Kalina was not sure if her ears malfunctioned. Did Talia say that Marcy was coming? Marcy, from the Red Moon pack?
Seeing that Kalina was shocked, Talia explained, "Marcy believes that Damon will make her his Luna, and even though he never made any promises, and they are not engaged, he didn't reject her outright either."
"What?", Kalina blurted out before Talia could say anything else.
Talia raised her hand, indicating to Kalina to be patient. "Damon has no intention of making Marcy his Luna, but considering her background, he couldn't reject her outright without a valid reason and if he announces that I'm his mate, he fears that they might target me in order to make him mateless. Damon needs to deal with the situation delicately in order not to escalate."
Kalina didn't like this. "And what will you do while he handles Marcy delicately? Now is Marcy, and tomorrow will be another she-wolf with a powerful background. What will happen when Marcy comes? Are you going to watch as she throws herself at him?"
"Don't make him look like a bad guy.", Talia was quick to jump to Damon's defense. She couldn't say that Marcy coming was her wolf's idea, but Talia knew the reason behind her wolf's actions and even though Talia thought that her wolf was harsh, Talia didn't completely disagree with her wolf either.
"It is a way for him to show his sincerity.", Talia said eventually.
Kalina glanced at Mindy who observed all this in silence. "You knew about this."
Mindy had nothing to hide. "Lia told me last night."
"And you are OK with that?", Kalina asked Mindy.
"What do you expect me to do?"
Kalina pinched the roof of her nose. "There are so many ways this can go wrong."
Tatiana snorted while keeping her coffee mug back on the table. "And there are so many ways for you to stay out of other people's business."
Kalina frowned at her sister. "Lia is my friend, and I am worried about her."
"Worry is one thing but poking your nose in someone else's relationship is another. It's obvious that Talia is not comfortable with this. Instead of adding oil to the fire, you should ask how you can help or stay out of it.", Tatiana said in an official tone of an elder sister.
"This is not some random Dick or Harry. This is Talia's mate.", Kalina said.
Tatiana shrugged. "You can call him Dick, Harry, or whatever you want, but if he is a cheater, the mate bond won't turn him into a saint." Tatiana glanced at Talia. "I'm not saying that your Damon is a cheater. I was just talking in general."
When Talia gave a stiff nod, Tatiana continued talking to Kalina.
"Regardless of if they are mates or not, when one of them sleeps around, the other one is suffering. But this is Talia's relationship and unless you have proof that Alpha Damon will get chummy with another woman, I suggest you tone it down."
Kalina and her sisters grew up in an environment that was mostly consisting of humans, and they are not advocates of a concept of how the Moon Goddess knows best, and that the mate bond is a universal recipe for happiness. They believe that for a successful relationship both sides need to make effort, and the mate bond only makes things easier. However, if a person is crooked, no amount of mate bond will fix that.
Kalina pressed her lips into a line and turned to Talia. "I am sorry. I didn't mean to draw a wedge between you and Alpha Damon. I was talking from my perspective. If Tony was planning to get close to his ex, for whatever reason, I would be unsettled."
"I am unsettled also.", Talia admitted. "But Damon is an Alpha, and Marcy is a daughter of an Alpha who is set on making Marcy Damon's Luna. I can't prioritize what's comfortable for me and risk a war between packs. It might take a few days, but Damon said he will handle Marcy and send her packing, and I believe him."
Kalina swallowed counter-arguments and decided to pat Talia's hand while comforting her, "I'm sure it will be OK. I can see that Alpha Damon adores you. If you need something, let me know."
"We can hide a body. Or make it look like an accident.", Mindy chimed in. Since her last night's talk with Talia, she was thinking about it.
"I would never suggest something like that if privacy was not guaranteed. I know that my sister won't rat on me, but others…", Kalina's voice trailed as she glanced at the table where guys were sitting. They are werewolves, and if they focus, they can hear them. And Meg and Maya were right there!
Talia stifled a giggle. "I am happy to have you as friends." She really was.
Maddox got out of the bathroom, fresh as a daisy and ready for the day.
He paused at the sight of a bed that had two naked she-wolves on it. Did they go back to sleep?
Maddox shook his head and approached the bed stealthily.
'SLAP! SLAP!'
Two white buttocks got Maddox's bright red palmprint.
"Aww!", female voices cried in protest as they were jolted awake.
"That was not nice.", the blonde woman said while rubbing her buttocks.
"You liked it last night.", Maddox said with a grin.
She pouted. "That was with you inside me." She gave him a sultry look, obviously inviting him back to bed.
Maddox felt something stirring in his groin area.
'Down boy! At this rate, we won't come out of this room.', Maddox mentally communicated with his growing cock, but the guy down there was not listening because the brunette spread her legs and was touching herself.
Maddox swallowed hard and he peeled his eyes from two women with difficulty. Damn it!
"Sorry ladies, but this Alpha has work to do." And he was hungry also.
Both women made soft cries of displeasure, but Maddox stood unwavering.
"You know the drill." He gestured toward the bathroom. "Feel free to freshen up, and then scram."
This was a standard procedure for an Alpha. Actually, by not kicking them out before dawn, Maddox showed courtesy. Normally, an Alpha won't spend the whole night with a she-wolf he hooked up with, and these two got a night and the morning.
The blonde was not willing to leave easily. "Can we hook up tonight?"
Maddox paused. The two she-wolves are fine-looking women, open to do whatever he asked, but there are plenty of those for him to pick a different one every night, which he usually does. However, he didn't feel like refusing her outright either.
"I will be in the Shifters tonight. Anything is possible.", Maddox responded mysteriously before leaving the room.
The blonde pouted and plopped back in the bed.
The brunette spoke, "Why did you ask if you knew that the only answer will be a rejection?"
"Can you blame me?"
The brunette exhaled with a dreamy expression. "No. Last night was fantastic. Let's hit the shower."
"We can stay here for a minute." The blonde hugged the pillow Maddox slept on and she took a deep breath, inhaling his scent.
"If Alpha Maddox returns and we are still here, we will be punished."
The blonde giggled. "If punishment is spanking, he can punish me anytime." Her words were defiant, but she still scooted off the bed and headed to the bathroom with the brunette following two steps behind her.
Maddox walked down the stairs in a good mood.
Other than Damon waking him up with that wretched howl, Maddox's morning was fantastic and if he was not so hungry, he would still be in his bedroom with those two she-wolves.
The uncomfortable gaping hole in his stomach made him think about what he will eat first.
Breakfast at the Dark Howlers pack often included scrambled eggs, sausages, and waffles. But there were other delicacies also. Stephanie was not a trained cook, but there was always a taste of motherly care in the food she made and that is something difficult to find.
Maddox's stomach growled and he sped up toward the dining room.
His steps slowed down when he saw a young woman leaning into the closed window to see outside into the garden. Her chestnut-colored hair fell on the side, concealing most of her face, but he was almost confident that he has never seen that Omega before.
A new girl working in the packhouse? Possible.
She was so consumed with whatever was outside, that she didn't notice him.
What she was up to? Was she peeping?
The double door leading to the garden was open, only a few steps away, and she could easily walk out and see better what she wants.
She was standing on her toes, bending at an awkward angle over the windowsill with her ass perked up.
Maddox was always an ass-guy, so he stopped to give her another look. Her behind was not so well rounded compared to the ones he left in the bed, but she was not bad.
Maddox's nose picked up a mouthwatering scent of coffee. He really wanted some now.
