I REALLY DIDN'T NEED THIS EITHER!

4 MARCH, THURSDAY, EARLY IN THE MORNING

It's not that I would call the appearance of a man's jacket in the Alpha Princess' room a Code Red situation though. I hardly think it would constitute as a Code Orange, or Code anything really. These guys! Why were they making a big fuss over something like this?

I stomped over to the side wing and waited at the door. I had meant to confront the guys directly for making a mountain out of the molehill, but I had no key card in hand. Naturally, my good beta came to my side and unlocked the door for me, but not without reporting, {Alpha is otw.}

A moment later, Harvey added, {Lizzy and Savy too.}

{S***.} Ben growled back.

Lizzy and Savy followed me into the pool room and up the stairs to my room where I found Ki and Ben standing over the fallen jacket in the corner of my room.

"Ben!" Lizzy scolded, "What's taking you so long?"

Ben growled, "It's an emergency."

Lizzy looked at the small crumpled piece of clothing on the ground and raised an eyebrow.

"It's just a jacket." I said, "Nothing to go Code Red over."

My betas exchanged looks.

{F*** her gift of insight.} Ben seemed to hate my gift of insight very much. Hahaha.

Ki smiled, but it was his gentle smile, the one that was his mask.

"What's wrong, Ki?" I worried now, but more because I realized Ki had been wearing his mask since returning from my room this morning.

Ki looked at the jacket, but his smile remained firmly in place when he looked at me, "What do you mean, goddess?"

Gah! Sometimes my betas frustrate me so!

I went over to the jacket and picked it up, "It's just a jacket."

"We know it's a jacket, Sam." Ben growled, "But do you know whose jacket?"

"Ed..." I started but Ben covered my mouth with his hand.

"Lizzy and Savy, go outside and wait." Ben ordered.

"Why?" Lizzy demanded.

"Just go." Ben said.

I pulled Ben's hand away, "It's fine. It's not like saying his name would summon him."

"Summon who?" Lizzy asked.

"Geesh, Lizzy." Ben growled, "Had you never heard curiousity killed the cat?"

Lizzy responded by rolling her eyes.

"I'm sure the explanation is less scandalous than it looks, Lizzy." Savy said.

Yes. I mean... Why did this look scandalous?

"I dream traveled." I said, cautious to make it sound as un-scandalous as possible, "Edward lent me his jacket because it was cold."

"Who's Edward?" Lizzy wanted to know.

"Some vampire lord." I said, "We talked a bit, and then I woke up."

"WHAT?" More than one person yelled at me - but this was mostly Ben and Lizzy. Savy just watched wide eyed, Harvey winced, and Ki... I suddenly remembered how my fight dogs didn't like Vampire Lords.

"It's really fine." I said.

"What did he say?" Ben asked.

I shrugged, "Some dumb plot to change queens in the next century or two. You know how vamps are."

"No. I don't." Ben gritted, "Why don't you tell me exactly how vamps are like?"

Ki stopped smiling.

"You know, plotting to kill off family members like it's a game." I shrugged again.

No, I had no intention about telling them about the wager he proposed. I mean, did you see how they reacted just because of the jacket?

"In other words, Alpha met Lord Ciara in a dream travel and he didn't trespass your room?" Harvey clarified now.

Of course he wasn't in my room! He'll be a fool to step into the green packlands - he'll be immediately hunted down on Code Red... oh. Wait... Why would they think a vamp was in my room? And then I remembered complaining about a mosquito in my room. Hahaha.

"No, way!" I shook my head, "As if a vamp could get into this house without any of you guys noticing!"

Ki blinked like he just realized the truth behind my words.

"Vamps have no scent, well no real scent anyway." The jacket in my hand still carried that woodsy synthetic fragrance, but that was besides the point.

"Their presence isn't hard to miss." I reminded my betas, "It's not like our wolves won't notice their creepy flames."

I mean, seriously, guys! You've met vamps! I was quite sure the goosebumps and creepy cold feeling on our skin was quite instinctive.

The guys nodded. The girls looked nonplussed. I looked at Savy and Lizzy and decided it'll be best to keep it this way.

I smiled widely, "Okay, that's settled. Let's go."

I passed the jacket to the nearest beta (Ki) and turned and left the room, fully expecting my wolves to follow. They did.

"I can't believe you're on first name basis with a vamp lord." Lizzy told me as we made our way down the stairs.

I'm what now? I shook my head meaning to clarify that Edward and I had NOTHING BETWEEN US!

But Mum had appeared at the foot of the stairs, "Why aren't you girls going to school yet?"

We all froze on the second floor landing. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Ki quickly slipping the vamp jacket behind him. Ben, who was behind him took the jacket and dumped it behind the potted plant. Yeah, like we were not suspicious at all.

Mum narrowed her eyes at me, "What are you up to now, Sam?"

It wasn't me! It... I...

Dad appeared through the glass room, he didn't seem to notice us at first, "I'm heading to Morning Light with Luc..."

