Damon looked at his adorably wet and naked mate in the shower, and he would pounce on her if not for her dejected expression that told him she needed comforting.
He gently brushed soaking hair from her cheek that was stuck there.
"If you give in to your impatience, they win," Damon said.
Talia knew that Damon was right. Impatience could lead to failure. "I know. It's just… if not for Lulu, this evening would be a complete flop." She pressed her forehead on his chest. "I'm guilty of pushing Lulu away even though I said she doesn't need to take the blood oath. Lulu is one of our people. She is one of MY people, yet I acted per unfounded prejudice."
Damon wrapped his arms around Talia.
"The fact that she helped tonight doesn't mean she is not…"
"Stop," Talia interrupted him. "Don't say it. If you don't trust her, she wouldn't be my guard."
Damon nodded in agreement. Lulu trained hard and completed flawlessly too many missions for Damon to doubt her. The whole soccer team of the Dark Howlers pack was formed of elite warriors with a pristine track record. They would use the pretense of sports events to move around, gather information, and execute covert tasks.
"She must have her reasons," Talia said. "Instead of asking for an explanation, we assumed that she was hiding something, and I hate it. I hate the idea of an oath where others' lives depend on if they are ready to become my shields. They should watch themselves first. Everyone should."
Damon pressed his lips on Talia's forehead. "That's what makes you a great Luna and an even better Alpha." She didn't see herself as better when compared to others.
"I'm sure that Lulu noticed we were wary of her, and she still came to help us tonight. I don't want to hear that she helped us with an ulterior motive. I will talk to Lulu. Tomorrow." Talia said with resolve. "This will be cleared up, and we can all be friends again."
"If you say so." Damon was not confident that just a talk would fix anything, but it was a start.
Talia looked up at Damon and pouted. "I think that pretending we were not mates was a mistake. I wanted to show up at the party with you, just as Cristian and Michelle came, holding each other. I want people to know we are inseparable."
Damon's eyes fell on the left side of Talia's neck that showed his mark now because she had removed the makeup. He put his index finger there and traced the edges, knowing that the light touch was sending electric currents down her body.
The way her eyes fluttered to close made his cock lurch painfully. His kitten was ready for him.
"We talked about this before, kitten. The less they know, the more advantage we have. But I also want you to keep in mind that we can stop this charade anytime. Just say the word, and I will shout from the rooftops that you are mine."
Talia looked up at him, her eyes were cloudy from desire.
"Make love to me, Damon."
He had no objections.
'Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!'
A loud high-frequency noise made Damon and Talia jolt out of their sleep.
Talia pressed her hands over her ears, but it didn't help much.
"What is this!?" Talia shouted at Damon.
He was off the bed and grabbing his jeans to put them on.
"It's an emergency signal we use when humans are present. They can't hear it."
Talia was alarmed. "An emergency? What kind of an emergency?"
"I don't know. I'm going to check with Max."
"Wait! I'm coming!"
Urgent knocks were heard on the door, and Meg's voice sounded in Talia's head, 'Are you alright?'
'Yes, yes… there is an emergency. Damon and I are going to see what's going on…'
By the time Talia and Damon got out of the room, they met Keith, Caleb, Lulu, Meg, and Kai in the hallway. They all headed toward the commotion on the main floor. In the lobby, they found Max, Tatiana, Tony, Kalina, Beta Oliver, James, Cornelia, Maya, Caden, and a few other people.
"Stay in your rooms and let us handle this," Maddox said while waving toward the stairs, frustrated that no one listened and that his head was still woozy from all the drinking.
Alpha Edward, Luna Layla, and a few others were coming down the stairs, and Maddox turned to talk to them. "It's an internal thing. We will take care of it. There is no need to cause commotion and alert humans who are staying here." The group on the stairs paused, and then they returned to their rooms.
James pretended not to notice eye signals from Alpha Edward, and he shut down the mind-link so that he couldn't hear whatever his father wanted to say.
"What is going on?" Damon asked when it was just their group left in the hallway.
"Rogues," Beta Oliver responded. "Our patrols in the North-West area were attacked and are asking for reinforcements. The teams that went there are reporting a high number of intruders. We will head there to verify the situation."
"What's in there?" Talia asked Beta Oliver.
"Shelters."
Talia didn't get it. "Why would they attack shelters?"
It was Tatiana who responded. "They are rogues. Our shelters have food, clothes, and other supplies. It's not the first time. We will handle it."
Maddox looked at Tatiana with admiration. She was acting like a real Luna, which she was. But she was pregnant, so Maddox advised, "Stay here and ensure our special guests are not alerted."
Tatiana knew that 'special guests' were humans.
"Don't you think it's strange they are attacking on the night when a major event was organized here?" Talia asked.
"That is exactly why they would attack now," James said from the side. "There are humans here, and even though rogues don't want to risk exposure, they know that we won't risk it either. Humans present are associated with the Blue River pack, and Alpha Maddox won't put them in danger. That means the warriors will split up to defend the shelters, pursue the intruders, and guard the packhouse. And also, with the party just finished, we have a lot of drunk people whose reaction times are messed up."
At this last comment, almost everyone looked at Maddox, whose messy hair didn't help portray a reliable Alpha.
Maddox's eyes lost focus for a moment, and he cursed under his breath. He gave Tatiana a quick kiss. "Our warriors are guarding the packhouse. I need you safe. Stay here, for yourself and for our pup."
Tatiana didn't like Maddox leaving, and she didn't like that he was not sober, but she also got the mind-link that they had casualties, which was NOT acceptable. As an Alpha, he had to go.
"Take care," Tatiana pleaded. There were so many emotions and warnings behind those two words, and she hoped that Maddox got them all.
"I will go with him," Damon volunteered, and then he turned to Talia. "Stay with Tanya."
Talia's eyes were wide as saucers, and her heart thundered wildly. She didn't know the details, but it involved danger, and Damon wanted them to separate?
"I'm also coming," she said sternly. Seeing that Damon was about to object, Talia reminded him, "I am Alpha Natalia Moonrider, and you can't tell me to stay back."
