Damon gestured toward the room where George was, and asked Travis, "Can he eat on his own?"
Travis shrugged. "Physically, there is nothing wrong with him. I suggest that you leave some food by his side and see if he will take it."
With that, Travis left the house. He had work to do in the hospital, and he was due to return in the evening to check on his two top-secret patients.
"I will get some food for George. There must be leftovers in the fridge.", Talia said.
Damon didn't want Talia to do it. "I will ask Steph."
"No.", Talia said quickly before he could mind-link Stephanie. "She has too much on her mind. Let me do it."
Damon frowned in obvious disapproval. He didn't want Talia to come and serve George and he definitely didn't want her close to Marcy.
"It's just to bring food.", Talia coaxed her grumpy Alpha. "In any case, I need to bring herbs that Doctor Travis requested. As for food, I could delegate that to Dawn and Zina."
Damon approved of someone else doing it, but… "Are they trustworthy?"
"I believe they are.", Talia said before correcting herself. "They are. Besides, we can't do this on our own. The herbs will need to be changed occasionally, the rooms need to be ventilated, and our patients will need food more often than once a day. Depending on how long Marcy and George stay here, this place will need to be cleaned. The two of us can't do it without arousing suspicion that something is off. I will treat this as a test for Zina and Dawn because I know that Steph wants to retire, and I am thinking of asking them if they will be willing to take over Steph's duties."
Damon's lips lifted into a smile. His kitten was doing Luna's duties, and he approved.
"Alright.", he said. "I will let you handle it."
Talia smiled brightly.
She was happy that he let her handle things. It was a sign of trust. Damon believing that she can do it, meant the world to her.
They walked back to the packhouse while holding hands with their fingers interlaced, and Talia asked, "Should we call Shaman Gideon?"
Damon's expression hardened. "Why?"
"He should be the best person to advise us in getting Marcy and George back on their feet."
"Why would I want to help them?", Damon grumbled. "Let them stay like that forever. I am thinking of just sending them to Alpha Edward and letting him deal with them. Instead of the video, we can say that someone overheard the rejection, so he won't find out about George's real identity. If I don't think George could be useful to us, I would expose him completely."
Talia knew that Damon didn't mean it. And she also knew that Damon had a grudge against the Shaman. Damon was under a lot of stress already, so Talia decided to stir the topic in another direction.
"Can you tell me about the Frostcrest pack?"
"They were a mid-sized pack…", Damon told her what he remembered about the pack, and how it disappeared from the map after being absorbed by the Red Moon pack about two decades ago. "Alpha Conor died in an Alpha duel against Alpha Howard. Luna Eliana passed away, due to heartbreak. They had a son, he was only a few years old, and he disappeared in the mess that happened during the leadership transfer. People believed that Alpha Howard killed the child in order to prevent a rebellion in the future because pack members tend to stay loyal to their Alpha. Who would have known that the boy was right under Alpha Howard's nose?"
Talia listened to everything attentively, and when Damon finished, she said, "So… George is like you. Without parents."
"Uhm… yes.", Damon said and eyed the little woman by his side. "I assume you were hinting at something with that comment."
"I didn't.", Talia denied it. "But I hope you will keep an open mind when it comes to George."
Damon frowned. "An open mind?"
"I have a feeling that George is a good person. That's all. In addition, I have something in common with George too."
"You do?"
Talia nodded. "Alpha Howard was responsible for me and George ending up in the Red Moon pack."
Damon agreed with that point. "My parents didn't approve that the Red Moon pack had this structure where children would be trained from a young age while living separately from their parents. Because of that policy, it was difficult to estimate how many children were from the Red Moon pack, and how many came from other places."
Talia remembered her childhood. "There were many kids, and I assumed that they were like me, without parents. But when I became older, and they repurposed the building to be a part of training facilities, everyone else had a place to go, except for me. That's how I ended up in the attic."
"They didn't assign you a place because there was no data about you being there."
Talia halted her steps and looked at Damon. "Thank you."
"For?"
"For giving me a home."
Damon didn't know how to respond to this. He would say 'you are welcome', but he couldn't form any words as the myriad of Talia's emotions hit him harshly, making him understand how much was hidden behind those two words, 'thank you'.
Talia was always an outcast, never having a place to call her own, and he was determined to give her exactly that and much more.
Damon wrapped his arms around Talia and pressed her against him with the hope that she will read his emotions through the mate bond and understand how much she means to him.
"Damon?", Talia called.
"Hmm?"
"About Shaman Gideon…", Talia's voice trailed.
"What about him?"
"I know you don't get along with him, but he might help us deal with this mess. If he can help Marcy and George get better, they will leave sooner. Isn't that what we want?" Seeing that Damon didn't respond, Talia kept on talking, "We don't need to disclose who they are. We can just tell him that two people broke their mate bond and are suffering. Maybe he will give us advice. If he agrees to see them, we can say that they are someone from this pack."
Damon let out a long breath. "I don't like Gideon, but I love you."
Talia looked at him expectantly. "What does that mean?"
"I can't say no to you, kitten. But don't expect me to talk to him, and I don't want you to go there either. Ask Maya to do it."
Talia's face broke into a smile. "Alright." She rubbed her face into his chest. "You are the best, you know that?"
"I know. I know…", Damon mumbled and then he got an idea. "But don't think that this is for free."
Talia froze. "What do you mean?"
"I expect payment for this." He leaned closer and whispered into her ear, "Tonight."
Talia got goosebumps dancing all over her skin.
Damon's hot breath tickled her ear and his hold on her tightened and she knew what kind of payment he was expecting. The naughty Alpha wanted to get frisky, and he was playful about it, so she played along.
"This is important, my Alpha. I will do anything." Talia put her index finger on his lips and traced the invisible line down his neck, over his Adam's apple, until she hooked her finger at the collar of his shirt and pulled him lower.
"Anything…", her lips moved against his cheek and Damon was hard in an instant.
He let out a slow chuckle, and spoke in a sexy low voice, "If we are not so busy, I would push you down on this grass right now and have my way with you."
Talia was surprised that lusty Alpha was aware of how there was a world beyond carnal pleasures. That was a first.
"Well, I guess you will need to wait until tonight, my Alpha." Her eyes flashed mischievously. "Maybe I put on a sexy outfit to treat you for doing me a favor."
Damon swallowed hard. The evening couldn't come fast enough.
Do they need to wait until evening?
