BY DINNERTIME

In the end, we didn't go to the hall to see Grandpa's coffin or the flowers. Esmeralda realised that we had to changed immediately or we would be late for dinner.

Dinner was held in the Pack House Banquet Hall and was as customary in Night Forest a buffet free for all pack wolves and pack house guests.

The Alpha family had dinner in the Banquet Hall every single night. The dress code had been relaxed since Uncle Louis became Alpha. We didn't have to wear long skirts anymore, but girls weren't allowed to wear pants.

I realised now that this was what the skirt and dress was for. Tonight, Savy and I wore the dresses. I was pretty relieved to see that our cousins were wearing similarly dark and modern dresses. We actually looked rather nice together, like matching a set of black teacups. For the effect, we 'half-braided' our hair in a similar style.

To my delight, Harvey and Ki were now with Ben. My wolf was so happy to see them, but they were at another table. Beta Gerald was also here and I saw him shaking hands with Beta Larson.

I wanted badly to go over to say hi but I'm expected to be a teacup so I followed my cousins to the very long Alpha's table right in front of the banquet hall.

The moment we sat down, servants fetched food from the table for us, which defeated the point of the buffet (IMAO). But like I said, this wasn't my pack. I sat down and accepted whatever was placed in front of me.

It wasn't bad stuff. And we all knew I could eat anything that was categorised as food if I had to. So I ate.

Savy didn't eat though. She poked around her plate. This was unlike her. I mean, this girl ate veggies and liked it. Plus she was the one who didn't mind shelling shrimp or eggs. We did have a large shrimp like thing on our plates.

Then Savy sighed and turned to me, "Call Ki over, I can't eat this."

What? Why?

"Is something wrong?" Uncle Louis asked because Savy had all but put down her fork and knife.

"Yeah... I mean no." I answered.

I mindlinked Savy, "Just eat the food."

Savy pouted.

Seriously? What the hell. I made all the effort to be a good teacup and stay in line with our cousins and Savy had to choose to act out?

Mum looked at us, "Girls, please eat your food. It's going to be a long night."

I poked a piece of chicken. It was pretty tender and came off the bone easily. I ate it.

Savy wouldn't move.

Mum raised her brow at me.

"The chicken is yummy." I said.

Savy just stared at her plate in consternation.

"Why won't she eat?" Estella asked me quietly, "Grandma Luna might get mad if the other tables notice. Just pretend to eat. I always do that when I don't like the food."

You hear that Savy? Of course she did. But she remained silent. I would like to take this opportunity to point out that I was not the one who always acted up in our family.

See? Right here, right now. Savy was the silent troublemaker.

Estella figetted. She cast a nervous glance at Grandma Luna.

"Do you want the servants to get you something else?" Esmeralda asked rather kindly.

I wasn't feeling that forgiving towards Savy. She was doing this on purpose! Couldn't she see that I was trying to fit in? Grrr...

Now my dad was looking at me. Ah right, my hair was showing my inner irate.

Mum pursed her lips, "Sam."

WHAT? IT WASN'T ME? LOOK, LOOK! HERE! SAVY! GRRR....

I stood up. WTH. Fine!

"Ki." I said.

The Beta was by my side instantly, "How may I be of service, Princess?"

I was furious. Too furious to laugh at Ki's nonsense. I pointed at Savy without a word.

THAT GIRL WON'T EAT AND FOR SOME REASON IT'S MY FAULT? WTH!!!

But of course I couldn't say it out loud. I was too mad to speak without growling.

"There is shell." Savy said quietly, "And bones."

I looked at Mum pointedly. SEE, IT WASN'T ME.

Mum sighed, "Savy, please don't provoke your sister."

Yeah, that's right, don't provoke me! Eh wait what? Savy was provoking me? Like on purpose? Why?

"Sam won't help me shell this thing." Savy complained.

What was she talking about?

"Fine." I took the plate from her.

To my surprise, Killion simply took the plate from me. In all appearance, I had just given it to him. Ben appeared next to him with two plates. Both deboned and shelled, and one plate with very minimal green stuff, just the way I liked it.

