Elise acknowledged, “You are correct, Ladybug did attend Luna meetings and disputes.” Elise turned to me smiling as she announced, “Melanie, the floor is yours.” I sighed, “Well, I mean… I warned you Bradford. You have some kind of audacity about you… along with the fact that you clearly don’t listen, but that’s your fault... and probably a little bit the fault of those who raised you.”
I waved saying, “We will get to that though. I don’t think I have ever heard a more entitled, spoiled rich person problem in my entire life. So, let’s dive in, I guess. Did you go to the gardener and inform him he made a mistake in thecolorof the freaking flower you asked for?” Freya was wheezing she was laughing so hard in my head.
Bradford’s face was bright red as he sputtered, “No.” I replied, “I didn’t think so. Did you go to the head gardener... about any of this? Or to... I’m so sorry sir, I do not know your name.” I looked directly at the other man in the dispute.
The gardener spoke, “It’s Mitch, Muffin Luna.” I nodded, “Thank you, Mitch. Bradford, did you go to any of Mitch’s superiors about this since we already know you didn’t go to the man in question himself?” Bradford flushed, “No.”
I nodded, “Naturally. Did you... I don’t know, think about the fact that you could re-plant the correct flower yourself?”Bradford growled, “I AM A WARRIOR! I do not do gardening.” I said, “I can tell you are a Warrior… but like… did anyone hear me ask his status in the pack?”
Sierra answered, “Nope.” I replied, “They didn’t hear it because that’s not what I asked you, Bradford. So… let’s answer my question.” Bradford growled, “No, I didn’t think to do it myself.” I clarified, “From my understanding… the flower in question is the type of flower you wanted… just the wrong color. Is that right? Dear god, please let me be misunderstanding that point.”
I muttered, “Not that it being the wrong flower AND color makes this any better… it just makes you less of a tool. Not much... but a little… and I feel that distinction is very important… so.” Bradford’s shoulders sagged, “It’s just the wrong color.”
I asked, “Did you consider dyeing the flower the proper color? Or doing anything other than running to the Luna to fix your… and know it pains me to call it a problem, but I guess we will… problem?” Bradford stammered, “It’s the Luna’s job to…”
I cut him off, “I don’t know what rock you’ve lived under that you believe a Luna’s job is to get involved in a gardening issue before it’s gone through superiors, or the head gardener… but you're wrong. Or call me crazy… you could’ve just kept it to yourself and found a solution all by your lonesome... but you want everyone else to pity you.”
I fake pouted, “Woe to you, the gardener planted the wrong colored flower. Then you didn’t even talk to him about… you came here. It’s absurd. That’s not the intent behind these disputes. If you read our histories, Alpha’s and Luna’s hold these to make sure cohesiveness exists in the pack. AFTER they have gone through the structure in place to make sure it’s truly a dispute of something that has occurred.”
“This didn’t go through any channel as you believe yourself superior to the process. Because your problems should go straight to the top… because I’m guessing you were raised to believe you were better than others.”
I warned, “I have news for you that you should’ve been told a long time ago. That’s not how a pack works. From the Alpha down the Omega’s, we all have jobs to do. Part of that job is working with each other. I personally spent the last several years in a pack that didn't know that.”
I asked, “Do you want to know what your attitude breeds? A pack that has to struggle for scraps. A pack that doesn’t look out for each other. From the top of the pack to the bottom everyone is out for themselves. Not their friends, family, mates, or pups.”
I warned, “A pack where a Warrior sees an Omega being attacked by rogues and does nothing because in their mind… ‘oh well, it’s an Omega’ that is where your attitude leads. You are not better than others in this pack because of the rank you bare. We all have a place here and work as a unit, which is what a pack is, to survive.”
“I dare say without the cooks you’d probably die or have to make your wolf hunt and eat for you all the time. You seem to believe yourself to be too important for such a task. I’m guessing you won’t be learning how to cook.”
