Filed To Story: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
“What makes you think so?” Talia asked.
“The event will be full of high profile people and journalists. My father won’t take the risk of failure when so many eyes are watching. Once the party is over, you will need to be vigilant. He might attack you on your way home or the next morning.”
“I suggest you don’t eat or drink anything there,” Cornelia said. “It will be easy to spike food with small amounts of relaxant, not to knock you out, but to give you a buzz like you got drunk. I will talk to Dawn to prepare food for you separately in George’s villa, and you make sure to eat only that.”
“This is what I was talking about. We know it’s coming, so we will prepare,” Talia said, and her lips lifted into a smile while looking at Cornelia. “Why are you talking like you are not going? How can my special advisor miss James’ birthday party?”
Cornelia glanced at James nervously. They didn’t talk about it. She was used to hiding and spending nights with James at George’s villa. The idea of them being in the open, talking, dancing… she liked it very much.
Dayson hugged Talia close to him, and he buried his face into her hair while inhaling deeply. Her sweet citrusy scent of freesia calmed him down, and the thought of her going into danger was driving him mad. But he knew that his kitten was strong and determined and that telling her to stay home and hide was not an option.
On the other side, Dayson would prefer if rogues attacked in the Red Moon pack. Like that, he didn’t need to worry about his pack members getting hurt or damage to his property.
“Should we clean up rogues before your party?” Dayson asked James. “Assuming Cassie knows their location, we could eliminate them before they cause damage.”
James thought for a moment before responding, “First, we need to confirm if her information is solid. Next, we should plant our own spies and find out their plans. Ideally, we will find an opening to disable them from attacking without alerting people who are pulling the strings. Only if we allow this attack to escalate to the last stage we will get an opening to see who is behind this…”
Cornelia and James stayed late into the night.
The data from Cassie’s phone and tablet was retrieved, so Dayson, Talia, Cornelia, and James looked at the pictures of documents and maps while discussing various strategies.
Everyone could see that James was in his element. He came up with scenarios no one thought of, and he provided various solutions while clearly stating the pros and cons of each.
James didn’t sound like a sixteen year-old boy. He was more like a top-tier strategist with several decades of experience behind him, and Cornelia’s inputs complemented him perfectly without overshadowing his brilliance.
Dayson was more and more confident that he needed to convince James to come to the Shadow Fang pack ASAP. What if someone else snatched him first? Having James as an enemy would be dangerous, but Dayson knew that pushing too much could backfire.
“Maybe you should stay here for the night,” Talia said when they were done with serious talk.
James glanced at Cornelia, who was dozing off on his shoulder, and he couldn’t make himself wake her up. He scooped Cornelia into his arms carefully, ready to take her to the guest bedroom that Cornelia used when she was in the Shadow Fang pack.
Before James left the study, Dayson said, “Thank you for this. I’m sure that with your plans, we will save many lives.”
“Don’t mention it,” James responded with a smile. He loved that Dayson acknowledged his inputs and even thanked him. Alpha Edward never did that.
“When will you join the Shadow Fang pack as my Gamma?” Dayson had to try.
James didn’t have an answer to this question.
Seeing that James didn’t respond, Talia spoke, “Do you want to stay in the packhouse or a separate house with your mate? As a Gamma, you will get a suite on the second floor and an office. Or if you want more privacy, we will arrange a home for you. It can be in Darkbourne or in the forest. Apartments are also an option. Talk about it with Cornelia when you get a chance.”
James stifled a laugh. They were talking about it like it was a done deal.
The truth was that James would often daydream about his life with Cornelia. He would work as a Gamma, and she would do her research; they would wake up side-by-side, meet for lunch and dinner, and then spend the night together. During weekends they would travel, go shopping, or just laze in the house… without hiding. James would do it in a heartbeat, only if his father were not looming over his head as a threat to ruin the world.
“I will think about it,” James responded to Dayson and Talia before walking out of the study with Cornelia in his arms.
Talia was about to plop into a chair, but Dayson wrapped his arms around Talia and pulled her to him.
Talia buried her face into Dayson’s chest and enjoyed his solid embrace. When they stood like that in silence, it seemed like there were no problems in the world.
‘KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK!’
Three small knocks on the door disturbed their peace.
“Who could it be this late?” Talia asked in a low voice, and Dayson responded with a shrug.
He pushed Talia to stand behind him before calling, “Come in!”
The door cracked open to reveal a figure.
Dayson frowned in displeasure. “Keith? I assume there is a reason why you are here in person and not contacting us through mind-link.”
“This should be discussed in person,” Keith responded, and Arya peeked from behind him.
Dayson waved at them to get inside. “Must be urgent if you couldn’t wait until morning.”
Keith glanced at Arya. “We wanted to wait with this, but considering the recent developments, we decided that this should be addressed as soon as possible.”
Talia was worried. “What is it?”
“I want to appoint Arya as your guard,” Keith said to Talia while glancing at Dayson.
Talia’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, and Dayson’s went down into a scrutinizing frown.
Talia was aware that Arya was tagging along with Keith, but she assumed that Arya wouldn’t tie herself to Talia because of how shaky they started. Also, Arya was probably aware of the ambiguity between Keith and Talia. Actually, Talia was waiting for Keith to say how he wanted to abandon his position as Talia’s guard because he would focus on his mate. This was unexpected.
Dayson was still remembering the scene of Talia above Arya, and he didn’t like the idea of Arya being close to Talia. As her guard, there will be instances when male guards should look away, so female guards were preferable, but why Arya?
Talia and Dayson exchanged quick glances before asking in unison, “Why?”
“Is there a problem?” Arya asked. “As a former General in the Spring Leaf pack, my skills are not lacking. I am willing to take the blood oath and pledge my loyalty to Luna Talia.”
