"Don't give them hard time, Nora.", Marcy said magnanimously. She was obviously in a much better mood than before. "You can dress as fancy as you want. If you didn't pack anything appropriate, I will ask Alpha Damon to arrange for you an escort to take you shopping."
Considering that Alpha Damon was organizing a party for Marcy, Marcy was confident that he will indulge a small request like that.
Nora had mixed feelings about this. She was excited about the party, but she disliked that Marcy was the lucky one to get this attention. And why was that? The only advantage Marcy had over Nora was that Marcy's father was an Alpha. Ah, if Nora's father was an Alpha, Nora would be a Luna a long time ago.
And it was not just that Alpha Damon had the title of an Alpha of the largest pack in North America, but he was also handsome, filthy rich, and perfect in every way possible.
The more Nora thought how that exquisite specimen was doting on Marcy and not her, the more Nora felt a sour taste in her throat.
Nora wanted to break the sour mood that descended on her. This was in public, and it was not the right time or place to be grumpy.
"How about we celebrate?"
"What do you have on your mind?", Mindy asked Nora.
"Drinks!", Nora exclaimed and waved at the waitress. "Bring us your finest wine. Do you have champagne?"
The waitress glanced at Maya questionably and Nora snorted.
"Why are you looking at Beta Maya when your future Luna is at this table? Snap-snap. Hurry with that wine."
The waitress paused for a moment while wondering if she heard Nora right. Future Luna? Which one?
She concluded that it's not Nora, and Maya and Kalina were mated so… Talia? Mindy? Marcy?
Maya didn't want to clarify Nora's words. After all, Nora was right. Their future Luna was at that table.
Maya waved at the waitress, indicating to her get the drink.
'Pick any good wine you have.', Maya told her through the mind-link.
Marcy's chin when up with pride as she heard whispers from the patrons in the restaurant.
There were discussions about all three Luna candidates (Talia, Mindy, and Marcy), but soon the talks focused on Marcy.
After all, there were rumors already that Marcy and Alpha Damon might be an item. To add to that, Marcy is the princess of the Red Moon pack. She is beautiful, educated, and mysterious, and now that she appeared at the Dark Howlers pack, and was sitting at the table with Maya (aka Beta), Talia (aka Alpha Damon's assistant), and other high-profile individuals, theories about Marcy and Damon were sparked again.
No one noticed George's expression darkening by the second and he fought mightily to reign in his wolf so that his aura doesn't leak and expose him. He didn't think that just trailing Marcy will be this challenging.
Talia didn't get it. Why did Maya, Marcy, and Kalina make it sound like the party was for Marcy? Aren't they just adding oil to the fire?
Yes, they said that they will make Marcy feel comfortable in order to slip, but isn't it too much to make her think that Damon accepted her as his Luna?
Talia could see Marcy's demeanor changing and Talia didn't like it, not even a little bit.
Marcy was showing a similar expression she had in the Red Moon pack, when Marcy acted like she was the queen of the Universe.
What if Marcy goes to Damon after lunch and tries to give him a thank-you kiss? If he rejects her, he will blow up the lie, but if he accepts that kiss, Talia will blow up the packhouse.
Talia pushed her insecurities down and tried to shut down the noise.
Surely, her girlfriends know what they are doing, and Damon is not an inexperienced teenager who can get tricked into a kiss. As for random people in the restaurant, they had no idea what they were talking about anyway.
Talia chanted internally that all this will pass, and she will be back in Damon's comforting embrace in no time.
A middle-aged man with an apron around his waist entered the restaurant while pushing a serving cart in front of him.
Six sparkling bell-shaped plate covers attracted attention, and everyone fell into silence to see what he was up to.
The man stopped when he reached the table where Talia, Maya, Mindy, Kalina, Marcy, and Nora were sitting, and he bowed a little.
"I am Hamil", the man introduced himself. "I am the owner of the sweetshop that's down the street." He gestured toward the covered plates on the cart in front of him. "Alpha Damon sends his regards."
With that, Hamil started removing six shiny covers, to reveal the sweet goodness, under numerous curious gazes.
Everyone in the restaurant was paying attention. After all, Alpha Damon sent this, and nothing like that ever happened before. Didn't this confirm their guess that Marcy from the Red Moon pack is their future Luna?
Each plate had an assortment of cakes and cookies that looked and smelled delicious.
Hamil took the first plate and placed it in front of Talia. "Miss Talia, this one is for you."
Talia looked at the man who gave her a meaningful look and all her hostility and insecurities sizzled away in an instant. She knew that this was Damon's way of confirming that he was with her, no matter what was happening around them.
The next plate went to Maya and the third one to Kalina. Next were Mindy, Marcy, and Nora.
The man bowed with, "I hope you will enjoy desserts that Alpha Damon personally selected.", and then he made his exit.
"Wow!", Nora exclaimed and nudged Marcy with her elbow. "Alpha Damon knows how to make a girl feel special."
Talia looked at the plates and noticed that hers was different than others.
Every plate had a slice of mango cake, a slice of lemon cake, a caramel wafer, a vanilla cream puff, a cookie with orange jelly, and a fruit tart. Every plate, except for Talia's.
Talia's plate had a slice of a decadent chocolate cake, a chocolate cookie with bits of nuts and chocolate chips, a chocolate-coated pretzel, chocolate-dipped strawberries, and a chocolate mousse.
Talia smiled at the thought that her chocolate sent her chocolate. Her mate was telling her that he was thinking about her and that she should be thinking about him… and she did.
It didn't take long for others to notice that Talia's plate was an odd one.
"How come your plate is different, Talia?", Nora asked while munching on the lemon cake that melted in her mouth. It was delicious.
Talia shrugged, and she couldn't stop her lips from lifting into a smile even with the big bite of chocolate cake that filled her cheeks.
Marcy narrowed her eyes at Talia. Her instinct told her that Talia's happiness was for more than just a tasty cake. And she also had a hunch that Talia's plate was not different accidentally. Didn't the baker guy say how Alpha Damon picked these personally? And he gave Talia her plate first!
Was this Damon's way of sending a message that Talia was special?
