ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CHESSBOARD

Thus concluded the nomination of the interim executive gamma position. The five nominees for the interim executive gamma position are Anthony Lorent, Howard Holden, Roan Emerson, Lavigne Lorent, and Lola Summersfield.

"If it would please Young Alpha to pass the motion?" Ki prompted.

"Pass." Bell said.

Because it had been decided that we would use the selection process to mess with Delta Williams and Delta Holden (Bell was quite determined to make their lives miserable), and to test Roan (no one could tell if Roan had any leadership potential, not even his dad... Which wasn't surprising to any of us now), and to introduce the two girls because it seemed like everyone was set on the two girls joining Bell's core team.

Well, mostly Dom, because Ki had pointed out that both Alpha Kingsley and I had multiple betas and gammas, "Our Glorious Lorent must not lose to them."

Which, IMAO, was an explanation that only a Lorent would accept unquestioning.

Anyway, we were finally done.

"Thank you for your guidance, Young Alpha." Ki smiled, "Proceeding to item 13 of the agenda."

OMG...

I forgot this was a 35 item agenda. We were going to be here all day and forevermore!

Okay, I vaguely remember saying something about staying by him through an eternity of hell, but unless hell was more fun than this meeting, I changed my mind.

Ben was on his feet the moment I leaned away from the table. As usual, he had to be two steps ahead of me.

"Leaving so soon?" Bell raised his brow and smirked.

I involuntarily shook my head. How could I bear to leave?

No, wait, I think the question should be, how could I bear to sit though another 17 items on the agenda?

Its Saturday afternoon and I'm on my school break! Why was I cooping myself up in the conference room listening to Lorent wolves plot intricate intrigued into every single overcomplicated decision?

Nope, I was done here.

"I... urm.." I tried to give some kind of good excuse to leave so it wouldn't look like I was a irresponsible alpha who was trying to escape a boring meeting.

I decided against lying. I had learned my lesson, "I need to go..." I pointed to the exit.

I need to go out. I think I would have said this when Ben interrupted me unceremoniously, "Whatever it is it'll have to wait, Sam. Your Dad wants to see you in his office. It's urgent."

Oh!

"Lucky!" I sprung out of me seat immediately.

Everyone else quickly stood up.

"Thank you for your guidance, goddess." Ki smiled like a flower to the sun and bowed.

"Oh." Ben frowned, "Were you meaning to go there?"

But I couldn't answer because the other Lorent wolves quickly bowed too, "Thank you for your guidance, princess/Luna/alpha Princess."

Their words got jumbled up at the back because they couldn't decide how to replace the word "goddess." Ki looked rather pleased about it, though I had no idea why.

Maybe I should've pointed my flame of insight at him. I hadn't thought to do that. I didn't think to point at Ben either.

Too late for regrets. The flame of insight spell had fizzled out by now. It was like lighting a match, the flame only lasted a short while and illuminated what was on the surface of someone's mind.

So now I knew two spells. The puppy spell, "Tell me the story about..." And this matchstick one, "Flame of Insight."

Not bad for a self taught wolf from the plains. I didn't even need to use anyone's magic to power the Flame of Insight. I was THAT magical!

Ben and I were crossing the corridor to Dad's office now, "Do you know why Dad wants to see me all of the sudden?"

Ben raised a brow, "So, you're saying that you knew about Delta Em's secretly estranged relationship with his son, Delta O's attempt to sidestep political stress, and your Luna's plot to stir up political tension..."

"And Dom's womanizing ways." I added tongue in cheek.

Ben shrugged it off, "Everyone knows about that. The young Lorent Gamma's reputation precedes him."

Oh. Well, excuse me for being slow!

"But you knew about all that, yet you don't know what your dad wants you in his office for?" Ben was not going to be distracted from his question.

"Why don't you just use your gift of insight to find out?" Ben asked.

Oh, right... Why don't I?

"I don't know." I sulked, "It doesn't really work on command."

"You cast a spell, Sam." Ben reminded me, "You said words and pointed the spell towards several targets."

Oh, well, yes. So I did.

"Try it again." Ben said.

Oh, well, yes... I might just do that.

We were passing the stairs down to the lobby now, "Just cast and point at someone down there."

"Why not at you?" I asked.

"Because I don't want you snooping in my head." Ben answered.

"Your thoughts would probably be too complicated for me to understand anyway." I grumbled.

We didn't stop walking so we passed the stairs and I missed the opportunity to experiment with my new found powers.

"Maybe later." I said, "Let's just see what Dad wants first."

We were approaching Dad's door anyway. Ben and I fell silent, we both knew the acoustics of this place enough to know that any sound we made from this point onwards would carry clearly into Dad's office.

It was always easy with Ben like this. I know I keep saying it, but I also kept realizing this recently too.

Ben knocked, the usual two sharp raps that my betas had taken as uniform. And like me, he didn't bother to wait, he just pushed the door opened. But unlike me, he pushed it open so quickly, we stepped in as Dad said, "Enter."

I grinned because my first thought was, "I win!"

