THAT'S SO OLD!

SATURDAY, 5 MARCH, CONTINUED

Ben did it again when we got to the packhouse dining room. It was crowded today, almost as if it were Sunday's Breakfast with the Alpha. My gang and the usual youths were here to fill up before Lycan Study Group at our usual end of the hall and there were also some warriors on the other end, still in uniform. I think they were probably the first-morning patrol. Sometimes they hung out here on Saturdays too.

What was different was the other wolves and their pups. Was something happening today?

"Alpha Princess is here." Ben announced again.

I had barely gotten over the first time out in the lobby. When Ben did it then, I was so shocked at the "Yo, Princess!" response, I automatically smiled widely and bowed.

{The Alpha does not bow} Wolfgang kindly reminded me in tutor mode. (I don't know if Wolfgang ever turned off his tutor mode.)

Ben promptly pushed, I mean guided me through the lobby and into the dinning room where I was planning to just flop at my usual table with my gang and laugh off the embarrassment.

I should have punched Ben the first time. The second time was worse.

"YO, PRINCESS!"

This was a combination of polite greeting (from the grown-up wolves) and yelling at the top of their lungs (from the less grown-up wolves - mainly my usual gang.) Then they hooted and cheered like it was some kind of concert. I felt my face flush all over again. The grown-ups laughed.

One little pup who was playing with the bigger pups at the back of the hall freaked out at the sudden shouting and dashed back to his parents. Hahaha. Cute.

I beelined straight to my table to give them a piece of my mind. WTH.

"Woah, it's the fire wolf." Tim whispered too loudly to Drew. The guys looked up at the two warriors behind me with what I could only describe as respect.

"The other guy is so tall." Drew said, "Maybe he plays basketball." Drew was the Middle School Basketball Team Captain.

"I think he's the lancer." Tim said, "My dad said there was a tall purple eyed one who uses a super long sword... Like a lance."

I stopped and turned to see Wolfgang and Barry behind me.

I was quite sure Barry was the cook.

"Guys, meet Hotstuff and Barry from the S-Team." Ben decided to just introduce them.

Which was surprising because I never thought Ben would do socially appropriate things like that.

Meanwhile, I wanted to tell the two warriors to go away, but that seemed rude to say to them in front of all my friends.

Unfortunately, at the moment, post double embarrassment, my mind couldn't find a work around.

How could I say in a very polite way, "Go away! I hate this! I want to be just Sam right now!"?

It didn't help that I suddenly remembered Wolfgang's earlier admonition, "The Alpha does not cease being the Alpha whether at home or abroad." Oh… was this what he meant? Well, this sucked.

Ben pulled out my usual chair, and having nothing polite or kind to say, I sat down and sulked. My hair flared out (just a little) because I was that peeved, and my friends naturally had to make wisecracks.

"Woah…" Jonah leaned back in his chair. He was sitting across from me so it wasn't like it was even in his face of anything.

"Do you mind?" Dean complained, but my hair WAS in his face, "Some of us are trying to eat here Sam."

The other guys laughed.

"Oh, you're here." It was rare for Dean and his siblings to reach before me.

"I know right?" Shannon cut in, "I was just saying tonight must be a full moon."

"Don't make it sound like we're always late." Dean scolded.

"Er... But brother, we usually are." Drew said.

The other guys laughed again.

Dean made an impatient tsk at his younger brother.

"No we're not!" And then he thought better of it, "Okay, so yes. We are."

More laughter around the table. The Yarrow siblings were always late for everything. Even school.

"Hotstuff! Barry!" Flynn came over to our table. He slapped the two guards behind me on their shoulders.

"Oh, its you." Wolfgang didn't look particularly pleased but I was starting to suspect Wolfgang liked to pretend he didn't like you when he did.

"They're on active duty now, Sir." Ben duly informed Flynn.

"Oh, even Hotstuff?" Flynn grinned, twinkle in his eye because he thought he was oh-so-funny, "What's the mission? Arson?"

Flynn was a great friend and teacher, but he was not always as funny as he imagined.

"You know them, Sir?" Tim asked.

"Yeah. Of course, we know each other." Flynn squeezed Barry's shoulder. Barry winced.

"Really?" Shannon didn't look convinced.

Flynn didn't looked convincing at all. He was the only one grinning between the two warriors. Barry looked like he was still recovering from the pain in his shoulder while Wolfgang looked like he was trying very hard to look like Flynn wasn't there.

"Okay," I decided to test it, "If you really know each other, tell me who's the oldest."

"What?" Flynn grinned, "Do you think I won't know something like that?"

