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Lisa stood at the window, hungrily taking in the sight of the garden.

Lisa was happy that Stephanie let her come after some fussing. Lisa was determined and even if Stephanie somehow restricts Lisa now, it would only make Lisa bolder for the next time.

Lisa knew that her mother was watching her from nearby, but Lisa didn\'t care. As long as Lisa got what she wanted, it was fine. And she really wanted to see Tony. In person.

What was Lisa trying to achieve by peeping on them? Or was peeping just the first step and she would approach them? Lisa was not sure, but her heart tightened with longing at the sight of Tony who sat there with Alpha Damon, Caden, Nate, Greg, and Paul, and her legs refused to move as she drifted into memories.

Lisa recognized three men that Tony brought with him, of course, she did. They were all mingling together not so long ago. Lisa also spotted Meg at the other table, another familiar face from the Lightclaw pack.

They were chatting and eating, and they moved on with their lives like Lisa never existed. Was no one missing her?

Lisa\'s anger was appeased when she saw that Kalina and Tony were sitting at separate tables.

Tony never allowed Lisa to join when he was doing business as the future Alpha of the Lightclaw pack. Seeing that Kalina was also separated from Tony, made Lisa feel better. A little bit.

Lisa was lost in her thoughts, and she didn\'t notice Maddox approaching her.

"Mhm…"

Lisa jolted when Maddox cleared his throat behind her.

She turned to face him swiftly and patted her chest dramatically.

"Alpha Maddox", Lisa said when she found her voice.

"I assume the breakfast is in the garden today.", Maddox said while studying Lisa\'s features. She was definitely a new face.

Lisa nodded in small jerky movements.

Maddox looked down at her seriously. "I suggest you stop acting secretively because Alpha Damon might mistake you for a spy. You don\'t need to escort me. I know the way. You can go about your duties."

Maddox winked at her and moved along.

Lisa blinked. Was Maddox flirty with her?

Ha! Another Alpha took interest in her! Tony was not the only one!

In the next moment, Lisa\'s brows came together in a frown.

What the hell!? Did he just tell her to go about her duties? Did he treat her like some no-name Omega?

She balled her hands into fists.

Lisa knew who Alpha Maddox was, yet he didn\'t recognize her! But of course, Tony didn\'t take Lisa with him to official gatherings. How could Alpha Maddox know who she is?

Lisa\'s dejection mixed with rage. She was known as Tony\'s girlfriend, some even thought of her as the future Luna of the Lightclaw pack and now…? Who was she now? A no-name Omega?

Lisa felt wronged and she couldn\'t accept that her dreams slipped through her fingers. There was nothing she could do about it.

She turned back toward the window and her eyes bulged out when she realized that Tony was not at the table. Where did he go? And Alpha Damon was also missing.

…

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Outside, a minute ago…

Tony asked Damon if they can take a walk. It was obvious that he wanted to discuss something in private.

"What do you think about the four I brought with me?", Tony asked Damon. "I am interested in the first impressions."

Damon frowned when he glanced behind. He didn\'t like that Talia was out of his visual range. That girl is like a magnet for trouble.

Damon thought that Tony wanted to talk about something important, yet he asked about first impressions. What the heck? Will he be asking about second and third impressions also? How insecure can a guy get?

Damon reminded himself to be nice. Tony came because he needs help and Tony\'s father is a shitty example of an Alpha. Damon didn\'t approve of those old-fashioned practices Lightclaw pack is following, because selected few are prospering while others are serving them, like they live in Middle Ages.

If Damon can help them evolve into a modernized pack by showing Tony the way, he will do it.

The first step is that Tony needs to gain confidence.

"What are you expecting me to say?", Damon asked.

"When you enter the room with Caden, everything stops, you command attention, and for me… that\'s not the case."

"Caden and I are doing this for a decade, and you didn\'t even start.", Damon offered a few words of encouragement. "You wanted to hear my first impression. I noticed that your people fear you and are looking for your approval. That\'s not the right way."

