WHO KI'S FAMILY WAS

23 FEBRUARY, TUESDAY, 5:45PM

Delta Oran continued speaking, but it was almost like he was just musing to himself, "But all heals come at a price, this boy is more like his mother than he would like to admit. Do you know how his mother died?"

"She healed too much?" I answered, because that was what I understood from what Ki had told me. His mum healed and slept and healed and slept and one day, she just didn't wake up.

Delta Oran smiled at my answer, "That was what many had said. And technically it is true, since she had healed so many that she could not repay enough through her natural sleep cycle. It was such a pity. She was the last of her bloodline, a precious daughter who survived the wars earlier because her parents had hidden her power from their pack in the Black Packlands. But the real cause of her death was kindness. She could never refuse her help, even to the most lowly wolves. Eventually, it was her kindness that killed her."

And deprived Ki of a mother? Or was Delta Oran saying I was the same? I was somewhere else while my own Mate lost his arm?

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked.

"Because you are one of two people who'd ever refer to Ki as family." Delta Oran said, "As endless as Ki's healing power seems, it comes with a cost - all heals would."

I nodded. I knew this, in theory anyway. It was the general basic to lycan healing - any wolf who attended lycan study groups would know this. And Delta Oran was right, when I was with Bell, or Ki, they always made it look so easy. Like magic - but magic - real magic was never unlimited either.

"So you're saying Ki is going the heal himself to death." I concluded.

"That would depend on you now, Alpha Princess." Delta Oran smiled.

I nodded. Okay, I was the Alpha. I would protect everyone.

"Just out of curiosity, delta," Harvey asked then, "Who is the other person who had ever referred to Ki as family?"

Wouldn't that be his dad? He had his dad all the way till the rogues attacked his home, right?

"That would be me." Delta Oran's smile never wavered.

Oh. Yeah. Well, that would explain how they shared the same type of smiling mask.

"Unfortunately, it has become clear to me that he no longer regards me that way." Delta Oran sighed in true lorent melodrama, "I do not blame him. At this point, I think its obvious that I am not in any position to protect him."

I didn't think family was anything to do with the ability to protect than the desire to.

"But you WANT to protect him, right?" I asked, I mean, revealing Ki's bloodline limits was also revealing his own. Wasn't Delta Oran speaking up right now exactly for this purpose? "Sometimes young wolves get lost and forget where they came from, but don't worry, if they run enough, eventually, they'll find their home."

Which was something Dad always said, although now, I did wonder if my Dad had always been talking about himself. Did Dad ever regret leaving Night Forest?

Delta Oran's smile stopped suddenly and he adverted his gaze, "The young princess is wise."

That was my Dad, not me, but I decided to retreat and face front again.

The Lorents were a peculiar breed of wolves who loved their branded suits, travelling in cars that cost as much as a house, and shoes that cost as much as a car, pouring tea and narrating everything like they were scripted by the most melodramatic playwright in the world. But I guess they were still wolves, and under their long winded pretense and elaborate customs were wolves who could cry, and bleed, and fart, and everything else like any other wolf would do.

It's just that it was kind of hidden under all the other things, so much so that it was hard for even themselves to see it.

We were back on packlands and quickly heading up the usual road to the Alpha House. At first, I had thought our home was crazy luxurious, but in comparison to the other Alpha Houses I've visited so far, our Alpha House was very modest - even with the indoor pool room. Our car followed my parent's silver town car up the gradual slope and into the driveway. I was surprised to see it so lively outside. We had to slow to a crawl not because Beta Lucas was admiring the scenery, but we had to wait for some of our guys to drag their motorbikes out of the way.

Okay, they were mainly my guys - Neil, Jax, Fluffy, EJ, Barry, Ink, Cobra, and Torque. But it wasn't just the "special team", Flynn and Hank were on the porch steps along with a few other of the other Night Leaf warriors - so not all mine. They were all hanging out or something. Neil said something and Flynn grinned even wider. One of the warriors laughed so loudly, I could hear it from inside the car.

They were all in Night Leaf gear, their motorbikes parked randomly along our driveway. It was like a full platoon of warriors except they looked more like hooligan bikers, no one looked like they knew how to wear a uniform, and they were relaxing against the porch beams or their bikes and chatting in small groups as if they were at a BBQ party.

Harvey's brow creased and his mouth flattened into a thin line. LOL. Someone was going to be blasted... 16 someones if I counted right.

