THE ALPHA'S DAUGHTERS

We walked into the pack house to find our hallway littered with a few Lorent men. They stood at attention immediately.

The curved stairway up to dad's office and the library looked strangely familiar, yet different. Oh flowers! There were fresh flowers, white roses in matching glass vases, and the blue stair rug with gold trim had been laid out.

But I took Savy's hand and tugged her along with me past the stairs and towards the kitchen.

I had decided to run away (but in a casual pace so as not to arouse any suspicion from the few Lorent warriors standing around). I should escape while I still could. I had not considered the trouble we were going to be in, I mean, that I was going to be in when Dad saw us. I forgot about that bit, but now that Savy had reminded me, I was determined to avoid it.

We would go through the dining hall, to the kitchen, and out the back door.

Good plan, except I had forgotten that the rest of the Lorent men were in the dining hall. They paused the moment we entered. But they looked backed down at their food almost immediately.

I completely ignored them and headed to the kitchen. Savy quickly following my lead. The moment we stepped into the kitchen, I heard the dining hall buzz with low murmurs.

Savy breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Oh my."

We both looked up and saw Esther staring at us.

She grinned, "You're both looking lovely today."

Oh yeah, uh urm, I looked at Savy who looked back at me.

"I guess you're supposed to be upstairs greeting our visitors huh?" Esther turned her attention back to the counter, "The stairs are that way you know?" She wriggled her eyebrows at us.

Oh. She thought we were supposed to be here, and were trying to get out of it? The irony.

Then she loaded the tray, "Help me bring more tea up. The one upstairs is either finished or cold by now."

"But...but..." I tried to explain.

"No buts." Esther shook her head, "I'd bring it up myself, but you girls looked dressed for the part."

"But..." I tried again.

Savy had put down her books to lift the tray but it shook noisily. Seriously? Did she still want to go to the office?

"It's heavy." Esther warned belatedly.

Savy put the tray back down.

"Fine, I'll take it." I sighed and lifted up the tray. It was heavy. But I'm taller and stronger than Savy.

Satisfied, Savy picked up her books from the counter.

"I'm going to be in so much trouble after this." I grumbled.

Savy smiled sweetly at me, "Don't worry, Sam. This one will be on me."

We walked back out to the dining room. It quietened immediately. I realized now that the Lorent warriors had somehow guessed we were the Alpha's daughters. I guess we actually nailed it when we were playing dress up.

We went up the steps.

"Careful. Don't spill it, Sam." Savy looked worried at the tray in my hands. Full pot of tea, matching cups and saucers, more food...

I narrowed my eyes at her, "As if an Alpha would spill any tea."

Savy sighed, "That's because they don't have to serve tea?"

I huffed, "But if they did, they aren't going to spill it. So there."

We reached the landing outside my dad's office. We were very quiet. I knew for a fact that even though we couldn't hear what was being said behind the closed door, they could hear everything on our side of the door clearly.

So many times as kids, we had sat in our dad's office and heard men discuss things just outside it before knocking or after leaving.

It wasn't on purpose but it was a good security measure. This way, no one could hear what was being discussed inside, but dad could hear if there was a security threat outside his door.

I don't think most people knew about it. Not even Beta Lucas. Actually, I don't think my dad realized it until I had pointed it out to him. At least he appeared surprised to hear of it.

Since my hands were full, Savy had to knock on the door. She made two little timid taps. I rolled my eyes. If it were up to me, I would have rapped it harder. Or kicked the door open... But I'm currently trying to prove that Alphas were perfectly capable of balancing loaded tea trays.

They heard us anyway, "Come in." Dad raised his voice at the door. He sounded quite formal, so I didn't think he realized it was us yet.

Savy turned the doorknob and swung the door opened for me to enter first.

Here goes nothing.

I carried the tray into the office. Just a causal everyday affair, "Esther asked us to help replenish the tea." I'm trying to make it sound like it was all Esther's idea here.

Mum's mouth fell open. Beta had a strange look on his face. Only Dad looked as if he hadn't noticed our makeover.

"Thank you, Sam." He nodded.

I put the heavy tray carefully down. The food on the table was untouched, and the table didn't have space for anymore, so I decided to swap the items.

