Everyone was now openly looking at Alpha Richard and Talia, and they clearly heard Damon spitting out his drink which was followed by snickering from Maddox, Tony, and other people who were there.
Alpha Richard glanced toward the bar angrily before looking at Talia. "That's not what I meant."
Talia looked at the man innocently. "Did I misunderstand? I thought you wanted me somewhere private."
"To talk.", Alpha Richard said irritably.
"Riiiiight.", Talia drawled sarcastically. "Still, I will decline. We are not familiar with each other."
"You are misunderstanding something. I only want to talk."
"If it's just talking, why can't it be done here?", Talia responded with a question. "The fact that you want privacy is telling me you are up to no good. I heard about your reputation, Alpha Richard, and I was warned not to be alone with you in places that provide privacy."
Alpha Richard was furious. Talia's words made him sound like a lecherous man who would go after girls who barely came of age. He liked his women more mature, alright!? And it's not like he would just go at it without restraints. Actually, among the Alphas, his reputation in womanizing was low.
And then it hit him: she was doing this on purpose! And the fact that she was still sitting was rubbing him the wrong way.
"You will regret this.", he squeezed through his teeth.
"Are you threatening me?", Talia asked Alpha Richard, and then she turned to Meg. "It seems that our relationship with the Steelbite pack is worse than we thought." Talia craned her neck to see the two Guardians that were at the door. "How far can he go? If he decides to attack me, am I allowed to defend myself?" When Talia and Meg arrived, they were welcomed by two guys who told them a few points about the Council and how violence won't be tolerated.
Alpha Richard swiftly lifted his hands, palms toward Talia, and took a step back. "Let's stop this here before things escalate."
Talia frowned a little. "You approached me, you started it, it's only fair that you finish. But can you just walk away as if nothing happened?"
"What do you expect me to do?", he asked with urgency.
"You should at least apologize.", Meg said from the side.
Alpha Richard nearly choked on his saliva. "I should, what?"
"Apologize.", Tony said while approaching them, and Nate was one step behind him. "You came here and threatened Alpha Talia when she refused to leave the lounge with you. We all heard you. The least you can do is apologize. But just words aren't enough. I think that an annual tribute would be in order, for the next ten years. It's a good way to show sincerity and a reminder for you so it doesn't happen again."
Alpha Richard couldn't believe this. A tribute? He was already having a headache because of the tribute to the Dark Howlers pack that came with an excessive amount of embarrassment, and now Tony was talking nonsense about how there should be another one?
"What's in it for you?", Alpha Richard snapped at Tony.
Tony was high on adrenaline. Showing up here among Alphas with no one daring to scold him, got into his head.
Talia told Tony that she will stay away from Damon, Maddox, and Cristian, so that people don't guess her identity, but Tony was a free agent. Talia made him an Alpha and what kind of a person would he be if he just stayed and watched as his father's so-called allies mistreated her?
Talia told Tony that this meeting was about vultures going at Damon and they will be extra-careful not to provoke others so that Damon doesn't get more allies. She also told him to keep his head high because people won't see him as a person, they will see him as an Alpha of a pack, and no one will dare go too far out of fear of starting a war. As for Tony, he was eager to test the limits and find out how far was that 'too far' Talia spoke about.
Tony stood in front of Alpha Richard now, and somehow, Tony appeared to be taller than before.
"Alpha Talia and my Luna are close friends, and in extension, I consider Alpha Talia my friend as well. How can my people respect me as their Alpha if my friend gets bullied in front of me and I don't interfere?"
Alpha Richard glanced around to see if anyone else will interfere, but everyone just stood and watched which made him feel awkward. He cursed internally when he realized that people were waiting for one of the parties involved to make a mistake and with Tony coming to backup Talia, Alpha Richard was at disadvantage. But he was not a greenhorn who didn't know how to twist the situation.
"Does Alpha Talia need you to speak for her?", Alpha Richard asked.
"Of course, not. But I am a gentleman. I can't stand on the side and watch as a pretty lady gets harassed.", Tony said like it's a totally normal thing.
'CRACK!'
Crips sound of glass breaking was heard as Damon crushed the glass he was holding onto.
'Calm down, love.', Talia's voice sounded in Damon's head.
His fury fizzled away when he realized that she called him love, but… 'How can I calm down when another man is your shield and he called you a pretty lady?'
'Are you bothered that Tony called me pretty or that he came to my aid so that Alpha Richard and his cronies don't make the connection between the two of us?'
Damon cursed under his breath. When she put it that way, he ended up being the unreasonable one, but Damon wanted to be the one giving Talia compliments and protecting her!
'You are not alone.', Talia continued. 'WE are not alone. I am glad that Tony stepped out because if all of our friends do the same, it will be difficult for Alpha Edward to point fingers at any of us.'
Alpha Richard mumbled an apology to Talia with, "I suggest that we all take a step back and think about what's at stake here. If necessary, we can talk about this further, after our meeting."
Talia nodded in agreement and Alpha Richard was not happy about this outcome where he needed to retreat first. He consoled himself with the thought of how Talia will soon see who the power players are, and she will be the one apologizing.
Alpha Edward was watching this scene and he didn't like this, not even a little bit.
Tony was obviously on good terms with Damon, and with Tony stepping up to defend Talia, there were high chances that the Midnight Guardians pack will side with Damon, and that meant Alpha Edward's majority became shaky.
"It is time!", a Guardian from the door announced. "Please move to the conference room so that the meeting can start."
"Before we head out, I want to ensure that everyone here is an Alpha!", Alpha Edward exclaimed, making everyone turn to look at him.
