Talia couldn't believe how stubborn Damon was. Sure, Cinna was just a plush puppy, and it was just a toy for their baby, but it was important to Talia as well.
"Why can't I give something to our child? And why are we talking about me and you like we are separate? And…" Talia paused when it dawned on her. "This is because Keith gave me Cinna. Isn't it?"
Damon's silence answered Talia's question.
Damon knew he was petty and that it didn't make sense. Talia was his and his alone, and she never thought about any other guy, but… he couldn't help it. That toy reminded Damon of Keith's ghost that hovered over them, and the fact that Talia was so caring toward that toy was infuriating and, at the same time, preventing Damon from trashing it.
Talia put Cinna on the sofa and hugged Damon. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Tell you, what?"
"That you don't approve I kept a toy that Keith gave me?"
"It's not that I don't approve, but…" He didn't know what to say next. Should he lie and pretend that he didn't have a grudge against a plush toy?
Talia felt her insides tightening. If Damon kept in their bedroom an item from another female, Talia would be livid. And this was from Keith, who looked at Talia as more than just his Luna.
"I'm so sorry, Damon," Talia said. "I will be more considerate of your feelings."
Cinna was important because it was Talia's first toy.
Talia played with Cinna and Blackie, like they were brother and sister, and she completely forgot that Keith had given her that toy. And she didn't think it would hurt Damon's feelings.
"Don't be sorry, kitten," Damon spoke into her hair, feeling guilty that he ended up burdening her.
"Give me some time."
"For?" He asked.
"To fix things," Talia said, and before he could ask what that meant, she got on her toes and kissed him.
Talia couldn't throw Cinna, but she was determined to find her a good home. It was her first toy, and she loved it, but nothing compared to Damon's peace of mind.
Talia and Damon were having dinner with Maya and Caden.
As usually when they didn't have guests, Maya and Caden were giving updates about the current status.
The Beta duo had Erik, Zack, and Petra following them during the day to learn and help. Caden was happy to report, "They are smart kids. Fast learners. When Maya and I leave, they will be able to handle several tasks independently, and I will tell them to ask for your input when in doubt."
"It would be good if you give us a list of things the kids did so far," Talia said.
Damon was feeding Talia while recollecting how for years, it was just him and his Betas. The fact that Talia was at this table, participating in the conversation as an equal, warmed his heart.
An image of Cassie in Talia's place flashed in Damon's mind, and he quickly shook it away. Cassie would be a horrible Luna. She was bossy and condescending, and if he made her his Luna, she would only get worse.
Between Damon, Caden, and Maya, they had too much temper at the table, and Talia was like a calming balm that made everything better. No matter how heated things got when their opinions clashed, no one could raise his (or her) voice at Talia.
Another image flashed in Damon's mind; this one was with Marcy sitting on his left. That was when Damon was under the effect of the dark magic, and he didn't remember Talia, yet he still knew that Marcy being there was wrong. Only Talia belonged there.
"Damon?"
Talia's voice pulled Damon out of his thoughts.
"Yes, kitten?"
"Are you alright?"
"I am happy you are here." He admitted his thoughts.
Talia's face exploded into a bright smile. She didn't expect those sweet words, especially not in front of an audience, but that made it much better.
She leaned to give him a smacking kiss on the lips.
"There is no other place I would rather be," she said, and this was the truth.
After dinner, Caden and Damon went to the study to discuss rotations of patrols for the next month. With Caden's upcoming long vacation, Damon wanted to ensure they don't leave any openings.
Maya and Talia lingered in the living room while snacking on cookies.
Talia wanted to ask Maya more about the rogue situation because Damon kept her in the dark. Talia knew that he did that, so she didn't get upset, but not knowing was making her nervous.
Before Talia could ask anything, Zina came in bringing tea and cake.
"I saw the cake in the fridge, and I thought you might enjoy this," Zina said while putting a cup of ginger tea in front of Talia.
Talia smiled at the thought that Damon had asked Zina to bring her tea that eases nausea. He was busy working, yet he still thought of her. How can she be mad at him because he was shielding her from things that might upset her?
"Why don't you join us?" Talia asked Zina. "There is plenty of cake for everyone."
Zina was happy to join. With Dawn gone, Zina's evenings were uneventful. Sure, there were other Omegas she could mingle with, but Zina missed her bestie.
Maya's eyes sparkled while picking which slice of cake to eat first. There were so many options, and they all came from the best bakery in Darkbourne. Chocolate cake, mocha, vanilla, lemon, strawberry, and mixed fruits, each moist, fragrant, and tempting.
Talia and Zina shared a slice of mixed fruit cake because there was only one slice, and they both wanted it.
"How are mixers going?" Talia asked Maya.
"Good, good. Everyone knows about Malia."
Talia couldn't believe this. "Malia?" What was Maya talking about? "I'm not even there."
"But your presence lingers. The members of the Midnight Guardians pack are worshiping you already. One more boon won't change things."
Talia exhaled helplessly. There was no point in arguing. "Tell me about the upcoming events."
Maya started with the closest one, and Talia was impressed with how Maya came up with various themes to keep things interesting. There was a day at the beach, picnic on the meadow, mixer in a bar, hiking through the forest, an outing in the town, barbecue by the pool… Maya said how she needed to come up with different things because some people didn't find their mates for a while, and she didn't want them to get bored by attending the same-themed events. They would also change locations to accommodate members from other packs.
"Wait, wait…" Talia interrupted Maya when she spoke about one of the upcoming events.
"Isn't that one day before you go on your vacation?" Talia asked.
Maya confirmed.
"Don't you need to pack?" Talia asked. And there were probably other things Maya should do.
"I do, but this is with the Blue River pack, and Tatiana said that she can't make it sooner because she has some fashion show to prepare for. The problem is that I still need to pick a theme for this one."
"Why are you taking everything on yourself?" Talia asked Maya. "You are doing a great job, but you can't put others in front of your needs. With your heat coming, I'm sure you can find a better use for your time." Before Maya could object, Talia looked at Zina, "The two of us can do it, right?" And they can probably involve Mindy as well.
Zina's eyes widened. "Sure, I will be happy to help." With Talia's mate-matching-mojo, maybe Zina will find her mate also!
