Damon's frown eased a bit, but he didn't want to give in easily. "You announced me as your mate when we arrived here. If the impostor talked with anyone from this pack, he will know we are mates."
"Let's not assume how much he knows. Didn't you teach me to not reveal more than necessary?", Talia retorted. "Please, Damon. Axel will be with me, and we will tell you everything. It won't be too late for you to talk with the guy some other time."
"I will be there also", Yasmin chimed in.
"I disagree", Talia said curtly.
Yasmin was not willing to be left behind. "It's not a secret that I am Axel's mate."
"True. However, no one knows you are a witch. The guy had the means to disguise himself and reach the center of the Midnight Guardians pack. Who knows what else he can do?", Talia ended with a question and glanced at Axel who was nodding in agreement.
Axel didn't want Yasmin to get in a situation where she could be harmed, and this was about facing a spy who wanted who-knows-what.
"Sit this one out, love", Axel told Yasmin. "Do it for our pups."
At the mention of their babies, Yasmin gave in.
With this being settled, Kai thought of reminding them. "We got a camera there so everyone can see the interrogation. Should we talk to Austin first?"
Talia refused. "No need."
She didn't have much information, but she needed to meet with the intruder. The implications of people knowing about the portal to the Midnight Guardians pack would be catastrophic, and Talia wondered if Damon would be OK to provide military assistance if this realm was in danger of being invaded. Or maybe it would be better if everyone moved to the Dark Howlers pack. None of those was a good solution because Damon couldn't give many of his soldiers to protect another pack, and if he gives only a handful, it would be useless. On the other hand, they still didn't prepare people to meet with the members of the Midnight Guardians pack and if they rush into it, it could end badly without anyone invading.
Talia took a deep breath to stabilize her emotions. She just told Damon confidently that she will handle this and if she falls apart now, she will only prove that she was not ready. Well, ready or not, the crisis was here, and she needed to rise to the occasion or risk putting her pack in danger.
"What did you get from the intruder so far?", Axel asked Betas.
Kai shook his head. "The guy is not talking. He didn't expect to be caught, and he had no weapons on him. We didn't want to try anything drastic before you come and see for yourself. We were planning on sending a messenger today about this, but you returned before that happened."
"Good call.", Axel praised Kai, and then he turned to Talia. "Shall we?"
…
On their way to the dungeon, Axel and Talia walked in front with Kai and Meg behind them.
Axel noticed that Talia was tense, and he thought of offering encouragement. "It will be OK."
"Will it? You said that the guy didn't expect to be caught, but what if he got caught on purpose?"
"Who would want to end up in the dungeon?"
"The one who can escape at will.", Talia responded.
"How can that be? He is held by silver chains, given a non-lethal dose of wolfsbane, and the runes in the dungeon won't allow him to use his abilities."
Talia shook her head. Everything Axel said would be perfect to restrain a werewolf from the Midnight Guardians pack, but this guy was not one of those. Was she being too paranoid again? No, she wasn't. "You are talking like we didn't just return from a trip where we discussed creatures that can open portals at will. Your mother-in-law wanted to keep me and my mate behind as guineapigs because our reaction to her ceremony was outside her expectations. Don't assume that restrictions for one will work on everyone."
Axel realized that she was right, but… "If he is so powerful, what was the point of coming here and getting caught?"
Talia didn't have answers to this, but she hoped she will find them out soon.
…
Talia and Axel entered the cell to see a man sitting on a chair. He had short brown hair and brown eyes, just like Austin she saw in the photo from the file.
"Alpha", he called in a shivering voice while looking at Talia. "I didn't do anything wrong. Why am I here?"
'He has no wolf', Liseli said.
Talia's insides tightened at the thought that he was not even a rogue. Could a human come here undetected? Talia focused on keeping a stern expression and not imagining what kind of a creature she was facing."You can drop the act."
He raised his hands toward Talia, exposing his wrists that were chained in thick silver chains. "What did I do to deserve this? This is not an act, Alpha…"
"You don't belong to my pack.", Talia cut him off. "Who are you? Why are you here?" And how did he get here?
His expression froze and then he relaxed in the chair. "If you know that I'm not from your pack, why don't you make me admit the rest?"
His sudden confidence made Talia nervous, but she straightened her posture. Meg and Kai are outside the door, and Damon was watching through the video feed, and she couldn't show how anxious she was about this.
'Liseli? What is he?'
'I don't know', Liseli responded honestly. 'It seems he used some ability to alter his appearance.'
'Can we undo it?'
'We can try.'
Talia pointed her finger at the man and a streak of silvery light shot toward him.
He frowned at the sight and stared at his chest where light disappeared. One second, two, three… His lips lifted into a smile when he realized that nothing happened.
"Is that all you've got?", he asked with a smirk. "I guess I wasted my time waiting to meet with you in person."
Axel stared at Talia like she was growing a second head. Did she use her abilities? How was that possible in this cell?
The man in the chair saw that Talia's eyes were lit up with a silvery glow, but he was confident that she can't do anything to him. After all, he was not a member of the Midnight Guardians pack, nor a werewolf. To him, they were like lower species, someone not worthy to bother with.
He entered the Midnight Guardians pack more than once and he was confident that no one can see through his disguise. That's why he moved freely, believing that he had the whole night until the real Austin woke up, and Sandy calling him out was unexpected. He could flee right then and there, but he decided to stick around and see what else this pack had to offer for temporary entertainment.
Talia focused on her sight, and she could see the image of the man in front of her flickering as the familiar face of Austin was disappearing to be replaced with another one.
Talia's anxiety shot through the roof when she recognized him, and she extended her hand in front of Axel protectively.
'Talia?', Axel called through their mind-link in confusion when he realized that Talia was pushing him back, away from the man in the chair, and Talia's expression was not good.
Talia wanted to tell Axel to leave, but there was no time to explain things. After all, even if Axel saw what Talia could see, he wouldn't understand because he was not at the Council of the Alpha where she saw this man.
"Vin?", Talia called. "What is a Guardian doing here?"
