Chương 34: BREAKFAST WITH THE GANG

Meet my homies, yo! That's not really my lingo, I know, but I've always wanted to try it somewhere. Anyway, may I present to you my gang: most of them have run with me since I was a little pup. I'll introduce you. I know, it's a lot of people, but don't worry. They won't bite. Hahaha. Unless you turn out to be their mate. You've already met Jessica and Dean. They were the only two other wolves in my study group. The other study group sharing our table is Savy's group.

Our two groups were usually combined, and in all the holiday training camps and training sessions we've been through, some of these guys have been my best teammates. Basically, if I had to get anything done with more than just Dean and Jessica, they would be roped in. Sitting right next to me was Savy, who I've introduced too many times by now. BEN, FUTURE BETA And opposite me was Ben, also known as Ben10.

I've always thought he was nicknamed after the cartoon character, but recently, I've learned a secret from the girls—Ben was Ben10 because he was a perfect 10. My beta? Ben (the perfect) 10? Yes, the very same one who wore Patrick Starfish boxers. So when I was first told the origin story of Ben's nickname, I laughed till I fell off my chair. I've never considered Ben in that light; he's more like my kid brother.

Our families grew up close, and many nights, us kids would play together while our parents mulled over adult decisions. As we got older, Ben was the guy who would be first to follow me, whether it was in a game of police and robbers, or crawling through the undergrowth on all fours to look for buried treasure. And last year, when we had dodgeball matches, Ben was the guy who took the hit for me when the other team decided to throw all their balls at me at the same time. I never asked him to do any of this.

It just happened. LIZZY, ORGANIZED LIST MAKER Next was Ben's twin sister and Savy's best friend forever, Lizzy. Sometimes I'm a little envious of the way Savy had a BFF to go to school with, and stay over at, and all that cute girly stuff. Lizzy and Savy shared all their obsessions. Currently, they have been into which-way books. I heard them trying to write one together, discussing ideas and characters. It did seem like fun. JONAH, FUTURE GAMMA And there's Jonah, the Casanova.

I was told this was his nickname at school. Apparently, girls in our pack's school think guys who sport SpongeBob SquarePants boxer shorts are attractive? Well, it might probably be more of a fact that Jonah fell in the tall, dark, and handsome category. Didn't hurt that he was the Gamma's only son. Or that he was team captain of the school's Junior Football Club. Or that he didn't speak to anyone he wasn't close to. (Strong and silent type too?) Jonah and Ben were best friends.

I think if the matching underwear hadn't given them away, it would be that they did everything together. In the last holiday training camp, Jonah was assigned as my Beta. (Ben was assigned as the Alpha on the other team. What if we played dodgeball? Who would take the hit for me? Sob!) But Jonah, despite his choice of underwear, turned out to be the kind of guy who played by the rules, and didn't give a damn what anyone else said once he had decided what was the right thing to do. This alone earned my respect.

And it didn't hurt that he was physically strong. I took advantage of his brute strength mercilessly during the camp to propel our team into first place. We pretty much leveled Ben's team to the ground. DREW, ATHLETIC NICE GUY And then there's Drew. He was assigned as the Beta in Ben's team. You remember, Dean's taller, stronger, cooler, junior basketball captain younger brother, right? Ben and Drew had turned out to be a pretty good pair. Savy was in their team, so I heard about it.

The two of them worked well together; they were strong and performed well in both the individual and team challenges. On top of that, their team's other members were Tim and Shannon. TIM, CAN BE A JERK Tim's dad was one of our pack's deltas. He's pretty short for a werewolf, but was one of the nicest grown-ups ever. He's so nice that he didn't even scold his own kids. (Tim's mum usually did the honors.) Tim, on the other hand, seemed to be cut from a different cloth.

On the surface, Tim had his dad's easy smile and winning charisma that made him popular among the younger boys. He's one of those guys who was just cool to stand next to. He was always friendly towards me, and his wisecracks when the adults were trying to make a serious announcement had made me laugh more than once. He was patient with the girls, although sometimes a little condescending. He'd shake his head ruefully and complain, "Girls!"

