HARVEY HESISTATED

We gathered in Dad's office in due time. Everyone who had come from the original timeline was here: Dad, Beta Lucas, Me, Ben, Harvey, Ki, Wolfgang, and Fluffy. It was just before dinner and the late afternoon sun came through the windows in golden beams. Morning Light might have the best morning light, but come evening, the windows in Night Leaf would glow golden before the sun set.

There was one stark difference in my Dad's office now though. It had the distinct smell of cats. I guess the two of them really made themselves at home here.

I took my usual seat in the bay window so the two cats had to move for me. In this timeline, there weren't any cushioning made for it because no one came by and sat here while Dad worked. I wondered if Dad felt lonely in this timeline.

Ah well. Peri perched upright next to me while Peony decided to use my lap as a cushion. I stroked Peony's long silky fur and felt him purr under my fingertips while the men around finished up with whatever occupied their screens while waiting. Fluffy, Wolfgang, and I had been the last in.

The mood in Dad's office was unusually quiet and somber. Ki had smiled and bowed when we entered Dad's office, but it was his gentle smile, and he looked more haggard than I had seen him in a long while. Even though it had only been 24 hours since I last saw him.

Harvey was still minty and fresh, but his mouth was pressed in a thin line, a sure sign that he had something serious on his mind.

Even Ben was displaying far less attitude than usual. Oh, wait. He hadn't shifted yet.

Nobody announced me, or Fluffy, or anybody because we were in No Frills Night Leaf, or at least the good old Night Leaf before the Alpha Princess appeared.

Dad looked older than usual behind his desk. If he said time traveling had sped up the aging process, I would have believed him.

Beta Lucas still looked the same though. He even got rid of the ugly brown coat, but he was now wearing an equally ugly frown at his laptop, which was an uncommon sight because Beta Lucas was one of the rare betas who seldom bothered with a laptop when he wasn't in his own office. I guess I wasn't the only one who had to adjust to the timeline differences, or had to negotiate between two life times of experiences.

"Rough day?" I asked with my usual wide smile and was rewarded by the slightest of smiles all around. I guess I'll take that as a yes.

"Good, we're all here." Dad put down whatever document he had in his hand and sighed, "Thank you for making the time to be here."

It couldn't have been easy for Ki and Harvey to get away from their busy beta schedules to be here, and it definitely wasn't easy for Fluffy to get Wolfgang to us.

"I think my university believes he has been kidnapped." Fluffy explained.

Wolfgang coughed into his hand, but didn't deny it, "I'll make sure to clear up the misunderstanding."

"Ah… well…" Beta Lucas wasn't sure what to make of that, but we were currently pressed for time, "I don't have to remind you that if we should return everything the way it used to be, we should be leaving ASAP. As it is, there is an emergency high council meeting this Thursday, and I understand Sam's schedule is packed back-to-back starting Tuesday Morning. We've already spent nearly 24 hours in this alternate present. There's no time to waste."

Ben groaned.

And just because the time puns were overflowing, Beta Lucas ended with, "Time… is not on our side."

Ben groaned again, "The first time was bad enough, Dad."

Dad decided he'd better take over, "Yes, thank you Lucas. Let's start."

"No time, like the present!" Beta Lucas didn't get the hint, "Time and tides waits for no man!"

Our agenda today was to start with a quick round of individual reports of our new timeline, settle on our final objectives of this trip, break for dinner/ preparations, time travel into the future, then return to decided on whether to return everything to how it was, or press on in this timeline.

Dad said his objective was to determine which timeline was better. He felt sure we would all have our own opinions and criteria as he did and wanted to hear them.

"Are we going by votes, Dad?" Fluffy asked innocently. He glanced over to Wolfgang who flicked his hair. Oh right, these two believed that they were being tested.

Dad considered this with his thinking frown, "No, I will make the final call, but I want to consider all your opinions in my decision."

"Thank you for your kindness, Alpha." Wolfgang nodded a bow, "Then I will begin with my own report and recommendation."

WOLFGANG'S REPORT

Wolfgang's past in this timeline was largely unchanged, which wasn't surprising since he was all the way in Snow Moon Pack in the Blue Packlands. However, there were some significant differences which Wolfgang wanted to highlight. He would only briefly say what these matters were and restrict the information he shared with us based on necessity. He hopes for our understanding.

Firstly, River had adopted a human daughter named Greta. He had also never attended Winderhill and Alpha Gunter had never met me. Wolfgang believed that I must have been instrumental to certain changes in River and Alpha Gunter because in this timeline, while River certainly still dreamed of a world where everyone could live in equality, it remained largely an undeveloped dream. As River's mentor, Wolfgang had noted that the boy was still very much alone and unsupported in this dream. He lacked the confidence to bring it up to his father. Alpha Gunter was also firmly in the belief that River was not ready to step up in any official capacity. None of the wolves were keen for follow an unproven young human either.

Also, because of the adoption of the human girl, Greta, Alpha Gunter could no longer nominate River as the Young Alpha. Even if River were to mate a she-wolf with an Alpha Bloodline, unless they have a son, his heir, according to our wolf laws, would now be Greta, who was unacceptably human.

So not only were there no plans to reform Snow Moon Pack to Snow Moon Kingdom, Alpha Gunter planned to skip a generation and hand over the Alpha position to the most suitable puppy born to one of the Pillars.

Although none of the Pillars had pure Alpha Blood, they could mate someone of Alpha descent and possibly produce the next young alpha. In lieu of this, Sir Wolfgang and all the Pillars had been promised new titles. Upon mating, Sir Wolfgang would be conferred a Marquis title. Should one of his puppies be chosen as the next young Alpha, he would become the Duke.

