Talia stood in front of the stand that Lulu's father (aka chef Page) opened, and she looked at the menu, grateful that it came with pictures.
From there, Talia understood that ramen is noodles that come in a broth, and it can have various toppings.
The pictures showed some options like the one called "ramen-blast 1" that was pork in a spicy broth with egg, corn, and green onion; "ramen-blast 2" was chicken in a regular broth with egg, edamame, and mushrooms.
Besides ramen-blasts (how chef Page called them), there was also an option to build your own ramen where anything goes.
There were options of regular or spicy broth, with meat, three toppings, and pickles included in the price. Additional toppings were available for an extra $2 each.
"What goes well?", Talia asked Keith who was peering at the menu over her shoulder.
Keith was about to answer, but Lulu was faster, "Don't ask him. For Keith, anything goes well.."
Talia stifled a giggle. Keith's reputation as a crazed mixologist was well known.
"Young lady…", chef Page said. "You should start by picking broth and then meat. There is chicken, pork, and beef. The egg goes good with all those, and vegetable choices depend on what you like."
Chef Page saw that Talia was looking at bok choy with curiosity, so he offered, "Do you want to taste a sample before placing an order? But let me tell you, most of the flavors are coming from my specially made broth…"
Talia was embarrassed because everyone waited for her to order, and she had no idea what to get. "How about you make me your favorite? I'm not a picky eater."
"That won't do.", Maddox interfered. "It's your meal and picking ingredients to suit your taste is part of the enjoyment. Let's start with this…" Maddox snatched the menu from Talia's hands. "Spicy or mild?... As for the meat, do you prefer chicken, beef, or pork? … Look at these veggies and pick your favorites. Or you can go the other way and exclude the ones you don't like. Don't think about the limit of three toppings…"
With Maddox's help, Talia placed her order.
"I will have the same.", Maddox said to chef Page before turning to Talia. "Let's sit at the table and I will get your order."
Talia wanted to say how that's not necessary, but Maddox's hand was on her back, and he was pushing her toward the area with tables.
There were tables with benches on each side so that six to eight people can sit at each table, depending on how close they sit.
Mindy couldn't believe this. She was right there, and her brother ignored her! Ah, men… Mindy knew that if she wanted something done right, she would need to do it herself.
Mindy observed her brother hovering around Talia, and she perked up. Was Maddox interested in Talia?
Mindy knows that her brother has a long list of girls he bedded, but he usually engages in such activities when he is on a break, and even though this is a festival, he came to spend time with Alpha Damon and other Alphas and not to chase girls, yet here he is, without Alpha Damon and other Alphas who went to the packhouse... chasing a girl.
Axel frowned at the scene of Maddox walking away with Talia, and he told chef Page, "Make the same for me also.", and then he dashed after Talia and Maddox.
Mindy's eyebrows went up, reflecting the state of her curiosity. Is Axel going against Maddox in order to win over Talia? Interesting.
Damon stood on the side and watched as Maddox sat on Talia's left, and Axel was on her right.
Damon gritted his teeth while wondering what scheme are those two up to. They sold him nonsense about respect and staying away from Talia, and what is this? How dare they get close to Talia behind Damon's back!
"Lulu, dear…", chef Page said to his daughter. "Can you take these two ramens and then come back for the third one…" He regretted that he didn't get helpers, but he didn't expect a crowd at his stall the moment he opened it. Actually, he didn't expect a crowd at all because werewolves are into meat, and not noodles.
Seeing that the third bowl of ramen was ready, Damon got an idea. "I will take that one."
"Alpha!", chef Page exclaimed and quickly bowed his head. He didn't notice Damon because he was busy preparing food, and Damon suppressed his Alpha aura.
With Maddox and Axel lingering around his stall, many other people gathered to see what's going on. And now that Damon was here also, chef Page was sure to have plenty of business. Maybe too much business. He was not sure if he had enough ingredients to satisfy this demand.
"Here", Damon handed a hundred dollars bill to chef Page as he took the third prepared bowl of ramen (that was Axel's).
"Alpha, I can't. This is on the house."
Chef Page didn't want to take Damon's money.
It's common knowledge that Alpha is not paying for any item or service in Darkbourne because technically everything belongs to him. How can chef Page allow him to pay for the food?
Damon gestured to the group where Sandy, Keith, and the others were. "I'm paying for everyone as a treat for their win. They made me proud today." He pushed money in chef Page's hand. "Take it."
