OVERACTIVE IMAGINATIONS

23 FEBRUARY, TUESDAY, CONTINUED

"The guys were just getting to know each other." Flynn explained. I'm not sure if it's because Flynn was my trainer, or that I've grown up looking up to him, but I almost bought it.

Almost, except for the first time in my life, Flynn looked sheepish about it.

I looked at Torque, Barry, and Cobra recovering from their less than graceful collision, Hank and a couple of our wolves had lent a hand to hoist them back up on their feet. Most of my wolves were still grinning and messing around - particularly with the Lorent Delta.

"Let him go guys." I said belatedly.

"But he held a gun out at you, Sam!" Ben argued.

Wait what?

EJ nodded vigorously and demonstrated how he took Delta Oran down, "So I was all like hiyah! And blam! And scree...crunch and slam!"

"He wasn't pointing the gun at me." I shook my head.

"Ahhh... Not yet, but he did draw his gun." Jax said knowingly.

Stooopids. I shook my head again, "No, I mean, yes, but no. I mean it was a misunderstanding."

The leader of stooopids was the king of stoopids. Naturally, with a smooth answer like that, no one looked convinced.

"Even if he didn't try to shoot you, ahem - yet, it is still against Lorent laws to draw weapons in their alpha's presence." Neil informed me, his hands still firmly planted on each side of poor Delta Oran's shoulders.

"We aren't Lorents. Really, just let him go, Neil." I said. I was getting annoyed.

Okay, it's not like I expected immediate obedience from these guys. Since when had they ever obeyed me unquestionably? But I was still the one in charge now, right?

"Should we take him to Gamma Harry?" Hank wondered to Flynn. Wrong again.

"Hey, I'm right here you know." Ben smirked.

Which was MY LINE!

But it seemed like Hank and Flynn didn't feel minors should be left to make this kind of decision no matter how beta or alpha their wolves were.

{In their eyes, we're still pups.} Ben grumbled to me.

{Ikr. } But it wasn't like Ben was exactly jumping to my order either.

I flared a little, "Let Delta Oran go. There's a perfectly good explanation for this."

"Alright," Fluffy smiled, "I am curious, alpha, since that was Rebel's room window, right?"

Fluffy continued smiling, the devil, while giving time for the fact to sink in.

Ben spoke first, "Luna Bell is still alive, right?"

I crossed my arms, "Of course he is!"

Trust my beta to think of the worst possibility.

"So why did Delta Oran draw his gun?" Ben asked now.

Grrr.... I was the alpha! Why was I the one being interogated?

"He, urm..." He thought the fight dogs were revolting. Hahahaha. It sounded ridiculous right now though.

And face it, Delta Oran might actually be right. Why were there 17 wolves now glaring like I had better come up with a good reason or else?

Delta Oran seemed to have decided that he wouldn't be able to depend on me to save his hide. He finally spoke, "Apologies, as your Alpha Princess said, it was a misunderstanding. I feel foolish admitting it now, but I drew my weapon to defend her. I had assumed from the noise outside the window that we were under attack."

Which, I had to admit, was a much better way to say, "I thought you fight dogs were revolting."

"Oh." Said more than one wolf in response.

"Really?" Flynn eyeballed Delta Oran carefully.

"Yes. Truly." Delta Oran nodded quickly.

"I told you it was a misunderstanding." I grumbled.

"Yeah, yeah. We heard you the first time, Sam." Ben shrugged.

"So let him go already!" I snapped.

The guys laughed and let him go.

"If you heard me the first time, then you should've released him from the start!" I scolded. I was still kind of mad, and having them laugh just showed how they weren't treating me seriously at all.

"But we know our cute alpha is kind beyond measure." Fluffy tried to placate me - or was he trying to rile me - it was hard to tell with this guy, "It doesn't hurt to hold him down until we are sure alpha isn't trying to cover for him."

Seriously? "Why would I-"

"Because you're too kind for your own good."

"He might be blackmailing you."

"Because pretty alpha is nice."

"Maybe he threatened you with Rebel's safety."

"You never know with Lorents."

Seriously, seriously?

I guess the Lorent wolves weren't the only ones with overactive imaginations. But there was something else unsaid, that I was feeling very clearly through their bond to me - like super bright stars in the night sky, their wolves shone a protective and loyal devotion that quite overwhelmed Boo.

"Geesh, you guys." I felt my hair puff up. I should be mad, but for some reason, their unabashed devotion made me feel... How could I describe the feeling? Embaressment, yes, a little. But also I felt suddenly small - like I couldn't for the life of me think of any reason why I should deserve their esteem.

I took half a step back, only to have backed up into Ben's hand. Ben was once again standing behind me, as if he had been my steady and supportive beta all this while.

Actually, Delta Oran wasn't the one who should be feeling foolish. I mean, yes, he thought the fight dogs were revolting - which was ridiculous, but he was an outsider to our pack. How would he know?