Still, he'd step up to stomp out the bug or carry the bulk of the weight for them if he had to. But Tim had a mean streak towards those weaker than he was. He didn't take orders from anyone he felt beneath him. And I still remembered ever catching him and the younger boys ambushing Dean after Study Group. I had gone home for lunch that Saturday but had to go back to the pack house again for an extra lesson. On my way there, I saw Tim and the younger boys in the distance, hiding behind some bushes.

At first, I just laughed it off, sure they were up to mischief. But then, I saw Dean and Jessica leaving the pack house. They walked a distance and then parted at the fork in the road. The moment Dean was alone, Tim and the boys sprung up yelling. Dean ran, but not before the boys pelted a hail of stones in his direction. I was running before I realized it, roaring at the boys who visibly jumped; they turned and, once seeing me, scuttled away. I saw Jessica running back too.

When she saw me dealing with the boys, she dashed off to catch up with Dean and see if he was alright. Tim was laughing along the sidelines, so I slowed to a jog and confronted him instead of chasing the stupid boys.

"Tim!" I called out. He saw me approaching and stopped laughing, but his amusement was still evident. He gave me a quick polite nod, "Hey, Sam."

"What were you guys doing?" I reined in my anger as I spoke. Tim shrugged, "The guys just thought it would be fun." I sighed; I suppose that's just the kind of game boys play. I mean, we used to waylay Flynn and Hank when we were younger too. But the thing was, Flynn and Hank were bigger, faster, and stronger than we were. And we never threw stones... just water bombs. But... I sighed again.

"Tim, you know those boys look up to you, right?"

"I guess," Tim answered, his voice softening.

"So, try to keep the games safer... for everyone, okay?" The earlier edge in my tone was wearing off because Tim wasn't giving me any attitude to fuel it. On the contrary, he meekly nodded, "I get that, Sam. Sorry. But... Sam, you know... I just have to say this, don't get me wrong, but you and Jessica always covering for Dean, it isn't doing him any favors, you know?" This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. I thought about Tim's words.

I could see where he's coming from. I didn't agree with him, but I get it.

"Yeah. I know," I answered carefully, "But Tim, you have got leadership potential. I want to see how far you'd grow in this pack, but you need to think about how to use it for the good of the whole pack, alright?"

"Yeah, okay," Tim agreed.

"I'll think about it. But I have to admit, I hate Dean. He doesn't deserve what he's got. He's weak, but everyone is always making excuses for him, giving him chances and leadership opportunities that he had never worked for." For some reason, the anger behind Tim's words caught me off guard. Yes, it explained all the attitude that Tim had been throwing at Dean for the longest time, but I had never thought anyone could hate Dean.

"He's doing his best," I argued, but I knew that for Tim, that wasn't enough.

"Just try to lay off him, okay? If he's not up to it, it will show eventually. Your time will also come, Tim." Tim shook his head, "My time will never come as it should because everyone is too busy trying to boost Dean."

"Our pack is being kind," I tried again.

"Our pack is wasting their time on the omega!" Tim spat back, but he quickly bowed his head a bit.

"But ok. I hear you, Sam. I'll back off a bit. But it's only because you're asking me to."

"Okay, thanks, Tim," I told him, sensing that's the most I'll be able to get from him now. I took my leave to the pack house. I didn't see Dean or Jessica, so I assumed they had gone home by now. With Tim, there was always a feeling that his regard for me was like an invisible leash, holding him back from charging with gnashing his teeth at Dean or anyone who got on his bad side. It's stressful. If I pulled back on the leash too hard or too often, would it snap one day?

SHANNON, THE VAIN POT Shannon, on the other hand, was someone I really enjoyed hanging out with. When we were together, we were like peanut butter and jelly. We literally completed each other's sentences. It was a good thing I wasn't anything like Anna in that Frozen movie. Savy had thought Shannon might have been my soulmate. But I laughed it off, "Please, Shannon's soulmate would probably be his own reflection!" Shannon was physically unable to stop himself from gravitating towards any smooth and shiny surface.

