Talia thought that the evening was progressing well.
There was music and people, fancy decorations, food, and drinks. The only thing preventing Talia from enjoying it entirely was that she was repeatedly reminding herself not to get too close to Damon. He was next to her, right there, holding her hand under the table; however, leaning on him, cuddling, kissing, and feeding each other were off limits. Talia realized how used she was to those small intimacies with Damon and how awkward it was to stay away.
The good thing was that they were among friends as they shared the table with Maya, Caden, Kai, Meg, James, and Cornelia.
Everyone at the table knew who Talia was and her relationship with Damon, and also about the fact that James and Cornelia were mates.
To the outsiders, James was an interloper at the table that was occupied by the members of the Dark Howlers pack and Midnight Guardians pack, yet James blended in with them quite well.
James made sure not to talk too much so he doesn't spoil his image of an obedient (and ignorant) son, but if anyone paid attention, they would see that he was relaxed and smiling more than usual.
Alpha Edward was checking on James from a distance. He couldn't hear anything, but he could see that the mood there was good. Alpha Edward wanted to mind-link James for updates, but that would risk distracting the youngster, and also, people at his table were chatty, and he couldn't just disconnect without others noticing.
Alpha Edward regretted that he didn't bring George as part of their group. When he mentioned that they will be attending the Luna ceremony at the Blue River pack, George immediately started talking with Beta Raymond about increased vigilance during the absence of their Alpha, and Alpha Edward got carried away and let George stay to be in charge of security. But now that he thought about it, both James and George spent time in the Dark Howlers pack, and when comparing them, George had better social skills. If George was present, he would have a reason to approach that table and Alpha Natalia and to see what was going on there. Unfortunately, they were already here, so the only thing Alpha Edward could do was rely on James and wait for his chance to approach Alpha Natalia later.
Damon and Talia were surrounded by friends with whom they talked and laughed, and the close interaction between the couple was easily lost when mixed with everything else that was happening there.
As for James and Cornelia, their knees were touching under the table, and James' hand would disappear down there whenever he didn't need both hands to eat, searching for the smooth skin of Cornelia's thigh under the hem of her skirt. James loved that Cornelia didn't push his hand away like she was aware of how desperate he was to feel those sparks of their bond.
Most of the talks at the table were about babies and pregnancy.
Damon mind-linked Maya and Caden to plan for a vacation in a month because Maya's heat will come, and the couple was super-focused on baby talks.
Meg wanted to head to the Lightclaw pack and visit her family first thing in the morning, but they needed to coordinate their departure with Tony and Kalina due to security concerns. Now that Meg was pregnant, the energies she controlled with her ability were flowing differently, and there was a danger of her ability flaring uncontrollably if her emotions become unstable. Cornelia advised Meg to not manipulate energies because there was no way to predict how it will impact her baby.
The consensus was that it would be safest for Meg to return to the Midnight Guardians pack as soon as she could, but she wanted to visit her family first, even if it's just for a bit. They didn't meet Kai, and if she delayed visiting them due to the pregnancy, it would be too much.
The mood was good, but as the event progressed, Damon was losing his patience.
Even with Keith, Caleb, and Lulu stepping in to prevent people from approaching their table, one individual managed to disturb their dinner. Many were eager to talk to Alpha Natalia, and Damon called security to remind everyone that drinks and socializing will happen after the meal.
Talia didn't have anything against talking to people, but she noticed that several women were looking their way, obviously at Damon, which reminded her that her mate was highly desirable and that only a handful of people knew how dangerous it would be to get close to him. Those females were not brave enough to approach Damon during dinner, but Talia could see it happening when people started mingling. Did they think Damon was available because he (officially) came without his Luna?
Talia sneered while imagining those women tripping 'accidentally' right in front of Damon and spilling their drinks on him, and then apologizing while offering to clean up the mess personally. Bitches! No one gets to touch Damon. He was hers!
"Do you really want to mix with these people after dinner?" Talia asked Damon, not bothering to use their mind-link.
Damon's expression brightened. "You want to call it a night early?"
"And miss all this?"
Damon didn't get it. Did she want to leave the party or not? "What's your plan?"
Talia smiled and spoke through their mind-link. 'I would love if you could hold me for everyone to see while they wonder what's our relationship.' And those sluts who are coveting Damon could die from envy.
Damon had no objections. But how can he hold Talia without revealing they were mates or making them look like cheaters? And then it hit him. 'You want us to dance?'
'Oh, Mr. Blake! How nice of you to offer. I would love to.'
Damon loved how she was bold and innovative in this game of deception. And he loved the idea of them dancing for everyone to see while not knowing the truth. Now only if he could kiss her, that would make everything better.
James noticed that Damon and Talia went to the dancefloor as soon as they finished their meal. He saw them holding each other while swaying to the music, and he thought it was a great idea.
"Miss Cornelia," James called. "Would you like to dance?"
Cornelia's eyes shifted to the dancefloor. She danced a lot in the Silver Flame Coven, but this music was different, and people danced as couples, and the legs moved strangely, and she wore those wretched high heels.
"Uhm… I don't know how", she admitted.
James smiled a little. He was not really an expert, but as part of his education to be the next Alpha, he also had a few dancing lessons, so he had several moves ready. He could imagine twirling Cornelia, making her bend backward, and then he would help her straighten while their noses touched. Maybe he could sneak in a kiss without people noticing.
James was about to offer to teach her how to dance when he noticed a presence behind him.
"James, my son," Alpha Edward greeted cheerfully. "Good job on representing us at the ceremony. Do you mind introducing me to your partner?"
James' mood went to hell. Why was his father here? And why did he make it sound like James was a groomsman for the sake of the Red Moon pack?