But I thought my wolves were playing punk and disrespecting me overall, but they had never once wavered in their allegiance to me as their future/current alpha.

I just noticed this... Was this weird? That my wolves and I were bonded at different levels. I mean, Ben and the special team wolves regarded me as alpha, but Flynn and Hank and the other warriors regarded me as their future alpha - which was already a step up from what I actually was, since my inauguration ceremony would only be in Spring.

So officially and technically, I was just the Alpha's daughter right now, not the future alpha yet, much less the alpha.

I seemed to have skipped some steps.

I wondered what I was to wolves like Delta Oran. I mean, you knew and I knew that I was the alpha, but did Delta Oran know?

"Delta Oran, who would you say I am?" I asked, just to test the theory.

Delta Oran, who I must say, had been keeping an admirably leveled head so far panicked at this point, " Wh..why do you ask, Alpha Princess?"

Oh right, I forgot, I was talking to a Lorent. I wished Ki was around to translate!

"Just answer the question, Delta." Someone shoved Delta Oran roughly.

"Hey, don't break him!" I flared, "Unless you think you can take over his job as healer, you better be nicer!"

The guys laughed again, and then pushed Delta Oran around a little gentler this time.

"Cut it out!" I flared, "I want him to answer."

So they stopped for Delta Oran to collect his thoughts and speak properly.

Poor Delta Oran, forced to spend the next few days amongst barbarian wolves. Hahaha. It can't be helped. I was the king of stoopids after all.

"You are the Alpha Princess." Delta Oran managed finally, "And the Luna of our Young Alpha Lorent."

Oh. So not the king of stoopids. I nodded. I guess that made me his future Luna.

{Which means I can mindlink you?} I tried sending the mindlink through my mating bond to Bell's pack and directed it to Delta Oran. I mean, it was kind of roundabout but worth the shot. If the delta's wolf recognized me as his young alpha's mate, then theoretically, he would regard me as a Lorent Wolf too.

Delta Oran startled physically, and then replied, {Yes, Alpha Princess.}

My mating band grew strangely warm at that. Hmmm.... These magic things, I never knew what they were up to. I'm sure there was a technical explanation, but the trouble with these magic things was that they never came with a manual. I shrugged. Whatever.

"Okay." I nodded, "Ben, I want to go home. The rest of you can leave."

I waved them off and turned to my tower, "Come on, Delta Oran. It's cold out."

And then I remembered something important and spun around to yell back at my wolves, "Don't break anything! If you do, I don't care if it's living or structural, you'd have to fix it yourself, or I'm sending you to the underground!"

And just so that my wolves knew I didn't play favourites, I pointed at Flynn, Hank, and the other warriors, "That applies to all of you - including you guys too! The underground is going to get a new platoon."

With that last warning, I waved them off airily with a wide smile, "Okay, goodnight! Have fun!"

Ben took out a key card and let me and Delta Oran into the pool room of my tower. The steam blasted at our faces and I realised how friggin cold it was out there.

I stepped in quickly.

"Need anything else, Sam?" Ben asked.

I shook my head.

"Then I'm heading out with the guys." Ben nodded towards the wolves still standing around outside the alpha house. The glass was all steamed up, but I could make out the blur of warriors.

"Yeah, okay." I shrugged back, "Have fun."

"Thanks." Ben bowed and shut himself out.

I had to say the bow surprised me. Was he that grateful to be set free? Or was it for the benefit of Delta Oran? Delta Oran who was now very quiet again.

Wait, Ben was underage! I don't think Beta Lucas was going to like this at all.

Ah well, Beta Lucas wasn't here and I guess it'll be okay as long since Flynn and Hank would be there.

I made my way to the stairs, but stopped when I noticed Delta Oran was just hanging back. It was like he was trying to disappear in the steam.

There was a lot of steam.

Hmm... Maybe someone forgot to turn down the pool's heating after using it? And Ki wasn't up and about to right these things now. I frowned. I had no idea where the controls to the heating was. I could look for them, but what exactly was I looking for? Like a lever or a box with buttons?

I looked around trying to locate anything that remotely looked like it could make the steaming stop. If this kept up, the room would get too humid, and there would be a weird smell like before, and mold or something, and Mum might get upset again.

Surely I could solve something as simple as this?

"This pool..." Delta Oran spoke up now, "is perfect."

Why was he admiring our pool? I think Ki did say something about it being a state of the art salt water pool or something to do with pump technology... But I never paid attention. Was that important information?

"If we can bring the Young Alpha to this pool, he would definitely be able to heal much quicker." Delta Oran said.

Oh. Wait, we? Like now? Like naked?!?!

I suddenly flashed back to the other night when the Lorents came for dinner and Bell ended up swimming here.

Omo. It turned out that I had a pretty good imagination too.