"How much work do you still have for today?", Talia asked Damon while munching on a chicken wing. The meat was tender and very tasty, sweet and tangy with some smokey smell, but with all that sauce, it was incredibly messy.
"If I could see the end of it, I would be planning a vacation.", Damon said honestly. No matter how much he works, more will come his way. "While on the topic of a vacation, did you think about it? We can go anywhere you want."
Talia remembered that Damon said how he will take her on a vacation. The fact that brought it up again meant he was not kidding. Right?
Talia could feel the heat in her cheeks increasing, and she hoped that the dark lighting in the restaurant will conceal her blush at least a little bit. "How about a forest? A lake would be nice. Something… private."
Damon paused and he stared at Talia while his lips rose into a smile in slow motion. Something else was rising in his crotch area and he shifted a bit to adjust himself. "Private. I like that. Tell me more…"
Talia was not sure what more there could be.
If she could spend time with Damon, away from it all, that would be the perfect vacation, regardless of if they are staying in high-end luxury, a modest cabin, a tent, or outdoors. But he expected her to say more, so she had to come up with something. "Let's not go far away. In case there is an emergency you need to handle, we can return quickly…"
Damon was amazed that even when she was planning a vacation, Talia thought about his needs and the pack. She was the perfect Luna, and she didn't even know it.
Damon and Talia chatted in a good mood while working on the chicken wings and Talia didn't realize at what point they finished.
"Should I order more?", Damon asked.
"Only if you are hungry."
Damon thought for a moment. "I think this is enough. I want to leave space for the food you prepared."
"You still want to eat it?"
"I will eat whatever you give me, kitten.", Damon said honestly.
Talia blushed and her heart swelled from warm and fuzzy emotions.
"Do you want something else?", Damon asked while pointing at the menu.
Talia wanted only one thing, to freeze time so that they can be like this, just the two of them, forever.
"No. I'm fine.", she responded and remembered one point that Damon brought up earlier. "About meeting your wolf… Can we do it in private? I would like to talk to him and also to see his true form. If he is willing to show me."
Damon released the breath he was holding. "Alright."
Damon knew that Talia will meet his wolf sooner or later, and his wolf promised to behave, but Damon was not sure how much he can trust the old guy because whenever Damon was not suppressing him, his fangs would come out when Talia was around, and Damon felt the need to mark her so that everyone knows she is his. It's not that Damon didn't want to mark Talia, but his wolf amplified that urge, and it was getting stronger by the day.
Damon froze when he saw Talia licking her fingers clean. That little action looked incredibly sexy and Damon imagined Talia licking his cock that was straining his pants.
The fact that she was oblivious to his arousal only made her more alluring.
"Kitten…", Damon called in a hoarse voice. "You should stop that, or I will jump on you right here."
Talia looked at him and her breath hitched. She didn't need to look down to know he was hard because she could recognize his heated gaze from a mile away.
"What did I do?", Talia squeaked.
A suppressed groan formed in Damon's throat, and he shook his head. She will be the end of him. Seductress.
Damon's hand landed at the back of Talia's head, and he pulled her closer for a toe-curling kiss. And only one kiss was not enough.
Damon and Talia returned to the packhouse, and Talia was delighted to see that plates with food were in the oven that was set to keep the temperature on warm.
The two of them ate and Talia was overjoyed to see that Damon cleaned the plate.
She didn't know that was a different batch of food and not the one she prepared personally.
Damon didn't think it mattered who prepared the food because the only thing important was Talia's smile that lit up his life.
"Thank you, kitten. It was delicious.", Damon said while helping Talia keep used plates and utensils in the sink. "I hope you will cook for me again, when you have time."
Talia's eyes lit up. "Really? You mean it?"
"I told you, I don't lie.", Damon responded matter-of-factly, and he relished the feeling of Talia's joy that washed over him.
Damon was in awe to see how little Talia needed to be happy, just like now.
'Thanks, Steph, for re-doing the food', Damon mind-linked Stephanie.
'You are welcome.'
'I know that Lisa was not home for a while, but with Talia here, things are different. I will talk to Lisa.'
Damon was not very close to Lisa, but a long time ago, their relationship was something like siblings. Considering that Lisa will probably be staying in the packhouse for some time, Damon wanted to set things straight and avoid future misunderstandings.
Damon loved to see Talia's confidence growing over time, but he was aware it was still fragile.
'Maybe you should give Lisa a day or two.', Stephanie suggested. 'She is not in the best mood right now.'
'Alright.'
Damon didn't think much about it. He assumed that Lisa's bad mood was related to Tony. He knew that hysteric women can be easily triggered and throw tantrums.
Damon didn't know that Lisa's latest tantrum was related to Talia because Lisa thought that her punishment of re-making food and being reprimanded was all Talia's fault.
With their bellies full, Damon and Talia went to the study to work on their tasks.
Talia was at her desk, focused on the science lesson related to energy sources when Maya entered the study.
Talia saw that Maya came to talk to Damon, so she mentally disconnected and returned her attention to studying. She really wanted to cram all that in record time and graduate, so that Damon can be proud of her.
"They are here.", Maya told Damon.
"Are you sure you got the right people?"
"I traced the rumors and confirmed that these two were bragging how they put one of your admirers in place.", Maya responded.
"Alright. Bring them in."
Maya left the study and a minute later returned with two figures trailing after her. A second later, Caden came in also, and he stood with Maya on the side, while two women stood in front of Damon's desk.
The newcomers were Ashley and Heather, the two women who approached Talia in front of the library on the previous day.
"Alpha Damon", Ashley and Heather greeted in unison and bowed their heads in submission.
From the moment the door opened, their eyes gravitated toward the left where Damon was, and they didn't notice a second desk on the right with Talia behind it.
Ashley and Heather stood in attention behind two chairs while wondering why they were summoned by the Alpha.
Maya didn't tell them why Alpha wanted to see them, and neither of them dared to remind him of the steamy encounter they shared a few years ago, but secretly, they hoped that Alpha Damon remembers it. Maybe that's why he called them?
"Do you know why you are here?", Damon asked.
Two women exchanged glances and then shook their heads.
"No, Alpha."
Damon gestured for them to sit on chairs that were opposite him, and both Ashley's and Heather's faces lit up with a smile. Permission to sit in front of an Alpha is a big deal.
"I heard that yesterday you encountered a woman in front of the library. Do you mind telling me about it?"
Talia really didn't want to listen in, but she was already there, and her ears perked up. Did Damon mention yesterday and the library?
Talia glanced to the side, and she saw the backs of two females with blonde hair. Why did those two back-images filled with shiny hair resonate with the location of the library?
Emboldened by Damon's friendly demeanor, Ashley responded.
"We saw a woman lingering in front of the library and she looked familiar."
Talia's brows came together when she recognized the voice, and she listened as Ashley continued.
"When we realized she was the person from the magazine, we decided to approach her and introduce ourselves. She is the one who accompanied our Alpha to the event at the Lightclaw pack, and she was obviously a new face, so we wanted to extend our welcome. We didn't expect that she will be hostile."
Damon's eyebrows shoot up. "Hostile?" He imagined his kitten with her claws out, and the mental image was adorable.
Heather responded, "She refused to tell us anything about her background, and she pretended like she is a big deal."
Ashley added, "And she even insinuated that she has some secret technique to ensnare you..."
