Axel knew that Sophia and Isaac believed they were putting the safety of their pack first. The fact that they were saying this under the influence of the truth serum, confirmed it.
Axel could find justification for almost everything they did, but he couldn't accept that they gave away Talia when she was a baby. Even if they feared that she would destroy the pack, and there was no way to assure that wouldn't happen with her in the pack, they could have sent her to a safe place, to a place where they would visit and keep an eye on her, yet they just left her with a family of humans and didn't check on her until it was too late.
Two decades passed, and they didn't seek that family to see if Talia was alive? What kind of people do that?
He remembered teachings on how the pack comes first, and every pack member was important, but wasn't Talia part of their pack? She had the same blood running through her veins! And she was a helpless baby, needing love, care, and protection, yet they left her with strangers!
Since Axel told Sophia and Isaac about a girl he met in the Dark Howlers pack (aka Talia), Axel started seeing the side of his parents he didn't know before. It was one disappointment after another, with the latest one when Cassandra attempted to deprive Damon of his emerging powers. That procedure could cripple him, yet his parents coldly said how they would push the blame on Talia as the effects of her marking him.
As Damon's Luna, if the word were spread that she was responsible for weakening their Alpha, she would be shunned by the pack. Axel realized that his parents endangered Damon and were willing to pin on Talia a crime for which she was not responsible and leave her on her own. Again.
How could they talk in front of Talia and Damon like they didn't do anything wrong?
Axel guessed that Talia's emotions were all over the place under her calm façade, so he decided to move on to the present. "Where is the necklace?"
"What necklace?", Sophia asked Axel.
"The one that uncle Valerian left for Talia."
Sophia hesitated for a moment. "I have it." She obviously didn't want to part with it, and she guessed that Axel was asking so that Talia could have it.
"Where is it?", Axel continued pressing.
"In my room.", she said.
Axel stood up and gestured to Sophia to stand up also. "Let's get it."
Sophia was still sitting. "Now?"
"Yes. Now.", Axel responded. "You either get up, or I will make you."
Sophia stood up abruptly and started waving her arms wildly while talking, "You are treating me like I did an unforgivable offense. Put yourself in my shoes and ask yourself if you would act differently. Instead of growing up with my family, Val took it away and left me with a mess to handle. Only after I became the Alpha I realized how much lack of training harmed me and our people. And then he came back to cause another uproar and leave a cursed child behind without an explanation. Do you have any idea how stressful it is to live with the responsibility of protecting a pack when you don't know who is hunting you? And then there was…."
Damon bolted to his feet. "Shut up!"
Sophia plopped back onto the sofa, and sweat immediately formed on her forehead as Damon's aura held her down, and the moment Isaac moved, he was pinned down also.
Damon struggled against his urge to rip Sophia and Isaac into pieces. How dare they treat Talia's life like it was not important? And did they call her, cursed?
Sophia and Isaac were not Alphas. They were whiny little bitches, and just the sight of them made Damon disgusted.
Damon knew very well what it meant to become an Alpha without the right training and with enemies lurking behind every corner. Since he became the Alpha of the Dark Howlers pack, he made many difficult decisions, but he never abandoned any of his people. If anyone needed to stay back and face dangers, it was him. That's what Alphas do.
"I don't care why you made the decisions you did back then, but I am glad you are not an Alpha anymore. You lost your parents and your brother, and you gave up your brother's child. Do you regret it? It doesn't look like it because you didn't learn anything. You lost your pack and are in the process of losing your son, and enemies are multiplying. Was it worth it?"
Sophia looked at Damon defiantly. "You have no right to judge me."
"And you have no right to call my mate CURSED!" Damon roared.
Sophia and Isaac both groaned, Sophia's face contorting into a painful grimace.
"Do you know anything about her? Do you know how much she suffered because of what you did?" Damon sneered. "It seems you forgot who I am and that I have a grudge against you. I didn't rip your throat out only because Talia convinced me that you could be useful. Instead of expecting my understanding, I suggest you cooperate before I lose my patience."
"Don't.", Talia said as her hand landed on his forearm. "She is not worth it."
Talia stood up next to Damon and spoke to Sophia. "I want that necklace and anything else my father left behind."
"I will make sure it happens.", Axel said, and Talia looked at him gratefully.
Axel ushered his parents out of the study, and Talia said, "Take Keith and Liam with you." They were in the hallway, standing guard.
Axel wanted to say how that won't be necessary. His parents were powerless, and he was more than capable of taking them down if they attacked him, but Talia was the Alpha and contradicting her would be a sign of disrespect. Besides, Damon's eyes were out of focus, and Axel knew that he was already min-linking Keith and Liam to follow them.
Axel bowed a little. "Yes, Alpha Talia. It will be as you said."
It was a common greeting, yet both Sophia and Isaac felt like those words were directed at them as a reminder of who was in charge.
"Bow to the Alpha!" Axel said sternly when Sophia and Isaac were at the door.
The duo turned stiffly, and it was unpleasant to watch them bow, their movements were stiff like someone was pushing them down against their will, but no one interrupted their insincere sign of respect.
Talia wondered why Axel was going to such lengths, but then she guessed that he probably had his set of grievances, so she didn't want to question him.
The moment the door closed behind Axel, Damon pulled Talia into his embrace.
She buried her face in his chest and took a deep breath of her favorite scent.
"How are you holding?" Damon asked.
Talia looked up to meet his eyes. "My parents loved me."
Damon's heart cracked from the sadness and happiness that intermingled and poured into him through their mate bond.
"Let's figure out what happened to your parents, kitten.", Damon said.
"How?"
