995 NEW DAY, NEW SAM

7 March, Sunday, 8:30AM

The next time I opened my eyes, I was back in my room. I sat up in my golden clam shell bed and blinked sleepily at the morning light streaming through the full-length glass doors.

What just happened?

Wait, why did this scene feel so familiar? Omo did I drink something bad again?!? How?

Wait, no. That wasn't possible. My betas had been watching everything I ate like a hawk - super paranoid hawks. I couldn't even eat a gummy bear without them noticing.

Maybe I dreamed everything? That would've been some dream! Magic treasure weapon, Alpha Solomon apologizing, the rogue grave, my amazing report card… I knew it was too good to be true!

And then I remembered the Lorent media meeting and realized it had to be real. I would never dream anything that boring in so much detail!

So not a dream, which was good because it meant my amazing report slip and new magic bow were real. Not so good because I totally missed seeing Bell at his own butt wiping meeting! T.T

{Mate! ~♥}

I couldn't even last 1.5 hours. Boo was most disdainful of me - like it was my fault! Forget it, I wasn't going to start what looked like a bright and sunny day squabbling with my own wolf.

Hm… what time was it? I squinted at the brightness from behind the day curtains. There was a somewhat surreal feeling, even after waking up in this room every morning for a while now. I know it's my room, the lemon scent mingled with my own was very reassuring, but Ki magic had been here - which explained why the night curtains had been drawn and everything else from the clothes on the golden birdcage rack to the little things on my dresser had been placed exactly as it should be.

I didn't have to go over to check. I knew my phone would be sitting pretty on a little silver colored tray, fully charged. My life had become very unrealistic lately.

I got out of bed and marveled at the way I felt so rested. Sleeping in could have contributed to it, but also, I noted from my reflection in the mirror, I had my diadem on all night so I hadn't dreamed traveled. I guess wearing my diadem to sleep did give some benefits… like rest, which I would not ever look down upon again.

I used to hate sleeping, but now I had to admit, this rested feeling was pretty neat. I felt really good, like I had the whole Sunday ahead of me!

Yep. I stretched and tugged my clothes off the hangers. Today's gonna be a great day!

I couldn't help it. I woke up feeling good, the spring morning light was flooding my room like the goddess' blessing, everything is perfect, just as it normally was. When I pushed open one of the sliding doors, the smell of freshly baked bread and bacon frying wafted into my room. Oh! Breakfast with the Alpha!

I could've skipped all the way to the bathroom, but stopped after two skips because the moment I passed my bedroom door, I became aware that there were A LOT of wolves just on the other side. Sigh… it looked like my happiness came with an entourage of conditions.

And I did mean a literal entourage.

I walked the rest of the way to the bathroom, snagging my phone on the way in. Better check what's on my schedule today…

While brushing my teeth, I caught sight of myself in the bathroom mirror. I was still wearing yesterday's clothes, my hair continued floating behind me nonchalantly in the ribbons that Savy had made yesterday with the hand held curler, phone in my hand, while my other hand worked on giving my teeth its usual scrub down… I barely recognized myself.

I was still wearing yesterday clothes, so if you ignored the wrinkles on my tailored cream slacks, I really looked sophisticated, a far cry from the girl in cartoon t-shirts and jeans.

I guess it still hadn't fully sunk in. There was still a part of me that had expected to meet brown eyes and straight brown shoulder length hair when I looked in the mirror.

I KNOW that I'm still just Sam, but… I caught myself glancing in the direction of my bedroom door just beyond the pretty oyster white tiles of my bathroom.

Sometimes it felt like Sam was being replaced by the Alpha Princess.

If one day, the old Sam completely disappeared, would anybody miss her?

{What does it matter?}

I blinked. Boo?

{In the end, the only one left mourning is you.}

I'm not sure how to explain this, but at the moment, suddenly I realized something - the me in the past is gone. It wasn't about my hair or coloring, or even the status change, or the wolves who follow me. None of these made up who I was.

But with every new day, a little part of me changes to adapt to the circumstances - and with each new lesson, I grow to become the future me.

One day, I might look at my reflection and take it completely for granted. One day, I might not even recognize myself in old photos, but that's what photos are for.

What does it matter?

I was always Sam, and no matter what, I will always be just Sam.

I wouldn't call it an earth shattering epiphany, but it definitely shook me.

I wasn't going to spend my life mourning the loss of who I was. I was going to celebrate what I've become.

By the time I pulled open my bedroom door, the spring in my step was back.

"Good morning!" I greeted the wolves lined up outside with my usual wide smile.

"At you command, Princess!" My wolves stepped smartly into attention.

