Talia looked at the mighty Alpha lowering his head in front of her while asking for forgiveness.
She never saw Damon being so vulnerable, and she could feel that he was truly sorry. He wouldn't act like that if he remembered her. If damned runes didn't block the mate bond, Damon would probably flip because Talia was out in public while wearing those skimpy ceremonial garments.
Damon lifted his gaze to meet Talia's honeyed eyes and the world stopped.
Two majestic wolves, one light gray and one black were looking at each other, silently exchanging intense emotions that made their hearts beat wildly.
Damon and Talia knew they love each other and that staying apart was impossible, yet there was a chasm between them created by the two of them and many other events they couldn't control. Shit happened and they needed to find a way out of it because this situation was killing them both.
Damon tried reaching to Talia through their mind-link, but it didn't work. He could exchange thoughts with Talia, but Damon wanted her to know that this was him talking and not Sapa.
'I need to talk to her.', Damon said to Sapa. Being in his wolf form allowed him many things, but not to talk for the technicality of wolves not having vocal cords.
Talia's eyes widened as she observed the black wolf transforming into a human form right in front of her eyes. It lasted just a second, but it left a lasting impression. The magnificent beast turned into a handsome male who had only a necklace of white teeth around his neck and the rest of his muscular body was exposed for her to see.
Damon looked up at Talia and he fell to his knees while placing his palms on the rock where Talia was sitting in her wolf form.
"Thank you for staying to listen and giving me a chance to explain.", he said.
After a brief pause, Damon exhaled dejectedly as Talia's skepticism poured into him and he realized the gravity of his situation. He showed her who he was before they met and he treated her like any other non-important person. Did he want her to accept that side of him? Absolutely not. That was old Damon, Damon that shouldn't appear ever again, yet he was there and he hurt his mate. Damon felt like an idiot. Were there any words that can make it better?
"Actually, there is nothing to explain. That was me. It was all me. I am a cancer of our society who took advantage of many women who would do anything to be with me."
Talia gaped at Damon. She expected explanations, excuses, and pretty lies, but she never expected the blatant truth. Was this really Damon? The same one who would never admit that he was mistaken? And he was still talking.
"You are the one who made me realize how wrong I was, and instead of thanking you, I ended up hurting you. You see, I am not a saint, far from it. From the moment we met, I started questioning my choices. You make me want to be a better person and without you in my life, I am back to being the scum I used to be." Damon paused to lick his lips nervously. "I need you to see how important you are to me. Without you, I am a machine without a soul. You make my life worth living..."
Damon stopped talking when the silvery wolf moved, and his breath caught in his throat when Talia leaped off the rock. Did she just leave him?
'SPLASH!'
Talia's furry form disappeared under the surface of the water, and a second later, a head full of wet hair emerged.
Talia found a bunch of small rocks to stand on, bending her knees so that water was up to her shoulder level, which was perfect to hide her private parts because her guards were nearby, and she had no clothes to put on.
"Talia!", Damon exclaimed and dashed toward the river without hesitation. His plunge barely disturbed the surface. Damon was not sure if she would stay there or continue running, but he had no intention to let her leave his sight.
Damon's head appeared a few steps away from Talia.
Talia eyed Damon suspiciously while wondering what he was up to. Yes, she heard what he said when he was next to the rock, but the dejection in her was still bubbling. She knew Damon as cheeky, caring, domineering, but she never knew the side of him that was disgustingly egotistical, and she hated it.
Damon licked his lips nervously. "I'm sorry, kitten."
"Do you think your sorry will fix things? You made me feel cheap. You made me feel like crap. Is that what you wanted? Even if you didn't know I'm your mate, you should never do that to any woman."
Talia released a frustrated breath. Why the hell was she explaining to the most promiscuous person on the planet about him mistreating women? And the sad part was that many of those women came onto him, and they liked it. Talia really didn't want to think about it. It was making her sick.
It seemed like everyone enjoyed getting frisky with whoever was interested, and only Talia saw that as an invasion unless it was between two people who really cared about each other. Was she the odd one? Maybe she was, but that didn't change the fact that Damon made her feel uncomfortable to the point of her wanting to scrape her skin off together with the memory of his touch.
Talia's vision blurred from the tears. "You made me feel wanted and needed and special and then you took it away! My whole life I was hiding from the bullies, and tonight, you became one of them.", Talia said in a shaky voice.
"I didn't…"
"I KNOW!", Talia snapped. "You didn't recognize me. You didn't know. But is that a valid excuse? Every woman has a story to tell, and none deserves to be treated like a disposable item, even if they are throwing themselves at you! Regardless of if you are mates or not, your choices are to be a gentleman and make the woman feel special or move on, and not… this!"
"Aren't I making you feel special, kitten?", Damon asked in a low voice. To him, Talia was the most special existence in the world. How much did he fail if she didn't see that?
Talia opened her mouth to argue back, but she realized that she had nothing to say. Did he make her feel special? He did. Many times. Actually, all the time, as long as he knew who she was.
Seeing that Talia's anger was crumbling, Damon inched closer to her while talking.
"The truth is that you don't need me to be special. You were always special. The way you handled the bullies and didn't allow their darkness to corrupt you, that was special. You are a fighter, always eager to improve without putting down others, and that's special. You are making me want to be a better person, and that's special."
