Talia and Damon didn't talk on their way to the pack hospital.
Damon didn't like Talia showing care for the wretched Coach, but he also felt that it wouldn't be right to tell her not to. After all, the guy got hurt because he was defending Talia.
Damon wanted Talia to have guards, someone to watch her back, and he told her to pick them and she did, but now Damon wondered if that was a good idea.
Last night, five of them went against Damon, their Alpha. Was that acceptable? No one EVER went against him without suffering consequences. These were his pack members; he expected loyalty and not mutiny. At the same time, Damon disapproved that Lulu hid behind a tree when Damon was proving that he was at the top of the hierarchy for a reason. Was Lulu hiding because defending Talia meant going against Damon, or because she wouldn't treat Talia's safety as a priority?
Can he just send them back to survival training? But if he does that, who will be Talia's guards? Damon could easily pick a handful of loyal warriors, but they wouldn't be loyal to Talia, and she wouldn't trust them and… nothing seemed right.
Damon tried peering into Talia's emotions, but she closed them off and her expression told him that she was thinking about something intently. Was she blaming him? Probably.
Keith was lying in the hospital bed and staring at the ceiling while Katya was telling him about the ceremony and the pack run he missed.
Everyone who was able went for the pack run. It was the event of the decade. Many brought drinks and snacks in advance and kept them at certain points in the forest, and they gathered there after the run was over to celebrate first run in their generation with Damon as their Alpha. Mates were eager to find solitude, and some found their mates. The mated pack members didn't mingle with single souls, but those who were single didn't spend the night being lonely either.
The Shifters nightclub was closed which meant that Katya lost one night of earnings, but she didn't care. She was obviously excited.
Keith normally loves listening to his sister, but this time he was distracted. Images of Damon pinning Talia to the ground and mistreating her were etched in Keith's mind and he was angry that it happened and he couldn't help Talia.
Talia didn't deserve such treatment.
If he was stronger, if he had the Alpha aura, Keith would be able to protect the only woman who stirred his heart instead of being stuck to the ground and watching it helplessly. He hated himself.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Keith blinked when he realized that Katya asked him something. "What?"
"You were not listening. Do you want to talk about whatever is on your mind?", Katya asked. And she had a good idea that Talia was on Keith's mind.
Keith didn't want to talk about it. "I'm just wondering if I need to waste a day here. I have so many things to do."
"Like guarding our Luna?", Katya asked in a teasing voice.
Keith's brows came together to form a frown. "Yes. That's my job."
Katya made a 'I-don't-believe-you' face. "It's more than a job. You can't lie to your sister."
Keith released a long breath. "What do you want me to say?"
"I hope you know what you are doing.", Katya said. "I am aware that you changed since meeting Talia, but she is not Talia anymore. She is our Luna, Alpha's fated mate."
"You think I don't know that?"
"I don't know, Keith. Do you know that?"
Keith gritted his teeth. "You were not there, Katya. You didn't see how he treated her. Talia is not happy."
"If she is not happy, why is she not leaving him?", Katya asked.
"Do you think it's easy to leave Alpha?"
"It has nothing to do with Alpha Damon's status, Keith. They are fated mates."
"I know."
"You don't.", Katya snapped. "You will know only when you find your fated mate. She will not leave him no matter how he treats her because they are mates and if she leaves him, it will harm them both. I can see you don't believe me. I wouldn't believe it either before I met Oscar…"
"So if Oscar disrespects you in front of everyone, you will be fine with it?", Keith asked dryly.
Katya gaped at Keith. "Of course not. But, Oscar wouldn't disrespect me BECAUSE he is my mate. Mates come first and…" Katya's voice trailed when she saw that Keith made a face. "Are you telling me that our Alpha is mistreating his mate? Is that why you ended up in the hospital?"
Keith shook his head. He didn't want to talk about it, but he knew that Katya won't let it go. "Maya said that Alpha was not himself, but I've seen Alphas with women, and I know that they treat them like trash. Shit! Even I treated women like trash." OK. Not how Damon treated Talia on the previous night, but Keith had his share of not caring about women.
"Are you saying that you changed?"
"I would never do such a thing to Talia.", Keith said seriously.
"You wouldn't because she is your Luna, and you need to keep your hands and your pecker to yourself."
Keith made a face. "Can we go back to you talking about the pack run and me not listening?"
"As soon as you promise that you won't do anything stupid."
"You don't understand, Katya. The world gets colors in her presence. Her smile makes the birds sing…"
"And you will get our whole family kicked out of the pack if you allow those feelings to grow.", Katya said dryly.
"Don't worry, sis. I know where the line is."
"I surely hope so."
Talia held onto the basket she prepared for Keith. She didn't want Damon to carry it and Damon didn't insist.
The nurse showed them to the room where Keith was, and Talia recognized the woman by Keith's side. It was his sister, Katya.
Keith's face lit up when he saw the figure at the door. "Talia", he called, and he wanted to get out of the bed.
"No, no", Talia said while rushing to his side. "Please, don't get up for me."
Keith's eyes moved behind Talia and his expression stiffened. "Alpha."
Talia brushed off the awkwardness between Keith and Damon. She didn't expect that they will kiss and make up anyway.
Talia greeted Keith and Katya and then she kept the basket on the side. "I brought you these. I was not sure what you like, so I got a bit of everything. How are you feeling?"
"I am fine.", Keith assured her. "Doctor wants to run more tests just in case, but I am completely healed, and I can resume working as your guard as soon as I'm out of here."
"I am glad you are well.", Talia said and looked at him sadly. "Keith, I am grateful for what you did last night. Unfortunately, I need to inform you that you can't be my guard anymore."