Going to town with him was ridiculously frustrating. I hadn't noticed how many reflective surfaces there were in the city until we went shopping together. Shannon's dad was a late warrior at the Morning Light pack. His dad died fighting rogues. After years of living in the "destitute home" at the Morning Light pack, his mum, who had grown up in our pack, thought "enough was enough." They were through being a charity case. So she took Shannon and came home, moving back with Shannon's grandparents last year.

Was it only last year? It felt like he had been with us a lot longer. Now his mum was working as a therapy nurse attached to Gate City Hospital. Shannon said she's happier, and for that, he was happier too. Shannon was just that kind of guy. He was the first guy our age who held the doors for girls. After that, all the other guys started doing it too. Well, the girls pretty much demanded it. I didn't stop them. It was funny to watch Lizzy drilling Ben and Jonah.

Once Ben and Jonah started holding doors for the girls in our pack, the other guys followed suit. It's been a couple of months since the guys have been trained to hold doors open. At first, I would hold the door for one of them, usually Ben or Jonah, and watch them try to figure out what to do. It was very funny if Lizzy was there too. They would look at her disapproval, and then look at me, but not dare to tell me to step aside. Oh, the dilemma! Hahaha.

I tried messing with Shannon this way too, but Shannon, the peanut butter, was too smooth. Without hesitation, he leaned his body over and, with a "Sam, let me get that for you," he took over the door. Oh well, you win some, you lose some. While Shannon and I were like peanut butter and jelly, Shannon and Tim were like oil and water. Shannon had called Tim out for being an arrogant, stuck-up prick more than once. Tim had made jibes at Shannon's poor background and obsession with mirrors on a regular basis.

It's no secret that the two of them hated each other's guts. I suspected they were put in the same team on purpose. Our team had Lizzy, Susan, and Dean. All generally peace-loving wolves—which made me confident of our team's ability to win the moment I saw the lineup. Ben and Drew looked relieved at getting the "strong" wolves on board. But I had always believed a team made of weak wolves who could work well together would always beat a team of strong wolves who would fight at every turn. Lizzy could hold her own.

For example, I only had to do a bit of extra shielding to keep her safe from the other team on the obstacle course race—and only because Ben was being a mule and just had to pick on his twin sister. Susan and Dean, though... Jonah and I had to haul their butts over the finish line. Well, mostly Jonah hauled Dean. I had to backtrack after escorting Lizzy to the finish line to help Susan pull through the last bit. She wasn't too weak for it, just younger and less experienced.

She quickly proved she was surprisingly agile with her small frame, but I think it was her first time running one of these, so she made a lot of beginner mistakes and tired herself out over them. She just needed a guide. Then, once Jonah got Dean across, I made him (Jonah, of course, not Dean) run back in to tackle Tim and Shannon down. Tim and Shannon were already pretty behind because they were fighting at the earlier part of the course.

I think they had felt the course was too easy, so they didn't really take it seriously enough. Now they were feeling the heat. Ben and Drew made a U-turn from the finish line when they realized Tim and Shannon had been literally held back by Jonah. It would be four to one once those two reached Jonah. So I left Susan to complete the rope wall on her own. It was the last thing before the short run to the finish line. I heard Lizzy yelling encouragement and instructions to guide her over. So I knew it would be okay.

I just needed to get Ben and Drew off Jonah's back long enough for him to scramble back successfully to the finish line. They were pretty nearby. I rugby-tackled Ben down from behind. Drew stopped in his tracks, looking undecided about whether to help Ben. His wolf wanted to, I know, but Drew was a nice guy, and nice guys didn't attack girls or fight two to one. Jonah charged up like a crazed bull with Tim and Shannon hot on his tail.