For the moment, I was tempted to take the tiered tray because the stuff on it looked delicious. I could eat that once downstairs, but I didn't want to risk spilling anything.

So I exchanged the plate of new food for the browning apple slices. Mum came to my rescue, taking over the tea pot, and re-pouring the tea for every one.

"Just set that aside on the sideboard dear." She instructed me.

I nodded, and once she had loaded my tray with the previous tea set, I took it carefully to the sideboard and set it down.

Internally, I could sing for joy for not totally humiliating myself and my family by spilling anything. I suddenly remembered the Mulan cartoon. For my family's honor to hang on the balance of me and a tray of teacups!

I had no idea how much truth that cartoon held till today. I definitely did better than Mulan. I guess my cricket was luckier.

Savy (who I suppose was the lucky cricket I never knew I had) came to my side.

"Your daughters?" Alpha Lorent prompted.

"Yes." Dad answered, he always sounded just a bit prideful whenever he introduced us, "My daughters, Samantha and Savannah."

Alpha Lorent was a surprisingly kind looking man. He had a gentle polite laugh, which he used when speaking to us, "Hello. I am Alpha James. This is my lovely Luna, Edith"

Oh, he gave us their first names.

I bowed just a bit, as befitting a future alpha or Luna to their elder, "It's nice to meet you, Alpha James and Luna Edith." Savy echoed my bow silently.

"Aren't they lovely, dear?" Alpha James mused. His Luna nodded, but her eyes suddenly teared up.

"Ah." Alpha James wrapped his arm around her and held her face into his embrace, "My Luna misses our son." He said simply.

I instinctively reached out for some tissues and pass it to him. He took it with a quiet thank you and gave it to his mate.

I looked at my dad and mum and Beta Lucas. They nodded gravely.

"I'm sorry we can't be of more help." My dad said.

Luna Edith whimpered, "I'm sorry." She was trying not to cry, but it was one of those times where the more you tried to hold back, the harder the sobbing got.

"It's times like these when you remember who your real allies are." Alpha James sighed. He looked sad, tired...

They looked, under all their finery, a lot like my own mum and dad, just different, and very heart broken, but... wait, didn't Jessica say they found him?

"What happened to your son?" I blurted out.

I heard Beta Lucas take a sharp breath. But Alpha James took no notice.

"He died. He was captured by rogues. By the time we found him, he was in in a fight cage at Ventali's Coven." Alpha James told me sadly.

"Oh," I said. "I'm sorry."

"He's not..." Luna Edith sobbed, "he's not..."

He's not what? He's not dead?

Alpha James tightened his grip on her arm. His mouth tightened in a straight line. He looked angry, but his eyes was cast somewhere far away, as if he was looking at a memory.

I felt my heart break. And suddenly I remembered the discussion we had last night, and I don't know why I opened my mouth, but I did, "Did anyone see him die?"

"What?" Alpha James blinked. His eyes were glassy.

"Sam..." Beta Lucas tried to explain, "It was a fight cage in a vampire coven, we all know how those work."

No, actually I didn't know. "But, no one saw him die, right?"

"I'm afraid, even if he survived the fight, he would not survive the night." Alpha James told me.

I looked at my dad. He didn't look too hopeful, but he didn't stop me from speaking my thoughts either.

"But no one saw him dead yet, right?" I asked again.

"I fear to hope." Alpha James told me.

That's true. I looked at Luna Edith, tears still streaming silently down her face. False hope would only drag out the pain, maybe? I don't really know. How would I know? I feel myself get pissed off.

Oh yeah, I hadn't done my training exercise last night. Savy had come to my room and I fell asleep. And then I had that strange dream of two wolves and my mate in tight leather pants. Hahahaha...

And now I'm feeling my wolf power unharnessed, emerging like a wave of anger. Afraid to hope... What bulls***.

I see my mate barely alive and soaked in his own blood for the last two nights in a row.

I still believed he's coming to get me... Eventually. Or I would go get him and kill him myself wherever he was.

I looked at Alpha James and Luna Edith, their expressions broken by pain, and suddenly the anger suddenly turned around and stabbed me. What did I know about adult things? I'm just a kid.

