THE SHORT SKIRT DEBATE

Alpha Princess is here." Harvey intoned, because he was standing closest to me.

"Reporting to the Princess." responded a row of wolves.

I looked at the row of betas on my right, and then back to the row of wolves in front of me, "What's going on?"

I didn't say this, but I blamed Wolfgang - who was standing at the head of the row of wolves in front of me. This must be his idea of what a top warrior unit should be.

And then I caught sight of Ki and remembered, "Oh, Ki. When are we buying my new school uniforms?"

Ki smiled like a flower to the sun, "Your new uniforms arrived last week, goddess. They've since been sent for alterations, and we are expecting them this evening."

"Did you send them to be shortened?" I wondered if that was why all the Lorent girls wore such short skirts.

"On the contrary, goddess, we are lengthening the hem - just an inch and a half. We have also darted the blouse, and took in the blazer's waist for a more form fitting silhouette." Ki elaborated, "It was quite an extensive alteration, but I believe the result would be quite satisfactory."

So this was how Lorents talked about school uniforms. I nodded because I didn't quite understand most of it, I just had to make sure, "But my skirt would still be really short like the other girls right?"

Now Ki too pause, "Goddess is blessed with slender long legs, even though the skirt has been lengthened, it should fall about 3 inches above your knees. In this aspect, it might be longer than the skirts of the other female students, but the difference would barely be noticeable."

I shook my head, "But I NEED my skirt to be really short!"

Another pause, and now Ki was wearing his smiling mask, "What do you mean, goddess?"

"I mean I want my skirt to be like everyone else!" I said. I wanted to fit into my new school - I was already a month late. OMO I was going to be the new transfer girl in those mangas that the mean eyed background crowd would whisper about.

I imagined they'd gasp and point me out to their friends, "OMG, don't look, but that's the barbarian princess. Her skirt is sooooo long - one look and you'd know she's from THAT side of the packlands.!"

And I'd be ostracized from day 1. No one would sit with me at lunch time. When the teacher tells us to get into groups or pairs, I would be the odd one left standing out.

"Ki, I NEED my skirt to be short like all the other girls!" I felt quite desperate.

"Apologies, goddess." Ki bowed, "I'll…"

"No, dog. I'll take this." Ben stepped up.

Ki looked like he was about to protest, but Ben growled, "What? You're going to call the tailor and tell them to redo the entire set of uniforms?"

When Ki didn't reply immediately, Ben smirked, "I thought not."

Then he decided to deal with me, "Look Sam, you aren't like all the other girls."

Of course I knew that! Why did he think it was so important for me to get my uniform right? I've learned from the cool girls by now that looking alike was VERY important if I wanted to belong to the group. If my skirt wasn't short enough, wouldn't I be sticking out like a sore thumb? It was BECAUSE I wasn't like the other girls that I really needed all the help I could get now!

"You're THE Alpha Princess." Ben shrugged in his usual monotone, "The other girls should be the ones following you..."

Awww… Ben could be unexpectedly sweet…

"Besides, one photo of you flashing your undies and it's gonna be plastered all over the internet." Ben concluded, "That's nothing but a s***load of trouble for the rest of us."

Grrr… I take that back. Ben was NOT sweet at all.

"When have I ever flashed my undies?" I challenged. I DID NOT go around flashing them nilly willy. Granted, I did not go around in short skirts very often.

Ben shrugged again, "That isn't the point, Sam."

"Oh yeah, then what is the point?" I demanded.

"The point is that you don't need a short skirt." Ben said, "Ki has already worked out your uniform down it its stitch count, and you know his alterations are going to make your uniform look like a million bucks."

Awww… was Ben complimenting Ki?

"It probably already cost more than a million bucks as it is too." Ben added, "Sam's going to school, dog, not become a runway model."

Grrr… why was I NOT learning my lesson?

"And whatever you wear, you're going to be beautiful Sam." Ben said, "All the Lorent Academy guys are going to go crazy."

This time I waited for it.

Ben stopped talking.

"And?" I prompted.

"And what?" Ben asked.

"Finish what you're thinking." I ordered, "All the Lorent Academy guys are going to go crazy and then what?"

"I don't know." Ben shrugged and got irritated, "Maybe your luna is going to go into another one of his jealous rages and try to drown them in your pool? How would I know? You're the one with the gift of insight. You tell me!"

At this we all looked at Wolfgang.

"I'm fine now." Wolfgang muttered, "It's not like I died."

"Right. Maybe he'll strike the entire male population of the Lorent Academy dead." Ben said.

"I'm fine now." Wolfgang muttered again. Poor Hotstuff, but I don't think his proud wolf enjoyed the pitying looks that was being cast his way.

"Perhaps a security detail is necessary after all." Harvey considered aloud.

"I believe shortening her skirt would be a more effective solution, Big Brother Beta." Fluffy countered.

"What the heck dog," Ben scolded, "We're trying to stop the unwanted male attention here."

"Yes, and men always want what they can't get." Fluffy beamed as he explained his twisted scheme of logic, "Lengthening her skirt and put a wall of guards around her will only call attention to her and emphasize what they can't get. We might as well keep her under a veil. The more covered she is, the more coveted she would become."

