THE FOUR ALPHA BROTHERS OF NIGHT FOREST

The video was pretty nifty. My betas should all be spies. Ki had secretly rolled the phone camera and slipped the phone into the front pocket of his jacket, where only the top part of his phone along with the camera lens peeped out.

Then he walked over to the elders who were trying to get on with their lives. The only one who looked unnatural was Beta Larson. He just stood there stiffly.

"Poor daddy." Oprah sighed.

I don't know why he didn't just come into the room to stop our madness.

Anyway, the four Alpha brothers decided to try updating one another about their lives. Uncle Andre had 5 children now. Uncle Pierre had 6. The screaming from our room kept interupting them.

"She's fierce." Uncle Pierre nodded his approval.

Seriously?

Uncle Louis frowned, "I did say she was not to maime them right?"

"Yes, don't worry." Dad said, "Sam won't take it too far..." But Dad trailed off at that point and wasn't all that convincing.

Uncle Andre tried to laugh it off, "Your mate is quite a terror, huh?"

I heard Bell answer arrogently, "No, not at all."

Hey! How's that supposed to build my rep?

Killion chipped in, "Our Luna thinks Alpha Sam's anger is cute."

Uncle Andre laughed loudly, "Your Luna?"

Bell snarled and grabbed Uncle Andre by the collar.

"They're going to fight!" Esmeralda gasped.

But they didn't. Uncle Andre only laughed, "What a terrifying Luna. Unfortunately this isn't the time or place. Perhaps we might do a little sparring later?"

Mate shrugged, "Don't complain if I hurt you."

Uncle Andre laughed again, "I like him! His wolf is great! Where did you get him?"

"He's Alpha Lorent's heir." Dad told him.

"Oh, THE Alpha Lorent?" Uncle Andre asked, "Does your father know you're going to be a Luna?"

Mate shrugged, "Yes."

The screaming from the room interuppted them momentarily.

"Well, I won't dare refuse Alpha Kingsley's daugher." Uncle Pierre said, he added to my Dad, "She is as merciless as you, Brother."

"She's strong." Uncle Louis agreed.

Seriously, is no one worried about the Beta's poor kids?

I did note that Beta Larson looked physically unwell. My mum's lips were pressed together. I think she could empathize.

If the Alpha was the head, the Luna was the heart. In Night Forest, the Luna, Aunt Jade remained quiet. Or was the Luna still Grandma?

"Poor daddy." Oprah said again at the end of the video.

For Night Leaf... Or should I call us Moon Bell now? The Luna was Rebel. Omo. Our Luna was evil. Poor us.

We sat around in silence. I was reflecting on how I was punishing the wrong person. Gah, I'm so stupid. Why did I think my uncles would feel bad?

Except that I did. Oprah's sobs were truly heart wrenching. I wanted to run to protect her even though I could see she was just acting on the sofa.

"You were really good." I told her.

"I know." Oprah said, "I was nominated as best thearetrical actress two years in a row.

"But she never won." Esmeralda added.

I laughed, "You'll win with the right role to showcase your talent."

"It'll have to be a b****y role" Esmeralda said under her breath. My cousins laughed.

"Sam, your grandmother wants to use the room." Ben said. "The adults are coming in."

{Alphas approaches}

{Betas approaches}

Yes, Wolfie, Ben already said.

I wonder if there was a manual on troubleshooting your wolf radar. It was getting annoying.

"OMG. What do we do?" Esmeralda asked.

Estella was flapping her hands, "What should we do? Oscar! Do something!"

Oscar's idea of doing something was to flop over onto the sofa like a dead dog. WTH! Mum's gonna flip.

I grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up, "Don't play dead you idiot!"

Mum gasped. Ah, right. The adults were here.

I let go of Oscar who straightened his jacket to stand beside me.

"Sam!" Mum was angry. She looked to Dad, who was taking it a little calmer, "Are you done, Sam? Your grandmother would like to welcome your uncles home from this room."

