Chương 120: WHAT TO DO WITH MY KEYS

Reaching back home began with a blur of over-emotional females that left me feeling rather bewildered. The moment Mum saw me, she passed out. Savy had turned pale. Mrs. Beta and Laura were also there, rushing about, but I'm not sure for what purposes. After that, Savy had stuck to me like glue. Mum woke up disoriented and crying. She kept crying, "my baby girl," and hugging me. She hugged me till her clothes got stained with blood.

And that's when it hit me: if I looked anything like Harvey, then I was something from a horror movie.

"She's in shock, Sam," Mrs. Beta said, holding Mum by the shoulders. Savy unstuck herself from me and attached herself to Mum, soothing her by rubbing her back.

"Maybe it'll help the ladies if you two lovers go take a shower." It was at this moment that everyone turned and realized Keys was still with us.

"We're not lovers. He's my beta," I told Keys.

"You need to pretend like I'm a boy."

"How does that change anything?" Keys asked me, and then I remembered he was a fight dog. I decided to drop the argument here.

"This is Keys. He's my new, urm… he's my dog for now, until he learns to be a wolf again," I introduced.

"Yo, ladies. Always a pleasure." Keys made a clicking sound with his tongue and winked. I was very close to hitting him. Everyone just stared. Standing there, it felt like I just brought home an imaginary friend, and it turned out that everyone could see him. Or perhaps they were still shell-shocked, and I should really take Keys' advice and shower off.

"Anyway, I'm going to shower now… Harvey, you're welcome to use the guest room again. Keys, you stay right here and don't get in trouble or else you sleep on the floor," I threatened.

"I usually sleep on the floor, goddess," Keys shot back.

"But if I'm good, do I sleep on your bed? Because I am very good in a bed." Harvey growled and shoved Keys.

"Shut up, dog." Keys growled and shoved Harvey back.

"You shut up." I noticed how Keys was matching Harvey; even the returned shove was perfectly mirrored in strength and aggression. Harvey was mad, but Keys was only messing with the younger guy. Actually, Keys had been very well behaved. He said a lot of insinuating things, but he had not once made a move to touch me. Neither did he ever look at me longer than was comfortable for me, and I had a very low tolerance for staring.

"Okay, that's enough." I pretty much alpha-commanded. This took Keys by surprise. I don't think he took my claim as Alpha seriously at all until now. I pointed to an armchair in the corner of the living room.

"Sit and stay, Keys." Keys bristled at my command, but ducked his head and sat on the armchair assigned to him.

"You're not allowed off this chair till I say so," I told him sternly. Then I headed upstairs to take my shower. Harvey paused to make sure Keys was going to follow through with my command. Once satisfied, he headed out of the house. I heard him at his truck. Oh well, if he wanted to look like a Halloween prop in the middle of January, who was I to stop him? The sight of my reflection in the bathroom mirror, the way a dark red color washed out in the water… the way my winter jacket was soaked in blood.

I nearly wanted to throw it away except it was my last waterproof dark-colored jacket for snow. My navy blue one was torn when I shifted that other time. I was losing too many good jackets. I wonder when my life started becoming more and more… what would be the right word for it? Eventful? Prior to the beginning of this year, I had never lost a jacket, never known anything about vamps beyond my Lycan study notes, or even met a real-life rogue.

Now, it was like an episode of something with at least one fight scene every week. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. First rogues, now vampires. On the bright side, even though this was the third time I returned to my Mum covered in blood, it wasn't my blood… was this because Harvey was with me? This time, I made my own kill too. My wolf liked it. She's all proud and happy at her first kill. I don't know what I felt about it. Right now, I'm just feeling numb.

Should Harvey and I have turned back? But who would have saved Flynn and Hank? What were both of them doing out of Green Packlands anyway? It was just lucky that Harvey and I were delayed at school by my friends and Principal Laura, so that the traffic was bad, so that Harvey would take the shortcut through the woods, so that we would have met the vamps and, more importantly, found Flynn's car… and Keys. I remembered a word that Mrs. Beta often used. It wasn't just a string of coincidences. It was serendipity.

If I hadn't seen Flynn's car there, I wondered if we would have gone down to investigate. If my wolf had warned of vamps ahead, but without also announcing the deltas, I would probably have asked Harvey to turn back to the main road. It made me think that the goddess meant for me to meet Keys. At the point when I released him, it was only because I remembered promising the goddess that I would release any Lycan slave she sent my way.

My wolf claimed Keys as her Beta immediately; I don't know why, but I had never questioned my Wolfie's choice of companions. And when I saw his name on the cage, I knew it was his stage name, but still it struck me that he would be the first Lycan slave I freed with my own two hands. Actually, that part with my own two hands, I also only just realized while I was showering. At the point, I was just playing on the fact that Keys would not expect a mere girl to free him without help.

Now it seemed to be another lucky coincidence in how everything played out. We were lucky. As with all my misadventures so far, I had just been very, very lucky. I got out of my bath and plodded out to get something to wear. I found my gray hoodie sweatsuit—the one that was pink on the inside. I grabbed a tight gray t-shirt. It had the words "It wasn't me." scrawled on it. I put on my hoodie but left the zipper only halfway up so that the words could be seen.

