Filed To Story: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
In the garden…
“Breakfast is this way…”, Lily explained to Kalina’s sister (aka Tatiana) as she led the way into the garden where the breakfast was being set up on one long table.
Lilly and Ivy are Omegas from the Lightclaw pack that came to accompany Kalina, per Luna Alicia’s suggestion.
Two Omegas arrived last night. They slept in the common building where Omegas are staying and returned early morning to help with breakfast preparations.
Their other task is to help newcomers from the Lightclaw pack feel at home, so Lily and Ivy familiarized themselves with the packhouse of the Shadow Fang pack beforehand, and now Lily was guiding Tatiana while Ivy was helping with food preparation.
The breakfast was set up buffet-style with various pastries, spreads, fresh fruits, and hot and cold beverages.
Three circular tables could accommodate six people each, so there was plenty of seating to choose from.
Dawn passed by Lily and Tatiana with a big covered plate in her hands, and Tatiana’s nose moved as she picked up the scent of freshly roasted sausages. It smelled good.
Maya and Jaeden were sitting at one of the tables and they observed Tatiana, a tall brunette that looked like she came from a fashion magazine. Her hair was flat-ironed straight, spot-on makeup and dress that fit her perfectly and matched her shoes. She had jewelry on, and even her shiny nails looked expensive.
Lily introduced them when they reached there. “These are Beta Jaeden and Beta Maya. Betas, this is Tatiana, Kalina’s sister.”
“Thank you. You may leave.”, Maya told Lily and turned to Tatiana who already sat at their table. “We are glad you decided to visit us with Kalina. I am Maya. I hope you will feel at home and tell me if you need anything…”
After exchanging pleasantries, Maya gestured toward the table where food was being set up. “All the food will be out soon, and you can help yourself.”
“Do people normally sleep late here?”, Tatiana asked.
Maya shrugged. “Not really. I’m sure everyone is awake and getting ready for the day. People should be here in time for breakfast. You can start with a beverage.”
Tatiana let out a long breath. “Coffee sounds good.”
Jaeden stood up. “Allow me. How do you take your coffee?”
“Large. Black. No sugar.”
Jaeden nodded in understanding and scurried toward the table with beverages. He didn’t feel like chit-chatting with that posh woman (aka Tatiana). There was nothing wrong with Tatiana, however, when Maya was around, Jaeden was always on pins and needles when another (unmated) female was around because he needed to be polite toward the woman while not being too polite and making Maya jealous.
“Did you sleep well?”, Maya asked Tatiana while trying to start a chit-chat. In Talia’s absence, Maya was the host.
“Not really.”, Tatiana responded and before Maya could make a fuss about it, she quickly added, “I’m jet lagging. Every time I come to the States it takes me days to adjust, and when I can finally feel like a person, I return to Europe.”
“I see…”, Maya didn’t understand because she never left the United States. Normally, werewolves can function well after skipping a few days of sleep, but eventually, the fatigue will catch up to them. “Let me know if we can make things easier for you.”
“Coffee helps.”, Tatiana said, and she looked gratefully at Jaeden who was approaching with a steaming cup.
“Good morning, people!”, Mindy called cheerfully as she approached the three people at the table.
She greeted Maya and Jaeden and then got introduced to Tatiana.
“Do I have something on my face?”, Tatiana asked when she saw that Mindy was giving her a second (and a third) lookover.
“No, no…”, Mindy said. “It’s just that considering Lina’s style, you are… different.”
Kalina has short hair, styled in a pixie cut, she has tattoos and a sport-ish style of dressing, while Tatiana is sophisticated with long shiny hair, immaculate skin, and extruding elegance all over.
Compared to Tatiana, Kalina is a tomboy.
Tatiana put her fingers over her lips and stifled a laugh that sounded gentle like birds chirping. “We get that a lot. Lina is into excitement and adventures, while I am into other things.”
