Talia knew that Damon was promiscuous, and she told herself many times that the past will be in the past, but Nora was right there, and Talia couldn't stop all kinds of thoughts from surfacing into her mind.
"I didn't realize that you came to the Red Moon pack to shag both Nora and Marcy. Did you have more women on your list?", Talia spoke angrily.
Damon cursed under his breath. If he denies sleeping with Marcy, it will confirm that he slept with Nora. Sure, Talia already caught up on that, but he didn't want to say it. And Talia was still talking.
"Did bumping into me at the Red Moon pack disrupt your plans?" Her eyes moved toward Nora. "It seems it didn't because you were dipping your pecker in whoever was willing even after you found out that you have a mate!"
Damon knew he deserved it, but he didn't want to allow this to escalate more than it did already.
"Kitten, listen… you know I was a scoundrel, and I did all kinds of despicable things. However, since I realized what the mate bond is and what we have, I am a changed man." This was the truth. "Don't judge me based on my initial ignorance. Yes, I needed some time to understand what's important, but since you came here I didn't touch any other woman. Please, don't let my past spoil what we have."
Talia's chest was hurting, and she could barely breathe. She felt his remorse and she knew he meant it, but still… "It's easy for you to say. What if that was my past? What if men who bedded me were popping up every few days? How would you deal with it?"
The thought of Talia's non-existent exes was making Damon's temper rise as smoldering jealousy that can only be calmed by spilling blood, but he was aware that he had no right to be upset, so he swallowed all those emotions.
Talia knew everything already and he didn't know how to fix it, so he kept quiet.
If she was shouting at him or hitting him, things would be better, but she looked at him with hurt and disappointment, and that was killing him on the inside.
Seeing that Damon was not saying anything, Talia turned on her heel and moved to leave the study.
"Where are you going?", Damon asked with urgency, and Talia's steps halted.
When she entered the study, Talia felt fury swelling inside her and she thought that she will rip Nora into pieces, but the truth was that Talia was tired of fighting with the ghosts of Damon's past.
Talia's wolf was still sleeping while her powers were emerging, Axel wanted to take her away, more and more people were talking about her as a future Luna, Marcy's and George's situation was threatening to bring many problems, and Talia was not sure how much more she can handle without crumbling.
Her biggest pillar of support was tainted with women who experienced his intimate embrace and that was like a knife lodged into Talia's heart, and every time one of those women emerged, Talia felt like someone twisted the knife, causing her soul to cry in agony.
She wanted to drown in the comfort that came with Damon's proximity, but how can he comfort her when he was the source of her pain?
Talia felt the need to curl into a corner and hide her presence until things get better, or at least until she learns to blur out the mental image of Damon and Nora.
"I'm tired, Damon. I want to rest."
So many things happened, and Talia was looking forward to snuggling with Damon, but instead of belonging his embrace could provide, Talia ended up seeing Nora trying to get her hands on Damon, and she found out that Damon slept not only with socialites, models, princesses, and other women of high society that were trying to be his Luna, but he slept with certified sluts also. How could she be OK with that?
"Kitten…", he called. "Can I say one thing?"
Talia stood motionlessly, silently giving him permission to talk.
"Do you remember when we met in the kitchen of the Red Moon pack?"
Talia nodded. How could she forget? Damon spoke to her, and he examined her bruises under the refrigerator light, and he looked genuinely concerned about her.
Damon continued, "That was the first time I touched you. That was the first time I felt the sparks and knew that the mate bond was real. After that, I didn't touch any other woman. That's the truth."
Talia pressed her lips into a line. She knew he was telling the truth, but did this change things?
Seeing that Talia had no intention to respond, Damon asked, "What do you want me to do with Nora?"
"She is your mess. I don't want to think about her or you. I need time to calm down." And she continued moving toward the door.
The moment Talia's form disappeared from his field of vision, Damon felt rage and anguish swelling within him and he didn't know if those were his or Talia's.
Damon looked at Nora and he wanted to punch her until she turns into a meat paste. He never hated a person so much.
He hated his past self that was ignorant and stubborn, and he hated the most that he couldn't take it back.
Damon wanted to rush after Talia and fix things, but the reality was that he didn't know what to say. The truth would only make things worse and lying was not an option either because she already knew everything and… he didn't want to lie to her.
Damon moved swiftly behind his desk and opened the security video feed on his computer. His heart calmed a little when he saw Talia entering their room. At least she didn't leave, and that should be a good sign.
He could feel that Talia's anger was morphing into sadness and if he knew how to make it better, he would do it without a second thought.
A minute later, two soldiers were in the study, awaiting orders.
Damon looked at Nora and thought about his options. If he removes the personal hatred he feels due to his predicament, Nora's crime was being a slut, and he didn't know how to punish her for that. Technically, he should warn her to stay away, but he had a feeling that won't work, so he thought of something safer.
"Take her into the dungeon.", Damon said.
He will think about what to do with her later.
The warriors dragged Nora out, and Damon groaned in frustration. He will need to ask James to come up with a coverup story for Nora's absence and he hated the idea of owing another favor to the teenager.
Damned Nora! If she didn't come, he would be enjoying his time with Talia. Talia said that she will wear sexy nightwear, and he imagined ripping it off and feasting on Talia's delicious body… but after this fiasco, Damon will be lucky if Talia doesn't chase him to sleep on the sofa with damned plush toys!
And this time, jumping into a waterfall won't save his sorry ass. He needed something drastic… something that will show Talia how she is special and how he will do anything to make her happy.
Talia's sadness was killing him, and he needed to fix it. Somehow.
