Chapter 823 – Hidden Desires of the Werewolf King Novel

Filed To Story: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel

Luna Layla approached James and started fixing his necktie.

James observed his mother, who was a few inches shorter than him. Luna Layla’s blonde hair was lifted into an elegant bun that was secured with diamond pins, and her impeccable makeup emphasized her almond-shaped blue eyes and thin lips colored in red. She was a woman in her late thirties, but she didn’t look older than twenty-five. The mascara and eyeliner contributed to making her look like a doll.

“Where is the father?” James asked.

Luna Layla gave him a stiff smile. “He is busy. We will start without him.”

James didn’t respond. He was confident that Alpha Edward was busy with Ana, and he was pretty sure that his mother knew.

There was a time when he wanted to confront his father and console his mother, but then he realized how that was normal for them, and after a while, James thought it was normal for everyone.

No one talks about relationships without drama, and the only stories he heard were about Alphas sleeping around.

James wondered, how could his mother live like that? He wanted to ask her that question many times, but he held back. It was none of his business.

Alpha Edward’s debauchery was a public secret. Everyone knew about it, but no one talked about it.

There were some rumors about Luna Layla, but everything was vague, and James had a hint that those rumors were spread by his mother herself, so it didn’t look like she was only being cheated on. James knew that the only time when his mother was out of sight, it was with her girlfriends when they went shopping or to a spa. If she used those outings to see men, those so-called girlfriends would talk about it, and someone would hear, but again… it was none of this business.

James was in his early teens when he decided not to think about the relationship his parents had. Before his eighteenth birthday, he would leave all this behind and go no contact. That was the only way for him to survive.

However, since James met Cornelia, he wondered how his parents could pull it off.

The idea of Cornelia being with another man was driving him mad. How was it possible that his mother was indifferent when her mate was sleeping with other women? What was holding her to stay with Alpha Edward, who sought pleasure and comfort in others? Was it possible that she didn’t know what people were saying behind her back? Whatever benefits Alpha Edward offered her twenty years ago were gone. Or was this beyond benefits?

“James?” Luna Layla called when she saw him spacing out. “I know this event puts a lot of pressure on you, but… It’s your sixteenth birthday. You will be an adult soon. Try to have a good time while you can.”

“I will keep that on my mind, mother,” James responded in his official tone. He was not used to his mother… mothering him.

As far as James could remember, Luna Layla would let Alpha Edward do whatever he wanted in the name of training the future Alpha, and she never stepped in; not even when Alpha Edward punished James harshly or forced him to do horrid things.

She didn’t intervene when Alpha Edward took young James to observe people being tortured. By his tenth birthday, James knew exactly where to cut for maximum pain without killing his victim.

James was unsure what broke him first, the gruesome visuals, the screams, the beatings he got whenever he would look away or showed discomfort, or the fact that no one thought of making it stop. Not even his mother.

James found it ironic that he got the most care from strangers, yet his so-called parents get to boast how their son is a young Alpha with a promising future.

George was the only one in the Red Moon pack that treated James like a regular person without fear and agenda. Alpha Dayson treated James like a young adult whose opinion matters. Petra, Zack, and Erik treated him as friends. And Cornelia showed him that there is such a thing as unconditional acceptance.

Luna Layla was the one who sent Marcy away, and for a whole decade, James didn’t hear people talk about Marcy. And now that Marcy was really gone, it was like she never existed. Is that how a mother acts?

Seeing that Luna Layla was just staring at him, James said, “I’m sure that many ladies will be happy to keep me company tonight. Do you have a female on your mind I should allow to entertain me?” It was a normal question as everyone had preferences about who should get access to James first.

Luna Layla’s perfectly groomed eyebrows came together to form a frown. “Is that what you want or what your father wants?”

“Is there a difference?”, James responded with a question.

James’ insides churned at the thought of any woman other than Cornelia, but this was an event where he will be the center of attention. James will avoid getting physical, but he can’t avoid talking to people. He needed to be cool about it or his parents would notice that something was off and that would put Cornelia in danger.

Luna Layla released a long breath. “I… James…” Her mouth opened, but no words came out for a few long seconds. Eventually, she said, “Never mind. Happy birthday, James.”

“Thank you. Shall we?” James offered her his hand, and she put her hand on his forearm as they walked out together.

…

As they moved down the stairs, James could feel the tug of his wolf urging him to not go lower than the second floor.

James pressed his lips into a line. Silly wolf. They couldn’t go to Cornelia at this time. But she will join them at the party. Soon. James wondered what dress will Cornelia wear.

Luna Layla gave his arm a squeeze, reminding him that they were about the enter the event hall.

Two warriors dressed in black slacks and red shirts were standing at the door, and one turned to shout into the event hall, “Luna Layla Redmayne and young Alpha James Redmayne!”

James groaned internally. His mother always loved theatrics, and this looked like an entrance to a medieval party. The only things missing to make the experience more realistic would be if the warriors at the door wore metallic full-body armor with spears in their hands.

‘Is everyone getting this grandiose announcement?’ James asked his mother through their mind-link.

‘Only important people,’ she responded while holding her chin high.

James and Luna Layla paused at the door to observe many heads turned their way.

At one glance, James counted eleven Alphas, seven Lunas, and more than one dozen Elders. He didn’t bother counting other high-ranking members, but there were about two hundred people present. It was an impressive lineup.

