Philippe

Now I’m an odd ball in that I’m not a coffee drinker, but I have an elderly mom that is a life long multicup/day disciple of the bean. Only mentioned briefly but reinforced by a small community spirit of close neighbors, walking to work, and the general small store familiarity made this all the more heart warming as the social aspect often associated with the bean would bring us closer. The informal adoption of the nearly legal adult would have probably been supported with a living will and power of attorney to make sure the proper next-of-kin were formalized and respected in emergencies, but the family chose him and his heart chose them. This story is so close and dear to me, as a neighbor teen boy of mine lost his dad to suicide several years ago. He came to me as a sophomore looking for career advise as he was trying to find his way in life. This turned in to me helping him keep his car running despite frequent issues. This bonding in relationship helped him have security and trust to stay focused when he could have easily made some terrible decisions in a non supportive and dysfunctional family environment. I proudly claim him as my godson, share financial accounts to help him build credit and manage financial responsibility, and I cherished every phone call update of his latest accomplishments. His financial responsibility and credit rating has allowed him options, his near completion of degree Major and three Minors reflect his total commitment and focus on education and career, but most of all is that he is part of my life and I am in his. When he calls to discuss his life decisions and goals, I can’t help but feel anything less than pride in my son! Thanks for sharing and reminding us of the good within us, and the exponential rewards when we share our hearts with those needing a little mending to be whole again.

You’ve done it again, Laura. Even as a free spirited chef branching into a new genre recipe of: One part murder, two parts drama, three parts comedy, four parts thriller, five parts mystery, Six parts supernatural, and Seven parts love. Mixed, stirred, shaken, and served by @Laura S. Fox; it’s found to be full of the warmest flavors of love a story could possibly expect to have being born of murder. Even the dearly departed was gifted Mason to convey his eternal love, but in spirit also his was the power to gift the power of love. Unfortunately, or fortunately for our favorite couple, the absolute power corrupted absolutely, with greed (and a little Devine Intervention) destroying the all powerful and invincible Levine Goldman; ironically, falling before the blob of fat or Fatso Po, the namesake of the improbable savor having been reborn as sidekick Billy. Thank you, Laura, for another wonderful adventure of love ❤️.

I know this is fictional but that these sad realities do occur in real life; so sad, that a young life can be so disposable and unwelcomed. Even in fiction this brings tears to my eyes, but when considering the real lives tossed it brings so much anger; any animal deserves dignity in life, but a human child abandoned make me want to take the adult, once stripped of all but what the child would have, for a long one way trip to a reality check adventure in learning. Argh!

Now the stage crew is working hard to understand the setting, will Stefan hold to his word or could he possibly skirt his own precedence? A very nice back story on both The Electric Panda and Beta Kaplan; very en-lightning! The Panda did so cherish his scarf, and I’m sure the ex-Alpha found his fatal error shocking! Zap, oh dang, I did it again!

It’s them foreign paper sizes on our printer trays and in the software print options! LMAO 😂 I understood the message, but I lived across the big sea for several years; where letter and legal sounds more like a document template or salutation to them! 😆 Now think, domo arigato with a southern drawl, oh yeah, you should hear my southern Japanese! ROTFLMAO!

Vincent’s fight?; pledged to pack, pack to him, Alpha Mate, Pack Alpha, a pack of Wolves, with...Lions, Tigers, and Bears? lol Yeah, it’s Vinnie’s fight alright...where and how do we help protect our pack, Alpha(s)? Haha Ok, the major trouble shooter for around the world is........a Panda? Lololol, OMG! I was flashing back to the Ghost Busters, where the demonic ghost stoled your worst nightmare and turn it into a giant of your demise; enter...the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man! Really...a Panda? Ok, Kung Fu Panda it is! Another fantastic, entertaining, and suspenseful addition to this wonderful tale!

Well now, hidden within, we hear only an Alpha can display the eyes in human form, and also bring forth their wolf while in human form, but likewise we witnessed the Alpha Mace ask/demand to return his human to the forefront, which then appeared to force a human transition; but did it? We now have a new breed of Alpha forming by birth of turning a human, a mage, a mage of multiple affinities. But hidden within this birth is a deep need to use the forged strengths of the Alpha form, while still needing to wield the skills and affinities of the Mage. Mage Alpha Wolf Vinnie..., could it be that our very powerful, very unique, and with surprisingly quick morphing transitions, Alpha Mage is truly that; developing into a true shared entity of an Alpha Wolf Mage? Tremendous power would be burned as a hybrid, but that hybrid will also; store energies of a Mage; wield powers of a Mage, but likewise carry the physical strength and healing of the wolf. Vinnie has to be fast as a Mage especially, but he can not train a separate wolf persona to be or act quickly as a skilled Mage. Likewise, the speed requirements do not allow the wolf/human transitions to be done quickly without tremendous risks and exposure. But what if the jointing of Vinnies turn out to allow Vinnie to come forward without forcing a return to human form, or that the wolf can exists in a shared forward presence that works as a seamless team within either form; human or wolf? The eyes may flashing rapidly of colors to became a distraction to his enemies just trying to figure which mode he is in! lol Just my rambling thoughts of this more highly evolved Magical Mage Alpha Wolf Destined Mate...

