"Please, don't mind him," Luna Michelle said to Damon and Talia, unsure if it was alright to smile at Ashton's silly antics in front of Damon's furious expression. "Come on, Ashton. It's time to go home."
"You are not staying overnight?" Talia asked.
Alpha Cristian responded, "The drive is not long, and I need to handle a few matters in the morning. If schedule allows it, we will return tomorrow or the next day."
Ashton was not willing to part with Talia. He ignored Damon and stood in front of Talia, craning his neck so that he could look at her.
"Come with me!" Ashton demanded. "My room is big enough for both of us."
Talia's eyebrows shot up in surprise. The boy was decisive. "That is very generous of you, but I can't come. I have work to do here."
Ashton pouted. "When will I see you again?"
Talia thought how he was adorable. She would hug him if not for the fear that Damon might blow a fuse and harm the kid. "Soon."
"Will you come to my birthday?"
Talia squatted to get down on his level. "I will."
His eyes widened. "Really?"
"Yes. Your mom and dad were kind to invite me. How about you use this chance to tell me what you want as a present?"
"You will be my present!" Ashton exclaimed excitedly. Before Talia could react, Ashton kissed her cheek. "You promised to come to my party. I will be waiting."
"Who will you be waiting for?" Damon grumbled while pulling Talia to stand up. If Ashton was not a snotty kid, he would be a meat paste. How dares he surprise-kiss Talia!?
"I will be waiting for my future Luna, and that's not you," Ashton said to Damon defiantly. "If you want to come, you better bring something big."
Damon couldn't believe this. "Do you know how to spell death?"
Talia wrapped her arms around Damon in an attempt to pacify her devil. "Is it OK if Uncle Damon and I come together?"
Ashton thought about it intently before responding, "That will be fine also. I see that Uncle Damon is protective of you. He can ensure no man gets close to you, like a guard." He turned to Alpha Cristian. "Dad, can you compensate Uncle Damon for his efforts? He will protect my Luna until I'm big enough to do it myself."
"Sure, sure, we will pay him. If you keep on talking like that, we will need to pay more than we can afford," Alpha Cristian said while pulling Ashton up and putting the boy to sit on his shoulders.
Alpha Cristian turned to Talia and Damon. "Sorry about this. Kids can be a handful."
"No need to apologize," Talia responded right away. "Ashton was like a breath of fresh air at this party."
After exchanging goodbyes, Alpha Cristian, Luna Michelle, and Ashton left.
Talia sat on the bench and patted the spot next to her, indicating for Damon to join her.
Now that they were hidden among bushes, Damon had no intention of sitting next to Talia. He pulled her to sit on his lap.
Damon closed his eyes and took a moment to relish the feeling of Talia's body pressing on his. It felt like ages since they had been that close, and he loved that she leaned on him completely.
"I want us to have only girls," Damon grumbled. "Sons like those will make me go bald. I don't want to share you with another male."
Talia didn't want to argue. Damon was acting like a baby, and there was no point in talking about it.
Talia had a question, "What took you so long?" She came to this part of the garden boldly because she thought that Damon will be right behind her.
Damon hesitated with answering, and then he decided to go with the truth. She will probably find out anyway.
"My view of Beta Milo bowing to you in submission was obstructed by two females."
Talia's eyes flashed dangerously, and she noticed that Damon didn't use their names, which meant they were random women coveting Damon.
"Did they touch you? Who were they? How long did you talk to them?" Talia started raining questions.
"It doesn't matter who they were." He forgot their names anyway. "There was no touching, and I spoke with them a few minutes. I thought that someone had sent them, but when I realized they were just flirty, I scared them away. Keith was watching over you. Remind me to punish him for allowing you to get engaged in my absence."
Talia didn't react to Damon's jokes about engagement and punishing Keith (if those were jokes). She was focused on the part about how Keith was watching over her. Before healing Ashton's scratches, Talia scanned the surroundings and found no one. "Are you sure that Keith was watching over me?"
Damon confirmed. "When you left the event hall, Keith was right behind you. His instructions were to give you space but to be close enough if anything suspicious happens. He mind-linked me that some kids were approaching and that you used your ability, and he told me where to find you. Didn't I tell you not to use your abilities? What if the kid talks? Oh right… he won't spill your secrets because he has a crush on you and thinks you will be his Luna…"
While Damon grumbled, Talia was thinking about Keith's whereabouts when she was scanning the surroundings. If he knew about the kids and her using ability, he was in visual range. How come she didn't detect him? Talia could clearly feel the energies and even the smallest lifeforms. Was her ability faulty, or was there something else to it?
Talia snapped out of her thoughts when Damon tightened his hold on her.
"When can we go to our room? Guests started leaving. Do we need to stay last?"
"Not last, but let's make an appearance at our table," Talia said.
Damon pouted. "Your friends are with their mates, and others don't care." It would be more accurate to say that he didn't care about others. The whole evening he kept his hands to himself, and then that stinky boy pushed his buttons, and Damon needed comforting.
"It doesn't matter if others care. We should do what's right," Talia said. She puffed her cheeks when she remembered, "What was the point of us hiding my identity if no one took the bait? It seems it was for naught."
"Don't say that. This is only the first day. People are watching."
Talia was not sure if she should be happy about this or scared. "You think they will make their move tomorrow?"
Damon shrugged. "Tomorrow, next week, next month, next year. If they have enough patience, they will take their time to befriend you, wait for you to lower your guard, and then they will strike."
Talia's insides churned. Damon's words were grave, and she knew he was not exaggerating; he was talking from experience.
"I have no intention of hiding my identity for so long." She put her palm on his cheek. "I want everyone to know I'm yours."
Damon turned his head and kissed the inside of her palm. He wanted that as well.
"Kiss me," she demanded. "Give me a dose of Damon before we return to the party."
"I'm not sure I can stop at kissing."
She was not sure if she could stop at kissing either, but… "I need to feel you, at least on my lips. It will keep me going until we reach our room."
Damon hummed lowly as he closed the distance between them, and Talia inhaled his breath greedily.
