NOW THAT THE CAT IS OUT OF THE BAG

20 FEBRUARY, SATURDAY, CONTINUED

"What?" Beta Lucas sputtered, "There are A LOT of things I keep from you!"

Beta Lucas tried to sound like this was something to be expected, "Of course I have to keep them from you. Who knows what you'd do with them!"

"Yes, that would be showing me a great deal of trust, Dad." Ben retorted, "Trust that you don't have in me."

"My trust is not a right, its something you have to earn." Beta Lucas folded his arms and announced.

"I'm telling Mum." Ben decided.

"Yes, go ahead, tell your mother - she would only agree with me tho-- wait, what exactly are you going to tell your mother?" Beta Lucas looked slightly worried now.

"I'm telling mum that your lack of trust in me is stunting my growth." Ben informed with a pained sigh.

"What I'm doing is keeping you alive." Beta Lucas shot back gruffly.

But apparently Ben didn't care much for being kept alive, "Don't you know that teenage wolves need their parent's support and trust to nurture the confidence to explore and problem solve independently?"

Hahahaha... That sounded like another one of those parenting books Mrs Beta and my Mum sometimes read. I think the ladies had some kind of book club going on, with on and off since I was in elementary school anyway. A lot of times, the books were parenting self-help books. Why they felt they needed anything like that was beyond me. I would have said they were doing fine as it was, but I had never seriously read any further than the back cover of these books, so I wouldn't know.

"Don't give me that bull, Ben." Beta Lucas shook it off, "What you need is good kick in the rear."

To Ben's chagrin, Ki and Harvey actually nodded in agreement. I didn't nod physically, but I felt Beta Lucas got that one right too.

Ben pressed his lips together, and they pulled back downwards just a little bit. I thought for the moment that he was mad at us for siding his dad, but then I realized he was just thinking - hard, because his eyes narrowed and were looking to the side. Ben always looked to the left when he was remembering stuff. And I sensed a big uh oh about to happen. Ben was the type of guy who remembered everything - including information about how to raise confident teenage wolves.

"So the A Part and the B Part is the Alpha Part and the Beta Part to trigger the technique Luna Bell and Ki did..." Ben said. He was testing his theory now.

"I'm not telling you anything." Beta Lucas waved it off, "So don't even bother to ask."

He should have told Ben to not think. I don't think Ben quite realized it yet, but his greatest weapon - never mind his natural black wolf abilities for fierce fighting, was his ability to think.

Ben took his Dad's words to mean he was on the right track, "But Sam and I don't have healing wolves so if we tried it..."

"Don't try it!" Beta Lucas interrupted, "Nothing would happen if you did it. It is a Lorent technique, specific to the healing wolves. You're right, your black wolf has no healing powers, so even if you wring your soul out into it, no one would be healed."

Ben laughed, a low chuckle, "You're lying."

And then Ben laughed again, so I guess he figured it out, "The A and B parts are from our training drill, the Lorents use something different. In fact our drill is unique to Night Leaf and Morning Pack, I had seen nothing like it in any library - believe me, I've looked. But you're saying the power that Luna Bell and Ki exerted just now... that was something from their soul. So that could only mean, if Sam and I did the same, we would be able to produced a different kind of effect with this technique? I wonder what?"

Beta Lucas opened his mouth and the he shut it again.

"Something opposite of healing?" Ben guessed. He looked at me and raised a brow, "I wonder what's in the soul of a black wolf? Destruction and death?"

Ben was seriously guessing everything right. It's like watching a blindfolded guy pin the tail on the donkey correctly, and then pinning on all the other parts too.

"Ben," This was Dad, I think he too had realized we were past keeping this a secret from Ben, "Perhaps the question you should ask is WHY your dad chose to keep this from you."

Ben blinked, "Because he doesn't trust me with anything."

"For good reason too!" Beta Lucas shot back, which wasn't helping.

"Because its dangerous." I tried to help, "Ben, the technique hurts to use. Not just physically, but our souls take damage too. So its not something we can use for fun... maybe only for emergencies."

"No, Princess." Bell corrected, "You will not use it ever. Full stop."

"What if I'm about to die?" I challenged.

Bell growled low and dangerous, "I promise you princess, as long as I live, you will live."

