Talia and Damon didn't move as their heavy breathing stabilized.
Talia was draped limply over Damon, with her head on his shoulder and her legs around his waist, and she was grateful that he held her because her whole body felt like jelly.
Damon nuzzled Talia's neck with his nose, and he gently kissed the spot where his mark will come, while enjoying every sigh that escaped her lips.
They both shivered when he pulled out.
Damon helped her get back on her feet and he saw his seed trickling down her legs.
"Hold onto me, kitten…", Damon murmured.
Talia leaned on him obediently with her eyes closed, enjoying the sensation of him rinsing her body under the shower.
His hands moved over her skin so gently that she was not sure if he was really touching her.
This was not a scary Alpha, and not a moody either. This Damon was an affectionate lover and Talia couldn't believe that she got to see this side of him.
After turning off the shower, Damon wrapped Talia in a towel and carried her into the bedroom.
Talia smiled when he lowered her on the bed with care and the fire in his eyes told her that they were not done. They were far from done.
Damon unwrapped the towel slowly with a grin on his face, like a child opening a present.
He arranged tender kisses over her body, starting with her breasts and going down her abdomen, and when he buried his face between her legs, Talia was not sure if she was his present, or he was hers.
It was late in the evening when Damon entered the bedroom with a tray full of food for him and Talia.
He was wearing only shorts and Talia couldn't stop staring at his exposed torso.
How can a man be so handsome?
Damon's cocky smirk told Talia that he noticed her ogling at him and she quickly lowered her gaze.
Talia scooted into a seated position and pulled a bedsheet around herself, to cover her bare body.
As the tray in his hands came closer, Talia observed leftover moussaka, and there were fresh salad and dinner rolls, still warm with a wedge of butter on the side, and bowls with grapes and walnuts.
Talia was mouthwatering at the sight of food and her stomach rumbled. She was hungry.
They spent the whole afternoon indulging in carnal pleasures and cuddling, and it was past dinnertime.
Talia was not complaining. Every moment was wonderful, and she was not achy either. Damon would make sure to lick her down there between lovemaking, and Talia concluded that his saliva healed her soreness, leaving her with only an addictive post-orgasmic buzz.
As much as Talia enjoyed this intimacy with Damon and having him only for herself, Damon didn't do any work, and neither did she, and it would be a miracle if Stephanie and Maya couldn't guess what Talia and Damon were doing all afternoon (and evening) in the bedroom. How embarrassing!
Talia loved the idea of dinner in bed with Damon, but… "Is it OK for us to eat here? What will others think?"
Damon cocked an eyebrow at Talia. "We can eat wherever we want. As for others…" He paused for a second before continuing, "It's just Steph and Maya, and both of them are too busy with their issues to notice where we are."
Talia wondered if she was overthinking. Sure, it was her first time to be with a man and experience these activities, but what about…? She didn't want to finish that thought.
Talia heard many rumors about Damon and at least some of them are bound to be true, and if she allowed doubts to creep in, it would spoil this happiness she was experiencing, and she already made peace with the fact that everything is temporary, happiness included, and she will enjoy this no matter how long it lasts.
How many women can say that they experienced such exclusive care by an Alpha? And Damon was much more than just an Alpha, he was the man who captured her heart, and she was irrevocably in love with him.
She took a deep breath and pushed all stray thoughts at the back of her mind, deciding to focus on the present.
Talia observed as Damon expertly cut holes in dinner rolls and filled them with butter. She wanted to do something also, but she knew that Damon made a point about feeding her, so she waited patiently.
She accepted a bun from Damon and took a bite. The bun was warm, and the butter was rich and melty, and it was perfect. Talia closed her eyes and moaned softly.
When she opened her eyes, she saw that Damon was staring at her intently, and she felt the urgency to talk about something, or they will end up rolling in the sheets again. It's not that Talia was against that, but she wanted to eat first, or she might pass out during sex due to starvation.