I nodded and punched Oscar on the shoulder again, "Yeah, I'm done."

Oscar had a gall to smirk, "Good form, Alpha."

Ben kicked him harder. "Ooof." Oscar stumbled a step forward and Ben caught him up again.

The girls laughed. Wow... They had no idea how mean they looked. How could they laugh?

Their mum came to them, "Are you both alright? I heard you screaming."

Aunt Jade looked at me with misgiving. She had never done that before.

"We're fine mum." Estella said, "It was just urm..."

"A spider!" Esmeralda said.

Everyone froze. Even Uncle Louis stiffened visibly.

"But Ben took care of it." Esmeralda added quickly.

Uncle Louis nodded.

I got the feeling that Night Forest wolves didn't like spiders very much.

Beta Larson was looking at his children. They were fine, but he obviously couldn't believe that.

I was not going to hear the end of this from Mum. Not anytime soon.

"They're fine, we were just playing." I said. I looked at Ben, who reluctantly took out his phone and played the sound effect THWACK!

Then we waited for the adults to connect the dots.

"Oh Sam!" Mum realised we were really just messing with them. She face palmed.

"Wow, I see you even recorded the sound!" Uncle Andre said.

I wanted to face palm, but he was my elder.

"No, it was just a recording Daddy!" Oprah hugged her poor daddy and tried to clarify.

"It was downloaded. We were just ah... playing." Oscar said. What? Oscar never just played before?

Uncle Louis looked confused, "I thought you were punishing them?"

"I wasn't that mad at them. It's not like they actually offended me or anything." I shrugged.

{Luna approaches}

I sat down, "Grandma Luna is here."

I said it a split second before Grandma Luna and Mindy entered.

"Luna is here." Beta Larson quickly announced from where he stood.

Everyone found their seats in a hurry.

Hahaha, they must have been that distracted by my prank they didn't hear their wolves radar.

"How did she-" Uncle Andre wanted to ask but Grandma Luna cut him off.

"How did I what?" Grandma Luna asked.

"Ah, no, it's nothing, Mother." Uncle Andre answered immediately.

Grandma looked at her sons coldly, "I wanted to tell you to pay your respects to your Father and go home. There is no reason for you to stay. Silas' will had already been read, and neither of you were mentioned."

There was a deep and foreboding silence.

Then Uncle Andre roared, "We came all this way Mother, and you are turning us out?"

Grandma Luna didn't even flinch, "I told you not to come. Your father is already dead, you left when he was alive, what's the point of coming back now?"

You're still alive, maybe they came for you? Ever thought of that, Grandma Luna? We came back for you.

And for us too, even if Alphas didn't cry, they could feel sad, they could feel bad, they could feel sorry.

I'm quite sure they could.

But Uncle Andre only snarled.

Uncle Pierre was the one who spoke, "Very well, our ship sails tomorrow. We will leave after lunch."

Grandma Luna frowned, "Fine. But I won't let you stay a single night more."

Wasn't that the plan from the beginning? Unless my betas were prophetic, because Harvey was scheduled to drive them to the port after lunch tomorrow.

Grandma Luna looked at Dad, "You too. Why should I let you and your family stay for free? Running off like that to start a new pack. But the goddess is just. He gave Louis an heir, while your Kingsley name will die with you. The real Kingsley bloodline will continue from within Black Forest."

"Mother, please be reasonable. Brother came to help us. His betas and warriors had been assisting our pack during Father's wake." Uncle Louis spoke up now.

"Huh! Why would an alpha require so many betas?" Grandma Luna huffed, "Is he incapable of running a pack on his own?"

I crossed my arms. Dad growled lowly but said nothing.

"They are expanding, Mother. Their territory is huge." Uncle Louis said.

The other two brothers raised their brows at this. I guess it was still news.

