James was about to ask Cornelia to grab some food when he heard a voice calling…
"Gamma James!" It was Petra. Zack and Erik were with her.
James' instinct was to flee, but he didn't want to appear like a wimp in front of Cornelia. James was avoiding those three out of fear that they would look down on him or be upset after finding out that he lied about being of the Alpha bloodline.
WW Magazine published an article about the events that happened at his birthday party, and they had special coverage of the Alpha challenge where Alpha Edward was defeated. They wrote about Luna Layla leaving and how Alpha Edward was infertile, and that made James an impostor.
Petra, Zack, and Erik approached James and Cornelia, and they bowed a little.
"Gamma James, Gamma Cornelia, we want to welcome you to our pack," Petra said.
James nodded stiffly, and Erik rolled his eyes. "What? Now that you are Gamma, you think you are above us? Maybe I can't whoop your ass on my own, but if I join hands with Petra and Zack, you should be concerned for your safety."
James blinked. "You mean it?"
Erik frowned. "I will bet my next month's salary that we will whoop your…"
"Not that," James interrupted him. "The welcome. Aren't you upset that I'm not the next Alpha of the Red Moon pack?"
Petra made a face. "You are still the same person, no matter who your bio parents are. Besides, none of us liked Alpha Edward, and we still hung out with you. Now that we know you are not related, we might like you more."
Before James could recover from this blow, Petra was talking to Cornelia. "It's great to have more high-ranking females. You should plan to visit the school and address the girls. They are worried if they are pretty enough, fast enough, strong enough, smart enough, and now that we have a Gamma without a wolf, I'm sure that many will be looking up to you. You can rely on me if you need assistance. I know everything about this pack and…"
Cornelia smiled while listening to Petra, and she snuggled closer to James, whose arm was at her back, and his hand held onto her shoulder firmly.
James' heart was full. He worried if Erik, Petra, and Zack were still his friends, but now he realized that he worried for nothing.
James raised his hand to interrupt Petra's excited chatter.
"Can we continue the talk over food?" James asked and looked at Cornelia. "My mate is hungry, and she is eating for two."
Erik's mouth was wide open, and Petra's eyes formed perfect circles when they understood the meaning of James' words.
"By the Moon Goddess!" Zack exclaimed breathily. "You will have a pup! I will never catch up to you."
James chuckled. "It's not a competition, but I am winning."
Talia watched as four teens and an ancient witch moved together, and she smiled. The turbulent events were monumental, but they didn't feel like disturbances. Instead, it felt like things were falling into place like this was how it was supposed to be.
"What are you thinking?" Damon's question pulled Talia out of her thoughts.
"This. People mingling and accepting each other." Talia looked at Damon excitedly. "Do you think other packs will adopt our open borders policy?"
"Let's take this one step at a time," Damon responded.
Damon loved Talia's optimism, but his experience told him that not everyone was friendly. People would shake hands and smile while plotting how to backstab him. It was a cruel world, and not everyone could be trusted.
Damon could feel numerous power-hungry eyes directed at the Dark Howlers pack. The more they prospered, the more danger intensified. Damon had an urge to tighten their security, and opening the borders was the opposite of that.
And there was Talia, his most precious person, his whole world. Damon was painfully aware that her brilliance attracted greed and envy. But he didn't want to spoil it for her. He and Sapa agreed that they will let Talia and Liseli do their thing, and males (aka Damon and Sapa) will protect females (aka Talia and Liseli). That's what mates do.
"How about we eat?" Damon suggested. "You should feed our pup. She must be hungry."
"Will you hate him if it's a boy?"
"No," Damon responded right away. "But I will demand equal attention. If I don't get cuddles from you, he can't get cuddles either. Actually, this will be the case no matter if our pup is a boy or a girl."
"What about breastfeeding?"
Damon's face fell. "Breast what?" He didn't think about that! Can he bear the thought of someone else sucking on Talia's body? And they were talking about breasts!
Talia burst into giggles. Somehow, she could envision Damon throwing a tantrum while she fed their baby.
"Don't worry, Damon," Talia said. "I will make sure to leave some for you. You can share with your child, right?"
Damon swayed as the ground below his feet became wobbly. Did she say that she would LEAVE something for him? Didn't that mean he would be second? And there was another thing, "Do you really expect me to share you?"
Talia was surprised at Damon's insecurities she could feel through their mate bond.
"Of course not," she said. "I am yours, and yours only. I am your mate, your woman, but I will be a mother to our children. It will be another role I will take on, and we will do it together."
Damon was not sure how to respond to this. Her words made sense, and there was nothing for him to complain about, but… there was that 'but' which was nagging at the back of his head. He decided to leave it for later.
"Let's put some food in you and keep that pretty mouth busy before you say something else that will worry me," Damon said while ushering Talia in the direction where food was being served.
The next day was busy with ensuring that newcomers settled into their temporary housings.
Dark Howlers pack had some vacancies in existing apartments and houses, but they were not ready to accept more than two hundred people in one go.
The first and second floors of the packhouse were completely filled, and existing members of the Dark Howlers pack offered their empty bedrooms and pull-out sofas in the living rooms. It was a temporary solution.
Caden and Maya started construction on additional dwellings right away, but it will take months until everything is ready.
George, Dawn, Owen, Zina, James, and Cornelia went to the Red Moon packhouse to ensure no one took advantage of their absence. They left warriors there, but someone needed to guide them.
Talia wanted to go to the Red Moon packhouse and join James and Cornelia in searching for documents Alpha Edward left behind, but she had to prioritize Dark Howlers pack.
Omegas were abused in the Red Moon pack, and Talia's presence brought ease and a sense of security, so she ended up postponing going there.
Keith and Arya moved as Talia's shadows. As for Damon, just knowing she was nearby gave him a sense of ease.
Damon was swamped with work, and if he went with Talia, the pack would suffer. Caden and Maya could handle most of that work, but everyone had their hands full, and Damon had to pull his weight.
