Tatiana was not sure how to respond to Mindy's words. Shouldn't Alphas be feared and respected? Sure, they are brother and sister, so she won't be punished, but how can Mindy describe her brother as an almost-female womanizer?
As much as Tatiana was an opinionated woman, she didn't dare act brazenly. After all, she was a guest here and she didn't want to offend anyone.
"Before meeting Tony and his family, I didn't get a chance to interact with Alphas.", Tatiana responded politically. "I stick to my small circle of friends who are mostly humans."
Mindy had an idea about this because Kalina told her how she and her four sisters left home in their teens in order to learn about the world and integrate into society. Their family is a bit odd because they are not part of a tightly-knitted pack like what's normal for North America. Instead, they live scattered among humans, and they meet occasionally with other families who embraced a similar lifestyle. Kalina called them werewolf-gypsies.
Kalina also mentioned that her oldest sister is into fashion, but she didn't mention details.
"It must be fun to travel and show your work.", Mindy's eyes sparkled as she imagined a high-fashion show, a catwalk, lights, and names of her charities on the wall in the back. That would attract boatloads of donations! "Do you participate in fashion shows? Or do you work for magazines or specific retailers? How much are you involved in picking your models? Guy models are pretty."
Tatiana made a face. "Pretty, yes. Handsome, no. They are skinny for my taste."
Mindy agreed with this. For werewolf standards, models are super-skinny, but that's only because they are serving the human fashion industry and in the last few decades, humans became obsessed with slim figures. But models aside, "Living a life of a fashion designer must be luxurious."
Tatiana bobbed her head. "I'm doing alright."
"Alright? That's an understatement", Kalina said from the door. She heard her sister.
Everyone turned to see that Kalina and Tony made an appearance with four other individuals behind them. Those four people Tony brought with him from the Lightclaw pack for training. Three men and one woman.
"What do you mean, an understatement?", Mindy was curious.
Kalina lifted her chin proudly. "Did you hear of the brand, Dama T?"
Mindy paused and then her eyes lit up when she realized what Kalina was talking about.
"Dama T is you?", Mindy asked Tatiana and when the latter confirmed with a nod, Mindy patted her chest dramatically.
Dama T is a popular fashion brand with a unique way of combining elegant and practical, and other than being super-exclusive (and super-expensive), the wait to get a garment is months. MONTHS!
No wonder Tatiana was dressed up fancily. Those were clothes she designed herself!
Mindy looked at Tatiana with renewed interest. "You are my best friend."
Tatiana stifled a laugh. "You make friends easily."
Mindy raised her glass of orange juice in a toast. "What can I say? You are a best friend material. I can tell."
Tatiana shook her head helplessly and clinked her coffee mug with Mindy's glass of orange juice. She thought that Mindy was entertaining.
Mindy didn't connect it right away, but she was familiar with the Dama T brand. The success is contributed to one talented and business-savvy designer, a she-wolf who likes to keep a low profile, and that's Tatiana!
Tatiana is independent, smart, and successful, and she built her brand from the ground up without relying on a man. That's Mindy's cup of tea.
It's not that Mindy dislikes when a woman relies on a man, but she saw too many she-wolves rising dust only because they have a strong backer. Women like Tatiana are self-made and Mindy respects that immensely.
Maya and Caden helped everyone settle for breakfast, and Tony introduced the four newcomers: Paul, Greg, Nate, and Meg.
They were all in their early twenties, and Tony was considering them for various high-level positions in the Lightclaw pack once he becomes an Alpha. He still didn't decide who of the four will take which position, but he hoped to get additional guidance from Damon and Maddox as they go through the training.
The atmosphere was lively when Damon and Talia joined for breakfast.
Mindy, Kalina, and Tatiana were chatting in a lively mood, and Tony was at that table, feeding Kalina and making sure her plate was always full.
The second table was occupied by Paul, Nate, Greg, and Meg.
Maya and Caden were moving between two tables while ensuring that everyone feels welcome.
Damon scanned the faces and grinned at Talia.
"What?", she asked.
