Nora spent the night in one of the side houses, and she had no idea why the whole packhouse was busy so early in the morning. She thought about sneaking in before breakfast or at least making it low-key, but she underestimated how early these people woke up.
"Did something happen?" Nora asked one Omega.
"We had a minor incident, but nothing that should concern you," Omega responded as Luna Tatiana instructed.
They still didn't know the extent of damage and casualties, and until they prepared an official statement, the story for guests was that nothing major happened.
The Blue River pack returned to their regular routine as people were emerging from shelters. On the outside, things looked normal, and only the warriors who were in the middle of it knew how bad it was.
There was one soul that suffered a heavy blow. Jane couldn't stop sobbing, no matter how much Mindy comforted her. Only after Gideon fired up the calming incense did Jane fall asleep.
Beta Oliver returned, and he immediately relieved Maya and Caden from the burden of watching over Grady.
Warriors escorted Grady to the shared bathroom that soldiers used. It was a big space with dozens of showerheads, so Grady could clean up while being watched. Of course, Varya followed Grady. She didn't want to leave him out of sight, fearing someone might attack him just because he was a rogue.
Varya didn't get it. She was also a wolf without a pack. Would they look down on her also if her sister was not the Luna here?
Varya grew up in a diverse environment, with more humans than werewolves, and she learned to judge everyone by how they treated her. Based on that criteria, Grady was definitely a good guy. Why can't they leave them alone?
Damon and Talia worked with a few smaller units of warriors to identify the cube-shaped devices. After finding a few, Damon suggested they return to the packhouse, but Talia wanted to keep going.
"You won't achieve anything if you work yourself into collapsing, kitten," Damon said. He knew that she was staying busy so that she didn't think about Lulu's death. "You didn't sleep the whole night."
"You didn't sleep either," Talia retorted. "And neither did these warriors. I'm just doing what I can."
"You should listen to me when I say that doing this is only postponing the inevitable. We have a lot to do and some things only we can do, and this is not one of them."
Talia gave in grudgingly. Staying distracted was not working anyway. Whenever she saw a cube-shaped device, Lulu's face resurfaced in Talia's memory, and Talia's heart ached. It wouldn't hurt that badly if Lulu didn't die while protecting Talia, and it would hurt even less if Talia didn't suspect Lulu of being a traitor. Talia believed she wronged Lulu, and it was too late to say sorry and fix things.
Breakfast was gloomy.
People who knew what happened last night didn't want to talk about it. There was a danger that casualties from last night could be labeled as Maddox's and Tatiana's incompetence, so no relevant information left their inner circle, especially because they had press members in attendance.
Talia was unsure if she wanted to reveal that she was marked, but she had no intention of applying makeup, so she tied a silk scarf around her neck.
Damon was wearing a polo t-shirt, and he lifted the collar. It made him look cool, and it also concealed Talia's mark there.
They were all sitting in the same positions as they did for dinner on the previous night, with the difference that about one-half of the seats were empty.
Even with that, there were more than a hundred people present, and guests were coming to Beta Oliver to inquire about Maddox and Tatiana. Everyone hoped to hear from Alpha and Luna of the Blue River pack about last night's disturbance.
After the third group came to Beta Oliver, he went to the stage and took the microphone.
"I would ask for your attention, please," Beta Oliver said. "Last night, we had an intrusion of rogues into our territory that caused everyone inconvenience. Reports are still coming in, and once we know the details, we will share them with you. Until then, we can assure you that the situation is resolved. We will proceed with our schedule for today as planned, with the difference that our Alpha and Luna might be absent for some time while they catch up on their sleep. Thank you for your understanding."
Of course, Maddox and Tatiana were not resting. They were working from their room while having their meal there because they knew that people would disturb them. After last night's events, Maddox and Tatiana didn't have the capacity to smile and entertain their guests, and they had many things to handle. Guests will need to wait.
"I don't see James and Cornelia here," Talia said.
"They asked for food to be delivered to their room," Maya responded. "After they are done, Cornelia will see Grady to deal with his fiery problem."
"I want to be there also," Talia demanded.
Maya glanced nervously at Damon, who was frowning in disapproval.
"I thought you would rest," Damon said to Talia.
"Can you rest in these circumstances?"
When Damon didn't respond, Talia turned to Maya. "What happened to Lulu?"
Maya lowered her gaze. "We found her a good place for now and cleaned her."
Talia turned to Damon. "I know we said we will stay for three days, but…"
"We can return whenever you want," Damon said.
Talia was grateful for his understanding. She wanted to return to the Dark Howlers pack with Lulu and talk to her father in person, but first… "As soon as we figure out things with Grady and hear what he has to say, we can go."
In the room on the second floor…
James absentmindedly fed Cornelia.
"You should eat also," she said while offering him a forkful of scrambled eggs. When he opened his mouth to accept her offerings, Cornelia asked, "Will you tell me what's going on?"
He was unusually quiet and clingy. They were sitting on the sofa next to each other, connected at the hips. Any closer and she would sit on his lap.
James shook his head. "It's been a long night." His arm snaked around her shoulders, and he pulled her to lean on him. "I'm glad you are here."
Cornelia exhaled helplessly. She couldn't do anything if he was unwilling to talk.
A knock on the door disturbed the silence, and James opened the door to see Maddox.
"Alpha Maddox, what brings you here?" James asked.
"Sorry to interrupt, but I have a question," Maddox said and gestured toward the room, indicating that they should talk inside.
Maddox closed the door behind him. "This is about… you know who. Do you have instructions on how to deal with her body?"
James didn't expect that. "Do whatever you normally do."
"We normally bury them in our cemetery unless they previously expressed a desire for a different location or to be cremated, in which case we will try to fulfill their final wishes. I thought, considering her identity…"
James raised his hand, interrupting whatever Maddox was about to say next. "The Red Moon pack was never her home. If you want to ask about any special requests, I suggest you ask that female child who was crying over her."
Maddox nodded in understanding. "I apologize for interrupting and… I'm sorry for your loss."
With that, Maddox left the room.
