Talia's ears perked up when Meg said that time passes here differently. "How differently?"
"A day outside is about a month in the Midnight Guardians pack."
Talia stared at Meg while processing this information.
From Talia's perspective, Meg left two-three days ago, yet for Meg that was two-three months. No wonder Meg was so sad when she said how she didn't visit her family. She really missed them, yet they saw it only as a few days of separation. For them, she would still be in the Dark Howlers pack for training.
Talia was relieved to think that Maya and Caden will not freak out about her and Damon's absence. They had three days, and since Talia and Damon were here, that would be three months. Why didn't they come here for their little escape?
Talia's mood dropped when she reminded herself that Damon was unconscious, and it was uncertain if they will face trouble when they decide to leave this place.
Meg mentioned a portal and there might be more things to consider. Talia took a mental note to slowly probe for information, without being too obvious about it. If she learned anything about the Midnight Guardians pack so far, that was how they were secretive.
Meg and Talia reached the serving area, and Talia took salad, fried chicken, and corn on the cob. There were many options, and Talia was confident that Damon would take steak and cut it for her. She really missed him.
"Make sure you take chocolate pudding…", Meg said while putting one cup on Talia's tray. "They are the best."
Talia looked sadly at the pudding. She could smell the cocoa and it reminded her of Damon.
"Are you alright?", Meg asked.
"Yes, yes." Talia didn't want to explain. "Thank you."
"How are you feeling?", Axel asked Talia when she and Meg joined them at the table.
Talia's expression stiffened when she remembered that Axel knocked her out with some drug. OK. Maybe it was Alpha Isaac, but Axel was right there, allowing it to happen, and he didn't even warn her.
"Fine.", she responded curtly.
Axel realized that Talia's fine was not fine. "I apologize…"
"No need.", Talia cut him off. "Apology won't fix anything. If you are truly sorry about something, don't do it again."
Talia choked on her words as they reminded her of Damon. It was like he was standing right behind her and saying those same words while enveloping her in his presence. Her heart ached, and she really wanted to go back by his side. But she knew that skipping meals won't do good to anyone, so she started eating quickly.
"If it makes any difference…", Axel said carefully. "What we did was a standard protocol. It's for the protection of the pack and you. I promised that you won't be separated from Damon, and I made sure that doesn't happen."
Talia picked up the hidden meaning behind Axel's words. "Someone wanted me to be apart from him?"
"Only people who need help stay in the center.", Axel responded. "Think of it as a hospital. If you are healthy, you can't stay there."
Talia felt a little guilty. Axel seemed sincere, and she was sure that he had his own share of challenges.
"Thank you, Axel.", Talia said and resumed stuffing salad into her mouth.
"What do you think about our pack, Talia?", Tyler asked.
She swallowed before responding, "I don't have an opinion. I've seen the center where Damon is and this place."
"That's not much.", Kai said. "After dinner, we will go for a run to stretch our paws. Join us."
Talia understood that they will go outside and run in their wolf forms. She really wanted to get out from wherever she was, but then she remembered that she can't shift into her wolf form. "I will definitely join you for dinner. And after that, we will see."
"You should…"
"She was being polite.", Meg cut off Tyler. "I'm sure that Talia will rather be with her mate than anywhere else."
Tyler cleared his throat awkwardly and focused on the food in front of him.
Later that evening, Axel came to see how Damon was doing.
"Talia left?", Axel asked Cassandra.
"About one hour ago. She fell asleep, and we carried her back to her room."
Axel thought how that was odd. "Why did you carry her?"
"The herbs in the room are like tranquilizers.", Cassandra said with a knowing smile. "I told her not to stay more than an hour at a time, but she insisted."
Axel pursed his lips. He wanted to check on Damon, but he was also hoping to see Talia. She barely spoke during dinner, and he wanted to see if Talia will loosen up in private. But if she was asleep, he will need to wait for the morning.
The door behind Axel opened, and he turned to see his parents.
"Tell us.", Alpha Isaac said to Cassandra as soon as Alpha Sophia closed the door behind them.
Cassandra glanced at Axel and Alpha Isaac waved at her to go ahead. "As the future Alpha, Axel should know that sometimes we make difficult decisions for the sake of the pack."
Axel frowned at these words. What did that mean?
Cassandra turned to look through the window at Damon. "His condition is the same. He is currently taking three times the maximum dose, yet his power is not diminishing. It's like a bottomless pit."
"What do you suggest?", Alpha Isaac asked.
"It depends on what you want to achieve.", Cassandra responded.
Alpha Isaac's eyes glazed, and Axel was alerted. Why did they switch to a mind-link?
"I want to know what's going on.", Axel demanded.
Cassandra nodded and responded, "Medications won't work. We need to use black runes."
Axel sucked in a sharp breath. They use those for prisoners, to suppress their magic abilities. "Alpha Damon is in the process of awakening his powers. Black runes might cripple him."
"Use your head, Axel.", Alpha Isaac said sternly. "He is not responding to medications. That should tell you how powerful he will be if he gets ahold of the powers he is currently absorbing. Damon is already the strongest Alpha. Do you really want him to get into a position where he can single-handedly decide the fate of werewolves as a society?"
"I understand, but…"
"There are no buts, Axel.", Alpha Sophia said from the side. "Everyone knows that Alpha Damon is impulsive. What will you do if one day he decides to go after our pack? He already knows our secrets. Do you think he will leave us alone or make us do his bidding? Will you be willing to stay under his thumb? All-out war will only cause casualties. By acting now, we are preventing future catastrophe."
Axel rubbed his forehead while struggling to accept this. He knew that the words of his parents made sense, but Talia called him for help, she trusted him, and... can he disappoint her again?
