A LAUNDRY LIST OF LORENT POLITICAL DRAMAS

I think there must have been some kind of mix up. Maybe someone accidentally switched the agenda with the listing for the Newest Upcoming 35 Lorent Scandals and Conspiracies.

IF the LNC needed fresh brew for their Page Six, this would be the front seat row. It was so front seat and fresh that it was like they were scheming right in front of you.

When Ki first directed us to item 11 (or 35), Ben asked me which item I was here for, and since I had no respectable answer to give Ben, I scrolled back up to item 11, {Let me see…}

11 ) Young Delta Resignation & Selection Process

Which looked like something that was going to take the rest of the afternoon to figure out. I looked about while everyone else looked down at their papers.

"If Young Alpha would pass the motion." Ki prompted.

"Pass." Bell nodded.

"Thank you for your guidance, Young Alpha." Ki smiled, "Proceeding to item 12."

Oh, so they had already discussed that? What was this thing about passing motion?

The Lorent wolves looked down to their table and flipped their pages. I looked to the next item Ben had scrolled up to:

12 ) Interim Executive Gamma Nomination

Because now that their Young Gamma Dom (Bell's talkative friend) was the Interim Executive Beta, he needed someone to help him with the gamma responsibilities too. Thus the Interim Executive Gamma position was required.

Tell me I wasn't the only one who thought this was the most stupid redundant and roundabout way to deal it. Why couldn't we just let the beta do his job, and the gamma do his job?

And don't say they didn't have a beta wolf because I took their Ki! They did still have Anthony.

Bell's cousin Anthony was the late Beta Lorent's son, so he was technically of Beta bloodline too. (Backstory Chapter 214 "The Curse and the Ring")

"Please state your nominations." Ki instructed everyone.

And everyone fell back into the "try to disappear" mode. It took a moment before Coach Em shuffled in his seat and then looked pointedly at Delta Oran, who glared back but realized it was too late. We were all looking at him now.

He very reluctantly raised his hand, "I nominate the Young Beta Anthony."

And then everyone froze, not in shock or surprise, more like they leaned away from Bell's direction and braced themselves for his reaction.

It was almost as if they expected their Young Alpha to fly into a rage.

I waited too.

If I hadn't thought that this interim executive position was a dumb idea to begin with, I would have pointed out that it was redundant and REALLY roundabout to make the Young Beta interim executive gamma so that the real Young Beta could assist as executive gamma. It was all unnecessarily messed up, and you know what I always say about a topsy turvy wolf hierarchy - its the first sign of a problem in a pack, but I was at a Lorent meeting, and Lorents were always overcomplicated, so I felt I should respect their culture and not interfere with their preferred level of redundant complexities.

I honestly didn't have much hope with untangling the Lorents from the knots they've woven into their historical tapestry. I've never given it much thought. Maybe I had assumed that I'll just cut off the obviously bad bits and start again. Or maybe we could just ignore whatever hot mess happened in the past and just just straighten out what's in front of us... Then whatever was in the past, would just stay in the past.

Well no, recent experience did not indicate that the past was likely to stay that way. It was just wistful thinking on my part.

I think the sole reason why I hadn't been as active to merge with the Lorents as with the other new wolves was that I was procrastinating it. It wasn't just because our newly and nicely merged Morning Light wolves hated their faces. I think I kinda knew it would be like opening a can of worms, so I had just avoided dealing with it.

I guess now it was down to Bell and his core leadership to deal with it. I felt immediately sorry for Bell.

I was going to inherit a nice pack - even if I didn't start our Green Packland merger or build the Princess Town, I would have inherited Night Leaf. Dad and my elders would have packed it up in a nice little package and put it on my lap. Best birthday present ever.

Bell was inheriting a can of worms. It was like one of those gag cans. He was going to open it up thinking he would get to eat chips or something, and worms would explode on his face, AND THEN EVERYONE WAS GOING TO BLAME HIM.