Keith was the first one to recover. "Thank you, Alpha."
"Don't mention it. Just keep up the good work.", Damon responded and walked to the table where Lulu was giving ramen to Maddox and Talia.
Talia was looking at the steaming bowl in front of her with sparkles in her eyes. It looked very tasty. She inched toward the steaming bowl and closed her eyes while taking a deep breath.
"Smells good, right?", Maddox asked, and Talia nodded.
It smelled good, but why did it smell of forest and dark chocolate? She was expecting something savory and… Talia swallowed hard when she was Damon standing in front of her.
"Damon", Maddox called. "I didn't know you will join us."
Damon's eyes flashed in irritation. How dares Maddox play stupid?
'You are the one who ditched our lunch in order to chase after MY mate!', Damon screamed in his mind.
"I had an unexpected craving for Japanese food.", Damon responded stiffly and glanced at Axel. "You should go and get your food. Don't expect my pack members to serve you."
Axel frowned, but he stood up and walked to the stall.
"And don't worry, I paid for everyone! If someone took your bowl, just order another one!", Damon shouted after Axel shamelessly.
Talia was not sure what Damon was up to and her heart skipped a beat when their eyes met.
The noise from the festival subsided, and other people faded, making Damon the only person Talia could focus on like he was the only one that matters. And he was.
She didn't breathe while Damon walked around the table without breaking eye contact, and he sat next to her, on the spot that Axel just vacated, but closer to Talia. Much closer.
Talia remembered that Damon said how they won't be able to spend time together at the festival, yet here he was. Or did he come because he followed after Miss Mindy? If he came for Miss Mindy, why did he sit next to Talia?
It didn't make sense, and Talia had difficulty focusing because Damon's scent made her dizzy. No matter how much she denied it, she missed his proximity, and she was happy that he was there.
Talia didn't want to admit that she was falling for him. Actually, she fell for him already.
Nothing good could come out of getting lost in his icy-blue eyes that looked straight into her soul, and Talia hoped that she won't get completely flustered or make the mistake of leaning on him.
She reminded herself that there were many people watching and that no matter if that was playful or cuddly or scary or any other Damon in front of her, she needed to keep her cool.
Damon inhaled Talia's sweet citrusy scent of freesia that was gentle, yet it overpowered every other scent, just how Talia's delicate presence overshadows every other. She was perfect. His.
Their legs touched under the table, and she didn't move away. Damon liked that.
Damon wanted to hold Talia's hand under the table, but they were in the open and someone would definitely see it, so he decided to skip on that.
"I didn't get a chance to congratulate you on being the MVP of the tournament.", Damon said to Talia.
"Oh…", Talia snapped out of her Damon-induced daze. "It's not necessary. I didn't do much."
"I think you did.", Damon said. "Just saying congratulations won't do. Tell me what you want, Talia, and I will make it happen. Anything."
Anything? Can she ask for Damon to be her reward? A date? That sounded far-fetched and just one date, even if it's a day-long, wouldn't be enough. Ah, she was daydreaming!
"I don't need anything.", Talia said quickly while hoping that her expression didn't betray her thoughts.
The corners of Damon's lips curved into a smile, as all kinds of ideas popped into his mind. "Just like the coach said, you are selfless. But don't worry, Talia, I will come up with a good way to reward you for helping our team win the tournament."
Mindy joined them at the table with her bowl of steaming ramen. She took a seat opposite Damon, Talia, and Maddox.
The unusual mood was impossible to miss, so Mindy didn't say anything. She observed the situation attentively because other than Maddox and Axel, it seemed that Damon was also interested in Talia. Why else would Damon sit so close to Talia when there is more space on that bench?
If she didn't see it with her own eyes, Mindy wouldn't believe that Damon tricked Axel in order to get Axel's seat next to Talia. Poor guy (aka Axel) is at the back of the line, waiting for his ramen to be ready.
Other than watching the guys, Mindy noticed that Talia was not intimidated. Uncomfortable, yes. Intimidated, no. An Omega would bow her head and be submissive in the presence of an Alpha, but Talia was fine while sitting between Damon and Maddox.
Another interesting point was that Talia looked Damon in the eyes. Normally, that's a sign of disrespect and challenge to Alpha's authority, yet Talia dared to do it and Damon was totally fine with it.
Something fishy was going on, and Mindy was eager to find out what.
