Talia led Cornelia toward the dining table where others were seated.
"I guess this is your first time eating here with everyone, so let me introduce you", Talia said to Cornelia before turning to speak to others in a louder voice, "To the ones who don't know, this is Cornelia. She is Gideon's cousin from far away and she is not used to our customs. I hope everyone can be civil and open-minded."
Talia spoke to Cornelia, "No one here has bad intentions, so if they offend you, it's not intentional. Keep in mind that our ways of living are different. If anything is making you uncomfortable, you need to say so." Talia glanced at other people. "It goes both ways."
Talia gestured while talking to Cornelia, "You met Damon, he is the Alpha of the Dark Howlers pack. He owns this place, so if you are not pleased with something, you can tell me or tell him directly. You should be familiar with the next few faces, George, Dawn, Gideon, Mindy, Maya, and Caden. I don't think you met the others. That's James, he is visiting from the Red Moon pack with George, and the others are locals, Petra, Erik, and Zack."
With that, Talia told Cornelia that she can sit at any available spot, and Talia moved toward the chair that Damon was still holding for her.
Dawn, Maya, and Mindy were looking at Damon anxiously, and only when they confirmed he was treating Talia well did they relax. After last night's dinner where Damon allowed Marcy to get close, no one knew what to expect.
Cornelia took her seat on Damon's right without engaging in pleasantries.
If Cornelia knew that James will be right there, at the same table, she would skip breakfast, and ask for food to be brought to her room.
Cornelia shook off the unpleasant feeling. James or not, she will be here for another day or two, help with dispelling the dark magic, and leave.
Talia noticed that Cornelia's mood dropped once they reached the dining room, and she took a mental note to ask Cornelia if someone from the people present offended her somehow.
James gripped the knife in his hand, hoping it will conceal the fact that his hands were shaking.
The whole night he couldn't sleep. James wanted to think about Marcy's unexpected appearance in the packhouse, and what it meant to their plan, but he couldn't focus. His mind was wandering toward the chocolate-colored beauty that appeared out of nowhere and disappeared in the same way. Her absence created a longing he never experienced before.
James cursed himself for allowing Cornelia to leave like that, and he wondered if he will really need to wait two years until he can see her again. The thought that he won't see her ever again was disturbing. Yet here she was, right in front of him, at the same table.
He felt like facepalming. Didn't she go into the packhouse last night? Why didn't he think about the possibility that she was staying here?
James thought of himself as a levelheaded guy whose biggest strength was his brain, but when it came to Cornelia, he turned into an idiot.
Did Talia say how Cornelia was from far away? Maybe she really didn't know about James' background. Even if she knew, it wouldn't change the fact that his heart was thundering against his chest, and he was so anxious that he feared that whatever he ate so far might come out the same way it came in. If he actually vomits, that would be so embarrassing!
James grabbed his glass of water and started sipping anxiously, counting silently from one thousand backward and praying that he won't puke his guts out and make a total ass of himself.
Damon was busy putting food on Talia's plate and Talia noticed that Cornelia didn't look far from the food items that were closest to her.
"Let me know if you need help with anything.", Talia said to Cornelia.
"This is fine.", Cornelia responded, but Talia was not convinced.
"You must taste these sausages."
Damon piled up quite a bit of everything for Talia, but the serving plate with sausages was on the other side of the table already.
"James, can you pass the plate with sausages?", Talia asked, and James was quick to drop his glass of water and grab the plate Talia requested. His grip was shaky, and the sausages nearly spilled on the table, but Petra's nimble hands grabbed it and saved the day.
"Let me do it.", Petra said, and James let go in favor of returning his focus on the glass of water.
At the sight of Petra passing the plate, Talia thought of something.
"Where are you guys going after this?", Talia asked Petra.
"James said that he has some matters to handle after breakfast. Erik, Zack, and I were planning to hang out in the town square until James is done, and then the four of us will head to the human city for the day."
Talia knew that the work James had after breakfast was related to Marcy.
"Cornelia", Talia called. "Petra, Zack, and Erik will be in Darkbourne and head to the human city later with James. They usually have some fun activities planned. You can consider joining them if you wish." She glanced at Petra. "That's not a problem, right?"
Petra shrugged with, "The more, the merrier."
Cornelia looked at Talia blankly. "I thought you will give me a few warriors for protection."
Damon felt that it was his turn to speak. "Petra, Erik, and Zack might appear young, but they are capable. With them around, you don't need to worry about safety."
Petra, Zack, and Erik exchanged worried glances. Them to keep Cornelia safe? Ah, their Alpha didn't know that Cornelia froze them with a wave of her finger, but they didn't want to talk about it.
"That's not what I meant.", Cornelia said and turned to Talia. "I don't want to look like a grownup taking youngsters for an outing."
'COUGH! COUGH!', James coughed violently, nearly choking on the water he was drinking. Was she talking about him? Damn it!
Talia thought about Cornelia's comment, and she realized that it made sense. Cornelia's appearance put her in her early twenties, and even though James, Zack, Erik, and Petra were not little kids, it was obvious they were younger.
Talia turned to Damon. "What do you think? Can you get two warriors to escort Cornelia for the day?"
"Absolutely.", Damon said and glanced at Caden. "Can you take care of that?"
Caden nodded and his eyes lost focus. A second later, he spoke, "They will be here in half an hour."
"Great!", Talia exclaimed. "Petra, if you can suggest a few spots nearby for a total newbie who wants to experience our way of living and human customs, that would be great." She turned to Cornelia. "I'm sorry, I would give you a tour personally, but with everything going on…"
"It's fine.", Cornelia assured Talia. She knew that Talia was busy, and it didn't matter who accompanied her, as long as she gets out of this place and it was not with James.
