Seeing Talia's strange expression, Damon was quick to explain, "It was Steph's decision to move out of the packhouse. I don't know the details other than they moved earlier this morning. Maya assigned them a two-bedroom apartment in the common building where Omegas are staying, and a few warriors came to help them move their stuff in one go. Steph will still be in charge of the kitchen and perform her duties in the packhouse, as usual, but she asked for some time off so that they can settle in their new place. She will be back in time to prepare dinner. It's for the best, considering that Kalina is coming."
Talia knew that it was a good idea for Lisa to stay away from Kalina. If Lisa could say all those nasty things to Talia, who knows what she would say to Kalina? And there was a chance that Lisa would stir trouble with Tony.
Of course, sleeping in a different building didn't mean that Lisa won't approach them when she gets a chance. After all, there are many public areas and the packhouse itself is open to all pack members. But it meant that Lisa won't bump into Tony and Kalina accidentally, and Talia hoped that Lisa will have enough presence of mind not to stir trouble on purpose.
Talia was sad that Stephanie moved away.
"Are you feeling sorry for Lisa or for Steph?", Damon's voice came close from behind Talia, startling her from her thoughts. She didn't notice when he approached her.
"Both.", Talia responded.
Damon turned Talia's chair to face him, and he squatted so that they are on the same eye level. He knew that Talia is kindhearted, and he loved that part of her, but he didn't want her to be upset because of others.
Damon's goal in life was to make Talia happy, and how can he do that when random people are popping from all sides and troubling her?
"Don't feel sorry for them.", Damon said, unable to control his irritation. "Lisa can't let go of her imaginary throne and face the reality, and that's her problem. As for Steph, if she disciplined Lisa in time, they wouldn't be facing this issue now."
"I'm sure that Steph only thought about doing what's best for Lisa."
"Don't we all do what we believe it's best? We need to bear the consequences of our actions, regardless of how things end up."
Talia could feel the weight behind Damon's words.
As an Alpha, without his parents to guide him, Damon definitely made numerous decisions for himself and for the pack. Her heart ached at the thought that he was on his own during all that, and Talia knew what loneliness is. Yes, Damon had Stephanie, and Caden, and Maya, but at the end of the day, Damon was the one who faced the burn of his choices.
Talia slipped off her chair, pushing Damon to sit on the floor before she sat on his thighs and wrapped her arms around him.
"It's OK, Damon", Talia said while looking into his eyes lovingly. "I am here now, and we will do everything together."
Damon exhaled helplessly. How did this end up with Talia comforting him? But he had no intention of refuting her. There was only one thing he wanted to confirm. "Promise that you won't leave me, kitten."
"My words are still valid. As long as you treat me well, I will be by your side." Talia was painfully aware that those words were not completely true because with every moment they spent together she was falling for him more, and the mate bond only made things more difficult. Would she be able to leave him if he mistreats her? She was not sure, but she knew one thing… "I don't have strength or speed, and I have no confidence that my wolf will ever awaken, but I will do my best to support you."
Talia mentioning her lack of strength and speed reminded him. "Kitten, how much do you remember from what happened in the forest with rogues?"
Talia was not willing to talk about her encounter with rogues in the forest.
That incident reminded her that she acted without thinking while disregarding Damon's warnings, and as an outcome, Damon got hurt. She remembered how powerless she was when facing four guys with bad intentions. But Damon insisted, so Talia told him how she went into the forest and thought how they were patrol team from the Dark Howlers pack, and by the time she realized that something was wrong, they noticed her.
Damon listened to her every word attentively, especially the part when she spoke about his wolf appearing like a majestic savior, and he felt her anguish when she talked about the knife in his abdomen and gunshots.
"And what happened after that?", Damon urged her to continue.
"I'm not sure. I was petrified. They were shooting at you, and there was so much blood… I feared that I will lose you. If anything happened to you because of my stupidity, I would never forgive myself. I caused that mess, and I couldn't do a thing to stop it. I'm so sorry."
"There is nothing for you to feel sorry about.", Damon said gently. "Are you sure you didn't do anything to stop them?"
Talia's brows came together. "What do you mean?"
"I was losing blood and the wolfsbane was clouding my mind, but I'm quite confident I saw you moving like a lightning and in the next moment, two rogues flew backward like some invisible force propelled them backward violently."
Talia observed Damon intently, waiting for him to say more, and when he didn't, she realized… "You are saying, I did that?"
Damon nodded. "And not only that. When I reached the pack hospital, I had two stab wounds and three bullet wounds, all laced with wolfsbane. It all healed within hours, and I don't have a single scar. Your injuries healed also. Travis confirmed that both of us were in a sorry state when we arrived in the pack hospital, and after spending some time alone in the room, both of us were in perfect shape. My wolf said that you healed us, and I believe he was talking about more than just our mate bond."
Talia looked at Damon blankly and it took her some time to respond. "You are saying that I moved faster than normal, flung two grown-up werewolves, and I healed both of us?"
Damon let out a long breath. "I know it sounds crazy, but… It was just two of us, and I'm quite confident it was not me. I fought many times and if I have any superpowers, I would know about it."
Damon looked at Talia's confused expression and wondered if he spoke too soon about this. His plan was to discuss this with his wolf first and possibly get more information from the old guy, but he still ended up blurting it out.
"Let's not overthink it.", Damon tried to sound casual. "As I said, I was in a bad shape, and maybe I was seeing things. But just in case, pay attention to your body and if something strange happens around you. We will start from there."
Talia was anxious. "If something is wrong with me, shouldn't we talk to Doctor Travis or with the shaman Gideon?"
"No.", Damon was quick to reject the idea. "The more people know about this, the more we will be in danger. But no matter what, I want you to know that there is nothing wrong with you, kitten. Actually, I know that you are special."
"But… what if someone else has answers we are looking for?", Talia persisted.
"Let's keep this between us until we figure out what's going on. My wolf should be fine in a day or two, and maybe he can give us some answers."
Damon tightened his hold on her. "You are an amazing woman, and we will know the extent of your abilities when your wolf awakens. I hope you know that you can always rely on me."
Talia leaned into Damon's embrace, and she allowed his confidence to wash over her and dispel the anxiety that threatened to overtake her senses.
The more Talia thought about superpowers, the more she liked it.
"I hope you are right.", Talia said with sparkles in her eyes. "If I can really move quickly and have all those powers, I can keep you safe. Maybe I can learn to use them at will, so next time I will protect myself and you."
Damon chuckled and shook his head. "Silly kitten. I should be the one to keep you safe."
"How about we keep each other safe?"
Damon hummed in approval and inched closer to kiss her lips once, twice… his kisses were slow and full of longing and even though Talia felt his erection poking her bottom, his hands were firmly planted around her back and Talia could sense his need to confirm that she was in his arms and that she was not going anywhere.
Talia hugged him with all her might and responded to his kisses while immersing herself in Damon's presence that came with his solid embrace and her favorite scent of the forest as his addictive flavor of the dark chocolate seeped into her system.