"Is Steph worried about Lisa?", Talia asked, snapping Damon out of his lustful daze.
"Steph is always worried about Lisa.", Damon responded matter-of-factly. "Steph feels guilty for staying here while Lisa was at the Lightclaw pack, and because of that she is overcompensating."
"Isn't she just worrying about her daughter?"
"I don't blame Steph for wishing that Lisa is happy, but if Steph was firmer with Lisa before, it wouldn't reach this point."
His clipped tone told her that the topic was over.
Damon's comment went beyond just Lisa crying over Tony and Kalina. Every once in a while, Lisa would have some issues and Stephanie would stress about it.
Werewolves care for their offspring, but Stephanie was coddling Lisa like she is five years old.
Damon disliked that Lisa was still disturbing Stephanie. She is not a child anymore.
At the age of nineteen, Damon was already leading a pack, while Lisa is whinnying about losing a man who was never hers. Any hope she had for a happy ending with Tony should be extinguished at the moment Tony told her that he will look for his mate and that Lisa is not the one, and that was more than two years ago.
If Tony was deceiving Lisa, Damon might have some grievances against the guy, but Tony was always honest.
Damon can't blame Tony. It's no one's fault that Lisa and Tony are not mates.
The more Lisa was acting out, the more Damon saw similarities between Lisa and some of his crazed ex-es (aka Cassie).
Two years should be more than enough for Lisa to prepare for this moment and to step away gracefully. Or was Lisa hoping that Tony will feel sorry for her and leave Kalina?
That's not happening.
Damon was aware of how good it feels when one finds his mate. No other woman compares and if Tony allows Lisa to spoil the relationship between him and Kalina, Damon will dislike him.
Damon didn't want to talk about Lisa or Stephanie. In his opinion, it was a private issue and not his business.
Talia didn't understand fully the relationships Damon had with Stephanie, Maya, and Caden, but she knew that each of them has their duties, and they don't interfere with each other unless necessary. And she absolutely had no idea how Lisa fits in all that. Will Lisa return to the Lightclaw pack, or will she stay here?
At the thought of Lisa staying at the Dark Howlers pack, Talia realized that there might be a problem.
"Do you know if Lisa staying here is temporary or…?" Her voice trailed as she waited for Damon to respond.
Damon shrugged, indicating that he doesn't know. "Lisa has a room on the first floor, next to Steph's. Other than seeing Lisa during meals, I wouldn't know she is here unless Steph tells me about it."
The truth was that since becoming the Alpha of the Dark Howlers pack, Damon didn't idle in the packhouse. He would sleep in his room or work in the study, and for the remainder of his time was somewhere else, so Damon wasn't aware of Lisa's presence in the packhouse.
"Kalina and Tony will come for a visit.", Talia reminded him, and Damon's eyebrows shot up when he understood where Talia was going with it.
He stuffed a forkful of moussaka in her mouth before responding.
"It doesn't matter if it's them or anyone else. You can't force others to like each other, but they must be polite or suffer the consequences. If Lisa makes things uncomfortable for Tony or Kalina, it will strain the relationship between our packs, and that's unacceptable."
Talia chewed in slow motion while thinking about his words. Logically, it made sense, but… "I don't think that a heartbroken girl will be polite or consider what's the best for her pack when she sees her ex-lover happy with someone else. Cassie is a perfect example of how far things can go, and she is Alpha's daughter."
Damon paused at the mentioning of Cassie.
Did Talia need to use him as an example?
But it was a good example because just how Tony changed after finding Kalina, Damon changed after finding Talia.
Damon pinched the roof of his nose. "Fine. When we confirm that Tony and Kalina are coming, if Lisa is still here, I will talk to her."
"What will you say?"
Damon had no idea. "I'm sure I will figure out something by then." Sending Lisa on a vacation sounded like a plan.
Talia eyed Damon suspiciously, but she didn't pursue that topic. She accepted the forkful of salad Damon offered, and she fed him in return.
