CATCHING UP WITH FLYNN

5 FEBRUARY, FRIDAY, AFTER SCHOOL

"That's actually pretty cool." Zara admired my reflection.

"Yeah, hold still Sam, let me just even it out for you." Jasmine used a pair of scissors to clip off the extra strands.

The girls had cornered me in the girls' locker room after I went to change out into my uniform.

"It's fine. It's just hair." I shrugged, impatient to go. Last I needed was for a dark blue fancy car and some sexy-to-die-for beta (Krystal's words, not mine) to hog the school driveway while waiting for me.

I wondered who was coming to pick me up today? Ben's license to kill, I mean drive, didn't extend beyond the Green Packlands. So that left Harvey or Killion.

{Delta is near.}

Oh. Delta. Like Hank? Wasn't Flynn in the Red Packlands? He felt much closer to home though.

And why were we going back to GPS mode, Boo? No answer. But I knew it was Boo. She didn't fool me. Not with that dark dulcet tone.

So Flynn was coming. That excited me. I wanted to grill him about the Underground. That just sounded so cool. I wished I were grown up and my job was to train an underground army too! But then again, I was the alpha, so if I were grown up, I'd be where my dad was... Stuck monitoring in the office and dealing with troublesome things like Uncle Louis...

I knew it! The Delta positions were the best seat in the pack.

"Okay, I think that's the best I can do." Jasmine stepped back to examine her handiwork, "Sorry Sam, it's probably nothing like what your hairdresser would do."

I blinked at that. I didn't have a hairdresser. Until my shift, Mum used to cut our hair for us. Just scissors and newspaper and a garbage bag worn over our heads. She would snip an inch or two off the back, sometimes cut us a straight bang (which I hated).

Jasmine used my hair tie to fasten my hair in a side swept ponytail. The hair on one side that was too short, slipped to the front, making a kind of long side fringe.

"That's cool." Zara said, "Maybe you should cut my hair too."

"Yeah, thanks Jasmine." I said, "Too bad it'll all grow back."

I just felt glad she didn't seem too bummed out over our conversation about Liam earlier.

Jasmine looked very pleased, "Sometimes I help cut hair for my siblings."

"Okay, cut my hair too!" Zara said.

"Are you sure?" Now Jasmine looked worried.

"Yeah, free haircut, why not?" Zara unclipped her pony tail, "Just make sure it's cute for Zammi's party tomorrow night!"

"Better not as extreme as Zammi though." Krystal advised, "Not everyone can carry it off."

Leia grinned and said, "Not everyone is a werewolf."

I laughed at that and boasted in jest, "Not just any werewolf. I'm an alpha wolf."

"An alpha wolf? Like the type that would kidnap girls and make them your mate?" Zara asked.

Webnovel had done a great deal of disservice to us wolves.

"No." I corrected with a grin, "I kidnap guys."

"No wonder you have so many handsome guys following you." Zara concurred.

What? No! That was a joke! A joke!

"We don't kidnap people! That's against the law!" I tried to amend.

"That's too bad though." Zara said, "I won't mind being kidnapped by a hot and handsome guy."

"No." I told her firmly, "If anyone tries to kidnap you, I'll beat him up to pulp."

"Sam isn't the usual type of Alpha wolf." Jasmine said as she snipped Zara's hair, "She's well..."

I'm a girl? I'm slow? I'm too straightforward? I'm what?

"Well, what?" Leia wanted to know too. Her eyes gleamed at the prospect of some juicy bit of information.

Jasmine didn't dare to meet my eyes, "She's nice."

"That wasn't what you were about to say." Krystal accused.

Jasmine panicked, "I just mean, I mean, she's nice. She doesn't show off and she doesn't look down others who are lower in rank."

"Oh, like that Henry! What's there to show off?" Zara argued, "I don't see what's so great about being an alpha!"

She looked at me, "No offense Zammi, you're cool."

None taken. As much as I liked Henry, he annoyed me too.