How can Mindy miss this opportunity for asking questions? She never had issues saying what was on her mind. “Other things? Like…?”
“Fashion.”, Tatiana responded, and after a dramatic pause, she added, “I am a fashion designer and I have my company in Europe.”
Maya stared at Tatiana, and now she understood why Kalina’s sister looked like she came out of a fashion magazine. Tatiana IS a fashion magazine.
“Wow!”, Mindy exclaimed. “That sounds fantastic. I would love to see some of your works.”
Tatiana smiled. “Sure. Once we get our hands on a tablet, I can show you some. Actually, I have some pieces here with me, I brought them for Lina…”
“Ah…”, Mindy made a sorrowful sound. “I wish that my sister is a fashion designer.”
“What is your sister?”, Tatiana asked.
Mindy made a face. “SHE is my brother who is an Alpha. Other than leading a pack and bedding women, he is not good for anything else. If he is not my brother, I wouldn’t speak to him…”
Tatiana was not sure how to respond to Mindy’s words. Shouldn’t Alphas be feared and respected? Sure, they are brother and sister, so she won’t be punished, but how can Mindy describe her brother as an almost-female womanizer?
As much as Tatiana was an opinionated woman, she didn’t dare act brazenly. After all, she was a guest here and she didn’t want to offend anyone.
“Before meeting Tony and his family, I didn’t get a chance to interact with Alphas.”, Tatiana responded politically. “I stick to my small circle of friends who are mostly humans.”
Mindy had an idea about this because Kalina told her how she and her four sisters left home in their teens in order to learn about the world and integrate into society. Their family is a bit odd because they are not part of a tightly-knitted pack like what’s normal for North America. Instead, they live scattered among humans, and they meet occasionally with other families who embraced a similar lifestyle. Kalina called them werewolf-gypsies.
Kalina also mentioned that her oldest sister is into fashion, but she didn’t mention details.
“It must be fun to travel and show your work.”, Mindy’s eyes sparkled as she imagined a high-fashion show, a catwalk, lights, and names of her charities on the wall in the back. That would attract boatloads of donations! “Do you participate in fashion shows? Or do you work for magazines or specific retailers? How much are you involved in picking your models? Guy models are pretty.”
Tatiana made a face. “Pretty, yes. Handsome, no. They are skinny for my taste.”
Mindy agreed with this. For werewolf standards, models are super-skinny, but that’s only because they are serving the human fashion industry and in the last few decades, humans became obsessed with slim figures. But models aside, “Living a life of a fashion designer must be luxurious.”
Tatiana bobbed her head. “I’m doing alright.”
“Alright? That’s an understatement”, Kalina said from the door. She heard her sister.
Everyone turned to see that Kalina and Tony made an appearance with four other individuals behind them. Those four people Tony brought with him from the Lightclaw pack for training. Three men and one woman.
“What do you mean, an understatement?”, Mindy was curious.
Kalina lifted her chin proudly. “Did you hear of the brand, Dama T?”
Mindy paused and then her eyes lit up when she realized what Kalina was talking about.
“Dama T is you?”, Mindy asked Tatiana and when the latter confirmed with a nod, Mindy patted her chest dramatically.
Dama T is a popular fashion brand with a unique way of combining elegant and practical, and other than being super-exclusive (and super-expensive), the wait to get a garment is months. MONTHS!
No wonder Tatiana was dressed up fancily. Those were clothes she designed herself!
Mindy looked at Tatiana with renewed interest. “You are my best friend.”
Tatiana stifled a laugh. “You make friends easily.”
Mindy raised her glass of orange juice in a toast. “What can I say? You are a best friend material. I can tell.”
Tatiana shook her head helplessly and clinked her coffee mug with Mindy’s glass of orange juice. She thought that Mindy was entertaining.
Mindy didn’t connect it right away, but she was familiar with the Dama T brand. The success is contributed to one talented and business-savvy designer, a she-wolf who likes to keep a low profile, and that’s Tatiana!