Chương 17: WHEN DAD UNDERSTOOD

It's actually really late, as in it's already tomorrow‑kind of late, so I don't really want to write anymore, but I'm sure you are dying to know what happened and how my fight with Maria exploded in my face. The way the adults reacted, you'd think that our pack had a vampire attack! Okay, that's not funny, I know. Vampires are no joking matter. It's dead serious among our wolves, or should I say undead serious? Hahahaha It's late, I'm tired. When I'm tired, I make bad jokes...

No, actually I make bad jokes all the time, but when I'm tired, I don't care about making others suffer them. Hahahaha... But more seriously, the news of the alpha's daughter (read future Luna of the pack, because face it, this was what most of the wolves in our pack thought of me), being attacked by a vampire (for some reason nobody took note that it was a fight that I w-o-n) was pretty darn serious. I think everyone was more upset than I was comfortable with.

I mean, just the word "vampire" brought up traumatic memories for some of the older wolves, and it was in general a rather distasteful topic in wolf society to begin with. I didn't need to have mind link to sense the deep confounding charge running through the adult wolves in my dad's office. My dad's face, usually dominating and taut, was crumpled in a level of worry I had never seen. This alone worried me. Beta Lucas' face mirrored my dad's. He kept making low humming sounds. Disturbing.

Gamma Harry (this was Jonah's dad) was scowling hard. But that was his usual face. I'm told Gamma Harry looked exactly like Jonah when he was young. All the girls who fall in love with Jonah's good-looking face and want to be his mate should take a look at Gamma Harry for a more long-term view. Flynn stood in their circle, the only other person who looked almost as uncomfortable as I was. I hope he had realized how stupid it was to have reported the news to these three men at the same time.

I had gone home and showered after the training session, but my dad had called me to return to the alpha office at the pack house. They had asked me what happened, and I repeated what I'd already said. My dad confirmed that there was indeed an old coven of vampires at Winderhill, two covens actually. A greater one and a lesser one. Because, you know, it's always nice to make a "lesser" group to feel better about yourself. Sorry, unwarranted snideness, but I'm tired.

After that, the room was oppressively silent, and I knew the discussion got taken up through mindlink. It's like whispering, SO ROOD! Okay, now I'm just being childish. I NEED SLEEP!!! I stifled a yawn, "Dad, can I go to bed now? I have school tomorrow." Everyone's eyes whipped up from whatever mindlinked discussion they were having to look at me. More frantic mind linking. I could see it in their eyes. I sighed.

"Go to bed." My father must have realized that it would be easier to discuss whatever they were saying without me in the room.

"WAIT!" Beta Lucas said, before very quickly bowing a quick nod of apology towards my alpha dad, "Before you leave, I need to ask this: Sam, is there really anything else you can tell us about the attack? Try to remember, please." What the hell was Beta Lucas saying? I frowned, the lack of sleep making me cranky and irritable. I knew exactly what happened. I just didn't want to tell them. Why was he asking me to remember... Oh. Oops. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent.

Report any appearances on Amazon. Hahahahaha... They thought I was mind wiped. Hahahaha. They took my scant explanation to mean that I didn't know what happened because I was attacked by a vampire and had my mind wiped or any other horrible and sick tricks that vampires did because, oh my, that did sound rather serious. I'm in deep brown stinky stuff. (You know the word.) What should I answer? A) I do remember what happened... B) Maybe I would remember if I got some sleep!

C) I was lying, there was no vampire D) Vampires are my friends! I'll give you a clue: after tonight, I was going to find it extremely hard to talk about my urm... for the lack of a better word... my relationship with Maria. But this wasn't a which-way book; it's a diary, my diary, I will tell you what I answered. I sat down on an empty chair and said what I should have said from the very beginning, "Dad, can I talk to you alone?" My dad sent everyone out with a quirk of his brow.

We watched each other's expressions for a while. I don't know how my face looked, but my dad looked more tired and haggard than I'd ever seen before.

"Dad, I didn't forget. I knew what happened." I said softly. It was the same way I talked to Dean... But this was the first time I used it on my dad, the first time I felt I needed to be gentle, afraid that I might accidentally break something. Until now, my dad had always been the unbreakable rock to me.

"The vampire is a girl in my class." I told him. He breathed out a sigh of relief. I can't imagine exactly what kind of awful he had feared had happened, but knowing that it was another girl in my school seemed to comfort him a great deal.

"You knew there were vampires in my school, didn't you?" I asked him. I had meant to ask him from day one, but just hadn't found the right moment when he was there and I could say the word "vampire" casually. Dad nodded. He looked remorseful, "I'm so sorry... I had hoped it would be a safe opportunity for you to experience the world..." My alpha education. Yes. I get it. But why was he sorry?

"I never expected you to get hurt." My dad... Oh, he sounded so broken. This was my fault. I never considered the pain it would cause to anyone else to see these bruises. They didn't really hurt me; I was just fooling around, goading a vampire, losing my temper... Clearly, I wasn't thinking.

"I'll be more careful next time." I told him.

"There won't be a next time." My dad shot back with a vehemence that made me want to just run away and hide in a hole and cry, but I couldn't step down now. I know I hadn't wanted to go to Winderhill. I know I had been tired out by the long commute. I know there were a lot of things that irritated me about my school: constant alpha power balance checks, a lovesick vampire, stupid boys, humans that didn't like me, But for what it's worth, I have a pack there now. It's small, but we're tight.

I have a friend who wants to hang out every day. It's a vampire, but that's alright. I have met many interesting humans. And in three days, I've learned to use my alpha command, recognize and track vampire presence accurately, tested my lucky sense of direction, and I'm so close to getting a clue to where I stand in this world. I don't want to stop going to Winderhill, not just yet. I don't want to stop this crazy alpha training plan my dad created for me. I really want to know how far I can go.

Because the world is much bigger than this pack and all the packs around it combined. And the strength I needed as the alpha was so much more than being able to beat up the next challenger or keep my pack in line. I want to keep going to Winderhill. My tears are falling freely now at the realization. Please don't take this chance away from me, Dad.

"Alright, I get it. Okay." My dad's tone was unexpectedly soothing. I look up, surprised. Did I just say that out loud?

"No, you mind linked." Oh. I frowned, "But, how? I haven't even shifted yet."

"You're growing up." My dad said with a smile. And then he reached over to me and hugged me. It was an awkward hug; we haven't hugged since I was a small pup. Pulling away, we stood facing each other, not really able to look each other in the eye.

"Ahem, crazy alpha training plan, huh?" My dad finally asked. I laugh a little, "Yeah... About that... You weren't supposed to hear that, but thanks." I give my dad another very quick half hug, "I'm going to bed now. Good night."

"Good night." I heard him say as I left. The Beta, Gamma, and Flynn were still waiting outside... Three big, bad, sleep-deprived, arms-crossed wolves. Am I going to run away and leave my dad to deal with them? Yes, yes I am. I ran over from the pack house, back to my room, and climbed into bed. I wondered what time it was, but I never found out. Before I could check, I fell asleep.