Filed To Story: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Somehow, Talia felt sorry for Marcy and Cassie and other girls who are serving Alpha Dayson in bed because if they are not Dayson’s mate (and they probably are not), it means that Dayson will not make them his Luna, no matter how desperate they are, yet they are still hoping.
Talia understood that if Dawn gets together with an Alpha who is not her mate, even if they love each other, he will probably not make her his Luna, which means that she will be just a bed warmer, a temporary fun.
Is there a woman who will be happy with a relationship that is doomed for failure? Talia was not sure. But she knew that she was hoping to find her own happy ending, someday. And that happy ending didn’t include being discarded when the real mate appears.
Talia’s heart ached. How was that different from what she was doing with Alpha Dayson? There was only an invisible wall between them because they didn’t do anything physically (other than hugging and holding hands), but Talia was painfully aware that Alpha Dayson has a space in her heart, no matter how much she was trying to cover up that fact by telling herself how whatever is happening is temporary and it doesn’t mean anything. Once he finds his Luna, heartbreak will be inevitable. Her heartbreak.
What Talia didn’t know was that when scolding Alphas for romancing while waiting for their Luna, Stephanie was talking about herself, actually, about her daughter, Lisa.
For the last three years (how much Stephanie knows), Lisa is dating Anthony, the future heir of the Lightclaw pack. It’s the pack where Lisa is living currently, with Stephanie’s sister and brother-in-law.
Anthony is a good boy, and he is treating Lisa well. Unfortunately, he is the only son of Alpha Magnus and is set to inherit his father’s position as the Alpha, and that means he will commit to the girl who is his destined mate given by the Moon Goddess.
Why is that a problem? Because Lisa is nineteen years old, and Anthony is one year older, and that means that both of them can recognize their mate, yet Tony didn’t acknowledge Lisa as his future Luna.
Of course, Lisa didn’t talk about it, but Stephanie is aware that if Tony and Lisa are mates, everyone would know about it because Alpha finding his Luna is a big deal. There is a belief that if Luna is Alpha’s destined mate, the pack will prosper, and no one would delay announcing this and throwing a big party to cheer up the pack.
Stephanie is aware that Lisa is waiting for Anthony to announce her as his Luna, but every passing day without that happening confirms that Anthony is waiting (and possibly searching) for his destined mate.
How long will this situation last? How long will Anthony wait for his Luna? Does he have a deadline? No one has answers to these questions.
Some Alphas wait until their mid-thirties before they pick a mate in order to produce an heir.
It’s normal for Stephanie to worry about her daughter, but on a few occasions when she tried talking to Lisa about this, Lisa threw a tantrum.
Before her eighteenth birthday, Lisa was convinced that Anthony is her mate, after all, they were crazy about each other. However, now that Lisa’s eighteenth birthday passed, Lisa believes that Anthony will choose her, and Stephanie’s heart is aching at the thought that Tony might find his destined mate and leave Lisa in shambles.
Of course, there is a chance that Lisa will find her mate, but at this point, Lisa is totally obsessed with Tony.
“Oh, dear…”
Talia heard Stephanie say through her haze of conflicting emotions.
“Those two girls forgot this side dish. Can you take it to the dining room? Hurry before they finish with their meal…”
Talia was not willing, but she already avoided several rounds of taking food to the dining room and saying ‘no’ to Stephanie didn’t sound like a good option.
…
In the dining room…
Maya was in the role of a host because Dayson and Jaeden were still in the study, doing final checks on the security.
Alpha Maddox and future Alpha Axel were at the table with Maya when Mindy entered the dining room.
Mindy was irritated because she planned to make a grand entrance by being moderately late, yet Alpha Dayson was still not there, and no one started eating so… she was not late at all.
“Where should I sit?”, Mindy asked, and her sight fell on the head of the table that was empty. “Is Alpha Dayson sitting there?”
Maya confirmed and Mindy went in that direction.
Alpha Maddox frowned, thinking that Mindy will sit on Dayson’s seat. Who knows what his prideful sister was thinking? She was complaining before dinner how Alpha Dayson was disrespectful for not coming to greet them.
