~ the Midnight Guardians pack ~
Axel looked at his mother. "Are you going to stop me from going there?"
Sophia wanted to stop him, but she knew that if she stops him now, he will find a way to go there later. Axel's stubbornness is one of his main traits.
"No.", she said. "I came only to confirm that you know what you are doing."
"I am doing what I believe is right. I can't ignore my instincts without regretting it." Axel paused and looked at his mother deeply. "If Talia is the one from Cassandra's prophecy, she has no idea who she is. It was one thing when Talia was an unknown she-wolf, but now she is in a magazine, next to Alpha Damon and many eyes are on her. For some reason, Alpha Damon is protecting her, and I want to confirm his motives. Based on the documents, she came of age recently. If her powers awaken, she won't have anyone to guide her. Didn't you teach me that every pack member is precious, and no one gets left behind?"
Sophia exhaled helplessly. "That ideal sounds wonderful, but sometimes an Alpha needs to make tough decisions because the reality is that we can't keep everyone safe. If people connect her with our pack everything we tried to protect for centuries will be for naught."
"I won't implicate the pack and if things go wrong, I will bear the responsibility."
"Be careful, Axel.", Sophia said sternly. "You say that you won't implicate our pack, but if something happens to you, our pack will suffer. Do you think that your father and I will stay idle if you are in danger?"
Axel grinned. "No pressure, eh?"
Axel knew that his parents are forced to look at the bigger picture, and he should do the same, but in this case, their interpretation of that big picture was different.
As the future Alpha of the Midnight Guardians pack, it's his duty to take care of his pack members, especially the ones who are outside the pack. He didn't know if Talia is that missing child from the prophecy, but he was determined to investigate.
After giving him the last few warnings, Sophia left Axel and went to join her mate in the study.
Without a word, she stood in front of a closed window and gazed into the distance where the dense forest met the dark sky full of stars.
"He is still going?", Alpha Isaac asked.
It was obvious that Sophia was not in a good mood.
Sophia nodded faintly before responding, "He is stubborn."
"Like his mother."
Sophia shot him a side-glance, but her lips curved into a faint smile. She liked when people noticed traces of her in Axel.
A second later, Sophia let out a long sigh. "Do you think we made a mistake by giving the girl away?"
"At that time, we did what we thought it's best for everyone.", Isaac said.
"And now? Do you still think it's best?"
Isaac stood up from his seat and in the next instant, he was behind Sophia, wrapping her in his embrace and pulling her to lean on his chest as his silvery after-image disappeared from behind his desk.
Sophia always loved when Isaac used his teleportation to get close to her, but this time she didn't react, which told him she was really upset.
"I think that there is no point in dwelling on what's already done.", Isaac said. "You heard Axel. Alpha Damon is protecting the girl and if Axel confirms that she is the one and has no powers, our plan worked. There is no way that she caught Alpha's attention and he didn't touch her."
Sophia hummed in agreement and leaned into her mate's embrace.
Over the years, while collaborating with other packs, Alpha Isaac kept his eyes and ears open, and no one mentioned any she-wolf with abnormalities.
As the time passed, they believed that the child either perished or that maybe she found a man which made her lose the potential of awakening her powers, and also nullifying the part of the prophecy that included greed and calamity.
Alpha Sophia and Alpha Isaac didn't want to give the child away, but if she grew up in the Midnight Guardians pack, even without knowing that she is the child from the prophecy, she would maintain her purity until she found her mate, just like every other pack member, and once her powers awaken, it will be impossible to keep her identity a secret.
When they heard some Elders whispering about using the child to establish the Midnight Guardians pack as the ruler among all other packs, Alpha Sophia and Alpha Isaac decided.
By letting her grow up in the outside world, Sophia and Isaac hoped that the child will become like any other she-wolf and that she will succumb to the licentious nature of their kind. In that way, no one will covet her powers and she will be able to live a normal life.
And that man promised to take good care of her.
~ The Dark Howlers pack ~
The packhouse of the Dark Howlers pack was never noisy, but that morning was particularly peaceful with only sounds being chirps of the birds from outside and two heartbeats that followed the same rhythm.
Everything smelled of the forest and the dark chocolate, and the fresh breeze that was coming in through the open double door of the balcony brought in the faint scent of flowers from the garden. On top of all that, there was a lingering scent of arousal and bodily liquids that made Talia blush as scandalous mental images flashed in front of her closed eyes.
Talia knew that warm body next to her was Damon, and she didn't mind the strong arms that shackled her to stick close to him.
Last night started in the closet and at some point, the two of them moved to the bed where they spent the night that Talia could describe with one word, magical.
Talia counted Damon's slow and even breaths before looking up to see that Damon's eyes were closed. Was he still sleeping? That was rare because Damon would always wake up before her.
Talia took this opportunity to silently admire his chiseled features. Strong jaw, straight nose, kissable full lips… actually, every part of him was kissable. And lickable.
Damon's expression was relaxed and there was a hint of a content smile like he was dreaming something pleasant.
Talia's sight drifted lower and paused at Damon's Adam's apple before it continued over his pecs and the majestic landscape of his abs.
How can a man be so handsome? And this was not just any man. This was Damon Blake, Alpha of the Dark Howlers pack, Alpha who can be scary and powerful and domineering and gentle and caring… and he was her mate. Unbelievable. She was never this happy.
Talia's only fear was that this was a dream or a figment of her imagination and that she will wake up to a reality where she was still stuck in the attic of the Red Moon pack.
She let out a long breath. If this was a dream, she didn't want to wake up. Ever.
Talia hugged Damon and stuck to him as close as she could, hoping that they will merge into one and never separate.
Yes, they merged last night many times, and Damon was right, it was several folds better with the sparks, to the point that Talia thought she might pass out while she repeatedly fell apart and came together with pieces of Damon embedded into her soul as her new normal, but she needed more of Damon. Will it ever be enough?
Talia's neck still didn't have Damon's mark and Talia was anxious about it. She knew that he wanted to mark her, but she could also feel his restraint every time his fangs grazed her neck.
Will it hurt? What if people target her?
Damon's mark will be an invitation for various people to come at her, from Damon's wannabe brides to Damon's enemies.
What if she bumps into another group of rogues? And what if this second group is actually looking for her?
For the first time, Talia wished strength, so that she can defend herself. She didn't want to allow Damon to end up in danger again because she is weak.
"That's too many thoughts for this early in the morning, kitten…", Damon murmured in a deep drowsy voice. He chuckled when she looked up at him with her honeyed eyes full of unspoken questions.
"I can feel your emotions. They are all over the place."
Talia's expression flashed with the realization that Damon can see through her, even when he is not looking at her.
"Were you able to feel my emotions from the beginning?", she asked.
Damon thought for a moment before responding, "I'm not sure when it started. It was very faint at first and I would often wonder what's going on, but as our bond strengthened I realized that those are your emotions."
Before Talia could say anything else, Damon turned sideways and hugged her tightly, pressing her against his body. "If you have this much energy to think, maybe I didn't tire you out enough last night. Hm?"
