EAVESDROPPING, SCAVENGING, AND OTHER MORNING RITUALS

Here was me, eavesdropping on my parents mindlink:

Dad reached his arm around his Luna, "Our children might look like us, but they are their own wolf. All wolves have a dark edge. It's in our nature."

"But Sam..." Mum started.

Dad cut her off, "Since when had Sam ever been typical of most wolves?" He had a point there.

And then he started to worry, "Sam's alpha wolf runs on unimaginable powers like something out of a legend from the Colored Mountains, but her wolf is so... so young."

Hey, I had grown a lot since! My wolf had evolved into Boo, didn't he notice?

"Ki and Bell thinks it's something to do with the merger technique she had practiced as a child. I didn't think she'd actually master it so quickly... If I had known..." Dad sighed audibly.

Mum patted Dad's arm soothingly, "Dear, that's all in the past now. It was so dangerous then, you were only giving her a way to protect herself."

"But her wolf, even after evolving, she continues to run like a puppy." Dad frowned.

Now that was just insulting!

"Bell will take care of her. Did you see what happened last night? It gave me a scare when he showed up in person. But... not only did he hold back, he looked so tenderly at her and indulged her so freely, I felt sure he would make her happy forever."

My mum was romantic like that. Just to clarify, I was there last night and saw nothing of that going on. He realized I was still a puppy. End of romance.

Mum pressed a kiss on Dad's broad shoulder, "Like you are my happily ever after."

Dad growled lowly, his expression softened, but he was still worrying, "I like that boy, he's young and capable beyond his years, but he's edge is darker and sharper than any wolf I've ever met in a long time."

"Yes, but he's her soul mate, and a very well brought up young man." Mum argued. Good manners were very important to Mum. He might be a tyrant, but at least he had good manners.

And then Dad noted to himself, "Its a good thing he has a strong healing wolf... If he makes her cry, I'll kill him, and I won't be satisfied if he died too quickly."

Wow, Dad was sounding just like Sabre. But on Dad it wasn't cute or funny, even though he was joking... Probably. Haha.

Okay, I know I shouldn't be listening in on my parent's mindlinks, but since they were discussing me, I had the right to know, right?

Mum patted Dad lightly on his arm, a smile playing on her lips, and then she seemed to notice me just standing there, "Sam? What are you doing there?"

I looked up quickly. Ki was silently just holding out my lunch bag and water bottle to me the entire time. He smiled his usual smile.

"Oh, Sam." Mum turned to face me and sighed, "You're spacing out again!"

"Uh no." I answered honestly. I took my stuff from Ki, "Thanks, Ki."

"My pleasure, goddess." And then he bowed and left to fetch my boots and coat.

Every morning was just like clockwork. This Thursday would be no different... until I remembered, "Oh, no! There's cooking class today!"

Ki returned with my coat and boots, "Your apron and food box are in your school bag."

I knew that... I saw it when I checked just now, but this was something else.

"I forgot we were supposed to bake cookies today. I'm supposed to bring chocolate chips and stuff." I admitted sheepishly.

"Oh Sam!" Mum sighed, "Not again!"

Hey! I hadn't "forgotten" anything since the year started! That's like a huge improvement! This was wholly due to Beta Magic. Before Ki, I would have forgotten and then remembered last minute that I needed something... Almost on a daily basis.

If it wasn't new pens of a specific color, it would be money for something, or new exercise books, or something the teacher had told us to bring (anything from protractors, to art paper, or paint...)

And before Ki, Mum was the one who had to deal with the brunt on my last minute memory. Who else could pull out a green ink pen out of nowhere at 6am in the morning? It was used, but it still worked. Or cut construction paper into square origami paper, or sacrifice a pillow case for "new" material to sew a book cover, or produce a "fruit salad" to take for the Class Pot Luck (fruit flavored gummies, cut apples, canned pineapple, and raisins all counted as fruit).

Yeah, I was that kid who made every morning before school a full blown scavengers hunt.

Now with my betas, all I had to do was to note something down in my phone's to-do-list, and everything but my homework got done for me. I had forgotten to note down the cookie baking thing though. It sometimes felt like my Betas had created a perfect system to revolve around me - the sole flaw in their entire beta universe.

Luckily, today's scavenger item was baking related, and thanks to Savy and Sabre, we were well stocked.

Ki helped me find lots of treasures from the pantry, M&Ms (Sabre's), but he also found nuts and mixed dried fruit (Mum's), and all three kinds of baking chocolate - white, milk, and dark (Savy's).

He helped me smash them into little pieces in a freezer bag with a rolling pin so I would have chocolate chips. He also helped me chop the dried fruit. I smashed the nuts with the rolling pin. And we were done. Ki packed everything into small zipper bags and put them into my food container for cooking class.

"Thanks Ki!" I said again.

"As always goddess, it's my pleasure to be of service." Ki answered.

Mum didn't have such a good attitude about it. She said, as she always did before, "Try to remember earlier next time. Well, better hurry, you don't want to be late for school!"

"Okay, thanks Mum, bye!" Harvey and the others were already waiting politely on the porch outside, "Bye Dad, Bye Sabre!"

"Bye bye, Sam!" Sabre called with her mouth full.

"Have a good day, dear." Mum said.

Ki opened the sliding door for me, "Have a good day goddess."

"Bye, Ki! Thanks again!" I smiled my usual wide grin, and then just for the heck of it, I yelled back into the house, "Dad behave, Mum don't get into trouble, and Sabre take care of everyone."

Hahaha.

"Alpha!" EJ waved and called the moment I stepped out. Neil managed to force a smile through his usual grimace. Jax looked like he was going through his own black mood, but he winked at me. And Fluffy was smiling his usual beautiful smile.