The massive event hall was decorated with deep purple and golden fabric draped along the walls, and majestic crystal chandeliers illuminated the space. People were elegantly dressed and it had a royal feel.

If anyone knew how to throw a fancy party, that would be Luna Layla.

‘You’ve outdone yourself, mother,’ James said to his mother through the mind link.

She smiled. ‘Thank you. I hope you like it.’

“There you are,” Alpha Edward spoke enthusiastically while walking toward James and Luna Layla from the crowd. He put his hands on Luna Layla’s shoulders and kissed her cheek. “If you took another two minutes, I would come to check on you.”

James tried to pry his arm out of his mother’s hold, but she tightened her grip, silently telling him to stay put.

“If we knew you were waiting, we would hurry up,” Luna Layla responded to Alpha Edward.

James didn’t feel like participating in this happy-family charade. No one was fooled, anyway.

Normally, James would endure, but since he marked Cornelia, his wolf was acting up and James had difficulty staying composed when things didn’t go his way. He needed Cornelia for his wolf to calm down, but that was not an option now.

“Can we go and greet guests now?” James asked impatiently. “People didn’t come here to watch three of us talking.”

“Right,” Alpha Edward said curtly. “Let’s start from here…”

Alpha Edward led the way, followed by Luna Layla and James.

James was happy that his position as the future Alpha allowed him to be arrogant and not smile or engage in small talk.

Behind that unreadable fa?ade, James was focusing on his bond with Cornelia. He wanted to feel how close she was. Why was she still on the second floor? Was something wrong?

On the second floor, Cornelia was in Talia’s room with Talia, Dayson, Keith, Arya, Gideon, Mindy, Sandy, and Tyler.

Dayson demanded that they go through everything one more time. Their stories needed to match, or people will be suspicious.

“It will be alright, Dayson,” Talia assured him. She could feel his anxiousness rising. “Even if our stories don’t match completely, no one will dare to question us. Besides, for anything that’s not obvious, people will say that they are not familiar with details. Are you having second thoughts? We don’t need to announce my…”

“No, no!” Dayson quickly said. He wanted to announce her identity. No more secrets. He wanted everyone to know that his Luna is Alpha Natalia, but he was also nervous. It all sounded great while they were planning, but now that they were about to do it, Dayson realized that so many things could go wrong. What if people figure out she is pregnant and use that against her?

Dayson shook those negative thoughts away. Talia was fantastic, and even with her pregnancy, she could use her aura and abilities, and she had Liseli also, and Dayson had no intention of taking a step away from Talia.

“I am ready,” Dayson assured Talia. “Let’s do this. If anyone dares to say anything against you, I will kill him and that’s it.”

Talia smiled helplessly.

“Kitten,” Dayson called solemnly. “Don’t do anything foolish. Don’t leave my side.” He looked at the people in the room. “I want you to keep your eyes on Talia all the time.”

Talia held onto Dayson as they walked down the hallways of the packhouse, and she was grateful that his arm was firmly around her.

This place was much more than a hallway for her. It was a place where she grew up hiding and she didn’t know how to feel about it.

Two Omegas bowed deeply as they passed, and then they rushed about their business.

So far, other than Ana, no one recognized her.

There was a time when Talia was also moving along these hallways with her head held down. Attracting attention was never a good thing.

Talia shook off the unpleasant emotions that were creeping up on her.

Being in this space with Dayson by her side felt surreal like it was happening to someone else.

Talia glanced at Dayson to see him looking forward with confidence that spilled on her.

Right. She had no reason to be afraid.

She was Alpha Natalia Moonrider, and she had Dayson and many friends, and she was not alone anymore. This was her time to shine as the Alpha of the Midnight Guardians pack, and as Dayson’s Luna.

Their group of nine reached the double door that was guarded by two warriors who bowed their heads. Even without knowing who other people were, everyone knew Alpha Dayson.

Sandy stepped forward to pass a piece of paper.

The warrior read what was written there, and his eyes flashed before he turned to step into the event hall with urgency.

“Alpha Dayson Blake and Alpha Natalia Moonrider!” A voice boomed from the door and everyone turned to see two people coming in with more behind them.

Dayson’s black outfit made him dark and mysterious, and Talia’s white cocktail dress gave her an air of light and youth.

Dayson’s arm was behind Talia, and people quickly zeroed in on his hand that was on her waist. Dayson had a reputation as a womanizer, so they wondered if he used his charms to come with Alpha Natalia as his date. What about his Luna?

Alpha Dayson and Alpha Natalia were close at a few previous events, but their interaction was ambiguous at best. There was nothing ambiguous about how close they were now.

Talia looked up at Dayson and smiled, sensing that his previous anxiousness disappeared.

Dayson would never show weakness in front of others, and the truth was that he was waiting for this moment. He wanted to walk into any room with Talia as his mate, and it was finally happening. It was a big deal.

Dayson and Talia walked into the crowd that parted to make space for them.

Cornelia, Mindy, Gideon, Sandy, Tyler, Keith, and Arya were behind the couple.

James was talking with a group of people when his eyes landed on Cornelia. She was beautiful with pearls in her hair and a baby-blue dress that provided a fantastic contrast to her dark skin. He balled his hands into fists firmly, as a reminder that he shouldn’t go there. Not yet, at least.

‘Did you know about this?’ Alpha Edward’s voice sounded in James’ head.

---