I immediately felt sure Wolfgang had taught them something weird again, but I refrained from comment. It was truly a beautiful day, and in this time of the year, the sunlight would pour into the third floor of the side wing like it was lighting up heaven.

Harvey stepped up with a bow, "Good morning, Alpha."

I dub thee the only sane wolf on this floor.

"What's my schedule today?" I was still grinning because today, I knew what my schedule was - I had checked my phone earlier. This was me, today's bright and shining Sam.

"We are heading to the packhouse for Sunday Breakfast with the pack." Harvey informed me.

It took me only a second to realize that "Breakfast with the Alpha" for my wolves would be "Breakfast with the pack" for me. Yup, I was so on top of everything today, I think I'd check my own schedule before stepping out of my room from now on.

"Alpha's morning is free, so we can settle some admin after breakfast." Harvey was the only wolf I knew who considered admin work as a free time activity. But I had been avoiding the admin yesterday and felt a little bad so I nodded. An Alpha's gotta do what an Alpha's gotta do.

"Would Alpha be visiting the Morning Light Destitute House for lunch?" Harvey inquired.

Oh, this was unexpected. I didn't know I had a choice.

I didn't really like going to the destitute house. I had always felt kind of guilty about this, but going there always left me with a bitter aftertaste. I didn't like the matron. I didn't like hearing the back stories. I was very uncomfortable with the praises the ladies there would heap over my head to my Mum.

Since young, I had always felt bad because I had both my Mum and Dad, and the other pups there usually didn't. Some of them could be quite scary too - and I was a big strong pup! They had never attacked me, but I remembered how a younger girl had expressed admiration for my water bottle one summer. I didn't even like the water bottle because it was pink and rather childish. I gave it to her thinking I was so smart, now Mum would have to buy me the blue Power Puff Girls Bubbles bottle I had wanted.(NB. Power Puff Girls was not childish!)

Anyway, two minutes later, the girl runs back to me crying. Some of the girls had hit her and took the bottle from her.

"Who?" I asked.

She pointed to two other girls who loudly denied it and called the girl a liar. I didn't know what to do. The Matron settled it by coming over with a reed stick. Suddenly, the girls stopped screaming at each other.

"She said they took her bottle." I tried to explain to the Matron.

"Did they?" The Matron glared.

"No, Mdm." All three girls shook their heads. EVEN THE FIRST GIRL!

I looked at her, "But you said…"

"It's in her room." One of the other girls said.

The first girl nodded, "Yes. It's in my room."

"But…" I said. Nothing was adding up.

But the Matron nodded, "Alright, it was just a misunderstanding."

Oh.

I never told anyone about this. I just couldn't see how it could help. In fact, I felt like it would make things worse. Add a couple of other incidents where I shared cookies and candies and ended up overwhelmed by grabbing hands from every direction… I just… I don't know.

Mum said that these pups were just poor pups who just didn't have a lot of stuff most pups took for granted. This made me feel guilty about not liking them. Over the years, I accompanied my Mum there less and less. I would even remember my homework after Breakfast with the Alpha (instead of before bedtime) - just so Mum would have to leave me behind to finish it.

I think I signed up as one of the volunteers to help make the lunches partially because I felt guilty about not going for the actual lunch.

The ladies in the kitchen had praised me when I was the youngest volunteer in the group, and later other mum's forced their teens to volunteer too. I was such a good example.

Nobody knew that I was really a terrible person. I only volunteered to make the lunch because I didn't like going for the lunch.

Mum and Mrs Beta were amazing because they go almost every week.

The situation there was a little different now. Or maybe I was the one who was different. I was much taller than the average pup now and I could alpha command the pups to sit. The puppies changed too. Most of the time, the Destitute House was just a temporary shelter until the adults find jobs and a new home.

I mean, the pups I met this year were alright when I played with them the other time. I even gave out candy and no one tried to snatch them from me or another pup.

What kind of Alpha didn't want to eat lunch with the destitute?

"Okay!" I decided the new me of today would go, "I'll go for the lunch!"

I was the Alpha! I could take it! I had clenched my fist to hold on to that determination, but my good beta only answered calmly, wry smile in place, "Understood, Alpha."

I decided not to worry about what he was understanding at this point. Today was going to be a great day!

{So fun!} Boo agreed.

Even though Harvey hadn't gotten around to listing them, after lunch there was an "Underground New Bunker Inspection" which I was particularly excited about, followed by more meetings regarding the Princess Town which I did want to hear out. It's my town after all!

The only weird thing was that Boo's anticipation wasn't toward any particular thing on my schedule. It was just the feeling in my bones. Something terribly fun was in the air.