TOO MANY ALPHAS

Because of the Mac and Cheese Awards, I was late home. I couldn't even do my homework because I had to stand most of the way in the crowded train.

"Sam! Why are you home so late?" Mum asked the moment Killion let me through the front door. (I forgot my keycard.)

"Something came up." I said.

"You didn't answer your mindlink! You left your phone at home! Next time, if you have to stay back, at least let Ki know - he could drive out to get you." Mum said, "The rogues are getting bolder. Lately they've been kidnapping young girls the moment the sun sets."

I looked outside. It was already dark, "Yeah. Okay."

I'd like to see them try to kidnap me. I'll teach them a lesson they would never forget! Or I'll let myself get kidnapped and Dad could come teach them a lesson for me. Or Bell. Hoohoohoo... My evil mate will make you regret the day you were born - or at least the day you started kidnapping young girls.

I grinned at the thought and headed to my room and went straight into the shower.

Savy was in her bunk reading manga. If I hadn't known better, I would have thought that she had solidified into a statue since last night. But this was normal for Savy, to become so engrossed in something that she would "disappear" into it for hours and days. Sometimes weeks.

We completely ignored each other. This was also normal for us. It might seem like we were distant or that we had fought, but it was more because we were so close and secure with each other that we never felt the need to greet each other of we had something better to do atm.

Lizzy had commented that this was weird to her, the way it was weird that Savy and I always trespassed each others space but never fought. Was that really so strange? Then again, Lizzy also did qualify that she wouldn't know about having a sister anyway since all she had was Ben.

Ben and Lizzy also ignored each other at home a lot but it's only when they just didn't feel like arguing atm.

I think Ben and Lizzy were the weird ones if you asked me. They quarreled about every single thing and can never agree with each other at any given time when they were alone, but automatically teamed up against anyone else (other than Savy and me, of course.)

Not that Ben would ever go against me, or I go against Lizzy tbh. As far as possible, I've always tried to please Savy and Lizzy. It just seemed easier.

{Mate! Mate! Mate!}

Oh, Mate is here.

I turned off the shower in time to hear Mate hit his head on the bunk getting up.

I smiled at his low growl and choice Lycan words. Hahahaha.

Then he left the room.

I wondered if he even knew Savy was in the room. Or if Savy had noticed him either.

There would be Thursday Training later. I got out of the shower to get my clothes, but realised they were already laid out on my dresser. Navy blue sports bra and yoga pants, and a white loose t-shirt with a 'A' printed on it.

Why an 'A'? Usually, if my stuff had an initial on them, it would be an 'S' for Samantha. So 'A' is for... Alpha?

Hahaha. This was a good t-shirt.

I could smell dinner.

"Mum says it's dinner time." Savy informed me as she took off her earphones and got off her bunk, "And Bell is here."

So she did notice him.

"Look!" I showed Savy, "A is for Alpha!"

Savy looked and then she made a face. Her lips were pressed together as if considering if she should tell me.

"What? No?" I asked.

Savy smirked, "Sam, oh Sam, sweet innocent Sam."

"What?" I asked again, getting annoyed.

"That just the brand's logo." Savy told me.

"Oh." I said.

Then that would be meaningless to me.

I shrugged, "I don't care. 'A' is for Alpha."

Savy cackled then, just as I noticed she was wearing the same outfit. The only difference was that her pants and sports bra was a dark wine red. She pulled up her hair in a high side ponytail. It seemed like the high ponytail thing that the cool girls in school had been sporting was really the thing now.

"A is also for the Alpha's sister." Savy said.

I sighed. It's not the same if everyone else was wearing it!

We went out to the dining table. Mate was already there, he had a t-shirt with the same 'A' on it, but it was black, long sleeved, and tight. Plus a pair of navy blue joggers which hugged at all the right places. A silver bangle shone brightly from his left wrist, just peeking out from under the sleeve of his T-shirt.

The sound of Savy cackling next to me snapped me out of it.

"The 'A' doesn't stand for Alpha." I informed mate.

Mate ignored my kind information, "Where is your bangle?" Rood. Just rood. But he was improving since he hadn't asked if I were stupid. Either he had improved in his social skills or he had figured out the answer to his question.

"In a safe place." I answered.

"Why aren't you wearing it?" Mate growled.

"Why are you mad?" I asked.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Killion rush into my bedroom.

Mate growled now, but wordlessly. WTH.

"Why aren't you wearing your bangle?" Mate asked again.

"Cos I didn't want to lose it." I said.

Killion reappeared from my bedroom with the said bangle. He gave it to mate. What? Who's side was he on anyway?

Then again, mate was almost snarling when he snatched it out of Killion's hand. Killion all but bowed and stepped back. Mate's Alpha anger was pretty intense. Even Mum and Savy had stepped back.

But not me. I'm used his stoopid anger.

Mate took my left hand and slipped on the bangle. He pulled it all the way up above my elbow. Oh, it didn't hurt at all, seems like it really was magic, shifting its size to fit, it felt almost elastic on my arm.

"You are not allowed to take off this bangle. You will wear it to school. You will wear it to train. You will wear it to sleep. You will wear it to shift. You will ALWAYS wear it." Rebel dared to order me.

Stoopid mate. You're not the boss of me. I grabbed the bangle to tug it back off.

