Sophia and Isaac took seats at the table, and Talia wondered if they knew that Yasmin was pregnant. Wouldn't it be normal for future grandparents to inquire about the progress of pregnancy?
Axel waved at Omegas who approached the table to serve tea.
Axel spoke to his parents, "This is your favorite tea. Help yourselves with the food. We were just about to discuss Alpha Talia's plans for today. Everyone should know this because all of us will be involved in some capacity."
Axel glanced at Kai, who understood that he should take over.
"After breakfast, Alpha Talia, Alpha Damon, Alpha Axel, ex-Alpha Sophia, and ex-Alpha Isaac will head to the study. During that time, the rest of us will be engaged with preparations for the feast and the pack run tonight."
Meg couldn't wait to add, "Oracle's assistants will perform the ceremony before the pack run, and Sandy will officially become a member of the Midnight Guardians." The ceremony was not mandatory, but it would definitely lift the spirits of pack members.
"Sandy?", Isaac asked.
Axel responded, "Sandy from the Dark Howlers pack came here as Alpha Talia's guard, and the Moon Goddess blessed her to be Gamma Tyler's fated mate. Sandy is a skilled warrior with a great ethic that earned her to be Alpha's guard. I am confident she will be an amazing Gamma. "
Isaac nodded in understanding, and Kai continued with the schedule.
"Later in the morning, Alphas will meet to talk to Luna Yasmin and Cornelia about energy activities that were recently discovered, and they will plan for the trip to the Silver Flame Coven. After lunch, Meg and I will be available to give a tour of our facilities to the guests."
Meg spoke to Talia, but it was for Damon, Keith, and Liam also because they were new. "We will show you the map and points of interest, and you can decide what you want to see. If it's too much for one afternoon, we can stretch it over the next few days."
Talia was happy with this schedule. Other than morning meetings, the rest was free to sightsee and relax until the feast and the pack run. That sounded like a vacation.
Talia opened her mouth when a fork full of food reached there and she looked at Damon who was feeding her.
Damon focused on feeding Talia in an attempt to ignore Sophia and Isaac who were sitting at the same table. The usually calm Sapa was stirring inside Damon with the desire to rip their throats out.
Sapa was furious. Because of those two narrow-minded people, he was sealed, and he was unable to reach Liseli. He waited centuries for a chance to reunite with his mate, unsure if it will ever happen, and when it finally happened, those two despicable people intervened. And why? Sapa didn't care why because no reason was good enough to justify what they did.
Another grave sin was that they gave up Talia which put her in a position where she was neglected to the point of Liseli sacrificing herself to save Talia's life. What would happen if Liseli perished!? Would he need to wait another hundred empty lifetimes for a chance to meet his other half?
Sapa wanted Sophia and Isaac gone, and only their blood could soothe his rage.
Talia noticed that Damon was stiff as his Alpha aura was leaking, and she tried to distract him.
"What do you think about the schedule?", Talia asked Damon while chewing.
"As long as there is a relaxing time and you are not getting yourself in trouble, I'm fine.", Damon responded and then glanced at Keith and Liam. "The two of you must tour facilities. I want you to see every part of this pack."
Keith and Liam nodded obediently. It's not that they were planning to skip finding out more about the Midnight Guardians pack, but they didn't understand why Damon was making it sound important. Were they acting as spies? It didn't make sense because Talia was the Alpha.
The truth was that Damon was hoping that those two will find their mates, Keith in particular. The Midnight Guardians pack had a rule that their mates (male or female) get to join the Midnight Guardians pack, but considering Talia's status, Keith would continue guarding her even if his mate was from here.
Damon was aware that Keith was the best person to guard Talia, but if the wretched coach could find his mate, Damon won't worry about Keith making a move on Talia.
Talia was thinking about the ceremony, and she thought of reminding everyone of one thing, "Oracle Cassandra will probably stay in the Silver Flame Coven for a while. Can we get one of her helpers to become the Oracle? It could be either her most experienced helper, or we can perform a test in competency."
"Oh!", Yasmin exclaimed excitedly. "Cornelia and I will be happy to come up with the rules and select the most competent one."
"Me?", Cornelia asked. She had no idea why Yasmin was dragging her into this. She was just visiting!
"Yes, you. If you don't keep busy with work, you might have too much time on your hands and end up getting marked by your soulmate. It happens when things get heated.", Yasmin said cheekily, and she winked at James who was getting alarmed by Yasmin provoking Cornelia in front of others. At this rate, Cornelia might leave him because of Yasmin's teasing.
Yasmin continued talking to Cornelia, "I am familiar with what the healers do, and I know you are the right person to do it. After breakfast, I will take you to the lab that healers are using, and you will see for yourself. They are behind with energy manipulation and herbalism, but I was impressed with some potions they are making here. If we infuse them with chants, we could improve them further."
Cornelia was interested in seeing what others were doing, and there was even a chance for her to conduct experiments!
Despite Cornelia's interest, her expression remained stiff. She didn't like that the young witch was manipulating her. Can she refuse when Yasmin was talking about this in front of others?
But what else would she do? Since she left the Coven, Cornelia saw some of the human's realm, but most of the time she was stuck in a room. If she accepts, Cornelia will have something useful to do, and she will find out more about the Midnight Guardians pack. But… what about James?
"Do you mind?", Cornelia asked James, and James' lips lifted into a smile in slow motion.
She asked for his opinion! Suddenly, he felt important.
"You can do whatever you want, Cora." As long as you don't leave me.
"Hehehe…", Yasmin giggled mischievously.
"What?", Cornelia snapped.
"This is the first time for me to see you asking permission. It seems that the bond is affecting you more than you are willing to admit."
Cornelia glared at Yasmin and her eyes widened when she saw food hovering in front of her face. He turned to look helplessly at James and then she opened her mouth to accept his offerings.
Talia, Damon, Axel, Sophia, and Isaac settled in the study.
Talia and Axel discussed on the previous day that this meeting was about business. They will ask about the Guardians and the portals, and then they added the phenomenon at the bottom of the lake to that list.
Talia wanted to know about her past also, but she feared that information as well, so she was postponing it for later. Much later.
'Let me see if the potion works', Axel's voice sounded in Talia's head, and she nodded in agreement, knowing that he had something on his mind.
"Why did you give your daughter away?", Axel asked, and Talia's head snapped toward him. Why did he ask that question?
"I didn't.", Sophia responded, and Talia wondered if she heard her right.
Isaac's eyes flashed with outrage when he realized that something was wrong. "What did you do to us?"
Axel waved his hand, indicating that it was not important. "Just something to make you unable to lie. It will wear off in a few hours." He turned to his mother. "Are you saying you didn't give Talia away when she was a baby?"
"I am saying that I didn't give away my daughter."
"I am not your daughter.", Talia said with relief. It made her feel better to know that her mother didn't discard her. But then… "Who are my parents?" Knowing that there are only two Alphas who could be her parents, Talia looked at Isaac suspiciously. Did he sleep around?
"Your father was Valerian Moonrider. My older brother.", Sophia said.
