SO YOU THINK YOU CANDANCE?

5 FEBRUARY, FRIDAY, 8PM

Killion led me up to the Future Alpha Office after dinner. He guided me by a hand on the small of my back as usual. I realized suddenly that it was something I've gotten used to from my Betas. In fact, I've gotten used to it so much, it was weird that Flynn had left me just standing on the veranda just now.

Omo was I so useless that I didn't know to go the to front door on my own without guidance? Wth happened to me? I shook off the thought. I was just stopping to take in the view just now was all.

We took the lift, he pressed the 'A' button. In every way, it was like going back home, so it felt strange that I wasn't.

Once up, the front door didn't look different either. But I smelled a new paint and furniture, and wolves, Stephan and Fluffy were here.

Killion let me into the apartment with the usual, "Alpha is here."

But he didn't have to. The guys were all lined up, they bowed smartly in unison, "Good evening, Alpha."

I just loled at that, "What's up with you guys?"

And then I grinned, "Oh, is it because you realized that I found out about the Candance I was supposed to chair that none of my betas thought to tell me about?"

I chuckled at their reaction. So fun. Stephan and Fluffy looked caught completely unaware. Harvey and Ki immediately looked to Ben - which I interpreted to mean he was the one who was supposed to tell me.

Ben gave me a lazy grin, "It's fine, it's just a meeting. You've got it in the bag, Sam."

"What bag? Was I supposed to bring one, because no one told me that too!" I flared out.

Ben just laughed. Harvey was right about Ben's wolf being highly attuned to mine. Unlike the others, Ben was very sure that I wasn't the least bit angry. I was just blowing off some steam.

"Look, just smile, introduce everyone, and hand the time over to whoever wants to update first." Ben said, "It's no big deal. We've got the rest covered."

"You realized that you've invited Alpha James and Bell into the same room, right?" I asked.

Ben stopped smiling then. I guess Mr Prodigy Genius hadn't calculated for all the probabilities, huh?

"Oh pop." Killion muttered under his breath.

Hahahaha. So fun. My Wolfie was out to play. And since my Wolfie was now Boo, I got the feeling that playtime was unapologetically merciless.

"Plus, I'm sure my dad and the other overprotective elders are going to be thrilled about my two new fight dogs." Heeheehee, "Gamma Endo would definitely sit down quietly throughout the meeting."

"Oh, and Flynn would just chill through your reports about how you three brought me to the Vampire Queen's birthday party."

"Technically, you brought us there." Ben pointed out.

"Yeah, I'd like to see you explain technically how I did it in front of Bell." I taunted.

Ben's face dropped completely at that.

"We're dead." Ki decided.

Stephan was silently studying the situation. Fluffy was smiling in a way I still couldn't quite read.

Harvey was silent, but he was contemplating it. Running the facts through his mind. Harvey had always been good at that keeping his head under pressure like that.

And when Harvey smiled wryly, the other two betas looked a little more hopeful, "But you aren't going to let that happen, right Alpha?"

Eh! Did the good beta see through me already?

"Although it was regretful that Ben had omitted to inform you of the Candance..." Harvey explained.

Ben raised his hand at that, "I did list it aloud last night."

I flared, "Along with the next two days of back-to-back events!"

Harvey raised his hand and amended, "Although it was regretful that Ben FAILED to bring the Candance to our Alpha's notice..."

Which just pissed Ben's wolf off because 'failure' was a sort of taboo for guys like Ben.

"Our Alpha is obviously well aware of the meeting tonight and had already thought through the agenda, even with the participants in view, and is well prepared for the potential pitfalls of the upcoming discussions." Harvey folded his arms and leaned back against the counter with a degree of confidence which baffled me.

No way.

"You overestimated me, Beta." Boo smiled.

Ben realized then, "S***, Sam. You got me there. I thought you were serious."

I laughed, "You should've seen your faces!"

Ki smiled, "So what's your plan, goddess?"

But Boo wasn't done yet, "I'm going to do exactly what Ben suggests. I'll smile, introduce everyone, and let you all fight it out."

"It's going to be a bloodbath, goddess." Ki bemoaned.

"That's just her wolf talking." Ben said, "She won't let that happen."

"Why? It'll be far more interesting to sit through than 18 long winded reports." I shot back. Opps. I covered my mouth.

My betas smiled at my slip up.

Ben grinned evilly, "So you had read all the reports."

I wasn't going to let them win, "Yes, and from now on, I'd like all of them to be handwritten in Ancient Lycan, like Stephan's."

Ben groaned, "Sam, don't joke about something like that."

Speaking of which, I turned to Stephan, "I read your report. I'll come over sometime next week."

Stephan bowed, "Thank you, Alpha."

My betas blinked and checked their notes. Stephan didn't write any request for me to go over. But that's only because his wolf was too respectful to ask his Alpha to come down. My betas needed to read ancient lycan properly. Lol.

Stephan was a very strange man. He was in his human form, but his eyes were his wolf's. He had no expression, his face like flint and when he spoke, it was in monotone with a low growly baseline... It was like the man had disappeared, and only the wolf was left to shoulder what was left of his humanity.

I patted Stephan on his shoulder and said to his wolf, "It's been hard on you."

Stephan didn't respond to that. He only froze up. Poor guy.

I looked at Fluffy who was still smiling at me. He was in worse condition than Stephan. It was like all there was inside was a shadow of a wolf.

"Do you have another name besides Fluffy?" I asked.

Fluffy shook his head, "No Alpha. Fluffy had always and only been Fluffy."

"Then if Fluffy could be anyone else, what name would Fluffy have?" I asked his wolf.

It seemed to me like both these men had only their wolves left in them... Or what's left of them.