“This is not about your skills or pledging loyalty,” Dayson said.
“Alpha,” Keith called before Dayson could reject Arya as Talia’s guard. If Dayson voiced it, it would be impossible to take it back because Alphas don’t change their decisions. It would be perceived as a weakness. “You said that as Luna Talia’s head guard, I have the freedom to appoint and dismiss other guards. Arya has the skills and is willing. Please, consider this request.”
Dayson poked his cheek with his tongue while scrutinizing Arya.
“Let me ask you one thing,” Dayson said. “As Luna Talia’s… no. As my mate’s guard, will you put her safety above everything else?”
“Yes,” Arya responded without missing a beat.
“I want you to imagine a scene where you are facing rogues. They captured Keith and Talia. You can save only one. Which one will it be?”
“That’s not fair,” Talia said before Arya could respond.
Dayson agreed. “Life is not fair, kitten. You are my first priority. If your life is in danger, I will abandon everything in order to save you. I don’t need a blood oath for you to know I’m serious about it because my life would be hell without you in it. Similarly, Arya and Keith are mates, and they will prioritize each other over you. Blood oath won’t prevent them from doing so because I’m sure Keith will rather lose his life than watch Arya suffer.”
“So, what are you suggesting?” Talia asked.
“Keith can remain your guard, but Arya will stay behind when he is on a mission to protect you. If they have problems with that, Keith can stay behind as well. I will rather have fewer people guarding you than rely on a person who is a liability.”
“Alpha!” Arya exclaimed. “Can I speak?”
“Go ahead.” And make it quick.
“I understand your thinking,” Arya said. “In a way, it makes sense. However, I am willing to work with my mate to ensure Luna Talia’s safety. Please, give me a chance.”
Dayson was not willing. “Do you think I will give you a chance to fail and endanger the life of my Luna?” And there was his pup as well.
Talia put her hand on Dayson’s arm and gave him a squeeze. “Let her talk.” Talia was curious to hear what Arya had to say.
Talia waved at Arya to keep talking.
Arya glanced at Keith nervously. Ever since joining the Shadow Fang pack, this was the first time for Arya to speak to Dayson and Talia, and her nerves were acting out.
For nearly two decades, Arya saw Alpha Cristian as a guiding light; comforting and nurturing. She didn’t have much opinion of Luna Michelle as they didn’t interact often; Luna Michelle would not interfere with warriors where Arya belonged. Compared to them, Dayson seemed like a tall and solid wall, cold and impenetrable while Talia was like a small bundle of explosives that might burst into colorful fireworks or deadly blasts. Arya didn’t know what to expect, but she was not willing to give up without trying.
“I would appreciate it if you evaluated me while disregarding who my mate is,” Arya said. “I was a General in the Spring Leaf pack. Now I am here; the Shadow Fang pack is my home and I am trying to find my place in it. Please, give me a chance to prove myself as a valuable resource. Give me tests, challenge me, but don’t dismiss me without giving me a chance.”
Arya turned to look at Keith. “When you think about who my mate is, think of him as Luna Talia’s head guard. Keith has a lot of pride in his position, and I know that protecting Luna Talia is very important to him. If we are facing a dangerous situation where I can help Keith or Luna Talia, I know that my mate will never forgive me if I picked him, so I would do what he would, and protect our Luna because protecting her means protecting our pack.”
Talia was moved. If Arya said that she would protect Talia because it’s the right thing to do, or because Arya would put Talia above everything else, Talia wouldn’t believe her. However, Arya framed it as how she would do it for Keith and Talia believed her.
“I vote that we give her a chance,” Talia said.
Dayson pressed his lips in disapproval. “Since when was this a thing we can vote on?”
Talia blinked at Dayson. “Since you said that I can pick my guards and you authorized Keith that he can do the same. I won’t dismiss your opinion as not important, but at least each of us has a third. Keith and I agree to give Arya a chance, so you are a minority. Or are you going back on your word?”
Dayson had to think hard about this. Did he really tell Talia AND Keith that they can pick Talia’s guards? It seems he did. Damn it!
Dayson grumbled under his breath before turning to Arya.
“I want you on the training ground tomorrow morning, six o’clock sharp.”
Arya needed a moment to process this. Talia diffused the situation, just like that. She didn’t use sweet-talking, or force; it was just normal words and it worked! Or maybe there was some witchery that Arya missed noticing it. In any case, Arya bowed to Dayson. “Thank you, Alpha.”
“Thank your Luna, not me.”
“Of course,” Arya said breathily and bowed to Talia. “Thank you, Luna.”
“Don’t think I did you a favor,” Talia said. “I heard that your skills are impressive, and it would be a pity to leave them unused. Be prepared tomorrow morning. You might not become my guard, but this will be your chance to impress your Alpha. He won’t go easy on you.”
Arya had no objections. She was used to breaking into a sweat on the training grounds.
“Keith,” Talia called. “Ask Shaman to set up the blood oath for Arya. Even if Arya is not my guard, considering how much time she is with you and close to me, I would be at ease knowing that she took the oath.”
Keith agreed right away. “Yes, Luna.” He saw this as Talia speeding up the process for Arya to become Talia’s guard.
Arya’s grin matched Keith’s. “Thank you, Luna! We will see you in the morning.”
Dayson was alerted. Why was Arya looking at Talia with sparkles in her eyes? Somehow, he had a flashback of a living room sofa and Talia on top of Arya, and he didn’t like it.
Keith and Arya left the study, and Dayson turned to Talia.
“Are you sure about this?” He asked.
“About making Arya my guard? No. About giving her a chance to prove herself? Yes.”
Dayson was unable to disagree with Talia on this.
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.