OUT OF THE FRYING PAN AND INTO THE...

4 MARCH, FRIDAY, CONTINUED

{You've seen the Red Prince in a fight cage, Scary Beta. Well, the Red Prince is in our classroom right now.} Fluffy reported in his signature smile, but I recognized the mask.

{What! Is Sam there?} Ben properly freaked out. Hahaha.

Harvey was much calmer, at least on the surface, {Can you confirm that Fluff?}

{How should I confirm it, Big Brother Beta? Do you want me to provoke him?} Fluffy offered. At any rate, his wolf had surfaced too... his wolf that had only been a wisp of a shadow when we first met. But since being restored, Fluffy's wolf turned out to be a rather noble Alpha wolf - much like Heller's. Except while Heller's wolf liked to wear the mantle of a princely leading male, Fluffy's wolf always had a glint in his eyes like he was scheming something evil.

{Do it and DIE, dog.} Ben growled through the mindlink, {Where's Sam?}

{Here.} Fluffy smiled, clearly enjoying a game of freak-out-my-betas.

Fluffy was probably the kind of wolf older women warn young girls about - the beautiful one who smiles like an angel but is really the devil in disguise. My only consolation was that Fluffy was my wolf, so he was the devil on my side, but if I could paste a label on Fluffy's wolf, I would put a "Danger!" warning on him.

{Fun.} Boo corrected. Boo didn't seem to be equipped with the same set of common sense as I did.

{Pop.} Ki was quiet, {Is goddess safe?}

I looked back at EJ who was looking at me. Was EJ's eyes always so red?

{Yes. She is talking to Red.} Fluffy answered, {It's very strange. I'm quite sure it's the Red Prince, but he's just sitting there.}

{What do you mean "talking to Red"?} Ben snarled, {Evacuate her, dog!}

{What do you mean "just sitting there"?} Ki asked, {Are you sure it's Red?}

{He's definitely not EJ, but no one's bleeding yet.} Fluffy reported smiling like the sun, {Red seems to be happy just chilling with Pretty Alpha.}

{Special Team's Torque, Barry, and Cobra are en route.} Harvey informed everyone now.

{Tell them to meet me at the School gate. I'm on the way.} Ki reported quietly, {ETA at rendezvous in 15 minutes.}

{Drive faster, dog!} Ben yelled over the mindlink, {If anything happens to Sam, I'll chew off your head.}

Hahaha, Ben was freaking out so bad, he was just making useless threats.

{If anything happened to Pretty Alpha, I'm sure Luna will not leave anyone's head unscathed.} Fluffy demurred, {But I will put in a request on your behalf for Charming Beta's head served to you on a platter.}

{Tell him I want your head too.} Ben snapped.

Ben wasn't exactly a "safe" wolf himself. Maybe I should stick warning labels on all the dangerous wolves in my pack. The FAO might consider investing in a label printer.

Once upon a time, I thought Dad's wolf was the fiercest in the world. My world was simpler then. My wolves were always the good guys. From Dad who worked hard and selflessly to raise our pack, Beta Lucas who was loyal and devoted to his Alpha and pack, Gamma Harry, Titanium, Flynn, Hank... and all the other warriors. They were all real-life heroes in my eyes - shining with proper adult sensibilities and wisdom. They always said the good guy lines.

"Never give up."

"I want to be strong because I want to protect my pack."

"Good guys always win at the end."

Have you heard my Luna ruminate? And it wasn't just my Luna, although I should stick multiple danger warning signs on him... maybe in different colors, like a rainbow of "Danger!"

Lately, the wolves around me had a darkness within them that I wasn't quite able to fathom the depth of. Case in point: right here in front of me, looking nonchalantly at me with hooded red eyes, "I think Fluffy is reporting something unnecessary, Alpha."

Uh-huh. Okay, stay calm, Sam. I'm the Alpha. He called me so himself. I totally got this.

