Damon and Talia came to the dining room with Damon's arm wrapped around Talia's waist tightly, and during their meal, he didn't let go of her hand.
Talia's words that things are not working and that she wanted to leave were still fresh in Damon's mind, and he feared that she will leave him. He needed her touch that comes with sparks of their bond to assure him that she was there, next to him.
Yes, Talia agreed to stick around and step in front of Elders as his mate and future Luna, but she agreed to many things before and based on her behavior, Damon concluded that unless she can feel their bond, no matter what he says or does won't make a difference.
When Talia feels threatened or at disadvantage, she might leave. He assumed that by creating connections to the Dark Howlers pack, she will be reluctant to leave even if something bad happens, but it seemed that was not the case. That thought was eating him alive.
Damon is not a guy who will beat around the bush. He never was. Damon told Talia about his intentions and feelings openly, but her insecurities prevented her from believing in his words.
He really wished for a magic potion that will awaken her wolf. Only with her wolf, Talia could feel the bond and nervous knots in Damon's stomach would resolve.
For dinner, at the table were just Damon, Talia, and Maya.
Stephanie brought food to Lisa, and they were in Lisa's room.
Talia and Lisa didn't meet yet, and Talia wondered when will Lisa come out of her seclusion. Talia was anxious about meeting Lisa, fearing that Lisa will dislike Talia because Talia and Kalina are friends (it said so in the WW Magazine).
For the duration of dinner, Maya was in a visibly better mood. At some point, she announced, "Caden will arrive here by 2 o'clock in the morning."
"Maya", Talia called. "Can we have a word after dinner?"
"Sure.", Maya responded right away before remembering, "I have sync up with the Alpha after dinner. Can we talk after that?"
"Of course", Talia agreed. "Work comes first. Let me know when you are done and…"
"You will join us for the sync up.", Damon interrupted Talia. Did she think he will let her out of his sight after the scare she gave him before?
"Actually, it's just the three of us here, so you can go ahead.", Damon told Maya.
Maya's updates were brief, mostly about two families of refugees that arrived recently.
Talia realized that the Dark Howlers pack has detailed plans related to settling the new pack members.
Every refugee family had several neighbors who would help them navigate in the new environment, to find necessities, and that they are socially accepted. Other than that, locals would also watch for any suspicious behavior.
It's not that Damon was accepting refugees without any benefits for him. For a werewolf community, the more people they have, the better, as each individual has its own skills and strengths.
Unfortunately, there was always a risk that they were spies or with bad intentions, and that's why for the first few months, everyone would stay vigilant while being careful not to alert the newcomers of the fact that they were being watched.
It's a delicate balance, and families who were interacting with refugees had special training before taking over those duties.
The more Talia listened, the more she admired the complexity of everything and the man who is behind it all. She knew that Damon is a great Alpha, but this added another dazzle to his brilliance.
Damon had an option to refuse them, yet he went to the lengths of giving them a chance while assuring they are not a threat to his pack.
After dinner, Talia and Maya went to Maya's room.
Damon was not happy about losing Talia from his visual range, but Talia said that she wanted to talk to Maya in private, so he gave in.
'Watch what you say', Damon warned Maya through the mind-link.
'I will.'
'Don't let her escape through the window.'
Maya was not sure how to respond to this. Why would Talia escape through the window?
"I am impressed with the attention you give to refugees. I'm sure that they are grateful to be here.", Talia said when it was just her and Maya.
"Many people are involved.", Maya said. "It would be much easier if we could accept them without keeping our guards up, but you never know what someone is hiding behind a smile."
"Are refugees with bad intentions frequent?"
Maya shook her head. "Not really. But once scalded, you will be afraid of warm water. Luckily, most of them are just looking for a better place to live."
"Like me.", Talia said.
Maya gave Talia a thoughtful look. "I admire your decision to leave the Red Moon pack. When people are ostracized for a long time, they get used to it, and it's not easy to leave, no matter how bad it is. Especially abused women who were raised to believe how that's normal. But whoever comes here, soon realizes how suppressed they were by others' negativity. It's rewarding to see scared kids transform into a lively bunch at the playground. Grownups also find interests they didn't think about before. It's like they become different people. I love to see them smile."
Talia's mind focused on one word Maya said. Suppressed. That's what shaman Gideon said when discussing Talia's wolf.
"I assume there is a reason why you wanted to talk to me in private.", Maya reminded Talia.
As much as Maya would love to chat with Talia, Maya was aware that an antsy Alpha was in the hallway. Was he eavesdropping? Probably.
Talia pressed her lips into a line while thinking about her predicament.
"Elders will come, and I don't know what to do.", Talia said eventually.
"What's the problem?"
"I am reserved, and a future Luna should be outspoken."
Maya cocked an eyebrow at Talia. "How many Lunas did you get to observe?"
Talia didn't need to think about the answer. "Luna Layla from the Red Moon pack."
Maya shook her head helplessly at the silly girl. "There is no handbook for a perfect Luna, Talia. But here is the thing… as a Luna, you are in a position to create your own rules. Do what feels natural. Will you dress up fancily, or sportish, will you be sophisticated or rowdy, no matter what you do, people will judge you. It will be up to your attitude if they will dare to judge you openly. I've met many Lunas and no two were the same, so you need to be yourself."
Talia thought how that's easier said than done.
Maya saw that Talia's expression was not good, so she added. "Besides, don't use Luna Layla as an example of a good Luna."
Talia thought that she just heard something important. "Why?"
Maya lowered her voice. "The word is that Luna Layla and Alpha Edward are not fated mates."
Talia was not sure what to do with this information. "And that is important because…?" Talia hoped that Maya will fill in the gaps.
"Union between Luna Layla and Alpha Edward allowed for the Red Moon pack to grow. Her family doesn't have an Alpha bloodline, but they were influential. She didn't become Luna because of her love for Alpha Edward or because she is a natural leader, but because of benefits. Their lavish lifestyle proves it."
"Would it be different if Luna Layla and Alpha Edward are fated mates?"
Maya shrugged. "Who knows? But the point is that if Alpha Edward didn't eye her dowry, she wouldn't be his Luna. Fated mates can influence each other, and Alpha and Luna should take care of their pack. You grew up there, so you know first-hand how they treat their pack members."
Talia remembered how in the Red Moon pack they prefer warriors while Omegas are invisible. In the Red Moon pack, people get benefits if they can contribute to the strength and luxury of the pack, and others are not important. A good Luna wouldn't allow for such a treatment of her pack members just because they don't have the strength or some other skill that's useful on the battlefield or for impressing guests.
Talia had another concern. "Damon said that he will introduce me to Elders as his mate. How do I act the part?"
"Just do what you normally do when Damon and you are alone.", Maya said and burst into giggles when she saw that Talia blushed profusely. "I can see how he is holding you, Talia. You like it, don't you?"
Talia didn't deny it. "But it's not appropriate in front of Elders."
"Pft!" Maya waved her hand, indicating that Elders are not important. "Appropriate is something you see in movies. Werewolves don't practice restraint. For us, love is sizzling, wild, and unrestrained. The only thing on your mind is your partner, his scent, his flavor, how good it feels when he is inside you, and you don't care who is watching."
Talia was flustered. Was Maya telling her to be frisky with Damon in front of Elders?
"Does it feel good?", Maya asked, and Talia blinked in confusion.
"When he holds you.", Maya clarified.
Talia nodded.
"There you go, dear. If you feel good, go for it. Don't hold back on being with him, no matter who is watching. Whenever I suppress my urge to touch Caden, my wolf is protesting, and I can feel her agony…"
Talia paused. There was that word 'suppress' again.