Which sounded decidedly more dangerous than just using this Twin Wolf Technique thing. For some reason, I remembered Alpha Gunter's comment about Resurrection being a forbidden technique. Please note that Bell didn't promise I would not die...

And then Ki spoke, "Beta, no one will stop you if you choose to use this technique. Just know that our goddess would be severely injured in the process. Without experienced healers around to tend to you immediately, using this technique has mortal consequences."

"Alright dog, I get it." Ben grumbled, "What kind of idiot do you take me for?"

Dad nodded, "It's good you understand, Ben. The technique can only be used by a true alpha and beta pair. I will leave it to your discretion to use this knowledge to protect Sam with all your ability."

"Understood, Alpha." Ben said.

But now it was my turn to take offense, "Dad! I can protect myself! You saw me out there just now! I totally rocked."

Dad made a huffing sound, and then he said something that made me think it was his wolf, but I wasn't sure, "Little one, facing off a big old alpha who had lost control of his wolf is child's play. If you were in any real danger, did you think I would not be there?"

Dad's hand ruffled the top of my head, "The truly dangerous things in this world are not the things that chase vehicles or break public property on the streets."

Eh?

"Like what?" I asked.

"You don't have to know." Dad shrugged, "Lucas and I will take care of it when it comes."

Don't you know that teenage wolves need their parent's support and trust to nurture the confidence to explore and problem solve independently? But aloud I said, "How can I ever be the alpha if you and Beta Lucas always take care of the dangerous stuff? What will we do when you retire?"

"Then your luna and betas will take care of it." Dad answered as a matter of fact.

"No! I'm the alpha! I will protect everyone." I flared.

"You're my daughter, and as long as you're my daughter, you will be kept safe!" Dad roared.

I spun and ran into my room and slammed the door shut.

Because my dad was mean! I was the alpha! Stoopid dad!

I grabbed my stuff, went into the bathroom, and turned on the shower at full blast because I didn't want to talk to anyone.

Its been a long time since I felt so mad at my dad. I plugged up the tub so I could also soak in the bath after the hot shower filled it. Stooooooopid dad. He was almost as stoopid as Bell. If I ranked all the wolves in my life in order off stooopidity, it would be Bell at number 1, and Dad at a close 2nd. Grrrr... Ben would be 3rd, btw... but I'm not mad at him right now, or at Bell either.

Oh wait, I was supposed to be still mad at Bell. I forgot (again). Grrrr.... this anger thing was really hard for me to keep up.

Maybe it was just me. I tried to rethink the entire scene that happened to see at which point I was at fault here.

I think the first thing I did wrong was run away. The second was slamming the door, because you know, Mum always said a lady never slammed the door. But I wasn't a lady, I was just a puppy. A puppy who was playing with a giant metal eating wolf. What did I know about grown up things like danger and door slamming? Humph. I was almost 15! Plus, I've had my first shift - so I was definitely not a pup anymore! I've got this super OP alpha wolf (was no one seeing Boo?), and... and... and... I don't know what else, but I'm NOT a puppy that needs being protected or kept alive!

I mean, even as a puppy, I could fall off a curb/bed/table/stairs/tree/motorbike/truck/etc. Sure, I didn't always land on my feet, BUT I never got broken. Not once! And now with my hair, I was seriously Sonic the Hedgehog level of indestructible when I krakened. I felt my mouth turn down as I moped in the deep hot tub. I rested my chin on my knees and watched the steam.

Why did I even get mad? Dad was just being Dad right? That's what Dads did - they frantically run out when you're in trouble and save you from landing head first, being locked out of the house (even though they might have been the one who accidentally locked you out in the first place), being lost in the snow/forest/shopping center... I guess I was mad because I thought I was a big deal after defeating Alpha Solomon, and now Dad made it sound like I was a puppy who successfully popped my first bubble. I was mad because I was really proud of myself and all the ways I was getting stronger and smarter, but Dad made it seem like I was just a stupid puppy that needed everyone else to take care of me. Yeah... in the end, it was just me acting up because I was really just a puppy like Dad said.

Sigh... That's the sound of me being deflated.

And eventually I was going to have to go back out there and hoped my parents have decided to give me some face and overlook my temper tantrum.

I'm so stoooopid.

Just go away and leave me alone to stew till I rot.