{Lie}

SHUT UP, BOO! You are NOT helping.

I flared and then glanced quickly at the humans. Some of them were currently deep in negotiations with Mrs Henderson about who got to hit the food table first. My flare wasn't completely unnoticed, but the quiet kids only looked over and then returned to their phones or to watching our class' First Women's Charter being hotly debated - actually, it was more like The Guy's Charter... I think Ivan was demanding equal rights for guys.

At least the humans seemed oblivious to EJ's internal shift. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wished Maria was around to help me mind-wipe them or something if the Red Prince should do something regrettable.

Perhaps the best course of action was to keep EJ's wolf calm. We've only met once - that day, I cast some temporary seal on him. Gah! Could he be mad at me for that? And more urgently, how could I do it again?

Henry growled. I think he noticed something amiss. EJ's attention flickered over to the Silver Mountain Alpha. He nodded an iota in acknowledgment, and that was it.

But it was important. It proved what I had suspected all along. EJ's wolf wasn't an out-of-control monster that Fluffy or my other wolves seemed to believe him to be.

Maybe, just maybe, he was like Bell's wolf. Just misunderstood.

"What's up with EJ?" Henry demanded.

"He just partied too hard last night and ran out of energy." Fluffy lied - like a fool. WTH, Henry was an Alpha too. He would know you were lying.

Wait, but Fluffy wasn't stupid. He had to be lying to Henry on purpose. He wanted Henry to catch the lie.

Henry narrowed his eyes at Fluffy who smiled even more brightly under the young alpha's scrutiny

"Fluff, you better spit it out." Henry growled.

"Oh, you leave me with no choice, Scary Alpha. I have to tell you now." Fluffy sounded very pleased to be left with "no choice."

He leaned closer to Henry, "Don't panic, but EJ lost control of his wolf."

Henry went completely still.

"He's not EJ right now, Scary Alpha." Fluffy elaborated, "He's the Red Prince."

"S***." Henry hissed under his breath, and then he said very quietly so I knew he was serious, "Sam, he's your wolf. Get him out of here before he hurts someone."

Which was really the first useful thing anyone said to me so far.

Henry was a genius! If we got EJ away from people, then he wouldn't be able to kill anyone. Even if he tried, I would be able to stop him without onlookers.

Yes, I was very sure I could. Or at least Boo was very sure I could. In Boo's eyes, all the other wolves were "weak." I'm not sure where she got her confidence from, but my lucky sense of direction was rearing to go. Should we head up to the rooftop? Or down to the wooded area behind the school? In the worst case, I could always alpha bomb dominance and seal him again... probably. There's only one way to find out.

I stood up, "Let's go, EJ."

If we were in the train station scenario, this would be the point where you looked the serial killer in the eye and said, "Come on, follow me to somewhere deserted." Hahahaha... Because I was the bigger, badder killer. Dum, dum, dum! Plot twist!

EJ got up.

"Where are you going?" Mrs Henderson asked.

S***. I totally forgot about her.

I stopped at the door. EJ stopped his step just behind me. He was following me, his hands coolly in his pocket. EJ's wolf was a very cool and dark type of high school student.

"Sam's not feeling well." Henry smirked, "They partied too hard last night, and her anemia is acting up. EJ's taking her to the sick bay."

EJ was looking down at himself as if just noticing the labels stuck on his body. He looked puzzled and then peeled the first one off.

"Oh my goodness." Mrs Henderson was too concerned for my health to notice the time bomb standing next to me, "Do you need me to call your parents?"

"No!" I quickly shook my head, "I'm fine, really. I just..."

Meanwhile, EJ peeled off the second label and frowned at the word, "Cute."

I pointed to the door and looked desperately at Mrs Hen. Please just let me take EJ a safe distance away from you!

"Don't worry, Pretty Teacher." Fluffy smiled, "Red here is very good with all things blood-related."

Can someone just punch Fluffy in his pretty face for me?

