Filed to story: Sorry Alpha I Am Wolfless Novel
“So, I will get exclusive interviews, but what else? Will you tell me news as it is happening so that I can be the first to release it? Will I get bonus information that perhaps the others won’t get?”
“Yes and yes. We will do all that we need to do so that we can make sure that my people are safe. There is going to be some tense moments in the future, that were made clear today at the stadium, but I want to make sure that the rest of the world knows who to blame when these events happen. My people have not caused issues like this. My people are innocent in this scenario, and I am going to rely on you to help us prove that.” I paused for a moment as I thought about how today would have gone had I not been able to save them all in time. “What do you say?” I asked her, needing to get this plan set into motion as soon as I could.
“I say that I am excited to be working with you.” Lara rose to her feet. “I want the truth revealed as well, and getting exclusive interviews will help me as much as you. I will be the go to gal for this issue, and that will boost my career as well. Mind you, I think that I would do this no matter what, even if it wasn’t that much of a boon to me personally.”
“Really?” That was a little shocking to hear.
“And why is that?” I asked her, not really sure why a reporter would say that they would follow through with this even if they thought that it would destroy their career.
“Well, think about it Mrs. Gray, the best journalists are the ones that take risks. And those that are remembered throughout history will be the ones that risked it all for the truth. Not just for the story itself, but for the truth. I might be a reporter, but I am a big supporter of the truth and helping people.”
“You know what, Lara?” I grinned at her as I felt an unexpected feeling rush through me. “I think that we are going to get along really well.”
“I agree.” She nodded at me.
“Also, Lara, call me Riviana. If we are going to be working together, I think that you deserve that little familiarity.”
“I appreciate that, Riviana.”
I spoke with Lara and the others for a little while longer. We needed to get this all settled before she left. She was going to have the numbers to all of my guards, in the event of an emergency that might come up. She will need to call them, and there were times that they might need to call her. She would be the first one invited to all future press conferences and even some meetings that were going to take place among me and my people. As long as it wasn’t a private issue, she would be able to give an inside view into the life of a supernatural being.
I have to admit that having a personal reporter that would always be working to promote your best image was a good idea. And I was happy that I had thought of it. The more people that we had like her, promoting nothing but acceptance and understanding of our people the better it would get with each passing day.
All that I was talking with Lara about was political and kingdom related issues, but she brought up something else that I hadn’t thought much about. She wanted to know if she should do a series of pieces that had to do with the everyday lives of nonhumans and how we were the same as the humans when it came down to the parts that mattered the most.
In truth, I thought that this was an excellent idea. If we were able to show them that we were just as normal as they were, then maybe we would be able to convince some of the people that would be on the fence to side with us rather than against us. The fewer misunderstandings that they had about us, the better life would be in the long run.
We agreed that the first thing that we would show the world was Christmas with our family. As the years had passed, there was a lot that Joaquin and I had done with the kids and the community. I initially thought that this would be inappropriate to showcase. Not because I didn’t want Lara to show my holiday to the world, but because I didn’t want to take her away from her family.
“Don’t worry about that.” She grinned and waved a hand at me. “I have no family. I wasn’t an orphan growing up or anything, but it was just my mom and I. She died when I was in college though, so now it is just me. There is nothing to take me away from.”
“Friend?” I asked her with a hopeful tone.
“I work too much.” She shook her head.
“Alright then.” I nodded at her. I was already planning on including her in the celebrations so that she would be able to experience a true Gray Family Christmas.
We made arrangements for Lara to be here at seven in the morning on Christmas, which was only a few days away. She would have a camera and other recording equipment, but she would be alone. She didn’t want to ruin things by bringing other people. Not to mention that most of the people that would be a part of her crew had families and therefore obligations for the holiday.
With all the discussions over, it was time to call it a day. Or at the very least it was time to take a break. I honestly felt like the day had lasted a week, but I also knew that there was a lot more that we needed to do. Some lunch would be good though. A little bit of resting and relaxing while we ate a meal with the gathered group. The kids still weren’t here though, and wouldn’t be coming back tonight either. They would be back in a few days, when we were sure that things would be safe for them. I didn’t want to put our family in danger.
The guards, Reagan, Rika, Athair m貌r, Daciana, Trevor, Aunt Glory, and several other members of our close knit group joined us for the meal, as did the ambassadors from around the world. We knew that they had all had a hard day as well, and they needed to rest and relax just as much as we did.
The food, prepared by Abigail, was delicious as always. And the company was pleasant. It was just the thought of returning to work when this was all done that put me on edge and made the remainder of the afternoon a little less than pleasant. We had made progress in the reveal and getting the public on our side. We had had a setback when that group of people decided to riot and attack the building. There was just no knowing what else was happening at the moment though. We had a lot that we still needed to do, and so little time to get it done.
Fast and efficient, that was going to be our motto for right now. Work fast. Get the news out there. Show the world that we are not evil. That was the focus. That was what we were all working towards.
I was sure that the others were as tired and exhausted as I felt right now, but we would manage to get it all done. We had never failed, not yet. And I wouldn’t let this be the task that took me out. I would do this. I would protect my people. No matter what it was, I would make sure that my people had nothing to fear in this world. Nothing at all.
*** These next couple of chapters will be told from the point of view of various people. These people will be those that were watching the broadcast as it happened and their responses to what was revealed to the world. This is to give you an insight into how the people of the world are reacting. Not just the negative but the positive and indifferent as well. Personally, I feel that this information is important to the story, and I hope that you all agree with me as well. ***
****** Los Angeles, California ******
When this day started, I didn’t know what it was that I was going to see on the television while I was having a late breakfast with some of my friends from university. I was in my late thirties now, but that didn’t stop me from getting together with my friends from time to time. Especially when I was back in L.A. for work. My wife and I lived in Michigan, and therefore it wasn’t often that I got to see these friends of mine.
I was a little sad that I wasn’t going to get to see my closest friends while I was here. Even now, almost twenty years after we had met, I was still really close to Ocean and Makai. They had moved to Colorado though, a recent move that they had just made a few months ago. That was fine. We were planning on visiting them over the holiday, it was a tradition of ours. And I was no stranger to snow, unlike Ocean and Makai. They had lived in California most of their lives. And before that, Makai had lived in Florida.
“Hey Derek!” I heard Jason call out to me. “Over here man.”
“Hey!” I waved at the group of friends that I hadn’t seen in a while.
“Come on, let’s order soon. I am starving.” Owen joked.
“Yeah, yeah, keep your pants on.” I shook my head at him and rushed over. I shook their hands, high fived, or hugged them in greeting as I sat at the end of one of the benches. “So, what’s good?” I picked up the menu.
“Psshh.” Nick scoffed at me. “Come on man, we’ve only been eating here since college, you know what is good.” He was right about that. And I had already known what I was going to get even before I got here. Still, I always looked at the menu to check and see if it had changed.
…..
We placed out orders for our meal, sipped on our drinks, and started to catch up on our lives. There was a football game playing in the background. I wasn’t all that interested in it, but I knew that Jason was. He was watching it intently as he tried to keep up with the conversation. So, when it was interrupted we all knew about it immediately.
“What the hell?” He said shocked as he looked at the screen. “Come on, bring back the game, dammit!”
“What is going on?” Nick asked as he turned to face the screen.