"What's wrong?"
Damon's question pulled Talia out of her thoughts, and she realized that she didn't control her expression.
"Nothing."
"Tell me.", he insisted. "I see that something got you upset. You can't say that it's nothing."
The sincerity in his voice urged her to speak.
"I'm sad that you are lonely."
Damon cracked a smile. "I'm not lonely. I have you."
Talia paused while looking into his icy-blue eyes that spoke volumes she didn't understand and she tried to decipher hidden messages.
Is it possible...? Maybe...? What if...?
Talia shook her head and dispelled any ambiguous thoughts. Alpha Damon will probably bring the 'wife' joke again, or maybe this time she will be a pet.
"That's not what I meant."
"What did you mean?" He really wanted to know what's going on in her mind.
Talia thought for a moment before responding, "I hope that one day you find someone who will be your equal, without hidden agenda."
"What if I already found her?"
Talia smiled sadly.
'If you found her, you wouldn't be here with me. And when you do find her, I will become non-important. You will spend time with her, and tease her, and laugh with her and forget about me as I fade in your memory as your previous pet project...'
Talia would never say those words aloud, but she couldn't stop a small flame in her heart that tried to resurface under his intense gaze that was directed at her.
She exhaled a shaky breath while telling herself that playful Damon is here, and she shouldn't get her hopes up because Damon is looking for entertainment, and right now that was her role.
Talia chided herself internally. Why did she think he was talking about her as someone important? That's impossible and she shouldn't delude herself.
The bitterness swelled inside her and she didn't want Damon to see it. If he asks what's going on, she wouldn't know how to explain because saying the truth was not an option. He would just laugh at her, and she won't allow herself to stoop so low.
Talia was sick and tired of people bullying her because she can't fight back, and if Damon mocks her and joins that group, she will be devastated.
Talia wrapped the leftover corndog in a napkin and stood up. "I need to use the restroom. I saw one not far away from here."
"Wait!", Damon called while scrambling to collect napkins and other mess from the bench, and by the time he turned in the direction where Talia went, she was lost in the crowd.
He didn't get it. What happened?
Damon decided not to tell Talia that she is his mate until her wolf awakens. Her wolf will not only tell her the truth but also boost her strength and courage which she will need as Damon's mate.
Until that happens, Damon was determined to show Talia that she is important. And he thought he was doing great, but then, she left.
Damon hesitated. Should he go after her, or wait on the bench?
Damn it! All women are eager to stick to him, yet Talia didn't waver to leave him behind. Now what?
Damon told himself to calm down. Talia said that she is going to the restroom, and she will be back in a few minutes. It's not a big deal. Girls go to the restroom all the time. She will be back. She has to.
Talia entered the female side of the restrooms and halted at the sight of women who waited in line for their turn to use the toilet.
Talia didn't really feel like going, but she hoped for the privacy that a restroom stall will provide. No matter where she looked, there were people everywhere, and Talia needed space.
She was used to solitude and silence, and even though she did her best to adjust to her new social environment, whenever she felt distressed, her urge was to find a spot for herself.
Talia headed for the only free sink. The mirror was smudged, but Talia could still see her reflection. Other than a black dot on her nose and ridiculous whiskers on her cheeks, she was normal. The cat ears were kind of cute, but that was just an accessory.
How she saw it, there was nothing outstanding in her appearance and she shouldn't think for a moment that Alpha Damon would be attracted to her.
She started the water to wash away the makeup. She refused to be his pet because even when he treated her as a pet, Damon managed to make her forget about what's important and that can't be good.
What's the use of getting attached to a man who will discard her when the next Cassie or Marcy makes an appearance?
It's only a matter of time before such a woman waltzes in and Talia didn't want to end up in a situation where she will be accused of stealing food, or worse… stealing Alpha Damon.
Her heart tightened at the thought of Alpha Damon spending his time like this with someone else, but Talia didn't see herself as worthy, and having him for herself was absolutely impossible. If beauties with outstanding backgrounds like Marcy and Cassie failed, Talia was confident that she has negative chances of capturing (and keeping) Damon.
The only wise thing would be to stay away from Alpha Damon and focus on learning skills that will be useful for her future instead of doing whatever this is.
Outside…
Damon remembered that the restrooms were not far away, but he was not sure if that's the place where Talia went and the path was packed with people, so Damon didn't dare move too far away from the bench.
Damon looked anxiously at his phone to check the time. What's taking her so long? Should he go and search for Talia?
What if something happened? Did someone attack her? What if the floor is slippery, and Talia slipped and hit her head?
No. There are many people and if anything happened, there would be a commotion and as much as the atmosphere is lively, nothing is alarming other than the fact that Talia didn't return! Where could she be?
Damon regretted not getting her a cell phone or maybe one of those GPS locators so that he knows where she is at any given time.
"Excuse me…", a sweet voice reached Damon and he saw two women smiling at him.
They were in their early twenties, dressed in tight tops and hot pants that didn't leave much to the imagination. Sure, their makeup was spot on, and their figures were alluring, but Damon didn't think they compare to Talia.
No woman compares to Talia. His mate.
"Can you tell me the time?", the blonde asked while leaning closer than necessary.
"I don't have a watch.", Damon responded dryly.
"But you have a phone, right?", she said while gesturing toward his left hand which held the phone.
Damon smirked. "So do you." He didn't see the woman with a phone, but she smelled human, and all humans have cell phones.
He thought that was enough to deter them, so he continued looking toward the restrooms, hoping to see Talia.
Unfortunately, the two women were not willing to give up easily.
"OK. OK.", the brunette said. "We saw that you are on your own and thought of having a conversation. There is no need to ignore us. We won't bite."
"Are you waiting for a friend?", the blonde asked.
Talia got out of the restroom and headed toward the bench where she left Damon.
She paused at the sight of Damon and two beautiful women flanking him, each with hearts in her eyes. Damon's expression was stern, but the two women acted very friendly, leaning in closer as they spoke, and the blonde even put her hand on his shoulder. He didn't remove her hand or shoo them away.
Is this one more of his games? Did he find different entertainment?
Well, knowing Damon, he probably didn't need to find women because he is a magnet for the opposite sex.
Talia wondered, why did he bring her here? She was confident that many others would love to come here with him. Why her? Is it because he loves to tease her? Or is it because he feels guilty that she got a slap from Cassie on his watch?
Talia was not sure what to do. If she goes there, she will interrupt them. Will Alpha Damon mind? What if he gets angry?
Those two women looked ready to kidnap him. Would Damon resist?
Maybe he forgot about Talia already.
Her chest hurt and she wanted it to stop.
Without realizing, Talia took a step back... and another, and another… and then she turned away and walked into the crowd without any destination on her mind.
