FROM A PLACE OF SUFFERING

4 MARCH, THURSDAY, 1AM

It was way past my bedtime when the meeting finally concluded. It was one of those inconclusive conclusions, but Dad said we all did a good job because now we are all on the same page and were more aware of the options we had to work with. I was only too glad to leave the conference room when Dad and Bell rose to leave.

Ben's hand was on the small of my back, so I assumed he was tasked to accompany me back home. Harvey looked stuck in a conversation with his Dad. Lola waved and smiled from behind her mum. I managed to wave and smile back before Ben pushed me out of the room.

"Don't push." I snapped.

"Walk faster." Ben snapped back.

Now was that the way a beta should talk to his alpha? I growled. Ben growled.

We were way past our bedtime and had both equally regressed.

"Son, I was wondering if you'd like to see Jude." Dad was telling Bell along the hallway.

Wait, what? Ben and I stopped dead in our tracks.

"I do have some unfinished business with him." Bell nodded. On the outside, he was smiling, but it was a cold and unnaturally beautiful smile.

My dad had good instincts, he took a double take at Bell's expression and then he said, "We need to keep him alive though."

"Don't worry." Bell smirked, "I don't intend for him to die so easily either."

Which didn't sound reassuring at all, but Dad nodded, "Let's pay our old friend a visit then."

It was late. I should be in bed. I had a long day tomorrow. I didn't even like Jude! I hadn't liked him from the first time we met. Plus the last time I saw him, he kinda creeped me out.

But I couldn't just walk away. I glanced quickly at Ben who nodded curtly at me and we followed Dad, Beta Lucas, and Bell down to the basement.

Ben and I were very good at following our dads without getting caught. We had been doing it since we were pups. Once, we almost successfully followed them out to the borders.

The first part was easy, we just pretended we just happened to be headed in the same direction.

Our feignt was working well as it usually did, until Ki met us on the ground floor.

"You summoned, Luna?" Ki smiled gently.

"I want to see Jude." Bell answered coldly. I don't think he liked it when Ki called him Luna.

"Understood, Luna." Ki nodded.

And then the men all turned around as if realizing that Ben and I were still there. Ah, busted.

"Sam... It's past your bedtime." Dad tried.

I crossed my arms, "You guys are up to something."

"Hoo man, she got us there." Beta Lucas exclaimed. The other men glared at him.

"It's not like I don't already know." I said crossly. Even without Beta Lucas saying so, I knew my instincts wouldn't be far off.

"You do?" Dad asked, a flicker of uncertainty crossing his face.

"The dungeon isn't a place for princesses." I think Bell was trying to reason with me, but it came out more like he was picking a fight.

"I'm the alpha. I get to go where I wanna!" I shot back.

Now it was Bell's turn to look at Dad. Maybe he wanted Dad to back him up here, but Dad only looked conflicted.

"What exactly do you know, Sam?" Dad asked.

Wait, what did he think I know? If I answered right, would I get to go? But then again, I was more likely to answer wrong.

"I have the right to remain silent." I said.

Ben snorted and coughed into his hand.

"Hoo boy. Here we go..." Beta Lucas sighed and stepped back.

"Sam, it's past your bedtime. Even your mother has gone to bed..." Dad said.

"And it's not like you'll wake her up over something like this, right Dad?" I grinned. Yes! Mum was out of the ring. I was going to win.

Bell ran his good hand through his hair, a clear sign that he was losing patience, "Princess.Go.To.Bed."

I grinned and gritted back at the love of my life, "Make.Me."

"Ah, Luna Bell, it's best we don't provoke her." Beta Lucas quickly jumped in, "She's overtired..."

"I'm not!" I flared.

"Too late, Dad." Ben smirked.

"Shut up!" I snapped at Ben.

"Chi-ka-boom." Ben mouthed to his Dad.

"Shut up! I can still hear you! Shut up, shut up!"

"Sam!" Dad was this close to Alpha commanding.

I managed to stop myself from melting down. Geesh... What was wrong with me? Get a grip, Sam.

"She's too tired, Alpha." Beta Lucas told my Dad.

"Sam always regresses into a brat when she's overtired." Ben said.

"She does?" Bell regarded me carefully.

Dad pinched his brow and sighed, "I know."

"Fine." Dad decided to negotiate, the way we used to when I was a determined dumb pup, "You can come down for five minutes. But only if you promise to keep your wolf reined in and go straight to bed after this."

"Ten." I said.

"Right." Dad sighed as if remembering how our negotiations always went, "Ten. But you leave the talking to us."

"Deal." It wasn't like I had anything to say to Jude anyway.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Bell didn't look entirely convinced.

"Just ten minutes." Dad said.

I wasn't sure if he were reminding me, reassuring Bell, or comforting himself.

So Ben and I got to follow Dad, Beta Lucas, Bell, and Ki to the dungeons. We won. Again. I won't lie. It felt good.

"When we get there, set your timer for ten minutes and then get your alpha back home." Beta Lucas instructed Ben.

"Yeah, yeah. I got it." Ben shrugged it off with his usual bad attitude. Ben was tired too. Ben was always extra attitude and zero tolerance when he was tired.

Dumb pups like us really shouldn't be out so late at night, but I've already regressed properly into a pup. Even Boo had regressed to Wolfie. It's not like I was able to make the mature decision at this moment.

I jumped Mate just as we descended to the second level basement.

{Mate! ❤️}

He instinctively grabbed me with both hands so I wouldn't fall.

"Oh, it's a miracle. His hand is healed." Ben deadpanned. I laughed, but against Mate's shoulder it came out like a giggle.

{So fun!}

Beta Lucas started coughing. Even Dad couldn't stop the tug on the side of his mouth, and Ki let slip one of his real smiles.