Fluffy tilted his head in thought, his braids fell over to one side, and his jewels tinkled the way Delta Felicity's big earrings was so distracting. I was definitely going to make Fluffy sit opposite her later.

"Fluffy would like the name Alpha gives." Fluffy decided.

Fluffy had obviously never met Sir Sparkalot, or any of the inaptly named fluffy toys I had grown up with.

"Let me think about it then." I decided. I mean, Fluffy wasn't a toy. I should do better than Sir Fluffy. And this wasn't like giving someone a nickname like Sabrina to Sabre. I probably shouldn't call him Dagger or Flipknife either.

"We have ten minutes to Candance." Harvey intoned.

Immediately, my betas were on the move. Harvey excused himself to head down to the conference room first. Killion headed down to the porch to wait for Alpha Lorent.

Ben shrugged, "I'll show you your new office."

I followed him to what used to be my parent's room. It was now an office. The wardrobe was converted into closable printer closet with supplies, the safe was still there too.

There was a desk where my parent's bed used to be. It was made of black metal and black glass. There was a silver laptop on the table.

The attached bathroom was unchanged, but because it was the master bathroom, it had a bathtub.

"I have bathtubs attached to all my rooms." I observed.

"It's mostly for your Luna, since water is needed for his healing power. Killion says the Lorent Alpha family always have bathtubs, and pools, and fountains and generally many water sources in their homes." Ben explained.

Oh. That made sense. I guess if my wolf was reliant on water to heal, I'd always feel safer with some water nearby.

After that Ben showed me the rest of the Alpha office. The other two bedrooms were now Beta offices. The smaller one for him, and the larger one to be shared by Harvey and Killion. Outside where the sitting room used to be was now a lobby area, with some workstations on one side. These would be for other staff attached to the Future Alpha Office. The dining area remained unchanged except for a ceiling mounted projector and a whiteboard where an old painting used to be. This was the meeting space.

It was all very modern, with black metal, black glass, and chrome thing.

"The system is all up and plugged into the network." Ben told me, "Ki says we just need plants and some accessories. He'll get to it next week."

I nodded.

Then Ben nodded towards Stephan and Fluffy. The two men were still standing on one side of the lobby area. "So what do you want to do with them?"

I remembered Stephan's report, "Stephan has to return to his pack and continue helping Bell prepare everyone to reintegrate into a normal wolf pack when they get here in March or April."

Stephan nodded, "Understood."

"I'll dream travel over sometime next week, one of the nights." I told Stephan, "I need to leave before dawn."

Stephan nodded again, "We will be ready for your arrival, Alpha."

I waved it off, "No need to be so polite. I just want to meet the fight dogs. I will make them submit to both you and mate."

"Can I come with?" Ben asked.

"If you want, sure." I shrugged. The more the merrier right?

What about fluffy?

"Stephan, do you need Fluffy for anything?" I asked.

"Not particularly, Alpha. Right now he mostly provokes the other male wolves." Stephan answered, "I only keep him by my side to keep him out of trouble."

So straightforward, his wolf.

"Okay, then Fluffy will stay with me." I decided. I remembered how Ki was like when he first came, "Ben, put him under Ki or Harvey to be trained to be my bodyguard or personal assistant for now."

"Alright then." Ben nodded and typed something into his phone, and then he received a mindlink. He smirked, looking back up at us, "Come on, everyone else has arrived. It's Candance time."

He put a hand on the small of my back to push me out... I mean to lead me to the meeting, which I could've gone to on my own, had I known which room it would be held, which I didn't.

But while thinking this, I realized that was dumb. I did know. We were on my territory, in my own packhouse. It would be wherever my other two betas were, or the visiting Alpha Lorent was, or where my dad was... Or MATE! Mate was here.

As if to confirmed it, I caught sight of the full moon while passing a window.

We entered a larger conference room than the usual one we used. I used to play in this room a lot because it was large and usually left empty, the chairs and tables folded and put to one side.

But tonight it was all set up, table clothes, flowers, bottled water, the works.

I stepped into the room as Ben intoned, "Princess is here."

Most of the room stood up, except for my Dad and Alpha James... And mate. Mate was here and my wolf was so incredibly happy that I grinned before greeting my elders with a polite nod, "Good evening. Thank you all for coming."

Killion pulled out the chair for me. Stephan took his seat on Bell's other side. Ben and Fluffy remained standing behind me.

I could see all the other wolves regard Fluffy carefully. I mean, Stephan was an XL emotionless rock, but he was still somewhat a strong dark haired respectable looking male wolf. Fluffy was blond, his hair like spun gold and braided into intricate waves. His cornflower blue eyes were often forced into crescents by his unreadable smile.

His ears had several jeweled piercings, his hands and arms were also generously decorated. He might be even more glittery than any Lorent female. He was probably prettier too. But under the bangles, the bands of slavery was clearly burnt on his arms.

Fluffy hadn't only been a fight dog, he was a normal slave since young. Sort of like Sabre. Only that Fluffy was adopted as a vampire's pet. Sabre was adopted as a wolf's daughter.

I'm not sure what the other wolves in the room thought of this beautiful male wolf. TBH, I didn't know what to make of him myself. I still didn't. But there was something about Fluffy...

"That's Fluffy." I said to the staring wolves, "He's one of the fight dogs in Bell's army. He will be staying with us for a while and training under my betas."

Then I grinned, "I guess it's outside convention to make the introductions without hierarchy order, but let's start the candance with introductions in the order of curiosity - just for fun. So if you get introduced first, it means there are more people curious to know you in this room, and if you get introduced last, it means you're a already that much more established and familiar to the rest of the wolves in this group."

The group laughed and I got some nods.

"I'm the Alpha, and if I'm chairing a Candance, then it's going to be fun AND it's not going to drag on forever. It's 9.05PM. we will end by 11PM. Two hours. Let's go!"