A WOLF AKA SANDMAN

After Wolfgang and Barry entered my family's suite at the Night Forest Packhouse, Cobra, Ink, EJ, and another wolf entered from different windows to join us. It was the only way to gather the team together under the radar.

"Good, you're all here." Harvey nodded his satisfaction.

"Hoi, hoi, my favorite girlfriend!" EJ bounced over to me. EJ in this timeline picked up girlfriends like they were coffees at a cafe, but he liked to call me his favorite. I think I was only so because I was his only fake one. He smiled widely and stuck his face too close to mine, "How's my boo?"

In which he wasn't referring to my wolf, "boo" was just the way some guys called their girlfriends because EJ was Boyfriend #6. Not that I was counting, but EJ liked to declare, "I'm number sexiest." Because six sounded like… never mind. It's too embarrassing for me to continue this - just know that having him announce this loudly at Winderhill High whenever my scandalous love life was being whispered had scarred my memory with the number. 

I pushed EJs face away to check out the new wolf. I've seen him before, "You have pink hair."

He really did. It was a pale silvery pink. He also had red eyes - but not quite as intense a red as EJ's blood wolf mode. This wolf had been with us for a while now… I remembered seeing him in my background escort at Henry's party. He was the Delta of the top performing squad introduced at our picnic walkabout… I forgot his name.

Aside from making his bow with the other wolves at their entrance, he was just hanging back… yawning.

I think he was also yawning back when Stephan was introducing Dad to the top performing team at the Underground. I didn't really think it was weird then, because it was a picnic. Maybe he ate too much and was sleepy. This was a perfectly natural result of Pack Picnic on a beautiful Spring day. And aside for that, he did stand properly at attention with the other wolves, greet the alpha, and everything. Now that I remembered it, Beta Lucas had also informed him of his pink hair at the picnic.

When Beta Lucas did it, I was amused because I was quite sure he would be aware of the color of his hair… so why did I say something so lame?

In my defense, his hair was a really silvery tone, so I was just surprised at the way the pink showed when he bowed. Naturally, I took at second look, and found myself looking at bright red eyes framed in long pink lashes. Like it was the unrealistic combination of it all that made my mind short circuit and I ended up blurting out the first thing I noticed.

But now I was in the same super uncool boat as Beta Lucas. Sigh.

I shrugged my Lorent shrug in a bid to brush off the uncoolness I had let slip, and to the pink guy's credit, he didn't smirk or give any attitude. Neither did he remark anything smart alecky like, "I know." Or worse - say something cliché like, "If I had a penny for every time someone says that…"

He was very chill about it, much cooler than I was in everyway. Making another bow, "Hiram greets the Alpha Princess."

"This is Delta Hiram, goddess." Ki was kind enough to do the introductions, "He's the delta in charge of the squad accompanying us this trip."

I nodded. Yeah, they came with me to my Grandpa Alpha's grave earlier today too. The best performing squad from the Underground. How did Uncle Louis describe the warriors with me today? "The best of the best."

It was almost like I knew we would be running out to rebel camps tonight.

"Ram here has a special skill set." Ben decided that polite introductions were not going to get us anywhere, "Back in the fightcages, he was known as Sandman."

EJ slung an arm around me, "I'm #6. You can go cry at the back of the line, Sandy."

Hiram only yawned. Ink, who was standing next to him helped pushed him into the armchair next to them. I blinked in astonishment because the pink guy IMMEDIATELY fell asleep. It was like flop over and zzzz…

"Is he okay?" I looked up at the guys around me.

"Don't worry, Sam." Ben smirked, "This is the one guy you want sleeping on the job."

Eh? But this was Ben talking, so of course I would get no explanation.

EJ beamed and stuck his face too close to mine, "Want me to wake him up, boo?"

{Fun.} Boo was all for it - the real Boo.

I shrugged off EJ's arm and narrowed my eyes at him, or rather at his wolf - suddenly the red eyes were back.

The other obvious sign that EJ had reverted to Red was the way his hands and arms and face were retracted back into his own personal space.

EJ's blood wolf had come out to play. Something terribly fun was about to happen.

"Control your wolf, EJ." Harvey warned, "We've been through this."

EJ got very quiet.

"He needs at least 22.8 minutes to calm his wolf." Ink informed us, "However, I have this pill…"

"No." Barry said.

"Alternatively, I have developed a tranquilizer…." Ink continued.

"No." Barry said. Barry could be surprising firm when the situation called for it.

"We would have a 13.2 percent increase in success if we darted Sands than Red though." Ink was still processing.

Barry turned to my betas in exasperation, "Why did we have to bring both Red AND Sands? Or Ink? Did you know he tried to help prepare dinner?"

Harvey and Ki both turned to Ben. I guess Ben was in charge of arranging the security detail. Ben was completely unrepentant, "As long as he didn't touch Sam's food… or mine… If he tries, you can tranquilize him."

"Ben…" Harvey's arms were crossed.

Ben shrugged, "They'll be fine. Sam's here."

I'm not sure what he thought I would do.

"And you've got to admit they're useful to have around right now." Ben continued, he was so cocky about it, even his deadpan couldn't hide it. I had no idea what Ben was thinking, but he sounded very confident.

"It's fine." I decided, Boo didn't want to spend the whole night arguing anyway.

I looked square into EJ's red eyes, "Let him sleep."

Even though I knew it was probably less fun, but it can't be helped. We had a mission.

EJ shrugged but nodded, "At your command, Alpha."

If I had to be honest, the Blood Wolf Red Prince was a lot easier for me to deal with than the hyperactive boyfriend #6. (He also automatically kept a more respectful physical distance.)

And if Hiram was left sleeping, wouldn't that save us from Ink's tranquilizer experiment?

"See." Ben smirked at the other two betas, "I told you it's fine."

For some reason, I had inadvertently proven my beta right again. That was annoying, "What are you guys doing here?"

"Whatever you wanna do Sam." Ben grinned.

Which once again proved why Ben was my head beta. As much as he annoyed me, he also make things way too easy for me.

Suddenly I was very glad that it just so happened that the wolves who came to Night Forest with me were the "best of the best". I sat back down on the nearest sofa, "Come, the rest of you sit down too. Tell me what fun thing is happening here?"