BEHIND MY BACK

SATURDAY, 13 FEBRUARY, BEFORE DINNER

{Mate!}

He's here?

I jumped up from behind my desk. Mate was here! Besides my incredible wolf radar and Boo's happiness, I knew he was definitely here because our mating bond was suddenly shut close from his side. He was masking his presence, but so abruptly that I noticed at once.

I slowed at my office door. But why was he masking his presence? He shut off our mating bond... not that it was particularly forthcoming, but now he had completely sealed it shut. Should I be taking this personally? Did he shut off all his bonds (maybe met a vamp)? Or just ours?

Here's to show I was far better at sneaking than my mate. I very slowly and carefully sealed Boo and crept towards my door. Sure I looked stupid sneaking around by myself in my own office, but I knew Mate was here, and I knew that he was just beyond this door. In fact, according to my wolf radar, all me betas were there too.

My office door was pretty heavy, so it was hard to hear. I had to really listen hard, but I didn't dare to crack open the door, I was sure my betas and luna would notice.

"You wanted to see me?" Bell's low voice rumbled. He sat himself down at the table, placing his fedora on it.

Okay, you got me, there was no fedora. I just made that part up. Maybe it was their low voices, but I just imagined the entire scene outside playing in a black and white detective scene.

"You made it, Luna." Ben smirked. He had his legs rudely propped up on the table.

"Thank you for coming, Luna." Harvey added from the sideboard where he was leaning against, his customary wry smile in place.

"I have fifteen minutes before my alarm rings." Bell informed them, "Make it snappy."

The guys all looked to Ki who was smiling like a flower, "Certainly, Luna. I'll keep it brief."

The chairs scrapped, just a little. I heard Ben's feet being dropped back to the floor, as Ki and Harvey sat themselves around the table.

Ben took the lead, "I'll report. It'll be faster. Alpha Kingsley blew a fuse today. Our Alpha Princess' security has been stepped up accordingly, and will roll out on Monday. Princess Town is clear for the first phase of construction, foundation work will begin this week. The ground breaking ceremony date remains unchanged and would take place with the Alpha Princess' inauguration in April. You are scheduled to pick your princess up from the Vday dance tomorrow night. The arrangements have been made. Your request for the motorbikes and other vehicles have been approved. Ruby has been executed under Silver Mountain Pack laws for the murder of two warriors. Harvey was present as witness. Also if you had seen the news on your princess earlier today. The report was false on most counts and to be ignored. End of update."

WTH.

My betas were meeting in secret with my luna behind my back! Wait no, it was just an update meeting. It's not like they were plotting against me or anything like that - even if half the contents were kept in the dark from me.

"Hn" Mate made a short humming sound. He picked up his fedora and got up to leave, "Got it. I'm heading back to the rogue hunt. Let Alpha Kingsley know everything is going as planned. Make sure my princess doesn't find any of the unnecessary details."

"We know how to do our jobs. There would be no reason for her to prod further." Ben growled.

Et tu, Ben?

I can't believe what I was hearing. How dare they!

"Speaking of doing our jobs, Luna, I'll be scheduling your public appearances by the Alpha Princesses side once the rogue hunt is out of the way." Ki added, "We need to put the rumors to a permanent rest, and begin establishing the both of you as the rightful Alpha and Luna of Green Packland's bright and glorious future."

Mate stopped and growled, "Don't f***ing use me as a prop in your media campaigns, Ki."

"I assure you, you're not the prop." Ki smiled widely, "You're the male lead."

Mate didn't stop growling, "We aren't in the Lorent Pack anymore and I'm not going back. I won't dance to the public approval ratings."

Nobody was asking him to dance.

"With all due respect, Luna, we do our jobs, you do yours." Ben was unsympathetic, "We are her betas, there is only so much we can do. We can cover her from the shadows, but if it ever comes to the light of her attention, our hands are tied. You will be her last line of defense. When it comes to that, you must eliminate the threat."

"You don't have to tell me that." Bell shot back, "I will destroy everything in her way."

Urm no, you don't have to go that far. Sigh, sometimes my soulmate displayed unhealthy signs of villainy.

"Good." Harvey's calm gravelly voice re-centered the conversation, "Then we've got all our bases covered. Now we can focus on consolidating her power and building up our resources."

There was a general nod of consensus. WTH.

I frowned not know what to make of this. On one hand, I guess they weren't quite plotting against me behind my back. Actually quite the opposite, they were plotting for me? But behind my back. Where did that leave me? In my office signing off their grand schemes?

I felt a growl start at the base of my throat. I should just release Boo on them! That should teach them a lesson! And so I did.

When I released Boo, I actually expected her to alpha bomb, storm into the scene, flip the table and chairs and kick all their butts for plotting behind my back. Let's leave out the for/against for now and not over-complicate things. They were plotting behind my back, and I did not like that one bit.

BUT Boo didn't do any of that. I mean, I should have known. Storming head first into the scene to beat them up would be what I would do. Boo was far more sophisticated. She smiled, straightened my clothes, tossed her hair and began in release her alpha dominance. Not bomb it, that would be my move. Boo liked to let her alpha dominance seep out like a thick noxious perfume and then walk out like a goddess stepping out of a cloud of dominance.

Naturally, the guys were shocked. Ben, who was still seated with his legs on the table, fell backwards in his chair. The other three guys were already standing, so they just froze where they stood. And then Mate's face turned stony, Ki smiled very gently, and Harvey pressed his lips into a straight line. Ben got back on his feet, "Sam, are you alright."

Actually, I was a little surprised too. There was no suits or fedora, and it wasn't in black and white. Everyone was very normal looking.

Boo smiled, baring my cute human teeth, "What are you big bad wolves plotting?"

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with." Bell shrugged, "Let the big bad wolves take care of it."

He reached out his hand to caress the nearest lock of hair and stepped forward to close the space between us.

Boo's smile widened, flashing her fangs and my teeth which were looking far less human now, "Since my mate says so, I will overlook it. But if at any time I don't like what is happening, all four of you are going to hurt."

Boo leaned forward, touching the lapel of Mate's navy blue warrior jacket, "Even you, gorgeous, so don't do something I'd regret."

And then Boo pulled away from "gorgeous" and sashayed out of the FAO. I let her go.

{That was fun} Boo decided. She kept walking, lifting her hand briefly to acknowledge the warriors if they greeted her, and completely ignoring the ones who didn't.

So we were letting the guys off to do whatever they wanted?

{No, we're letting them off to do whatever we wanted.} Boo corrected me.

And then I realized, from the documents I had signed off to their reported updates, they were right where I wanted them. Everything was in place, chess pieces on the board lined up for the check mate.

If everything went as planned (by them), the moment we consolidated my power, we would be ready to make a move. I was the Alpha, and I will protect the happiness of those who followed me.

Right now, that meant securing the merger of the three major packs in the Green Packlands, establishing our territory, and setting us on the road to progress.

Who's the bada** villain now?

I guess the best way to deal with big bad wolves was to be the bigger and badder wolf.

NEXT CHAPTER: PARTY AT THE ALPHA HOUSE