Talia and Damon were ignorant about the stir of the world around them. They inched away from each other, a second before their kisses turned too steamy.
"Let me show you our booth, kitten", Damon murmured, and Talia's smile reached her eyes.
He said OUR booth.
Talia had to admit Damon made her feel welcome and accepted. He truly was her home, and she couldn't be happier.
Talia leaned on Damon who led the way and Talia was confident that she was walking on clouds, happy that Damon held her tightly because she might float away.
Alpha Maddox and Mindy were behind the celebrity couple (aka Damon and Talia), and Maya and Caden followed the four while observing the crowd and listening to people's chatter through the mind-link.
Irritated by the sparks of gossip that were turning into a fire, Maya spoke to pack members through the mind-link, 'For the ones who don't know, her name is Talia. Talia was the MVP of the tournament at the Summer Solstice festival, and she is Lia who accompanied our Alpha to the recent Luna announcement ceremony at the Lightclaw pack. When Alpha is ready, he will provide additional information about Talia's identity and her role in the pack. Until then, I hope you can refrain from creating baseless rumors because last people who pried into Alpha's private matters ended up in the dungeon.'
Caden added, 'Your devices will be checked for recordings and photos of Alpha Damon and Talia. If you delete them now, you will reduce the time needed to leave the Shifters nightclub and we hope you will be sensible enough not to share them on social media.'
Next, Caden called for patrols to watch exits of the Shifters nightclub in addition to the staff that was already stationed there while Maya instructed for the Wi-Fi to be turned off and any wireless communications to be jammed.
With that, the Beta duo handled any unwanted information leak.
That didn't mean people won't talk about what they saw. After all, the scene of their Alpha being with a woman openly meant that he gave her a status that no other woman had before. It was a big deal.
However, Maya's and Caden's words were a warning that people shouldn't act recklessly or they might provoke their Alpha.
In the VVIP booth…
Damon and Talia sat in the middle of the curved sofa where at least ten people can sit without touching each other.
Damon pulled Talia so close to him that she nearly sat in his lap. Talia didn't mind as she basked in his proximity.
Maya and Caden also snuggled closely, while Mindy and Maddox sat at a distance so that there was space for another person to sit on each of their sides.
Talia glanced at the crowd beyond the metallic rail, and she was glad that no one was staring their way.
She forgot that the VVIP booth is the only place in the nightclub where colorful lights don't hit, so they had privacy in the darkness while being able to clearly see the rest of the nightclub.
"What will you drink, kitten?", Damon's voice sounded close to her ear, creating goosebumps over her skin.
Talia turned her head toward Damon, and they were so close that their noses nearly touched. She suppressed her urge to kiss him.
"I don't know. Last time I had some tasty cocktails Keith made, but I am eager to try something new. If you can recommend something, I will take it." Actually, Talia didn't know the names of the cocktails Keith prepared for her so even if she wanted the same ones, she wouldn't know how to order them.
Damon was clueless about what females like to drink. It should be those fruity drinks that come with tiny umbrellas and twisty straws. Maybe.
Wait! Did she say, Keith? Damon gritted his teeth at the mentioning of the wretched coach. He made cocktails for Talia? Damn him!
Damon took a mental note to learn about mixology. He will make drinks for Talia, and not allow some measly coach to steal his thunder!
Talia is Damon's mate, and he will be the one creating beverages for her!
"How about one drink with the guys, and then we go to the bar?", Mindy suggested.
Before Talia could think how to respond, Maya spoke, "Sounds like a great idea. The three of us will have some girl time, and guys can chat here. They can pick us up when it's couples' time."
Damon frowned. "What?" He was ready for couples' time right now!
"I promised Mindy and Maya to spend some time with them.", Talia said timidly while hoping that Damon won't make a scene. She didn't want to bicker with him in front of others. "Give us half an hour. You can watch us from here. OK?"
Seeing Talia's expectant expression, Damon exhaled in defeat. "Half an hour."
