TRICK 5: LITTLE ALPHA GHOST AND THE UGLY TRUTHS

26 FEBRUARY, FRIDAY, CONTINUED

The atmosphere was heavy in the conference room after my luna made his stand known.

"I still think it isn't a bad idea to accidentally let Jude escape. We'd hunt him down and kill him. His pack would naturally disperse. End of threat." Gamma Endo muttered, less jokingly now.

"The world now is different now, Endo." Beta Gerald reprimanded gently.

"Why do we have to protect the rights of a traitor?" Gamma Endo grumbled, "Its a waste of time and manpower. I wouldn't even waste Laura's cooking on him."

"That's because you've never eaten my wife's cooking." Gamma Harry told him, then he grinned wolfishly, "Come to my house one day. My wife will make you dinner."

Harvey raised his hand, "The Alpha Princess is still recuperating. Might I suggest we wait for her input on this matter before making any decision?"

Yes, good beta. Buy some time for me to figure out how to make everything okay.

"No." Almost everyone said at the same time.

Wait, like seriously?

"Alpha Princess ain't gonna like this." Gamma Endo warned.

Gamma Harry shook his head, "You know we can't even kill anyone in front of her."

"Wait, was there such a rule?" Gamma Endo asked, sitting up, "I didn't get the memo."

"Captain Stephan told me about it." Gamma Harry said, "The entire mission at Jude's pack was live capture only because she was there."

"So if she wasn't, Jude wouldn't be a problem now, huh?" Gamma Endo smirked.

"Not quite." Beta Gerald cast an anxious eye at Dad, "The live capture was Alpha's order."

Bell raised a hand, "Just to clarify, whatever Stephan told you only applies to the Underground warriors, you have a free hand to kill. Only I am bound by a promise not to, and the Underground's current standing orders were simply to defray any blame for casualties my princess might put on me. So please do not take it to heart. In fact, I would appreciate it if you would do the honors whenever my hands are thus tied."

"Why would you make such a stupid promise, Luna?" Gamma Endo bemoaned, "You're our next gen's deadliest fighter!"

"She didn't want to see me kill anymore." Bell shrugged.

Oh yeah, make it like I was the unreasonable one!

"No problem. Just cover her eyes next time." Gamma Harry chuffed off merrily to himself.

Hahaha. You know, all this would have amused me more if they weren't talking about me.

And then Dad shook his head and sighed, "As it is, Sam has already done enough. I will take care of the rest."

As usual, because it was Dad, everyone got respectfully quiet to hear him out, "This wasn't even her fight to begin with. This rogue war was made possible by my failure to finish the war in the past. I allowed the rogues to escape with their lives even after they had attacked Morning Light and killed the Morning Light Alpha and my good, good friend, Daniel and his luna."

"Yet instead of living peaceably in their village, the rogues amassed an army and attacked us again." Dad was growling lowly now, "If I had not returned when I did, or received help from Sam's army, what would have happened to the wolves living in Morning Light or the students and teachers at New Leaf Academy? Would these rogues show them the same mercy and allow them to escape to the safety of Night Leaf?"

Suddenly Dad slammed his fist on the stone table. A fine line cracked the surface on impact... so much for this table lasting generations. I'd be surprised if it lived to my 18th birthday.

Now, Dad was looking into the distance as he spoke, "When Alpha Lorent asked me to join hands in eradicating the warlock, I had refused. We had been friends had had shared many a nights discussing many subjects. I had no stomach to unjustly attack an unproven threat, but now I see that Alpha Lorent saw the truth while I only saw the ideal."

"I took Jude and his mother in when he was just an infant." Dad continued, the growliness in his voice making the words harder to make out, "My luna and I cared for them, sponsored his education, and supported his new pack as if born out of one of our own wolves. Yet now this alpha pup, whom I should have killed when I found him in my territory, is now having designs on my daughter and her future as the Alpha of the Green Packlands."

Oh man, Dad's wolf was really riding on the surface now. I was half expecting King Kong mode to activate, but instead, my dad's broad shoulders dropped, "I've never expected to ever regret showing kindness, but I regret - I regret it all bitterly. I cannot go back to undo the past, but I will not allow another threat to go unchecked. If I do not harden my face and destroy those who threaten my pack, one day these same threats would rise against my daughter..."

Dad's voice choked then, but he regained his composure almost immediately, "Better I be the villain that destroys those who would seek to harm us, and Sam be the bright light who leads us into a peaceful and prosperous reign."