EJ's wolf perked up at the word, "blood." He looked up from the labels in his hands.

"He means EJ knows what to do." Henry interpreted because me and my wolves were ABSOLUTELY USELESS! I was the alpha too. I had a pure scholar bloodline strategist and a blood warrior wolf by my side, and I couldn't handle my form teacher without Henry's help.

{Fluffy report.} Harvey's mindlink came in. My good beta was diligently keeping tabs on the situation.

{Pretty Alpha is trying to get Red to follow her out of the classroom.} Fluffy reported.

{She's WHAT???} Poor Ben.

{And Red?} Luckily, I had one calm beta still in charge over the mindlink.

EJ looked up and noticed the labels on my arm. He stuck "cute" on me.

Eh? I looked down at the new sticker and back at him again.

{Report dog! What's happening?} Ben demanded.

{It looks like...Red's flirting with Pretty Alpha.} Fluffy reported.

Wait, what? WTH? Don't report things that way!

EJ shrugged, "What the hell is this? Temporary tattoos?"

It took me a while to realize EJ was talking about the black tattooed discs the vamps used as fight dog badges. It's like girl scout badges, but for fight-dog things.

"Urm, no... it's like...a game... you don't remember?" I asked.

EJ shrugged and didn't answer.

"It's okay, EJ." I patted him on the shoulder, "Don't worry about it."

"Just go already!" Henry ordered, "Don't faint in the middle of class."

"Oh, my goodness!" Mrs Henderson worried anew.

I took the chance to take EJ away, "Okay, I'm going. Please keep my share of the food for me!"

Away from the class, away from the rest of the school population, away from everything strange and unfamiliar to EJ suddenly. We've walked these hallways every day together, but the EJ with me now walked quietly, cautiously, like he was on guard.

EJ's wolf was a much better guard than he was.

He never once took his focus off me or our safety. Nor did he seem to recognize his own school. He didn't even notice the vending machine that sold strawberry yogurt drinks. That was his favorite and he could never pass it without buying one. I've heard him tell the girls that.

"EJ, we're safe here. You can relax." I tried to tell him.

EJ was neither impressed nor convinced. Or maybe I should call him Red too. Maybe Red was to EJ, like Boo was to me. Wait, in that case, I will keep calling him EJ. I'm not sure why, but I remembered suddenly how in my darkest moments, hearing my name helped me remember myself.

Eventually, we followed my lucky sense of direction out back to the woods. I led EJ into the tree line because I didn't want to bump into Coach Williams or Bert on their patrols. This was the path Aladdin brought Arlene and Elena down... I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand as we silently moved deeper into the woods. I stopped. Something was very wrong.

Not with EJ, no. EJ was fine - in fact, more than fine. His wolf was silent and agile. EJ had always been one of the few wolves who could match mine in agility in speed, I always knew this. But now that his wolf was surfaced, it was like the noisy little brother I was used to suddenly grew up into a deadly hunter.

{There's danger ahead, Alpha.} EJ mindlinked me instead of making a loud sound effect.

Honestly, until now, I thought you were the danger, EJ.

{Fluff. There's blood.} EJ mindlinked out, {If you called for backup, send them around to protect Alpha.}

Wait, what? No, no, no. I was protecting YOU, EJ.

{Red?} Fluffy answered, {Let's not be hasty, Red. Is Pretty Alpha with you?}

Red, I mean EJ didn't even look over to me, {She's safe for now. Don't keep me waiting.}

And then EJ added darkly, {You know I hate being bored.}

I felt quite sure Fluffy stopped smiling. I could actually sense his wolf's dominance reaching over the mindlink. Fluffy's wolf was NOT amused, {Red, if you spill one drop of blood before I get there, I swear I will have you skewered and staked alive for the rest of your miserable life.}

I changed my mind. Ben was a pretty safe wolf after all.

{Fun.} Boo decided right there and then.