Maya was not sure what the big deal was about Talia trying to help Marcy recover with some herbs. Wasn't that what she was already doing? But who would know what was on Alpha Damon's mind? He was overprotective and borderline unreasonable when it came to Talia.
However, when thinking about the grim prognosis related to Marcy's condition, Maya decided to remind them… "Doctor Travis said that there is not much we can do about Marcy and that her stay in the hospital won't go beyond stabilizing her condition. Shaman Gideon confirmed that Marcy's recovery depends on the strength of her spirit. Considering that Marcy's condition is deteriorating, I would suggest that we let Talia do her thing. It can't hurt."
"Damon and I will talk about it more.", Talia responded. She knew that Damon was only worried about her, and she didn't blame him because she would do the same if the roles were reversed. Talia was eager to start convincing Damon to give in, but before that, she wanted to confirm, "Is there something else we should worry about?"
"It's about the upcoming pack run.", Caden responded.
"What about it?", Talia asked.
"Do you know what a pack run is?", Maya asked.
Talia's blank expression answered that question.
Damon answered. "I was too young to participate but I remember that my parents would lead the pack run on every full moon. Pack members would gather to witness Shaman perform the ritual of worshiping the Moon Goddess. After that, elderly and underage members would go home while grownups head to the forest to run, hunt, and mate."
Talia didn't want to think about werewolves going at it in random spots through the forest, but the rest didn't sound intimidating. "Why do you sound like it's a problem?"
"Because…" Damon let out a long breath. "The part with running and hunting is done in wolf form."
Talia's mouth fell slack open when she realized where the problem was. In wolf form? She never shifted, and her wolf only made a few nasty remarks at Damon before going back to wherever she came from.
"Do you think that Elders Samson and Charlie suggested the pack run because they knew about Talia's condition?", Caden asked.
Maya frowned. "You think they set us up?"
Caden shrugged, indicating that he was not sure. "Would you be surprised?"
Maya thought for a moment before sharing her thoughts. "If they heard the rumors how Talia doesn't have a wolf, this was an interesting scheme. In the eyes of other Elders, they were magnanimous in giving you a chance to revive an old tradition and to strengthen the pack by having a Luna of your choice, but in reality, they set you up for failure in front of the whole pack."
Talia wanted to ask how they would know that she doesn't have a wolf, but then she remembered Lisa. Among other things, Lisa called Talia in her face a wolf-less she-wolf, and Talia couldn't imagine what nasty things Lisa said when Talia was not around.
Caden puffed his cheeks. "There is a good chance that they considered the bad relationship between Alpha and Shaman. With this, Damon would need to lower himself and ask Shaman to perform the ceremony as a favor, otherwise, the pack run would start on a bad note."
Maya smiled smugly. "If that's what they were going for, the nasty duo miscalculated. They obviously don't know that Shaman found his mate. We just need to tell Mindy to ask Gideon about the ceremony, and he will do it gladly only to please her."
"Well, at least we have that going for us.", Talia said dejectedly. "Maybe his ceremony is so awesome that no one notices I didn't turn into a wolf."
Damon rubbed Talia's back gently and he thought about leaving all this crap behind. They could buy a small house in the middle of nowhere and live a comfortable life without anyone bothering them. Talia said that she loves the forest, and he could get them a home with access to a lake… somewhere high in the mountains where humans don't come often. He would hunt for them and it will be perfect.
"You know…", Caden started and hesitated.
"Go on.", Damon urged him. "We have so many bad things piled up, one more won't matter."
"This one week delay could be them buying time to contact Alpha Edward and come up with a plan to attack us."
Damon knew that Caden's theory might be true. After all, Elder Samson and Elder Charlie were confirmed with connections in the Red Moon pack, and they also knew that Talia was his mate. How far ahead were they planning?
Damon frowned. Did he fall into their trap?
'Will it make any difference?', Damon's wolf sounded in his head. 'Trap or not, we are in an unfavorable situation, and you need to find the best way to get back on top. You did well by giving our mate identity in front of everyone. Treat this as your first challenge together and keep an eye on Elders. With what they did tonight, you have the right to monitor them. If they do anything suspicious, it will give you a reason to lock them up. And leave those silly thoughts about a solitary life as a last resort.'
'Thanks.' Damon was glad that his wolf chimed in and pointed out what matters. Damon was too overwhelmed with everything that happened, and his brain stopped working.
Normally, Damon's wolf would listen and the two of them would discuss things when others were not around. It was a habit they established to minimize the possibility of anyone finding out that Damon's wolf was special.
But with Damon's wolf having access to Damon's thoughts and emotions, the old creature was able to speak up at the critical moment and keep Damon on the right path. Like now.
"It doesn't matter why Samson and Charlie did this.", Damon said. "Alpha Edward would find out how his plan to make Marcy my Luna fell apart. It was a matter of days. Actually, we were lucky to get this extension thanks to James' collaboration, but we knew that it wouldn't last forever. I estimate that Alpha Edward already knows what happened tonight."
Talia stiffened at Damon's words, and he tightened his hold on her while continuing, "I am done hiding Talia. She is my mate and I want the whole world to know it. I realized that postponing the inevitable only brought us more problems. If I told everyone who Talia is on the day she arrived here, things would be unpleasant, but they wouldn't escalate to this point. The bottom line is that Marcy will not be my Luna, and neither will any other woman because I have my mate, and if anyone thinks otherwise, I am ready to accept his challenge."
Talia looked at Maya, Caden, and Damon. Three of them were worried and she really felt that it was her fault. If she was not from the Red Moon pack, if she had a wolf, if she had a background, if she was strong enough… none of this would happen.
The three of them were the first people who treated her nicely. They gave her home, food, and treated her as their equal. How can she allow them to suffer because of her?
Talia felt the urgency to do something. Anything.
