Bab 578: THE BEST LAID PLANS... WERE BENCHED
21 FEBRUARY, SUNDAY, CONTINUED
Harvey raised his hand at this point, "Apologies, Alpha, but we might have a warlock due to visit anytime now."
Oh. Right. I forgot all about Fount.
We seemed to have skipped going around the table. I hope River's Round Table idea worked out better than our earlier attempt. Maybe the wolves in the Snow Moon Pack would not hijack the discussion or get distracted liked the wolves here.
I wondered if they would need heating in their conference room with so many snow wolves. While our wolves got into heated discussions, I've noticed how Alpha Gunter would drop a few degrees every time he was displeased.
Maybe I'll visit my new teacher in the summer. That way, even if I messed up, at least I knew I would enjoy my teacher's air conditioning comfort in the summer heat. Hahahaha.
"I'll go." Bell said, "Ki will come with me. We have the highest chance of going in and getting out in one piece. Ki and I are both white wolves and will not be targeted by the warlock's enchantments. We are also both experienced warriors and healers, and whether he likes it or not, he is my true beta, our wolves naturally complement each other. It would be the most effective way to sort this out without triggering a war or fulfilling any of the other prophecies. The rest of you keep River and Sam here. Whatever happens, keep River out of the warlock's range, or he would likely trigger the fulfillment of my cursed prophecy. And keep Sam away from any action, because you know it would blow up the moment she's involved."
Hey!
And to my chagrin, everyone else was nodding along with Bell's plan and looking at him like he was such a great leader or something. I was the Alpha! I was supposed to be the great leader!
"Ben. Seriously. Keep Sam safe." Bell told him, as if this was the most important thing about his plan.
Ben nodded seriously back.
That's not fair! Even my beta was taking orders submissively from Bell!
I shook my head, "No, no, no. That's not how it works."
Now everyone turned to me, but unlike how they had nodded to Bell's plan, they looked more like deer caught in the headlights, just frozen there. It's like they were already trying to make up an excuse to ignore me and go with Bell.
"I'm supposed to go with Ki. That's how the song goes." I tried to explain my case, but you know how I was at explaining things.
"The song that THE WARLOCK HIMSELF had cast. No, princess. We would not be dancing to his tune." Bell said.
Me dancing to his tune? Look at Bell being exactly the Rebel Fount called him to be.
"You need to play by the rules." I tried to explain to my rebel mate, "That's how prophecies work - everything has to happen as it says, but what it doesn't say..."
I looked at my wolves, but nobody completed my sentence for me. Come now guys, don't tell me you've forgotten about the loophole?
"What you don't see in your prophetic dream, didn't happen. What it doesn't say can be anything." I tried explaining some more...but it sounded random even to me.
"You're talking about following the prophecies like a which-way book again, aren't you?" Ben asked, clarifying my attempt at explaining. I nodded, "Yes, yes, that."
"Yes, yes, what?" Bell demanded.
I sighed and explained (with more help from Ben - even Lizzy chipped in) about which-way books and how there were more than one options for how things might play out.
"That's the most ludicrous thing I've ever heard." Bell concluded.
Well, it sounded pretty convincing the other time!
"I have never heard such a theory before." Alpha Gunter spoke very carefully as if testing each word before he said it, "But, such a notion is not an uncommon theme in our lycan history, and lycan heroes had run through great odds with astoundingly unexpected results. If we see every possibility as paths that wind across the landscape of life, in theory at least, it is quite possible that more than one path would overlap at the point when the prophecy is fulfilled. Then it would be a matter of switching to the right connecting path that would lead to your desired outcomes while bringing you to the next appointed moment."
Yes. Exactly! When Alpha Gunter put it that way, my idea sounded so smart. Not ludicrous at all!
What did they say about lycan teachers? A good teacher is one who can understand someone who is bad at explaining, and explain something to someone who is bad at understanding. I was like five minutes in with Alpha Gunter being my teacher and he was already proving himself to be very helpful.
"But only theoretically." Alpha Gunter cautioned, "In reality, the paths are much harder to distinguish between one another, and who can tell the future to know which path would grant the outcomes you seek?"
Now this I knew the answer to, "I have a very lucky sense of direction. My wolves just have to follow my lead, and I can find the way even without paths."
"Yes!" Gamma Endo clapped his hand loudly, "So let's go with that! You know, we can sit here and talk all day, but we would still be sitting here at the end of the day! Just tell me where you want me to go and I'll be there. Tell me you what you want me to do and it'll be done."
"Yeah, you run, and we'll follow." Jonah was enthusiastic.
"Says the guy who hasn't shifted yet." Ben shot back.
"The goddess likes the save the best for last." Jonah said.
"I haven't shifted either." Lizzy said.
"Uh yuh. The best... Uh. You're the best then, Lizzy." Jonah said. This guy... Was he even trying to win the argument?
Lizzy rolled her eyes at that.
"Ki and I will go return the stone." I said.
"Princess..." Bell growled.
I was sure he was about to say no. Dad didn't look too psyched about my plan either. WHY? Why was it that the two main men in my life (Dad and Mate) had to be so stubborn sometimes?
"Wait! Hear me out!" I mean, I hadn't even had a chance to explain my plan yet, "Ki and I will go return the stone, but we won't go alone."
"You mean you actually have a plan, Sam?" Ben perked up now.
I sighed, "Come on, I've leveled up!"
Ben gave me a dubious look.
"Did you think I was just going to run in and wing it? Okay, don't answer! I'm telling you now I have a plan."
"As expected of our Alpha." Harvey nodded.
