Elder Agatha gritted her teeth and lowered her head in front of James. "Again, I apologize, future Alpha James. I know what I did wrong."
"Do you?", James asked, his voice full of arrogance. "I hope you do. If this repeats, Alpha Damon and my father will hear about it. You may leave."
Elder Agatha turned around and walked away while sulking.
The truth was that she didn't know why James showed hostility. She only asked when Marcy will come down to the party. But then… Elder Agatha knew that those young Alphas have no respect for Elders, and every next generation was worse than the previous one.
With her peripheral vision, Elder Agatha could see mocking glances directed her way. Of course, these were werewolves, and even though they were not close, they could clearly hear what was said, as long as they were paying attention.
She knew that none of them sympathized with her. Why would they? If she was down, it meant they have one less Elder to compete with. Scoundrels!
At the table with four teenagers, James' eyes moved to the right, and he saw Damon looking back at him.
They spoke before the party, and James agreed to give neutral responses to everyone who asks about Marcy, not confirming her attendance at the party, but not denying her presence in the packhouse either.
James and Damon exchanged barely noticeable nods, and then James gave his attention to his three friends at the table who looked at him with a mix of awe and disbelief.
Zack was first to speak. "Is that how you normally act?"
James waved, indicating that they should move to another topic. "Don't worry about it. If I don't show them who is the boss, they will start lecturing me, and that's not why I'm here."
"Man… that was Elder Agatha.", Erik said in a hushed voice.
James scoffed. "So?"
"She holds grudges.", Petra said and leaned closer, her voice going down to barely above a whisper. "They all do."
James shrugged like it's not a big deal. "As I said, it's no wonder that Alpha Damon diminished their importance."
James looked in the direction where Elder Agatha went. "Do you think that any of them would come here if my father is not an Alpha? They don't know anything about me, yet they are showing fake respect and trying to leave a good impression. They are acting like they are above others because they are Elders. How can one be important when there are so many of them on the same level?"
Petra was gesturing to James to lower his voice, but he didn't care, and he continued talking, "Every person should have the right to show what he or she can do, and the best one gets the prize. However, once they stop performing at a satisfactory level, they should step down. Titles shouldn't be given lightly, and no position should be for life regardless of the bloodline or previous achievements."
Petra, Erik, and Zack looked at James with complicated expressions. They never heard someone with a bloodline that grants him status speak that way.
James knew what his three friends were thinking, and he felt a bit guilty. Would they accept him if they knew that he suspects how Alpha Edward was not his father? James didn't want to go there.
This was the most fun he had in his life, and he didn't want to spoil it. He would rather let them think that he is a righteous young prince than to see him as an impostor.
His eighteenth birthday was still two years away, but whenever he thought about not having his Alpha aura, that birthday felt like it was just around the corner, bringing an uncertain future with it.
The truth will be revealed naturally when the time comes, and James hoped that he can extend that deadline, because right there, at that moment, he felt that he could breathe freely.
Maddox and Tatiana entered the event hall and made their way toward Damon who was at the table with Tony and Kalina.
Maddox didn't care about these Elders; he already knew that they were giving a hard time to Damon. If Maddox showed goodwill, they might get an illusion that he disapproves of Damon, and latch onto him. He knew many like that and avoided them like plague. If this was not for Damon and his mate (aka Talia), Maddox wouldn't be here.
Tatiana said that she was not ready to go to the Blue River pack, and Maddox had no problems with that. He was already planning to get them a hotel suite in town, something with a nice view. But Damon extended his welcome to as long as they want, and Maddox took him on that offer. It would be hard to explain to humans all the grunting, moaning, and occasional howling.
"Nice of you to join us.", Kalina said teasingly with a big smile while eyeing her sister who wore a sleeveless black knee-length dress with golden details that fit her perfectly, and matching jewelry. Tatiana always had outfits ready for any social occasion.
Maddox also looked sharp in black trousers and a white shirt.
After exchanging greetings, Maddox pulled a chair for Tatiana to sit and took a seat next to her. His arm rested around Tatiana's shoulders as he looked around and then he asked, "Where are Mindy and Talia?" He tried mind-linking Mindy before they came down, but she was not responding.
"They went out for a bit.", Damon responded and glanced at the time. "Actually, they should be back soon."
With every passing minute, Damon's displeasure was rising.
He could feel Talia's emotions, and he tried to gauge what was going on there. She was not in distress, but she was not truly happy either. It was like she had a lot on her mind. Damon sent her a few texts, and she responded that they will talk when she comes back. Strange.
But his uneasiness was swelling by the minute as he heard whispers related to Marcy.
The good thing was that after James' talk with Elder Agatha, the Elders toned down their chatter about Marcy showing up in a grand way.
Unfortunately, they were talking about Talia as his assistant, and Maya's idea of reminding them of Talia's contributions didn't catch on as expected. They were all focused on Marcy like she was someone important.
Well, objectively, Marcy was important because she is the daughter of Alpha Edward, but that's it.
Damon was irritated. How come none of these people were willing to acknowledge how awesome Talia is?
He wanted to talk to the Elders, but Maya told him how that's not a good idea. "If you talk in Talia's favor, they will assume you are doing it because she seduced you. We know that they see you as an immature and impulsive Alpha. Let's not give them more ammunition. We don't want them to think that the only thing Talia has is her skills in bed…"
Damon knew that Maya was right, but the more he listened, the more his instincts for disaster were tingling. Unless something super-unexpected happened, this evening will be a total failure.