"At least.", Mindy chimed in. "Like that, Max will also get a chance to have a few drinks with you before he goes to mingle."
Damon wanted to say that they had plenty of drinks while waiting for the girls to get ready, but Talia's excitement made him hold that comment for himself.
He didn't want to spoil the fun for Talia, but this was their date and she already had girls' time while getting ready. Why was she leaving him on his own again? What kind of a date this is if they will spend time separately?
A scarcely dressed waitress sashayed into the VVIP booth with a menu in her hand, and she asked, "What can I bring you to drink?"
"The usual.", Damon said, and he knew that his 'usual' is a whole bottle of liquor that will cover not only his order but Caden and Maddox also.
Mindy took the menu from the waitress and when Damon saw that she was looking at the page with cocktails, he got an idea.
"Can you order something for Talia?", Damon asked, hoping that Mindy will solve his what-will-Talia-drink dilemma.
Maya moved to sit next to Mindy with, "Let's pick the same cocktails for all three of us", and the duo started discussing which cocktails to order first. Maya is a regular in Shifters, so she helped Mindy narrow down choices.
Talia looked at the waitress who stood there and she observed the waitress' big smile and even bigger cleavage. Were those for Damon?
As much as Talia tried suppressing negativity, images of Ashley and Heather flashed in Talia's mind and her eyes moved over the crowd.
How many women from there would ogle at Damon like that?
How many of those women got to experience Damon's intimate embrace?
She heard stories of how Damon would come to the Shifters nightclub alone, with Caden, or with some high-ranking guests, and no matter who his company was at the entrance, Damon would leave with the woman he picked up for the night.
Talia's insides churned at the thought that Damon was coming to this nightclub to pick up women.
Why the hell did she come here?
Talia felt the urge to leave. Or even better, burn this place to the ground.
"Kitten?"
Damon's voice pulled Talia out of her destructive thoughts.
"What's going on?", he asked.
Damon could feel her rage swelling exponentially by the second.
Talia took a few deep breaths while calming down her raging emotions. She had no idea from where those violent thoughts came. Was it from her wolf?
"I want her to leave.", Talia said, and Damon understood that she was talking about the waitress.
"Leave.", Damon said sternly, and the waitress stared at him for a second without moving a muscle.
Did she do something?
"If you are here three seconds from now, you will lose your job and probably a piece of skin also.", Damon growled. "We will order our drinks through the mind-link. I don't want to see you here again."
The waitress swiftly scrambled out of the VVIP booth, still unsure what she did to upset the Alpha.
Damon pulled Talia to lean on him and kissed her forehead. "Better?"
Talia didn't know how to respond to that.
The best thing would be if every woman Damon touched would leave this nightclub, or even better, leave the planet, but Talia feared that the female population would dwindle to dangerously low levels, so she didn't ask for such a thing.
A marvelously vicious idea popped into Talia's mind: she should cripple women who are coveting Damon as a warning for any future bed climbers.
"Is your wolf stirring?", Damon asked.
"What makes you think so?"
"Because I can feel hostility."
"It's not toward you." Or maybe it was. It would be more efficient if she cripples Damon instead of hundreds of women.
Talia shook those thoughts away. Harming Damon or women who are coveting him was not an option.
Talia realized that these foreign emotions were not hers.
Jealousy. Impatience. Rage.
Talia feared how the awakening of her wolf will impact her personality and her relationship with Damon.
Her wolf was still sleeping, but Talia could feel the changes and she didn't like them. She was never a violent person, and her wolf shouldn't force her to do things she wouldn't normally do.
"I will talk to her when she awakens.", Talia said.
"We will do it together.", Damon assured her. "Until then, pay attention to your state and learn to distinguish your emotions from external ones. Now you can feel your wolf's emotions and mine. It's easy to spot what's not yours when it's different from what you should be feeling, but if it matches, it will amplify your emotions and might cause an unexpected outburst."
Talia snuggled into Damon's embrace and listened to what he was saying. It calmed her down to know that what she was going through was normal, and she was not crazy.