Oh, great, next year is what...3 weeks now? Robert’s RESCUE? Hahahaha

For the Love of Money - The O’Jays Money money money money, money [Repeat: x 6] Some people got to have it Some people really need it Listen to me why'all, do things, do things, do bad things with it You want to do things, do things, do things, good things with it Talk about cash money, money Talk about cash money- dollar bills, why'all For the love of money People will steal from their mother For the love of money People will rob their own brother For the love of money People can't even walk the street Because they never know who in the world they're gonna beat For that lean, mean, mean green Almighty dollar, money For the love of money People will lie, Lord, they will cheat For the love of money People don't care who they hurt or beat For the love of money A woman will sell her precious body For a small piece of paper it carries a lot of weight Call it lean, mean, mean green Almighty dollar I know money is the root of all evil Do funny things to some people Give me a nickel, brother can you spare a dime Money can drive some people out of their minds Got to have it, I really need it How many things have I heard you say Some people really need it How many things have I heard you say Got to have it, I really need it How many things have I heard you say Lay down, lay down, a woman will lay down For the love of money All for the love of money Don't let, don't let, don't let money rule you For the love of money Money can change people sometimes Don't let, don't let, don't let money fool you Money can fool people sometimes People! Don't let money, don't let money change you, It will keep on changing, changing up your mind. Source: LyricFind Songwriters: Kenneth Gamble / Leon Huff / Anthony Jackson For the Love of Money lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc

Tears, tears, and more tears!

Nope, not southern kissed for my accent. For me as a boy, it was a full on smackeroo of pure southern drawl to the likes of say...hmmm.... Lucas Black in Flash is probably a close proximity (with a crew cut hair cut too); and then even as an adult he probably still nails it in several aspects! 😂

@astone2292, @Patch1; You guys talking about being southern has me flashing back big time. Being originally from LA, that’s Lower Alabama for you more northern boys, with roots in south central Alabama, the country living and life style is still very dear to me. Weekends at my grandparents often resulted in pulling out the rolled up, homemade and hand stitched cotton mattress to watch Disney, Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, and Bonanza in the living room floor. If we were lucky, grandad may also break out the 5-string banjo that had history for my granddad in barn dances of the Hank Williams days and neighborhood. Visiting the farm meant toting water from the well and bathing in a wash tub next to the potbelly stove; watch out when bending over with the ass and elbows, that stove was a scorcher! Dumping the honey pot on those cold winter mornings was definitely more desirable than stepping to the outhouse in the dark freezing nights! lol I have a unique blend of accent and drawl as I spent years away in college, traveling the military world, and working in the travel industry; so even I have to take pause with listening to the kin folks! lol 😂 I wouldn’t change it as it would then change me. Thanks for refreshing my memories.

You may have felt less guided by your muse, but I believe you had a guardian muse nonetheless; as the foundation of relationships, training, and history, you have now given us so very strongly supports this very momentous event you have now brought us to. The irony is that this is not near the epic climax your story promises. You have proven the depth of development in story, character and relationships now to supports such an epic engagement without the confusion and assumptions of artistic license necessary in so many other stories. Let the logic of your muses continue to guide you, and know that the story is so well developed that you’re in no danger of dragging out an unsupported storyline. Any plans or assumptions of story length or number of chapters should only be used as a living and changing outline of a story that has been brought to life. It deserves to follow a logical path at the same level of detail and support regardless the length of story, so as to sustain the quality of your work thus witnessed here! Please, please let this story continue at this very enjoyable and natural pace of life we have fallen in love with!

@astone2292: What a delightful angle for attacking the aspect of a developing Wolf, of a human turning. The approach of talking, teaching and learning is a key growth aspect for both Vincents; perhaps even more so for Mace(s) as they are now introduced to the idea, the reality, that Vincent is a quick developing and powerful Alpha Wolf. Apparently, Vincent is quickly becoming a powerful Alpha Wolf that needs to learn and understand the non-aggressive approach to being an Alpha; Vincent is strong, but so too his his inner Alpha, much negotiation seems to be in line for teaching a terrifyingly powerful Wolf puppy, with some innate instincts for aggression!

