James was feeding Cornelia and himself, lost in the world of imagination where he and Cornelia were embracing each other completely naked.
Thanks to their make-out session from earlier that morning, James could vividly taste Cornelia on his tongue, and feel the heat of her body against his. It was exhilarating. He really wanted them to do it again. James wondered how her nipple would feel in his mouth. He would suck on that hardened bud and graze her there with his fangs for added stimulation. He could hear her moaning his name and asking for more when...
"What do you think? Is it a good idea?"
Cornelia's questions pulled James into a reality where they were sitting at the dining table with a bunch of other people, and she was looking at him eagerly.
James had no clue what was going on, but he had no heart to reject her, so he responded, "If you like it, I'm all for it."
"Great! Then it's settled!", Cornelia exclaimed and turned to Petra. "I can't wait to see the mall and try Italian food. We can go after breakfast…"
James' mental images of naked Cornelia crumbled one by one. Did she say, a mall?
It took him a few long moments to realize that Cornelia was talking to Petra about visiting the human city with Zack and Erik, and… what the hell!? What happened with them staying in his room? Oh, right, that was just his imagination. But still, he hoped to make it real. It looked real, damn it!
Initially, Cornelia was not willing to hang out with teens, but considering the failures of her previous plans to see how humans and werewolves live, she decided to go with this. If James was willing to join, then Cornelia didn't need to compromise between satisfying her curiosity and spending time with her young soulmate.
The more James listened to Petra and Cornelia talking, the more James' mood dropped.
It was all preplanned and that was why Maya called him to join for breakfast; Petra, Zack, and Erik wanted to do something that included Cornelia. And they made plans for the whole day!
If he knew, they wouldn't come!
James wanted to object to them spending the day as a group of five, but Cornelia was visibly excited, so he stretched his lips into a painful smile.
He knew that she came here to explore this realm, and it wouldn't be fair to keep her in one room.
But… Will he need to wait until tonight for him and Cornelia to have privacy? At this rate, he will lose the evening with Cornelia as well! That's not happening!
James decided to put his brain to good use. Surely, he can come up with a reason for him and Cornelia to ditch those three unwanted people by lunchtime. In that way, she gets to see the city, and the rest of the day will be theirs to enjoy.
After breakfast, Damon and Talia met with Calvin to give him the exclusive interview related to Talia being Damon's fated mate and the Luna of the Dark Howlers pack.
Talia forgot about her promise for an interview on the morning after the pack run, but Calvin didn't. He was in the dining room at the table before anyone else from the packhouse got there for breakfast.
Damon let Talia handle the interview, but he advised her through their mind-link which gave her the confidence to talk like someone who was knowledgeable about the pack-related matters.
As they reached the end of the interview, Calvin had to ask, "What can you tell me about guests from the Red Moon pack?"
Talia and Damon knew that he was talking about Cornelia and Dawn, and Talia was quick to respond before Damon sent the poor reporter to the dungeon.
"At this point, they want to keep their relationships private.", she said and as expected, Calvin's expression fell. "Considering your position as the seasoned reporter, you should be aware of the tense relationship between us and the Red Moon pack." This got Calvin's attention, and Talia continued, "If Alpha Edward finds out from WW Magazine about Dawn being Commander George's mate, he might give them a hard time. Why didn't Commander George tell him? Was Dawn a spy? It would open all kinds of possibilities to a person who feels wronged. We are not telling you not to publish news, but we hope you will consider Dawn's safety."
Calvin had to agree that news about Dawn being Commander George's mate paled in comparison to the exclusive interviews he got with Marcy and Talia.
"What about Cornelia?", Calvin asked carefully.
"Cornelia is not a she-wolf.", Talia responded with a knowing look.
Calvin's brows came together. He didn't really pay attention, so he didn't notice. "I thought you said that she is Shaman Gideon's cousin."
"Distant Cousin.", Talia reminded him. "She is more human than a she-wolf and as such, Alpha Edward won't allow for James' relationship with Cornelia to go beyond what it currently is, no matter how smitten they are with each other." This was the truth. "By writing about James and Cornelia, you will make their life difficult. After the way Marcy left, Alpha Edward might think that we planted Cornelia by James' side to control him."
Calvin was disappointed that there were no benefits in writing about Dawn or Cornelia, and actually, it might cause sparks of war. He was not willing to carry that weight.
But he left the packhouse happy because Talia promised to call him for any future scoops, and... "As soon as we decide on the date of my Luna ceremony, we will let you know before we announce it to the public." With that, Calvin entered his car and drove away.
The moment Calvin's car disappeared behind the tree line, Talia slumped against Damon who was already holding her.
"This was more difficult than dealing with Marcy", Talia said. She didn't have bad feelings toward Calvin, but all her answers were tiptoeing around sensitive topics and telling the truth while omitting crucial details and she found it mentally exhausting.
Damon chuckled. "You did great."
James was the one who brought up the point of the value WW Magazine had in swaying the public opinions.
Everyone from the werewolf society was reading the WW Magazine, and it served as a credible source of news because they wouldn't publish anything unless it was confirmed as the truth. The WW Magazine served no one, and it served everyone.
But no matter how objective WW Magazine was, there were always several sides to the truth, and the tone of how the story is told can make the difference between people accepting or rejecting the idea.
By having a good relationship with Calvin, Calvin's career will skyrocket due to the exclusive access to the news, and in return, Damon and Talia get to control what news gets out and in which way, as a way to influence the public.
With them preparing to integrate witches into their society, they will need a person like Calvin on their side.
Damon and Talia agreed with James on this. The boy was smart, and his ability to plan ahead was scary.
