Sandy took the opportunity to ask Meg, "Where are the people?" Somehow, she expected a bustling scenery of desirable virgins, yet they didn't see a single werewolf other than their hosts and Omegas that were moving silently through the main building.
Where are the hot untouched guys!?
Meg missed the hint of lust in Sandy's words, and she responded innocently. "In this pack, most of the things are happening underground."
Meg also thought that living underground was strange when she arrived at the Midnight Guardians pack.
Sandy wondered if she heard Meg right, and Keith and Liam also perked up their ears to listen.
Werewolves were free spirits, craving open space without walls and restrictions, always looking up at the moon and the stars, and how can any of that be possible unless one was outside? Underground was only for storage and dungeons.
"Underground?", Sandy asked, obviously wanting more information.
Meg confirmed. "It's our way of living without disturbing nature. Think of it as a system of interconnected burrows. We have our personal quarters and common areas. Exits are made in such a way that you could pass by them and not notice unless you knew what you were looking for."
"Don't you feel suffocated?", Sandy asked.
Meg stifled a giggle. "I had the same concerns when I came here because I was imagining cramped dark caves. However, the inside is well-lit and spacious, and we can come out anytime to stretch our paws. When I run through the forest that doesn't have any marks of us living here, it's all worth it. You will see."
Sandy shook those thoughts away. Who cares if living underground was suffocating or not? It's not like she was going to live here. Her question was more related to… "So, where are the warriors?" The unmated ones. "You must have training grounds of some sort."
Sandy hoped that she sounded like a warrior who was eager to train and expand her horizons, and it was not like that was completely false. If she could spar with a half-naked muscular guy who never experienced pleasures of the flesh, that would be great.
Kai responded to Sandy, "If you think about training grounds how the Dark Howlers pack has, you will be disappointed. We are not a militaristic pack. The number of our warriors is small, as we mostly have scouts and people with other skills."
"You mean, people with abilities.", Keith chimed in and when he saw Kai and Meg giving him puzzled looks, Keith quickly said, "Luna Talia told us how special this pack is."
Meg's expression stiffened. "It's ALPHA Talia. It would be good if you remember that. Or are you always so disrespectful?"
Keith stared at Meg awkwardly, unsure how to respond. Why was Meg hostile? And why did she accuse him of disrespecting Talia?
Sandy tried to smoothen out the situation before it escalated. "Keith was not disrespectful on purpose. It's just that we all met Talia before she was Luna, and her Alpha position is new for us. It takes time to form a habit of calling her with the right title."
Meg didn't see that as an excuse. It was the same for them. When Meg met Talia, Talia was a girl without any status, staying in the packhouse of the Dark Howlers pack; Talia didn't even call herself Damon's girlfriend.
"If anyone overheard you, her own guard, talking about Alpha Talia casually, they won't inquire about your circumstances. Instead, they will assume that she is a pushover.", Meg said sternly. "People close to Alpha Talia need to set an example for others. If you need to get used to addressing her with the right title, I suggest you practice in private before you meet others and make irreparable damage."
"Of course. I apologize.", Keith said, his apology more directed at Talia than at Meg.
Damon observed this from the side, and he approved. Meg was a good Beta. They will keep her.
In one of the guestrooms, Yasmin and Cornelia were talking and James was with them.
James was invited on a tour of the area by Meg and Kai, and he knew that Cornelia wanted to talk to Yasmin, but James was uncomfortable separating from Cornelia. What if Yasmin says something that will encourage Cornelia to leave him behind?
He was happy that Cornelia didn't chase him away and she didn't object when he pushed his chair close to Cornelia's and held her hand.
Cornelia was telling Yasmin how werewolves live side-by-side with humans while concealing their true nature, about different lifespans, and how they should research the time difference between realms. Among all that, Cornelia noticed that Yasmin was throwing glances at James occasionally.
Cornelia assumed that Yasmin was wary of James.
"It's OK", Cornelia said. "You can talk in front of him." She told James a lot about witches anyway and she doubted that Yasmin will reveal anything new.
Yasmin cocked an eyebrow suspiciously. She knew that James and Cornelia were soulmates because they met at the Lightclaw pack when Tony took over the Alpha role from his father. But Yasmin also knew that James couldn't feel the bond because of his age, and Cornelia obviously didn't have the mark on her neck.
"Can you tell me what's the status between the two of you?", Yasmin asked.
"What?", Cornelia squeaked. She thought that Yasmin will ask something about humans or about the Dark Howlers pack, and not about her and James!
Yasmin's lips lifted into a mischievous smile at the sight of flustered Cornelia. "I can see that you are not marked. Did you have sex?"
Cornelia's eyes were open so wide that they nearly popped out of their sockets.
Seeing that Cornelia was on the verge of fainting, James responded.
"With all due respect, you shouldn't concern yourself with our private matters."
Yasmin stifled a giggle. "I will take that as a no." She turned to Cornelia. "How long will you torture the youngster? Just give in. As a werewolf, he is gifted down there and has good stamina. I can tell you from my experience that sex with a man is fantastic."
James was never so conflicted! He wanted to scold Yasmin for being so forward with Cornelia, but he also wanted to give her a hug for the same reason. Will Cornelia run away, or maybe open up to him?
"James", Cornelia called stiffly. "Can you let me talk to Yasmin in private?"
James wanted to refuse, but how can he? "Sure, love.", he said, kissed her cheek, and walked out.
"What's your problem!?", Cornelia hissed at Yasmin the moment the door closed behind James. Yasmin was always mischievous, but this was completely rude! How much did these few months with werewolves spoil Yasmin?
"I don't have a problem. But you do.", Yasmin responded.
Yasmin was unphased but he silent threats behind Cornelia's glare. In their Coven, Cornelia is a respected priestess, second only to the high priestess Evanora, but Yasmin was always the baby no one would dare to touch. On top of that, they were not in the Silver Flame Coven, this was the Midnight Guardians pack, and Yasmin was the Luna. Yasmin felt that she had an advantage.
Cornelia was aware that an argument with Yasmin can easily escalate into something unpleasant, but how can she let the young witch do whatever she wants?
