In the fifteen minutes, Savy managed to put up Haylee's hair in a small, cute, messy bun with the beaded hair tie and give Haylee an express birthday manicure. It would have to finish drying during the meeting at the pack house, though.
There were so many of us that we had to meet in the conference room of the pack house, and even that was a squeeze.
But man, was I glad to see the guys! Was it like, what? Five days since I last saw them?
Well, I saw Jonah last night, but we were both busy.
Or maybe it was an Alpha thing. Being surrounded by my Betas and Gamma, I felt a power surge, and my Wolfie was happy. If I had a tail, it would be wagging.
I couldn't stop the smile. "Yo, guys! Hi, Lizzy."
"Yeah, yo," Jonah said. Ben lifted a hand from his pocket.
"Hi, Sam," Lizzy said. "I heard you're now the school princess."
The boys laughed at that.
"I don't even go to your school," I sulked.
"Yeah, if you did, they would know better," Jonah muttered, and we all laughed.
I noticed Savy had sat down next to Lizzy. Haylee was still watching us from the side.
"You all know Haylee, right?" I said.
"Yeah, hi." "Hey," the guys said.
"Wanna sit with us?" Lizzy offered.
I pulled out a chair across from the girls. Then Ben and Jonah came over. Harvey and Nix, and another girl too.
"Hi, Princess," Nix smirked at me.
His greeting was met by a chorus of growling, because if there was one thing that rang true for every male who had ever been close to me, it was their damnable overprotective nature. Seriously.
I don't even know why.
{Because you are precious.}
Whatever it was, Nix had picked the wrong time to flaunt his sass at me like that. This time, I had two Betas and a Gamma with me. And he had… zero hyena brothers to back him.
Wolves were definitely scarier in numbers.
So, Wolfie, what should we do?
Because I knew exactly what I wanted to do…
"Hi yourself, Nix," I smirked back. "I heard you were in big trouble."
Nix looked confused for a moment, and then came the easy smile. "What kind of trouble, Princess?"
I looked at Harvey and covered my mouth. "Oops, he doesn't know yet?"
Harvey's mouth was a grim, tight line, but I knew it was more because he was fighting the urge to smile. He shook his head.
"Oops, forget I said anything," I told him.
"What trouble are you in now?" Gamma Endo questioned.
And from the look on Nix's face, I had just uncovered his greatest fear. Hahahaha. Nix was afraid of Gamma Endo.
"Princess, this is Lola, Nix's cousin. Her mum, Edna, is our secretary," Harvey made the introductions. "Lola is training to be the next secretary."
Lola was a beautiful girl with tan skin and light brown hair that fell in waves. Her lashes were really long. And she looked strong too. Very few girls were my height, but Lola might actually be just an inch taller.
My wolf was in love.
{My Gamma.}
Okay…
I looked at Nix. Nothing.
I looked at Lola. {My Gamma.}
I sighed.
"It's nice to meet you." Lola's voice was clear, feminine, and strong.
"Hi, Lola, I'm Sam." I returned the smile. "How old are you?"
"Sixteen," Lola answered.
"Cool." I grinned. "I've always wanted an older sister. Please take good care of me."
Lola broke into a genuine smile at that. "You know, I was just thinking the same thing. Okay, Sam, you're with me now."
Yes! Score!
I grinned and stuck my tongue out at Harvey. "She's mine now, Beta. She sits with me."
Harvey pulled out a chair for Lola.
"Wait, why?" Nix turned to Harvey. "You're going to go with that, Harv?"
"It's just a chair, Nix. I'm still the Beta," Harvey shrugged.
Lola looked surprised but sat down.
"Thank you," she said to Harvey.
"Welcome," Harvey politely intoned back.
Wow. Morning Light… When they were polite, they were upper crust. When they were not… I thought of Nix and his hyena brothers. They were really the bad boys of the packlands.
Harvey was going to sit between Lola and Nix, but I pointed him opposite me. So he and Nix moved directly opposite me to sit next to Savy, Lizzy, and Haylee.
I nodded at him.
Ben sat on my left, Jonah on his other side.
As Harvey took note of the positions, I gave him a smile—one that he recognized from last night with the rogues. He nodded back.
The adults, who were just watching the musical chair game, started to sit themselves now.
Edna, the secretary, sat next to Lola, presumably so they could share notes.
Dad sat at the head of the table, Beta Lucas and Gamma Harry on Harvey's side. Beta Gerald and Gamma Endo on my side. My Mum was seated next to Dad, but all the other ladies were at the end of the table.
My arrangement was different.
I had put Harvey in front of me because I'm relying on his guidance and experience. I put the girls where I could see them, because I liked always knowing that they were all right, and I would know if any of them had an idea or thought by their expression, even if they didn't voice it right away.
Wait, but Dad put the ladies opposite them too. But Mum on his side, probably to keep him calm or sane. Hahahaha.
I had put Lola next to me on a whim, but now that I saw the notes her mother and she had laid out—the only notes in existence on the meeting table—I realized this was a good spot if I wanted visuals.
Ben and Jonah were next to me, but I was turned slightly, keeping them behind me. I didn't need to see their expressions. I knew I would hear them growl or grumble. And I was physically close enough to Ben, at least, to sense his mood.