"I told you we won't be last.", Damon said proudly. "Max is still not here."
Talia would respond something snarky, but Damon's happiness amplified hers and she ended up laughing. She was never so happy, and neither was he.
Talia and Damon introduced themselves to new faces, and greeted the familiar ones, before sitting at the table with Mindy, Tatiana, Tony, and Kalina.
Damon went to get food for himself and Talia, and Talia was quick to exchange hugs with Kalina and Mindy.
Mindy smiled knowingly at Talia. "You look three orgasms happy."
Talia's eyes flashed in shock. What did Mindy say?
Behind Talia, at the table with breakfast, Damon's ears perked up. He turned toward Mindy and raised four fingers before mouthing to her, 'four'.
Of course, Kalina didn't miss this either, and both Kalina and Mindy burst into giggles.
Talia's face fell when she realized that Mindy and Kalina were looking over her shoulder. Talia snapped to look at Damon who was busy putting croissants onto a plate, like nothing fishy was going on.
Talia pressed her lips into a line and took a mental note to get back at Damon. She was not sure what he did, but she knew he did something. And it was mischievous.
Damon returned while carrying two plates full of food and then he went back to get one coffee for himself and an orange juice for Talia.
After settling next to Talia, Damon started cutting what needed to be cut and spreading what needed to be spread, and then he fed Talia one bite at a time, without care that everyone was watching.
Actually, Tony was doing the same to Kalina, so neither of the two guys was standing out.
Both Talia and Kalina enjoyed pampering and Talia noticed the mark on Kalina's neck. It was partially hidden with the collar of Kalina's blouse and Talia took a mental note to ask about it later, in private.
In the kitchen…
Stephanie was having breakfast with Dawn, Zina, Ivy, and Lily.
Maya came to the kitchen earlier to tell them that they can eat in the garden with everyone. "One table is completely free because Axel and his party are not here yet."
Stephanie refused. "It's fine. We have everything we need here."
Ivy and Lily thought how that was strange. In the Lightclaw pack, Omegas will never eat with high-ranking members unless it's an official event that everyone is attending.
Dawn and Zina approved of staying in the kitchen. It would be one thing if it's a party and they can mingle, but this was breakfast, and the atmosphere was much more formal.
"We can talk freely here, and if we join you we will need to be quiet.", Zina said to Maya. She mostly said this because of Ivy and Lily. It was obvious that the two newcomers were very strict about respecting hierarchy.
Dawn and Zina were full of questions about the Lightclaw pack, and Ivy and Lily took turns answering them.
Stephanie's head whipped toward the door a moment before a figure appeared there.
"Why are you here?", Stephanie asked Lisa stiffly. She didn't want to cause a scene and they agreed that Lisa will stay in the apartment while Stephanie is in the packhouse.
"Am I not welcome?", Lisa asked, feeling wronged. "Every pack member can come here."
"True.", Stephanie confirmed. "But no one comes unless they have some business here. That's why I asked, why are you here?"
Lisa's eyes moved over Dawn and Zina, and her eyebrows shoot up when she saw Lily and Ivy. "I know you."
"Yes, Miss Lisa", Ivy responded. "We met more than once in the packhouse of the Lightclaw pack."
"Tony brought you with him.", Lisa guessed.
"Not exactly.", Lily responded. "We are here to serve Miss Kalina."
Lisa's expression stiffened.
"Lisa?", Stephanie called, and Lisa saw that her mother's brows were furrowing.
"Mom, I know what you are going to say.", Lisa said. "It's OK. Everyone knows that Tony abandoned me when he found his mate and I am having a difficult time accepting the reality. I was sitting in the apartment and going crazy. I need to end this."
"By coming here?", Stephanie asked with disproval obvious in her voice.
"What else can I do? Don't worry, I won't cause trouble. I just want to see them. Maybe if I see Tony and Kalina happy, I will be able to accept that the last few years of my life were a lie and I need to move on."
Stephanie loved that Lisa finally spoke about moving on, but… "I don't think this is a good idea." If Lisa loses her cool and causes an incident, Alpha Damon might really punish her.
