20 FEBRUARY, SATURDAY, 2:45PM
Yes, it was going to take 10 whole minutes to get to the second floor ballroom entrance.
Dad led Mum and his betas out across the plush carpeted corridors.
I followed behind, Ben's hand on my back while Ki and Harvey took the rear.
There were now blue warriors stationed in guard duty at various points of our floor. It was kind of weird, like being at the Lorents, where there were a lot of guards standing on duty, watching silently... Just watching and protecting with the power of their eyes.
But these were my wolves, and Boo was super pleased to to see them.
For a moment, it felt like we were about to go for a run together, I could sense the mindlinks flaring and I was feeling fierce, and then I couldn't help but notice that Dad with his grey suited Betas, and me with my blue suited ones... We were just like a human version of our car convoys. Hahaha.
{Let's go! Let's go!} Boo crowed into the mindlinks around.
Dad's "convoy" slowed, chuckled, and continued walking again.
{Our young alpha is full of energy as always.} Beta Gerald observed over the mindlink.
{Alpha, your brother asks again when would be a good time to meet today.} Beta Lucas said.
Dad sighed reluctantly, {Alright. I don't know why he has to meet. I just saw him last week.}
{He's your younger brother. He feels it's only proper to make time to greet you.} Mum reasoned, {Why don't you both go for a drink together before the ceremony later?}
{Fine.} Dad was still disgruntled about it, {I hate these formal things.... Lucas, please arrange for it.}
{Our hotel has a quiet bar on the third floor for business meetings. On Saturdays, we invite notable jazz bands to perform live.} Beta Gerald suggested.
Oh right, Gold City was the home of jazz.
{I wanna go too! To the live performance - not the meeting with Uncle Louis.} I decided to be very clear about this, because I really didn't want to have to sit and listen to Dad and Uncle Louis go on for hours about the economy, politics, or education system.
{Sam?} Mum sounded surprised. We had just stopped at the lift lobby to wait for our lift. The adults turned to look at me.
Opps. Was that a private mindlink channel? How was I supposed to know?
{How much did you hear?} Mum wondered.
{It's not me. You were all just thinking too loud.} Don't blame me!
{Apologies Alpha.} Beta Gerald looked puzzled, like he was trying to figure out where he might had slipped up in the mindlink, but couldn't.
Because he didn't slip up.
Mindlinking was more of an instinctive thing than a technical thing, so it wasn't like he could troubleshoot "when your private link accidentally leaks."
Control over your mindlinks was mastered from experience, so older wolves were usually far better at mind linking securely.
So yeah, it was kind of weird that a kid like me could accidentally hear what was supposed to be adult conversation. I quickly retreated before anyone suspected me of eavesdropping. I wasn't! Well, I wasn't doing it on purpose anyway. Darn my "gift of insight!"
"Sam, mindlink." Ben ordered aloud.
"Mindlink yourself." I huffed. Was that anyway to invite your alpha to a mindlink discussion? But I got onto their Beta channel anyway, because I wanted to know what was up.
{What's up with the elders?} Ben asked.
This was when I realized that my betas could only see the grown ups' expressions, without the words. It was like watching a movie on mute.
{Nothing. There is a bar with a jazz band. Can we go later?} I didn't quite feel like admitting to eavesdropping.
{Since when did you like jazz?} Ben wanted to know.
Yeah? Since when did I like jazz? I shrugged, {I just wanted to try it. The band's playing live.}
I liked live performances. at least I think I would. I hadn't gone to many, but it sounded like fun.
{As oppose to playing dead?} Ben asked, and then he chuckled at his own joke.
I rolled my eyes internally at it.
I can't believe I was going to be stuck with a mini Beta Lucas. I wondered how many years before Ben would fully morph into his Dad. I mean, I had never seen the resemblance before, past their dark hair and green eyes, but now that Ben was literally growing up so fast, he was getting taller and more angular. Plus Beta Lucas displayed the kind of bad attitude not unlike the one he always complained of his son exhibiting.
{The bands play at the Quiet Bar on the third floor. Tonight's performances comprises of some of the top jazz musicians.} Harvey informed us.
Not just Ben, but Harvey too. I got the feeling Harvey might be offended if I told him so, but he was a lot like his Dad in many ways.
I looked at Ki. I've never met Ki's dad, but it wasn't like I could ask, "What's your dad like?" Ki's dad was a really touchy subject, that came with a lot of thorns - even more so than his late mate, or even Bell. Ki raised a brow at me, {Is there anything I can do for you, goddess?}
I shook my head, {Nn. Nothing. You're all perfect the way you are.}
The lift came and we all got in.
The lift at The Langston was larger than the one in our packhouse. We could all fit inside comfortably enough to squeeze one or two more guys. I'm not sure exactly how high The Langston was, but my ears started popping again. Grrr...
"Sam, please behave yourself. Don't wander off on your own or anywhere out of my sight." Mum note my shifting mood and decided to nag me on the way down. I'm not sure why she thought that would help, but I laughed it off.
"Don't worry, Mum." I let my hair flare up a little, "I'm not easy to miss."
Mum sighed, "Sam, please be serious."
But I wanted to play! We were going to something fun. At least that's what Boo thought - and Boo was often right about things like that.
"Don't worry, Luna." Ki assured her, "At least one of us would be by her side at all times."
"Thank you, boys." Mum was properly grateful, "That takes a lot off my mind."