They're both nervous. It was our first big meeting. I turned around to give them a broad grin.
It'll be fine. We will take our cue from the older wolves.
My dad opened the meeting, and the agenda was tabulated on the spot. Lola and her mum both wrote.
"I'm practicing," Lola explained quietly to me, our heads almost touching. "After this, I'll compare it with my mum's."
Lola's handwriting was large and cursive. Very beautiful and elegant.
"I wish I could just type, though. It'll be much faster," Lola told me.
I nodded.
I let the adults discuss all the basis and issues of the merger. They pretty much were for it "in principle," which I interpreted as "no promises."
As Gamma Endo had pointed out, "There's actually just one issue."
No one knew how to get around Alpha James.
Dad frowned. "I'll try talking to him again."
And we moved on to item two of the agenda. It was entitled "The Next Generation Leadership."
Assuming that our packs would merge, pending how Alpha Lorent might take it, the next item would discuss the future leadership of the united pack.
My dad introduced me formally as his eldest and the future Alpha. And then he handed the time over to me to share my ideas about how it might work out.
"It won't be set in stone. We just want to know what you have in mind as the future Alpha," he assured me, but he was looking at the other adults when he spoke.
I could see Nix's mouth fall open at that. His dad spoke the protest for him. "But she's just a young girl! We can't leave the future of the pack in the hands of a young girl!"
Gamma Endo looked around for supporters. He turned to Beta Gerald. "Beta, you think so too, right? Don't be quiet if you disagree, or you'll put all of us in deep s***."
Growling all around the room. I'm beginning to see where Nix got it from. I bet Nix was good at heckling a crowd too. Hahahaha. It's not a terribly unuseful skill in my book.
Beta Gerald raised his hand to speak. It was a very familiar movement to me because I've often seen Beta Lucas use it. I took it to mean that he did not want to be interrupted until he put his hand down.
"Personally, I find that Samantha is a very big-hearted girl who is mature for her age. Although she is a girl, her Alpha wolf is strong, and her fighting and wolf abilities are well advanced for her years."
"I am also inclined toward the Alpha's decision. He has shown himself shrewd and wise in all the years I have served our pack with him. Many times we have taken the road less traveled together, and we have always benefited from it."
"But if it comes to deciding whether a female Alpha could lead our pack, I believe it all boils down to whether the other Betas and Gammas are willing to follow her lead and acknowledge her as Alpha."
"You're going to let the kids decide?" Gamma Endo growled.
"Do not step out of line, Endo," Beta Gerald warned quietly.
Gamma Endo bowed his head in submission, but he was clearly unhappy.
I hesitated, and then I spoke. "Maybe we are not so much deciding, Gamma Endo, but suggesting or brainstorming the ideas we have for our future. Surely it would be better for wolves older and wiser than us to hear it and be able to advise us on it than leave us to fend for ourselves."
"Furthermore, while I have trained all my life to be Alpha, I know for a fact that my future mate is also of Alpha lineage. Should he prove suitable for the Alpha position, and my Betas and Gammas agree to follow him, there might yet be a male Alpha leading the pack. But my future mate is far away, and even if he were here, we are—or at least I surely am—still too young for mating."
"All things considered, with the possibility of an upcoming war, it might be in the best interest for me to resume the Alpha position and stabilize the reins during this period of preparation. Because whether as Alpha or Luna, I have every intention of protecting this pack."
Some of the adults were nodding.
But Gamma Endo only huffed. "Big words for a small brat. I see your Alpha father taught you well to use pretty words along with your pretty face."
"Gamma, it is not with words or face, I promise you." My wolf was growling now.
I saw Harvey lean back, his lips curled up slightly, as if to enjoy the show.
I felt a power surge. Wolfie was highly offended by Gamma Endo's words.
Gamma Endo raised his hands in surrender. "Now, now, Princess. Don't take it the wrong way. I meant that as a compliment."
Was I supposed to take that as a compliment?
I supposed I could, seeing that he was only good at using ugly words with his ugly face.
But saying that would be petty and un-Alpha, not to mention completely unhelpful to our discussion.
"Endo, I agree with Beta Gerald to let the youths decide! Whether Sam is the Alpha or Luna, I think she would be excellent." Gamma Harry had grown tired of the verbal exchange. He had always been a man of action. "What do the youth think?"
What the heck. I don't care what everyone thinks. I'm the Alpha. Why would I need anyone's endorsement? Any fool could see my Alpha wolf and know I am the Alpha. At this point, with Rebel in a fight cage, I'm probably the strongest Alpha in the Green Packlands from our generation.
If I were a boy, no one would dare question my eligibility as the future Alpha. How dare they? I'm fuming mad.
Harvey only looked more amused. I felt Ben and Jonah shifting behind me. They had something to say, but they were waiting for someone else to speak first. Why? Ben was my Beta. We were the leading pack in the merger. He was actually first in line to speak. Surely he was not waiting for Harvey to speak?
And why was Harvey so amused? How dare he!
If I could shift, I would shift now and chew off everyone's head.
Yeah. Grrr…
But I highly doubt that would be helpful for anyone either.