"Yes, build and expand somewhere not your pack!" Grandma Luna flared up, if she had hair like mine, it would have showed, but now, it could be only sensed in her wolf. Grandma Luna had a strong black wolf. Very fierce.

Mum said that was why Grandma Luna was hard to get along with. Sigh... I had a black wolf too.

"And after all your hard work, after your great expansion and grand plans, who would inherit your legacy? That pretty Lorent boy?" Grandma Luna scoffed.

Haha, Grandma called mate pretty. Hahaha. Even Grandma noticed mate's good looks. hahaha. Ahem...

"Instead of building on your father's work, you had to go strengthen the competition." Grandma Luna was still sternly admonishing Dad.

"I had always seen our packs as allies." Dad spoke then. His voice growly. His wolf was on the edge.

Uncle Louis nodded in affirmative.

I realised a new meaning to the name "Night Leaf". Too bad the pack will be called Moon Bell soon. And what Grandma Luna said was true, I was the Alpha, but since the betrothal my name had been changed. I saw the deed poll for it on Dad's table the other day. My name was now Samantha Kingsley Lorent.

It was what I agreed to. Opps. The fact that Kingsley was still in my name was a bonus.

I gave up Dad's name. I relegated Dad's pack name to a town's name. I was so focused on the future, I let go of my roots. Arughh! Stupid! I was stooopid!

I messed up.

"What is wrong with you, girl?" Grandma Luna was looking at me now.

Oh my hair. It was standing on its ends.

Dad looked at me and sighed.

"Mother, with all due respect. I can't live my life supressed by the ways of the past." Dad said.

"Selfish!" Grandma Luna said, "You are so selfish. You didn't spare a thought for your father who built this pack for his sons. None of you did! You put your dreams first. You put your mates first. You put your brothers first. In my time, we existed only for the pack!"

Dad shook his head, "The pack exist for the wolves that run in it."

I remembered Dad saying this before.

"Rubbish!" Grandma Luna growled, "Next you'd expect the Alpha to serve the Omega."

Dad crossed his arms now. He was angry.

I saw how Grandma Luna won now. She simply angered each son till their wolves took over and they could no longer speak.

And because her sons would never attack her. They could only sit furiously on their haunches.

At the back of my mind, I had to admit, Grandma Luna frightened me because whenever I saw this side of her, I always felt like I might just be looking at myself when I become old.

This angry and bitter and lonely old woman. Her black wolf too powerful and proud to let anyone near her. How pitiful I would be!

"Silas is gone, he left me all alone. Since the goddess willed it, I will be alone. Leave me."

And with these words, Grandma Luna dismissed us.

Everyone stood up, it was tempting to run and leave this place, to leave the bitterness of the moment locked within these four walls. But the adults in the room had their dignity, they paused, taking their time to leave by hierarchy. Dad put Mum's hand on the crook of his arm, he would leave first. Even though Uncle Louis was the current alpha of the pack, their hierachy in their interactions remained the same as when Grandpa Alpha and Grandma Luna were still heading the pack.

Like I said, whenever wolves behaved atypically from their hierachy, something was amiss.

If one day, I ever find myself sitting alone on an armchair with everyone only too glad to leave my presence... What should I do?

"Grandma, would you like to go for a walk later?" I asked, "You can show me the roses."

I remembered she used to when I was a pup. The rare moments when she had spent time with me when our family visited had been spent walking in her garden.

Grandma looked startled, she blinked, "I am tired, how do you expect an old woman like me to walk?"

"You can lean on my arm." I offered, "I'm really strong."

"Maybe later then." Grandma Luna agreed.

"I'll look for you before dinner." I smiled broadly at her, "It's a date Grandma!" And then I left the room.

Pretty much breaking the hierarchy since Dad hadn't stepped out of the room yet.

"That girl has not changed." Grandma Luna grumbled, "Still an over-energetic pup."

But even without looking back, I could hear just from Grandma's complaint that she was happier.

And that's okay with me.