We walked back out into the dining room. It immediately fell silent. This was when I belatedly realized they had also been absolutely silent when we passed through earlier.
I guess the Lorent warriors had somehow figured out that we were the Alpha's daughters—or at least somebody-important's daughters.
We had totally nailed it with the dress-up.
It was probably best to just ignore them again. We made a determined beeline straight for the stairs to Dad's office.
"Careful. Don't spill it, Sam." Savy looked worried at the tray in my hands—a full pot of tea, matching cups and saucers, and more food.
I narrowed my eyes at her. "As if an Alpha would spill any tea."
Savy sighed. "That's because they don't have to serve tea."
I huffed. "But if they did, they wouldn't spill it. So there."
When we reached the landing outside Dad's office, we automatically fell silent.
It was a fact that even though we couldn't hear what was being said behind the closed door, they could hear everything on our side of it clearly.
So many times as kids, we had sat in Dad's office and heard men discussing things just outside it, before knocking or after leaving.
It wasn't on purpose, but it turned out to be a good security measure. That way, no one could hear what was being discussed inside, but Dad could hear if there was a security threat outside his door.
I don't think most people knew about it. Not even Beta Lucas. Actually, I don't think my dad realized it until I had pointed it out. At least, he had appeared surprised to hear of it.
Since my hands were full, Savy had to knock on the door.
She made two little, timid taps. I rolled my eyes. If it were up to me, I would have rapped harder—or kicked the door open. But I was currently trying to prove that Alphas were perfectly capable of balancing loaded tea trays.
They heard us anyway. "Come in." Dad raised his voice at the door. He sounded quite formal, so I don't think he realized it was us yet.
Savy turned the doorknob and swung the door open for me to enter first.
Here goes nothing.
I carried the tray into the office and did my best to make it seem like just a casual, everyday affair. "Esther asked us to help replenish the tea." I was also trying to make it sound like it was all Esther's idea.
Mum's mouth fell open. Beta Lucas had a strange look on his face. Only Dad looked as if he hadn't noticed our makeover.
"Thank you, Sam." He nodded.
I put the heavy tray down carefully. The food on the table was untouched, and there wasn't space for any more, so I decided to swap the items.
For a moment, I was tempted to take the tiered tray because the food on it looked delicious. I could eat that once downstairs, but I didn't want to risk spilling anything.
So I exchanged the plate of new food for the browning apple slices. Mum came to my rescue, taking over the teapot and repouring the tea for everyone.
"Just set that aside on the sideboard, dear," she instructed me.
I nodded, and once she had loaded my tray with the previous tea set, I carried it carefully to the sideboard and set it down.
Internally, I could have sung for joy at not totally humiliating myself and my family by spilling anything. I suddenly remembered the Mulan cartoon—my family's honor hanging in the balance, all dependent on me and a tray of teacups.
I had no idea how much truth that cartoon held until today. I definitely did better than Mulan. I guess my cricket was luckier.
Savy (who I supposed was the lucky cricket I never knew I had) came to my side.
"Your daughters?" Alpha Lorent prompted.
"Yes," Dad answered. He always sounded just a bit prideful whenever he introduced us. "My daughters, Samantha and Savannah."
Alpha Lorent was a surprisingly kind-looking man. He gave a gentle, polite laugh when he spoke to us. "Hello. I am Alpha James. This is my lovely Luna, Edith."
Oh. He gave us their first names.
I bowed just a bit, as befitting a future Alpha or Luna to their elder. "It's nice to meet you, Alpha James and Luna Edith." Savy echoed my bow silently.
"Aren't they lovely, dear?" Alpha James mused.
His Luna nodded, but her eyes suddenly teared up.
"Ah." Alpha James wrapped his arm around her and drew her into his embrace. "My Luna misses our son," he said simply.
I instinctively reached for some tissues and passed them to him. He took them with a quiet thank you and handed them to his mate.
I looked at my dad and mum and Beta Lucas. They nodded gravely.
"I'm sorry we can't be of more help," my dad said.
Luna Edith whimpered. "I'm sorry."
She was trying not to cry, but it was one of those times when the more you tried to hold back, the harder the sobbing became.
"It's times like these when you remember who your real allies are," Alpha James sighed. He looked sad, tired.
They looked—under all their finery—a lot like my own Mum and Dad. Just different, and very heartbroken. But… wait. Didn't Jessica say they found him?
"What happened to your son?" I blurted out.
I heard Beta Lucas take a sharp breath, but Alpha James took no notice.
"He died. He was captured by rogues. By the time we found him, he was in a fight cage at Ventali's Coven," Alpha James told me sadly.
"Oh," I said. "I'm sorry."yes
"He's not…" Luna Edith sobbed. "He's not…"
He's not what? He's not dead?
Alpha James tightened his grip on her arm. His mouth drew into a straight line. He looked angry, but his eyes were cast somewhere far away, as if he were looking at a memory.
I felt my heart break. Suddenly, I remembered the discussion we'd had last night, and I don't know why I opened my mouth, but I did. "Did anyone see him die?"
"What?" Alpha James blinked. His eyes were glassy.
"Sam…" Beta Lucas tried to explain. "It was a fight cage in a vampire coven. We all know how those work."
No, actually, I didn't know. "But no one saw him die, right?"
"I'm afraid even if he survived the fight, he would not survive the night," Alpha James told me.
I looked at my dad. He didn't look hopeful, but he didn't stop me from speaking my thoughts either.
