The entertainment room is a big space that is about one half filled with couches and sofa chairs that are arranged to form three sitting areas. There is also a pool table, dartboard, and a massive flatscreen TV on the wall above the wet bar.
Damon took from behind the bar a bottle of imported scotch and paused.
This room was used often while Damon's parents were alive, but since Damon became the Alpha, the most frequent visitors are Omegas who are ensuring dust doesn't pile up.
However, now that he found his Luna, Damon was confident things are changing, and they will create friendships that will include unofficial visits and put this room to good use.
Maddox sitting behind the bar was a small glimpse of shifts that were almost tangible. Damon is not a lonely Alpha anymore. He has his Luna and her presence will attract friends and they will expand their family. It was surreal just to think about it.
Damon opened the bottle of imported scotch, and he and Alpha Maddox chatted while enjoying the way smokey flavors of amber liquid danced over their tongues with hints of coffee, licorice, and vanilla.
The two Alphas discussed current issues in their packs, and their ongoing and upcoming collaborations as well as the always-current topic of rogues and their activities.
However, they already communicated about this over email and video calls, so nothing was new, and they skimmed over everything rather quickly.
"It seems you have something on your mind.", Damon finally got to the point.
"I thought I was sneaky about it."
Seeing Damon's cocky smirk, Maddox shook his head and admitted, "I wanted for you to have a few more drinks so that your tongue loosens up."
Damon stifled a laugh. "Come on. Whatever you ask, I will answer honestly unless it's related to the security of my pack."
Maddox perked up. "You will answer honestly?"
Damon shrugged while wondering what Maddox was up to. "Sure."
"Promise?"
"What are we, in elementary school? Do you want me to give you a pinky promise?"
Maddox made a face. "Fine. Here it goes. What's up with you and Talia?"
"Why are you concerned with Talia?", Damon responded with a question. He had a feeling that Maddox will be nosy. It's not the first time for Maddox to show interest in Talia and Damon didn't miss that Maddox was observing them during dinner.
Maddox frowned. "You said you will answer honestly!"
"But I didn't promise.", Damon responded cheekily.
Maddox was speechless. After a few seconds of silent staring contest, Maddox angrily grabbed his glass and downed it.
"Talia is my fated mate."
'COUGH! COUGH!'
Maddox coughed violently and his face turned completely red like he was drowning in half a glass of amber liquid which went down the wrong pipe due to the revelation that caught him off guard. He struggled to inhale.
Damon swiftly moved behind Maddox and gave him a few good smacks in the back, using much more force than necessary.
"You don't need to hit me that hard!", Maddox shouted when he caught his breath.
"I was concerned for your life.", Damon responded with a straight face. "You shouldn't drink so quickly if you can't handle it. Take small sips. Or should I give you a straw?"
Maddox ignored Damon's provocation. "I was surprised. For a moment, I thought you said that Talia is your mate."
"I did."
Maddox looked at Damon in disbelief. It's not that he didn't believe they are mates, because Maddox already suspected it, but he couldn't believe that Damon admitted it right away.
With this, all Maddox's plans about messing with Damon became invalid. He would be a complete asshole if he tried to do something fishy with Damon or with Talia after he got confirmation that the couple is mated.
Ah! And Axel is on his way also! Should he just tell that guy to go back home?
Damon was happy to reveal that Talia is his mate. After all, the condition Talia's wolf set was only that he can't announce it publicly but sharing among friends was acceptable.
"Congratulations on finding your Luna.", Maddox said after some time. "Why are you not announcing it?"
"Security reasons. Also, Talia wants us to take it slow. It's not a secret we are mates, but I will appreciate it if you keep this information to yourself. For now."
All Maddox's fighting spirit deflated.
"Why didn't you tell me this before?"
"You didn't ask.", Damon deadpanned.
Maddox was speechless.
"So, tonight I'm chasing women on my own?"
Damon frowned and glanced at the door. He feared that Talia might overhear Maddox and Damon might be in a pickle again.
