Filed To Story: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
“I need to go to the packhouse and attend meetings.”, Dayson said. “It will probably take a big chunk of the afternoon.”
Talia was confused. “Why are you telling me that?”
Why was he telling her that? Dayson was not sure. He never shared his schedule with people other than Maya and Jaeden (who were his Betas). Part of Dayson feared that Talia will disappear during his absence, or maybe one of those numerous guys that are buzzing around her manages to win her over.
Instead of answering her question, Dayson said, “I should be back in time for the parade, and I would like to check out the festival together with you in the evening. Wait for me, alright?”
There was something in his expression that moved her heart, but she told herself not to get carried away.
“You said that you won’t have time for me today.”, Talia reminded him.
Dayson hummed in confirmation and leaned closer before speaking in a whisper, only for Talia to hear, “I did, yet here I am. It seems that I can’t stay away from you, Talia.”
A million butterflies exploded in Talia’s stomach, making her feel like she was floating. Why did this sound like a confession? Or did her ears malfunction?
Dayson inched away and chuckled when he saw her completely red face.
He really wanted to kiss her all over.
“I will take that as a, yes.”, Dayson said to Talia who was nonresponsive because his words, ‘I can’t stay away from you’, echoed in her mind, blocking anything else.
Dayson couldn’t stop himself from pinching her nose. “Are you alright?”
Talia blinked herself to reality. Why was Dayson looking at her expectantly? Did he say something? What was it? Whatever it was, the answer was, “Yes.”
“Alright. I look forward to tonight.” He didn’t lie. No matter what the next few hours of meetings will bring, Dayson knew that he will be thinking about spending his evening with Talia at the festival.
Dayson remembered one thing he observed while stalking behind Talia and her group, Keith was carrying the bulky trophy for Talia.
“Do you want me to take that trophy to the packhouse? I can leave it in your room, so you don’t drag it around. Unless you are coming to the packhouse now. I can give you a ride.”
“I have plans for this afternoon. If you can take the trophy, that will be great and…” Talia paused. “I will see you tonight.”
Dayson’s smile reflected in his eyes. “Definitely.”
Dayson left with Maddox and Axel in order to attend meetings with other Alphas in the packhouse.
Neither of the three men was willing to leave.
Dayson wanted to stick close to Talia, and Maddox and Axel wanted the same, for different reasons.
Both Maddox and Axel had their agenda why they wanted to get close to Talia, yet Dayson showed up and hogged Talia’s attention during the whole lunch.
Maddox and Axel understood that if they want to get close to Talia, they need to remove Dayson as a variable.
Mindy was not eligible to attend the meeting because she is not an Alpha (or a future Alpha). She didn’t want to linger in the boring packhouse when there was a festival going on, so she stayed behind.
When Dayson took the trophy, Talia also gave him the bag with the jersey and pins. The only thing she kept for herself was the insulated bag that Stephanie prepared for her.. Talia was confident that she will get to eat that food, eventually.
Talia wanted to join the table where Keith and others were, but she felt awkward about leaving Mindy behind, so she offered, “Do you want to walk around the festival with us?”
Instead of answering, Mindy asked, “Can I have a minute with you?”
“Sure.”, Talia said and gestured to Keith to wait. He was on his feet, about to approach Talia.
Keith, Lulu, Sandy, Pierce, Liam, and Caleb were full of questions for Talia related to her previous situation of having lunch with three Alphas at the table. Yes, Mindy is also famous, but she is more like a celebrity princess, while Dayson, Maddox, and Axel are rulers worthy of everyone’s awe and respect.
As soon as Talia sat at the table, Mindy asked bluntly. “What’s up with you and Alpha?”
“Which one?”, Talia had to ask.
Mindy stifled a laugh. “Exactly. Why are three Alphas fighting for your attention?”
Well, it was not unusual for Alphas to pick up female companions, but there are plenty of attractive females willing to entertain them; Mindy counted at least a dozen women stealing glances at their table at any given moment.
The lower ranking she-wolves won’t dare to approach an Alpha openly without permission, but looking from afar is enough to let the Alpha know that the woman is willing. For any Alpha, the pool of bedmate candidates is always versatile, and Alphas don’t fight over one woman. That’s beneath them.
Sure, Talia is cute and everything, but she is not a pheromone-releasing bombshell that would make guys go crazy.
The only time an Alpha would be set on a female is if she is his mate, or it could be a matter of pride, and considering that Axel and Maddox just met Talia and didn’t interact with her previously, while neither of the three Alphas acted smitten like Talia was his mate… Mindy was confused.
Mindy leaned closer and continued in a whisper, “What’s going on? Don’t tell me that three Alphas ended up at the same table, trying to impress you, accidentally.”
Talia thought that Mindy was exaggerating. She had no idea why Axel and Maddox followed her for lunch, and she didn’t know why Dayson appeared unexpectedly either, but Mindy was obviously determined to get some answers, so Talia responded, “It’s not a secret that I came to this pack recently. Alpha Dayson is kind enough to make sure I’m adapting well, as for Alpha Maddox and Axel, I really don’t know. Maybe they wanted to gather information related to the team spirit so that their teams can do something similar.”
Mindy looked at Talia while wondering if Talia is an idiot or if she thinks that Mindy is an idiot. She could describe Dayson with many words, but kind is not one of them. And why would Maddox and Axel want to make their soccer players go through a ridiculous hand-kissing ritual before a game?
Talia squirmed under Mindy’s penetrating gaze, and she regretted offering Mindy to join them for the afternoon. Maybe Mindy will reject Talia’s offer, but before that, Talia wanted to clarify, “Don’t worry, I know my place. I’m not deluded to think that any of them would be romantically interested in me.”
Mindy’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “Is that what you are thinking?”
“No. That’s what I’m NOT thinking.”, Talia clarified. “If you want to pursue Alpha Dayson or anyone else, you are free to do so.”
Mindy made a face like she smelled something bad. “Who would pursue that arrogant guy?”
Talia didn’t like that Mindy called Dayson arrogant. Sure, he has a temper, but he is also kind and righteous. Talia never saw Dayson flaunting his status or power. OK. Maybe he did that when they were in the human hospital, but he did it because Talia was mistreated right in front of him. Any Alpha would see that as indirect disrespect to him, so Dayson’s actions were justified.
Why did Mindy talk like Dayson was not a good person?
“Alpha Dayson is the unmated Alpha of the largest pack in North America.”, Talia stated facts. “Don’t all women want to be his Luna?”
“You are contradicting yourself, Talia. You said that you are not interested, but now you said that all women want to be his Luna. Which one is it?”, Mindy asked with a victorious smirk, and she continued before Talia could respond, “Besides, I have no desire to be his Luna. I have nothing specifically against Alpha Dayson, my dislike is about Alphas in general.”
Talia was confused. “Isn’t your bother an Alpha?”
“Yeeeaaah…”, Mindy said dramatically. “And no matter how awesome my future sister-in-law will be, she will be reduced to be the Luna of the Blue River pack, the wife of Alpha Maddox. Do you see where I’m going with this?”
“No.”, Talia admitted.
Mindy thought for a moment before explaining, “I am Mindy River, whoever read the WW magazine knows that I’m behind many charities that help werewolves who are in a difficult situation. But other than that, I’m close to getting my college degree, I love playing video games, I want to travel the world, and I have many other aspirations, yet if I become a Luna, everything I did, and all my future plans will be wiped away the moment I take on my new role that is completely defined by my husband-to-be. I find that… unsettling.”