Suddenly, we all realized at the same time that the last butt across the finish line would be the losing team. I jumped off Ben and made a dash for the finish line. Drew realized what I was doing and yelled, "Get to the finish line!" Ben was up. Shannon and Tim were suddenly cooperating, jumping Jonah together to overtake him. But I can't go back to help Jonah. He probably could handle it, just barely, and if I did go back, I couldn't be sure I could out-climb anyone on the rope wall.

I always lose time at the rope wall. Not enough upper body strength. I was fast, for a girl. But with each year, the boys got faster, so I needed the early start. I managed to scale most of it smoothly, until Drew jumped on. In two pulls he was halfway up, while I strained to keep going now that Drew's weight and movements on the ropes had caused the whole wall to swing hugely. We both got to the top at the same time. Drew jumped down the other side, his Air Jordans landing like in the ad that sold them.

I dropped down more carefully, losing a bit of time but ensuring I didn't sprain my ankle. Jonah's roar grew louder from behind me. He was going to make it. We were all running straight to the finish. Drew crossed first. At the last moment, Ben overtook me and crossed next. I crossed a second after, but not before I was pushed by Jonah, who was really just barreling through, with Shannon just behind him, and Tim last. I pretty much flew over the finish line at Jonah's impact. I thought I was going to hit Lizzy.

"Lizzy! Move out!" She did. But Ben intercepted to catch me anyway, which was stupid, by the way, because the moment I smashed into him, we tumbled onto the ground. It hurt like hell for both of us.

"We don't both have to hit the ground, you know," I grumbled to Ben. Lizzy and Savy came over to see if we were okay.

"Yeah, that was dumb," Ben agreed. Savy steadied me by my arm as I got up. Lizzy was pulling Ben to his feet and yelling at Jonah, "Jonah, you bullheaded nincompoop!" And then we all but burst out laughing.

"What's a nincompoop?" Jonah asked when the laughter died down. Everyone laughed again. Well, almost everyone. Tim was seething. He pulled Shannon roughly out of our happy circle and shoved him hard.

"What the hell is your deal?" Shannon was the first to speak.

"This is your fault," Tim growled. Shannon shoved Tim back, "I wasn't the last one in." Ben sighed and Drew groaned. I let them deal with it.

"You okay?" Jonah asked from my side. Eh, why wouldn't I be?

"Sorry, ah..." Jonah rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, "for being a nincompoop." I laughed at that and shook my head.

"You were a good nincompoop. Thanks for securing our win for us." So that's everyone at our table. At the next table were some of our siblings. Like Angela, who was Tim's sister. And Darlyn, Dean and Drew's sister. They were both supposed to be considered rather beautiful girls. And I knew for a fact that Shannon had a crush on Darlyn. There was also Susan, who I heard was the only girl who wanted to train as a warrior. The rest of the group were all boys. I think the tallest one was named Nolan.

I heard he had scored full marks on the Junior Lycan Theory Test. If so, he would be the only other kid besides me who ever managed that. Nolan's mum was the new superintendent of the junior lycan study groups, but other than that, I didn't know much about him. Most of the other boys had always been just boys following Tim around. At the table opposite ours were the cool older teens. You've met Evelyn (somehow I might have made her hate me earlier this week?). Evelyn was smiling; she's got an amazing smile.

I think all the while growing up, I had always thought that. The other guys from Thursday Night Training were there too (Link, Kevy, and Marissa). Flynn and Hank were sitting with them today. If Flynn and Hank were around on a Saturday morning, their mates couldn't be far off, probably down for kitchen duty today. The yummy chocolate muffin I was eating definitely had Esther's magic in it. So good... I felt sorry for anyone at my table who hadn't taken one.

"Sam..." Savy was prodding me under the table, "Dean is saying something important." I realized Dean was indeed in the middle of saying something to Jessica, and I realized belatedly, me as well.

"Oh, yeah, what?" I asked. Dean stopped talking and decided to start again, "I was just saying that I had a prophetic dream last night."