Tony needed more information. "Can you elaborate on that?"

"Caden is my Beta. I can make him submit, but I won\'t because I don\'t need him to just follow my orders. We established a few basic rules, and other than that, Caden is free to do what he believes it\'s right. He is my right hand, my friend. We depend on each other in the conference room, and when facing rogues. I want Caden to use his head and he can\'t do that if he fears the consequences of angering me. In private, we are talking as equals, and I expect his honest perspective. In public, there is respect that goes both ways. Do you understand where I am going with this?"

Tony understood that this was triggered by Meg bowing to Tony while talking.

"I will ask them to be more casual.", Tony said.

"You will need to do more than that. In order to have reliable people around you, you need to reach the point where you will trust each other. That will take time. Ask yourself, do you want them to watch your back on the battlefield? Will they be just your meat shields, or will you put yourself at risk for them? That will make the distinction if they are your hands or your pawns."

Tony nodded at Damon\'s words and switched the topic to something that was less abstract, "I look forward to you testing their performance. I have high hopes for Meg."

"Meg?", Damon asked with surprise obvious in his voice.

Damon assumed that Meg came here as support or a backup, yet now it seemed that Tony had other plans for her. It\'s not that Damon was looking down on Meg, but at The Lightclaw pack, females don\'t hold high-level positions.

Damon was hoping that Tony will start changing the obsolete practices of his pack, but having a female holding a high-level position from the start will definitely cause waves and Tony didn\'t seem like a guy who can withstand it.

Tony understood what Damon was thinking. "My father wants Paul to be my Beta because Paul\'s father is my father\'s Beta. But Meg is faster and smarter than Paul. Her grandfather was a Beta, so she has it in her blood. Meg is dependable, and I went to high school with her. Nate and Greg are also good guys, but out of the four, I have the most confidence in Meg."

Damon was surprised. It\'s not that Tony wanted to give Meg a high-ranking position, but he wanted to make her a Beta! That\'s second only to Alpha.

"Will your father allow a female Beta?"

Tony made a complex expression. "He won\'t like it, but we are talking about my Beta, not his. To be honest, the best would be if Meg finds her mate and he ends up being a Beta. Then I would take him and her mate as my Betas."

Damon\'s enthusiasm deflated when he heard that Tony was looking for an easy way out.

"Don\'t forget what I told you. A pack can\'t have two Alphas. When the time comes, you will need to decide if you will stay in your father\'s shadow or stand up to him. And things might turn ugly."

Tony responded with a stiff smile and, "That\'s why I am here. Teach me what an Alpha should know, and you will have my eternal gratitude…"

…

Maddox walked into the garden and after identifying the table with food, Maddox\'s eyes moved from the closest round table (that was empty) to the second table where Caden and three other guys were sitting, and then he glanced to the last table where he spotted Mindy among a bunch of females.

Caden raised his hand to wave at Maddox in greeting, and the latter pointed at the table where food was.

Food first, then everything else.

The closer Maddox was to the food, the hungrier he was.

Maddox poured himself a cup of much-needed coffee and took a sip while eyeing the choices. Everything was edible, and he was not a very picky eater, so he took a slice of toasted bread (because it was the first thing next to hot beverages) and started applying strawberry jam on it.

The moment Maddox took a bite of toast with strawberry jam on it, a small breeze reached him, and Maddox took a deep breath.

Why did the strawberry jam smell so good?

Maddox sniffed the toast in his hand. It smelled of strawberries, but there was something even more strawberry-ish coming from somewhere else and it made him drool a little. What the…?

On an instinct, Maddox straightened up and looked at the table where Mindy was sitting with five other women.

For a moment, Maddox\'s sight blurred, and he zeroed in on a brunette that had long shiny hair. Her back was facing him, but Maddox saw a pair of long legs sticking out of a black minidress.

And then he heard a voice in his head, "Mate!"

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