THERE'S SOMETHING THEY WEREN'T TELLING ME

22 February, Monday, Before Dinner

Food, food, food, food... Whenever I'm marching down to the dinner table, I always think that was the rhythem our footsteps made, but I stopped at our living room because I could smell something else delicious. {Mate!} ~ ❤️

I made a sudden turn into the living room, and with a dash and jump, landed myself right in his grasp. {Mate!} ~ ❤️

Happiness was running home to mate at the end of a long day! ~ ❤️

"Alpha Princess is here." Ben intoned somewhat stiffly from behind me. It wasn't quite the monotone - that would have been Ben's regular bad attitude airing an air of general boredom at the world around him - I realised belatedly that we had guests.

"Oh Sam!" Mum was the first to speak though. She shook her head at me, but she was smiling, "Are you so happy to see Bell?"

I nodded happily and grinned, "Of course, I'm always happy to see him." ~ ❤️

I've found the trick to saying embaressing stuff like that aloud was to do so with a wide smile, and then quickly changing the subject before anyone recovered from the shock of your candidness. I wriggled out of Bell's grasp.

Bell's method of dealing with embarrassing stuff said to him was to cover his mouth and turn away to glare into the distance. So cute ~ ❤️

I quickly turned my attention away from my luna before anything truly embarrassing slipped out.

"Hello, Alpha Gunter. Hello snow beta." I didn't know the snow beta's name so that would have to do, I suppose.

Alpha Gunter looked amused. He was the kind of old fashioned wolf who had stood up at my entrance, even though I was remarkably more junior than he was, just because I was a lady. His snow beta stood behind him because he was the kind of old fashioned beta who literally stood behind his alpha.

Yes, Bell had also stood up earlier, but only to catch me in mid pounce. Mum had stood up to "Oh Sam" me for that. But Dad and Beta Lucas continued to lounge in their adjacent seats with matching bemused expressions.

Now, Bell sat himself back down, but to the side of the love seat so I had someplace to sit too.

Mum sat back next to Dad.

"His name is Glenn" Alpha Gunter informed me as he resat himself. His beta didn't sit down, which was pretty much expected given the traditional pack they came from.

"Oh, hello Beta Glenn. It's nice to meet you." Despite the beta's foreign behavior, I was feeling quite at home, but maybe because I was.

In Rome so as the Romans do. So while I would never have been so relaxed in the Gold Packlands, we were now on home turf and here in the Green Packlands, I knew exactly how to meet people.

I've been meeting people here from the day I was born.

The snow beta named Glenn was a little less comfortable with his casual greeting. It's like that with old wolves from old packs. It's like that a lot at Grandpa Alpha's pack at Night Forest too.

Either he's shock that the Alpha was bothering to speak directly to him or call him by name. OR he's shock that a young girl was speaking directly to him, a more senior male wolf. I was either super gracious or super rude depending on how he interpreted it.

Beta Glenn only paused a very short moment before making a proper old fashion bow, "It's an honor, young alpha."

So yay, he didn't think I was rude. Hahaha. I rewarded him with another wide smile.

There were some wolves who just made me smile.

{Fun wolves.}

Which I had come to translate as powerful and possibly dangerous wolves.

I sat myself down next to Bell happily. Mate! ~❤️

And then I noticed that the atmosphere in the room wasn't exactly like they just had a light hearted conversation or anything like that. I looked around, "Where's River?"

"He's preparing for his exams." Alpha Gunter answered smoothly, "Don't worry, I've left Wilhelm and Keanu with him."

I wouldn't have worried until Alpha Gunter told me not to. I made a guess, "Is River being grounded?"

I mean, if I were in his shoes, that would have been my fate too.

Alpha Gunter smiled tightly, "My new student is very astute. Yes. It is the consequences of his earlier actions, but this is for his own good. He will be able to concentrate on his exam preparations. And I believe it would be also in the interest of your sister's welfare. As I've just discussed with your parents..."

Mum made the slightest frown and Alpha Gunter, who was truly the astute wolf, stopped speaking immediately. He did look mildly nonplussed though, since it was suddenly apparent that my parents did not wish for me to know about whatever they had just discussed.

"What?" I asked, "What's going on?"

The adults looked uncomfortably at each other. What could they be discussing that involved Savy's welfare, presumably regarding River (since Alpha Gunter was here)? Something that Mum and Dad didn't really want to discuss with me, but could discuss with Alpha Gunter in front of Beta Glenn and Beta Lucas, AND Bell... but not me. It's really too bad that none of my betas were here, or I could've demanded a report. Even now, only Ben had followed me into the living room. I could smell dinner being taken out of the oven, so I knew Ki was back in the kitchen...

