Chapter 562 – Hidden Desires of the Werewolf King Novel

Filed To Story: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel

Other than getting her token, Talia needed to firm her resolve, and… she needed a Beta who will accompany her.

With those thoughts, Talia got her phone.

First, she needed to call Axel!

James returned to the study in search of Cornelia. He found her sitting on the sofa, surrounded by Dawn, George, Mindy, and Gideon. Cornelia was talking in a low voice while drawing some complex patterns on a paper and James guessed that she was explaining things for the ritual they will perform tomorrow evening.

Dayson was at his desk now with Maya and Jaeden. The three of them were sitting around Dayson’s desk while two faces were on the computer screen, obviously on a video call. James recognized them as Alpha Maddox from the Blue River pack, and Alpha Cristian from the Spring Leaf pack, and he already knew that those two were Dayson’s close allies.

Dayson waved at James to come closer, and he announced to two people on the video call, “The future Alpha of the Red Moon pack, James, is here.”

Both Maddox and Cristian were visibly surprised to see James. They were aware that Alpha Edward was hostile, and with Marcy announcing her departure from the territory of the Dark Moon pack, they would never guess that James was present.

Of course, Maddox was about to get another shocker soon when he finds out that Marcy was heading his way, but that will happen when Mindy remembers to notify him.

James thought that Dayson will ask him about Talia, but instead, Dayson said, “We are discussing strategies to protect our borders while we are away. With this sudden summon for the Council, Max, Chris, and I suspect that someone might use this to attack us and we want to decrease risks to our people. Can you share your ideas?”

James was surprised that Dayson was including him in the conversation. His father would normally shoo him away when something crucial was happening, and Dayson showed him more consideration and care in these few days than his father did in a lifetime.

James’ impulse was to decline and to continue his act as an ignorant youngster, but something told him to do otherwise.

With every passing day, James’ understanding of why people followed Dayson willingly was becoming clearer. Dayson didn’t classify people based on status and he didn’t push others down out of fear that they will take his spotlight.

Dayson acknowledged James as someone who can contribute, and he was not shy about asking him to share his thoughts in front of other Alphas which gave James an opportunity to shine.

This treatment made James feel important, and he hoped that Cornelia was paying attention because he was about to show what he can do.

“I would suggest that Commander George joins this discussion. He can help.”, James said while approaching the desk where Dayson, Maya, and Jaeden were with Alpha Maddox and Alpha Christian present via video conference.

As soon as James finished talking, George was already by his side, pulling a chair so he can join the group. He was eavesdropping from the side, but since no one invited him, he pretended to be interested in whatever Cornelia was explaining.

“What are you trying to achieve?”, James asked while taking a seat.

“The summon for the Council of Alphas is unexpected.”, Dayson said. “With every Alpha getting an invitation, it’s inevitable that the news will spread. A pack without its Alpha and Beta is vulnerable. Our warriors have their orders, but if they are facing an unexpected situation, without leadership to guide them, they might make mistakes and that can cause casualties. We are trying to prioritize spots where attacks might happen so that we reinforce our borders in a smart way.”

Dayson showed James a map he had in front of him with some areas marked in red. “The red areas are where we experienced attacks in the previous year.”

After looking at it for a few seconds, James turned to look at the wall where the map of North America was hanging with outlines of pack territories. Every pack (other than the Midnight Guardians pack) had precisely determined borders, and between two packs was a few miles-wide neutral territory that didn’t belong to anyone. That prevented packs from accidentally crossing into another pack’s territory (which happened often, and the fights would escalate), but unfortunately that gap between territories also allowed for rogues to move freely.

“Do you think that the young Alpha from the Red Moon pack will have anything useful to say?”, Alpha Cristian asked without concealing the mockery in his voice. He didn’t like the Red Moon pack, and he didn’t bother with being polite.

Dayson raised his hand, indicating to Alpha Cristian to be patient. “Maybe he doesn’t, but we won’t know unless we hear him out. Our plan so far is solid, but this is what we always did, and I have a feeling that even rogues can see through it. I believe that a fresh perspective might be useful.”

James didn’t bother with Alpha Cristian, as he focused on talking to Dayson.

“Your packs share borders, with the Spring Leaf pack between the other two. Depending on your level of trust, I would suggest that you temporarily merge territories. The neutral land can stay unused after you comb it to flush out lingering rogues. In that way, you can rearrange your warriors to protect external borders.”

Everyone looked at James like he said something outrageous. And it was outrageous because Alphas would never merge territories in a way that would make them vulnerable, but at the same time, it made sense.

Dayson was first to react. “If I don’t need to protect my North border, we will have more manpower for other areas.”, Dayson said and turned to look at the monitor.

Maddox was next to agree. “With Alpha Cristian’s warriors assuring no one will attack my pack from South, that works for me also.”

Alpha Cristian burst into laughter. Who would say no to more land and less manpower to secure it? “Why not? If this crazy experiment works, maybe we could make it permanent!”

Maddox snorted. “How can you be so quick to agree? Didn’t you imply that James won’t have anything useful to say?”

Alpha Cristian narrowed his eyes, probably at Maddox, but he was on the screen, so it looked like he was glaring at everyone. “I admit. I was quick to judge. Maybe I am getting old.”

Dayson shook his head. Alpha Cristian was in his mid-thirties. How can that be considered old? But he didn’t want to stray off the topic because time was running out and they had a lot of things to do.

“Since we all agree, let’s get into details.”, Dayson said. “We need to determine who will be responsible for which stretch of the outside borders so we don’t have gaps, and we should coordinate sweeping the neutral territory from rogues. Let’s finish all this today so that tonight we can head to that meeting without worrying about our people…”

James was glad that he could contribute, and he was recognized. George was not the one to be left behind as he showed expertise related to techniques for communication between patrols belonging to different packs. As a Commander, George studied military tactics, so he was comfortable in this setting.

What was novel for both James and George was that three Alphas were discussing things openly, as equals.

Alpha Edward never showed such trust and respect toward anyone; in cases when he cooperated with someone, it was shallow, and Alpha Edward made sure the other party knew he was in charge. People in this room (and on the video call) were aware that Dayson had the most power, yet Dayson didn’t impose his opinion on others, and it created an atmosphere where everyone was free to voice their thoughts.

Talia entered the study to find that Cornelia, Gideon, Mindy, and Dawn were on the sofa and talking in hushed voices while Dayson was at his desk with Maya, Jaeden, James, George, and Alpha Christian and Alpha Maddox on the video call.

Somehow, the air in the room was harmonious, and Talia thought how it would be wonderful if they could all work together like that. Of course, she would add Tatiana, Kalina, Tony, Axel, Yasmin, Zina, Meg, and a few others into that mix.

This was the opposite of the cutthroat situation that James described to Talia earlier and she hoped that James will see that not all Alphas are greedy and backstabbing. The boy was full of bitterness and bad experiences, and Talia wished that Dayson takes him under his wing and shows him a brighter side of life. Unfortunately, that won’t happen as long as Alpha Edward has the resources and power to bully others. Was there really nothing they could do?

‘You are back’, Dayson’s voice sounded in Talia’s head, and she could feel the happiness her presence brought him.

‘I came to check what you guys are doing.’

Dayson looked at her guiltily. ‘We need to finish this before I leave tonight.’

‘Don’t worry about it.’, Talia responded.

Talia was aware that Dayson had his hands full and he couldn’t indulge in a lovey-dovey mood. Dayson was normally busy, and the situation with Marcy made things worse, and now this unexpected meeting came on top of everything.

Talia was happy that she could come to see Dayson like this and she wondered if she will get a chance to talk to him in private and tell him about the whole Alpha of the Midnight Guardians pack business.

Talia noticed that Cornelia, Gideon, Mindy, and Dawn were sitting there without much to do, so she offered them to join her in the kitchen.

Dawn was first to get up. She wanted to see Zina and catch up with her bestie but was feeling awkward about just leaving.

Cornelia and Mindy got up next, and Gideon grumbled something, but he followed after Mindy.

Stephanie, Zina, and Rose were busying themselves with lunch preparations in the kitchen.

“Zi!”, Dawn exclaimed when she saw Zina, and then they plunged into each other’s arms like they didn’t see each other in ages.

Stephanie greeted everyone, and after exchanging names with Cornelia, Stephanie was quick to assign tasks to the ladies when she heard they were there to help.

“I apologize for not greeting you properly, Shaman Gideon”, Stephanie said respectfully. She knew that he was staying in the packhouse, and she saw him at the dining table during meals, but at that time Stephanie was serving food and it wouldn’t be proper for her to greet him.

Gideon waved like it was not important. “What can I do?”

Stephanie’s eyes widened. Did Shaman want to help in the kitchen? Gideon was regarded with respect by all pack members and Stephanie didn’t dare to let him get his hands dirty. “It’s not necessary. Please, sit and relax. Can I get you something to drink? A tea, maybe?”

“You can help me prepare vegetables for the salad.”, Mindy said to Gideon in a singing voice.

To Stephanie’s surprise, Gideon moved there, and he started peeling cucumbers that Mindy gave him, while she chopped bell peppers. It took less than a minute for them to talk in whispers and nudge each other playfully.

“They are mates.”, Talia told Stephanie, unsure if the woman knew about it. “They will announce it before the pack run tomorrow.”

Stephanie pressed her lips into a line and turned to Talia. “And you, my dear? How are you? Is Dayson mistreating you?”

Talia’s heart warmed. Stephanie was considerate and caring, and she gave Talia a glimpse of how it would be to have a mother. Talia didn’t know that Stephanie gave Dayson an earful on the previous day, but she guessed that Stephanie knew bits and pieces and the woman was confused.

“Dayson is facing many challenges, but he is not mistreating me. The last few days were part of the plan to get rid of Marcy without jeopardizing the pack. From the moment I got here, he was supportive, in his own way.”, Talia said and smiled a little. “Tomorrow, I will be leading the pack run with him.”

Stephanie opened her mouth to speak, but then her eyes fell on the pinkish mark on Talia’s neck.

‘CLANG!’

A heavy knife fell on the kitchen countertop from Stephanie’s hand.

“You are marked?”, Stephanie asked.

Talia’s smile widened. “Dayson and I are fated mates.”

Stephanie needed a moment. She knew that Dayson didn’t want to let Talia live outside of the packhouse, she saw them getting cozy, and she heard rumors, but she thought if it was serious, they would say something openly. Stephanie knew that during the dinner with Elders, Dayson announced that Talia was his mate, but with Marcy there, Stephanie was not sure what to think.

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