Damon, Talia, Maya, and Caden were not sure what outcome regarding Stephanie they should hope for. If Stephanie was aware she was giving information to rogues, that would be treason. But if Stephanie didn't know that Lisa was mated to a rogue, she would be devastated that Lisa used her.
Or maybe they were completely wrong, and the information leak didn't come from Stephanie at all, but from somewhere else. 0 However, everything pointed in that direction. Out of a few people who knew about Talia accompanying Damon to the Blue River pack, Zina didn't have contacts outside of the Dark Howlers pack, except for Dawn. There were Rose, Cornelia, Maya, Caden, and Travis, but none of them were close to Lisa, so it was normal to label Stephanie as a suspect.° In the Midnight Guardians pack, Axel, Yasmin, Meg, Kai, Tyler, and Sandy also knew, but the chances of them sharing that with rogues were close to nil. Not because they were more trustworthy, but because they were isolated in their realm, and only a few had the ability to communicate with the human realm.
"Does Zina feel bad?" Talia asked Maya. Maya confirmed. While Talia and Damon were enjoying their solitude, Maya asked Zina and Rose if Stephanie had stopped by, and the two said she did. Every few days, Stephanie would come with Richard, who loved spending time in the packhouse garden. Stephanie used that time to catch up with the girls. Of course, they talked about anything and everything, Damon and Tana included. Zina didn't remember exactly saying that Talia went with Damon to Tatiana's Luna ceremony, but it wouldn't be unusual if she said it. Dawn and Zina worked under Stephanie for years, she was their superior, and they trusted her. How was Zina supposed to know that Lisa was mated to a rogue and that their friendly chatter would end up hurting others? "Zina feels horrible," Maya said. "I told her we are just investigating, and nothing is confirmed. However, Zina knows that if it's true, it means that Zina was indirectly responsible far the rogues' attack and Lulu's death." And it was not just Lulu. Many others perished, Marcy included. No one liked Marcy, but they didn't wish her to die.
Talia's mood dropped. How can that be Zina's fault when it was obviously Talia's? Talia was the target, and Lulu died while protecting her. 0 "I will talk to Zina," Talia said. Maybe they could have a joint crying session to relieve some grief. Damon sensed that Talia's emotions were fluctuating, and he wanted to change the topic "Do we have information from the Red Moon pack?" Caden responded. "James is keeping an eye on Alpha Edward and Cornelia is providing daily updates. James also suspects that his father was working with rogues, but he has no proof. And while we are on the topic of Camelia..." Caden got a folder he had prepared previously and put it on the desk for Damon and Talia to see. "Her tracking spell on the Guardian you found in the Midnight Guardians pack is steady." Damon quickly opened the folder and saw a printed map with an X on it, and there were coordinates.
"How long is he there?" Talia asked. "Cornelia and Amelia are checking it at least twice a day. He didn't move from there for about eight days." 0 "Do we know what's there?" Damon asked Caden. "Forest. There are no cities for miles."
"How far is this from here?" Talia asked. She was unfamiliar with the maps and states.
Caden was not sure, so he guessed. "About a thousand miles? Maybe more?" "That's at least two thousand miles." Maya chimed in. "You can't look at it like a straight line unless you can fly there directly." Damon saw that Talia was confused, so he explained, "It would take days to get there if you are driving, but considering they are Guardians, we can assume they have some faster ways to cross that distance." Like teleportation, or maybe they could fly. "Do you want us to send scouts?" Talia didn't think that was a good idea. "If that's their base, we will be walking into a trap." The guardian moved through the territory of the Blue River pack like it was his backyard. Who knows what they have set up there? "Do we have someone who can hack into military satellites to see what's going on?" Damon asked.
Maya responded, "We can ask around." "I might know someone," Talia said mysteriously. She knew that Tyler was skilled with electronics. Since time passed differently in that realm, members of the Midnight Guardians pack had plenty of time to master various skills compared to those who stayed in the human realm. Many were unmated, so they spent time learning new things to keep busy.°
Grady and Varya didn't understand what's the hype about the Midnight Guardians pack Grady grew up among humans and Varya in Europe. The importance of the mysterious pack didn't seem like a big deal because they thought every pack was different and the whole community-style living was novel.
But they liked the news that their wait was over, and they were eager to do the formalities so they could indulge in mating. Grady and Varya didn't have many things to pack, so they met Talia and Damon in the living room for chatter while waiting far others to gather. Cornelia and Amelia were making sure that the teleportation diagram was big enough for everyone.
Other than them, also going were Liam, Keith, Caleb, Pierce, and Daria. Liam was Amelia's mate, and Talia's guard, while Keith, Caleb, and Pierce went as Talia's guards. Daria was curious about this mysterious pack that her sister will join, and she wanted to ensure that Varya won't be mistreated. "Will you be alright leaving things in Europe?" Talia asked Varya. "This is not a vacation. It's forever." Varya looked at Grady and smiled. He was her forever. "I knew I won't have access to my assets for some time. I instructed Kalina and Tatiana to take care of important things." Money and assets were not much, but she had a few friends she wanted to notify that she fell in love and got married so that they don't worry and file a police report in search of her body. "Do the same conditions apply to joining your pack?" Varya asked Talia. "Conditions?" "Alpha Damon said that we need to stay in his pack for at most two years, and if we want to leave then, he will let us go."
Talia was unaware of such a condition, but she didn't think it would be a problem. "Sure. When two years pass in this realm, I will ask you." With every hour here being a full day there, Talia calculated that Varya and Grady will spend there about sixty years. That's a lot of time to change their minds.
"What do you mean by, in this realm?" Varya noticed that strange condition. Talia's eyes lit up. "You are observant. With the right training, you could become a high-ranking member." Talia turned to Damon. "What do you think?"
"It's your pack, kitten. If you say she is worthy, then she is." Varya was not sure what Talia had on her mind, but being a high-ranking member sounded important. She liked that.
