I'll take you to your parents."