"But no one has seen him dead yet, right?" I asked again.
"I fear to hope," Alpha James said.
That's true. I looked at Luna Edith, tears still streaming silently down her face. False hope would only drag out the pain—maybe. I didn't really know. How would I know?
I felt myself getting pissed off.
Oh yeah. I hadn't done my training exercise last night. Savy had come to my room, and I had fallen asleep. Then I'd had that strange dream of two wolves and my mate in tight leather pants. Hahahaha.
And now I could feel my wolf power unrestrained, emerging like a wave of anger.
{Afraid to hope. What bullsh*t.}
I had to dream of my mate barely alive and soaked in his own blood for the last two nights in a row.
I still believed he was coming to get me. Eventually. Or I would go get him and kill him myself, wherever he was. I couldn't afford to be afraid to hope.
I looked at Alpha James and Luna Edith, their expressions broken by pain, and suddenly the anger turned inward and stabbed me. What did I know about adult things? I was just a kid.
But when I grew up, I wasn't going to be the kind of adult who was afraid to hope.
Aloud, I said, "If it's just hope, I can hold it for you."
Then I turned and stalked out of the office.
Savy picked up her library books to follow me.
"Wait!" That was Mum.
I stopped in my tracks, fuming just outside the door.
This was bad. This was very, very bad. Mum, can't you tell I might nuke something? I could barely control the power surge within me. I didn't want to melt down in front of everyone—especially not in front of the Alpha and Luna from the neighboring pack.
"Please excuse us." Mum rose to her feet. "The girls and I are due for a visit to the Morning Light Destitute Home for lunch."
"Oh?" Alpha James asked.
Don't look at me. That was news to me too. I thought we only had to pack the sandwiches today.
"Yes. The girls spent the morning making and packing the lunches," Mum explained. She offered a gentle smile. "Would you like to join us for the picnic?"
Alpha James hesitated, then nodded. "Yes."
He looked at his mate, who had stopped crying, and decided, "Good idea."
What was my mum doing? Was this our punishment for poking our noses where they didn't belong?
I saw Savy's panicked expression as she came over to me. I stepped forward almost protectively. "We were just going to return some books to the library when we met Esther in the kitchen."
In other words, please don't make us go.
Savy held up the books to prove my claim was genuine. I nodded, pleased that our excuse seemed acceptable to our audience. "We will excuse ourselves now."
"Yes, thank you, girls." Dad waved us off.
Mum smiled widely. "Come down to the porch when you are done, girls. We will be leaving in a bit."
And just like that, Sunday lunch at the destitute home became some kind of official guided tour.
What was my mum thinking?
Savy and I all but tumbled into the library in our hurry to escape the adults in the other room.
The moment Savy shut the door, I spun around on her. "What is going on?"
I closed my eyes. I felt wild and crazy inside. My fists were clenched, but I couldn't tell whether it was to stop myself from striking out or to make it easier to throw a punch.
Savy acted like she didn't notice—or maybe she was just used to my erratic Alpha surges. She completely ignored my visible struggle.
"I'm not sure," Savy said. "Mum can be sneaky."
"Hm. So you think she's up to something too." I racked my brains but couldn't come up with anything else Mum might be plotting.
"Maybe she's punishing us," I concluded finally. She had told us to go home and not hang around. My parents had always kept us out of political meetings and such.
Whatever the reason, it didn't look like we'd be able to get out of the visit. The destitute home was, at worst, boring and occasionally unpleasant for me, but Savy was always more sensitive.
"Are you going to be okay?" I asked her.
"I'll live." She shrugged.
I nodded as Savy put the books back on the right shelf.
"I think it would be best if we cooperated with Mum today," I decided.
Savy nodded. "I think if we go and be helpful, at the very least, she might overlook us appearing in the office."
We headed down together to face whatever music my mum had orchestrated.
On the porch, the adults had arranged the rides. Gamma Harry would drive Dad, Mum, Savy, and me in the first car.
Alpha James and Luna Edith would follow with a driver and a guard.
Beta Lucas would drive up the rear with Mrs. Beta, Laura (Mrs. Gamma), and Esther.
This was the most official contingent we had ever sent to our Sunday lunches at the Morning Light Destitute Home. It was also our most heavily guarded—because of that one guard.
I got the feeling this was something new for Alpha James, traveling with so few cars or warriors.
He didn't make any fuss about it, though.
I only noticed because when the arrangement was confirmed, Alpha James wrapped his arm protectively around his Luna. Later, I heard him say to the guard, "Do not leave my Luna's side when out of the car."
To us, he said, "I had heard many good things about the Morning Light Destitute Home. Thank you for allowing us to come."
"Alpha Kingsley and I are planning a central care home open to all packs in our Green Packlands," Mum told him.
"Excellent idea," Alpha James approved. "This would be beneficial for a few of our members as well. I would very much like an opportunity to contribute."
I knew about Mum's dream for a central initiative for the whole packland. So far, the only destitute home in our Green Packlands was at Morning Light Pack, and our two packs had borne the cost of running it. Since there were women and children in crisis from other packs too, there were never enough rooms or childcare places to go around.
Oh. Was Mum planning to pitch their idea to Alpha James? Maybe roping us into visiting the destitute home wasn't just punishment. Maybe Mum needed our help today.
Fair enough. I wouldn't let her down.
Whatever it turned out to be, I would be on it.
"Just stick with me," I told Savy as we got into the car. "It'll be fine."
I was dependable that way.