They exchanged the plates with us.

"Is there anything else I can help you with, Princess?" Killion asked.

I shook my head and sat down.

Killion was not done, "Then please allow me to remind you that your fiancé would be coming with his parents later as well as tomorrow night. Alpha Henry sends his condolences. He would be coming by with his father tonight. The pack merger meeting cannot be postponed any longer. The meeting will be held tonight after the wake. Alpha Lorent would be in attendance. Harvey has the files. Would you like to view them after dinner, Princess?"

Oh yeah. I nodded my head. Wait, that meant Henry might have texted me? He was probably going to be mad that I didn't respond again. And I wanted to see the calendar... I got the feeling that my entire weekend had been rescheduled in a way I had no idea about.

There was just one problem, "Where's my phone?"

Ben took it out from his jacket pocket and gave it to me, he informed me, "I've replied most of your texts for you, Princess. Your friends send their condolences."

That alone returned me to a good mood. My betas could answer my texts for me? Hahahaha... I returned my phone to Ben. He put it back in his jacket.

Ah wait, meeting... The meeting was tonight.

"There are some files with my meeting notes upstairs in my bag." I told Ki. I'm glad I worked on them in the car just now.

"I'll fetch them immediately." Killion promised.

"Yeah, thanks. Then make sure you guys all get dinner and a break. I'll read the notes on my own." I told Ki. To tell the truth, I was a little worried for them. I had no idea what anybody else was tasking them to do.

"Thank you, Princess." Killion beamed. He took a bow in perfect sync with Ben. It was like they did this everyday.

I turned back to my meal.

Savy smiled at me and started eating.

"We should train Oscar to peel our prawns too." Esmeralda said to Estella and then they laughed.

Dad and Mum had returned to their meal as if nothing had happened.

Uncle Louis considered what just happened more seriously though, "Are you seriously going to make your daughter the next Alpha?"

Dad looked up, "Didn't I say I was?"

"Yes, but as you can see, Sam is just a girl." Uncle Louis said, "She can't possibly lead a pack."

For some reason, I was completely unoffended. Was it because I got used to hearing it? Maybe, but I think it was also because even though I had been hearing it all my life, I was still becoming Alpha anyway. I mean, I still didn't like hearing it, but I'm becoming more confident in who I was. I didn't need their validation anymore.

"Are you really going to become an Alpha, Sam?" Estella asked me, "Isn't that hard?"

"I think it's cool." Esmeralda said.

Dad shrugged, "I've already made up my mind, and so has my pack."

That's right. I suddenly remembered the pack shouting, "Our loyalty to the Alpha Princess" the morning I defeated Gamma Endo. At the time, it didn't strike me as significant. I assumed everyone got caught up in the moment. And then there was the time when Beta Lorent asked if I had all three Betas' allegiance and I did.

Yeah challenge me all you want.

Little by little, one step at a time.

With each challenge, I only grew stronger.

I looked at Eddy, he was eating from a booster chair. Oscar had addressed him as 'Alpha'. If I were a guy, maybe I would have been Alpha from the time I was born, but I wasn't a guy.

Still little by little, one step at a time, I was becoming the Alpha.

I wasn't born into it. I was grown into it. And that was okay too.

"I'm the Alpha." I told my Uncle Louis calmly, "This is my destiny."

Uncle Louis laughed, his laughter somewhat reminiscent to Grandpa Alpha's, "Sam, being the Alpha is a lot of hard work. I'm afraid a girl like you wouldn't quite understand."

Okay, now that was a tiny bit offensive, "Why wouldn't I understand, Uncle Louis?"

Uncle Louis smiled, "Why don't you shadow me tonight at the wake?"

Was that a challenge? I smiled at him, my wolf was immediately surfaced, "With pleasure, Uncle Louis. Please introduce me to everyone."

'With pleasure?' Hahaha, what was I saying? I think Killion was becoming a bad influence on me. Or maybe I was a little more Lorent than I thought.

Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.

{Tonight, I be butterfly.}