"Since when were we chasing women together?", Damon asked in a hushed voice.
"Not together, but at the same time.", Maddox responded. True, they would find women separately, but there was a sense of companionship because both of them were Alphas enjoying their youth and… "Forget it. Let's toast for your Luna."
Damon swiftly grabbed the bottle and filled both of their glasses.
Three glasses later...
"Maddox…", Damon called in an official tone. "I might need your help."
Maddox perked up. It sounded important. "With?"
Damon told Maddox about his current predicament that included Marcy from the Red Moon pack, and how she was about to arrive, and he needs to deal with Marcy without disclosing that Talia is his mate.
Maddox burst into hearty laughter.
Damon's expression darkened as he waited for Maddox to get it out of his system.
"What's funny?"
"Oh, man…", Maddox said while wiping tears from the corners of his eyes. "You are whipped."
"You will be the same when you find your mate.", Damon sulked. He didn't like that Maddox teased him about being whipped, but he couldn't deny it either. Just thinking about Talia made his heart flutter and his crotch tighten.
"I know that Lunas have spunk, but yours is special.", Maddox said mysteriously.
Damon was alerted. "What do you know?"
"By insisting that you handle Marcy with such tricky conditions, she is testing you. It takes a special kind of woman to invite a bedclimber into her house only so that she can assess your sincerity.", Maddox explained. When he saw that Damon was visibly relieved, Maddox guessed that Damon suspected something else. "Was I off the mark?"
"No, no.", Damon was quick to deny it.
There was no way Damon will admit how he feared that Maddox knows about Talia's talking wolf or her unusual powers.
It's not that Damon didn't trust Maddox, but the more people know about a secret, the higher are chances it will reach ears that shouldn't know about it. After all, there are methods to make people talk, no matter how much they are resisting.
"Talia is awesome.", Damon said with a silly grin on his face.
Maddox couldn't bear to see Damon with invisible pink hearts floating above his head. "You look horrible."
Damon chuckled and shook his head. "Trust me, if you told me a month ago that I will be uninterested in any woman other than Talia, I would punch you. But here I am, on the verge of ditching you and this bottle of fine liquor so that I can go upstairs and cuddle."
Damon rubbed his face to snap out of his lovey-dovey daze. Talia is with Mindy, having girl-time (whatever that is) and if he goes to demand cuddles, he will interrupt them and Talia might scold him.
"Will you help me in dealing with Marcy?"
Maddox cocked an eyebrow. "What's the plan? Do you want me to seduce her?" Marcy is a fine-looking she-wolf, and Maddox would make that sacrifice gladly. "You can barge in and catch us in the act and then kick her out. If you throw a punch at me, it will be more convincing. Just don't hit the face."
"I wish it's that simple.", Damon said. "When I visited, Marcy showed a lot of restraint, and we didn't go beyond a blowjob. In my house, she will be even more cautious. Besides, I think she still has her v-card."
Maddox grimaced. "Bitches with v-card intact are the worst."
Damon nodded in agreement. "If you go after her, she might accuse you of molesting her and turn that to her advantage. If you have any other ideas, I'm all ears."
Maddox rubbed his chin while thinking. "Whatever happens to her, it should be outside your territory. Since they are coming this soon, we can't do anything properly on short notice, but we could stage an ambush on their way back and…" Maddox ran his thumb over his neck. "We can make it look like it was rogues."
Damon made a thoughtful expression. He was considering it.
Unfortunately, if they go that route, Damon will need to pretend that everything is fine while Marcy is visiting so that she doesn't suspect something is fishy. If by some miracle Damon managed to execute the suicidal scenario of him being lovey-dovey with Marcy in front of Talia, he would still face another problem.
"If Marcy is on her own, that would be an option, but she is coming with future Alpha James. If something happens to that kid, Alpha Edward will turn heaven and earth to find the culprit and execute him personally. And also, commander George will be with them, and he is not easy to deal with."