Carleton: For me, that would be worth going to prison to be sure that man is no longer walking this earth. I hope you have a pleasant journey back home.” It would seem the brotherhood could and would understand the stress pressures the protector is under. As the guards of the children and the protector, it would not seem likely the Sultan is long to find his way back to the promised and permanent home he deserves; I guess you could consider it fast tracking!

Would that be Murder She Wrote meets Hallmark? 😆 Great job of serving up murder, mystery, thriller, but best of all, the blossoming of love in the most challenging of circumstances; @Laura S. Foxdoes spin a wicked web before the prey is lured into the trap!

Yup, broccoli does it for mine, especially when she has salmon with it! Hahahaha

Unfortunate? Hmmm 🤔, momma bear or Mo? At least with momma bear they had a fighting chance! Hahaha 🤣 Momma bear also saved our Mo from having blood on his hands; it’s no doubt he may yet need to be directly involved but this way seems more kid friendly. 🤭

How resilient and unassuming youth can be. Jon is finding himself amidst these events, while the new and/or younger boys are just adjusting to being cherished and safe; summation found in Charlie and Vasily finding strength, love, and comfort from story time lessons.

Though this chapter focuses a lot on the boys’ “feelings,” it also has lots of nuggets hinting to the larger picture. Taran is distracted internally but yet still seems to be homing in on other possibilities for the adversary’s plans. Ronnie has gained much confidence and helping cement team trust as evidenced last chapter and here in this one. A lot of good build up leading to future actions of the younger generation of heros!

For a detective that claims great “gut instincts “ Detective Shaw is an obsessive IDIOT! Stefan is a known murdered; Shaw sounded no alerts and made no attempts to subdue, instead he allows himself to become a puppet to his obsession over Vincent. Likewise, in Vincent’s relaxed pace of recovery as he relishes the new pack, family, and mate bonds, he has let his guard down and not focused on rebuilding his or his bracelet’s energy stores. With Stefan’s given presence in their community, and with his invasive issue of the teasing notice to Vincent, the stance was guarded to protect Vincent by staying with Mace; now the status is urgent as Stefan has slapped Vincent with his toying games of cat and mouse, with the IDIOT Shaw as a distraction. Vincent needs a panic button alert system; to his mate and his assigned enforcer. Being drawn into a trap is too high a risk with Stefan and the pack support and response has to be a cordon of containment that leaves Stefan little options. Vincent needs to fully trust his mate and family now more than ever full disclosure and coordination; and Shaw need the stark and deadly warning to understand what his last warning truly means. A great but truly frustrating chapter @astone2292has dealt us. As we are given ever reason to love and embrace Vincent, and his new life with Mace and family, it it all the more frustrating to see him now toyed with and betrayed in such deep emotional ways...arrrrgh!

A boy’s dog is also his partner and protector, if they bond as I believe these boys and dogs will. Our family dog probably became closer to me as the older brothers were not around as much as the puppy and I were. We explored and spent lots of superhero hours together. Then we changed our routine, I got a large paper route on my tenth birthday; which had lots of wee early dark morning deliveries. At the speed I could ride my heavily loaded bicycle at ten years old, my family’s dog would always be trotting along my side. This continued for the following years too, as we grew together, as he would not allow anyone and anything near unless I called his stay. With the many long shadows and strange noises of those early hours, my dog was my comfort and my courage; as together we were a team! He was with me on most all my morning deliveries for the best of six years, as he was slowing with age my route got bigger and I started driving with my new license and an old Opel Kadett; Bandit still stayed with me while I folded those papers in the shed, and then while loading the car, but then he would return to his porch outlook awaiting my return. He passed approximately one year later; the summer of my junior year. The smartest, most loyal, and best friend I’ve ever had.

Yes, human smuggling is accomplished without true regard for life; in such conditions death should be charged as murder vs manslaughter, as the probabilities make it impossible to believe death is not likely. Just as the smugglers here have no regard for putting honest businesses and/or workers at risks of confiscated property and/or significant legal charges for crimes not of their doing; or even death in the confusion of a raid, where only a few know the risks and the enlightened become possible casualties in the confusion of policing actions.

Considering this exit, they may want to consider one with a cargo hold and ramp for quick escapes! Haha

With the Joey’s rescue in progress the references of the body parts the young thugs were volunteering for lessons in anatomy, pressure points, and pain, had me thinking of some old classics for learning! Humming : He grabbed one’s arm, he punched another’s nose, he clanked the first one’s nads, and then he wrenched third one’s arm until the shoulder made him speak a profane prose; Hahahah, too bad the second verse didn’t complete before the learning made more progress.