Damon carried Talia princess style down the main street of Darkbourne, and they ignored all gazes directed their way.
Damon's steps halted in front of the black armored Lexus SUV.
"Do you want a ride back to the packhouse, or should I carry you?", Damon asked with a lopsided smile that made Talia's heart skip a beat. She loved how he was able to carry her like she weighs nothing.
"Do we need to go back?"
Damon didn't understand why Talia's mood dropped. That was their home. "Why not?"
"Steph is there. After what I did to Lisa, I don't know how to face her."
"Don't worry about Lisa. She is a werewolf. No matter what you did, she will heal."
"Will Steph think that way?", Talia asked suspiciously.
"Don't worry about Steph. She is aware that Lisa crossed the line more than once."
Talia doubted that Stephanie was fine with Lisa being in the dungeon. Everyone knew that Stephanie doted on Lisa. A lot. "Is Steph fine with Lisa's punishment?"
"She is not.", Damon said flatly. "However, Steph tried talking to Lisa, I ordered Lisa to stay away, Maya spoke with her, but Lisa refuses to listen to reason and she is seeking trouble repeatedly. Steph knows that being in the dungeon is one of the lighter punishments for a she-wolf. Unless we are interrogating prisoners, they are not being mistreated. If Lisa uses this as a chance to grow up, she won't blame Steph or us, instead, she will apologize and fix her ways."
Talia thought how that was reasonable, but that didn't mean Lisa will see it that way. Just as Damon said, Lisa was repeatedly looking for trouble, she disregarded authority, and she was acting like the whole world was set on bullying her. But instead of fixing her ways, Lisa was escalating. Talia clearly remembered how Lisa gloated at the thought that Damon abandoned Talia. What was that about? Talia doubted that Lisa will change unless something drastic happens, and staying in the dungeon didn't seem to be enough.
"So?", Damon asked Talia. "Which one will it be?" He glanced at the car and then down the street, reminding her of options to return to the packhouse. "My services are available, and you won't need to walk, regardless of which one you choose."
Talia thought for a moment before responding. "I think that ride is more practical", and he shouldn't leave his car in the town, "but I really like when you hold me like this."
Damon chuckled. "One doesn't exclude the other."
He walked to the driver's side and pushed the button that slid the seat backward, and then he sat there with Talia in his lap.
"How is this?", Damon asked and started the engine.
Talia leaned on Damon and nuzzled his neck with her nose. "Perfect."
Her breath tickled his skin and the pressure in his groin area increased.
Damon cleared his throat. "Do that again, and I will drive this car into the nearest bush." He wiggled his eyebrows mischievously and Talia couldn't prevent her lips from lifting into a smile. Her Alpha was playful and insatiable, and she wouldn't want him any other way.
Talia's arms moved around Damon, and she relished the peace that resided in her heart. Her fears, irritation, and chaos of the world were gone, and Talia knew how that was the effect of Damon's proximity.
Something told her that as long as they were together, they will be undefeatable, and that sensation of security was addictive. She didn't want to let go of him, ever.
The drive to the packhouse was about five minutes long and Talia really wished it to last longer; until evening, or until forever, because she enjoyed profusely Damon's addictive scent and the heat that radiated from his body. That was her mate, her other half, her everything.
"We are here, kitten…", Damon murmured, and Talia blinked to see that they were in the garage of the packhouse.
The garage is a separate building, less than a minute away from the packhouse. Normally, Damon would stop the car in front of the packhouse, and an Omega would park the car properly, but this time, Damon decided to go all the way because he could feel that Talia enjoyed the ride.
"Thank you.", Talia said.
"For?"
"For making it look like you suppressed Lisa at the town square." She knew that if people figured out it was her, there was a chance that people would fear her, and that was not a good impression for a Luna. Somehow, Damon always put her first, and Talia appreciated it.
Damon's lips lifted into a smirk. "That was not suppression."
"What was it?"
"Complete dominance, kitten. Your aura is stronger than mine."
Talia doubted that. "You would say anything to make me feel better."
"I am not joking. I can make people bow and obey my command, but I was never able to break bones."
"Maybe that was my ability.", Talia said while waving her fingers, simulating the silvery light that Damon described after he saw her in the lake when she stopped the currents.
Damon disagreed. "Your eyes were normal. This was not magic. It was your aura."
Talia was not sure what to think about this. Will she end up hurting people whenever she gets upset?
She thought how it was lucky that the mate bond prevented her from harming Damon. She loved him to pieces, but the reality was that he was the one making her angry the most.
"What's on your mind?", Damon asked.
"How to control the aura. I don't want to harm people accidentally. I know you said that I will figure it out in time, but I feel that I don't have time. Can you teach me?"
At moments like these, Damon wished for Talia's wolf to be present. His wolf taught him about those things and having an insider who can guide her while feeling the same emotions first-hand would be the best.
But Talia was right there, needing answers, and Damon did his best to coach her.
"You won't harm people accidentally. You can think of the aura as a projection of your will. In the town square, your anger was directed at Lisa, and she was the only one harmed."
Talia thought about Damon's words and realized he was right. This put her mind at ease a bit, but she hoped for more, so she looked at him expectantly.
"It might appear that it happens when your emotions are unstable, but that's only in the beginning. When it happens, remember that emotion, kitten. If you can repeat it at will, you will control the aura."
Talia knew that his words made sense, but… "I wish I can practice this somehow. You are the only one who knows about this and can teach me, but you are immune."
Damon's eyebrow twitched. "You would practice on me?"
"You said you will train me. How is that different compared to kicking and grappling?"
Damon was speechless. She was right, but at the same time, it didn't sound right. He was happy about the mate bond protecting him, otherwise, his adorable mate would turn him into a lab rat.
"Be patient. It will happen when it's supposed to happen.", Damon said.
"It's easy for you to say. You can release aura at will, while I feel like I'm a ticking bomb."
Damon didn't deny it. "I can release it at will, but I don't have full control. When my anger flares, I can see that people around me are affected, but I'm not in a state where I would care about it. There is a reason why weaklings stay away from me. The important part is to recognize when it happens…"
Talia sat in Damon's lap and enjoyed listening to Damon who was patiently answering her questions. And what made it extra special was that Talia knew Damon was patient only with her.
His voice was deep, his scent filled the interior of the car, the garage made it feel like the world outside was non-existent, and Talia wouldn't mind if they stayed in there forever.
