WHERE IS MY PRINCESS?

"Don't worry." I gave my widest grin, "Just follow me. I'm super lucky!"

I was just trying to lighten the mood. We were home, on the Alpha's backyard. I kinda want to cut across the grass and enter the packhouse through the kitchen - maybe I could still sneak into the Packhouse Dining Hall. We were late for Breakfast with the Alpha.

But I was also aware that Wolfgang was with me, so I might have to find some pavement to walk on. Also, it wasn't just me… How would the ladies in the kitchen react if I stepped in with two betas, two deltas, and two warriors? I cast a glance at them and wondered if my wolves knew how intimidating they were… No, actually, I was quite sure they all knew very well what they looked like when they march in behind me like that.

Just as I knew very well telling them not to worry and trust my super luck would only result in someone telling me that it would take a whole lot more then luck. But for some reason, none of my wolves were feeling sensible like that. No one groaned or said, "Oh, Sam!" and told me to be serious - mostly because Ben wasn't here.

"Alright!" Jax decided, "Then we'll just ride on your tailcoats!"

Don't ride on the tailcoat of a 15 year old teenager!

Having said that, Jax was the only one who had caught on the shift in mood. My other wolves were still pensive.

"This should be the best course of action." Wolfgang nodded, "As the princess says, successfully safeguarding our future isn't so much in avoiding the pitfalls and tribulations but strengthening our defenses to overcome them."

When did I say anything like that? All I said was not to be preoccupied with the pie!

"Agreed. Alpha always has the bigger picture in mind." Harvey nodded, "It's not enough to simply advert an incident, our focus is to use the information we have collected to expose any weakness in our organization and rectify the cracks in our systems. We will schedule the debrief meeting when Ben returns. Meanwhile, I'll reexamine the DC security protocols and practices for any loose ends. Everyone is to write a detailed report recounting everything especially every detail from the personal conversation during tea with Future Alpha. Fluffy is to compile the reports and write the summaries."

Wait, didn't I say they didn't need to make such a big deal out of it?

"And does this include what you saw further on in the future?" Wolfgang asked, "Would that be included too?"

Harvey looked at me.

What? Was this my call? Hahaha… I guess being kept in the dark was still eating at Wolfgang. I almost wanted to say no - just for the fun of it.

A baby. I was going to have a baby… and also my betas were very scandalous - should we include their indiscretions in the report too? That might be fun too. Imagine Wolfgang's expression. Maybe he'd decide to rectify the cracks and discipline my betas during his stay here? Lol.

While thinking about what might appear in such a report, I suddenly realized something important - why was Future Me talking aloud even after Laru left? Did I develop the bad habit of talking aloud to myself?

Did the pregnant me KNOW I was there? Was she trying to tell me something? WTH… since when did I start overthinking like this?

I sighed, "Yeah. I think I was trying to tell us something. Might as well use your combined brain power to figure it out."

"Don't worry, goddess." Ki smiled at me, "We will not fail you."

Wolfgang bowed, "Thank you for your guidance princess."

And then the other wolves bowed too, "Thank you for your guidance Alpha/goddess/Pretty Alpha/Princess."

Wolfgang frowned, and turned Teacher Wolfgang all of the sudden, "Was that the way you were taught to thank the princess?"

Oh boy. I thought for sure Wolfgang was going to grace us with an half and hour lecture on etiquette, but we were interrupted by a commotion in front of the pack house.

{Mate! ~ ❤️}

Yes, him. The king of extremities.

He would become my rose and moon and the one to rule Moon Bell by my side, but he could just as well become the evil tyrant that dominated the Mountains and the Plains (and keeps one of Ben's eye balls in a jar on his desk.)

He's the white healer Lorent Prince in sharp suits, side swept hair, expensive shoes, and a smile that inspires poetry in my stoopid wolf, but he's also the masked death god who runs with the blue demon warriors and has a penchant for large scale arson.

If I hadn't known him better, I'd think it was always black and white, and nothing in between with my mate. But for some reason, I did know better. It wasn't so much a head thing, I don't think I would ever understand him. I just knew - I've seen him in all the shades of grey. The him that he didn't show to the rest of the world - from the first time I had met him in a dream…The him that could bleed, the him that cried, the him that did not know how to ask for help, even if he was sad, or lonely, or worried…

And he was here with a big enough of a commotion for even Sir Wolfgang to drop his impromptu lecture to cut across the grass without complaint to the front of the Packhouse to check it out.

{Oh dear.} Ki worried.

{Brace yourselves.} Harvey told the other wolves as we approached.

Out on the Packhouse lawn was a dark plume of cursed fumes and Bell, from where the black fumes billowed like the smog from a truck that skipped it's servicing appt too many times.

"Where is my princess?" The man within the cursed fumes roared.

There were warriors encircling my fuming luna, including my Special Team wolves, but they all took a step back when the fumes rose higher. All except Dad and Beta Lucas and Gamma Harry.

Don't worry about the safety of the rest of the pack - they certainly weren't worried for themselves. You could see them watching from the porch, and only because Beta Gerald and warriors were fencing them in. Hank and his warriors had been dispatched to keep the traffic and wolves moving along the pavements and road out front.

{For your safety, the front lawn of the Packhouse is now out of bounds. Please exit the packhouse from the side exit.} Beta Gerald ordered politely through the pack mindlink.

So none of the wolves crowded on the front porch was leaving though - they were getting front row seats. Because my Luna was a show stopper like that.

"Oh good. Betas you're here! Princess!" Barry was obviously relieved.

"Hoo boy," Beta Lucas looked from Bell to Dad and then to me, "Sam, can you try to calm your Luna down?"

And then Beta Lucas cast another worried glance at Dad, "Preferably from a distance that your dad would approve of…"