"Oh, would you look at the time!" Mum was the first to find a response to my question, "Why don't we continue our conversation after dinner? Alpha Gunter, I would hope you and your beta might join us."

Eh? Really? Since when were we on such good terms with the Snow Wolves?

"Yes, good idea, Luna." Beta Lucas nodded vigorously, "We can continue later when Sam and her betas leave for their training at Black Forest."

Beta Lucas was never very subtle type.

"You know the more you guys try to hide it from me, the more curious I would get." I warned the adults.

Dad sighed.

"I would think it is quite obvious." Alpha Gunter smiled, his gentle smile, "Even if no one told you, I'm sure it would have crossed your mind."

I was getting the feeling that Alpha Gunter believed me to be more astute than I was.

Dad sighed again, "Gunter has a point. Sam's not a puppy anymore."

Hell yeah! I'm like shifted and everything now! Mum didn't look very convinced though.

Dad looked to Beta Lucas, who nodded, "I'm going to assume you know what happens when a she-wolf meets her mate."

Yup! I nodded confidently - smugly even, my eyes on my own mate. Yup! I've been there done that! Just like Dad said, I'm not a puppy anymore.

"They get mated." I concluded for Beta Lucas. Been there, done that!

At this the adults took pause.

Beta Lucas cleared his throat, "I mean, before they get mated."

Eh? I tilted my head to one side, "Don't they just get mated?"

I looked at Mate. He had his hand over his mouth, but only to hide his amusement.

Ben was smirking openly though.

"Sam thinks she's mated." He explained.

What was that supposed to mean?

"I AM mated!" I flared and pointed at Bell, "See! I have a mate."

At this point Mum face palmed. Bell made a short low growly sound that could have been a laugh. Ben pretty much snorted.

"But well..." Beta Lucas looked lost, and then he brightened when he thought of a way to explain to me, "Your luna and you are both unmarked."

Oh right, when soul mates met, they usually marked each other.

"That's enough, Lucas." Dad said sharply, "Its fine."

"No, Dad. I get it." I insisted, "Yeah, soul mates need to mark each other. But I'm too young, I'll mark Bell when I'm 18."

Dad nodded looked pleased. That sounded good to him, "Yes. Good. Then its settled."

"No it isn't, you guys haven't explained anything to me yet."

There was another pause.

"Exactly what do you want us to explain, Sam?" Beta Lucas asked.

Oh man, now Beta Lucas was beginning to sound like one of my betas trying to side skirt the issue, "Come on Beta Lucas. If you won't explain this to me, who would?"

I mean, whenever my parents weren't forthcoming with the information, I could always count on Beta Lucas to spill the beans.

"Why don't you ask your luna..." Beta Lucas tried, but was quickly cut off by a warning growl from Dad - although Dad was growling at Bell.

Bell shook his head, "Don't involve me, beta."

Which was apparently the right answer too. Dad nodded satisfied. I sighed, having an Alpha Dad could be oppressive like that. How was I supposed to learn anything if Dad was going to alpha-censor everyone? Luckily for me, Betas didn't always follow their alpha's wishes word for word - at least not in Night Leaf.

"It is more important to follow the will of the Alpha than the word of the Alpha." Was something Beta Lucas had explained to me before.

"I wish you would follow both the will and word." Dad had chuckled.

Beta Lucas shook his head and then nodded, "Yes, of course I always do!"

Yeah right. I knew Beta Lucas better than that by now. He was my only hope.

"No, don't look at me. I don't know anything." Beta Lucas shook his head and waved me away.

Which was what he always said, but I knew that meant he would explain it to me once my parents were out of earshot.

Alpha Gunter didn't know this though, he frowned very slightly and dropped a few degrees. Alpha Gunter's temperature sort of reminded me of the vampire's flame. Yeah, I know a vampire's dark flame is made of a void of emptiness, but Alpha Gunter's aura was like a void of warmth, and every time his emotions flicked, so did the coolness in the air. Based on that, Alpha Gunter's sudden coolness would either mean he was displeased or particularly interested in something.

"Alpha Princess, might I suggest you think this through on your own?" Alpha Gunter smiled gently, "What we were discussing isn't uncommon between parents of soul mates who have met young."

Yes, I really should know this, since I met my mate and all, "You're negotiating the engagement gifts?"

Alpha Gunter opened his mouth. I think he had expected to tell me I was right, except I was not, and he could not think of what to say and left his mouth hanging. Your new student wasn't all that astute huh? Yeah, your new student often had this effect on a lot of people. Even usually smooth as ice, old gentlemen, know-it-all alphas.