He gave time for the other guys to consider this.

"Therefore, I propose we lengthen her skirt to cover her ankles." Fluffy announced, "We will also keep her face veiled at all times."

The guys all looked to me now. Were they all imagining me going to school in such a get up?

"NO WAY!" I flared. Of all the new stoopids that could happen in my life.

Ben was the first to laugh, "We could throw a white sheet over her head, and cut out eyes for her."

The other guys broke into chuckles, or at least smiles.

I shook my head, but I was laughing too, "I'm going to school, not some Halloween party."

I guess Ben was right though, I should just go with whatever Ki was preparing, "Okay, let's just go with Ki's original plan."

"Does goddess mean to have Graziano tailor her uniform?" Ki sounded surprised.

I was just as surprised. Eh? Wait, Ki's original plan was to have all my uniforms tailored by the designer, Graziano? Was that how a Lorent prepared for the new school year? Trust a Lorent to require haute couture high school uniforms.

"I do think Graziano would do it, too." Ki confided.

I quickly shook my head, "No, no. I meant what you are preparing now. Let's go with that."

Ki beamed like a flower to the sun, "Understood, goddess."

Anyway, I felt quite sure that my three betas, Wolfgang, Fluffy, Ink and Torque, were not here to discuss the skirt length of my future school uniform.

"Oh, right. Why are you guys here?" I asked. I looked first to Harvey.

"We are all here for matters requiring you, Alpha." Harvey explained with a wry wince, "I came to bring to your attention and signature on several documents and prep you for tonight's media follow up meeting, but I believe there are currently more urgent matters."

"Like what?" I felt my brows crease a little. It was already 3 in the afternoon, so I would think getting the low down of tonight's meeting would be on top of the urgency list.

I mean, compared to learning ancient lycan scripts with Wolfgang and Fluffy, Harvey did have a legit reason to have stood out here… I'm surprised he didn't just knock on my bedroom door to call me out.

"Alpha Solomon and Trevor have made an unannounced visit." Ki reported with a gentle smile, "Your father and Luna Bell are currently receiving him."

Wait, what?

"A woman claiming to be Jude's mother is at the checkpoint with a foreign minor alpha and some warriors." Ben reported, "She requests to visit her son, but her companions do not have the required papers. We need Alpha Clearance to allow another Alpha into the packlands. Do you want to inform your Dad or sign their entry papers?"

Why was Ben asking me this? Did he think I would sign entry papers for foreign alpha behind his back?

"We could always just shoot them for trespassing." Ben shrugged, "Technically, they were. I mean, the Minor Alpha should know to at least drop an email…"

"Tell Dad." I said. I can't believe Ben had just waited outside my room without knocking, "Where are Mimi and the foreign alpha now?"

"We had the alpha and his warriors locked in the checkpoint holding cell. The woman had Asphalt Pack ID, but she insisted on waiting at the checkpoint." Ben reported.

I can't believe Alpha Solomon and company were here at our packhouse, and Mimi and some foreign alpha were detained at checkpoint, and NOBODY knocked on the door to tell me.

"Why didn't anyone tell me sooner?" I asked.

"Wolfgang said you said you needed time alone and was not to be disturbed." Ben shrugged.

WHAT? I meant I was not to be disturbed to study ancient lycan texts, not all these other things!

"What about you two?" I asked Ink and Torque. They were decked in full warrior uniform.

"Reporting to Alpha: Your father and Luna Bell request for your presence in the receiving room of the Packhouse." Ink announced.

Okay.

I turned to Torque, "Are you two together, or do you have something to report too?"

Torque looked uncomfortable, and then he said, "Reporting to Alpha, a pup had given me a letter for you, he says it's a letter of challenge and must be handed directly to my Alpha's hand."

Torque took out a folded piece of colored paper. I opened it but I could not read the random alphabets. There was a picture of a stick figure with a lot of blue hair though, and a small red stickman. Between them was what looked like a red heart. It was signed legibly though, so this pup was at least old enough to write his own name, "Kendrake"

"Looks more like a letter of confession." Ben smirked from over my shoulder.

Torque turned red, "Apologies, I thought the boy was the messenger."

"It's okay, Torque." I tried to console the giant warrior, "I know this pup. I'll talk to him when I next see him."

"Better not let Scary Luna see it." Fluffy advised.

"I'm sure its not a confession." I decided to clarify, "Drake wants to date Sabre."

Now that I was looking at the scrawling on top of the picture, there was a word "Saber" above the heard with the "S" facing the wrong way so it looked more like, "2aber."

Hahaha. Pups are so cute and funny sometimes.

I put the letter into my back pocket and then I looked at the last warrior, Barry.

"Reporting to Alpha." Barry quickly announced, "Your father and Luna Bell request for your presence in the receiving room of the Packhouse."

Wait, so they sent Ki, and Ink, and then Barry to come get me? I was quite sure it was more Bell than Dad though. Only Bell would treat warriors like a To-Do reminder alarm.

"Have you told my Dad about Mimi at the checkpoint?" I asked Ben.

"Who?" Ben asked.

"Jude's mum." I said.

Ben shrugged, "I told my Dad."

I nodded. Okay, good enough, "Let's go."