GOOD BELL

4 FEBRUARY, THURSDAY, AFTER SCHOOL

The last bell rung. Abigail's table suddenly stirred. Henry and the other guys had arrived, along with the rest of the school.

Students streamed into the foyer, trickling into their corresponding cars. It was just another after school scene. A few seniors who had cars out in the car park would strut coolly over to their rides with their friends. The rest of the school would be churning through the passageways on the other side of the school building to leave by the stairs at the back. Normally, I would be right there in the thick of it, but today I was going to Henry's and MATE WAS COMING!

Wolfie was pretty excited, her radar beeping his nearing ever minute. I shut her out... I needed to act cool. I was in school. There was NO WAY I was going to jump into his arms the way I did at Grandpa Alpha's wake.

Why? Were there things I dared to do in front of other important old Alphas that I would not be caught dead doing in front of my school friends? Apparently, yes.

Funny, I had always thought I was the same me no matter where I was or who I was with. But while I wasn't popular or cool like my friends, I didn't really want to come across as lame, you know?

Henry, Marcus, and Liam stopped at our table. Throwing their long legs over the benches to sit with us. Leia was so delighted she actually giggled when Liam threw the cool girls a wink. Krystal managed to smile and toss her head.

"Wow, since when did the great Henry sit at our table?" Zara asked.

Krystal jabbed her in the ribs, "Shut up Zara."

"Pete's late." Henry grumbled.

"He's just slowed outside the school gate." Marcus soothed on his fellow Beta's behalf. "The school upped the gate security today."

Which would explain the slow moving traffic into the school driveway and the queue of cars outside the school I suppose.

"What a f***ing mess, the Red Packlands." Henry shook his head.

Ah, yeah, about that... I should probably tell him I took care of the Ciara Coven.

Abigail and her posse approached our table.

Or I could just let his extensive network of informants find out.

"Hi Henry!" Abigail smiled with an easy shrug that I thought was the smoothest thing. When I become an adult, I want to be able to smile and shrug like that.

"Yeah, what?" Henry asked. He sounded like he was about to be irritated.

"I made a cake for you at home ec today." Abigail offered a coy smile as she handed the box over to Henry.

"Yeah, thanks." Henry took the box and put it aside without opening it.

Abigail wasn't pleased, but it was pretty obvious that Henry wasn't in the mood for anything more so she just pouted, "Well... Just eat it when you have the time."

But because she really couldn't leave it at that, she made Jasmine scoot over closer to me so she could sit down with us. Henry simply started working on his phone. I'm beginning to learn that this is how guys say, "I don't want to talk to you right now."

Some of the other girls took the chance to give Liam their cakes. Liam smiled, his eyes crinkling, "Thanks."

He started eating immediately.

Another girl bought him a can of sprite.

"Thanks babe." Liam winked.

The girls tittered.

I wondered what Liam's life was like beyond the school gates. Or Krystal's, or Zara's, or even Henry and Marcus. It's like suddenly epiphany - my friends had a life outside school just like me. They had siblings, and parents, the other wolves had packs...

The humans liked to say, "Blood is thicker than water." But wolves would say, "The ones who run with you, bleed with you."

I wondered about my own gang back home. Like me, they spend most of their waking hours in school. Were they different in school too? I found that hard to imagine.

And my school friends were supposed to come for a playdate... I wondered what they would think of my life outside school. When was it? Some Saturday?

"When's our playdate?" I blurted out.

The conversation at the table stopped and I realised that my friends had been discussing something. Nevermind what they were like at home, I didn't even know what they talking about in front of me sometimes.

"Do you mean at your place?" Marcus asked me. He cast a glance at the human girls at our table.

"Oh yeah, is it still on?" Pearl asked. She had also inserted herself at our table.

"This Saturday." Marcus said.

"A playdate, sounds like fun." Abigail smiled and shrugged, "Can I come?"

The guys looked at me, uh...well, I smiled and shrugged back, "Yeah, Okay." (Nailed it!)

"Shouldn't you ask your parents first?" Marcus prompted.

"Oh yeah. Probably." I said. (So much for nailing it.)

Marcus sighed in a long suffering way.

