Talia understood that James was telling her all that about the Council of Alphas with the intention that she should attend it, as an Alpha.
The idea of her being stuck in the same place with Alphas who had bad intentions toward Damon, and maybe they were involved in the witch-breeding nightmare, made Talia's skin crawl, but she liked the thought of supporting Damon.
Talia was aware that since Damon became the Alpha of the Dark Howlers pack, he faced many challenges alone. Sure, there were Caden, Stephanie, Maya, and maybe a few others, but they could only offer their advice and support from the side. Damon had to tackle one challenge after another on his own; he negotiated and fought as one against many, and this was Talia's chance to stand by his side when it counts, as his equal. It made her feel important.
"Usually, the Midnight Guardians pack doesn't involve themselves with matters of other packs, so my father probably thinks that Alpha Isaac won't come.", James said. "And no one has a clue that the leadership changed."
"Do you think they will recognize me?"
James looked at Talia seriously for a few seconds before responding, "No."
"How can you be so certain?"
"Alpha Damon's reputation as a womanizer made women by his side invisible.", James responded bluntly. "There were so many that people stopped caring. And my sister created such a hype about her being his Luna, that no one spared you a second look."
"You say that like it's a good thing.", Talia said dryly.
"But it is. Everyone will be intrigued by the new Alpha. The fact that you are from the Midnight Guardians pack will work in your favor because no one really knows what's going on there. You can say that you are the daughter Alpha Isaac and Alpha Sophia kept hidden, or you can spin the story and say that you are the dark horse who took over with a display of power."
Talia thought about how both of those apply. Was James smart, psychic, or just lucky? In any case, it was scary how spot-on he was.
James chuckled. "Most of the Alphas of the older generation are misogynic. The fact that you are female will rub them the wrong way, yet they won't be able to do a damn thing about it. I would give anything to be a fly on the wall in that room when you show up so I can see my father's face."
Talia cocked an eyebrow. "You know, maybe Cornelia can make it happen."
James shifted uncomfortably at the thought of him actually turning into a fly. What if a frog eats him? Or someone splats him into a mush?
"It was just a figure of speech.", he said awkwardly. "Besides, as an unknown player, you can have fun. Make them believe you are considering to vote for their side, let them lick your shoes, and then deliver slaps as you see fit. In any case, I leave those fine details to you. I told you what I wanted to say, and I recommend that you go there, but in the end, it's your decision. We are done here."
James stood up and bowed a little before leaving the room.
Talia didn't move as she was thinking about the information James provided and she frowned at the names of Alphas who will face Damon with bad intentions tomorrow morning.
Damon didn't say anything and she sensed his anxiety, but she didn't know it would be that bad. If those people vote against Damon, he will be in trouble; his whole pack will be in trouble. Their pack. Isn't that why Damon concealed her identity as his mate? But… she was weak then and now she is an Alpha. Surely, she can do something to help him.
Talia was attracted to the idea of putting those greedy old geezers in place. How dare they threaten her mate!?
Liseli was quiet, but Talia could sense that Liseli approved as the old creature boosted Talia's confidence, reminding Talia that she was not alone anymore. Talia had her wolf, her powers, her mate, her pack, and friends who were willing to help.
James told her that the Council of Alphas has ways of confirming who is the real Alpha of a pack in order to avoid frauds. He didn't know details about this because his father never mentioned it, but James remembered that his father has a token with the crest of the Red Moon pack, and he guessed that the token must be part of verifying the identity as legitimate rulers.
Other than getting her token, Talia needed to firm her resolve, and… she needed a Beta who will accompany her.
With those thoughts, Talia got her phone.
First, she needed to call Axel!
James returned to the study in search of Cornelia. He found her sitting on the sofa, surrounded by Dawn, George, Mindy, and Gideon. Cornelia was talking in a low voice while drawing some complex patterns on a paper and James guessed that she was explaining things for the ritual they will perform tomorrow evening.
Damon was at his desk now with Maya and Caden. The three of them were sitting around Damon's desk while two faces were on the computer screen, obviously on a video call. James recognized them as Alpha Maddox from the Blue River pack, and Alpha Cristian from the Spring Leaf pack, and he already knew that those two were Damon's close allies.
Damon waved at James to come closer, and he announced to two people on the video call, "The future Alpha of the Red Moon pack, James, is here."
Both Maddox and Cristian were visibly surprised to see James. They were aware that Alpha Edward was hostile, and with Marcy announcing her departure from the territory of the Dark Moon pack, they would never guess that James was present.
Of course, Maddox was about to get another shocker soon when he finds out that Marcy was heading his way, but that will happen when Mindy remembers to notify him.
James thought that Damon will ask him about Talia, but instead, Damon said, "We are discussing strategies to protect our borders while we are away. With this sudden summon for the Council, Max, Chris, and I suspect that someone might use this to attack us and we want to decrease risks to our people. Can you share your ideas?"
James was surprised that Damon was including him in the conversation. His father would normally shoo him away when something crucial was happening, and Damon showed him more consideration and care in these few days than his father did in a lifetime.
James' impulse was to decline and to continue his act as an ignorant youngster, but something told him to do otherwise.
With every passing day, James' understanding of why people followed Damon willingly was becoming clearer. Damon didn't classify people based on status and he didn't push others down out of fear that they will take his spotlight.
Damon acknowledged James as someone who can contribute, and he was not shy about asking him to share his thoughts in front of other Alphas which gave James an opportunity to shine.
This treatment made James feel important, and he hoped that Cornelia was paying attention because he was about to show what he can do.