Rebel grabbed my arm, "Do not take it off."

"What's the big deal?" I argued. What the hell was wrong with this guy?

"The big deal is you are mine. And I want all the male wolves around you to know that. You are mine, and no one else can have you." Bell minced every word. It would have been scary except for the fact that he was talking crazy.

I laughed it off, "You don't have to worry about that. Nobody is interested in me like that. The guys just see me as one of the guys anyway."

"I don't see how that is possible." Bell's deep voice said. I almost took it as a compliment, except that he had to ruin it by adding, "Forget it, you're just a kid."

"I AM NOT A KID!" I pretty much snapped. For everything else I didn't say, my hair spoke volumes for me.

Dad let himself through the front door, "I'm home."

He took one look at the half set dining table, and the rest of us standing around it. I suppose my flaring hair was a dead giveaway too, "What's going on?"

"Bell called me a kid!" I complained.

Dad made a sound like he was going to laugh, but it turned out to be a cough, then he looked at Mum.

Over the years, my Mum had become an expert in dealing with my upsets. I'm not sure if this was a Luna skill or a mother skill. There were a few ways my mum would deal with me based on the level of severity.

LEVEL 1: Dismiss/ignore/brush it aside and introduce a distraction.

LEVEL 2: Comfort/soothe till my wolf settled down and suggest a solution

LEVEL 3: Mindlink Dad to come take care of it.

LEVEL 4: Settle it herself by facing me off and then grounding me.

Mum who had been watching me argue with Bell until now, gave her diagnosis, "Bell is taking care of you dear, now calm your hair and sit down for dinner."

She was dismissing me? Of all the nerve! Everyone else immediately took the cue from the expert.

"Yeah, I can't eat with it waving all over like that." Savy who sat next to me said.

Killion had disappeared into the kitchen and the food was quickly plated and served.

Savy sat down in her chair.

"You better get your hair to calm down or you can't sit here." She told me with a grin.

Grrr... As if I could control my hair! My hair was uncontrollable! My hair was being stroked by Mate's large warm hand, "Shhh... Baby, I wasn't mad at you."

I don't care who you were mad at, or if you were mad at all! And don't call me baby! I was all ready to explode.

Except that my hair was turning languid and falling like silk between Mate's fingers.

And then Killion took out something yummy that made my mouth water.

I couldn't really muster an explosion on an empty stomach anyway.

Mate pulled out a chair for me. I sat down and crossed my arms so he knew I was still annoyed. Most girls meet Mr Right, but I'm stuck with Mr Bossy.

Soon Killion was back with the last plate and seated with us. Dad started dinner.

Mum asked, "How was everyone's day?"

And everyone was talking and laughing about their day as if I wasn't there.

I was the Alpha who got no respect in my own home. Seriously, it's like no one cared that I was the Alpha! They weren't even a tiny bit terrified of my wrath.

But for some reason, that thought calmed my wolf even more. As long as I have this home to come back too, everything would be okay.

"Eat." Mate commanded me.

I opened my mouth to tell him to shut his, but he simply popped a forkful of warm yummy stuff in my mouth.

Oh yum... What was this? A dumpling? It had potato and stuff mashed up inside. Plus it was coated with some kind of tangy tomato sauce. My mouth was in love.

Then I noticed Killion picking up his fork to eat. Oh, the guy still didn't start eating until I did?

Sometimes I forgot he was my beta.

Poor Ki. In our house, he was like the lowest ranked wolf.

HIERARCHY OF SAM'S HOUSE

Dad the Alpha

Mum the Luna

Bell the good Alpha son

Sam the future Alpha brat

Savy the little princess

Ki the Beta family pet

There were too many Alphas in this house.

Even a beta wolf like Ki had become the omega. Which made me think how in school, Liam who was a perfectly capable warrior wolf was the omega in our small pack - I mean if you defined Omega as the weakest wolf in the pack. Bra always called himself just a weak wolf when with the guys on the train, but he was definitely a strong warrior wolf too.

I wondered if 'Omega' was really a relative thing. Like Dean was the Omega in our pack, but when he visited my school, none of the other wolves knew. To them, Dean was at least a normal wolf. The omegas in their packs were even weaker?

Did that mean that Dean would have been a normal wolf anywhere else? It's just that our pack had relatively stronger wolves?

Just like if there were two Alphas, only one of them would be the Alpha, the other one would take a Beta role? Well, no, most of the time they will fight to the death, or one of them would leave and start a new pack, or mate into a pack without a male alpha.

Most Alphas won't make good Betas.

I thought about my school pack. See, there was an example of two strong Alphas coexisting. Wait a minute, but I was the stronger Alpha, so why was Henry leading it? Marcus played Beta and I just fooled around and did whatever I liked. What role was that? The Luna role?

I stole a peek at Mate. I wondered how having two Alpha wolves in our pack was going to work out.

I mean, I know better than to think Mate's wolf was a Luna wolf. Plus, unlike Henry, his Alpha wolf was actually stronger than mine. Just a teensy weensy bit.

I hate to admit it, but it was true. I had met my match, and I don't mean it in a romantic way.

I mean this was serious. Our entire pack's security depended on how we worked this out. There could only be one Alpha. (And it might not be me afterall.)