"It's in the green packlands." Henry warned the humans, "She lives quite away from Gate City."

I could see the humans hesitate. If the guys were trying to disuade the humans, it was working.

"Oh yeah." I realised... There would be a bit of paperwork to let humans in. I'm beginning to see how this might not have been the best idea.

"I want to go!" Zara decided, "It'll be fine if we go in a group."

"There are a lot of werewolves in the Green Lands!" Leia looked anxious.

Yeah, like 85 percent wolves, 15 percent humans in Gate City. The deeper you go into the packlands, the closer to 100 percent wolves.

Henry's eyes twinkled, "It should be fine. The wolves there are afraid of Sam."

"Really?" The humans looked at me skeptically. I managed a weak smile.

"Yeah, the wolves there are scared of warlocks." Henry continued blithely. He was enjoying this way too much.

Marcus actually had the gall to chuckle. He pretended to cough, but it was a very half hearted attempt.

"Oh." My human friends looked at me with new found respect.

"I forgot you were a warlock." Zara all but admitted.

Krystal huffed, "Idiot, just look at her! She's so obviously a warlock."

Henry smirked.

"So who's going? I'll settle the paperwork." Marcus took over in Beta mode, cutting off any opportunity for me to say I wasn't a warlock, "Sam, can you settle the transport both ways from Gate City Station?"

So the guys were okay with the humans coming after all? Oh wait, I was supposed to answer Marcus' question.

Uh.... The cool girls and Abigail made 4 humans, and 5 wolves. That would be 10 of us. We might need a bus...

"Just contact Harv or Ki directly." Henry waved it off impatiently.

"OMG! Harvey would be there!" Jasmine realised.

"Wait, prince charming?" Krystal's voice rose a pitch, "Oh my god, what should I wear?"

Abigail gasped audibly.

"Who's Ki?" Zara wanted to know.

He was a fight dog named Keys that I freed earlier this year who became my dog and turned out to be my mate's former beta and a white healing wolf and the sole survivor of the Lorent's true beta family but was now my loyal beta in charge of most of my daily personal affairs and the princess town which my pack was about to build... Which we better get started on since in a few months, Mate was going to return with a whole army of former Lycan slaves who would need housing and facilities.

"Speak of the devil." Henry smirked. He tilted his head towards the road.

Everyone else turned in time to see a dark blue Merc pulled up and parked at the head of the driveway, just off to a side so that it wouldn't obstruct traffic.

Killion got out.

"S***, he's hot." Krystal said.

We watched him walk over to the passenger side and open the door.

MATE! I knew it would be Mate.

"Oh!" Breathed Abigail.

Henry raised a brow.

I heard some sighing but I didn't quite place who.

MATE! He got out of the car shaking his head at something Ki said and then he smiled. Ki was smiling too as he shut the door.

Bell ran a hand roughly through his own hair, his dark wavy hair like a mane. I watched the movement like in slow motion the way a movie might show a stallion galloping... But in very slow motion so you could properly see his body move.

It felt like I hadn't seen him for years! I very nearly ran out except that I was seated on a bench between Jasmine and Zara. With the wall behind me, the only way I could get up was to climb over the table in front of me. Which I would've done if I were back in the packlands... But not in school because why? Why did I hold back?

It just didn't seem like the warlock thing to do, I guess. (No, I'm being sacarstic. I had no idea why I held back.)

The guys stood up the moment Mate and Ki approached out table. Mate was wearing a cocky smirk, the kind I normally would like to smack off on any other guy, except it looked really cute on his handsome face.

Gah! Kill me. I sound like a love sick fool! I looked away and pretended like I didn't care while Henry shook hands and patted mate on his shoulder, "Good to see you."

"Likewise." Mate smirked.

Henry smirked back without letting go of Mate's hand, "Nice ring."

So I guess I won't need to tell Henry that Plan A was a success and we got the Ciara Lord's ring.

"Thanks." Mate answered. They released each others' grip.

Marcus and Liam made a quick bow. Ki nodded and gave his usual Killion-dollar smile. The effect on the humans was apparent.

"Not happy to see me, princess?" Mate quirked his brow at me.