"It's just Henry, cos he's rich." Krystal explained.

"No... I mean... Being the alpha is a really big deal. All the wolves have to do what you say. And Henry and Sam's packs are pretty big ones." Jasmine tried to explain.

"LuvMuunMuun is a big deal. Alpha wolves are just so-so." Krystal shrugged.

Yeah. And even if Henry's castle of a home totally impressed Jasmine, mine would be just be so-so too.

{Delta approaches}

Oh, that's my cue!

"I got to go, bye." I told the girls. Exit stage right! Hahaha. Theatre talk was fun.

"See you tomorrow!" Jasmine said.

"She's off again, that girl." Zara grumbled.

Krystal sighed, "So? Isn't that how she always is?"

I rushed down the stairs and hit the student's foyer running, jumping the five steps and hitting the pavement just as a dark blue Merc pulled up.

Then before Flynn could get out and open the door for me or anything like that, I pulled open the front passenger seat and plopped myself in.

"Woah, Alpha! Where's the fire?" Flynn asked jokingly.

I laughed at his uncle joke, "Good to see you too, Delta. When did you get back?"

Flynn turned serious for a bit, "I got back last night. We left Titanium with the Underground."

The underground. Such a cool place.

"What was the underground like?" I wanted to know.

Flynn paused before answering, but I couldn't tell if it was because he was making a turn or trying to decide how to answer, "Oh, it was okay. One of the fight dogs, Seven, was the Alpha there, but the rogue situation forced most of his pack underground. We all bunked in together."

"It wasn't the best condition to bring a pack of fight dogs into, but you know our Luna is a strong healer and fighter. Also the supplies from our pack and the Lorents helped remove the resource strain. When I left, the situation was under control."

"What situation?" I asked.

Flynn quickly answered, "Don't worry. Titanium is with them. He's like a one man tank. Plus between Seven and Fluffy, I doubt anyone would be able to get close enough to your Luna to touch him, much less hurt him."

I wasn't worried. But now I got the feeling I should be.

"Is someone trying to hurt Bell?" I asked.

Flynn sighed, "You don't have to worry about it Sam. Let the men do the fighting. It's going to be okay."

Seriously?

I stared at Flynn's profile. His expression was hard, but his eyes were fixed on the road.

I mean, seriously?

Ah well, I'm just going to pretend that Flynn's just regurgitating what he had rehearsed to say to Macy.

"How's Macy?" I asked.

"Hm?" Flynn answered, "Macy is okay. A little worried and scared. Her parent's pack was in a similar situation when she was young, so she understands."

"What situation?" I asked.

"It's a long time back, Sam. All water under the bridge now, but the Gold Packlands didn't always used to be Gold. Once upon a time, it was known as the Yellow Packlands. Macy's parents was from a minor pack. It was really rough for her. Thankfully they were absorbed by the Silver Moon Pack, things got better for her family after that...." Flynn paused again. I waited for the car to turn.

"When we mated, I promised myself to never let her suffer all that again. You know Sam, we are very lucky in Night Leaf, I feel ashamed of what we take for granted whenever I think of what Macy went through all those years." Then he smiled ruefully, "Maybe that's why I like to pamper her."

"You like to pamper her because she is your mate and you are a chauvinistic male wolf." I told Flynn at point blank.

"Am I?" Flynn laughed, "Maybe you're right."

"And the Luna? Does he pamper you?" Flynn asked as an afterthought.

For some reason, I suddenly flashback to Henry's comment about the way he touches my hair. I tried to shrug it off.

"Maybe." Then I grinned, "But then again, everyone pampers me."

Flynn grinned now, and it was just like back to my pre-shift days when he was my trainer, "So you are aware of it?"

I laughed, "It's hard not to, Sir."

"Well, so long as you know, Sam. You're precious to our pack." Flynn said.

Oh.

That p word again. I'm precious.

"So is everyone else, Flynn." I told him, "Like Macy."

Flynn shook his head, "No Sam, Macy is precious TO ME. But you are precious to EVERYONE IN NIGHT LEAF."

