Chapter 927: James' birthday party (2)  The evening was passing slowly, but eventually, they reached dinner time. The Omegas guided everyone to the adjacent dining room to show them their pre-assigned seats.

Purple and golden decorated circular dining tables that had snow-white tablecloths, each set up for ten people. Since every delegation consisted of four-to-six people, every pack had a table, and the remaining seats were filled by notable members of the Red Moon pack.

Talia was amused to see that table for the Midnight Guardians pack was close to the main table where Alpha Edward was. Luckily, she already had her spot next to Damon as Luna Talia.

The main table had Alpha Edward, Luna Layla, James, and Elders of the Red Moon pack. George was at the adjacent table with Commanders and Generals.

Sandy, Tyler, Mindy, and Gideon decided to sit at the table reserved for the Midnight Guardians pack. It was a silent show that members of two packs were close.

Cornelia stuck close to Talia. Sitting at the table with Talia and Damon meant that no one would try to hit on her. She didn't want to make this more difficult for James.

Cornelia was watching James from a distance, and her heart ached every time their eyes met. Cornelia knew that this was hard on him, and she hoped that her presence would give him the strength to push through this evening.

When Keith and Arya took seats with Damon, Talia, and Cornelia at the table, Talia mind-linked her friends. She confirmed that Dawn and Zina were at the table with Owen and a few other high-ranking warriors. They were doing fine, for now.

Next, she mind-linked Mindy. 'How did the talk with the Shaman go?' Talia saw Mindy and Gideon talk with an elderly male, and Damon told her that was the Shaman of the Red Moon pack.

'It was not a total bust, as the guy didn't tell us to scram, but we couldn't talk to him openly either,' Mindy responded. 'He is not at the main table, which means there is some friction between him and Alpha Edward, but we need more information. We will talk to him more after dinner. Leave it to us. I'm sure you have other things to worry about.'

Talia also saw Cristian, Michelle, Tony, Kalina, Maddox, and Tatiana. They were seated at the tables set up for their respective packs.

'Is it safe to eat this food?' Talia asked Damon through their mind-link. So far, appetizers were served on trays carried by Omegas that moved randomly, but this food was arranged and served specifically for their table.

'They won't dare poison us in public,' Damon responded seriously. 'But if you have concerns, I can ask to swap plates.'

Talia thought how it was silly. If anything were off with the food, Liseli would tell her. 'No need. I am paranoid because nothing has happened so far.'

Damon also found it odd. Sure, it was less than one hour since they joined the event, but their hosts didn't come to greet them in person, which was unusual considering their high status. Was it possible that Alpha Edward freaked out after finding out about Talia's double identity as a leader of two packs?

With everyone seated, Alpha Edward stood up to give a little speech before the meal started.

"I want to thank everyone for coming to celebrate James' milestone birthday. James is working hard on preparing for his upcoming role as the future Alpha of the Red Moon pack, and your support means a lot to him…"

James tuned out his father. It was all stupid and superficial, designed to make Alpha Edward look good. Reporters were snapping photos and recording to collect material for the special edition of WW Magazine that will cover James' birthday. If one looked just a bit under that shiny surface, they would see how dirty everything was.

James observed smiles directed at his table, but the unpleasant tension was nearly tangible. There were too many secrets, plots, and agendas for anyone to be at ease.

"...We hope you enjoy the food and the event after." Alpha Edward ended his speech, and people clapped.

James' sight fell on the table where Damon and Talia were, and a sad smile sneaked on his face when his eyes locked with Cornelia's. Only if she could be by his side, in touching distance, would things be more bearable.

James forced his eyes to move away from Cornelia, and he saw George.

'Do you want me to kill the female that was stuck to you?' James asked George through their pack link. James saw that Penelope was trying to seduce George and somehow… James felt a bit better. Maybe because he knew that others were enduring this event, just as he was.

'No need,' George responded curtly. 'I'm sure a young Alpha like you has other things to worry about.'

'Why are we doing this, George?' James asked, the teasing tone from his voice gone.

'To survive.'

James puffed his cheeks and stared at the creamy beef soup in front of him. George was right. They were playing these games to survive, knowing that a single wrong move could be deadly, but James was tired of games.

…

Penelope was fixing her lipstick in the female bathroom when she noticed a female standing behind her.

"You can take another sink. I will take a while," Penelope said while waving in the direction where the other three sinks were.

The bathroom for females had four sinks and four privacy stalls with a toilet each.

"I can wait," Dawn responded.

Penelope's finely groomed eyebrows came together, and she turned to face Dawn.

"Do I know you?"

Dawn shrugged. "I don't think so."

Penelope's eyes scanned the bathroom to confirm that it was just the two of them there. Good. She didn't need to pretend to be nice.

"Is there a reason why you are looking at me like I murdered your family?" Penelope asked.

Dawn knew that she should stay away and let George handle things. But she was sick of watching Penelope trying to cling to George and putting him in a spot where he needed to endure Penelope's hand on his arm or be rude by pushing her away. Dawn's wolf was going crazy in need to bite Penelope's head off, and Dawn knew that she shouldn't cause a scene, but she had to do something.

"I want you to stay away from Commander George."

Penelope's eyes flashed in understanding. "Are you his side-chick?"

Dawn's expression darkened. "Side-chick?"

Penelope shook her head. "You poor thing. You should know that a no-name she-wolf like you can't be more than a sidepiece to an outstanding Commander like George." Penelope narrowed her eyes at the left side of Dawn's neck. "Isn't that a mark? What would your mate say if he saw you pinning for a guy who is out of your league?"

Dawn sneered. "You think you are worthy of being with George?"

"Of course! I am Alpha's daughter."

"Do you have any other redeeming qualities other than your father?"

Penelope was outraged. "Listen, you… whoever you are. You can't insult me."

"What will you do about it?"

Penelope's nostrils flared in anger, and she released her Alpha aura. A second later, she realized that something was wrong. Really wrong. Why was it not working? And it was not that it was not working, but she was being suppressed back by… who exactly?