But what in the world was happening here?

"What's going on?" I asked as our car finally pulled to a stop. The wolves on the porch didn't seem to realize they were in trouble. In fact, they looked quite pleased to see our cars.

"Apologies, Alpha." Harvey winced, "I took the liberty to have them at ready earlier, in case we needed back up. I didn't realize they would stay and wait for our return."

I looked again, they were so not "at ready". They were more like "at party." Hahaha. I grinned out of the window, {So fun.}

The moment our car pulled up, EJ was pulling at my door. Harvey sighed and unlocked it.

"Alpha's back!" EJ announced the moment I stepped out.

"Yo, Alpha!" The other wolves chorused. And then it got kind of chaotic.

"Is Rebel okay?" EJ asked me.

Someone bonked him over the head, it was Flynn, he grinned, "That's Luna Bell to you."

Harvey got out, "Why's everyone still here?"

He was asking Flynn, but it was EJ who answered, "Hoi, hoi! Big brother beta! You're back!"

Flynn grinned sheepishly, "The men didn't want to leave."

"Everyone was worried when big brother alpha summoned us all of the sudden." Fluffy smiled.

"I dismissed you more than an hour ago." Harvey ignored the two ex-fightdogs, concentrating his conversation on Flynn.

Flynn shrugged, "Like blondie said, everyone was worried."

Fluffy's smile grew even bigger at the nickname.

The group quietened suddenly when Mum and Dad got out of their car.

"Alpha and Luna are here." Beta Lucas announced.

"Good evening Alpha and Luna!" Suddenly the warriors straightened and bowed properly like good little puppies about to get treats. Dad nodded, "As you were." And Beta Lucas let them into the house.

The moment the front door shut, the magical moment was gone and everyone transformed to their usual.

"Are you okay, Sam?" Flynn asked.

"Of course I'm okay." I said.

Ben got out of the silver car, "You two, put the cars away."

Ben just had to be the boss, "Make sure you park them properly and clean up the slush on their tires. I don't want to see the alpha's cars sitting in muddy water tomorrow morning."

"Sure thing, beta." Dave (one of our regular warriors) nodded. No one seemed to think Ben's bossiness was out of line.

"Woah, what happened to Keys?" Barry suddenly yelled when Harvey opened the passenger door to retrieve the sleeping beta. I wrinkled my nose at the stench of blood now permeating into the cold crisp air.

Flynn came over to give Harvey a hand.

"OH MY GOD, BETA!" Jax yelled, "Bro! What did those b****** do to you?"

But of course Ki couldn't quite answer since he was unconscious. This didn't faze Jax one bit. He simply carried on, "Speak to me, bro!"

Flynn casually flipped one side of the jacket open and drew a sharp breath at the dark red stains.

"F***." Neil said under his breath, but everyone heard it.

The other wolves came over to see for themselves. Flynn whistled lowly, "What the hell happened?"

"Just a misunderstanding." I tried to wave it off.

"They whipped him." Neil said with a grimace, "Again."

Which just made everyone around even more p***ed.

"What the hell? Who did it? WHO?" Wow, even Flynn was mad.

Neil snorted a little, he spoke bitterly, "First time seeing something like this, huh, Delta? It's what happens when you p*** off the alpha."

"Wait, the Lorents did this?" Flynn looked like he was having trouble wrapping his head around it, "Why?"

Neil merely shrugged, "Welcome to the Lorent pack!"

Meanwhile, Ben was already at the other side of the car, opening the door to take Bell out.

Honestly, I didn't think it was a good time to take Bell out. It looked like most of the guys here were already super p***ed off at the sight of Ki returning bloodied like that. Their pack bonds buzzed with indignation - suddenly I realized these warriors weren't just the guys who had been taking orders from Ki, some of them worked together with Ki, others had been Ki's patrol members, training partners, drinking buddies... Night Leaf wasn't all that big, and Ki had become one of us for while now.

Delta Oran was wrong. I wasn't the only other one who regarded Ki as family.

It took them a while, but my betas finally managed to ease Bell out of the car.

"Watch it Ben." Harvey warned, "Be gentler."

"I'm trying!" Ben shot back, "F***, his jacket."

I would have said to just leave the stupid jacket, but EJ bounced over to help pick up the fallen article of clothing.

"Rebel too?" Jax gasped then, "Oh, f*** it all!"