Chapter 928: James' birthday party (3) [Bonus chapter]  Talia was chatting with Cornelia while opening her mouth whenever Damon brought food in front of her mouth. It looked casual, but both Damon and Talia were vigilant. They were aware of all eyes on them, observing, measuring, and waiting to approach them.

'Talia, we might have a problem,' Zina's voice sounded in Talia's head through the pack link.

'What is it?'

'It's Dawn. She saw Penelope from the Night Sentinel pack go toward the restrooms, and she went after her. That Penelope was sticking to George and…'

'I know,' Talia interrupted Zina's explanation. 'I saw her.' Everyone saw Penelope sticking to George. 'Thanks for letting me know. I will take care of it.'

"Where are you going?" Damon asked when he saw Talia wiping the corners of her lips with a napkin.

"Restroom."

"Take Arya with you."

Arya was already getting up, but Talia raised her hand, indicating to Arya to wait.

Talia spoke to Damon through their mind-link, 'It's not that kind of a break. Dawn is there, and I need to check she doesn't do anything foolish.'

Damon didn't like this. 'Why would she do anything foolish?'

'Do you remember the female that was sticking to George?' Talia asked, and her face stiffened when she felt a pang of guilt from Damon. 'I see you remember her. She is Alpha's daughter, and you sampled all of them. I don't know why I thought you would miss one.'

'Kitten, I…'

'Save it!' Talia snapped. 'My friend might make a mistake, and I need to check on her. I don't have time for your nonsense.'

Liseli wanted to tell Talia to calm down because whatever sampling of women Damon did was before he met Talia, but the truth was that Liseli was also bitter that they were getting random reminders of women who were too close to Damon at some point.

Damon watched helplessly at Talia's retreating form. She looked small and fragile and beautiful in that white dress. He waved at Keith and Arya with, 'Go after Talia and keep your distance.'

…

In the bathroom…

Dawn lost control of her wolf, who wanted nothing less than to squish the she-wolf in front of her. George's mark gave Dawn's wolf a boost that came with temper, and Dawn didn't have a chance to practice controlling it.

The mirrors on the wall were shaking, and the air felt heavy.

Penelope was holding onto a sink, and her legs were trembling while Dawn stood straight like nothing was out of place.

Penelope nearly plopped on the floor when the bathroom door flew open.

Dawn whipped her head that way to see Talia standing there.

"What are you doing?" Talia asked Dawn while closing the door behind her.

Dawn was surprised to feel her wolf reeling back in submission in front of Talia. Dawn's wolf was an Alpha, but Talia was her Luna.

Dawn quickly bowed her head. "I apologize, I… I have no excuses."

Penelope's eyes darted from Talia to Dawn. She didn't miss how Dawn submitted.

"You are from the Midnight Guardians pack?" Penelope asked Dawn. Somehow, that explained why Dawn could suppress her. Penelope heard rumors that members of the Midnight Guardians pack have mysterious powers.

Talia had no intention of correcting the misunderstanding.

Talia thought of scolding Dawn for acting recklessly and causing a commotion at this high-risk party, but she couldn't say any harsh words. If that female was sticking to Damon and Talia had to watch, Talia would do the same thing. Probably worse. At least Dawn waited for privacy instead of causing a scene in front of witnesses.

Talia touched Dawn's chin, making her lift her head.

"There is no need to apologize. I know how it feels when you are protective of someone," Talia said.

Dawn looked at Talia gratefully. "I don't think I can stay here. I should leave."

"Stay a bit longer," Talia said and continued through the mind-link, 'You can leave with Owen and Zina. We will let you know when it's safe, OK?'

'What about this one?' Dawn asked.

'I will handle her. Go before George comes after you and blows his cover.'

Dawn nodded in agreement. "Thank you." And she left the bathroom without looking back.

"Alpha Natalia," Penelope called in her official tone. "Your pack member attacked me without reason. How can you leave her like that?"

Talia cocked an eyebrow at Penelope, and she chanted internally that she shouldn't imagine Damon and Penelope entangled.

Liseli whimpered in Talia's mind as they shared emotions. She would tell Talia to kill Penelope and be done with it, but the old spirit knew that Talia wouldn't approve.

"Your complaint is received. It is up to me to punish my pack members as I see fit. Did she harm anything other than your pride?"

Penelope's eyes flashed in outrage. The female in front of her was Alpha Natalia, the Alpha of the Midnight Guardians pack, but Penelope also had an Alpha bloodline. How could she just stand still and be bullied?

Penelope lifted her chin. "It seems that your pack member is interested in Commander George. I suggest you advise her to stay away from him. She has no chance."

"And you do?"

"I am Penelope Faith, the princess of the Night Sentinel pack, Alpha William's daughter."

"Tell me something, Penelope Faith, the princess of the Night Sentinel pack. Is Commander George your mate, or did you fall in love with him? What will you do if he finds his mate, or you find yours?"

Penelope frowned. "How is that relevant to this?"

"Oh, it is because mate bond comes first. But let's pretend that you end up with Commander George. You will need to sever the bond with your pack and take the identity of Commander George's partner. You won't be a princess of anything. People will know you as Penelope of the Red Moon pack. Are you ready to accept that?"

Penelope frowned, and Talia's anger flared. She was tired of Marcys, Cassies, Noras, and Penelopes, who came with an attitude just because their fathers had a title.

Talia released a bit of her aura that made Penelope freeze in place. Dawn's aura was overwhelming, but Talia was on a totally different level.

"Do you think your Alpha bloodline will give you a high-ranking status? You will need more than that to stand out, and I assume you don't have it, considering that a random she-wolf just now managed to suppress you. Aren't you ashamed of yourself?"

Penelope couldn't believe this. "You… you…"

"I have a name, Miss Penelope," Talia squeezed through her teeth, increasing the pressure, and Penelope groaned.

"I am Alpha Natalia Moonrider. My name comes with a title I earned. I didn't get it because of my father or because of a man I shared a bed with. If you can't stand on your own, I suggest you back off because there are plenty of capable she-wolves who don't depend on a man to achieve something in their life."

With that, Talia left the bathroom.

Talia wondered if she had gone too far. Would she bully Penelope so much if not for her past with Damon?

'You stood up for your friend,' Liseli said. 'Dawn would do the same for you.'

'It doesn't make it right.'

Liseli snickered. 'What is right is determined by power, and right now, you are the most powerful Alpha. The world is your playground, and others need to follow your rules. Enjoy it, girl.'