Chapter 5: Invitation

Ellie

There it was, laying on her desk, staring up at her like the "just one more" taco she often ate when she knew there simply wasn't room. In other words, a really bad idea, one she should run away from. But she couldn't--because on the other side of Ellie's desk stood her father, Michael, with an impish grin on his face.

With a hardened look on her face, Ellie picked up the invitation and read it over. Immediately, she hated everything about it. From the gaudy gold calligraphy on a white background to the ridiculous wording her father had used that made her sound like she was a prize at a medieval joust, the invitation just didn't sit well with her, but Ellie decided to take it all in stride. It wouldn't do any good to ask her father to change it up now, not when he was clearly so very proud of it.

"Well, honey? What do you think?" Michael asked, his smile broadening. "It looks great, doesn't it? Boy, the guys at the print shop sure do know how to make a fancy invitation."

She imagined the guys over at the print shop, all fellows about her dad's age, laughing it up while they made it. "It's definitely… eye catching," she said.

"Right? I can't wait to get them in the mail. I'm certain we'll have six RSVPs in just a couple of days, as soon as these babies are delivered. And then, once these babies are delivered and we get you hitched, some real babies can be delivered!"

Ellie groaned and dropped her head onto her desk. Leave it to her father to find a way to work the idea of grandkids into the conversation. Seeing as though it would do no good for her to ask him--yet again--if he was sure about this, if he really wanted to host the tournament, if he really thought this was he best way for her to find a husband, she bit back her reservations and said, "Let me know if anyone responds."

"Oh, they'll respond!" Michael said, taking the letter and heading over to his own desk with it so he could print out labels and get the invitations in the mail. "I'm certain all six of the Alphas we're inviting from nearby packs will be here. With bells on!"

'Who says that?' Ellie thought to herself, but she didn't dare say anything out loud to break her father's spirit. "I think I'm going to take a quick walk around the village and see if anyone needs anything."

"Okay," Michael said, fighting his desktop computer as he struggled to figure out how to print labels. Ellie had shown him enough times; she wasn't about to go over and do it again. He'd remember--eventually.

Outside, the autumn air hit her lungs and began to clear her mind. With any luck, the other Alphas would think this was a dumb idea and not bother to show up. She hadn't met all six of them, only a couple, and that had been years ago, before any of them took over. Most of the time, if they had business to discuss, it was over the phone or by email. Occasionally, they'd send their Betas to talk something over, but Ellie could agree with her dad that it was a fine time for the six of them to finally meet. The rest of the plan, she wasn't so sure about.

She became even less sure when she heard three familiar voices behind her shout, "Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye!"

Ellie spun around to see her three "little brothers" coming up behind her, crooked smirks on their faces as they laughed over the opening lines of her father's invitation. Ellie felt her face turning red and tried not to grimace, but it was difficult. "All right, you three," she said. "Where did you see the famous invitation?"

"Don't you mean infamous?" Seth asked, still laughing.

"We saw it at the print shop. My dad works there, remember?" Hans asked.

Ellie did remember that. She wished she would've thought of it earlier so she could avoid this conversation. "Well, I'll admit it's not my style, but Dad is happy with it, so I guess that's what we're going with."

"Whatever you say, Princess Ellie," Cane said, giving her a playful jab in the arm.

"Goddess," Ellie swore under her breath. "I just want this whole thing to be over with!"

"Seriously, though, Luna," Seth began, his voice no longer full of merriment, "you should know, whoever wins this tournament, if he doesn't prove himself to be a gentleman worthy of you, we're going to beat the crap out of him."

"No doubt," Hans agreed.

"Yeah, he'd better be a stand up guy," Cane nodded.

A smile overtook Ellie's face as she saw how sincerely they all met it. The idea of having three brothers who were willing to stand up for her was touching and sweet, especially now that they were basically old enough and well enough trained to carry through with what they'd just said. "Thanks, you guys," she said, her cheeks turning rosy with admiration. "But don't worry. If he's not a nice guy, I'll beat his a*s myself."

All of them began to laugh again, including Ellie, even though she wasn't really joking. While she had every intention of going through with her father's plan so long as the guy who won was an admirable Alpha, but if some sleazebag one the tournament, she didn't really care what the consequences might be of breaking her word. She wasn't going to spend the rest of her life with some self-absorbed idiot just because he won a contest.

"I sure hope this works out for you, Luna," Hans said, speaking for all of them. "You really do deserve to be happy."

"Thanks, you guys!" Ellie leaned in and gave all three of them a wide group hug. "I appreciate it." She really did, even though, if she was honest, she didn't think it was going to work out. In this situation, her father was trying to force something to happen, and in her experience, that never, ever ended well.