บท 573: TO MAKE THINGS WORSE
21 FEBRUARY, SUNDAY, 2:50PM
Two knocks on the door, and Beta Lucas showed up. I looked up surprise at his entry, Mrs Beta came in with him.
"Are you alright to get out of bed, Beta Lucas?" I asked.
This was news to Mrs Beta, she immediately spun around to face her mate, "Were you supposed to be in bed? What happened?"
Wait a minute, he wasn't in bed? I thought he was hurt?
"He pulled an all nighter yesterday." Ben said, and then more pointedly to his dad, "He was suppose to be sleeping or why would I have to be the one to sign out the returning warriors and check all the equipment back in?"
"Yes, well, your Mum wanted to go to the library." Beta Lucas mumbled shaking his head.
"Oh you!" Mrs Beta slapped her soulmate's arm lightly, "You should have told me you were tired."
"Yuh, hur hur hur..." Beta Lucas growled as he nursed his arm. I couldn't tell if he was laughing or groaning.
Luckily Mrs Beta was too distracted by the three humans to really notice. She was studying River in particular, and then she said over the mindlink, {I'm not quite sure if he's human.}
{Of course, he's human dear.} Beta Lucas answered, {What else can he be?}
Aloud, he cleared his throat to take charge, "So you are the three humans who trespassed our lands?"
"Uh, yes, sir." River quickly sat straighter and nodded.
"Please allow me to introduce ourselves." Wilhelm smiled gallantly, "My name is Wilhelm, I am a soldier of the Snow Moon Kingdom. This is Prince River, Alpha Gunter's heir, and his friend and advisor, Keanu. We apologize for the trouble."
Beta Lucas nodded, "Well, I'm sure we'll get it all sorted out in no time. You don't have to worry, our Alpha is a wise and honorable wolf. Just don't try any funny business."
"Thank you for your kind reassurance, sir." Wilhelm nodded his head in a polite bow.
This was not an uncommon way to acknowledge a more senior or higher ranking wolf, but Wilhelm was human. Actually, so were River and Keanu, but I got to say, these guys were very natural when talking to wolves, it was like they grew up with them.
I mean, at the Langston, the humans bowed and did all the polite wolf things too. But it wasn't natural like this, they were really more like well trained humans.
I wonder if all humans in the Blue Packlands were so natural in their interactions with wolves. I mean, even in Gate City, the human residents there were like normal humans. Sometimes they stared too long, they seldom bowed to show respect. But we don't take offense because they're just human. They wouldn't know any better.
Maybe River's idea of a lycan-human society might just be possible after all. I mean, if the humans grew up with lycans (I suppose the way Sabre was growing up now), then it wouldn't be hard to imagine how that kind of living together wouldn't be all that unnatural.
Anyway, everyone else started coming in, sometimes all at once. My betas had invited a whole lot of people. They apparently felt that Gamma Harry, Laura, and Jonah were part of my inner circle, which was weird, but not as weird as Nix, and Lola showing up. The room was starting to feel crowded.
Gamma Endo brought in a very chilly Alpha Gunter.
"There, there, Alpha. See! Your son..." Gamma Endo gestured towards Wilhelm, then River, then Keanu. Deciding that there was no way to tell which one was the son, he waved his hand wider to encompass all three of them, "Safe and sound. What did I tell you? "
"Thank you." Alpha Gunter answered frostily.
Gamma Endo nodded, completely unaware of how irate Alpha Gunter was, "No worries, Alpha. Come, sit down here."
Ben pulled out a chair next to River.
"I mean there." Gamma Endo corrected himself.
Alpha Gunter's icy expression remained unmoved except for the small tick under his jaw. He managed to nod before seating himself down next to his son.
"Hi Alpha Gunter!" I gave him a wide smile. I couldn't help it. Boo seemed to think Alpha Gunter was very fun to annoy - and since Boo's idea of fun usually meant dangerous, I suppose I shouldn't have went with it.
"Alpha Princess." Alpha Gunter allowed with the smallest of nods in my direction, "I don't suppose you have any idea why my son is in your packlands even though I expressedly forbade him entry into the Green Packlands."
I nodded happily, "Yes."
Ben, who was quite aware Boo was currently calling the shots, quickly cut in, "We revoked their visas as agreed. They were the ones who trespassed."
"Yeah, Dad. We trespassed all on our own." River said. Why did he have to sound so damn proud of himself? This guy had no sense of self preservation, "Sam had nothing to do with it."
Alpha Gunter narrowed his eyes at River.
"It was really a fortunate thing that Beta Ben was on duty and intercepted our detainment." Keanu quickly added, "Or who knows what might have happened."
"I'm sure you of all people would have known exactly what might have happened." Alpha Gunter said darkly in response. Unlike with River, Alpha Gunter had very little love for Keanu.
Keanu nodded quickly and bowed his submission, "Quite right, quite right. I should have warned River more repeatedly."
"Dad! It's not Keanu's fault!" River immediately defended his friend, "He did warn me like a hundred times already!"
"Then why didn't you listen?" Alpha Gunter asked, sounding like an exasperated father of a teenager again.
River just laughed sheepishly, "I figured it wouldn't hurt to try."
"It's fine, it's fine." I decided to side River on this one, "You can take it as a calculated risk. We're friends, so he knows I won't let anything bad happen to him."
