Talia couldn't believe that so much time had passed since Sophia and Isaac became Alphas, yet they didn't find out what happened with their own family members. And it's not that they didn't have any results, but they didn't try at all.
Even if the chances of Valerian being alive were slim, and Sophia didn't care to look for him because she feared he would take over her spot, how come Sophia didn't look for her parents? Was Sophia afraid that her parents won't approve of her as the Alpha? Or was there another reason?
Talia couldn't understand the reasoning behind Sophia's decisions. As an Alpha, Sophia should know that ignoring problems won't make them go away.
Everyone talked about the Midnight Guardians pack as the most mysterious pack of all, yet they were mysterious because Sophia and Isaac closed them off. Talia had to admit how that was one smart thing to do, at least from the outsider's perspective. If people knew how incompetent Sophia and Isaac were, other packs would put all their efforts into finding that portal and conquering the Midnight Guardians pack.
Axel left shortly after Sophia and Isaac, giving Talia and Damon some privacy before Yasmin and Cornelia came for the next round of meetings.
Talia was spacing out while staring at the necklace that her father had left behind. It couldn't be just a random trinket. It had a meaning, or at least that's what Talia hoped for.
The flower with six petals reflected the light in rainbow colors, making it look magical. The tear-shaped white pearl was cold to the touch. Between the two were one silver hoop and another diamond.
Talia looked at the pendant from every possible angle, like there was a secret message she could unravel. A spell to trigger? A voice message? Will it open like a locket? Something... anything...
The necklace was shiny and delicate, and it didn't look like it was made for a strong male to wear. Did it belong to her mother?
Talia wished that the necklace could tell her about her parents. She wished to know what they looked like, to hear their voices and feel their touch. A hug, at least.
'Objects can't speak, but people can', Liseli spoke in Talia's mind.
'What do you mean?'
'Just how you and Damon can share mental images, we can look into Sophia's.'
Talia felt butterflies going wild in her stomach. The possibility of seeing her father made her nervous to the point of Talia needing to use the restroom, but before she got her hopes up, Talia had to ask, 'Will Sophia allow it?'
Liseli snorted. 'We don't need her permission. I can force my way in.'
'Force?' Talia asked. Forcing access into someone's mind didn't sound pleasant. 'Will that harm her or me?'
'Depending on her resistance, she might turn more stupid than she already is, but isn't that worth seeing your father as he held you in his arms? You can hear his voice. Don't you want to hear exactly what he said? On top of that, you will be able to feel Sophia's emotions and experience what happened after your father left.'
Talia had to admit that she was interested. She thought that exchanging mental images was only between mates. Was this another power?
'That's how wolves of the same pack communicate. We can't talk so we send images to each other.', Liseli explained. 'However, you are an Alpha, and you have my power, so you can peer into anyone's mind, memories included.'
'How far into her memories can you see?'
'I can even look into her subconscious that's normally inaccessible.', Liseli responded smugly before adding, 'I will protect your mind; however, the further we go and the longer we stay inside, the possibility of her turning into an imbecile will increase.'
It was tempting, but Talia decided to think about it later. She had other immediate things to handle, and looking into Sophia's memories to soothe her longing for the father she didn't know about before that morning, didn't top her to-do list.
"I want your help.", Talia said to Damon.
"Anything.", Damon responded without missing a beat. He was sitting by Talia without making a peep for who knows how long.
Talia smiled at the Alpha, who was visibly pleased that she was giving him attention. "I want you to assess the combative power of the Midnight Guardians pack and get them the training as needed."
Damon had no objections, but he had to ask, "Why?"
"Sophia and Isaac relied on the unapproachable portal to keep them safe, but if the bad guys find out about its secrets, the Midnight Guardians pack will be slaughtered and enslaved."
"Their power is much more than speed and muscles. Your pack members have abilities.", Damon reminded her.
"MATED pack members have abilities.", Talia corrected him. "I estimate that less than half of the pack members are mated, and most of those abilities are not suitable for attacking or defending. The truth is that the fake security the portal provides made them believe they are safe as long as they don't leave."
"Got it.", Damon said. He thought for a moment before continuing, "While we are here, Keith and Liam can get a general idea of the situation. Kai can help them gather everyone and do an assessment of able bodies. Even non-warriors should know how to defend themselves. When we return home, I will talk to Caden to pick a few of our high-ranking warriors to come here. After the initial round of training, they can select a batch of the most promising individuals and bring them to the Dark Howlers pack, and later those will be able to train others here…."
Talia was pleased that Damon came up with a plan so quickly and he even considered that only a limited number of people should come to the Midnight Guardians pack in order to preserve the secrecy of the portal. But no matter how many people come, increased traffic will draw attention. Once the news breaks out how Talia, the Alpha of the Midnight Guardians pack, and Talia, the Luna of the Dark Howlers pack, are the same person, people will naturally assume that the collaboration between the two packs will tighten. Because of that, members of the Dark Howlers pack will be followed when they travel out of their territory, as others will try to spy on the location of the portal. But how can they collaborate closely if they don't interact personally?
Talia's expression lit up when she got an idea.
"What are you thinking about?" Damon had to ask. The change in Talia's mood was obvious.
"Evanora owes me a favor.", Talia said. "I will ask her to create a way so that our two packs can travel without being noticed."
Damon tapped the tip of Talia's nose with his index finger. "YOUR two packs."
Talia scrunched her nose. "OUR two packs."
Damon chuckled. He liked that she became spirited enough to bicker. It was a good sign. "Do you plan to get her to create something for instant transportation?"
Talia nodded and then paused. "Yasmin told me how regular magic for instant travel won't work across realms because of the energies that are disturbing space and time, but maybe we could create a portal."
Damon's expression fell. "If it's so simple to create a portal, we would have many of them."
Talia had to admit he was right. If witches could create portals at will, they wouldn't be stuck in their realm for centuries. But… "They have the knowledge but no power to make it work, and that's where I come in.", Talia said smugly. She powered up one portal. Why not one more?
Damon thought how that might work. His kitten is awesome. "Portal from the Dark Howlers pack that leads directly to the Midnight Guardians pack would be fantastic. We can collaborate in the trading, military, and pretty much everything. Also, when your guys go to search for mates, they can come to the Dark Howlers pack with the portal and start from there."
Damon saw this as much more than just connecting two packs.
If they could have more portals, alliances would be strengthened with other packs, and they could quickly react when facing an emergency. But it also provided a liability in case their enemies use the portal. What if humans find out about them? There were many things to consider, but as long as they act with caution, it should be fine.
You can see in the comments the inspiration for the necklace Valerian left behind.
