Damon was quick to pull a chair for Talia and to start piling food on her plate as soon as she took her seat. She smiled helplessly at her Alpha, knowing that this was his impulse to provide for his mate.
Talia was aware that it meant a lot to Damon to feed her, and she didn't have the heart to remind him that he can't do that for lunch or dinner because other people will be watching, and his doting behavior will be a giveaway that they were mates.
Per Damon's request, Damon and Talia were assigned to sit at the same table during the upcoming ceremonies and Talia considered making changes to those arrangements. She quickly dismissed that idea because Damon will blow a fuse if any man comes to talk to her.
Talia wondered if it would be better if she came here as Damon's Luna, and for Alpha Natalia Moonrider to reject the invitation. But then… they wanted to test the waters and see how people will treat Talia before they discover that the largest pack in North America just got larger because Damon's mate is an Alpha with a pack.
Damon suggested that they keep their secret until James' birthday when the two of them would make the grand reveal right in Alpha Edward's packhouse. Talia was not sure how Alpha Edward would react, but she would love to record it and replay it for many years to come. She was confident that it will be epic.
At the thought of Alpha Edward's reactions, Talia glanced at Cornelia and wondered, what was the witch up to? Wasn't she aware that James will arrive in a few hours? Will they pretend not to know each other? As a witch, Cornelia didn't feel the pull of the bond like werewolves, but James will go crazy in need to be close to her, to touch her, to feed her… and Alpha Edward will be right there. Oh, and there was the point that James will go berserk if any guy dares to get close to Cornelia. Even if no one notices that mark on Cornelia's neck, they will notice James' strange behavior. This can easily turn into a disaster.
Talia jolted when Damon squeezed her knee under the table.
"Eyes on me, kitten", he growled lowly.
Talia couldn't believe it. She was looking at Cornelia, for crying out loud!
Damon was always possessive and jealous, but since their double-marking at the Midnight Guardians pack, he became unreasonable.
Now that she thought about it, Talia realized that she didn't have the capacity of worrying about James and Cornelia because she was sitting next to a man who was a walking calamity.
Talia was here as the Alpha of the Midnight Guardians pack, and she will definitely end up talking to Alphas and high-ranking members of other packs while Damon… Damon will probably flip this place and ruin the party.
Talia glanced at the second table where Keith was with Pierce, Caleb, and Lulu. Her four guards were chatting in a good mood with Beta Oliver, Ivy, and Lily, and stuffing their mouths with food. Luckily, they were all werewolves (except for Cornelia), so no one thought of them like they were starving for a week before coming here.
Talia was happy to see Keith in good spirits. Their visit to other realms didn't start well, but after Keith got a task to interrogate Sophia and Isaac, he spent most of the time training warriors of the Midnight Guardians pack, and at two casual parties they had there, Keith volunteered to be the bartender where he introduced members of the Midnight Guardians pack to the art of mixology (how he called it).
Damon had his doubts about bringing Lulu along because she didn't take the blood oath, but Keith assured them that Lulu was loyal. On top of that, Talia said how the blood oath was not a requirement for one to be her guard, so Damon didn't have reasons to leave Lulu behind.
Talia didn't give importance to the blood oath, but considering that Lulu was the only one who missed that ceremony and that Damon was grumbling whenever Lulu was mentioned, Talia started feeling uncomfortable around Lulu as well.
Talia dismissed unpleasant thoughts. It was a matter of trust and she trusted that Lulu didn't have bad intentions. Why Lulu avoided the blood oath? That was Lulu's business and Talia didn't want to force it. Besides, it's not like Talia and Lulu will be on their own in the middle of an enemy territory where Talia's life will depend on Lulu, so it was fine to bring Lulu along. At least that's what Talia hoped.
An excited chatter of female voices was becoming louder from the hallway, signifying that the Wilkow sisters were coming.
Talia knew that Kalina had four sisters, and they were all close in age.
Tatiana was the oldest one, twenty-four years old. Next were Lidia, Daria, Varya, and Kalina was the youngest, currently twenty years old. With the pregnancy of werewolves lasting about five months, the mother of the Wilkow sisters was able to give birth to five daughters in four years and to have a breather between pregnancies.
Talia turned in time to see that Tatiana entered the dining room with four brunettes surrounding her. Kalina was there, and Talia only needed to figure out which ones were Daria, Lidia, and Varya.
Maddox and Tony were walking a few steps behind the females that talked enthusiastically at the same time.
Just as everyone was in the dining room, everything abruptly stopped.
Somehow, all eyes were directed at the female who was wearing a white t-shirt and jeans. Her long brown hair cascaded over her shoulders as her dark eyes looked intently at the table where Beta Oliver was with Ivy, Lily, and Talia's guards.
Talia inhaled sharply and turned toward that table to see Pierce standing up while looking at the brunette like he had never seen a woman in his life. The scene was quite comical because his cheeks were full of whatever food he had in there, and he had smidges of cream cheese around his mouth.
The room was so quiet and the only thing making noise were Pierce's running shoes as he walked toward the female who became his whole world in an instant.
Tanya and Kalina stepped to the side to open the path and the other two Wilkow sisters did the same.
Kalina bit her lip so that she doesn't squeal from excitement. That was her middle sister, Daria. And she found her mate!
Kalina looked at Talia with stars in her eyes. Her belief that Talia had mate-matching abilities was reinforced again!
Maya and Meg exchanged knowing glances. Malia strikes again!
Pierce stopped moving only when he was so close that their bodies nearly touched, and he looked down into Daria's dark eyes that gazed expectantly into his baby blues.
He took a deep breath, wondering if she was smelling of freshly baked buttery pastries, or if that was the food he just ate (and he still had some in his mouth).
Now that they stood next to each other, with Pierce standing a full head taller compared to Daria, everyone noticed that they had matching clothes; white short-sleeved t-shirts, jeans, and light gray running shoes.
Note: you can find picture of Pierce and Daria in the comments