He looked at Barry and Wolfgang, they looked back at him. Each of them considering the other two men and trying to guess their ages. They obviously didn't know. I mean, if they did, they wouldn't be staring at each other so hard now.

"Probably me." Wolfgang decided at some length.

Barry shrugged, "Maybe."

Flynn frowned, "I'm the youngest."

Ben snorted something derisive. It sounded like, "In your dreams."

So the three men changed their answers.

"Barry is oldest." Flynn decided.

"Okay." Barry agreed.

Wolfgang frowned, "I'm quite sure I'm older."

I looked at Ben. Did he know? Of course he did. Ben knew everything.

Wolfgang was the oldest at 25. Flynn was 23.

"I was born in Summer. That's why I'm so hot." Flynn had to say.

We ignored him because cool teens didn't laugh at uncle jokes.

And Barry was the youngest at 22.

"Wow, you guys are old." I told them. 25!

"Hotstuff's turning 26 this year." Ben had to rub it in.

"That's like almost 30!" I exclaimed.

"Not really!" Flynn protested on Wolfgang's behalf.

"I want to die by 30." Shannon said, "It only goes downhill from there."

Wait what? I was alarmed enough to flare again, "You can't die at 30 Shan! That's way too young!"

How could he say that? How could he feel that way? (Think of your poor mum, Shan!)

I shook my head, "No one is allowed to die until like we're at least a thousand years old."

My friends laughed, "Sam, nobody lives that long!"

Vampires did. So did the wolves in the Colored Mountains, or at least the Tygers… but that wasn't the point.

The teacher in Wolfgang naturally had to step up. He hit Shannon over the head, "Pups who have not yet even started the climb up, have no right to talk about what lies beyond the peak."

Technically, 25 wasn't really old enough to be calling us "pups",

Shannon took offense to that, he stood up to Wolfgang, "Who made you boss?"

And then I realized Wolfgang really literally meant "pup" because Shannon hadn't even had his first shift yet.

"Can you fight me and win?" Wolfgang raised an arrogant brow, "I'm not the boss, I'm just the stronger wolf."

Shannon gritted his teeth. I had never seen Shannon this mad.

"Hey, chill." Jonah stood up now, "Come on, Shan, chill."

"Yeah, Shannon." Tim smirk, "If you fight him, you'll be toast."

"Shut up, Tim." Shannon snapped, "Don't think I won't."

He took another step forward, Jonah had to physically block him from grabbing Wolfgang.

"Don't think I won't hit you just because you're a fancy fire wolf." Shannon said, "I hate it when people look down on me. The last guy who pissed me off, I beat up till he couldn't even remember his own name."

Shannon wasn't lying, but I had trouble picturing Shannon in that light.

"Maybe." Wolfgang smirked, and then he added, "If you trained for another thousand years."

Which didn't add up mathematically because Wolfgang was only 10 years our senior.

"Alright, that's enough." Flynn decided, "Shannon, Hotstuff is your senior and Delta. Be respectful."

"But sir…" Shannon started.

"You're a delta?" I asked.

"Of course," Wolfgang shrugged, "How can your Special Team accept any less?"

My Special Team was apparently not just for show. It was a hand-selected team of delta wolves with extremely special skills and abilities. They were assigned to special security work (which wasn't just about playing bodyguards to the Alpha Princess.) The S-Team as Ben had called them dealt with special projects that either dealt with sensitive information or dangerous situations.

"They're the cream of the crop!" Flynn boasted, "Any one of these guys can easily rank Top 10 among our elite warriors."

When Flynn put it like that, they did sound really impressive.

"Sorry, sirs." Shannon bowed his head. Shannon wasn't the type who disrespected hierarchy. He was a very good wolf that way.

"Work hard and beat me." Wolfgang shrugged in response, "If you can."

But I recognized this was Wolfgang's "teacher's voice" speaking.

"Of course, I can." Shannon determined, "Just wait and see, sir. I can rank Top 10 too!"

"I look forward to it." Wolfgang nodded his approval.

"You'd need to shift first." Tim smirked. Shannon socked him one, and the guys fell back to easy laughter again.

Well, most of the guys. Dean just looked unhappy.

Flynn took Wolfgang and Barry to the "Adult Table" to have coffee with the warriors on the other end of the hall. Flynn managed to do this by getting the Head Beta (Ben) to release them from active duty, "Just for a break."

If I had known this could be done, I would've made Ben release them from the start! They could break the whole of today. I really didn't need bodyguards!

Dean still looked sullen even after their departure.

"What's wrong, Dean?" I asked.

"It's nothing." Dean shook his head, "You won't understand."