Was Luna Alicia worried about Lisa? Absolutely. After all, Lisa was part of their lives for years and Luna Alicia knows Lisa as a good girl.

Luna Alicia wanted to go and check on Lisa after the news broke that Tony found his fated mate, but Luna Alicia knew that her act of kindness might be interpreted as her support for Lisa (and against Kalina) as the next Luna, so she didn't go there.

As a Luna, Luna Alicia needs to consider the big picture before acting.

Luna Alicia's priorities are the Lightclaw pack and her family, and Lisa doesn't belong to any of those two groups.

This party has a goal to introduce Kalina to the Lightclaw pack and to high-ranking members of other packs, and also to show that Tony and Kalina have the support of Tony's parents to be the next Alpha and Luna of the Lightclaw pack.

Yes, Alpha Magnus is power-hungry and reluctant to let go of his position as an Alpha, but the reality is that no matter how much Alpha Magnus postpones it, he will need to step down eventually, and at that point, Tony will take over the pack.

Luna Alicia did everything she could to make this party grand with the hope this will be enough to start shifting the tide in Kalina's (and Tony's) favor and set them on a course to success.

Other than dealing with the party, Luna Alicia also spent quite an effort in convincing her husband (aka Alpha Magnus) to ask for a favor from Alpha Damon, to give some pointers to Tony. Everyone knows that Alpha Damon is an exceptional figure of the younger generation and if Alpha Damon agrees to mentor Tony, Tony's chance of becoming a good Alpha will increase exponentially.

Ah, no one knows all the things a mother will do from the shadows for her children.

Parenting is hard.

…

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...

Damon and Talia made their way through the hallway, and with every step, the noise from the party was increasing.

Damon felt Talia tensing next to him and he gave her waist a light squeeze.

"Relax, kitten.", Damon said. "No one can touch you with me around."

Talia glanced up at him and gave him a stiff smile.

Yes, his hold around her waist was solid and she believed that he can protect her from anyone who dares to approach her with malice, but what about her inner demons which were stirring?

Insecurities. Doubts. Feeling of inferiority. Inadequacy.

For two decades people around her either ignored her or looked down on her. How can she stand next to a magnificent man like Damon and feel worthy?

Talia released a shaky breath while telling herself that she can do this. She has to.

Damon did so much for her in the last two weeks and she won't disappoint him now.

Thanks to Damon, she looks like a million bucks, and she needs to act like it, even if it's just an act.

Damon and Talia stepped into the long hallway that connected the residential part of the packhouse with the rest of the building when…

"Damon, baby!", a shrill scream came from the side and both Damon and Talia froze.

Talia's eyes widened in horror. She was not done with her internal pep talk. And why did that voice sound familiar?

Damon turned to the side with a frown and observed the girl who was moving toward them with a big smile on her face.

Cassie.

Somehow, he forgot about her.

After slamming her against the wall and sending her home, Damon thought that he was done dealing with her.

Cassie was delighted to see Damon. She heard rumors about how Damon will come to this event with a date, but Cassie didn't believe a word of it, especially after confirming that Marcy's date is Nora.

How Cassie saw this, if Damon is not coming with the latest woman who claims to be his future Luna (aka Marcy), he won't come with anyone else.

On top of that, Cassie was keeping a close eye on Damon for years and she knew that he attends these events without a date.

Cassie's plan was simple.

She was standing there for some time, waiting to catch Damon at the right moment. She knew that Damon won't acknowledge her as his date, however… For Damon, she will make it appear as they met accidentally, and the two of them will walk into the limelight of the party side-by-side. It might look innocent, but everyone will assume that she is Damon's mysterious date people are talking about.

With that, no one will doubt that she, Cassie, will be the next Luna of the Dark Howlers pack. Perfect!

While making her way toward our couple, Cassie ignored Damon's frown, but her smile faltered when she realized that there is someone on Damon's right side.

Damon's body obstructed Cassie's view, but there was definitely someone. Cassie craned her neck in an attempt to see who is it.

"How did you address me?", Damon's icy words full of hostility made Cassie stop in her tracks about three steps away from him. "It seems you are forgetting basics about hierarchy."

Cassie quickly lowered her head as a wave of dread washed over her. "I apologize, Alpha Damon."

"Where is your father?", Damon asked his next question and before Cassie could respond, Damon spoke to an Omega that was standing nearby. "Call Alpha Richard from the Steelbite pack to come here. Tell him that it's urgent. It's about his daughter."

Cassie looked after the Omega who scurried away with haste, and she couldn't believe this.

"Is there a need to call my father?"

Damon sneered. How can she feign ignorance? He labeled Cassie as hostile for the Dark Howlers pack. That means, an enemy. From where did she find the courage to approach him so casually? Is she tired of living?

"Did you forget how we parted ways, Cassie?"

Cassie gritted her teeth. How can she forget that Damon choked her and kicked her out? It was humiliating to be escorted by the warriors and that obnoxious Beta Maya, but Cassie was confident that was temporary.

Alphas are moody, and that was only Damon's outburst. It should be in the past. The two of them shared so many cozy moments over the years that one mishap is nothing.

Cassie was confident that if she reminds him of that, he will let her back in, but she didn't expect that there will be a girl by his side. A skinny one.

"Who is she?", Cassie blurted out.

Damon wanted to say how it's none of her business, but then he changed his mind. He glanced at Talia who had no intention of coming out of the hideout his body provided.

By now, Talia confirmed that the girl who was acting overly friendly with Damon was Cassie. The girl who accused her of stealing food while clinging onto Damon's hand… the girl who accused her of stealing the phone and slapping her… the girl who was getting frisky with Damon while Talia shrunk in her room alone, hungry, and aching. The more Talia thought about those moments, the more edges of her lips curled downward.

Damon looked at Talia's stubborn expression and he smiled helplessly. What was she thinking? Nothing good probably. How can she have any good thoughts when Cassie was in front of them?

Through the mate bond, Damon could feel Talia's emotions and he knew that if he doesn't do something, Cassie might do irreparable damage. But what can he do? Talia was still not ready to acknowledge her emotions openly and her thoughts were even more shielded. Other than her body… YES! Her body knows!

Damon held Talia's chin with his index finger and thumb and before she could react, his lips descended on hers and his arms enveloped her in the warmest hug ever that came with a burst of his intoxicating scent.

Damon's flavors seeped into Talia's system and her brain stuttered.

Why was he kissing her while Cassie was glaring daggers at her?

A second later, Cassie faded from Talia's mind due to Damon's toe-curling kiss full of longing which came with the most delicious flavor of the dark chocolate, and Talia gripped Damon's arms to steady herself because her legs were giving up on her.

"My dear…", Damon spoke into Talia's lips, his deep voice was full of unspoken emotions. "There is a woman who wants to know who you are. Do you want to introduce yourself or should we ignore her and move on?"

"What woman?", Talia asked breathily. She was lost in Damon's endlessly icy-blue eyes, forgetting about Cassie and the party and anything else.

Damon chuckled. "That's right. The only woman worth noticing is you."

Cassie's expression turned ugly. She was standing right there! Why were they treating her like air?

She was never humiliated like this!

But she couldn't voice her grievances. Not in front of Damon, but... who is that woman?

Talia's face was still obstructed by Damon, but Cassie knew everyone who was someone, and she was confident that Talia was not among those people.

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