IT'S CRAZY HERE

Unfortunately, the LNC had switched out their local expert for their own lady reporter who was reporting from in the crowd. Brave woman. She struggled valiantly throughout the surging tide of bodies to report the event and they interspersed this with footages of the Alpha Princess being escorted on her Walkabout. For some reason, she looked familiar.

"Sarah Mckeith here reporting for the LNC and it's CRAZY HERE!" The lady reporter shouted into the mic in a bid to be heard over the screaming behind her.

Oh right! She was the reporter who interviewed Henry, Jasmine, and I before our Horneo and Bulliet play at Winderhill (and also the culprit who reported the fight that broke out at the Gate City Hospital by our guys after the bake sale). She changed her hairstyle so I hadn't recognized her.

"I'm here at the entrance park of the Warriors Final Resting Place. Today, I join hundreds of wolves, some of them who have travelled all the way from the Gold Parklands. The wolves have been waiting in line as early as yesterday night to enter this sacred place and meet the Alpha Princess on her scheduled Walkabout today."

The Warrior's Final Resting Place wasn't opened to public except for memorial days, so I guess this was a special exception arranged for me.

To prove her claims, Sarah proceeded to try to get interviews from some of the wolves around her. Even from the back of the crowd, it was quite apparent that most of the wolves who had come were young females. If there was a male in the crowd, he would more likely be a father bringing his daughters to the historical event or brothers who were dragged along for the family event.

"You say you came all the way from the Gold Parklands sir..." Sarah started with a family with two middle school girls.

The father nodded, "Uh huh."

When he didn't continue, Sarah had to prompt him, "And you spent the night outside the cemetery?"

"Yes." The father leaned over to affirm, "I waited out overnight in line. My wife and daughters joined me in the morning."

"Why would you go to such lengths to see the Alpha Princess?" Sarah asked.

"My girls wanted to meet her." The father said, "And she saved a lot of lives during the bomb incident at Winderhill. We just want to show her our support."

Sarah smiled widely and asked the two girls, "Is there anything you want to say to the Alpha Princess?"

"Eeeekkkk!" One of the girls squealed.

And then they laughed. It sort of reminded me of my two cousins.

"We love you!" The second girl quickly shouted.

"Yes, we love you!" The first girl stop squealing to exclaim somewhat breathlessly. Then they slapped their hands over their mouths and squealed like they could barely contain their excitement.

I blinked in shock. WTH.

Ben chuffed, "Girls are crazy."

"They're not!" I felt obliged to defend them, "They were cute. Sort of like Estella and Esmeralda."

When Ben made a face, I realized he would have categorized my cousins as crazy too. It made me wonder what stories Oscar might have told him about the two Alpha daughters. I mean, they definitely told me less than flattering stories about Oscar too.

Meanwhile, scenes from the official cameras covering the walkabout showed the Alpha Princess waving and smiling while the crowd surged and screamed.

Now that I was seeing it from a third person point of view, I recognized the scene. It was like something I had seen on the news before, but it was about LuvMuunMuun meeting their fans... their very deranged fans. It was not uncommon for Muunies to cry hysterically with joy just because their idol shoot their hand.

The crowd was even crazier looking on the screen than in real life. I guess, in real life I had my betas and agents around me, so a lot of my POV were their navy blue jackets reaching over to block off unwanted physical contact but the cameras were set from a top down angle, and I could see the way the plastic barriers threaten to burst at places along the pathways and bouquets being slammed into my agent's faces in the desperate bid to make sure their gift was received by the Alpha Princess as her entourage passed.

Jax's face getting scratched wasn't caught on camera. They also missed Cobra's display of incredible acrobatics in catching the box of chocolates in mid-fall. But one of the footages did show Cobra being slammed in the face with a bouquet of red roses and Ink trying to push one of the plastic barriers back in place to make the crowd ahead back up, but he was alone and I was approaching soon, so the girls screamed and pushed forward in a tidal wave that caused him to stumble back. Luckily Neil and Jax came over to physically hold down the barrier with him.

Omg. Girl power. Lol.

My poor warriors. But as we all knew, the walkabout ended relatively uneventfully and the scene cut to me giving a final wave and the crowd screaming like it was their last breath.

Sarah gave more interviews after that.

"She's so cute! Like seeing a real-life doll!" One of the girls exclaimed. Now that was just offensive! Wait… I thought about the Alpha Princess that had appeared in the videos - but that was not me. Don't argue with me about it.

"She has the power to change the weather." Another girl told Jacklyn. She had to be from Winderhill.

Sarah managed to find some teenage boys, but they only shrugged, and one of them said, "She's not that pretty."

A younger boy said, "She looks like the Moon Goddess. My dad says she's coming to take back Night For-"

Sarah quickly pulled back the mic the same time the kid's dad pulled him away from the mic.

Video cuts to some other roaming camera filming random crowds screaming at the camera man and then to the scene of Uncle Louis' champagne limousine pulling out to leave with its full set of Blue Demon Wolf motorbike escort.

Back to Sarah who had found a group of middle school girls still in uniform, "I think we have time for one more."

The girls had skipped school this morning to come here. They gathered around the mic and shouted at the count of three, "We love you, Alpha Princess!"

Sarah took back the mic and smiled at the camera, "I believe that says it for everyone. The Alpha Princess is certainly the toast of town here at Night Forest."

The downloaded footage ended there. I had to admit, "You're right, Ben. They're crazy."

But Ben turned out to be a little crazy too. 

"That guy was blind." Ben grumbled.

So was Ki, "Goddess received a very warm and passionate reception from her Alpha Father's home pack. This is testament to her growing influence and popularity around the continent."

I looked to see if Harvey would like to say anything crazy too.

Harvey's mouth was pressed in a straight line again, "I'm more concerned about that one comment by the pup."

Ki smiled like a flower to the sun, "I'm sure the LNC is going to hear from Night Forest about that."

"I don't mean the PR, Ki." Harvey said, "I mean, where would a young child hear about our Alpha TAKING BACK Night Forest?"

"Maybe his dad belongs to one of the rebel factions here." Ben shrugged, "The rebels say all kinds of crazy."

Sort of like my fans, huh? (Did no one hear about me having the power to change the weather?)

"No, Ben." My good beta who didn't leave loose ends persisted, "I mean the words "take back" - how many regular wolves would know enough to trace the Kingsley inheritance to our Alpha as the rightful heir? You know their succession laws are not publicly accessible here."

"Oh. Damn the LNC." Ben said, and then after a pause he said, "I'll have it investigated."

Ki nodded at that, "Please be covert, beta. This is an issue of great political sensitivity for both packs."

"Duh, dog." Ben shrugged in his usual bad attitude.

Ki smiled like a flower to the sun, "It would be best if we pretended such a thought had never crossed our minds."

"But Eddy is the Night Forest heir, not me." I said, "Grandpa Alpha's will said so."

"Yes, Sam." Ben grinned, "Exactly like that."

Huh, what?

"We're here." Harvey's mouth was still flattened in a straight line. Suddenly, all the good mood from earlier disappeared without a trace.

On the bright side, everything was normal again. At least my three betas, weighed down by their new politically sensitive issue, were just their normal selves and not the mirage of overly good-looking cool guys that the LNC video made them out to be.

Here's hoping I looked like my usual self in real life to them too. Last thing I need is for my betas to mistake their alpha for a cute doll. How did Ben put it? Damn the LNC.