"Cornelia?", Talia called, making the witch snap out of her thoughts. "Is everything OK?"
Talia saw Cornelia standing on the stairs and spacing out, so she got worried.
Cornelia looked at Talia, and she was about to say how it was not important, but then she remembered Talia's words that they were friends who help each other. Can Talia help her with this outfit-predicament? Cornelia was not sure, but there was no harm in telling Talia about it.
"I have nothing to wear for the party", Cornelia admitted.
Talia blinked at the witch. It was the first time for Talia to hear Cornelia speak in such a humble tone. Even when she was asking a favor to be Talia's assistant, there was a dose of haughtiness, yet now Cornelia appeared… vulnerable.
How can Talia ignore a friend in need? "I know just the person who can help!"
Cornelia's eyes widened. "You do?"
"Yes, yes. I'm heading there now. Follow me…"
Talia led Cornelia to a room that was on the second floor of the packhouse. The noise and clamor of female voices were heard through the closed door.
After a short knock, without waiting for an answer, Talia opened the door to reveal a bright room that looked like storage.
Portable racks were lining the space, with garment bags hanging on them, and one corner was filled with boxes that had shoes sticking out of them. On the left, several dressers with many half-open drawers revealed sparkly jewelry and other accessories.
"Tanya", Talia called and Cornelia snapped to look at the people who were sitting on the sofas in the middle of the room. Other than Tatiana, there were also Kalina, Varya, Lidia, Meg, Maya, Ivy, Lily, and several other females that Cornelia didn't recognize.
"Cornelia has a wardrobe issue and nothing to wear for tonight. Can you help her?", Talia asked.
Tatiana waved her hand toward the racks with garments that were wrapped in plastic, and one of the unknown females stood up. "Of course! We brought extra dresses."
Both Talia and Cornelia frowned in confusion at the deep voice that came with a heavy Italian accent, and it definitely belonged to a male. The tall and slim figure approaching them had a wide-brimmed pink hat with white flowers, and he was wearing a pink jumpsuit, and that sway in the hips as he walked belonged to a female who was on a catwalk. He also had an eyeliner and pink lip-gloss, but under all that makeup and glitz was definitely a male.
The guy eyed Cornelia. "Do you have a color preference? Your aura is strong and confident, we should go bold to match it and make a statement. How about crimson? Let's pick a few dresses and see if alterations will be needed. Nothing too long because we don't want to hide those gorgeous legs…"
He was speaking so quickly that Cornelia had difficulty following his words. He ended with, "I am Mario, Dama T's assistant." He gestured toward Tatiana, indicating that she was Dama T, and then he emphasized, "Her ONLY assistant."
Tatiana rolled her eyes. "No one will take your job, Mario!"
Mario was upset to hear that Tatiana had unknown people around her and he assumed that it was Maddox's way of keeping him away from his boss (aka Tatiana). Before Tatiana found her husband-to-be (how Mario addressed Maddox), Mario was working closely with Tatiana, business-related and private, yet now they were excluding him. They even picked a new location for the "Dama T" headquarters without him and that was a big deal!
Unfortunately, Mario was human, and Tatiana didn't know how to explain that her union with Maddox meant she was a Luna, leading a whole pack of werewolves, and she needed people by her side. It was a lot of work.
Mario threw Tatiana an angry side-glance. "I am just making sure."
Talia heard that Tatiana brought some of the designers from the "Dama T" here. They were all humans, from Europe. A number of them agreed to move to the United States so they can work from the new location, and it seemed that this sassy Mario-person was one of them.
Mario was stuffing garment bags in Cornelia's arms, and in less than ten seconds, the witch couldn't be seen under all those clothes. Mario pushed her toward the bathroom with, "Come, dear… let me help you put these on."
Cornelia moved per command, still not quite sure what she got herself into. Mario was a skinny male in a pink jumpsuit, a human without powers, yet he moved swiftly and spoke even faster, and Cornelia's mind was spinning while wondering if his super-power was to confuse his opponents.
Talia was satisfied that she got to solve Cornelia's outfit problem, and she did it by simply bringing the witch here.
Why was Talia here?
Alpha Natalia Moonrider was more than just a guest at Tatiana's Luna ceremony. She had a role to play.
Normally, a Luna ceremony would be conducted under a full moon, with pack members surrounding Alpha and Luna who vow to lead the pack to the best of their abilities, drink a mystical potion, and mix their blood. This ceremony allows Luna to tap into the powers of the pack and establish a mind-link if she didn't have it already.
Maddox and Tatiana did this in a small ceremony with just selected pack members present.
Considering that both Maddox and Tatiana had many connections with humans, Maddox as the CEO of the River Construction, and Tatiana as the owner of the "Dama T", the duo decided to celebrate their union with a unique ceremony that will include their human friends also, and it resembled a human wedding.
Tatiana will walk down the aisle while wearing a white wedding gown and have bridesmaids and that's where Alpha Natalia Moonrider will fit as part of this spectacle.
Talia came to try her bridesmaid's dress. Damon was in a different room in the packhouse, where guys were trying on suits.
Talia wanted to ask which one was her dress, but she noticed that Tatiana's mood was not right.
"Did something happen?"
Kalina responded. "With Daria enjoying her mate, we are one bridesmaid short."
"Can we just proceed with the ceremony without her?", Meg asked.
'CRACKLE-CRACK!'
Tatiana gripped the armrest of her chair with such force that the wood cracked. "My lucky number is thirteen. I need twelve bridesmaids with me being the thirteenth female on that podium!"
"Where can we find another one?", Varya spoke in a pleading voice while signaling with her eyes that Tatiana should let go of that armrest before their human friends freak out. Tatiana always had a bossy temper, and since Maddox marked her, it got worse.
Talia got an idea. "You need an available female, and there is one." Talia pointed at the bathroom where Cornelia went with Mario. "Cornelia needs a dress, and she is about the same height as Daria. As long as the dress fits, I'm sure she will be happy to help."
Tatiana's face lit up and she looked at the door of the bathroom with sparkles in her eyes.
Cornelia stepped out of the bathroom in a bright red sleeveless mini dress with a heart-shaped neckline and a see-through tail that reached her knees. It fit her well and Mario said that she should try the shoes to match, and that's why she came out, but she paused when she realized that everyone was looking at her.
"What?", Cornelia asked. Did she miss something?
And that's how Cornelia ended up being a bridesmaid for Tatiana's Luna ceremony.