"Its just a party, Mum. Just chill. We go in. We smile. We listen politely to our host welcome us. And then we eat..." I caught sight of Ki's expression, "I mean we DON'T EAT. And then we go back to our suite. Easy."
"Oh, Sam!" Mum sighed again, but she was smiling now, "You can eat, just one or two pieces of whatever you like. Be careful you don't accidentally drink anything with alcohol..."
Now she started worrying again.
"Please Mum, my nose is working just fine. There is NO WAY I'd accidentally drink alcohol." I wrinkled up my nose in distaste.
Mum nodded, "Well, I'm sure your betas will take care of that too."
My mum would trust these three guys over me to not accidentally get drunk. Sometimes, I can't help but wonder what kind of dumb pup my mum saw when she looked at me.
"Please rest assured, Luna, we will take care of our alpha." Harvey said in his calm and gravelly voice, and immediately Mum was completely at peace again.
The lift slowed as we reached the second floor.
"Listen to your betas, Sam. Smile, and for goddess sake, don't get into any trouble." Mum told me just before the doors parted. Then she pasted on a smile and stepped out on Dad's arm, and what seemed like a hundred pieces of lighting flashed at them from outside.
"Alpha Kingsley! Alpha Kingsley! Beautiful Luna!" Strange men started shouting even as the flashes went on.
I freaked. My hair rising up to touch the top of the lift. No one said anything about this!
"Sam, calm down, smile, and walk." Ben hissed into my ear. His breath tickled. I was about to push him away, but he pushed me first, on the small of my back, so that I would step out first.
I dug my heel in. My hands went cold, and I literally felt my legs go shaky. I HAD NEVER FELT LIKE THIS BEFORE.
Okay, chill. I've got this. I took a deep breath.
"Mindlink, Sam." Ben hissed again into my ear. I opened up my mindlink, it was Ki, {You can do this, goddess. Keep smiling and walking. They will not follow past the ballroom doors.}
I shut off my mindlink. I did not need that. I did not need hand-holding or guiding! I'm the Alpha.
The moment I remembered that, I let Boo out. Which was a bad move because Mum did warn me not to get into trouble, but in the light of what I was about to face - the flashing light and noisy men, I decided I'd rather be known for whatever Boo might do, than be seen in anyway afraid.
The Third Trial was walking across the firing range (of cameras). Now I understood, the red carpet was red for the blood of those who were shot on it (with cameras).
Okay, now that I thought about it, it did sound kind of lame, that me, the Alpha, would have cowered because of a bunch of cameras behind a red rope barrier. It would have sounded lame to me too. Omo. Was this what a phobia was? And of all the phobias in the world, I had developed camera phobia? Was there even such a thing?
I mean, logically, the camera couldn't hurt me. WTH.
Ben pushed me on the small of my back again. The lift started beeping because Harvey was holding the door open button too long.
"Should we go back?" Ki asked.
Harvey scanned his key card and punched the top button. It had "A1" printed on it and sat on top of A2, A3, and A4. A for Alpha. That's me. So WTH was I freezing up here for?
I stepped forward just as the lift door began to shut. Both Ben and Ki stuck out their hand to stop it.
"Shit." Harvey quickly put his finger back on the "Open" button.
Now the outside was quiet again. I guess Mum and Dad had made it to the ballroom. I should've just followed them out when Ben had first cued me, but it was too late to hide behind Dad's shadow now. I shrugged off the bad feeling I got. Come on, Boo. Let's go.
And then I walked. The first step I took, felt tentative, even for me. But the moment I stepped out of the lift, the cameras started going off, and there was no way in hell that I was going to look lame and scared, so I lifted my chin, gave my widest smile and waved at the strangers yelling, "Alpha Princess! It's the princess!"
I'm not sure why they sounded so surprised - as if they had struck lottery or something. Of course it was me. Who else would be riding the lift with my Dad? Santa Claus?
I didn't need Ben to push me, or Ki to coach me, or Harvey to... well, actually, him holding the lift door open was good to have around. But the point was, I was the alpha. I could do this by myself.
The lights were blinding though. I hated the flash. It was too bright - was it even necessary?
I made my way across the red carpet. My first instinct was to walk as quickly as possible to the end of it, BUT I remembered that ladies should glide - not rush, so I slowed to smile and wave.
"You're looking hot, princess!" Someone yelled.
"You! Don't be rude!" Ben pointed the man out.
I laughed.
The rest of the way there was a blur. Somewhere near the ballroom doors one of the men leaned over the red rope and the Fire Ants standing at the doorway stepped forwards, "Please step back, sir! Please stand behind the line."
This was when I noticed red tape on the carpet about half a meter from the rope.
But this man didn't have a camera - well he did have a camera, but what he was holding out across the red rope was a pony - yes one of those build-it-yourself ponies that Sabre wanted. This one was white, with a blue mane, "Alpha Princess! Please sign this! For my daughter!"
The other camera wielding men looked with disgust at his unprofessional behavior. They were supposed to be shooting photos for whatever publication they represented, not collecting autographs.
And then one of them had a bright idea, "Yo Alpha Princess! Over here! Come sign the pony!"
Suddenly the cameras around the pony all lifted up at the ready. Oh boy.
Ben nudged me on the small of my back to steer me away. We were so close to the ballroom, just a few meters away.
"I'm going to have to ask you to stand back sir!" The fire ant said.
"Please stand back or we will have to..." Another fire ant said, but he stopped because I had come over.
"Oh boy." Ben groaned his now empty hand.