“Yet you deem yourself better than those doing crucial work. You can’t even plant a flower. A simple search on a computer or phone would probably give you a VIDEO guide of how to plant a flower… actually I know it can.”
Bradford stammered, “I’m a Warrior. It’s not my job to garden.” I was confused. Freya said, “I’d explain it, but I don’t like his point.” I reasoned, “I already told you I understand that you are a Warrior. I’ll even be seeing you in practice here soon.” I studied Bradford as his eyes narrowed.
I groaned, “I see that going badly for you because you’re going to challenge me. I can see it on your face. It’s a bad call, but it’s your right to do so. You could ask people in Red Run about my skills BEFORE I became a Female Lead Warrior and RAN Black Path with my Male Lead Warrior counterpart… without Edward’s help because he was useless.” People gasped. What? He was.
I waved, “Back to the topic of the dispute and not your poor future choices… You need a serious lesson in how packs work. Packs work side by side with each other. So, for the next four months you, in your spare time... because you will not miss a single duty as a Warrior… you will be replanting a garden on the north side. There was a sudden vacancy over there that needs to be re-planted.”
Freya chuckled, “I love you. That’s amazing and it will make our mother and father in law happy.” I did know that. Haley and Dylan snorted. Bradford stormed out before I could finish speaking. I rolled my eyes and looked at Sierra, “I’ve got twenty bucks that says he runs and cries to mommy. She’ll storm in here full of fake righteous indignation for her baby boy.” Sierra bit her lip.
Buttercup chimed in, “I doubt that. It’s not allowed, and Alexander would make training hell if it happened.” I told her playfully, “You’re on, Buttercup.” My future sister in law laughed, “Alright. I’m in.”
I turned to Mitch, “Now, Mitch ….as for you … and this… gosh we are still saying problem… ugh.” Several people laughed. I waved, “You planted the wrong colored flower on purpose, didn’t you? Bradford is annoying and a jerk. You messed with him by planting the wrong color of flower.”
Mitch turned red before sighing to admit, “Yes, I did, Muffin Luna.” He paused then added, “If he’d said something I would have fixed it. I did not think he would file a dispute.” Iacknowledged, “That’s reasonable since it shouldn’t have come this far, but Bradford brought it here. So, for your part in this … gosh…still problem….you will work alongside him in the north garden.”
Mitch gasped, “With Bradford?” I answered, “Yes, with him. Because when push comes to shove… you both need to know you can work together even if you don’t like each other. There was a girl in my home pack that I despised to my very core; however, I’d have had her back if there even had been an attack.”
I acknowledged, “I know the same could not be said in reverse on her part before she died. I fought to protect all the people of Black Path even though I did not like a lot of them… and they are no fan of mine… that’s a whole other conversation.”
I waved my hand saying, “The point is, I want you and Bradford to know… you can behave as pack members should without being best friends... or even friends at all. You need to know as a Warrior, Bradford will protect you, and he needs to know if rogues are coming at his back, and you’re around... you will have his back and fight until he’s taken those facing him in the front.”
“That’s how a pack works. We have each other’s back. It doesn’t mean we sing kumbaya and hold hands all the time. Or that we like everyone and get along every day. It does mean when it comes down to it, we protect each other because that is how we survive and thrive together.”
I trailed off as a woman stormed into the room. She glared at me shouting, “JUST WHO do you think you are? You’re just some wretched little girl who is our Alpha’s unmarked mate. You have no right speaking in these proceedings!” Freya snarled in my head as pain lit through me.
She continued, “Alpha Alexander hasn’t even marked you! You are NOT a Luna! You CANNOT SPEAK to my son and demand he do gardening! He’s so far above that! We are notkitchen, gardening, or working people.” Elise snarled and stood. Freya warned, “I’ll kill her.” I replied, “I got this.”
I held up my hand in a stop motion to Elise and she nodded to me. I said, “I presume you are the mother of Bradford.” She growled, “It’s Patricia.” I clarified, “Patricia Paterson?” She looked confused but nodded.
