My victory was short lived.
Dad sighed and shrugged his broad shoulders. I think he decided to come clean, "Its not that I'm hiding anything from you Sam. I'm just protecting you."
"What are you protecting me from?" I wanted to know.
Dad took pause. He looked at Bell, and then he sighed again, "The list keeps growing."
I think I would have laughed if it wasn't about me.
"But for down here, I would rather you did not meet Jude." Dad confessed.
Dad narrowed his eyes at Bell again, "Or come two feet to any man besides me."
"Ironically, this is also my wish." Bell added with wry mirth.
Jonah immediately checked his dressing, but seriously, Ben and Jonah didn't have to worry. No one seemed to feel they were considered "man" enough to worry about.
"Sam, I know by my saying this, I might possibly only egg you on, but stay away from Jude." Dad warned more seriously.
"Hoo boy, Sam. That boy is…" Beta Lucas sighed and shook his head, "I give up on him."
Bell didn't seem to think their warnings would do any good. So he directed it to Ben, "He's mad and hell bent on taking my princess from me. If you understand nothing else, Ben, know that you must never allow him anywhere near my princess."
Ben shrugged, "Yes, yes. Why does everyone keep telling me this? I KNOW."
Wait, what did Ben mean? Who was "everyone"?
"It's because you always end up doing what she wants." Jonah said.
"Me?" Ben too offence, "What about him?"
Bell raised a brow because he was being rudely pointed at by my beta, but Ben didn't let that deter him, "This guy does everything she says."
Which was not only insulting to any alpha, it was also baloney.
But all Bell did was shrug. He didn't even deny it, "I seem to be powerless to say no to my princess."
Lies! Even though I didn't sense it, I felt quite sure it couldn't be true. What if I told him to stop destroying the world? Would he stop?
The thought make me take pause. Why settle for "not destroying the world"? What if I asked him to be the good guy? To be happy?
"Yah man." Beta Lucas shook his head, "Alpha always gives in to her too."
Dad glared at Beta Lucas for that and shook his head. I felt quite sure Dad was going to correct his beta but he only said, "Although it's true, I do have a soft spot for Sam…my luna is the one who spoils her."
Wait, wth? Like MY MUM? When had Mum ever spoilt me? But that wasn't the point.
"I'm not spoilt!" I mean, the way they were talking! It was like everyone had to give way to me.
"No, not spoilt at all." Dad amended, "My daughters aren't spoilt. Just pampered."
Which didn't sound any better. I mean… those words did not apply to me.
"If I'm so spoi- PAMPERED, then why… " I almost blurted out, "why did I have to sneak around through the back door to get here?" Luckily I stopped myself.
Dad's large hand rested on my head, "Well, she is my puppy. Thank you all for always indulging her."
Beta Lucas chuffed, "That's our Sam too, Alpha."
And to my utter surprise Gamma Endo nodded, "Princesses are supposed to be pampered."
Which was the most lorry thing I had ever heard come out of Gamma Endo's mouth.
P.S. I WAS NOT PAMPERED!!!
Wth.
"Well, then…" Beta Gerald asked now, "If it wasn't to meet Jude, why did Alpha Sam come here?"
"Actually..." I decided to come clean.
{Oh s***.} Ben said over the mindlink to Jonah.
"Hooboy, here we go." Beta Lucas said aloud.
Bell raised a brow. Dad inclined his head towards me. It was like they were all expecting the worst.
Well, whatever. Since I was such a pampered princess, I might as well just say it, "I was kinda worried about Mimi. I guess I just wanted to see if she's okay."
Dad blinked, and then surprised me by chuckling.
"You know, your mum said the exact same thing to me." Dad said, "Almost word for word."
She did?
"Sometimes, you are so much like your mama, my Puppy." Dad's large hand rested on my head.
"I thought everyone said I was like you?" I asked.
"Who said that?" Dad looked momentarily confused, "Like me?"
It gave me just a tiny bit of satisfaction to see my Dad learn something new about himself too. I know it was petty, but if I had to find out that everyone thought I was a pampered princess, then Dad had to find out that everyone thought I WAS JUST LIKE HIM.
