WHY AM I RUNNING IN A FOREST AGAIN?

My first night as Lala settled down into what appeared to be her regular evening at home. We had been trained as pups to retire to our own rooms after cleaning up in the kitchen. I think this was something to do with my brothers fighting before bedtime a lot when they were younger and not giving my parents any personal space to do what soul mates wanted to do together in the evenings.

By the time I was born, "Quiet Time" was practiced as part of our household routine, and ingrained into my puppyhood. We could finish our homework if we hadn't, but if we did, we would be rewarded with free time to play with our favorite toys, draw or color, read, or do some kind of quiet activity till Mum or Dad comes to make us wash up and tuck us in for the night. Once in bed, we were strictly not allowed to get out of it till morning. The only three exceptions were in case of toilet breaks, fire emergencies, or rogue attacks.

Mum and Dad would be downstairs in the kitchen because Mum would like to prep for the next day and Dad was always glued to her hip the moment us pups were out of the way. Mum liked to say that pups slept better with consistent routines and sufficient unwinding time, that was the official excuse, but I think she just wanted us pups out of her hair. Also, my two brothers could not be left together without supervision, thus the mandatory isolation.

As teens, we still followed the Quiet Time routine, more out of habit than anything. I liked Quiet Time though. I liked having my own space and time to do my own thing.

From the next-door room, I could hear Savy's music. Even as Kenna, Savy's taste in music remained the same. It was also played at the same volume.

A bit further down the hallway, a door opened. I think it must be one of my brothers. I listened for footsteps, but my door was at the end of the hallway, so I couldn't quite hear over the music.

"Are you going out now?" I heard Mum's voice call out.

"Yeah." This was Kev, "I think I better head out. I've got a morning meeting."

"Oh, yes." Mum was most understanding, "Drive carefully."

Another door opened, but this time, I knew who it would be.

"Are you going out to Gold City too?" Kai called down from the second floor landing, "Can I catch a ride?"

"Drive out yourself!" Kev growled without answering.

"Oh, Kai!" Mum said, "What are you up to now?"

"I just remembered, I'm supposed to be meeting Henry at his club." Kai answered mildly, "Don't wait up for me."

"But…" Mum said.

"Let him be." Dad said, "He knows what he's doing."

"So can I get a ride out?" Kai asked again, "You're going out for drinks, right?"

"Kev is going back to Morning Light." Mum answered primly, "He has a meeting in the morning."

"Really?" Kai asked, "You're really going straight back to Morning Light?"

"I'm not going to drive you, Kai." Kev answered firmly.

"Take my car, Kai." Dad handed Kai the car keys, "Top up the gas on your way back."

"You got it, Dad! Thanks!" Kai didn't hide his cheer.

"He's just going to make trouble with the Silver Mountain Young Alpha." Kev was much less cheerful.

"Dear…" Mum was worrying at full speed.

"It's alright darling," Dad reasoned, "If he has to make trouble, better on George's tab than mine."

Hahaha. Dad had to be joking!

It looks like both my brothers were exempted from Quiet Time tonight. I listened to them leaving and their vehicles drive off. Was it ironic that the two troublemakers who were the reason for Quiet Time in our home were also the ones who practiced it the least?

Anyway, I wasn't going to go downstairs and risk catching my Mum and Dad in some kind of regrettable scenario. Even if I were sure they were behaving respectably, I had better things to do in my room - like execute my plan.

To tell the truth, the fact that we might not be returning to our Original Timeline still made me feel upset inside. This was made worse by the unsettling feeling of not knowing how the lot would fall. Dad said we would meet in a day or two, check the future for this timeline and make our decision. I doubt the future here would be as wonderful as what I saw from our Original Timeline, but I wanted to keep an open mind. At least for Dad's sake, and also for everyone else, I didn't want to selfishly cling on to my own happiness.

Didn't I always say that I would protect everyone's happiness? So why do I feel my heart squeeze at the thought of losing my wolves? Surely they had the right to live their own lives! Surely it was better for Kai and Greta to never had those slave bands burnt into their forearms, surely it was better that Ki had never considered himself my dog, surely it was better that Harvey and Ben had real alphas to run with.

As for the rest of my wolves… I was definitely going to rescue them because I was BATMAN! Hahaha. Well, I wasn't the alpha anymore.

Anyway, doing something about it now just made me feel that much more in control of my own life. So since I was in this life, even if only for a day or two, I might as well get a head start on my plans and practice my merging technique.

I climbed into bed, just to get comfy. The merging technique was an internal one, so it didn't really matter if I were seated or lying down. I just needed to concentrate… Oh, this bed was nice!

