Within a few minutes, Damon made appropriate arrangements for Axel to leave covertly with Tyler, Kai, and Meg, and Axel appreciated Damon's discretion.
"Thank you for doing this, Alpha Damon." And for not asking questions as to why we are leaving so suddenly and need secrecy.
"It's not a big deal.", Damon responded. "Is there anything else?" How Damon saw this, with Axel out of the picture, there will be one less problem to deal with.
Axel wanted to say how there was nothing else, but Talia was right there, and he only wanted a few minutes of her time, and it was important. His eyes drifted to the person in question. "I would like to speak with Miss Talia."
Damon's expression stiffened. "Speak."
"In private."
Hell no! "You can speak in front of me.", Damon said curtly.
Talia saw that Damon was irritable, and she moved to stand next to him. "I have no secrets in front of Damon."
"But I do.", Axel said without missing a beat.
"Then, there is nothing for us to talk.", Talia said, surprising both Damon and Axel. "Whatever you say to me, you can assume I will tell Damon. If he can't hear it, then I shouldn't hear it either."
Damon's lips lifted into a smile. Talia's words were backed up with immense trust and acceptance that flowed into him through the mate bond, and Damon felt his chest swelling with pride. That's his mate!
Axel was conflicted. He wanted to talk to Talia, but it seemed that Damon was part of the package.
Axel was more than 95% confident that Talia was connected to the Midnight Guardians pack, and he was at least 70% certain that she was the child from Cassandra's prophecy.
The reason for only 70% was the lack of Talia's mind-link. As a child of the Midnight Guardians pack, she should have that link upon birth, and Axel would be able to sense it. But Axel heard that something was off with Talia's wolf, so there was a chance the absence of her link was due to that.
The light in the lake was proof that Talia's powers awakened, and that wouldn't happen if she was not with her mate.
Was Damon Talia's mate? That would complicate things.
But if they were mates, how come they didn't announce it? And why was Talia not marked?
Was Talia with her mate long enough for her powers to awaken, and after that, she got together with Damon? Did Damon find out how powerful she is, and that's why he took her under his wing? Is Damon somehow forcing Talia to stay by his side?
All kinds of theories swirled in Axel's mind and he couldn't voice any of them in front of Damon.
Heck, even if Damon gave them privacy, Axel was not sure if he can say that to Talia and not sound like a madman. But there were things he could say.
"Miss Talia, I remember that you grew up with your grandparents and only recently you came to the Dark Howlers pack. Am I correct to say that you didn't join this pack officially?"
Damon felt his blood pressure rising and he took a moment to calm down his wolf before asking Axel, "What does that have to do with you?"
"I believe that at least one of Miss Talia's grandparents came from the Midnight Guardians pack."
The real version was that Axel believed Talia came from the Midnight Guardians pack, but if he said that, it would show that he doubts her background story so he went with this. Technically, it was not a lie.
"You knew my grandparents?", Talia asked. How could Axel know her non-existent grandparents that she grew up with somewhere in the mountains? They made up that story.
Axel shook his head. "I don't. But I have my reasons to believe so."
Damon's face was arranged into a frown, and his hunch was telling him how Axel's reasons were not related to Talia's grandparents, but to what happened in the lake. Caden said that they all saw the light, and assumed it was the mermaids, but if Axel was somehow aware of Talia's powers, he would know better.
Everyone knew that the Midnight Guardians are secretive, and there were all kinds of rumors about them. Some of them included silvery eyes and fantastic powers. Well, that matched Talia's description.
To Damon, it didn't matter what Axel's motives were. Axel was looking at Talia like there was something important between them, and Damon didn't like it.
"What reasons do you have?", Damon asked Axel.
"That is something I can't disclose, Alpha Damon. This is related to my pack. You know that my pack has secrets, just like any other."
"Assuming you are right. What does that mean?", Talia asked Axel.
"Come to my pack."
As soon as these words left Axel's lips, Damon bolted on his feet. His wolf was raging, and Damon didn't try to pacify him this time. What is Damon? A decoration? How dares Axel ask Talia to go with him? Actually, Axel's words sounded more like a demand than an invitation.
"I will not harm her.", Axel said with haste. "This was just an invitation."
He regretted his choice of words, but it was already out, and he didn't have the time for a soft approach and flowery speeches because Meg's charges were increasing and they needed to leave the packhouse before Meg blows it up.
Damon's hostility was tangible and the way his eyes turned feral, it was obvious that he was on the verge of shifting into his wolf form. Every muscle in his body was tense in the desire to protect his mate.
Axel frowned when Damon's aura splashed on him full force, but he managed to stay steady even with the suppression that made it difficult to breathe.
Talia moved closer to Damon, totally unaffected by his aura. She knew that Damon will calm down with her proximity, and she was unsettled by Axel's words also.
Damon's hand snaked around her shoulders, pulling her to lean on him.
"Let's hear him out.", Talia said to Damon. It took a moment for Damon to nod and dispel his hostile aura. Only then Talia turned to Axel. "You want me to come to your pack? How much I know, you don't accept outsiders."
"If I am right, you are not an outsider.", Axel said right away.
"What if you are wrong?", Talia asked.
"It doesn't matter. You are welcome to stay with us. I will vouch for you.", Axel responded. He was confident that she belongs to his pack, regardless of if she was the child from the prophecy or not.
"What do you mean, you will vouch for her?", Damon snapped. "Speak clearly. Are you offering her to be a member of your pack? A guest? Or a prisoner?"
Axel was shocked. "A prisoner?"
"Will she be able to leave whenever she wants?"
Axel pressed his lips into a line while thinking about how to answer Damon's question.
If Axel said that she can't leave without giving them the whole story, it will only sound like he has an intention to restrict Talia's freedom, and he couldn't tell the whole story at this point. Axel was confident that after Talia understands the significance of her powers, she will choose to stay there, under the protection of the Midnight Guardians pack.
By staying in the Dark Howlers pack, Talia was in danger, and so were people who were close to her.
Axel saw the light in the lake, and others saw it to also. Axel guessed that Talia used her ability to save Tatiana, and he couldn't blame her for it. This time, mermaids came up like a good coverup, but what excuse will they use next time when someone sees strange things happening? And it will be only a matter of time until they connect mysterious events with Talia.
Axel wondered, how many people already know about Talia's abilities?
