Obviously, Damon didn't like the idea of Marcy visiting the Dark Howlers pack, and he also didn't like that his two Betas were talking about it like it's not a big deal.
Sure, he didn't tell them that Talia is his mate, but they should at least be aware of the consequences if Marcy recognizes Talia as the girl from the attic.
"If Marcy comes, what will happen to Talia?", Damon asked.
Maya had a solution ready, "We can move her with Omegas, and tell her to stay low profile until Marcy leaves. Actually, Talia wants to move out of the packhouse, and this can be a good occasion to start the process…"
Damon's ears were buzzing and he didn't hear the rest.
Is Maya serious? How dares she think about separating him from Talia?
But… can Talia stay in the packhouse with Marcy around?
Only last night Damon told Talia that this is her home and that she won't need to hide, yet if Marcy comes, Damon will need to eat his words and suffer the consequences of breaking Talia's trust. Again.
To make things worse, Marcy will stay in the packhouse and stick close to him and how is he supposed to explain that to Talia?
Not acceptable.
"No!", Damon snapped, making Maya stop talking in the middle of her sentence. "Talia is still recuperating, and she will NOT leave the packhouse. Marcy's presence will disturb us all. We need to find another way to deal with this."
"What should I tell Alpha Edward?", Caden asked Damon.
"Come up with a reason so that Marcy doesn't come.", Damon said. "Tell her I won't be here. I will be away on business, training, vacation, pick one or combine a few. It's not like this will be the first time for you to provide an excuse for me."
Caden was not sure if Damon is joking. "Do you expect them to believe that you are not going to be here for one of the largest celebrations our pack is holding? We will have several other Alphas visiting and I'm confident that Alpha Edward knows about it."
Yes, several delegations from other packs will come, but not all of them are Alphas. Some of them assumed the role of an Alpha recently, but most of them are heirs, sons of Alphas (and their mates), and they are all approximately Damon's age. They are coming with a goal to establish and maintain good relationships with Damon that will come in handy when they take over the leadership of their respective pack.
Most of the Alphas take over the pack in their late twenties, but it's not uncommon for some to reach their thirties, and some do it as early as twenty years old. There is no rule other than for the previous Alpha to be ready to hand over his position, and that he believes his successor is ready for the role of an Alpha.
At Caden's words, Damon made a face. He forgot that guests are coming, and he will need to attend meetings and entertain them, and he won't be able to spend much time with Talia, and… his face lit up when he got an idea.
"That's it! Others will be visiting! Tell them that my schedule is full with official business, and I will have no time to entertain Marcy. Work comes first and I don't want her to come and be neglected." Damon paused and made a thoughtful face. "Yes. Spice it up with something like… When I'm with my future Luna, I want to give her my undivided attention. And make sure to add that our engagement is still not set, and I don't want my guests to get the wrong idea when they see Marcy here."
Caden and Maya exchanged confused glances.
"You must be kidding." It was Maya who spoke. "If we respond with this, it's the same as saying that you are backing off from the engagement."
"You know that I have no intention of making Marcy my Luna." This was true, with or without Talia in the picture.
"And you know that you can't back off from an engagement with a casual response from your Betas.", Maya responded with a frown. She hated this part where Damon would mess around with women, and Caden and she were left with damage control.
Maya never approved of Damon's games where he would meet the bride, explore her thoroughly, and then reject her. But Damon and Caden were doing this from before Maya met Caden (and she became Beta), so she couldn't stop it. Besides, it was two against one, and Damon is the Alpha, so she had to obey and follow their lead.
If it's up to Maya, Damon wouldn't meet any of those women, and if that causes a war… then, so be it. They will fight.
Maya is a strong warrior and she prefers a straightforward approach compared to schemes, but since they are already neck-deep in this mess, she had to come up with a viable solution.
"Our plan for rejecting Marcy is still not ready, so the safest thing is to let her come here for a few days. Talia will move..."
Damon bolted to his feet and glared at Maya. "No!"
Caden stood up, ready to defend Maya, and Maya stood up as well.
"There is no use shouting at me.", Maya said irritably. Yes, Damon is her Alpha, but he is stubborn and not willing to admit that Talia is his mate. Actually, even if he admits that Talia is his mate, Maya's solution wouldn't change. They need to protect (aka to hide) Talia and to pacify Marcy. It's that simple. "We need a plan and unless you have something else that will work and not start a war, Marcy is coming."