You know, cos Ben and I were quicker to come in than Dad could say, "Enter."

But my grin quickly melted off at the sight on the other wolves present. Beta Lucas, Beta Gerald, Gamma Harry, Gamma Endo... it's not that I didn't like these wolves. It was the realization that I had just escaped one meeting to run straight into another.

The internal groaning was undeniable, but it wasn't like I could groan audibly as a greeting to my elders.

"Sam is here." Ben announced.

We both dropped a quick respectful bow - even Ben because we had been brought up as generally polite pups, yes even Ben, although for him it was probably a lot more nurture than nature.

And to my surprise - and Ben's too, because I noticed his head jerked up just a little faster than usual at the moment, our elder Betas and Gammas all rose to their feet.

Ben figured it out before I did. He looked about the room and pretty much shoved me towards the bay window to sit down.

The moment I sat down, the other men sat too. Ben looked around again.

Dad was behind his desk. The two betas had taken the seats across him, Beta Gerald sitting properly on one side of the desk. Beta Lucas had kicked off a little further away so he had space to swivel from side to side pretty much in the small open space of the office. The two Gammas were relaxing on the sofa against the wall. It was a standard two seater thing, but our gammas were "real men" so the sofa was snug. Still they managed to make themselves at home, Gamma Endo leaning back with his hands behind his back, Gamma Harry sitting forwards so he could eat the meal spread out on the coffee table in front of him.

"Don't mind, Sam, Don't mind." He said as he picked up his half-eaten sandwich, "Lunch. I was on duty now... Paroling."

I nodded. Mostly because I was still mildly confused at the conversation.

Ben realized that there were no more chairs, so he sat next to me, "You know Sam doesn't mind."

What, like who was Ben to say what I minded and what I didn't mind? (And what was it exactly that Gamma Harry thought I should mind?)

Beta Lucas swiveled left and right on his chair and then stretched out his legs in front of him, "Yes, Alpha already said you should eat."

"It's good." Gamma Harry nodded happily, but we all understood he was talking about the food, "The food is good today. Very good!"

Oh. Gamma Harry was worried that I'd mind him eating in front of me? As if I (or anyone) would dare to deny Gamma Harry his lunch! Hahaha.

"Alpha, you wanted Sam for something?" Ben asked.

The window was opened behind us, and the breeze brought in the pleasant smells of the fresh new leaves outside. Oh, this was the smells of my childhood, the old papers, sandwiches and coffee, and everything else that was my Dad's office mingled in the new spring smells pouring in. My hair dramatically lifted at the breeze like it was an all out gale, and then settled back down.

Dad immediately frowned, "Were you just with James?"

I guess from Dad's position just downdraft from the open and window and me, the fact that I was sitting next to Mate just a moment ago had also wafted into his attention.

"I sat next to him for his meeting for a while." I quickly said to reassure him that it was a work thing, not a kiss thing.

Goddess knows why the men in my life were all so prickly.

"And why...." Beta Lucas raised his hand while his chair swiveled side to side, "Why would you need to be at a Lorent meeting?"

"I knew it!" Gamma Endo sat up suddenly, nearly knocking the sandwich out of Gamma Harry's hand (it was a new sandwich. Gamma Harry could finish one sandwich in two bites.)

"Those Lorries are up to something." Gamma Endo punched his fist into his hand. Gamma Harry quickly put the rest of his sandwich away into the safety of his mouth.

Gamma Endo stood up because he was that worked up at the possibility, "See! I knew it! I told you those Lorries are sneaky. Why else would they come all the way over for a meeting? They're definitely plotting something."

"Endo, I'm sure you're jumping into conclusions." Beta Gerald told him.

Yes. I'm sure of that too, but Gamma Endo wasn't entirely wrong either. I mean, now that I've sat in their meeting, I had reason to believe that the Lorries were more often than not, "plotting something."

Beta Lucas raised his hand, "Let's let Sam tell us herself. Sam… What did they want from you?"

"Yes. Tell us!" Gamma Endo was seriously work up. He paced the little bit of space near the door only leaving respectful room for Beta Lucas' long legs and swiveling chair.

"Tell us what they want!" Gamma Endo demanded, "Next time, I'll come with you. See if they dare to ask then. F***king Lorries, not man enough to talk man to man, they had to bring in our Alpha Princess to their meeting!"

"Language, Endo." Beta Gerald reminded the irate gamma primly.

"Sam just advised them on the formation of their core team." Ben said.

"What?" Gamma Endo stopped pacing.

"Why would they ask her that?" Beta Lucas shook his head. He even stopped swiveling.

For a moment, I thought Ben was going to tell them about my Flame of Insight spell, but Ben only shrugged, "How would I know what Luna Bell's thinking?"

Beta Gerald nodded sagely though, "Of course, Luna Bell would want Alpha Sam's approval for his core leadership. "

Urm… I think Beta Gerald was jumping into conclusions too. And then all the other men rubbed their chins and frowned in thought. Why were we suddenly deliberating like Lorents?