He would be going down in all the history books as the Alpha who made a big mess. The Rebel who singlehandedly caused the destruction of the Glorious Lorent Legacy. It might even be one of those warnings to proud young princes kind of story.

"Imagine that! An entire Glorious Lorent Pack, once the top pack in the Green Packlands, and the wealthiest healer pack in the whole continent destroyed within a year!" The historians would say. It would go down as our continent's most epic fail and everyone would study Bell's leadership to learn what NOT to do.

"No. Next." Bell said.

Delta Oran raised his hand again, his expression like that of a man volunteering to die first, "Forgive me, young alpha, but this is only for the nomination list. The selected nominee might be someone else."

"No." Bell said again.

Delta Oran now looked at Coach Em who sighed deeply and raised his hand too, "Young Alpha..."

"No." Bell refused to hear it, "I know my Father's hope in this. It is foolishness. Anthony neither has the aptitude or character for leadership."

"But he is your own family, your only male cousin." Coach Em said, "Granting him the opportunity would demonstrate that you are still looking out for him and his mother and sister."

Delta Oran cleared his throat, "I feel obliged to give further support of the Young Beta Anthony's nomination."

"If you must." Bell's low voice had turned growly now.

{So sexy ~ ❤️}

(I don't have to tell you that was Boo, not me.)

The other wolves looked like they rather not like Bell's growly voice.

"Thank you for your patience, Young Alpha." Delta Oran continued, "Although the Young Beta Anthony may yet to rise up to the rigors of beta responsibilities and duties, it could be said that this failure was due to his wolf. As you might already know, Young Alpha, your late Uncle, Beta Elliot Lorent's wolf also lacked alpha powers after his first shift. His powers only emerged when his wolf evolved during his mating year."

"There is a high chance that this late-blooming might be genetically driven and the Young Beta Anthony simply needs another year or two before his wolf's powers emerged."

"Now I know for sure the both of you are just empty vessels echoing my old man's agenda." Bell crossed his arms, "Tell my old man that Anthony is nothing more than an omega in my eyes. No, even the omegas carry out their duties and know their place."

"Even if Anthony's powers come to him, would that change his character? Would power make one capable of due diligence?" Bell shook his head, his mouth pressed down, "The only thing my cousin has proven over the course of his service as Young Beta is a level of incompetence that can only be superseded by his even greater level of self-entitlement."

"I'm not about to fawn over his useless hide or clap for his very underwhelming achievements." Bell shrugged, "His nomination is nothing but a waste of time. In fact, his existence is a waste of space and oxygen. It would be better to send him off to the Gold Packlands to accompany his Mother and Sister where he might continue living on a silk cushion and whining his complaints where I cannot hear it."

When Bell finished his tirade, the room was silent again.

Finally, Ki spoke, but he was wearing his gentle smile so I knew he was being very cautious with his words, "Although what you say is true, it would be difficult for us to not concede to your father. Perhaps, we might simply include the Young Beta Lorent in the nomination list..."

"No!" Bell cut Ki off, "Why should I give someone so underserving the honor of nomination?"

"But your father..." Ki tried again.

"To hell with my old man!" Bell slammed the stone table with his good hand, "Why the hell did you think I had to take our meeting out here? What's the f***ing point of coming here if you're all just going to be his mouthpiece and push his agenda into my plans?"

"Whose side are you on anyway?" Bell demanded. The wolves flinched back at the alpha dominance, "If you want to follow my old man so much then get your butt over to him now. I don't need any of you!"

"Young Alpha, please rest assured that our loyalty is always with you and our Glorious Lorent Pack." Delta Oran tried to pacify Bell, "We are only advising this for the sake of a smoother transition to your reign. Sometimes it may be wise to play the game of give a take..."

"Just put his name down, Luna." This was Ben. Everyone looked surprise. One, because no one was expecting the young beta next to me to say anything. Two, because Ben was using his usual deadpan so it came out rather discourteously by Lorent standards.

Ben didn't wait for Bell's reaction either, he just continued speaking, "It'll get your dad off your back and later, you could watch Ant get crushed when he doesn't get selected."