"You should have said so from the beginning." Ben grumbled.
"I was trying to! Why did you think I called the meeting? Now if you guys stop interrupting me, maybe I can explain it properly." I flared up again.
"A thousand apologies, goddess, please guide us." Ki smiled.
Gah! Dealing with my wolves was like... I don't know anything else that required more patience at this point in my life.
"Okay, shoot." Ben leaned back, "Do your thinking aloud."
"Okay, you know the entrance to the warlock lands just off Mr Greene's property right? There is a crack in the defenses there, so even a black wolf can slip through undetected."
"Oh, Sam!" Mum gasped, "I'm not sure I even want to ask how you know this."
"Mum, don't interrupt." I said, mostly because I was quite sure she wouldn't like the answer if I told her.
"Anyway, the warlock lands has some kind of shield too - remember how you were both unable to mindlink me the other time?" I turned to Harvey and Ben who nodded.
Mum's hand flew to her mouth, but I ignored her.
"Do we still have that camera and communications set we used when we crashed the Vamp Queen's birthday party?" I asked.
"You..." Alpha Gunter started, and then he changed his mind, "Pardon the interruption, please continue Princess."
Ben nodded, his beta mind had started working on my plan, "So you want to rig Ki and you up with the cameras and coms?"
"Yeah. And you and Bell too." I said.
"What?" Ben could barely hide his excitement. Bell only looked completely shocked. What? Did he think I was going to tie him up at home?
I couldn't help but smile, "Yeah, we go in separately. If the goddess and her pet moon get into trouble, then the death god and devil's spawn can take over."
"I'm the devil." Beta Lucas boasted.
"Once inside, we'd have to wing it - let's find Fount, return the stone, find out what he's been up to, and see what happens from there." I said.
"So in the end, we're still winging it." Ben sighed.
"No! Well, yes, but we have a Plan B. Plan A is everything goes peaceably and we'll rendezvous near Fount's after returning the stone to him and come home together. Plan B is if it doesn't go peacefully, then Bell and Ben can show up and give him hell."
Now I looked to my good beta, "I'll need Harvey to man the coms. You're the only one I trust to stay calm and give us the right directions should we need it. You're our link back home too."
"Leave it to me." Harvey answered with his usual wry smile.
"I need warriors at the ready around the borders. Make sure nothing bad seeps out - particularly rogues, just in case. Bell did say the Rogue King is in town." I look at the gammas and deltas in the room, "Looks like we have four teams. Beta Lucas will take charge of the detailing. Our pack goes into code orange with immediate effect."
"Hoo man!" Beta Lucas grinned, "Don't worry, this old devil's still got it."
"No one called you the devil, Dad." Ben said.
"All the ladies used to call me devilish handsome." Beta Lucas boasted.
Mrs Beta giggled, but Ben only groaned, "FYI, Dad: Nobody cares."
"Jonah..."
"Don't make me guard your parents!" Jonah immediately panicked.
"Chill Jonah. You're guarding River in the packhouse. Make sure he stays here." I said.
"Savy and I can help with that!" Lizzy offered. She was grinning and elbow jabbing Savy who didn't look quite as enthusiastic.
I nodded. Hahaha, "Okay, thanks."
"And what do I do?" Dad ask.
"My beta will be joining us by nightfall." Alpha Gunter informed us, "We are quite willing to help too."
"Okay, thanks!" I was going to take all the help I could get, "The both of you are my Plan C. If Plan A and B goes wrong and we can't deal with this without a war, then we go with Bell's plan. Let's mobilize the underground, and Dad and Alpha Gunter, please storm the warlock forest and rescue us."
"Nix, think you can go out to the outpost and hang there? If we need reinforcements, you need to lead them to lullaby route from there." I said.
"You mean like the Underground?" Nix asked. He sounded a tad more excited than I expected. I mean, basically, Plan C was just to keep my Dad and Alpha Gunter at home till I got back. I had NEVER needed to use my Plan Cs before.
"Yeah, but its really unlikely we'd come down to that." I shrugged, "Plan A had always been enough."
I beamed at my wolves, "But now with all this in place, whichever way it goes, we are going to win this."
"Alright!" Ben got up and pumped his fist into the air, "Our loyalty to the Alpha Princess!"
"Yo!" My other wolves suddenly stood up in unison.
"Wait!" Dad said.
Everyone sat down again, completely silent. Why didn't my wolves ever listen to me like that?
"That's a good plan, Sam." Dad spoke in a measured tone. I waited for the "but."
"BUT I think we can afford to wait it out for a few days." Dad leaned forward in his seat, "There is no reason for you to run into warlock lands if Fount comes out to us. We have the advantage of home ground, and although I have not met Fount for a long time, last we met, we were friends. Perhaps he would come out himself to meet us. I can speak to him personally. You can return the stone safely."
"You have exams this week." Mum quickly chimed in. She obviously preferred Dad's plan too, "You can go fulfill prophecies after that."
"If Fount fails to come for his stone himself." Dad repeated, "And who knows? Maybe everything will blow off by the time your exams are over, and none of this would be necessary. But in the meantime, we will, as Sam has directed be on Code Orange. Lucas have the men at ready and increase the patrols."
Alpha Gunter nodded at Dad's decision, "Waiting watchfully is the first step to hunting successfully."
Grrrr... but what could I do? Dad was the Alpha. I nodded a bow in submission, "Okay, fine. But no one is allowed to enter the warlock forest if it isn't me!"
I pointed at Bell, "Especially you!"
Because there was no way in hell was I going to be the kind of Alpha who needed my Luna to fight my battles for me.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone