Chapter 573 – Hidden Desires of the Werewolf King Novel

Filed To Story: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel

James didn’t understand why Cornelia sounded upset. “I can stay in the back.”

“What if someone recognizes you?”

“This is not about me.”, James said. “It’s not every day that a pack gets a new Alpha. It’s quite eventful. The shaman will perform a ritual and…”

“I’ve seen plenty of rituals.”, Cornelia cut him off.

James exhaled helplessly. “I take this as, you don’t want to stay at the Lightclaw pack more than necessary.”

“Correct.” Actually, she didn’t want to stay in this realm more than necessary, but she didn’t want to talk about it. Not now.

James was holding Cornelia’s hand and playing with her fingers, causing her irritation to flare and Cornelia decided to go to the restroom in an attempt to calm down.

With nothing else to do, James moved closer to Talia and Meg.

“I am impressed, Alpha Talia.”, James said. “Converting my father’s supporter into yours was a brilliant move. Tony and Kalina will owe you a lifetime of gratitude, and the whole Lightclaw pack is about to wake up to a brighter future with new leadership, assuming they don’t sink the ship.”

“Nothing will sink.”, Talia said confidently. “With Dayson, Axel, and Maddox supporting Tony, no one will dare to touch them.”

James chuckled. “You speak of those three, but you forgot the most powerful one.”

Talia didn’t comment. She knew that James was talking about her.

“You are a force to be reckoned with, Alpha Talia. I pity the guy who will dare to oppose you.”

Meg stifled a laugh. “You should pity your father then.”

James nodded in agreement. “And not just him. With enough ambition, Alpha Talia can unite all werewolf packs into one.”

“I have no intention of uniting anyone.”, Talia was quick to say. “I did this only because Alpha Magnus was threatening Dayson.”

“Of course, you did. I look forward to your visit to the Red Moon pack when you deal with another Alpha who is threatening you.”, James said with a smile that faded when his gaze moved to the bathroom door where Cornelia was. Why was she taking so long? “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”, Talia and Meg responded in unison.

“Do you know why Cornelia is acting weird?” Was it that time of the month? But he didn’t smell any blood.

Talia was surprised by this. How the heck was she supposed to answer this? She was clueless about relationships, so she turned to Meg and gestured to her to take over.

“Did something happen?”, Meg asked.

James shrugged. “We were talking about the ceremony, and then she said how she was not interested in watching it.”

“There must be something else.”, Meg said.

What else? “I suggested that we go to the Midnight Guardians pack because then I don’t need to return so soon. I wanted to spend more time with her. Was that wrong?”

“And after that?”

James didn’t get it. “Nothing. She said that she is not interested in the ceremony.”

“No, no. I meant, you will go to the Midnight Guardians pack, and what will happen after that? One way or another, you will need to return to the Red Moon pack, right?”

James nodded and Talia’s expression lit up when she understood where Meg was going with this.

“How does Cornelia fit into that picture?”, Talia asked and she made a face when James didn’t respond after a second. “Are you serious about Cornelia?”

“Of course!”, James responded without missing a beat.

“Then, you should tell her. When I met Dayson, my wolf was weak, and I couldn’t feel the bond. Dayson and I had a lot of misunderstandings because he was sending me signals I either misread or missed completely. Cornelia can feel the bond, but you can’t. Tell her what it means to you, what she means to you, and what you plan to do about it.”

James gaped at Talia like she was saying something outrageous. And it was outrageous because it was so simple, yet he missed it completely.

James was always confident in his observation skills and ability to deduct information, yet now when it counted, he failed miserably. Did the mate bond turn him stupid? Since they arrived at the Lightclaw pack, James was just sitting by Cornelia’s side and holding her hand, and… he didn’t even notice what was going on around him, or what was going on with the woman whose hand he was holding. He missed his mark completely, all of them.

Oh, God! His intelligence deteriorated! By how much? Was it critical?

The bathroom door opened, and James was quick to move there and grab Cornelia’s hand.

“Let’s go back.”, he said.

“You are eager to return? What happened with watching the ceremony?”

“I want us to go to a place where we can have privacy to talk, Cora. I need to tell you things so you understand who I am and what I can offer.” Which was not much because when he removes the identity of the future Alpha of the Red Moon pack, it was just him, a sixteen years-old boy with a lot in his head and a small savings account, and… that was it. But he didn’t want to keep secrets from Cornelia. If they were really mates, she will accept him, and they will figure out things. Somehow.

Tony was in the back of a modified van with his newly-appointed Beta Nate, Talia, and Meg.

The ceremony of appointing the new Alpha and Luna of the Lightclaw pack was finalized, and they didn’t have much time to celebrate before they left to attend the Council of Alphas.

Talia asked Tony for a ride, and Tony offered them to all go in one of the vehicles that belong to the Alpha.

Alpha Magnus enjoyed the latest luxuries that money can buy, saying how his image reflects the image of the Lightclaw pack. Now that Alpha Magnus is retired, all those fancy toys belonged to Tony and Kalina.

Tony and Nate were facing Talia and Meg, each sitting in a comfortable leather seat reclines fully and it offers accessories that could be nicely tucked in when not in use.

Tony looked at Talia with awe.

For years, Tony was using Dayson as a role model of a capable Alpha who could overcome any obstacle.

During their visit to the Shadow Fang pack, Tony was focused on his training and trying to impress Dayson, like a fangirl who got a chance to spend time with her celebrity crush.

Tony never paid much attention to Talia, thinking of her as Kalina’s friend, but in the last few hours, Tony realized that he made a mistake. Talia was a powerhouse. How come he didn’t see it?

Even if he didn’t have a sense for such things, and even if he considered Dayson’s care for Talia as something that mates do, Tony definitely saw that Axel and Maddox were paying close attention to Talia and everyone was gathering around her. At that time, Tony suspected that people were kind to Talia because she was Dayson’s mate, the future Luna of the Shadow Fang pack.

Tony cursed himself. He was wrong. He was so wrong.

Talia was right in front of him, yet he didn’t see it.

What else did he miss?

This same evening, Tony listened to Talia defending him in front of his father and talking back to Alpha Magnus. That was something Tony was never able to do. Even as his parents were leaving for vacation, Tony was full of bitterness but the only thing he could do was wish them a safe trip. They will be gone by the time he leaves, and then he and Kalina will have free hands to do whatever they want, as Alpha and Luna of the Lightclaw pack. It was surreal. And it was all thanks to Talia.

But Talia did so much more than just talking. She solved his problems and she seemed so capable, and what was he? He could disregard his Alpha bloodline, but can he disregard the fact that he is a man?

Talia saved his whole pack and put them on another trajectory, one Tony feared he will ruin, but Talia assured him that he will have the necessary support to be successful.

Tony saw himself as a failure. The biggest one there is.

How was he capable of leading a pack?

“Are you worried about the upcoming meeting?”, Talia asked Tony who snapped to look at her.

He was worried about much more than just a meeting, but he didn’t want to admit to it. “Aren’t you?”

“What’s the worst that can happen?”, Talia asked with a smile.

“I don’t know.”, Tony said with a shrug. “How about a war and our society falling apart?”

“That will happen if we don’t do something about it.”, Talia said. “If you didn’t notice, the greedy people in power are getting more powerful, absorbing the ones that don’t resist and taking forcibly the rest while regular people suffer.”

“So, we fight?”, Tony asked without an ounce of determination. “We are about to face hostile Alphas who have power, real power. What are our odds of winning?”

Talia didn’t like Tony’s deflated attitude. He didn’t sound or look like an Alpha. If he was this timid, how will others follow him? Even Nate’s head was lowered, and Talia was not sure if it was in fear or shame, or maybe something else.

However, Talia understood that Tony suffered from a lack of confidence. She was there, in that dark place where she felt unworthy, and Dayson was the one who encouraged her to try and give her all. Maybe this was her opportunity to give a pep talk to Tony and his Beta.

“You don’t need to fight if you are fine with people like Alpha Magnus and Alpha Edward telling you what to do. You have an Alpha bloodline and as long as you are obedient, your life won’t be so bad. But, can you really live like that if people around you are suffering? You saw how things are in the Shadow Fang pack, and the fact that so many people are coming in daily, seeking refuge, should tell you what they want. A normal person is not interested in a fancy lifestyle and lazing around. They crave a safe environment, a roof over their heads, and a meal on the table, and they are willing to work for it. As an Alpha, you need to provide them with such conditions. So yes, when someone wants to take basic freedoms from our people, we fight.”

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