As all bedsheet sets Before-Ki, my sheets didn't match, but because everything was pink, it looked better than my bed Before-Ki in my original timeline. I guess it helped that Lala's taste wasn't a mishmash of random patterns or cartoon characters that happened to catch my fancy. Ahem... Looking back, my shopping choices did seem immature.

Oh, right. I needed to concentrate. I sat down cross legged to give the merging technique a shot.

At first, I didn't feel a thing. Not even the tiniest bubble of power. What was I doing wrong?

This used to be easy for me… even before my shift, I could practice it. More and more, from Lala's perspective, I was beginning to see how Sam was an oddity.

Okay, don't panic. There must be a reasonable explanation (and not just Sam was a weird pup.) Its normal for pups not to have any wolf power before they shift, so really the question was how I could do it before. Maybe Sam was just dropped off the back of motorbikes, ladders, trees, walls, etc a lot more than a usual pup, and something broke resulting in a constant power leakage.

Maybe Lala wasn't going to be the midnight blue alpha wolf I thought I was. OMO. I said, don't panic! And if that could differ between timelines, what if Bell wasn't my mate in this one? OMO. I feel like this was good reason to panic. I should be allowed to panic now right?

No, wait. Stop. Breathe. My mind was just running wild on its own. Bell was mine. Boo will appear. Just stop thinking anymore.

After a few more fruitless attempts, I figured I was too stressed out to focus properly on the technique. Maybe Sam was just a dumb pup who never had to worry about things like who her Mate would be (or would not be), or if her wolves would be happier without her, or anything really. All Sam had in her head was "I'm the alpha! I will protect everybody."

The Sam/Lala now had grown up enough to understand that even Alphas can't always protect EVERYBODY. I guess that's what Dad meant by the non-negotiables.

I wondered if Kev was now one of Dad's non-negotiables. What if an Alpha can't even protect ALL his non-negotiables?

The night air was getting chilly. I put myself between the sheets and laid my head on my pillow. This was nice. This quiet and safe life. Despite the differences between the two timelines, there was a lot things about this one that was familiar and comfortable.

I could get used to this. I could keep training and getting stronger. I could save all my other wolves and keep everyone safe, even in this timeline. I think its entirely possible - maybe even more now that I didn't have to actually take responsibility for anyone. Maybe this could be a new start.

I lay in bed and looked up at the darkened ceiling. There was no smells of lemon oil and drifting light effects on my ceiling. But my bed was still very comfortable and smelled like all the safe smells of home. I knew why Lala liked this pink flannel pajamas best, it was just the right level of soft and warm at night. I was even starting to think that pink was a rather soft and warm color… everything in this life was soft and warm… These were my last thoughts before I drifted to sleep.

When I next opened my eyes, I felt quite surprised to find myself running. Specifically, I was running barefoot in my soft pink PJs, in the forest. The sky above me was darkened like the evening just before night, but the full moon hung full and bright above me. It was a moment of déjà vu: I was in a dream.

I was running in a forest (again). It was a straight road with trees to my left and right. The same dark towering pines that didn't grow in the Green Packlands. But now, I knew that they grew along the Morning Light borders, but this wasn't a real place. I knew this place. I ran here before, and so had pretty must every she-wolf who ever had the typical shifting dream before her first shift.

Just like in my Original Timeline, the goddess wasn't very creative in this one either. It was the usual run of the mill, I mean, woods dream.

Wait, did that mean, I was going to see Bell? At the thought, I felt my heart beat speed up. I wouldn't say I was panicking, but it was a very similar feeling. I kept running… I mean, that was all there was to this dream. Run, come to a pool, see mate. Or see my own wolf form. Or see mate in wolf form. I'm not sure why the goddess bothered with these variations. Did she really believe she could fool the entire she-wolf population into believing that they were having a unique shifting dream?

Omo! Didn't this mean that I was going to shift soon! YES!

But first, Mate - I mean Bell. (Who else could it be?)

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AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Good question Sam! Who else could it be?

I am seriously torn. If I were to consider all the werewolf stories I've ever read, the usual suspects (based on the most common cliches, I mean, based on statistics of how the goddess' fated soulmates together) are:

1. Alpha James Lorent III @Rebel: Soul mates are forever. (I'll quit reading if you change it.)

2. Young Alpha Kaius Kingsley: Gasp! How can my bullying big brother be my soul mate? (As improbable as it is, the goddess seems to have done this rather frequently according to webnovel.)

3. Sir Wolfgang the Fire Pillar: An older powerful wolf she's never met before. (Can love be kindled in a foreign pack with the Fire Wolf?)

4. Beta Killion Oran: Beneath the veneer of charm and public scandals, this mysterious beta is hiding many secrets, but why does he always feel like home to me? (Who was the real Ki?)

5. STOP! NO! I don't want Sam's fate to change! UNDO! UNDO! UNDO NOW!

Hahaha. Should I put this up for vote?