Alpha Maddox let out a breath of relief when he saw that she sat on the chair that will be on Dayson’s left, but in the next moment, he noticed that Maya’s expression flashed with displeasure while looking at Mindy. Of course, he didn’t know that his sister sat on Talia’s seat, but he guessed that the spot is reserved for someone.
“Mindy, how about you sit next to me?”, Alpha Maddox asked while patting the backrest of the empty chair on his right.
Mindy cocked an eyebrow. “I see you every day, and we came here to expand our network and talk about business. Like this, I can chat with Alpha Dayson.” She saw that her brother was about to object, and she lifted her chin. “Are you going to tell me that there is someone more qualified than me to sit by Alpha Dayson’s side?”
They all turned to the door to see a figure standing there. It was Talia.
Alpha Maddox was surprised that he didn’t feel Talia’s presence until she got into his visual range. And it was the same that afternoon. Naturally, that made him wish to know more about Talia.
Unaware of Alpha Maddox’s thoughts, Talia’s eyes moved over the table, and she found enough space to place the side dish she was holding.
“Talia…”, Maya called when she saw that Talia took a step away from the table, obviously wanting to leave when her hands were free. “Will you join us for a meal?”
Subconsciously, Talia glanced at the spot where Dayson would sit. It was empty. But the seat on his left was not empty and Talia’s heart tightened at the sight of Mindy who projected confidence.
Mindy was dressed up with her hair and makeup done, and she really looked like she belonged there.
When she reached the door, Talia heard a female saying how there is no one more qualified than her to sit by Dayson’s side, and now Talia connected that voice with the face, and… she agreed. Mindy looked more put together than Talia ever was.
It shouldn’t hurt, Talia knew that this was coming. She was nobody, a temporary entertainment, a person to keep him company until someone else comes… and now that another woman sat in that place, it hurt, and Talia’s eyes dimmed as she lowered her head.
“Oh, your Omegas eat at the table with you? How generous”, Mindy said to Maya, her words sending needles straight to Talia’s already bleeding heart.
While looking blankly at her own feet, Talia answered Maya’s question in a small voice. “I’m having my meal in the kitchen. If you excuse me…”
Maya let out a dejected sigh when Talia left the dining room.
Alpha Maddox pinched the roof of his nose, and spoke to Mindy through their mind-link, ‘Why can’t you keep your mouth shut?’
‘Did I say something wrong? Omegas eating with ranked members and guests at the same table is progressive. That was a compliment.’
Maddox shook his head. Yes, it would be a compliment, but Maya’s reaction told him that something is off. And this was the second time for his sister to offend Talia.
“Who is that girl?”, Alpha Axel asked while his eyes still lingered at the door through which Talia disappeared.
“She just joined recently.”, Maya responded with her story ready. “Her name is Talia. She came from the North and was looking for a pack, so we took her in.”
Alpha Axel nodded absentmindedly, and Maya saw that Alpha Maddox was also listening intently. Maya wondered if she missed something important because it seemed that both Maddox and Axel showed interest in Talia.
…
…
Dayson and Jaeden entered the room and Dayson said without sincerity, “Sorry to keep you waiting.”
He really didn’t care, but he said it because he noticed that everyone’s plates were clean.
Dayson was not in a good mood because with all the guests around, they had extra work related to patrols and security, and he was feeling uneasy the whole afternoon and it was only getting worse.
Instead of being with these people, he wanted to go into Talia’s room and cuddle until he feels better.
However, Dayson ignored his guests for the whole afternoon and if he ditches dinner also, it would be super-rude, so he decided to come, eat quickly, and then join Talia.
Dayson reminded himself that he is the host, and this is only a day or two, and he shouldn’t be tactless to the point of damaging the relationships between packs.
“It’s good to have you here again.”, Dayson said to Maddox, and he glanced at Mindy and gave her a small nod to acknowledge her presence before turning to Axel with, “Where are your guys?”
“Beta and Gamma are with the rest of my pack members, keeping an eye on them. They are excited about tomorrow’s game, and we don’t want to risk any incidents.”
This was the first time for Dayson and Axel to meet in person. So far, they exchanged emails and attended video conferences, and a few times when Dayson interacted with the representatives of the Midnight Guardians pack in person, that was with Axel’s father, Alpha Isaac.
“Make yourself at home. If you are lacking anything, let me or my Betas know.”, Dayson said to what Axel nodded in understanding.