I sulked and stared at the table, refusing to meet his eye.

"Who's that? Why don't you answer him? He's hot." Zara hissed at me, probably thinking the guys won't hear us.

"This is James, Sam's finance. That's Ki." Henry did the introductions. He looked somewhat amused.

"Oh my." Said Abigail.

"They're as hot as Harvey." Leia whispered to Krystal.

"Hotter." Zara corrected.

"Yeah... Definitely hotter." Krystal agreed, and because she was Krystal, she added with a shrugged, "But hot guys always look hotter together."

To their credit, Mate and Ki continued smiling as if they had not heard it.

Henry continued with introductions, "You've met Marcus, this is Liam, Jasmine, Pearl, Abigail, Krystal, Zara, and Leia. Sam had just invited them over to her home this Saturday."

Ki's smile froze just for a second, "Did she now?"

Opps, I just made more work for Ki, didn't I?

"Oh yes, we are looking forward to it so much too!" Abigail gushed.

The cool girls smiled and nodded.

I've never seen my friends all wreathed in such matching smiles before. It was like a row of everyday houses suddenly lit with a billion megawatt of lights on Christmas Eve.

"Then I will look forward to welcoming you this Saturday." Ki replied without skipping a beat.

"Thank you so much." Abigail answered, fluttering her lashes.

Krystal giggled a little, "Yes, thank you for having us."

Zara and Leia continued smiling and nodding.

Wasn't I the one who invited them? Why are they thanking Ki? Why don't I get thanked like that? Wait, don't tell me. I know the answer to this: because I'm not a hot guy.

Principal Laura soon appeared with Matt at her heel. Intruders on her school property. I was starting to get that it wasn't coincidence and she didn't just happen to step into the student foyer.

Henry proceeded with the introductions to our Madam Principal who also smiled widely and shook Bell's hand, "A Lorent! I must say this is an unexpected meeting, but I am honoured to meet you. This is Matthew, he is the student president of Winderhill."

I guess she dropped all the Alpha and Beta titles in front of the humans, but it's not like she had to say it aloud. Our wolves knew. And it seemed like the Lorent name was also somewhat of a big deal.

Bell nodded coolly at Matthew who immediately dropped at polite bow.

"Our apologies, Madam Principal. We are simply here to escort our Princess for her project meeting at Henry's." Killion explained, "We are currently waiting for Henry's car to arrive."

"Of course, please make yourselves at home." Principal Laura smiled. She looked at Ki appreciatively. Suddenly I remembered her reaction to Flynn and Hank when they had come with Harvey to fetch me last month. Principal Laura liked eye candy, but only the grown up type I guess. Which meant that Ki was OLD. Bwahahaha!

But judging from the way my friends were smiling at him, I don't think they noticed.

One of Henry's red cars pulled up and stopped behind our blue one. Beta Peter got out and waited by the car. Henry and Marcus stood up.

"Our ride's here." Henry indicated, "Would you be joining us, James?"

"Yes." Bell answered.

Henry smiled widely, "Good, good. Do you fence?"

Bell returned a quick nod, "If I must."

Henry laughed out loud at that, "Then you must."

None of the girls moved to get up, so I was still stuck in my seat. The guys had turned away from the bench... Well, there's no helping it. I stood up and stepped onto the bench, then the table.

"Sam!" Jasmine gasped.

Principal Laura gasped.

Most of the faces around me registered various levels of surprise.

And then Ki chuckled. Marcus sighed and shook his head. Henry shrugged, "She's your princess, James."

He made it sound like a bad thing. I stepped down lightly onto the bench the guys had vacated.

Bell simply turned back, raised his arms and picked me up by my waist, off the bench, and onto the floor, "Yeah, mine." He growled lowly so that only I could hear.

I flared. I wasn't expecting that - to be picked up and placed on my feet like I was some kind of doll. Nor was I expecting to feel so suddenly sheltered by his touch or the way my Wolfie burst out at the sound of his voice. My Wolfie would have shifted and bit him right there, but of course I knew better by now than to let Wolfie take the reigns.

So I patted Mate on the front of his shoulder, "Good, Bell."