Bell smirked at that, "That's exactly what I think too."

Then Bell leaned over the table and told my dad, "You don't have to worry, do what you like. Whatever you don't finish, I'll finish for you."

And to my horror, my wise and benevolent father nodded to his devil-son-in-law's words, "You are wiser than I, son. Thank you for understanding."

And as if that wasn't bad enough, Alpha Gunter nodded satisfied, "I'm glad we are of the same understanding."

"In that vein, might I just say that while I am most reluctant to interfere with your business with the Black Forest Pack, Young Alpha Lorent, I too have been bound by my word, a promise given a long time ago, and I have to ask if you might spare Solomon for my sake." Alpha Gunter dropped a few degrees colder, "The black curse you've seeded has grown into a forest of despair and nearly half the pack is in lockdown. Of course, I won't ask this for nothing. I will exchange certain information pertaining your newly acquired Tyger embodiment. You may decide how much this information is worth later and adjust your vengeance accordingly."

"What makes you think Solomon's plight had anything to do with me?" Bell asked, but with that kind of evil smirk and the black fumes waving like a full blown tube man?

Alpha Gunter smiled, a cold thin smile, "Take it, if you will that I'm making a wish."

Bell smirk widened into a smile now, but it was the otherworldly one that I saw in the warlock lands, "I cannot deny a wish. You know that. But you must also know that the price for your wish will neither be simple or light."

"I am confident you will find the information I provide quite satisfactory." Alpha Gunter answered.

Of course he would be! Alpha Gunter was the Great Teacher himself! He probably knew everything!

Actually, wasn't the Great Teacher the one who had written the famous "Warnings to a Simple Youth", one of which was "Never make a wish on a Tyger."?

Maybe he wrote it so long ago he forgot. But at Lycan study group, we had to memorize them as pups. One of the two mentions of the Tyger in our childhood. The other was the lullaby, "Tyger Tyger burning bright..."

You know it if you know it.

The funny thing was how the interpretation of the warning back then was that we should work hard with our own hands and not look for external powers to grant our wishes.

And the lullaby didn't even come with any kind of interpretation.

Tygers didn't really exist.

Then again, neither did ghosts.

My good beta raised his hand, "Apologies Alphas, what should I record as our conclusion to our previous discussion on Jude and the Asphalt Packs war crimes against the Green Packlands?"

"Just leave it open for further discussion, Harvey." Dad decided, "The elders and I will convene another meeting.."

Dad looked at Beta Lucas who answered while consulting his screen, "As early as tomorrow afternoon, Alpha."

"Yes, alright." Dad agreed.

"Harvey...." Beta Lucas raised his hand, "Just off the records, it would be best to be as vague as possible in your minutes in any further business on the Asphalt Moon pack. I would go as far as to say to keep Sam, her Luna Bell, and any of your generation outside the scope of this issue."

"Yeah, no point getting any of your hands dirty, young beta." Gamma Endo said, "Not that I'm saying we're going to do anything dirty, but these things can get messy you know."

"I understand." Harvey nodded a quick bow at his elders.

"It's late. Thank you all for your patience." Dad said, "Let's stop for dinner."

"Thank you for your guidance, Alpha." Everyone stood up and bowed.

Alpha Gunter stood up and nodded his assent, "Yes, if you'd excuse me, Alpha Kingsley. I will dine with my son tonight. There are things we must prepare for our children's engagement ceremony later."

Dad blinked and then nodded back, "Ah, yes. Thank you for your time and consideration, Alpha Gunter."

"No need to stand on ceremony, Alpha Kingsley, we will be the same family after all." Alpha Gunter replied.

The Lorents had said something to that effect more than once ever since my engagement to Bell.

Wow, suddenly our backwood and barbarian pack was "the same family" with not just the Lorent Family, but the Donovan Family too!

We're moving up the social ladder! Hahaha. Honestly, in our case, it'll be better for us to stay where we are. I think my wolves would be happier as pizza guzzling barbarians anyway.

I followed the big men as they made their way out of the conference room, waving politely for each other to walk ahead. And then there was another round of polite expressions of thanks and parting at the second floor lift lobby to send Alpha Gunter and Beta Glenn off to their guest suite before we headed down to the first floor.

I floated along behind them as Dad led the way down the wide stairs of the packhouse.

"Do I smell pizza?" Gamma Harry asked when we were halfway down.