Then I put on a pair of nice gray fluffy socks and plodded downstairs. My hair was still damp. It was soaking through my jacket, but I was too hungry to care. Okay, that was a lie. I just couldn't be bothered. Even if I wasn't hungry, I would have just plodded downstairs like this too. But I was hungry, and I could smell something cooking downstairs. Beta Gerald and Gamma Endo were in my living room. Eh? No early warning of their approach, Wolfie? Wolfie seemed too tired to care. So unreliable, my wolf.

Beta Gerald was talking to Harvey, who looked showered and changed into fresh clothes. So he had gone to the truck for an extra change of clothes? Another point for the star beta. Gamma Endo was glaring at Keys, who was currently topless again and posing on the armchair, his long legs thrown over one of the arms, and his body angled as he rested on his elbows. He looked like he was posing for some black-and-white men's fragrance ad.

There was a bowl of stew and some bread placed on the coffee table in front of him, but they remained untouched. Mrs. Beta and Laura were serving coffee, cakes, stew, bread, and whatever to the other men. Dad, Beta Lucas, Gamma Harry, and Delta Simon were in some kind of deep discussion. Aunty Lily, Mum, and Savy were seated across from Keys, talking softly among themselves. I guess I took a long time in the shower.

"Goddess, that scary man keeps staring at me," Keys spoke first.

"I'm afraid he might want to f*** me." Gamma Endo snarled at that. Keys grinned. Seriously? Of all people, why did Keys have to provoke Gamma Endo? Mum got up from where she was seated.

"Come eat, Sam… oh, your hair is still wet! Savy, be a dear and fetch the hair dryer and towel." At least Mum seemed to be back to her usual self again. Savy got up and left to fetch the items. I sighed.

"It'll dry on its own." I looked at Keys.

"Aren't you going to eat?"

"After you, goddess," Keys said with one of those smiles that would give Liam and Nix a run for their money. Laura put a bowl of stew, a spoon, and some bread in front of me. I thanked her and started eating. I was super hungry. Keys sat up properly and started eating. Harvey collected his bowl from the side table near him and started eating too.

"Wait, you guys were waiting for me?" I asked.

"A beta does not eat before his Alpha," Harvey reminded me.

"A dog does not eat before his master," Keys parroted. Harvey growled. Keys was really pushing my beta's buttons. In fact, Keys seemed to be bent on flirting with every female and irritating every male who came close to him. It was almost as if he was purposely warning everyone to stay away from him. Other than that, he had been better than I had expected. I mean, he did stay on the chair I told him to. He even waited for me to start eating.

"Sam…" It was Beta Lucas.

"May I ask, what do you plan to do with him?" I looked at Keys.

"I'm going to keep him."

"You can't keep him," Gamma Endo protested.

"That's a fight dog. The vamps will be crawling all over here in search of him." Keys' face was expressionless. I watched his spoon pause before he noticed me watching him. He gave me a flirty smile and continued eating.

"He's not a fight dog. He's a pack wolf. And until he learns to be a wolf again, he will be my dog," I said. Gamma Endo blanched at that.

"The vampires won't come here. They'd think he's dead, or maybe run away," I said.

"Did you know Keys isn't just any fight dog? He's the top fight dog right now. The vamps aren't going to be happy losing him," Gamma Endo warned.

"They should have guarded him better then," I said nonchalantly. Harvey was shaking his head at me from behind Gamma Endo. I went too far again? Oops. Sorry, not sorry. Gamma Endo growled. I shrugged. I was too tired to have to placate the older Gamma. I was the alpha. I say we keep him. And that is that. At least, that's how it should be.

"A fight dog isn't a kitten you pick up along the street! He's definitely not something for a young girl to play with!" Gamma Endo appealed to my Dad.

"Alpha, you know what fight dogs like him do! How can we allow this?"

"I told you, Keys isn't a fight dog!" My hair flared up now. The room became quiet.

"Whatever he did when he was a fight dog is in the past. Keys is my dog now."

"And what would you do with this… this dog?" Gamma Endo asked.

"I will teach him to fetch—he will learn to drive. He will learn to make himself useful around my home. I also want him to enroll in warrior training so he can earn his own keep. In short, he will be my guard dog," I said.

"I can drive," Keys admitted.

"It's been a long time, but I knew how once. I used to cook too, and clean, a little. I trained as a warrior since a pup too."

"Then it's settled," Dad said.

"Keys, welcome to my home. I am your master's father, Alpha Kingsley. Beta Lucas would outfit you for your new role."

"But Alpha!" Gamma Endo protested. No one else verbalized it, but there was misgiving written on every face. I looked at Harvey. He had put down his bowl and was typing on his phone. Good beta, taking notes.

"Oh, one more thing, Keys. I want you to shadow Harvey after school every day." Harvey stopped typing to stare at me.

"How long will Keys be shadowing me?" Keys stopped eating again.

"How long will I be shadowing him?" I gave the two guys my most brilliant smile.

"Until Harvey likes you." Keys raised a brow at me and opened his mouth to speak.

"If you're going to say anything perverted, I don't want to hear it," I told him. Keys closed his mouth and remained silent.

"Harvey, please train my dog to be someone you'd like to work with."

"Understood, Princess." Harvey was obviously trying to mask his reluctance. And that was what I did with the Keys that the goddess lent me.