I thought about it, "Everyone in our pack is precious to me too."

I remembered finding Flynn and Hank with their necks broken at the back of the vampire's transport truck. I remembered Esther and Macy's tears at the hospital.

"You, Macy, Hank, Esther... All of you are precious to me too." I said this to the window because it felt weird to say the words out loud.

It must have been weird to Flynn because he didn't answer. I knew he heard me though, because he nodded just a tiny bit. Actually, that was a dumb thing to say aloud. I mean, what did I expect him to reply? Like "thank you very much"? Hahaha.

Awkward.

Flynn cleared his throat, "So, I hear you're chairing your first Leadership Candance tonight."

I froze. My first what now?

I'm wondering when any of my Betas were planning to inform me about it. Or did they think I would see it in my phone? (Because I had no idea where my phone was.)

"It's a good opportunity to be introduced to the leaders of the other packs that will be merging with ours." Flynn continued.

"Other packs?" I asked.

"Yes. Lorent and Morning Light, of course. And Seven and our Luna would be here representing the Underground too." Flynn told me.

Okay... Sounds like a pretty big meeting.

"Don't worry, Sam. Just present what you've prepared. I'm sure you can do it. The rest of it would just be standard updates and reporting. Your dad and Beta Lucas would be able to take care of it if anything unexpected arises." Flynn tried to reassure me, "We're all behind you in this, Sam."

"Thanks." I said somewhat numbly. I had nothing prepared.

"Even though I've only been away for a few days, it feels like a lot has changed." Flynn changed the subject again, "Did you know our pack house has doormen now?"

I laughed now, "We also have valet service."

Flynn frowned, "Really?"

I nodded, "Just get off at the pack house porch and a warrior will come collect your key."

"Are you sure?" Flynn asked, "You're pulling my leg, aren't you?"

I laughed and shook my head, "No sir. It's true. I've seen my betas do it all the time."

Did the valet only work for Betas? I had no idea. Opps.

"Well, I've been in and out of Packlands for a while." Flynn admitted, "Anything else interesting happened?"

I tried to think of something, "Ben's got a license."

"Now I know you're pulling my leg." Flynn laughed.

"No, no, I'm not! He's got a special Beta license that works in the Green Packlands." I said.

"Since when did Night Leaf have such a license?" Flynn challenged.

"We don't. It's a Lorent license." I told him.

"Oh." Flynn considered this, "Did his parents know?"

"Yeah, I think Beta Lucas said he would confiscate it if Ben gets any demerits." I told Flynn.

"Well, I guess if his parents know about it, it's fine." Flynn sounded really grown up although also a little begrudging, "Although I can't see why a kid like him needs to drive."

"I guess it helps him with some of his Beta work." I said. I decided not to mention the Lambo.

"Right... Oh yes, Hank told me Ben shifted last weekend." Flynn remembered, "You pups are growing up so fast."

I laughed. Was that how Flynn saw us? As pups? Well until very recently, we were pups. I bet he'd be surprise what Ben could do now.

"Ben's been working really hard. He's a really good beta now." Then I decided to warn Flynn, "He's also really bossy."

Flynn laughed at that, "That I've got to see."

"His wolf is huge!" I tried again to warn Flynn, "Even dad said his wolf is ferocious, so you need to be careful especially when he's in a bad mood."

Now I was really worried. Unlike Ki, I doubt Flynn's wolf would survive a direct attack from Ben. Actually, I doubt most wolves would survive a serious fight with any of my betas. Wait, but Flynn was our trainer. He knew every trick in the book. He was, after Hank and Titanium, the strongest of our warriors.

"Don't worry, Sam. It's just Ben." Flynn reassured me with his sensible grown up voice.

But it's different now, Flynn. Ben's not the pup you knew anymore! And maybe neither was I.

The car pulled up the usual road home, but Flynn surprised me by turning before the Packhouse to THE NEW ALPHA HOUSE.