Wolfgang was not so keen on this though, he preferred the life of an academic. Snow Moon Pack's politics were complicated to say the least, and the titles were often accompanied by time consuming duties toward the land and fife that accompanied it. Alpha Gunter was no fool, by gifting the marches around his packlands, his pillars would have to double up as a hedge and protector of the pack's central towns and territories.

Although Wolfgang's family lands runs close to borderlands, the cost of expanding his private army just to meet the demand of the expanded territory was going to wipe out a large portion of his financial assets with uncertain returns.

"You have a private army?" Why had I never heard of this? And why did everyone else not seem to be surprised? Right, because I was slow again.

"It's the smallest one in Snow Moon." Wolfgang said modestly, but he couldn't quite help himself and added, "But it also boasts the highest caliber of warriors, and the highest ratio of horsemen."

Right, because they still used horses in the Blue Packlands.

"Although I do not find myself personally disadvantaged in this life," Wolfgang turned to Dad, "I wish to humbly recommend returning to our original timeline, Alpha Kingsley."

"Oh, why?" Dad sounded surprised. I guess everything sounded like it was going well for Wolfgang and Snow Moon.

"I doubt you'd become my Lord Duke Wolfgang Alexandre Chimay if we went back." Fluffy smiled, "Are you very sure you'd want to exchange this life away? You know that this will be your only chance to be with the one you love."

Oh, did Wolfgang have someone he loved?

"As a teacher, it pains me to see my student's potential so unfulfilled. And although I believe River would one day grasp the power in his hands, I would have preferred he did so sooner than later and not have lost his opportunity to change his world and mine." Wolfgang said, "Although River is young, and I had never been empathetic to his cause, my momentary life in Night Leaf following the princess had opened my eyes, as I believed she had opened River's and Alpha Gunter's eyes to the possibilities of a world quite different than we had ever known. I would have liked to step into that world too."

"As a man, who I love, and how I love, will remain unchanged because she is the one I chose for myself." Wolfgang declared passionately, "I had from the very beginning understood that she did not belong to me. Even in this life, that fact had not changed."

"But you have a chance in this life!" Fluffy pipped in brightly.

"What makes you think I won't in another life?" Wolfgang asked in his crisp regal confidence.

"Don't argue with a man who owns a private army, Alpha." Ben smirked.

But Fluffy wasn't playing anymore, "I see..."

And then Fluffy smiled, his beautiful smile, "I knew I was right to think you were my real rival."

Wolfgang waved him off, he had more serious things to report, "But as a friend to Night Leaf, Alpha Kingsley, I feel I must warn you. I have gained some insight since time traveling, and had researched what I could through the night since arriving here. Time travel is an abnormality in the natural life, I believe tempering with the natural flow of events the way we had would result in an abnormally severe backlash. I urge you to reconsider any extreme alterations through this means."

"I understand." Dad said, his thinking frown heavy set on his face. He sighed deeply, a bad habit he had developed while he was here, "I will be relying on your advice from here on."

"It would be my honor, Alpha." Wolfgang bowed, "I will do what I can."

Did that mean Wolfgang "passed"? The both of them certainly seemed to think so.

"I'll go next." Fluffy raised his hand to volunteer, "I want to go back."

"Sorry," Ben raised his hand, "Can you repeat that again, Alpha? I'm still not used to you speaking straight."

Because the Fluffy from before would never say anything directly like this.

"Although the wolf I used to be would have killed and died for the life I have here, the wolf I am now understands that I am not my own." Fluffy explained, "I was raised by this pack and I cannot turn a blind eye to the disaster that is about to come. Dad, thank you for showing me how to love and protect my family. Isn't it ironic? To protect the ones I love, I must give them up?"

"Then don't give them up!" (Don't give me up! - but I did not just think that.)

No matter which timeline, it seemed that I would never understand Fluffy.

Fluffy smiled at me, but it was his masked smile, "Don't forget, there is still a condition."

Eh? Oh right, he did say his plan came with a condition, "What's the condition?"

If he asked me to stay here, by his side, as his Luna... Right at this moment... Maybe I would have agreed. Or a least, I don't think I could've found the word "no" in my heart. Why did Fluffy have to be the sacrifice for everyone else? Just because he was the Alpha? It didn't seem fair.

"I'll tell you later." Fluffy smiled.

Stupid Fluffy, acting all mysterious. Stupid Wolfgang and Fluffy giving each other knowing looks. I hoped they were not still thinking this was some kind of stimulated test scenario. Nobody had time for such things! Since he knew about the coming war and all the levels of worst case scenarios, why was he putting himself out front and all alone?

"What about the rest of you?" Dad asked. He sounded tired.

"Let's start with the most miserable looking dog." Ben suggested smirking at Ki.

Ki smiled his gentle smile, "I am not in any position to say, but…"

He looked directly at me, and then he did that elegant Lorent shrug and looked away, "Life in the Glorious Lorent Pack is as to be expected. My apologies, I am in no position to speak of any of it, nor would what I say be necessary to your considerations."

"How can you say that?" I was upset to hear Ki say things like that, "How about the fact that you're unhappy?"

Because he obviously was.

"If I had not eaten where the grass is sweeter, I would not despise the grass in my own field." Ki smiled sadly.

I was this close to punching him.

"Next." Ben pointed to Harvey, "Face it, Harv. It was more fun running with us, right? I bet you're miserable too. Kev's s*** with admin, and budgets, and everything else too right?"

Well, so was I…

Harvey managed a tight smile, "I would like to…"

And then he hesistated.