With his uneasiness increasing, Damon was contemplating to meet Talia in front of the packhouse. They would sit in a car, drive into the night, and never look back.
Even Damon's wolf thought how escaping might be a good idea. The old beast was always advising him to take care of his pack, so this change in priorities confirmed that their current situation was not good.
With Marcy's bad condition worsening, Alpha Edward will definitely use it as leverage against Damon. In addition to that, the power struggle among Elders and many others who were not present at the party was never-ending and it was draining him physically and emotionally.
If Damon followed the well-established practices (which his father abandoned), the only woman with qualifications to be an Elder was Stephanie. She was not a Beta, but her mate was a Beta and she definitely contributed to the pack as Luna Violet's confidant, and as a person Damon could rely on. Ironically, she didn't want it.
When Damon took over as the Alpha, he thought of removing the Elder role completely. However, that would cause outrage and internal conflicts, and he had a lot of crap to deal with from the outside, so the things dragged.
Before Talia entered his life, Damon was focused on securing a good lifestyle for his pack members and protecting them from attackers. He would fight and argue when someone confronted him, and he enjoyed fleeting pleasures of alcohol and women. Damon thought how that was as good as it gets.
But, now he had Talia.
With Talia by his side, Damon experienced what it meant to be relaxed, happy, accepted, and he wanted to be with his mate and leave all the troubles behind.
There was a time when he put the needs of his pack first, but Talia's happiness was becoming more important by the day, and his happiness was tied to hers.
As the danger to Talia's safety increased, Damon was actually considering leaving everything behind.
Yes, he was born and raised as an Alpha, that was in his blood, but what was the point of having a pack, power, and riches, if his most important person gets hurt?
It was a tough choice, and Damon hoped that he won't end up in a position where he needed to choose.
A wave of murmurs swept the event hall when George and Dawn made an appearance.
George was wearing jeans pants and a blue shirt, while Dawn was in a red summer dress that had spaghetti straps and it reached below her knees. They were both casual, yet not offensive, but what stood out was George's arm around Dawn's shoulders.
Damon frowned when he heard whispers.
[I thought that Commander George will accompany Marcy. Isn't he Marcy's guard?]
[Isn't that our Dawn with him?]
[When do you think Marcy will arrive?]
[Why is Commander George so close to Dawn? It's one thing what they are doing in private, but this is a public event.]
[Is Commander's appearance a sign that Alpha Damon should go and fetch Marcy?]
Damon facepalmed. Marcy-this, Marcy-that. It was like this crowd drank some Marcy-related drug and can't talk about anything other than her. The only good thing was that no one mentioned the other woman (aka Nora) who was in the dungeon. At least he didn't need to come up with a cover-up to explain her absence.
But this event was now more than just clarifying Damon's availability for marriage. This was about figuring out if George will be an ally, a puppet, or an enemy.
Damon was surrounded by hyenas who were eager for him to mess it up, and this was the situation where he would figure out who will really help him, and who was just talking.
It's easy to be friends in good times. Only when facing challenges, will the true nature of a person be exposed.
So far, James showed himself to be useful. It was George's turn.
Damon stood up and went to meet George and Dawn.
Dawn stiffened when she saw Damon walking toward them.
She thought that attending this event with George will be a blast, but when she saw all those Elders scrutinizing her, she thought how maybe that was not such a good idea.
No one was dancing. People were standing or sitting in small groups and talking in murmurs, creating a stifling atmosphere that made Dawn's hairs stand on ends. How was this a party? And now even Alpha Damon was coming toward them and the only thing preventing Dawn from running away was George's firm arm around her shoulders.
"Commander George", Damon was first to extend his greeting. He glanced at Dawn and gave her a small nod. "Dawn…" His eyes lingered at the left side of her neck and he could see that it was red and some patterns were forming. It was George's mark.
The more Damon saw newly mated couples getting marked, the more he regretted not doing that with Talia. If she wore his mark, no one would doubt her identity. He was so stupid! Damon decided to push the marking up on the list of his priorities. Who cares about Talia's wolf? When the old beast comes around, she will understand, and if she doesn't… well, she will have to accept it.
After exchanging pleasantries, Damon returned his attention to George. "I am happy that you could join us. I know that you would rather be somewhere else."
"We are here on Dawn's insistence.", George responded. "I'm not sure if we will stay until the end. I hope you will forgive us if we leave early."
"As long as you stay for dinner, that will be enough.", Damon said. "By the time you finish with dessert, I will be done with my announcements. I hope you will join us at the table."
Damon really wanted to go to the study and have a long private talk with George, but this was not the time. For tonight, Damon thought of having George nearby and gauging his attitude.
Dawn swallowed a lump of air. Did Alpha Damon say how they should eat with them at the table? Dawn would love to be close to Talia, but everyone else was intimidating. Her ears were buzzing, and she was not sure if George accepted the offer or not.
She was working in the packhouse for years and knew it like the back of her palm, yet now it felt foreign and Dawn wanted to leave.
Dawn was looking left and right, and she spotted Zina at the table with refreshments. She was refilling the plate with cocktail meatballs.
At that moment, Zina looked like a beacon of safety in the middle of a stormy night, and Dawn really needed to see a friendly face.
"Excuse me…", Dawn said in a small voice and looked up at George. "I will be back in a minute." She shimmied out of his hold and headed toward Zina. Dawn was not comfortable talking with Alpha Damon, and George can tell her later what he decided.
As long as she was with George, it will be fine. Hopefully.