But when I grow up, I won't be this kind of adult, who is afraid to hope.

Aloud I said, "If it's just hope, I can hold it for you." And then I turned and stalked out of the office.

Savy picked up her library books to follow me. I heard my mum say, "Wait."

I stopped at once, fuming just outside the door. This was bad, this was very, very bad. Mum, can't you tell I might nuke out something bad? I could barely control the power surge within me. I didn't want to meltdown in front of everyone. Especially not in front of the Alpha and Luna from the neighboring pack.

"Please excuse me," my mum rose to her feet, "the girls and I are due for a visit to the Morning Light Destitute Home for lunch."

"Oh?" Alpha James asked.

"Yes, the girls had spent the morning making and packing the lunches." My mum explained, she offered a gentle smile, "Would you like to join us for the picnic?"

Alpha James, hesitated and then nodded, "Yes."

He looked at his mate who had stopped crying, "Good idea."

What was my mum doing? Was this our punishment for poking our noses where they didn't belong?

I saw Savy's panicked expression. She came over to me. I stepped forward almost protectively, "We were just going to return some books to the library when we met Esther in the kitchen."

Savy held up the books to prove my claim was genuine. I nodded, pleased that our excuse seemed acceptable to our audience, "We will excuse ourselves now."

"Yes, thank you girls." My dad waved us off.

My mum smiled widely, "Come down to the porch when you are done, girls. We will be leaving in a bit."

And just like that, the Sunday lunch at the destitute home this week became some kind of official guided tour.

What was my mum thinking?

Savy and I all but tumbled into the library in our hurry to escape the adults in the other room.

The moment Savy shut the door I spun around at her, "What is going on?"

I closed my eyes, I feel wild and crazy inside. My fist are clenched, but I don't know if it's to stop myself from hitting out or to make it easier to throw a punch.

Savy acted like she didn't notice, either that or that she was used to my erratic alpha surges. She completely ignored my visible struggle.

"I'm not sure." Savy said, "Mum can be sneaky."

"Hmm, so you think she's up to something too." I racked my brains but couldn't turn up anything else my mum could be up to.

"Maybe she is punishing us." I concluded finally. She did tell us to go home and not hang around. My parents had always kept us out of political meetings and such.

"Are you going to be okay?" I asked Savy.

"I'll live." She shrugged.

I nodded. Savy put the books back in the right shelf.

"I think it would be best if we cooperated with mum today." I decided.

Savy nodded, "I think if we go and be helpful, at the very least, she might overlook us appearing in the office."

We head down together to face whatever music my mum had orchestrated.

At the porch, the adults had arranged the rides. Gamma Harry would drive my dad, mum, savy and I in the first car.

Alpha James and Luna Edith would follow with a driver and a guard.

Beta Lucas would drive up the rear with Mrs Beta, Laura (Mrs Gamma), and Esther.

This was the largest contingent we had ever sent to on our Sunday Lunches at the Morning Light Destitute Home. It was also our most heavily guarded.

But I got the feeling it was something new for Alpha James to travel with so few cars or warriors. He didn't make any fuss about it though.

I only noticed because when the arrangement was confirmed, Alpha James had wrapped his arm protectively around his Luna. And later, I heard him say to the guard, "Do not leave my Luna's side when out of the car."

To us he said, "I had heard many good things about the Morning Light Destitute Home. Thank you for allowing us to come."

"Alpha Kingsley and I are planning for a central care home opened to all packs in our Green Packland" My mum told him.

"Excellent idea." Alpha James approved. "This would be beneficial for a few of our members too. I would like very much for an opportunity to contribute."

I knew my mum and dad had always wanted a central initiative for the whole packland. So far, the only destitute home available was at Morning Light Pack, and our two packs had borne the cost of running it, even though the home had been accepting women and children from the other packs in Green Packland. There was never enough rooms or childcare places.

Oh, so roping us in to visit the destitute home wasn't just punishment? My mum needed us for something. Fair enough. I won't let her down... Whatever it turns out to be, I'll be on it.

"Just stick with me." I told Savy the moment we get into the car, "It'll be fine."