Damon thought how it would be good if Coach Keith was here.
That guy could feed James and George his funky protein shakes, put them to run on a treadmill, and make it look important.
Should he arrange for Keith to return early from the survival training? Actually, maybe he should call the whole soccer team and give them a mission to entertain Marcy. Yeah, that might work. Serving Marcy (and keeping an eye on her) can count as another type of mental training.
And if Keith or the soccer team players mess up their tasks, Damon will punish them.
Damon's eyes lit up.
He was getting closer to something that resembled a plan!
"Prepare rooms for people from the Red Moon pack on the first floor.", Damon decided quickly. If he denied them stay in the packhouse, it will arouse suspicion, but he wanted them as far as possible from Talia.
"I will do it.", Talia volunteered, making Damon, Caden, and Maya look at her with complex expressions.
"You don't need to do that, kitten.", Damon spoke first. "Maya will arrange their rooms, and after that, I will deal with them."
"No.", Talia refused. "How can I call myself your Luna if I avoid something as simple as arranging rooms for our guests? No matter how unpleasant it might be, we will deal with them together."
Damon's heart skipped a beat. Can she be more adorable? "Alright. Together."
Maya and Caden exhaled in relief when they realized that Talia and Damon were really together in this. Part of them feared that things went South between their Alpha and the future Luna and that in the fit of his rage Damon decided to replace Talia with Marcy.
It wouldn't be the first time for Damon to do something unreasonable when he was angry but it usually involved fighting and breaking bones.
Talia being part of all that meant there was a plan, and they definitely needed a plan because Marcy was coming and if they don't handle this delicately, they might end up with a war on their hands!
"Alright.", Caden said. "What's the plan? What do we do with Marcy?"
"I have no idea.", Damon deadpanned and both Maya and Caden stared at him with their mouths open.
"Come again?", Caden asked in disbelief. Surely, his ears malfunctioned.
Seeing Damon's helpless expression, Maya frowned. "Why is Marcy coming ahead of schedule if you don't have a plan?"
"Because I asked for it."
Maya and Caden snapped at the same time and stared at Talia, both wondering if they heard her right. Why would Talia want Marcy to come? Wasn't Marcy the one who bullied Talia in the Red Moon pack?
Well, it was not really Talia who asked for Marcy's presence, but Talia couldn't tell them that it was her wolf, so she decided to own it.
"Damon wants to announce me as his Luna, and I want him to clean his mess before that.", Talia said. "If we make it public that I'm Damon's mate, Marcy and her supporters will see me as an impostor. They won't care about the story of how the Moon Goddess knows best. If they cared about those things, they wouldn't try to push Marcy into Damon's hands."
Maya and Caden nodded in agreement. Talia was right. Those people were driven by greed and if Talia steps into the limelight when Marcy is this close to her goal, everyone will target Talia.
And it's not only Marcy, there are many other women who wish to be Damon's Luna.
People with common enemies will form alliances, and with Talia stepping out as Damon's Luna, she will be labeled as public enemy number one.
Even members of the Dark Howlers pack might resent Talia because they will think she is the cause they are not forming an alliance through marriage with the Red Moon pack which would give them absolute dominance on the continent.
Maya decided to share her thoughts.
"I think that Talia should establish her footing and gather supporters before our society explodes with news that the position of the Luna of the Dark Howlers pack is taken. With Mindy and Kalina in Talia's tight circle, were are on the right path.", Maya said while pointing at the WW Magazine on her desk, the one that was featuring Kalina's party where she was announced as the future Luna of the Lightclaw pack.
Maya thought for a moment before adding, "We should introduce Talia to some prominent figures in our pack. Maybe we can organize a gathering in the next few days and invite Elders. When they see how Talia is accepted among high-ranking members of other packs, they won't have a choice other than to support Talia."
"That sounds great, but we need a plan on how to handle Marcy.", Caden chimed in and turned to Damon. "We shouldn't offend her, but the more this drags, the more she will be misled that she has a chance. You need a clear cut, and you need to do it quickly."
Damon agreed with Caden, but… "I am not concerned about dealing with Marcy. The real problem is her father."
"Well, then you should break up your engagement with Alpha Edward.", Maya said sarcastically, and she bit her lower lip when she realized that she said that aloud. What's wrong with her?
Damon was not in the mood to bicker with Maya. In a way, she was right.
As much as Damon wanted to come up with some solution, he knew that one can't be forced. "Alright. We are all on the same page regarding this, and they won't be here before tomorrow evening which gives us a full day to think of something. What's the status on other guests?"
Caden glanced at his notes on the computer before responding, "Group from the Midnight Guardians pack will arrive in time for breakfast tomorrow morning. The group from the Lightclaw pack is running late, but they should be here before midnight. Alpha Maddox and Mindy are on their way, and we expect they will join us for dinner. After dinner, we can all go to the Shifters nightclub and leave a few Omegas behind to welcome Tony and his party and help them settle. If they are in the mood for a club after their trip, they can join us at Shifters."
Damon thought that was a good idea, but instead of responding, he looked at Talia. "What do you say, kitten? Do you want to go to a nightclub with me?"
Talia's mind flashed with images of her previous visit to the Shifters nightclub. It was an eventful evening with Zina, Dawn, Pierce, and Liam. Coach Keith was also there, and she met his sister, Katya. However, what stood out the most was the scene of Damon standing at the entrance and observing the crowd like he owns the place, and then he walked into his VIP booth, and he looked cool out there.
And he just asked her to join him.
"I would love to.", Talia responded with a smile that lit up Damon's world.
Will she get to stand at the entrance by his side this time? Definitely.
Will they dance? Probably.
She really wanted to dance with Damon again.
Just thinking about dancing with Damon at Kalina's party awakened butterflies in Talia's stomach and after that, they went to their room and got entangled with each other for the first time. The first time of many.
Damon made her undress him as punishment and he pulled her into the tub with him... fireworks... and then they moved to the bed.
Talia pressed her legs together. This was not a good time to get aroused!
Suddenly, Talia became super-aware of how under that skirt she was panty-less.
The way Damon gripped her waist told her that he could smell her arousal.
"You heard your Luna. We will be going to Shifters tonight.", Damon said without removing his gaze from Talia and he stood up with her in his arms, like it's a totally normal thing.
Talia hid her face in the crook of his neck.
"Let us know when Max and Mindy arrive.", Damon said while walking out in big strides, and Talia peered over his shoulder just in time to see Maya and Caden looking at them with knowing smiles on their faces.
Ah! They definitely knew that Talia and Damon were going to their room to do the naughty.
How embarrassing!
