A blissful smile appeared on Talia's face as the buttery waffle with a hint of vanilla melted in her mouth together with the sweetness of the plum jam.
'Caden told me that this girl is different, but only now I realized how much…', Stephanie's voice reached Damon through the mind-link.
Damon guessed that Stephanie was alluding to the way he helped Talia with food.
'There is nothing wrong with me helping the girl out.', Damon said and took a sip of coffee nonchalantly.
'I never said that it's wrong.', Stephanie immediately responded.
It was not wrong, but Damon never took a personal interest in any of the new members.
Stephanie knew that Damon waited for Talia at the pack hospital, gave her his old room on the third floor, and now served her food. This was unheard of.
Stephanie was not considering the possibility that Damon had romantic feelings toward Talia.
She thought of Damon as a child, and compared to him, Talia looked like a little girl, innocent, in need of protection, and not romancing.
On top of that, Talia was shy, timid, and less flashy than many who were after Damon, definitely not a seductress. It's like her presence was small and she was forgettable, even though her face had pretty features.
Talia was bruised, and overall, Stephanie thought how Talia was pitiful which reinforced Stephanie's belief that Talia invoked the protective side in Damon.
Damon might be crass and rough around the edges, but he suffered when his parents died, and since then, Damon never refused a person in need and that's exactly who Talia is.
Stephanie's daughter, Lisa, is about that age, and Stephanie's heart ached at the thought that someone would be heartless to mistreat a girl like that.
Talia's big, honeyed eyes were clear and bright, even though she was visibly apprehensive in the new environment.
Stephanie didn't know how long Damon will allow Talia to stay in the packhouse; he didn't tell her anything other than to prepare a room. But she thought of helping Talia relax.
"Talia…", Stephanie called. "Is there something you enjoy doing?"
Talia blinked. Something she enjoys? No one ever asked her such a question.
Seeing that Talia didn't know how to answer, Stephanie asked her next question, "Do you like cooking?"
Talia understood the question as Stephanie's attempt to give her a job. Kitchen duties sounded much better than washing bathrooms and emptying trash. She could learn from experienced cooks and hone her skills and learn from the cookbooks also.
Who knows... maybe one day she becomes a famous chef?
As a great chef, she can cook for herself many delicacies she missed while hiding in the attic. That sounded like an amazing plan!
All girls in the Red Moon pack get to help in the kitchen until the age of sixteen when they are assigned duties based on their position, but Talia didn't get a chance to cook since she moved into the attic which was more than a decade ago, so her cooking skills were limited, but she didn't let that stop her from grabbing the opportunity.
"I can help in the kitchen.", Talia said with sparkles in her eyes that reflected her dreams of the scrumptious feast she will make for herself. Someday.
Stephanie smiled. "I would love that. How about you help me prepare dinner today?"
"Talia's hands are injured.", Damon said sternly.
"I was thinking that she can help a bit and we can chat and get to know each other.", Stephanie explained.
How Stephanie sees it, if Talia can hold a fork, she can pass an onion. It's not like Stephanie expected Talia to be involved in hard labor.
Damon didn't like it. "With that thing around her wrist, Talia can't help with washing, chopping, or mixing. I want her to rest and focus on getting better. Talia will not have any tasks until she completely heals."
"Of course…", Stephanie quickly said and looked at Talia. "After your hands heal."
Talia nodded in agreement.
Talia didn't think much about cooking before Stephanie brought it up, but it's a skill everyone should have, and this looked like a great opportunity to learn.
Damon could see that Talia's wheels were rolling as she was coming up with some ideas, so he had to ensure she heard him. "You are not allowed to work until Travis and I say that you can. Until then, I want you to take it easy and rest."
Talia wondered how far that 'take it easy and rest' will stretch. "Can I go to the forest?"
Damon frowned while thinking about how to answer this. He didn't like the idea of Talia wandering who-knows-where. He needed her in the visible range. Or closer.
"You can go to the garden.", Damon said after some time. "If you want to go beyond that, let me know. I don't want you to get lost."
Talia exhaled helplessly. Why does Damon think that she gets lost easily?
She didn't want to appear needy or ungrateful, but this sounded like limiting her freedom. She took a mental note to bring this up again later when scary Alpha is in a better mood.
With Talia's stomach getting filled, fatigue took over. After a night awake in the car, and a morning in the packhouse hospital, she was ready to sleep.
Talia yawned.
"You must be tired.", Stephanie stated the obvious. "When you are done with food, I will show you to your room."
Talia was full, but there were a few more delicious bites that included strawberries and whipped cream which she saved for the end, so she decided to finish those, even if it means that she will get a tummy ache later.
"Careful with that!", a shrill scream drifted from the hallway. "That's Louis Vuitton! If you damage it, even if you sell a kidney, it won't be enough to fix it. How can you be so useless? Take it to my room!"
Talia glanced around at the faces around the table.
Damon was busy with his food, Caden and Maya frowned, and Stephanie shook her head for a second before she locked eyes with Talia.
"You are done, right?", Stephanie said with urgency while standing up. "Let me show you to your room."
Before Talia could respond, Stephanie helped her up and was practically pushing her toward the side door.
"Let's go through the kitchen, so you see where it is…", Stephanie said while beckoning Talia with her eyes to hurry.
Talia glanced at the back to see the last two strawberries in her plate that she didn't get a chance to eat, and she saw Damon looking her way with a small frown on his handsome face, and then his head whipped to the door which connects to the hallway.
"Damon, baby!", a curvaceous brunette said with a big smile. "You need to teach those Omegas how to treat their Luna…"
'Luna?', Talia was flabbergasted. 'How many Lunas can one Alpha have? Didn't he come to the Red Moon pack to marry Marcy?'
Talia was distracted because Stephanie was leading the way through the kitchen and then into a hallway before they started walking upstairs.
"I thought you will show me my room.", Talia said to Stephanie with confusion obvious in her voice.
"Yes. We are going there."
Talia pressed her lips into a line, and her heart started racing uncontrollably. They just passed the second floor. Why are they still going up? Is she going to end up in an attic again?
"Here we are…", Stephanie said in a singing voice while opening the door of the room on the third floor.
Talia glanced inside, not daring to take a step over the threshold.
A big four-poster bed, a work desk, sitting area with a low coffee table, a sofa, and two sofa chairs… there was a reading nook with big pillows under the window on the left, and a full bookshelf next to it… and two doors on the right wall were open, so Talia could see a bathroom and a closet.
She blinked a few times and then looked at Stephanie. "Are you sure we are in the right place?"
"Yes.", Stephanie confirmed with a smile.
