Damon and Talia emerged from the last line of trees and Talia shrunk at the sight of the neat lawn and the mansion.
Little by little, her steps became smaller, and her face was filled with reluctance.
Talia understood that this is the packhouse, and things like a packhouse didn't bring happy memories.
The packhouse at the Red Moon pack was a place where she was fine only while hiding. In the forest, she was happy, and she didn't want to go back to the attic.
"This will be your home, Talia.", Damon announced and tugged her hand to start moving.
'Her home?', Talia wondered if she heard him right.
She knew that Damon lives there, and probably Caden and Maya and any other high-ranking members of the pack. But what about her? She is a nobody.
Talia forced herself to stay present and to observe her surroundings. It will come in handy if she needs to flee.
In terms of size, the packhouse was bigger than the one at the Red Moon pack.
They came from the side, but Damon led the way toward the main entrance, so Talia saw the circular driveway and the lawn that had low green plants along its edges and several topiary trees that were cut in spiral shapes.
It was simple and elegant, and she liked it better than the lavish front of the packhouse of the Red Moon pack that had colorful fragrant bushes and small ponds.
They were approaching the main door, which was open, when Stephanie's voice reached them.
"Any longer, and we would send a search party…"
Talia panicked at the realization that she is holding Damon's hand.
She tried tugging her hand free, but Damon tightened his grip.
At the sight of Stephanie emerging from the door, Talia swiftly stepped behind Damon in an attempt to hide their connected hands.
"Let go…", Talia pleaded while trying to pry her hand free.
Damon enjoyed Talia's predicament. His grip was tight enough so that she can't get free, yet not strong to cause pain.
Talia couldn't believe this. He is the Alpha, and she is nobody. How can they hold hands? It's not appropriate! If anyone sees them like this, she will become a target. Is that what he wants?
"You said that this is only if I trip or get lost.", Talia spoke in an urgent whisper. "We are out of the forest, and we reached the packhouse, so…"
At this point, Stephanie was looking at the duo and waiting for them to acknowledge her presence. She didn't see that Damon was holding Talia's hand, but she saw a girl struggling over something behind Damon's back and Stephanie didn't know what to think about the scene in front of her.
Reluctantly, Damon released Talia's hand.
He felt the loss of Talia's touch and balled his hands into fists in an attempt to stop himself from reaching for Talia again.
"Stephanie, this is the girl I mentioned. Talia."
Stephanie looked at Talia who was still half-hidden behind Damon, and she did her best not to frown at the sight of bruises on Talia's face.
"Hello, Talia. I'm Stephanie. Welcome."
"Hi", Talia said apprehensively, and Stephanie waved at them to enter.
"Come on. The food is ready. We can talk inside."
Talia observed the interior which was clean and neat with just the right touch of elegance. Large windows allowed ample light, giving it an open feel and she could pick up Damon's scent of the forest and dark chocolate lingering everywhere.
If she closed her eyes, she could easily mistake this place for a forest. Probably because of the scent and all the fresh air.
Somehow, she didn't imagine that this is the place where a scary Alpha would live.
A few young ladies peeked at them from behind the corner. Talia didn't miss hearts in their eyes as they looked at Damon. Talia concluded that those are Omegas. If they have any standing, they would approach Damon and talk to him.
The dining room had a rectangle-shaped dining table in the middle, big enough to fit twenty people.
The furniture was light gray in color, and chairs were cushioned in deep red, but Talia's attention was on the food that smelled divine. There were fruits and waffles and several different spreads.
"I will get fresh coffee…", Stephanie said and disappeared through the door on the left.
Damon went toward his usual seat, at the head of the table, and he gestured for Talia to sit on his left.
"Do you want orange juice, milk, or coffee?", Damon offered to Talia.
She picked the orange juice and Damon poured her a glass.
Caden and Maya joined them at the table.
Stephanie entered the dining room with a silver kettle that released steam from the top.
She poured the hot beverage into Damon's cup, and the aroma of fresh black coffee reached Talia's nose. It mixed well with Damon's scent of dark chocolate.
"Did you come here for second breakfast?", Stephanie asked Caden and Maya.
"How can I allow my Alpha to eat alone?", Caden said with a straight face and beckoned Stephanie with his empty cup, indicating that he wants coffee also.
"Well, he is not alone…", Maya said and the three of them looked at Damon who was putting a waffle into Talia's plate.
Damon felt their gazes on him and grumbled. "Talia's hand is hurt, and I'm helping. Stop staring like a circus came to town."
Talia lowered her head in embarrassment. She told Damon that she can manage, but he insisted and now everyone was looking at them.
"Ignore them.", Damon said. "Do you want a jam or syrup with that?"
"I'm not sure.", Talia said honestly.
It was a long time since she ate fresh waffles, and things like jams and syrup were luxury items.
Another odd thing was that she was seated at the table, in a dining room, with people.
A lot of new things to process.
Talia noticed the absence of Omegas. At the Red Moon pack, Omegas were always around, ready to serve Alpha, Beta, and their guests. It's not that Talia wanted someone to serve her, but Stephanie going to get coffee and everyone getting food on their own was unusual.
After Stephanie poured coffee to everyone who wanted some, she also joined them at the table and grabbed a handful of grapes to munch on.
Without Talia's input on waffle toppings, Damon placed a few strawberries next to the waffle and a dollop of whipped cream, and then he drizzled syrup over half of the waffle, and he applied plum jam on the other half.
Talia rejected Damon's offer to feed her. "You already prepared everything. Please, don't…"
She stopped talking when Damon started cutting the waffle into bite-sized pieces.
"Talia…", Damon called, and she looked at him who was totally focused on cutting the waffle. "These are Caden and Maya, Betas of the Dark Howlers pack. And that is Stephanie. She takes care of the packhouse. If you need anything, you can ask them. They might be nosy, but the three of them are here to help me run this pack and they are doing a great job. Neither of them will tease or bully you, but if they make you uncomfortable, you should let them know. In time, you will get used to their sense of humor."
Damon pushed the plate with a cut waffle in front of Talia and gave her a fork. "Now, eat."
Damon's tone didn't allow for objections. Not that Talia had any. She was happy that he didn't feed her how he did in the hotel. That would be super embarrassing.
She mumbled a thank you and started eyeing the food on her plate, silently deciding from where to start.
Maya and Caden exchanged knowing looks, but they didn't say anything, not even through the mind-link, because they didn't want to risk Damon overhearing them (again).
Damon's expression was stern, and he sounded bossy, as usual, but it was undeniable that he was giving extra attention to Talia. It was something no other girl received so far.
