Damon went to get Talia for dinner, and he found her in their closet, packing things. He offered his help, and they divided work so that Damon packs things for the two of them, and she will handle the things that they are taking as presents.
Talia needed help, it was her first time packing, and Damon was happy to provide his assistance. He instructed her to put big items first, and that breakables should be in the middle, cushioned by layers of fabric, and Talia realized that packing a suitcase can be quite complex if one wants to do it properly.
Damon shook his head helplessly at the sight of a big suitcase that was full of stuff for babies. Did they really buy that much? There were clothes, toys, diapers, moist wipes, and swaddling blankets, and Talia asked Doctor Travis to provide the latest information related to pregnancy and babies; she printed it all out for Yasmin and Axel to read. Damon was amazed that Talia thought about all this.
Talia even got two maternity dresses that had adjustable waist to accommodate a growing belly, and a top that had hidden buttons in the chest area to allow for the fabric to open so that Yasmin can breastfeed. For werewolves (and witches) exposed breasts were not a big deal, but Talia wanted to introduce them to fashion trends popular among humans. It was novel.
Talia was aware that they didn't have babies in the Midnight Guardians pack for two decades, and Yasmin knew even less about pregnancy and motherhood, so Talia bought everything she thought might be useful for them.
Talia zipped the suitcase and looked at Damon victoriously. "Done."
"If I don't know better, I would assume that baby-related business is the reason for our trip.", Damon said teasingly while gesturing to a much smaller suitcase that was holding their clothes and toiletries.
Talia pursed her lips. "I know that seeing babies is not the reason why we are going, but I chose to focus on the positives. Whenever I think that we will face Alpha Isaac and Alpha Sophia to demand answers about me, about what they did to you, and about their involvement with the Guardians, I become unsettled. And all that gets worse when I think about witches and…"
Talia stopped talking when Damon engulfed her in his embrace.
"It will be alright.", he spoke into her hair. "You don't need to face this alone, kitten. We are going together. Let me deal with the unpleasant things."
"That's not what I want. I want us to share everything, good and bad."
"And that's why we are going together."
Talia was worried about the anger that swelled within Damon every time Alpha Isaac and Alpha Sophia were mentioned. "What will you do with the previous Alphas of the Midnight Guardians pack?"
"I don't know.", Damon admitted. "What they did is inexcusable. It goes against our nature. They harmed you and me and…" He paused. No matter what, they were her parents. Did she feel sorry for them? He decided to ask, "How would you punish them?"
Talia was not sure about the punishment, but she knew one thing. "When I think about them, I feel… nothing. Shouldn't I be angry?"
"Nothing?"
Talia tilted her head as her brows came together. "I have no desire to punish them or to make them suffer in any way. If I could never see them or hear about them again, that would be perfect."
Damon nodded knowingly. "Death sentence it is."
Talia's eyes widened in shock. "You can't joke about it." She said that she didn't want to hear about them or see them, but she didn't think about killing them.
Damon cocked an eyebrow at her. "Who said I'm joking?"
Talia swallowed hard. Damon told her that he doesn't crack jokes, and he proved it to her more than once.
"Death is permanent.", she said. "We don't have the power to give life, so we shouldn't take it away."
Damon's hard expression softened at her words. "You are kind." A true Luna. "The world would be a better place if everyone thought that way. Unfortunately, the reality is that every enemy you spare is an enemy that lives to attack you again and this pair of Alphas jeopardized both of our lives."
"They can't do much. I took away their powers."
"Can they talk? Did you remove their ability to persuade someone else to do their dirty work? Do you think that all murderers and schemers are Alphas with mystical powers?", Damon was shooting one question after another, and Talia couldn't find an opportunity to answer. "Alpha Isaac and Alpha Sophia were Alphas for a long time, and I'm sure that there are people who are supporting them. Not everyone is eager to see the new generation taking over, and the changes it brings. My parents were dead, I was their only child, the only Alpha in the pack, and still, some people said how I'm not the best choice."
Talia knew that Damon was talking from his experience, and she knew that he had a valid point. She never thought of Alpha Isaac and Alpha Sophia as her parents, but they were Axel's parents. Can she punish them harshly without antagonizing Axel? Axel was the only family she had.
"Don't kill them.", Talia said to Damon.
Damon was surprised by this request. "Did you forget what they did to me? What would happen if Cassandra was successful?" Damon looked into her eyes with grief veiling his handsome features. "If you didn't intervene with the ritual, if you didn't go to witches to find a way to reverse it, I would be a soulless puppet, not knowing who you are, and that, my kitten, is a life not worth living."
Talia's heart cracked when she remembered the pain of Damon not remembering her. It was more than alienation and his crass behavior. A piece of her was missing and it was agonizing. And he felt the same. Actually, after his memories returned, Damon was disgusted by himself, and part of that dejection still lingered in the back of his mind, disguised as fear of losing her and himself.
Talia jolted when Damon continued talking with fury sizzling behind his every word.
"What would happen to you if Alpha Howard told others how special you were? Do you think that they would wait until you are of age before they used you to give birth to the next Alpha of the Red Moon pack? Do you think you would have a choice? Even without your abilities, your bloodline tops all others. Would Alpha Howard take you, or would he give you to his son? Do you think their greed would stop there? What if they decided you should give birth to Generals of their army also? What would…", his voice cracked, and he gasped for air.
The mental image of Talia being touched by other men was driving him insane. He could see her in tatters, crying and pleading for them to let her go while they had their way with her, and Damon wanted to kill them all.
Would anyone be swayed by her cries? Would anyone help? And he would be ignorant to her sufferings because they were wretched animals, concerned only about power without regard for who needs to suffer for it.
Damon's aura flared, solidifying the air around him. Luckily, Talia was not affected, not because of her strength, but because mates can't harm each other.
Noticing that Damon was unstable, Talia hugged him with all her might.
"It's OK. I'm here… it didn't happen…", she chanted, and she relaxed when Damon hugged her back and buried his face into her hair, taking deep breaths to fill his system with her sweet citrusy scent of freesia that had the power to calm his raging beast.
He knew that it didn't happen and that Talia was right there, safe in his arms, but the thought of what might have been told him that it could happen in the future if they were not careful. They needed to understand what they were up against and for that, they needed information from Alpha Sophia and Alpha Isaac.
"I won't kill them.", Damon said after some time. "Unless it's necessary."
"Thank you, Damon." She really meant it. She didn't really care if he would kill someone, knowing that it wouldn't be his first time, but she didn't want to lose him to the madness and desperation that was engulfing him.
They held each other in silence for a long time, listening to each other's matching heartbeats, and hoping that their nightmares won't come true.
