A HEALTHY FEAR OF MAMA ROSA

Every Night Leaf pup in my generation grew up with a healthy fear of the Alpha, their fathers, and Mama Rosa. Even as grown warriors, wolves like Hank and Flynn still ducked their heads in greeting and if Mama Rosa were to ask a passing warrior to help carry something to the kitchen, you can be sure it would immediately be done.

It wouldn't matter if the warrior was leaving for an urgent mission or had just clocked out. Mama Rosa was Head Chef of our Packhouse Kitchen, but that was only on the official papers. In reality, she was everybody's Mama - the kind who would always be there for you with something hot and hearty if your stomach was empty, something wise and warm if your heart was empty, and something terrifying if your head was empty.

She was the kind of Mama who believed that foolishness could be beaten out of a pup. My own parents never resorted to it, since my Dad was already 2/3 of Night Leaf's healthy fear all on his own, but I've heard parents tell their pups, "Eat your veggies, or I'll tell Mama Rosa."

It wasn't limited to food related misbehaviors either. Not going to bed, not picking up your toys, playing truant... All these were also under Mama Rosa's supposed jurisdiction too.

I didn't believe it, of course. Mama Rosa never hit pups. I knew for a fact that Mama Rosa loved pups and always had an extra muffin or apple or something for any puppy who appeared in her kitchen. At least it in my previous life, anyway.

Mama Rosa had ever beaten up a couple of drunk warriors with a saucepan because they were mucking around her kitchen for alcohol and made a mess of the prep counters. "Hell has no fury like a woman's wrath." I learned this quote by heart because the warriors used it to conclude this story every single time. This was also a story from my previous life. In this life, Lala was alway too busy with her own burgeoning social life to listen to old warrior stories.

The moment Mama Rosa reached the door, Ben dropped back. He was never one to fight a losing battle. Fluffy held on though, "Hello, Mama Rosa. To what may we owe this pleasure?"

"The ladies say you boys are causing trouble in the Alpha's office." Mama Rosa informed them, "Beta Lucas told me to come and make sure you're doing your work properly!"

Wait, Beta Lucas told her what?

"Urgh, my stupid Dad!" Ben growled, "What the hell!"

"Just give me one moment to put away our work." Fluffy smiled. He signalled Ben who groaned and made a big deal of putting away the 6 sheets of paper on Dad's desk.

It had to be Ben because Harvey and Ki had mysteriously disappeared. I looked about the room and wondered.

Fluffy opened the door for the ladies. The battle at the office door was lost and the ladies marched in triumphant with the dinner trays.

Fluffy did his best to keep Wolfgang and I behind the door, but when he had to pull it further out, there wasn't enough space of Wolfgang.

"I thought I smelt a foreign wolf!" Mama Rosa said.

"Ah, yes, Mama Rosa." Fluffy tilted his head and smiled his beautiful smile, "This is my FRIEND."

And then he had the audacity to wink at Wolfgang!

Wolfgang coughed and didn't know where to look. Poor Wolfgang.

"He's here to talk to Dad about my mating ceremony in winter." Fluffy continued happily.

"Oh!" The ladies gasped.

"Please don't make such jokes, Alpha." Wolfgang admonished sternly.

"Why do you keep rejecting me?" Fluffy asked, completely unrepentant, "Is it because I'm a man?"

Wolfgang raised his hand as a auto-response to whenever Fluffy took it too far, but the ladies gasped and he stopped himself because he realized how badly that would look, "Alpha, please."

Wolfgang said "please" very sternly. Like it was the first time I heard the word "please" being used as a word of reprimand.

I pushed on the door meaning to reveal myself and come clean but Fluffy quickly stepped back and jammed the door back against the wall, with me nearly smashed behind it. I was only saved because there was a shelf that stuck out an inch too far and the door hit that.

"Just kidding!" Fluffy said as he leaned back against the door, "He's actually Dad's pick for Lala' future mate!"

Wait, what? I pushed hard against the door but Lala was just a weak she-wolf and Fluffy was an Alpha one who secretly worked out. He even loudly slammed his back against the door and kept talking to cover the sounds of my protest, "Shhh... Don't tell anyone about Sir Wolfgang. Especially Lala. She's still too young to understand that this is the best for her."

