A loud growl ripped from Damon's chest, and in the next moment, Damon was hoisting Talia away from Arya.
"Stay away from my mate!" Damon shouted, and Arya was slammed flat on the sofa under the pressure of Damon's Alpha aura.
Damon turned to Talia and inspected her visually. "Did she harm you?"
"No, no…" Talia quickly said while trying to assess her emotions. What happened? "I think my temper flared, and I overreacted."
"I apologize, Alpha Damon, Luna Talia," Cristian said respectfully while struggling to stand straight. Damon's aura was not to be trifled with. "Arya is a prideful general, and she is not used to talking to people who outrank her. I will make sure to punish her."
Damon snorted irritably and retracted his aura.
Arya was not sure what had happened. They were talking, and she thought she had an advantage; she said some things, and then Talia suppressed her completely. Talia was obviously on the top. Why was everyone siding with Talia?
"Don't blame her," Talia said. "Arya is still young and needs to learn that people shouldn't be judged based on external appearance."
Alpha Cristian whipped his head to look at Arya.
Arya didn't dare to lift her gaze. She could feel Cristian's eyes on her, and she feared that if she saw anger or disappointment there, she would fall apart. At the same time, Talia's words stabbed Arya right into the stomach. This blow felt harsher than when Damon's aura held her down.
Arya hated when people treated her differently because of her appearance, yet she did the same to Talia. Based on werewolf standards, Talia had a small frame and was skinny, and seeing how Talia interacted with everyone softly, Arya assumed that Talia was submissive.
Arya was not sure if she implied that Talia was nobody because she really meant it or because she was angry, but the words were out, and she couldn't take it back, and no amount of apology will fix that. It was disrespect toward someone of high rank, an ally who was visiting, and the punishment won't be light.
Arya glanced at Talia to see that the latter was completely focused on the man holding her.
"I am OK, Damon. I really am. Can you keep me down?"
Luna Michelle got into the room, and she immediately noticed the awkward atmosphere.
Arya had her head bowed, Cristian stood on the side, and Damon was holding Talia in his arms.
Ashton peeked from behind his mother to see inside the living room.
He walked to Damon while proudly holding a sheet of paper and pointed his finger at Damon's feet. "Keep my Luna down. I am here now, so your protective services won't be needed. You can rest."
Damon gritted his teeth in annoyance. Will this little snot ever give up? Why was everyone set on getting their hands on Talia? She was his!
Unaware that Damon was tightening his hold on Talia, Ashton looked at Talia and grinned. "I made a drawing for you. Do you want to see it?"
"Of course," Talia said with a smile. 'Put me down, Damon.' Talia spoke to Damon through their mind-link. 'Don't make this more awkward than it already is.'
'What happened with that woman while I was gone?'
'Nothing.'
'I'm not buying it. I left you to sip tea, and five minutes later, I'm back to see you about to hump a random woman. Unless you switched to liking females, something happened. Or do you like girls now? Am I not needed after I gave you my seed?'
Talia was not sure if she should laugh or cry. How does his brain work?
'Don't overthink things, Damon. It's nothing like it. We have an audience. Put. Me. Down.'
Reluctantly, Damon's arms went lower, and Talia's feet touched the floor.
Ashton happily grabbed Talia's hand. "Let's go next to the window, so you can see it better."
Talia followed the little man, and Damon was one step behind them.
"I apologize, Alpha," Arya said in a small voice.
"I am not the one you should apologize to, Arya," Cristian said.
Arya turned to where Talia went, when he stopped her.
"Don't. We have a big night ahead of us. Can I count on you, or are you compromised?"
This time, Arya lifted her head and looked him into the eyes. Her throat constricted when she saw his stern expression. Even when she was lined up with other warriors, there was a hint of a smile at the corner of his lips when their eyes met, yet now there was none.
"You can count on me, Alpha."
"Good," Cristian said curtly. "Don't think about this incident. Focus on your mission. If we mess up, lives will be at stake. Do you understand that?"
Arya nodded.
"We will talk about this tomorrow. You are dismissed. Go to your position."
Arya bowed respectfully and left the room.
Alpha Cristian puffed his cheeks while looking at the door through which Arya walked out, and he knew that warm hand wrapping around his bicep was Michelle.
"Did I make a mistake by promoting her to a general so early?" He asked.
"You said that she deserved it," Michelle said.
"With her skills, yes. But this incident proved that mentally she is not there. A general needs to stay composed and have a firm head on shoulders and not to provoke allies." He didn't know what exactly happened, but nothing would justify Arya speaking or acting against Talia, not when their territory was full of warriors from the Dark Howlers pack, and definitely not in Damon's presence. Even without those, Talia was an Alpha, someone that could face a Guardian and come out of it alive. What was Arya thinking?
"Arya is a fast learner. She absorbed everything you taught her." Michelle said.
Cristian released a long breath. "I saw her as a child, and I didn't insist on respect and protocols, and now it backfired."
"It will be alright. Talia will forgive her."
"Talia is not the one I'm worried about."
They both turned to look in the direction of the window under which Ashton, Talia, and Damon were.
Ashton was pointing at the things on the paper while explaining to Talia what was there. Talia was squatting to be on the same level with Ashton, and Damon was hovering above them with a grim expression that would scare the Devil.
Talia did her best to ignore Damon's hostile attitude. She heard that Alphas get super-protective when their mates are expecting pups, but Damon was exaggerating. But then… Damon was always completely in or out without any middle ground.
Talia was looking at Ashton's drawing that had a forest and a house with a lawn. The sky was blue with some black spots that Ashton called birds, and three stick figures stood on the lawn.
"Is that your family?" Talia asked.
Ashton nodded earnestly. "This is me…" He pointed at the biggest stick figure.
Talia thought the boy pointed it wrongly because he should be the smallest one, representing the child, but then Ashton continued, "This is you, and this is our pup."
Talia's giggle covered Damon's growl.
"You made a drawing of two of us and our child?" Talia asked with amusement in her voice. She knew it was wrong, and she should correct him, but Ashton was adorable.
Ashton confirmed. "Yes. One pup is enough. I don't want more because raising children takes time, and I want to ensure I have time for my Luna."
"Your Luna will be a lucky girl."
He grinned. "I am glad you think so. I will treat you well."
Another growl came from Damon, and Talia felt the urgency to get some one-on-one time with Damon and pacify him.
"Thank you for the drawing, Ashton. I will cherish it. Don't you need to get ready for the party?"
"You are right," Ashton said. "I should get going." He paused to look at Talia, and his cheeks reddened. "Will you dance with me tonight?"
Talia was about to say yes, but Damon growled again.
"We will see. I am a bit tired, so I can't make promises."
Ashton was disappointed, but he didn't insist.
Talia looked after the boy and shook her head helplessly. How can six years old boy be more understanding than the big oaf that was standing next to her?
Talia looked at Damon's grumpy expression, and her heart warmed. He was a big, domineering, overprotective, stubborn oaf. Her oaf.
Talia wrapped her arms around Damon's neck. "How about we find out where we will be staying tonight? There is still some time until the party starts."
She gave him a meaningful look, and Damon's lips lifted into a smile.