He paused and then made his way over to Mum's side, and then he saw us and frowned.

{We're so f***ed.} Ben fell back immediately into his doomsayer mode.

"Hi Dad." I decided the best defense was a good and cute puppy offense, "We're all still here, don't do anything gross."

Dad blinked, and then he growled, "Why are you still here?"

Mum immediately stepped out of Dad's reach, "What are you talking about?"

I laughed, "You know it if you know it!"

And then I made my way down the stairs, "Don't worry, we're leaving now!"

"We weren't!" Mum protested.

{Unfortunately.} Dad mindlinked his mate. Gah! I flared, "We're going! We're going! Just hold your horses for 30 more seconds!"

Which gave us the excuse to run out to the porch.

Once out, Ki discretely shut the door while the rest of us laughed.

"Sam!" Ben shook his head, "I can't believe we got away with that."

Lizzy was still grinning, "It's like when we were pups again."

"I'm sure Mum is suspicious now though." Savy informed us.

"Quick! Ki! Go get rid of the evidence!" Ben ordered, and then he changed his mind, "No, Harv, you do it. She won't suspect you."

My good beta looked just about to panic.

"Quick. The potted plant would be the first place Luna would check." Ben said.

Which was true. This wouldn't be the first time Mum found incriminating evidence from behind a potted plant.

But it seemed like someone else beat us to it.

{KI! Where the hell are you?} My own luna roared into the mindlink.

{Mate ~ ❤️}

{On the porch, luna.} Ki's smiling mask came on again, I don't think his wolf was as pleased as mine that Bell was here, {With the goddess and the others.}

Aloud he informed us, "Luna is coming."

Bell appeared on the porch, Edward's jacket in his hand, his dark curse like a plume of volcanic smoke.

"Oh my." Lizzy gasped a little. I think most of my wolves would expect my luna in his daytime lorent prince mode.

"He was here?" Bell didn't bother to mindlink, so I got to hear his deep voice, like the rumbling depths of the ocean. ~ ❤️

"No luna." Ki answered gently, "Nothing of that sort."

Please don't tell him I dream traveled to Edward's place!

But Bell only needed a moment to figure this out on his own. He stalked over to me in all his irate glory, "Princess..."

"I can explain!" I quickly flared, my eyes darting for the nearest escape route, "But I need to go to school now. I'll explain when I get home."

Even I knew, no matter how shirtless my mate was, or how his hair was tousled like waves in the storm, or how nice he smelled, he was in a dangerous mood.

Bell's growl deepened. Ah, he was so p***ed, "I'll kill him."

"Wait till I get home." I said. And just for good measure, I tiptoed and brushed my lips quickly on his jaw. Kiss!

Bell narrowed his eyes at me, "What are you up to now, Princess?"

Nothing! I was really not up to anything! Why was everyone so suspicious of me?

Behind me, Ben didn't wait. He herded Lizzy and Savy into the safety of the lambo, "See you after school, Sam."

Yeah. Why? Did he think I was up to something too?

Harvey opened the car door for my own swift escape. Good beta.

Mum and Dad came out onto the porch. Beta Lucas' car drove out of the Beta house next door and U-turned to the Alpha's driveway. I guess that was Dad's ride out to Morning Light.

Bell slammed the jacket into Ki.

I don't think my parents realized that the jacket belonged to a vampire. Unlike Ki or Bell, they've never met Edward face to face. They wouldn't recognize the woodsy fragrance. And for some reason, Bell and Ki passing an ornately pattern robe-jacket thing between them was normal.

But Dad always had good instincts, and the jacket was rather eye-catching, "What's that?"

"A smoking jacket, Alpha." Ki answered with his gentlest smile.

Bell nodded, "Come on, Ki. Help me to get dressed. I need to go down to the Lorents for a bit. Bring the jacket."

So my lovely luna was going to cover for me?

"See you later, guys!" I waved with a widest smile.

Harvey made sure I was seated comfortably before shutting the door.

I watched him bow and excuse us before coming over to his side of the car.

Meanwhile, I continued to enjoy the view of my luna fuming on our porch in the early morning light. Dad was talking to him a little. Mum kissed Dad when Beta Lucas' car pulled up behind ours.

And then our car pulled away from the Alpha House, our usual escorts pulling up alongside.

{Big brother beta,} I accidentally caught Fluffy's mindlink, {Do you know who's jacket that is?}

Eh? Not Fluffy too! But Harvey kept his cool and answered, {Do you recognize it, Fluffy?}

{Yes.} Fluffy said, {Why does our scary luna have it? Did he kill him?}

What? Hahaha...

{Not yet, Fluffy.} Harvey kept driving.

WHAT? No! We had a contract!

But Harvey only said, {This issue is on black out. Keep it to yourself.}

{Understood, Big Brother Beta.} I could hear Fluffy's megawatt smile though the mindlink.

Like I said from the start, I really didn't need this!