I felt quite sure the ladies would have no idea who this Sir Wolfgang was, but he was a fine young warrior wolf, and although not outfitted for the ball tonight, was still dressed like a very fancy type of Sir-Somebody.

"Ohhh..." The women breathed in this secret they had accidentally stumbled upon. Of course they'd keep this secret from Lala! (Just Lala though, I'm sure the whole pack would hear of my mysterious secret fiance by tomorrow.)

If Fluffy thought I was going to just stand behind the door and take it, he was sorely mistaken! I wasn't the weak La would would silently cry in fear at his bullying ways! I put both hands against the wall behind me and kicked up my feet against the door to pry myself free.

I felt the door move two inches, pushing Fluffy's entire weight forwards, and then Fluffy pushed back on the door harder.

I pushed harder, but the door wouldn't budge. Dammit!

"Well, then our job here is done." Mama Rosa decided, "Beta Lucas said he's coming up with Alpha now."

The Kitchen ladies quickly took their leave at this announcement. They had to hurry to serve the gossip, I mean coffee to the night shift warriors while it was still hot.

"Be gentle with the door, Alpha." Wolfgang worried while the women bustled out.

The moment the last lady stepped out, Fluffy side stepped the door and swung it shut. I fell unceremoniously on my butt, legs and arms wide open.

It took two seconds for Fluffy and Ben to realize what I was doing to fall so spectacularly. And then they burst out laughing.

Wolfgang wasn't amused, "Are you hurt, princess?"

He held his hand out to me but I refused to take it. It wasn't that I was mad at him, since he wasn't the one laughing his head off at my spectacular fall.

Harvey and Ki came out from their hiding place under the table.

"What happened?" Harvey asked, "Or am I going to regret asking?"

The moment Wolfgang heard them, he gave up offering his hand to me and instead took off his coat and dropped it over my lap.

This was the moment that I realized very belatedly how ungracefully I had landed, and how short my white school skirt had been.

Fluffy had come over to ask, "Wolfie...did you see?"

"Barbie panties?" Ben asked, "Like seriously, Sam?"

OMO. Just kill me.

Harvey and Ki politely looked away and pretended they didn't hear it.

This was when I realized that I had not just flashed my panties, I had flashed my rock star Barbie panties. The one I hated, but Mum bought at some $1 sale because no teenager in their right mind wanted to buy them.

To be honest, I had 5 pairs of them and I hated them all equally. I only wore them last night because they were in my drawer, they were actually very comfortable in both fabric and cut, and I believed no one would ever see them. Lala would've changed them for school, but Sam was too lazy to change underwear just to go to school.

I scrambled back up to my feet, grabbed Wolfgang's coat with one hand and smoothed down my skirt with the other in a bid to regain some sense of dignity

"You know, if you peeked, you have to take responsibility." Fluffy informed Wolfgang.

Fluffy and Ben saw it too (and laughed!) How were they planning to take responsibility for that?

But it was too embaressing as it was. And no one else in this room besides my stupid brother and his beta would be so rude as to add on to my humiliation.

Wolfgang went immediately into teacher mode and slapped Fluffy's abs with the back of his hand,."That was uncalled for, Alpha. Beta too."

He gave Ben a warning sideglance and Ben stopped smirking.

If I could disappear forever, I would! Stooopid brothers of mine!

"That's damn childish." Harvey informed them. At first I thought he meant my panties, but no, my good beta was telling Fluffy and Ben off for their behaviour.

"Copy the 'Code of a Gentleman' twenty times once we return to our proper timeline." Wolfgang decided.

"Or volunteer to accompany the Lunas shopping at Gate City during the High Council meeting." Ki offered, his killion dollar smile making its first appearance.

Just the sight of it!

Ki went on to being perfectly Ki again. He approached our dinner set up on Dad's desk and applied himself to cutting the meat to bite size pieces for me. Once he was satisfied having inspected and re-arranged my cutlery just so, he pulled out the chair for me.

Okay, this was worth falling and flashing for.

And note to self: Never wear Barbie panties again. From now on, I would only wear panties I would be proud to flash.

Urm, that came out wrong. I meant, well you know what I meant.

Let's just never review this incident ever again.