Damon and Talia returned to the packhouse at sunset. They headed to their bedroom to tidy up before they came down for dinner, and the way they were connected at the hips told everyone that they worked out whatever was going on.
No one mentioned Jade or any other pressing matter. It was like no one wanted to bother with negativity during the meal.
When all the food was served, Zina gingerly joined the table at Talia's and Dawn's insistence. They were all friends and familiar with each other, but Zina thought that chattering in the kitchen was one thing, while dining together with guests present was another.
Damon hovered around Talia who looked at him with hearts in her eyes, and he managed to keep her plate filled with food, to feed both her and himself, and whenever he had a free hand, he would reach for hers to hold it. The mood was so lovey-dovey, that others avoided looking at them.
"Any plans for the evening?", Caden asked at a certain point. "How about we go to the Shifters? After everything we had in the last few days, we could all use some time to unwind." He turned to Talia and Damon. "And our people will appreciate it if their Alpha and Luna make a public appearance."
Talia glanced at Damon who shrugged, indicating that it was up to her.
Talia was attracted to the idea of dancing and having fun, and maybe they could get drunk as well. She wanted to let loose and have fun. Her enthusiasm dwindled when she remembered that since last night everyone in the Dark Howlers pack knew her as their Luna, and she was not sure how that changed things. Can Luna go to a nightclub and party like no one was watching?
'Is it OK if we go there?', Talia asked Damon through their mind-link.
'Why not?'
Damon chuckled when Talia shared her concerns about appropriate behavior.
"Kitten", he responded for everyone to hear. "If you want to go, we will go. If you want to drink, we will drink. If you want to dance, I will be your partner. This is your pack now and you can do whatever you want, and if anyone has problems with that, I will take care of it."
Talia smiled foolishly at Damon's doting expression and she really hoped that no one noticed how his right hand was under the table, under her skirt, squeezing her thigh and caressing her there.
"It seems we are going to Shifters tonight.", she said.
Dawn was excited. She looked at George eagerly, and when he gave her a small nod, she announced, "The two of us are in."
Mindy responded without consulting Gideon, "We will stay here tonight."
"We can go if you want.", Gideon said. He had a feeling that she refused because of him. After all, how can a Shaman appear at the nightclub, and he previously told her that he was not into dancing. Gideon was worried that he was too boring for his pumpkin-infused princess.
Mindy refused. "No. We should rest. We have an early start tomorrow."
"What are your plans for tomorrow?", Talia asked, genuinely curious. Mindy told her that they won't return to their place because amenities were lacking, and with the pack run over, they didn't have any official work to handle.
Mindy grinned. "We will move to the house you said we can use. It looks perfect."
Talia's face exploded into a smile. "Really? That's great! We can get a few warriors to help you move stuff."
Gideon approved the idea of getting help. "Tomorrow morning, we will go to our place and start packing. We will let you know when we are ready to move stuff."
"If we can have help in the afternoon, that would be perfect.", Mindy already had a plan going. "After lunch sounds good. We won't pack everything until then, but we can move things in phases as the new place is furnished so tomorrow we will get only necessities."
Mindy looked at Gideon questionably and when he approved, Mindy asked, "Can have someone help us prepare the soil for the garden in the new house?" She really liked the house and she hoped that it will work. It had space inside and out, and with guards securing the perimeter, they will have their privacy also.
"That can be arranged.", Maya said. "Where are you moving to?"
"The house where Marcy and George stayed after…", Talia's voice trailed while wondering if mentioning George and Marcy in the same sentence was disturbing to anyone.
Dawn saw that Talia was looking at her apprehensively. "It's fine, Lia." She turned to Mindy. "That's a wonderful house. I'm sure you will be happy." She grinned at George. "On the upper floor, second room to the right, that's where I recognized this hunk as my mate."
Mindy's brows came together to form a frown. Mindy knew which room Dawn was talking about because she and Gideon visited it earlier that day. If that's the room where Dawn and George recognized each other as mates, weren't they frisky in there?
"Does that mean we need to replace the mattress?", Mindy asked.
Dawn giggled. "I'm not sure about the mattress, but bedsheets definitely. And you probably don't want to use those pillows."
Zina couldn't believe Dawn's cheeky expression. She enjoyed teasing Mindy, but Mindy was visibly uncomfortable.
"Don't worry, Mindy.", Zina said. "By noon tomorrow, I will get you new mattresses and pillows in every bedroom. Just in case."
Mindy looked at Zina gratefully. "Thank you. You are a sweetheart."
Zina noticed that other than Petra, Zack, and Erik, Zina was the only unmated person at the table. And teens were underage, so they didn't count.
"You should stick close to Talia so that you find your mate.", Mindy said to Zina.
Zina didn't get it. "Talia will find me mate?"
Maya nodded earnestly. "Malia always delivers. Satisfaction guaranteed. You should take advantage of this promotional period until we figure out the prices for services."
"We need to call Lina and Tanya and figure out the logo, brand, and marketing strategy.", Mindy said with all the seriousness in the world, and Mindy, Dawn, and Maya started chattering about Malia, the mating service. They already mentioned the whole Malia idea to the Wilkow sisters who were interested in being a part of it.
Talia waved dismissively. "Don't listen to them, Zina. They believe that I have the power to bring mates together."
"You say you don't have it, and all mates here are proof that you do.", Dawn said. "Well, except for Maya and Caden." She turned to Zina. "Stick close to Talia, Zi. Worst case, you won't find your mate."
Zina glanced in Talia's direction, and she didn't miss the dark cloud that was forming above Damon's head. Zina lowered her eyes and focused on the food that was in front of her. The worst case won't be that she doesn't find her mate; it will be that her Alpha puts her in the dungeon (or worse) because she will intrude on his time with Talia.
By the time dinner ended, they concluded that Damon, Talia, Maya, Caden, Dawn, George, and Zina were going to the Shifters, while the rest had other plans.
Zina was excited and she hoped that she will get access to that highly coveted VVIP booth that belonged to Alpha Damon.
She knew that with the new position that Talia gave her, Zina was above Omegas, but this dining with everyone and then going to Shifters nightclub in the same group with Alpha, Luna, and Betas... it felt unreal.
Mindy and Gideon said that they need to rest and plan for their move tomorrow. Teens were underage so they couldn't go to Shifters; Petra, Erik, and Zack went to Darkbourne to find themselves teenage-appropriate fun.
Cornelia was eager to see what Shifter nightclub was, but she didn't feel it was right to go without James who couldn't go because he was underage.
She hoped that James will say how they will join Petra, Erik, and Zack, but James said that he had other plans.
Unsure of what to do, Cornelia ended up stuck in the packhouse. Again! But it wouldn't be proper if she went out without James who was right there.