Therefore, Dad was a pampered princess. Don't argue with me. I'm seriously not in the mood to be reasonable about it.
"In what way?" Dad asked.
"She looks like Luna but she runs like Alpha." Gamma Harry explained.
"No, actually, Sam looks like Alpha." Beta Lucas said, "Savy's the one who takes after her mother."
"What?" Gamma Harry clearly disagreed, "No, no, no. Both Alpha's daughters are like mini Lunas! Sometimes I don't even know which daughter I'm talking to."
I nodded. That was true - well at least before our first shift and hair color change, both men on different occasions had spoken to me thinking I was Savy.
"Edna says the princess has Alpha's eyes and Luna's smile." Gamma Endo informed us.
"Oh." Gamma Harry seriously considered this.
"Well she is as much my Luna's daughter as she is mine." Dandy Dad shrugged it off with a wry smile. To me he nodded towards the corridor into the Dentention Facilities, "Mimi's still there. I think she'd be relieved to see you well too."
"Wait." Jonah realized aloud, "You mean we ran round through the back door for nothing?"
Ben hit him.
"Oooofff..." Jonah really wasn't the most subtle wolf. Then again, Night Leaf wolves were all pretty straightforward like that.
But now that Jonah said back door, the elder wolves looked over to the door where our shoes were propped along the wall, clearly evidencing where we had been prior to this.
"You boys took our princess to the Rogues Graveyard?" Endo said disapprovingly.
"At least I didn't try to bury toxic waste there!" Ben shot back because he was real mature like that.
Dad frowned.
"Don't worry alpha. I redirected Nix to send the bags over to the incinerator plant." Ben quickly added.
"Don't worry, alpha." Beta Lucas also tried to reassure Dad, "The place is clean today."
Wth did that mean?
Dad sighed, "I guess that's the part that's like me."
"Yes." Gamma Harry was happy to repeat, "She runs just like you, Alpha."
Dad shook his head and patted my head again, "Well, let's hope you've inherited your Mama's good sense."
Nope. None whatsoever.
Dad checked his watch, "Well, if you want a private moment with Mimi, then you probably have another ten minutes. Or else you can meet Mimi with your Mum over tea in our living room."
Wait, what?
"Mum's having tea with Mimi?" Like what Jonah said - why did we run all the way around to the back door?
Dad nodded, "And Alpha Mike. We're letting him off with a fine."
"It was daylight robbery!" Gamma Endo grinned proudly.
"Just a slap on the wrist." Bell shrugged, "Alpha was merciful."
"For a minor alpha, it's like paying a tooth and a nail." Beta Lucas said.
Dad sighed, "There is no need to make things harder for them than it already is."
Bell looked like he wanted to disagree, but before he could press his argument, a black void door opened adjacent to him.
Laru stepped out of the black fumes that poured out and dropped an elegant bow, "Your majesty, Prince Heller and his princess request your audience."
The rest of us just stood there stupefied at the scene. I mean… this was like standing around at home squabbling over nothing important, and then suddenly interrupted by something that only happened in lycan legends. I guess it's been happening for a while now, but it was still disconcerting.
Bell smirked, "Fine."
To us stupefied folks, he nodded a bow - mostly to Dad, "I will leave you here, Dad."
Then he took the two steps to meet me. His hand grasped the lock of blue hair closest to him and brought it to his lips, "Until we meet again, princess."
"Take me with you!" This was Ben. Even though Boo was thinking the exact same words, it was Ben who spoke out.
"You're going to the Colored Mountains, right?" Ben demanded, "Take me too, Luna."
Bell smirked, "You may follow... If you dare."
Just before he stepped through the doorway and into the void, I called out warning to his back, "Don't you dare lose Ben in the void!"
Bell turned just an iota, "Don't tempt me, princess."
And he was gone, oh my heart! (Bell, not Ben.)
Ben grinned, "I'm going. Dad, tell Harv to cover for me and Mum not to wait up."
And he was gone too.
Laru bowed neatly and stepped through last. The void dissipated into black smoke and vanished before our eyes.
"Your boy runs just like you too, Luc." Gamma Harry informed Beta Lucas.
"Hoo boy." Beta Lucas shook his head, "His mum is going to kill me."