Damon felt wronged.
He really didn't look at the brunette for any other reason than thinking if she could match up to his Generals. But Talia was getting increasingly irritable due to pregnancy, and he wondered if he should run after her immediately or if he should give her a minute to calm down.
"I will check on her," Luna Michelle said.
Talia stepped onto the terrace that overlooked a small garden. It was nothing like spacious packhouses Talia had seen before, but this place was cozy and warm, full of personal touches. One could immediately see that it was a home of a loving family.
"Talia?" Luna Michelle called from the door. "Do you mind if I join you?"
Talia realized that she had made a scene. That was NOT like her. Was Damon blaming her for losing her temper?
"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," Talia said guiltily.
"We are not uncomfortable, but we are worried."
Talia pressed her lips into a line. "I will make sure it doesn't happen again."
Michelle smiled. "I think you misunderstood me. I am not worried about you walking away. I am worried about you keeping it in."
Talia was confused. "What?"
"Your emotions. Don't keep them in. It will harm your baby. If you are angry, throw a fit. Your status as an Alpha and as a pregnant woman gives you the right to blow up stuff and no one will dare to say a word."
Talia's eyes widened, and then she burst into laughter. She had no idea what was funny, but there she was… laughing.
"I am emotionally unstable," Talia said.
"And that's normal during pregnancy. I don't know what happened inside, but I guess it's related to General Arya. I assure you that she is focused on training. I know, because I was watching her."
"You did?"
Michelle hummed in confirmation. "Arya is beautiful. Compared to me, she is younger and more capable." Michelle shook her head. "She came to this pack when she was four or five years old. Our warriors found her after a rogue attack, and no one knew who her parents were, so we took her in as an orphan. Everyone would fall in love with her instantly, first as a child and then as a teen. She was an excellent student, and a great cadet, but the most impressive was her outgoing personality which made everyone like her. Cristian would talk about her rising through the ranks and accomplishing missions, and it made me insecure."
Talia couldn't believe it. "Insecure? But Cristian adores you."
"And Damon adores you, yet you ended up doubting him."
Talia paused. Was she doubting Damon?
Talia was confident that Damon had eyes only for her, but a small part of her didn't forget about his past. Now that Damon was looking at an attractive female, the darkness in Talia swelled and threatened to spoil everything good they had built so far.
'I'm sorry, Damon,' Talia spoke to him through their mind-link. 'Pregnancy hormones caught me by surprise.'
'Can I join you?'
Talia's heart tightened at the insecurity in his voice.
'Of course.'
Two seconds later, Damon was at the door, and Michelle excused herself, saying that she will go to check on Ashton.
Damon pulled Talia onto his chest, and he held her there firmly.
Talia's ear was pressed on Damon's chest, but even if it wasn't, she would be able to hear his raging heartbeats. He was anxious. Guilty. Confused. Concerned. Fearful. And Talia knew it was her fault. She made him feel that way.
"Don't ever ask if you can join me, Damon. You are my other half. No matter what happens, I will always want you close."
"But you told me to stay back," Damon reminded her.
"Don't listen to that nonsense," Talia said. "Just come after me. I might be angry and yell, but I won't hate you for wanting to be close to me. Actually, only your proximity can calm me down, and considering that pregnancy is making my temper flare, I will need extra doses of Damon to keep me sane."
Damon smiled at these words. "All doses of Damon are yours and yours only, kitten."
She took a few deep breaths to fill her system with Damon's scent of the forest and dark chocolate, and her emotions stabilized.
"We should go back," Talia said. There must be a reason why that female showed up.
"We can stay here," Damon responded. He didn't want to risk Talia getting upset again.
As much as Damon was concerned, they could return to the Dark Howlers pack and leave all this behind.
But Talia insisted on them coming because (according to Cassie), Talia was the target, and rogues were coming for her. Talia didn't want to stay home and hope for the best while their friends risked their lives.
This was the opportunity for them to ambush their attackers, get more information, and confirm if Cassie was telling the truth.
And also, even with her being pregnant, Talia was not a defenseless she-wolf. She could still use her abilities, and she had Liseli, and rogues didn't know about those.
Damon and Talia returned to the living room to see that Alpha Cristian was talking with General Arya, both with serious expressions while looking at the map that was spread on the coffee table.
"Are you feeling alright now?" Cristian asked Talia. "If you need to rest, you can go…"
"I am fine," Talia interrupted him. Damon needed to be here, and Talia didn't want to separate from him. "Thank you for your concern. I guess this whole situation is making me edgy."
Cristian nodded in understanding. "We are prepared for tonight. My pack members are moving into shelters so we won't have innocent casualties. As for our warriors, that's why Arya is here."
Arya had a serious expression, and her gaze didn't move from the map. "We found pack-link jamming devices here, here…" She was pointing at the black dots on the map. "They are the same ones used during the recent attack on the Blue River pack. Teams are watching those areas." She glanced at Talia. "It seems rogues are using something to conceal their scent. To offset those, we set up infrared sensors that show heat signatures. They are not a hundred percent accurate because they get triggered by bigger animals, but at least we can confirm areas where we don't have rogues."
Talia listened to Arya talking, and she had to acknowledge that the female spoke eloquently with the confidence of a seasoned warrior.
When Arya finished with her status, Cristian asked Damon and Talia, "Do you have any questions?"
Damon glanced at Talia.
"No. It seems you covered everything," Talia said.
Cristian grinned. "Of course. With Arya overseeing the security detail, we are in safe hands." He looked at Damon. "Now that the work is done, how about a drink? It can help take the edge off. I've got a new bottle of a hundred year-old scotch."
Damon was about to agree, but he changed his mind. "My mate is not drinking, so I'm giving her company."
Cristian rolled his eyes. "You can have juice and give me company while I drink the good stuff."
"How about you?" Damon asked Talia.
Talia waved at him to go ahead. She had a feeling that Cristian called Damon so they could talk about guy stuff.
"I will be here, sipping my ginger tea. Stay close."
Damon leaned to give her a soft kiss. "I won't be more than three seconds away."
