Seeing that Talia was hesitating in accepting to be his assistant, Damon decided to give her an additional push in the right direction.
"When you arrived here, you were asking for a job, and here is one. You helped me the other day sort the mail, so I know that your organizational skills are top-notch. And you are smart. For everything else, I will guide you, and you will learn, step by step."
What Damon didn't say was that this will also allow Talia to get insights into the pack, meet with pack members and other important people, and prepare her for the role of his Luna. And he got the perfect excuse to keep her by his side all the time. No guy will dare to stick close to Talia anymore because Damon will always be watching. Always!
Talia stared at him, unsure how to respond to the unexpected praise. He said that her organizational skills are top-notch and that she is smart. No one ever complimented her like that.
Damon inched closer and she could feel his breath fanning her face. Dark chocolate. Delicious.
Talia's lips parted on their own, eagerly waiting for a kiss that didn't come. She realized that he will not kiss her until she answers him.
What if she kisses him first? No, no. That would be too bold.
Damon's intoxicating scent made her dizzy, and his firm arms around her felt good and her eyes darted from Damon's icy-blue orbs that smiled at her to his lips that were about to kiss her. Almost.
"I want you to be my assistant. Say yes, kitten."
Talia caved in under the sensory overload that silenced all the warning bells sounding in her head.
"Yes.", Talia breathed, and then she welcomed his lips that crashed on hers with urgency.
For the rest of the afternoon, Damon was working from behind his desk, and Talia was reading the book that Doctor Travis gave her. She would take notes on things she didn't understand, to check them online, or ask Travis for additional explanation.
Damon was happy that he came up with a solution on how to deal with Maya. It was thanks to Talia's suggestion. It was simple, yet he didn't see it which only proved that he was missing his other half.
He knew that Talia will be an amazing Luna.
Damon could feel Talia's emotions and he knew that she is falling for him more by the day.
Can she feel the bond? Damon was not sure.
He was also aware that occasionally her heart tightens, and he assumed that it's due to her insecurities.
If he found Talia earlier, those people in the Red Moon pack wouldn't have had so much time to crush her confidence. If she is not so broken, he would be enjoying lovey-dovey time with his mate instead of waiting for her to heal while ignoring his instincts to claim her in every way possible.
Even his wolf was unusually silent, and Damon knew that the old guy took a step back because his desire for a mate was only making Damon crazier.
"It's almost time for dinner.", he said, and Talia turned to look his way. "How about we go to a restaurant?"
"Restaurant? Tonight?", Talia asked.
Damon confirmed. "Starting tomorrow morning, you are officially my assistant. We should celebrate."
"How about we celebrate here?"
Damon frowned. An evening in the packhouse? He wanted to take Talia out and do some romancing.
Talia saw that Damon was about to object, so she explained, "We have a fridge full of leftovers, and if we eat out, it will go bad. We shouldn't waste food." Her face lit up as she got an idea. "To make it special, we can eat in the living room and watch a movie. Maybe Caden, Maya, and Stephanie can join."
Damon's mood plummeted further. What kind of romancing will that be if there are three other people?
But Talia looked at him expectantly and he couldn't say 'no' to her. "OK. I will ask if they want to join us…"
Stephanie was not interested in eating in the living room. "That would mean that I either eat from a tray, bend from a sofa over a coffee table, or sit on the floor. You kids enjoy. I will eat in the kitchen. But I will help you warm up the leftovers…"
Caden and Maya joined, and all four of them sat on the floor, around the long coffee table.
Talia and Maya picked a movie. It was an action-comedy.
Talia was excited. It was her first time to have a meal in such a cozy atmosphere. Lights were dimmed, the movie was playing on the big TV screen, she had a full plate of yummy food, and Damon was next to her.
Talia's and Damon's legs were touching, and they held hands under the table, and he would feed her occasionally. Talia wanted to lean on Damon and maybe feed him in return, but with Caden and Maya present, she didn't dare. Also, she didn't know if Damon would like that so she sat a bit stiffly.
Caden and Maya didn't talk, but everyone was focused on food and movie, so they didn't stand out.
In a blink of an eye, the movie was done, and all plates were empty.
"It's still early. Should we watch another movie?", Talia asked while looking around expectantly.
Of course, Damon agreed. "Sure. Pick one."
Caden and Maya said that they will go to sleep early, and Damon stopped them with, "Caden, be ready tomorrow to head to the Blue River pack. They will expect you at lunchtime. I will give you the details in the morning. Plan to be absent for about one week."
Caden paused. "What work we have with Alpha Maddox to last a week?"
"Maddox shouldn't keep you busy more than a day or two.", Damon responded. "After that, you will go to Los Angeles to check on our shipment from Russia. The container is stuck in customs for more than a week. And after that, you will head to the Fantomcrest pack to do knowledge transfer on how we are storing supplies for the winter."
Caden knew that all these were genuine things that needed to be done in person. He glanced at Maya and then turned to Damon. "Will you be OK for a week without us?"
Damon smirked. He was waiting for this.
"Without YOU, Caden. Maya is staying to help pack members deal with the drought and excess heat, and we are expecting two families of refugees to arrive in the next few days. As for me, Talia will start working as my assistant from tomorrow."
Damon observed Caden and Maya who were both reluctant to accept. One week of separation is like seven eternities. At the same time, they didn't dare to reject. As Betas, it was their duty to help Damon take care of the pack and its needs.
"If there is a problem, I want to hear about it.", Damon said.
"No, Alpha. There is no problem.", Maya responded and forced a smile while glancing at Talia and Damon. "We will see you in the morning."
With that, Caden and Maya left.
Talia noticed the awkward mood, but she didn't want to ask about it. This was between Damon and his Betas, and the last time she poked her nose in there, Damon ended up asking some half-baked questions related to trust.
Damon wondered, at what point will Maya and Caden realize that he is sending Caden away as Maya's punishment?
Maya took actions that could separate Damon from his mate (aka Talia), and per Talia's suggestion, Maya will experience firsthand how that feels.
Caden will be busy traveling and handling things that are assigned to him, while Maya will be alone here, missing him.
By sending Caden away, Damon is not doing anything to Maya, but she will be apart from her mate, wondering where he is, and with whom. Sure, Caden won't cheat on Maya, but werewolves are jealous and possessive, and after a few nights apart, it will be inevitable for Maya to start imagining things that are not happening.
That should teach Maya a lesson she will remember for a long time.
Damon also didn't forget that Maya is yet to apologize.
Maya is prideful and stubborn, but as a Beta, she needs to learn her place.
It's an elegant solution where Maya gets to feel the burn of the punishment without Damon doing anything, and he came up with this idea thanks to Talia.
"Hey…", Damon called to get Talia's attention. "Since it's just the two of us, how about we take this movie-watching upstairs?"
Talia paused. Isn't it upstairs just the two of them? But then she realized that with Stephanie, Caden, and Maya retiring for the night, and no Omegas in the packhouse at this hour, it was just the two of them on the main floor also, so she agreed.
"Sure. But I want to clean up this mess first." She gestured toward the table that had empty plates, utensils, and glasses.
Damon had no intention of letting Talia do all the work. Together, they tidied up the place and took dirty dishes to the kitchen.
While there, Damon noticed chocolate cake in the fridge, and he asked Talia, "Dessert?"
Talia stifled a laugh while thinking how chocolate is offering her chocolate cake. Isn't that a double-chocolate?
"What's funny?" He really wanted to know.
Talia shook her head, refusing to answer. "I would love some cake..."