Harvey smiled and bowed the moment I stepped out onto the porch, "Good morning, alpha."

Harvey's been calling me Alpha all the time now. Either it's because the wolves from the underground were a good influence on him, or he had finally promoted me, or he had decided he had enough of Mate growling at him whenever anyone else called me "princess" - which might I point out was the rest of the world where "yo princess" was making its rounds.

The moment Harvey shut me into the car, everything fell back into the quiet comfortable daily routine I had gotten used to.

"You're in a good mood today, Alpha." Harvey noted as he belted up. Harvey usually did this, the way he would say something into the mic whenever he had to adjust his guitar during a performance.

"Yeah, my family does that to me." I realized. I had woken up in a bad mood, but I was feeling back on top of the world again.

Harvey nodded but didn't waste any more time on chit-chat. He went through my schedule for today. I had school in the day and then Thursday Night training session after dinner.

(Which meant that I would be seeing Mate again tonight! Yay!)

He also wanted to run through the weekend schedule with me, which for some reason, according to the beta calendar began on a Friday after school, and not Saturday morning cartoons, or at least sleeping in till breakfast with the the gang before Lycan Group Studies.

And as far as Betas were concerned, the only difference between the weekdays and weekends were the type of work that needs doing.

Weekdays were focused on routine schoolwork, individual beta duties, and pack administration. Weekends were for supporting the Alpha's attendance at the various events and appointments I was supposed to show up for.

Listening to Harvey was really like seeing my life from a completely new perspective. I sounded so busy and important I barely recognized my life anymore.

I was almost convinced that I was swamped this weekend. Luckily, I realized that THEY were the ones who had work. I didn't have to do any work, just show up.

Friday Night according to Harvey was Dinner with the Lorents. Mum had invited Alpha James, Luna Edith, and Lady Amber over the last time we went to the home, and now it was our turn to host.

My betas believe there would be discussions on my transfer arrangements to the Lorent Girls School as well as pack merger, and plans for my Alpha Inauguration and the official celebrations for our engagements.

But I was quite sure this would just be a dinner where we ate dinner. Bell would be coming too. (So, including tonight's training session, I was going to see him two nights in a roll. Lucky!)

Saturday Morning was packed back to back. Breakfast with the gang at the Packhouse Dining Hall, then Lycan Study Group, a light lunch with my family at home before heading out by convey to Henry's Alpha Inauguration in Gold City... With was a lot like Gate City, just with older buildings because Gold City had been around even before the Great War.

At Gold City, we would be checking into The Langston @ Gold City, Gold City's newest hotel. It was only in its soft launch though. Harvey looked a little stressed, it seemed they were pressured to open the hotel ahead of schedule to accommodate all the guests attending Henry's Inaugeration.

Everyone who was anyone was expected to attend. This would include all the reigning Alphas and Betas, as well as Elder Alphas and Betas, Young Alphas and Betas and mates from every pack in the continent. From the Green Packlands, the Lorents, Morning Light, and Night Leaf all received invitations. Apparently, the minor packs didn't count.

There would be a Welcome Tea reception at 2pm, followed by a special guided tour of Gold City for distinguished guests, which were mainly the Alphas and their Lunas, everyone else would be either working (just the betas, really) or exploring the city on their own, or resting.

Bell and I and our betas had all received additional personal invitations from Henry to meet him after the Welcome Tea Reception for an informal party. We'd be rubbing shoulders with other young Alphas and Betas close to Henry.

I had trouble imagining Henry being close to anyone else really. He was always aloof to the other kids in school. But then I remembered how he had clicked immediately with Bell, and that he could be quite charming if it suited him.

Harvey assured me that it was important for Henry to keep close relations with at least the future Alphas of the packs that Silver Mountain had business dealings with. It would be a good opportunity for us to grow our own personal networks too.

I didn't really know many young Alphas or Betas, so this would be my first time "networking". TBH, I imagined it as stepping into a room full of Henry and JL3, and immediately wanted to leave my imaginary room. But I was the alpha. I could take it. At worst, I'd just do what Uncle Louis taught me at my Grandpa Alpha's funeral. Smile. Make friends. Don't be bullied.

Except Harvey said he had the full guest list of the Young Alphas and Betas attending, and had compiled their introductory data in a document on my Kindle. Gee...thanks.

The Golden Dome would be hosting the main events. It was a 5-20 minute car ride from our hotel. The main events were dinner and ceremony. The Banquet Inaugeration would take place at 7PM. Cocktail would be served at the reception from 6.30PM. The Alpha Inauguration Ceremony will take place at 9PM. It would be broadcast live.

All the Green Packland's representatives would be seated together, and I needed to note that this would be the first official event that I would be attending with my Luna Bell. Harvey assured me that Ki had already prepared the press statements and I did not have to worry about anything.

Mostly, I'm assuming my betas would do all the worrying for me. I just need to show up and smile and refrain from doing anything particularly destructive. And I was fully planning on NOT causing a scene. It was Henry's Inaugeration, so it would be only polite to sit and watch and clap at the appropriate moments.

I mean, I wouldn't like it if he caused a scene at my inauguration either, right?

Again, event details have been compiled and I would be able to read more on my Kindle at my leisure.

Everything should end by midnight. We would return to the hotel to rest, before heading home early the next morning.

Sunday's Breakfast with the Alpha Family at our Packhouse has already been postponed to 9.30am in case of delays in our journey back.

On Sunday afternoon, we would be expecting a social call from Prince River and company, from the newly reformed Snow Moon Kingdom of the White Packlands at our Alpha House.

Wait a minute, Prince-who-now? Like we were talking about River right?