Damon was exasperated. He knew that Maya and Caden were right, but he was not willing.
Is there really nothing they can do to prevent Marcy from coming?
He felt like a cornered animal, with no way out, and he hated it. He is an Alpha, damn it! Why are others telling him what to do and with whom to do it?
Damon hated that he was still tangled in the web that Alpha Edward set for him with Marcy in the middle.
"Anything from our men in Europe?"
Caden and Maya knew that Damon was asking if they managed to dig out any dirty secret from Marcy's past.
"Nothing yet.", Caden responded.
"Should I assume that we will not find anything? Is she good in not leaving traces, or is she clean?", Damon asked stiffly.
They spoke about this several times already. Everyone has something to hide. It can be evidence that Marcy was fooling around with men, or it could be just a party where she drank and danced, and the rest will be photoshopped.
They already have a video of Marcy naked with Damon, but they need her acting lewdly with someone else as well. As long as they can portray Marcy as a loose woman, Damon can use the old belief how a good Luna should be pure before meeting her Alpha and discredit her as such.
It wouldn't be the first time.
Those old geezers lose their fire when Damon asks them how would they feel if their mate was sampled with an array of other men before she became their Luna. That argument works wonders.
Caden wanted to placate Damon. "Let's not give up. It's been only a few days since we sent them to search…"
"How long does it take?", Damon's voice was rising.
"They are trying!", Caden was the one who lost it now. Why is Damon acting like this is his fault?
"Make them try harder!"
Both Caden and Damon froze when they saw Talia standing at the door warily.
Damon wondered how much she heard. Did she hear that they are digging dirt on Marcy? Or that Maya wants to send her away? What if Talia agrees to leave?
"Good morning, Talia!", Maya wished cheerfully.
"Good morning", Talia responded.
Talia's eyes were darting from Damon to Caden to Maya, and back to Damon again. All three of them were standing and Talia was not sure if she should come in or not.
Damon told her to come down for breakfast, but then she heard them arguing and she wished to go back to her room.
She can skip food. It's not a big deal.
But her legs moved on their own and brought her to the door and this awkward situation.
Damon cleared his throat and spoke calmly to Caden, "Tell them to hurry. We will continue this conversation later." He turned to Talia. "Nice of you to join us, come here." He gestured to the chair on his left. "What will you drink? Orange juice, milk, tea, coffee…"
Talia approached the table gingerly. "Orange juice."
Damon pulled a chair for Talia and she watched as Damon poured her a glass of juice.
Talia was not sure how they can all resume eating as if nothing happened. She didn't understand what the shouting was about, it seemed random, but she clearly heard that the seemingly calm conversation exploded into a heated argument. Or is that a normal occurrence?
Her desire to leave the packhouse swelled. This place is too stressful.
By the time Talia snapped to her senses, the plate in front of her was heaping with food.
"That's plenty", Talia told Damon who was ready to put another sausage on her plate.
"You didn't say, 'enough', so I assumed you want more.", Damon responded casually and then he started piling food into his plate.
"How was your night, Talia? Are you feeling better?", Maya asked.
"It was good, and yes, I'm better. Thank you.", Talia responded while wondering if Caden and Maya are aware that Damon spent the night in her bed. She tried not to think about it.
Talia looked helplessly at the small mountain of food in front of her, and she poked a piece of scrambled eggs.
The fork nearly reached her mouth when Talia jolted.
She glanced under the table and saw Damon's hand on her knee, palm up, and his fingers were wiggling.
Talia knew what that means, but she couldn't believe it.
She leaned closer to Damon, over the table, and asked in a whisper, "Now?"
"No questions asked, remember?", Damon responded without removing his gaze from his plate.
She was not sure if she should laugh or cry, but she knew that Alpha Damon is not the one to give up easily and she didn't want to cause a scene.
Talia glanced nervously at Maya and Caden who were busy with their food. Good. It seems they didn't notice.
She jolted again when Damon squeezed her knee, silently telling her that he is still waiting.
Talia shifted the fork in her left hand and her right hand went under the table.
The moment her palm landed in Damon's, their fingers interlaced, and Talia's heart skipped a beat.
She couldn't help but steal glances at Damon who was eating with one hand, and if not for a small smile at the corner of his lips, she would assume that she was holding someone else's hand.