"But he might just let something bad happen to you." Alpha Gunter shot back peevishly. I think Alpha Gunter really only had love for one person - River. Either that, or he spent too long with Gamma Endo, and hadn't gotten over being rubbed repeatedly the wrong way. (Gamma Endo had that effect on wolves.)
"Well, actually, Dad... I think I already have." River lowered his head.
"What do you mean?" Alpha Gunter's icy coolness was suddenly wiped off, "River, did something happen?"
To this, River silently lifted up the glowing stone from inside his shirt for his Dad to look at.
"His stone has an automated homing function." I explained on River's behalf, "The moment he entered the Green Packlands, it started calling to Fount."
"Then the warlock knows the stone is here?" Alpha Gunter asked.
"Probably." I shrugged.
"What does that mean?" Gamma Harry asked.
"Is that a warlock crystal?" Gamma Endo squinted at River's stone. I suppose Gamma Endo had seen a lot of these hanging from the trees along the warlock lands when he patroled, "Why is it so blue and big?"
Oh right, except the ones hanging in the trees were clear and tiny shards.
"Alpha Kingsley and his luna are here." Beta Lucas announced.
We all stood up and bowed. Even the humans, which didn't surprise me since I've already noticed they seemed used to living with wolves, but the other wolves seemed impressed by how well the humans were conducting themselves.
Alpha Gunter actually bowed when my Mum and Dad enter, "Alpha Kingsley, it appears I am now in your debt."
He was interrupted by a knock on the door. Hank and Flynn joined us - did my betas decide to just invite EVERYONE? They hastily dropped a bow. Dad waved them to sit down without asking for any explanation.
And then Lizzy and Savy pretty much tumbled in. Yup, my betas invited everyone. I'm surprised Bell wasn't here.
There was a bit of commotion at the doorway as Lizzy attempted to drag Savy into the conference room. Savy tried to wriggle free, but Lizzy was much taller and stronger than my little sister. They finally got through the door, Lizzy bowing quickly when she saw everyone else already here, "Sorry, we're late."
Savy didn't say anything. She didn't even bow her greeting to hitch a ride on Lizzy's apology. She just froze there at the door way.
A chair scrapped sharply back as River stood up and pointed, "It's you!"
And then Savy spun around and was out the door in a flash.
"Wait!" River made a move to give chase, but a growling Ben stopped him.
You know, I had always known that River was nothing but trouble, but the extent of the trouble this guy could get into never failed to surprise me. It's as if calling an angry warlock over wasn't enough, now he was calling out to Savy, aka, my dad's baby angel.
"It's her!" River exclaimed, "The girl in my dreams!"
Ben hit him. Wilhelm stood up to block it. But Alpha Gunter raised his hand to stop Wilhelm, so Ben's hit landed directly on River's head, "Eh! Ouch, ouch, ouch, beta!"
So I guess Ben didn't hit very hard.
"River, you have a lot of explaining to do." I told him.
"That's her!" River explained, without making any sense to anyone, "The fairy who told me to come to the Green Packlands!"
"He's her soul mate." Lizzy was much better at explaining it.
It just took us a few moments to reel in shocked silence.
"It's a good thing I didn't actually hit him senseless then." Ben chuckled evilly at the end of it.
"If it's okay..." Lizzy looked anxiously towards the door, "Can I go see if she's okay?"
Dad nodded and waved Lizzy off, "Please do."
"I better go with her." Mum decided.
We watched them leave wordlessly. I had no idea what everyone else was thinking, but I knew exactly what I was thinking, "YOU STOOOOPID IDIOT! That's not a fairy! That's my sister!"
"Oh." River said, "Your sister... but you two look nothing alike! She's so beautiful..."
Ben helped me hit him again, "Watch your mouth, Prince, or I'll punch your brains out."
"Ouch, ouch, ouch... I wish you wouldn't do that beta." River complained rubbing his head.
Hahaha. River was really good with wolves - even bad tempered ones like Ben.
He just trespassed into our packlands, sent a homing signal to a warlock, and claimed the Alpha's baby daughter was his soulmate, and for some reason we were all just studying him like we had come across some kind of cute and strange bumbling creature.
Wolves had been torn into pieces for lesser offences.
Maybe this was what Mum meant when she said purity was a maiden's invisible shield? Hmm... Although River wasn't a girl, I guess it was working for him too. Hahaha.
Dad was understandably less amused than I was, "You are my daughter's soul mate?"
River's response was immediate, but I had to say, it left much to be desired, "Uh...what?"
I flared at that, "You had a dream about her in the forest right? That's a mating dream. The goddess has shown you who your soul mate is."
For a guy who grew up with wolves, River could be really slow about these things.
"Wait, I have a soul mate? But I'm a human!" And then it hit home, "She's my soulmate? No way! How did I get that lucky?"
Which got Dad and the other overprotective males growling. Ben hit River again, just for good measure.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch... Beta! I'll really become stupid if you keep doing that." River complained.
"It won't make any difference for you." Ben assured him.
"River's not stupid." I said in my friend's defense, "He's just a little slow."
"Slower than even you?" Ben challenged.
Hey!
"How old are you?" Dad asked, unflinchingly serious.
River whipped his attention back to the stern alpha, "15, sir."
"Hn." Dad said regarding the young human.
But it was Alpha Gunter who spoke, "This might be a problem, Alpha Kingsley."
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katisnow
katisnow I know at least one of you saw this coming... RIVERxSAVY. OMO.
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