COFFEE BREAK

18 FEBRUARY, THURSDAY, LATE NIGHT

"The only happiness that means anything, is the one we reach out for with our own hands." - Sam's zen.

If I had known running would provide so much wisdom, I would have run more to get smarter. Maybe wolves didn't need school, what we needed were fitbits and running goals.

There was a lycan legend (yes, another one) about a good and upright wolf who just wasn't very bright. He was so dumb, he failed at everything he had put his mind to do.

One day, he was so frustrated, he decided to go for a very long run. (Specifically, he saw a cat and chased it.) He ran into the woods and then he just kept running. He ran and he ran... and everyone thought he had run till he disappeared from the face of the earth.

But after a hundred years or so, the wolf returned, with not just one, but four cats. And everyone marveled because he had become so wise from his travels that he was quickly promoted to become the Alpha's advisor.

Now the Alpha had a beautiful daughter but no son of his own... Okay, you know where this was going right?

So, after impressing everyone with his amazing wisdom, he saved the pack from the clutches of the greedy human king in the kingdom next door by his pure genius ability, and the pack celebrated their freedom and their alpha's daughter's 18th birthday.

Of course, as fate would have it, the moment the clock struck midnight, they discovered that he was the Alpha Daughter's mate. Everyone was like Omo! But only because it was so perfect. No one seemed to notice the 100 year age difference.

When I first heard the legend at Lycan Study Group, I was asked what I thought the morale of the story was.

Three of the following morales were what I thought it was (i.e. the wrong answer). Guess which one was the right one answer?

A) If at first you don't succeed, go for a very long run.

B) If you get old enough, you'd get smarter too. It was either that or the cats that made him smarter.

C) Don't follow a strange cat into the woods, it might take you forever to find your way back.

D) Wisdom is not born in a wolf, it is grown in his journey.

(Answer = D) But if you had guessed C... That would have been my guess too.

"Sam? Sam!"

I blinked. Eh? Jessica was looking slightly miffed.

"She's been like that a lot lately." Savy told her, "Even more than usual. Mum says she probably has a lot on her mind with her becoming our young alpha and all." 

Jessica nodded, "Yeah. I guess so. Your dad puts a lot of pressure on her even though she's just a girl."

"No, he doesn't." For some reason, I felt like I had to defend Dad.

Jessica shrugged her slender shoulders, "Yeah, well, I don't envy you. I mean, mating an Alpha is like every girl's fantasy, but in reality, becoming a Luna requires a lot of sacrifice. You need to give up everything you are, to become everything he needs."

Really? I took pause at that. I've never thought Lunas had to give up anything. Mum herself had never complained. I wondered what Bell would have to give up to be my Luna.

"But Sam's going to be the alpha, Jessica." Savy reminded her.

Jessica didn't look convinced, "Everyone knows that's what Alpha Kingsley wants, but at the end of the day, Sam's still a girl. Luna Bell is going to be a full Alpha of the Lorent Pack in a month's time. Plus the Lorent Pack is number one in the Green Packlands. My cousin says eventually, we are all going to merge and become the Lorent Pack."

Yes, because her cousin would know better.

"But don't worry, Sam." Jessica patted my shoulder encouragingly again, "You've got us. We'll always support you, whether you are Alpha or Luna."

I nodded, "Thanks, I guess."

I honestly wasn't sure.

"Goddess, are you ready to head back home?" Ki approached us with a bow.

We had wiped down and put away the mats. The most hateful thing about intense training wasn't the sweating, or even the grossness of the guys. It was having to stay back and wipe down all the mats, then wiping them dry, and then putting them away.

Okay, so tonight, Jessica, Savy, and I only stood at the side while the guys took care of it. I guess that's also a kind of girl power?

Normally, I would have helped too, but I was distracted tonight, and nobody tossed me a rag or anything. Okay, I should have helped. I think my betas had spoiled me. I'm becoming the kind of useless standaround I've always said I'll never become.

Next time, I needed to be more alert and quick to carry my own weight...

"Goddess?" Ki prompted.

"I'll walk her home." Bell's deep voice spoke from behind me. I spun around, "Ah..."

I shut my mouth again because I didn't actually have anything to say.

"Very well, Luna. Remember tomorrow is still a school day. The goddess is expected home soon." Ki informed Bell.

Bell returned this information with a curt and impatient nod. He took my hand, "Come, princess. You promised me something."

Eh? Did I? I followed Bell out of the training hall, mostly I was dragged out.

Jessica giggled and said something to Savy about us. I knew they were definitely talking about us because Savy looked up at our direction with a grin.

We walked for a bit. Bell's strides were long and quick, so it was a good thing that I was used to walking quickly. At this speed, we should've been home in 2 minutes, but Bell had led me into the wooded area behind the Packhouse instead of home.

We walked for a bit, till we were behind the Alpha house. I guess Bell wanted to take the "scenic" route? In any other time of the year, this would be the scenic route - in spring, there would be rabbits, and flowers. After the rains, there were a lot of mushrooms, though not all of them were edible. In summer, the green foliage was a cool respite, and sometimes there were berries. In Autumn, I liked to look at the colored leaves and acorns and squirrels. When I was young, I always brought a "souvenir" home. Okay, I still picked things up on occasion, but when I was young I would pick up weird thing. I've ever brought home worms or spiderwebs or dew. I even had a stone collection. But as I got older, it might be flowers, or a pretty autumn leaf, or an edible type of mushroom or berries.

I just liked the woods behind our home. It always smelled like nature and even though it was nothing super insta-worthy, it was where I had many adventures growing up.

In winter though, they salt the path for joggers, but the trees were bare and the snow and ice and dirt... Well, I liked it too, but it was the drabbest time of the year to walk through, and the night was cold.

My clothes were somewhat damp too, because of all the sweating earlier. I shivered and Mate took off his gym jacket.

What a weird thing to do. Normally, people kept on their clothes in the cold.

And then he dropped it over my shoulders, "Wear this."

Oh.

"What about you?" I asked.

"I told you to wear it. Just do as you're told." He snapped.

Wow. My mate was truly an oxymoron. He was sweet and slappable at the same time. (Mostly, he was the moron part.)

Fine! I put on his jacket. I hope he catches a cold!

"Isn't there something you need to tell me?" Mate prompted after another bout of silent walking.

Eh? Eh? Was this a test? I racked my brain for the answer, I really tried my best, "Ah! Thank you for the Vday presents."

Mate gave me a quizzical look, "You're welcome. But why are you changing the subject?"

"Congratulations on your upcoming Investiture?" I tried again.

Mate narrowed his eyes at me, "You're welcome. So are you going to tell me or not?"

I shivered under his jacket. Don't tell him he was going to keep me out in the cold until I figured out the right answer? Omo. I didn't even know what the question was!

Mate put his arm around me and pushed me towards the Alpha House, "Let's get you out of the cold first. You can tell me later."

"Tell you what?" I took the chance to ask.

Mate paused, "You're messing with me, aren't you princess? Fine, tell me what else you want me to do."

What made him think I wanted anything from him? How would I know what he wanted me to say if he didn't ask me?

Oh! The secret to our pack's standard "routine drill". Right. He had asked me.

We got into the house through the kitchen door because it was the nearest to where we had walked to. To my surprise, we walked in on Dad, Beta Lucas, and Ki discussing something over coffee at the island counter.

From the look on their faces, they were surprised too.

{I knew they were there.}

Shut up, Boo.

"Ki. Fetch the princess a set of warm clothes." Bell ordered, like the boss that he was. And then to my dad and Beta Lucas he nodded, "Good evening, Alpha, Beta."

"I told you to call me dad." Dad said before frowning at me, "What happened to Sam?"

Why was dad asking Bell? I was right here too, you know!

"Nothing. My clothes were wet after training." I stepped forward and answered on my own behalf. Then immediately I realized they could probably smell my sweat and stepped away. 

Ki left the kitchen to fetch my clothes.

We stood there awkwardly on one side of the kitchen for a moment and watched Dad and Beta Lucas drink their coffee.

"Would you like some coffee, son?" Dad asked.

Beta Lucas stood up immediately to fetch it.

"No, thanks." Mate waved for the elder beta to sit back, "Let Ki do it when he returns."

Beta Lucas nodded and sat back down, "Alright... These new fancy coffee machines are a pain to operate, but the coffee tastes like the packhouse kitchen's."

Which didn't use anything more than an industrial size drip machine and several oversized thermal carafes.

And then we just stood there again.

Without Ki or Mum around, this was to be expected. None of us here were good at social stuff.

I walked over to check out what I supposed was the fancy coffee machine.  This was new. It also had many buttons, "What does this button do?"

"Don't touch it, Sam." Dad said, "If you break it, It's coming out of your allowance."

The last time Dad told me that, he had brought home a new Blue Ray player. Of course I touched it, and no, it didn't break. So I randomly pressed something.

The machine made a weird gurgling sound.

"The cup, Sam. It needs a cup!" Beta Lucas said, standing up again.

I looked around quickly for a cup, but Ki was not the kind to leave cups sitting randomly around the table.

"Princess, be careful!" Bell pulled me away from the machine.

And then the machine made a "ding" sound, and a red light came on, and then nothing happened.

"Is it broke?" Beta Lucas asked, still standing on the other side of the island.

Ki came in at the moment. He took one look at the scene, and then smiled, "May I help?"

"I think I busted the machine, Ki." I confessed. I wondered how long it would take me to pay Dad back for it.

Ki smiled, his usual smile, "Not at all." He opened a nearby cupboard and pulled out a cup, "It's just missing a cup."

Ki placed the cup into the holder and the red light went off, the dark liquid poured out neatly into the cup.

It was only half a cup of black liquid though. Ki looked at it, "Were you making it for your Luna?"

I looked at Bell. I didn't drink coffee... And that black stuff smelled as bitter as bile.

Ki pressed the same button again. The machine made the weird gurgling sound, and then poured another half cup of black liquid.

Ki held the cup on a saucer to me, "A double black expresso for your Luna."

This was probably the stuff that poisoned his heart.

"Don't give it to her. She might scald herself." Bell scolded. (I would not!)

"A hundred apologies, Luna." Ki turned and handed the cup directly to Bell instead. (Because it was okay to scald Bell? How did that make sense?)

I took my water bottle to the fridge for a refill.  I'm not sure if it were the sweating it out or just the side effect of using Mate's healing, but I was really thirsty.

"I see you had a tough session." Beta Lucas said, finally sitting down again.

I took another gulp of the cold water, "Yeah. We had the routine drill with HIIT."

And then I remembered, "Oh yeah, Dad, Bell wants to know the secret behind our routine drill."