"What the hell is going on down there?" Gamma Endo frowned. I couldn't smell the pizza, but I could definitely hear the commotion.

Oh s***. Okay, don't panic. At most Gamma Harry and Gamma Endo would be sent to deal with it. Ben'll be able to handle that.

We got down to the first floor, just as the lift opened and Alpha Gunter and his beta stepped out.

"Ah." Alpha Gunter stopped.

"Alpha is here. " Both Beta Lucas and Beta Glenn announced.

"Ah." Dad said.

For all their fond farewells, neither of them looked like they had wanted to meet the other atm. They both looked towards the commotion coming from the dining hall.

"I was told my son is eating with his friends in the dining hall." Alpha Gunter explained, somewhat more meekly than his usual countenance.

Dad's mouth pressed into a thin line.

"Hoo man," Beta Lucas shook his head, "Your son is in there?"

And then all of them rushed towards the dining hall at the same time because there was a loud BOOM and then silence, followed by cheering and then a less loud, but distinctly sharp CRACK and then silence, followed by cheering again.

"My son is definitely in there." Alpha Gunter muttered to himself.

Oh boy, they were all so dead. Maybe our future gen will be a pack of ghosts when this was over. (The food fight might be my bad, but there was no way I was going to take the rap for their BOOMS and CRACKS.)

And yes, I said "they" - which was mostly Ben (BOOM) and River (CRACK), although given that the elders still think we're pups, every other adult dumb enough to be cheering just now would be just as dead.

It's tough being an adult in our pack because everyone expects you to be sensible and responsible.

We got to the dining hall in time to see warriors hooting and climbing and scrambling off an array of floating tables and chairs and pizza - it looked like our dining hall was being possessed by pizza ghosts.

But this was all River's doing, not mine.

"Put everything back down you damn Prince!" Ben was yelling.

"You shouldn't waste food!" River yelled back.

"You shouldn't up an entire dining hall!" Ben shot back.

"River!" Alpha Gunter looked mortified.

"Ah, so it's you Ben." Dad looked almost relieved. He looked around, "Sam isn't here?"

Wait, he thought this would be MY fault? Well, I did have a hand in it, but did he have to think it was me by default?

Ben looked like he was unsure, but then he managed to honestly answer, "I haven't seen her."

Beta Lucas cleared his throat. Poor Ben.

"River, stop this unsightly behaviour at once." Alpha Gunter ordered.

River was just floating in the middle of the dining hall with everything else. It was bizzare but not actually unsightly.

River gulped, "But Dad, the pizza will fall on the ground."

Forget the pizza hitting the ground, River. You're about to be grounded for life.

But of course River was the kind of fool who would insist on doing the right thing at any cost, "There are people everywhere in this continent who go hungry every day. And there are people who work hard to grow and prepare this food. Wasting all this food will make us ungrateful!"

Opps. Now I was starting to feel bad.

"Fine." Ben decided, "We'll grab the pizza. You put down the stuff."

Watching my wolves scramble up and down on floating chairs and tables to catch pizza was fun. Even the Gammas got in on the action (and the pizza).

Dad and Alpha Gunter watched from the side. Harvey coolly reached up and a plucked a whole unopened box from mid air. He offered it to his elders, but they politely refused and said the young wolves should go ahead, so he split it with Bell. It was dinnertime afterall.

"I don't know what to say for my son's irrepressible actions tonight, Alpha Kingsley." Alpha Gunter admitted.

"Don't mind it." Dad waved it off. He was rather relaxed now that it seemed that I had nothing to do with it, "If a young wolf can, he will."

Which was a Lycan quote from a poem about a young wolf just shifted testing out his new prowess.

Even though River was a formling, Alpha Gunter smiled at that. The first unfrozen smile tonight, "Thank you for your kind understanding, Alpha Kingsley."

Yeah, my Dad had always been strong, and true, and kind. So maybe he could be a little zen, or radical, or straightforward. Maybe he didn't have a clue about social fancies or trends. Maybe his parenting style was kinda strict. And maybe, just maybe, he used to be a troublemaker, and he wasn't perfect, and he made mistakes, but my Dad had always been strong, and true, and kind.

A wolf is strong to be who he is. A wolf is true to know what that means. A wolf is kind because he understands how hard it is to be strong and true.

If there was anything my Dad taught me in this life, it was what it meant to be a strong and true and good alpha.

I didn't want my Dad to change. Not because of Jude's betrayal or the hidden rogue village's uprising, and definitely not because of me!