Filed To Story: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
The knots in Talia’s stomach tightened when Marcy showed up. It was happening. She was here.
Talia wondered if Nora and Marcy will recognize her. She was not the shabby girl from the attic, nor the posh one they saw at the Lightclaw pack (and in the WW Magazine). This was Talia. No makeup, sharp shirt and a pencil skirt, hair lifted into a messy bun just Talia.
Based on their blank expressions, Talia guessed that Nora and Marcy didn’t realize who she is. For now.
To Talia, Marcy was a bigger problem compared to Cassie or a bunch of nobodies who were throwing themselves at Dayson. Marcy came with the backing of the Red Moon pack, and everyone was talking about Marcy as one of the prominent bachelorettes, while Dayson was the most eligible bachelor.
Both Marcy and Dayson were beautiful and powerful and… Weren’t they a good couple?
Talia swallowed her insecurities while reminding herself that the only thing that matters was that Dayson was her mate. He was hers and she won’t just sit and let Marcy have him.
Of course, Talia’s expectations were that Dayson will not give Marcy any chances to get close, but at the same time, Talia didn’t want to be the one shrinking either. She can do this.
“Is Alpha Dayson here?”, James was the one to speak first.
James, Nora, and Marcy were standing next to the car and looking at Dawn, Zina, and Talia, while George went to the trunk to get their suitcases.
“You must be James, the future Alpha of the Red Moon pack”, Talia said while taking a step forward. “Alpha Dayson is dealing with some important matters, and he will see you shortly. I am Talia, your host, and these are Dawn and Zina. We will help you get settled into your rooms.”
Talia glanced at Dawn and Zina. “Go help with their things.”
Dawn and Zina bolted toward the car, with wind under their feet. To anyone watching, they looked like dedicated Omegas, eager to fulfill their duty, but Talia knew that those two goofballs were racing to reach George first.
Talia had difficulty keeping a straight face.
While Talia was walking down the hallway with guests from the Red Moon pack behind her, and Dawn and Zina trailing them with a suitcase each, Talia was gesturing toward the points of interest while talking, “That way is the garden… that’s the living room… dining room…”
Talia didn’t meet George while staying at the Red Moon pack, but she was familiar with the other three. Being now in the company of James, Nora, and Marcy was unsettling and Talia was grateful that they didn’t recognize her as the girl from the attic.
Well, in just a few short weeks, Talia gained some weight. She was not wearing shabby oversized clothes, and her skin and hair were shiny and healthy. It was a big change.
Once they reached the hallway where rooms were, Talia halted her steps.
“The next four rooms on the right are yours. You are welcome to rest and freshen up. Bathrooms are the last door to the left.” Talia opened the first door and gestured toward the gadget that was attached to the wall. “Each room has an intercom that connects to the kitchen. Someone will be there from six o’clock in the morning until midnight, and you can use the intercom to ask if you need something. You will find the wi-fi password, schedule for meals, and other basic information in the top drawer of the desk.”
“I would like to see Alpha Dayson.”, Marcy said.
“Alpha Dayson is aware of your arrival, and he will let you know when he is available.”, Talia responded.
Marcy nodded stiffly and took the suitcase out of Zina’s hand before making her way into the last room out of four.
George needed to contact Alpha Edward first, and he told Talia, “Let me know when Alpha Dayson is available. Until we decide on the security detail, I will be escorting Miss Marcy.” With that, George moved to stand in front of the door of the room that was next to Marcy’s.
James was eager to sightsee Darkbourne, but he kept that to himself because George was right there, and James didn’t want George to report to Alpha Edward how James was slacking.
“I will freshen up and then I would like to look around. When will the food be served?”, James ended with a question.
“We have refreshments set up in the garden. If that doesn’t work, you can ask the kitchen to prepare something for you. Lunch will be ready at noon.”, Talia responded. She remembered that James came here to train, so she added, “Beta Jaeden is currently training with future Alpha Anthony and his group. They will be at the training grounds until lunchtime. If you wish to join them, we will get someone to escort you there.”
James thought for a moment before responding, “I will go to the garden first.” He had no intention of going to train if he could wiggle out of it. With that, James went to the first room while pulling his suitcase behind him.
Nora was standing at the open door of her room and looking inside with a frown. It was a room with one bed, a dresser, an armoire, a sofa, a desk, and a chair. It was all clean and smelled fresh, but
“The bathroom is down the hallway?”, Nora asked with disapproval obvious in her voice.
“Yes.”, Talia responded. “You will find toiletries, towels, and bathrobes. If you need anything else, let us know.”
Nora was not happy that she needed to share a bathroom. And there was another problem. “Why are our rooms on the first floor?”
Everyone knew that in the society of werewolves, the higher one’s ranking is, the higher up the building they get to stay. Yes, their accommodation was in the packhouse, but why on the first floor? Wasn’t Marcy set to be the Luna? Maybe they couldn’t stay on the third floor, but the second floor was definitely appropriate.
“We have other guests staying currently with us.”, Talia said. “The request from Alpha Edward was to keep you close, and this was the only area where we could accommodate you in adjacent rooms. I assure you that you won’t lack anything.”
Nora was about to argue, when George spoke, “Thank you for making these arrangements, Miss Talia. We appreciate it.”
Nora frowned at George. Why was he still lingering? And why did he butt in? Didn’t he realize that them being on the first floor was a sign of disrespect?
Talia thought that George is a nice person. James seemed absentminded, Marcy and Nora were definitely on Talia’s list of unpleasant people, so George was the best of the four. She liked him already.
“If there is nothing else, I will leave you to your business. You are free to join us in the garden when you are done or to roam the area. Just let us know if you are planning to leave the packhouse so that we can alert the security and find someone to escort you if needed.”, Talia said and turned to George. “I will tell Alpha Dayson that you and Miss Marcy want to meet with him before lunch.”
“What about me?”, Nora blurted out.
“You will see him during lunch. Probably.”, Talia responded robotically. Why did Nora think she was invited?
George thanked Talia, and Talia walked away with Dawn and Zina in tow.
When they turned the corner, Talia released the breath she was holding, and she looked up into a corner where a small camera was standing. She knew that Dayson was watching, and she hoped that he approved of her performance.
Dawn and Zina were chirping how handsome Commander George is, and they went to the kitchen to join Ivy, Lily, and Stephanie. They had a lot of preparations for lunch, and they wanted to be available in case Commander George uses the intercom to ask for something. Anything.