I looked up at Bell, quite expecting him to be a glowering volcanic eruption but his expression wasn't angry at all... Oh. I forgot he could make this type of face too.

Our little party hadn't stopped walking, and Bell didn't put me down.

{Cute.}

Eh? I flared.

"Sam..." Beta Lucas stopped outside the dungeon door, "May I remind you that we have serious business here."

"Okay." I wriggled out of Bell's grasp and dropped back with Ben.

The last time I followed Dad and Bell to the dungeons, I was naive and didn't know what I was getting myself into. But it was different now.

For one, Harvey had already given me the tour of the new detention facilities. For another, the fact that Bell called Ki down must mean he needed a healing boost, and I doubt Bell was planning to heal Jude and alleviate his suffering in anyway. I wasn't coming in blind anymore.

I carefully forced Wolfie back. The dungeons was no place for an overgrown puppy. But if just for ten minutes. I was pretty sure I could hold out.

It's not that I had much hope in stopping Dad and Bell from whatever they were planning after that, but at least I tried.

If I ever met Jude's Mama again, I could in all good conscious say I did my best. And then I realized that if I were to be absolutely honest, I hope I never meet Mimi again. I wouldn't know how to face her.

I remembered her face shining with hope and adoration at the sight of her handsome and strapping alpha son. My mum also looks at me like that, but only sometimes, like today after she watched my play or when she saw the video of our band rehearsal.

I also remembered Jude's state the last time I saw him. I don't dare to think what kind of face my Mum would make if she saw me like that.

I sighed, just a little.

"Do you want to go back?" Ben asked quietly. We had followed the others into the narrow waiting area.

I shook my head and lifted a hand to the guards behind the glass. I didn't want the others to think I was just a dumb pup or weak princess.

The guards on the other side had stood at Dad's entrance and were bowing us in like the staff of this Lorent Shopping Mall at opening hour.

I squelched the urge to make funny faces through the glass and looked straight ahead. I could do "serious business".

"What happened here?" Bell asked. I guess it was the first time he was here.

"We renovated the dungeons after the Gyaara incident, Luna." Ki explained with a patient smile, "For a more updated and secured detention facility."

Bell nodded and kicked the nearest wall, "Nice. Looks like a subsidized childcare centre."

I thought it looked a lot like my highschool as well, BUT STILL...

It was okay for me to say since I studied in a public school all my life. On the other hand, Bell who probably never rode or lived or studied at anything public or subsidized wasn't allowed to make such a comment.

Ki smiled, "It also doubles up as the doghouse and asylum."

"The what?" Ben asked.

But too late, Beta Lucas had opened the door and we heard them before we saw them. Two violins screeching like there was no tomorrow.

We couldn't go in because Dad stood frozen at the door.

"Hoo man! What are you two doing? Why wasn't I invited to this party?" We heard Beta Lucas yell, "Turn that thing off!"

"He thinks he's funny." Ben muttered.

Hahahahaha.

The music stopped aruptly.

"Alpha is here!" Beta Lucas barked.

My dad moved then. As if suddenly jolted from his initial surprise. Bell and Ki followed him in.

"A hundred apologies, Alpha Kingsley." Ki explained, "Some of the guys were getting too rowdy at home, so I sent them here too cool off for the night."

Which would sound like rather drastic punishment for being loud around the house, but Ki was good at winning my Dad over, "I didn't want them to disturb your Luna's rest or frighten Sabre."

Dad nodded, "Very good."

Now that he had Dad's backing, Ki took to sorting the mess out. It was a literal mess. EJ didn't just bring a bean bag down. The cell was littered with snack packs and serveral empty cans of orange soda.

The only thing EJ didn't bring was a pair of pants. The redhead stood with a warm hoodie and the barf green shorts.

"Clean up your mess, EJ." Ki ordered.

"Hoo man, looks like you boys had a karaoke party here." Beta Lucas shook his head.

That's because they probably did.

"Why are you here, Fluffy?" Ki continued, "I don't remember sending you out of the house."

Fluffy beamed like the sun, "I needed to practice, and this place is soundproof and has good acoustics."

"And the others?" Ki asked.

"They are sleeping next door." Fluffy answered.

"They said we were too noisy and wouldn't let us stay with them." EJ complained while stuffing the rubbish into his dark blue duffle bag.

Meanwhile, Ben and I stepped in quietly in the background. It was "lights out" time, so the lights were dimmed. I took special care to get behind Ben and stay on EJ and Fluffy's side of the cells.

Ben seemed surprised at being pushed front, but he squared his shoulders and stood his ground, his wolf alert. There was no danger though. I was just using Ben as a shield from unpleasantness.

The bad smells coming from Jude's cell were even worse now, but that wasn't what kept me away. Now that I was here, I remembered why I didn't like being here.

Okay, fine, I'll admit it. Jude frightened me a little. I know he was behind the cell bars and it was perfectly safe, but he smelled like he hadn't bathed in days and was sweating rancid pizza cheese. His dirty blond hair disheveled and unwashed, his face unshaven, his eyes bloodshot... And his beta in the next cell like a dark and anguished beast which would roar haplessly out every now and then, making it clear that he hated me.

I'm not sure what upsetted me more - the fact that we had once, for a very brief meeting, been friends, or the desperate look in Jude's eyes when he clung to the bars, or the deep hatred his beta harbored from the shadows.

Or maybe it was the way Jude called me his princess... Yeah, that was undeniably creepy now.

And now that Bell was here, I hoped Jude had the sense to not provoke my Luna. More than how Jude's deranged state frightened me (just a little), I was afraid of what would happen to Jude now that Bell was here.