Talia could feel Damon's impatience rising. He was sweet and caring with Talia, but that was only for her.
'Can I?' Talia asked Damon through their mind link.
'As long as you don't give him a free ticket into the Dark Howlers pack,' Damon responded.
'I know,' Talia assured him.
"Damon didn't say that your mate can't join the Dark Howlers pack," Talia said.
Zina looked at Talia apprehensively. That's how it sounded to her. "What did the Alpha say?"
"Owen needs to find a way to cut his ties to this pack amicably."
"How?" Zina asked.
"Have faith in your mate," Talia said. "He is a Lieutenant for a reason. As someone who lives in this pack, I'm confident that Owen can do his research and pick the least painful option."
Owen looked at Talia with eyes open wide. She had no idea about him, yet she spoke like he could solve their predicament. Somehow, it made him feel important.
"You won't help us?" Zina persisted.
Talia raised her hand and spoke sternly, "Stop right there, Zina."
Zina was one of Talia's best friends, and if this were girl-only chatter, Talia would let her talk and steam out her grievances. However, Damon was different. Damon would never allow anyone to show disrespect toward Talia, not even her friends. Owen (aka an outsider) being present only made things more serious.
Talia didn't want Zina to end up in trouble because she was emotional.
"You just got marked, and your bond is fresh, which means you are sensitive and protective of each other. But this is not something that can be decided on an impulse. Give it a few days. With the event going on, Owen shouldn't have a lot of duties. Spend that time together, get to know each other, and discuss options."
Seeing Zina's defeated expression, Talia added through the pack link, only for Zina to hear, 'Zi, you and your mate need to come up with solutions. It is one thing when you are single and you follow your Alpha's orders. However, since Owen marked you, he is the one who needs to take care of you. Give him a chance to show you what he is capable of and make sure both of you agree on how to proceed forward.'
Talia spoke for everyone to hear, "The bond comes with new emotions, and it's normal to be edgy. Is there a way for you to avoid going to tonight's event?"
Owen shook his head helplessly. Part of him hoped that Alpha Damon will accept him into the Dark Howlers pack. In that case, Owen and Zina would leave immediately. But Owen knew that Damon and Talia had valid points. If they avoided the event, it would cause issues for George and later for the Dark Howlers pack.
Owen was many things, but he was not a coward. How could he be a coward now that he had a mate?
Owen bowed. "Thank you, Alpha Damon and Luna Talia. We will accept your advice."
When Zina and Owen left the office, Talia slumped on Damon.
"Tired?" Damon asked.
"Mentally. Tonight will be a mess."
"What makes you think so?"
Talia looked up at Damon. "Zina and Dawn will be there, and Owen and George can't be with them. You saw Zi; she is not herself. Cornelia and James are another couple that can't reveal they are mates."
Damon chuckled. "Aren't you glad that we will reveal our relationship?"
She was, but… "My hormones are all over the place. If George or James don't cause a scene, I will."
"I am more concerned about their mates," Damon said.
"What?"
"These events are for socializing and establishing connections. You will be with me, but George and James won't be lucky enough to enjoy the company of their mates. I got information that Alpha William's daughter will be pursuing George, and can you imagine what Cornelia will do when she sees females throwing themselves at the birthday boy?"
Talia's face fell. Damon was right. She didn't care much about George and a random woman, but she felt responsible for Cornelia. "Is it too late to send Cornelia away?"
"If that's us, would you want to stay away?"
"No," Talia responded without missing a beat.
Damon hummed in confirmation. "At this point, we will go with the flow and hope for the best. With any luck, people will be so focused on the two of us that no one will notice when Cornelia turns half of the guests into frogs."
Talia burst into giggles. It was a funny mental image.
In the packhouse…
"Why do I need to deal with dressing up Omegas?" Nora asked her father.
She was about to take a bath and start her pre-party routine, and Beta Raymond came to Nora's room to tell her that she needed to go out. She was NOT happy about this. "I need to get ready for the party and not cater to a pair of Omegas no one ever heard of!"
Beta Raymond shook his head and moved to stand in front of Nora. He put his hands on her shoulders and gave her a small squeeze.
"Nora, dear, this is not about dressing up Omegas. It's about getting access to Commander George's villa."
Nora's face turned ugly. She didn't want to go anywhere near George.
For years, Nora didn't think much about the youngest Commander, but after their trip to the Dark Howlers pack, she realized that he was volatile, unpleasant, and in cahoots with Alpha Damon. Unfortunately, due to the blood oath they forced on her, Nora couldn't talk about it. Even just thinking about it made it difficult to breathe.
Nora knew that her father was curious about Commander George. It was not a secret that Commander George's villa was a no-go zone. George had his dedicated group of Omegas, and others couldn't enter.
The truth was that no one cared about Omegas in the Red Moon pack. They were disposable. George could abuse them or use their limbs for sacrifices to ancient Gods, and no one would bat an eye. However, that didn't mean people were not curious.
Beta Raymond wanted to know what was going on there and the only thing preventing him from storming the place was that he didn't want to offend George.
Beta Raymond didn't like George. How did that youngster rise through the ranks so quickly? And another problem was that Alpha Edward praised George like he was the star of the pack. What did George do to make Alpha Edward accept him?
Something was fishy there, and Beta Raymond needed information.
That was a job for spies, and Nora was not one of those. Why did her father volunteer her for going to that place?
"Why should I go…?" Nora grimaced as Beta Raymond's squeeze on her shoulders became painful.
"I have my suspicions about him. You will go there and be extra friendly to those two Omegas. Make them like you. Ask questions without being obvious. Keep your eyes and your ears open. I want to know everything that's happening there. Be my eyes and ears, Nora. Can you do that much for your father?"
Nora nodded weakly, and Beta Raymond loosened his grip on her shoulders.
"Good girl, Nora. If you agreed immediately, we wouldn't need to go through this."
