The sun was rising when Talia's eyes fluttered open to see that she was sleeping next to Damon with her head on his shoulder. They were in bed, in the master bedroom of the packhouse.
She was home.
The previous night was eventful and heart-stirring, and she couldn't believe that they did it. Damon was free from the dark magic and there was no more danger he will forget about her, and she stood in front of the Dark Howlers pack as Damon's Luna. It happened.
Talia feared that the Dark Howlers pack will complain how she was not Marcy or some other high-profile she-wolf that could bring benefits to the pack, but the last night's pack run passed without incidents of such sort. The overall mood was good, and people were excited, but what touched her the most was the pride she could feel from Damon. It was as if he achieved something monumental and it amplified her joy to know that she only needed to exist next to Damon for him to be happy.
Talia took a deep breath to fill her lungs with her favorite scent of the forest and the dark chocolate and her world was at peace. Damon's heat warmed her skin, his solid arms were around her, their legs were entangled, they were naked, and everything about their current position was right.
The moment she moved a muscle, Damon's hold on her tightened. She loved that his instinct was to pull her closer to him.
"Good morning, kitten…", he greeted her in a gravelly voice from sleeping, and his lips pressed on her forehead in a soft kiss.
She looked up at him and smiled. Why did it feel like her heart was singing? And it was a happy song.
"Good morning, handsome", she responded and shifted a bit because the necklace made out of teeth that was around her neck was poking her. "How did we get here?" She really didn't remember.
Sapa was sleeping contently at the back of Damon's mind and Damon guessed that it was the same with Talia's wolf.
"What's the last you remember?", he asked.
"Sapa and Liseli went for a run. After that, I've got some bits and pieces, but nothing that makes sense", she responded, and her expectant look told him how that was it.
Damon filled her in with, "Our wolves completed their mating last night. They shared thoughts and emotions and when things became frisky I stopped watching."
Talia was not sure how to respond to this. Should she ask for clarification about the friskiness? Probably not. Yes, it was Liseli, but technically it was her body also. Sniffing, rubbing, and licking was one thing, but did they do more than that? Did Sapa jump on Liseli to...? Talia tried not to think about that possibility, but it was hard.
Damon chuckled at the myriad of emotions that he could pick up from Talia. "What are you thinking, kitten?"
"Nothing."
"That doesn't feel like nothing."
Talia knew he won't give up easily, so she responded, "I am getting used to the idea of having a wolf and sharing a body and… stuff."
"I see. If it makes you feel any better, it's new for me as well. I used my wolf form to fight or move quickly, and last night was different. But regardless of what Sapa does with Liseli, considering that she is part of you, I can't say that he is making me get close to another female…" Damon's voice trailed as another thought popped into his mind. "Sapa was not able to complete mating with other she-wolves because they were not Liseli."
Talia was alerted. "Other she-wolves?" Did Damon want to mate with other women? That was new and unsettling.
"Did you forget that Sapa was my father's wolf, and my grandfather's before that?", Damon reminded Talia before explaining, "Full mating strengthens the bond and gives us a power boost. This means I am stronger than yesterday, probably stronger than my father was. We should go to the gym and do tests. Both of us."
Talia had no desire to go to the gym or to leave the bed. She wanted to stay there with Damon as long as possible, in their slice of intimacy and peace. Why was he eager to run around to other places? "Not all tests can be done in the gym. If you are interested in power boosts, you should think about the possibility that you got an ability after our marking. Dark magic blocked it, but now that it's gone, you should be able to tap into your ability."
Damon's eyes lit up. Could he turn invisible? Or fly? Or something else super-handy? "How do I do that?"
"I don't know.", Talia admitted. "Axel told me that sometimes it takes months to figure out what your power is and how to use it." She remembered Axel telling her about useless abilities like detaching one's limbs at will, and that some people never tap into their abilities, but she didn't want to dampen Damon's enthusiasm. "You could talk to Cornelia about feeling the energies but be wary if she asks for another payment." It would be one thing if Cornelia wanted money, but Talia had a feeling that human money won't interest witches.
Damon pouted for a second but then he shook it off. It didn't matter. They had so many things to deal with, that him figuring out if he had some mysterious ability was low on the list of priorities.
What really mattered was that Talia was back in his arms and her proximity made his soul hum in pleasure.
Damon's heart skipped a beat at the sight of Talia's honeyed eyes that smiled at him. He could see the happiness radiating from her and it seeped into him and bounced inside his chest, and Damon was confident that he could fly just from this feeling alone, without the need of any mysterious ability.
"Are you happy?", he asked. He really wanted to hear her say it.
"Very much.", Talia responded. "Do you think that all mates are happy together?"
"I am not an expert in that topic, but I heard that the Moon Goddess matches us with our mates for a reason."
"Why do you think she matched us?"
Damon paused while thinking how to answer. Since they met, Talia bloomed from a scared girl in the attic into a confident young woman who can kick the ass of any Alpha who dares to challenge her. But Damon thought that his changes were more drastic.
"I am addicted to you, kitten. Your mind, your soul, the touch of your skin, I need them all, or I will suffocate. You run through my system like ice and fire, and I realized that I didn't know how to live before we met. But most of all, I believe that the Moon Goddess matched us because it was our time to be happy."
Talia smiled foolishly. She really didn't expect this confession.
"I wish that every person can find her or his mate.", Talia said, and she really meant it. "Do you think we can organize some kind of a mixer for unmated pack members and invite people from other packs?"
