~ the Dark Howlers pack ~
It's been two days since Damon and Talia returned from the Spring Leaf pack.
Trisha and Arya also came with Caleb and Keith.
On the day they returned, Doctor Travis examined Arya and confirmed that she had healed well. Other than a few fading bruises, she was as good as new.
Gideon was ready with a ceremony for Trisha and Arya to join the Dark Howlers pack, and they prepared a small feast to celebrate afterward.
Talia told Keith and Caleb that she won't be leaving the pack in the next few days, so they could take time off guilt-free and enjoy getting to know their mates.
Keith couldn't wait to end the formalities and head to the secluded house prepared for them. The house was comparable to what Gideon and Mindy used, with three bedrooms upstairs, and a living area downstairs, and it included a patch of land around it for privacy. Keith hoped they could stay there long-term.
Arya expected to meet Keith's family when they came to the Dark Howlers pack, but Keith had a different idea. As soon as the pack-joining ceremony ended, Keith and Arya excused themselves. Keith didn't care about the feast.
Since they met, Arya was in the pack hospital, so they couldn't get handsy. Hugging and kissing were fantastic but torturous as well because their kisses would turn steamy, and he could pick up the scent of her arousal, but they had to stop.
On the positive side, they had a lot of time to talk and get to know each other on a non-physical level.
Now that Arya was cleared by doctor Travis as recovered, and she joined the Dark Howlers pack officially, Keith had no intention of sharing her with anyone. At least not until he got his fill of her.
Zina reported that the food she delivered to their villa was disappearing, so they were alive.
Caleb showed Trisha around and introduced her to his friends and family. Zina knew that Talia was planning for Trisha to work in the packhouse, and she said that she will give Trisha some light duties to start.
Mindy and Zina were elated to hear about more females joining the pack and coming into their small circle that revolved around the packhouse, and they were busy organizing the upcoming mixer.
Maya and Caden were not heavily involved in ongoing activities, as they were preparing (mostly mentally) for their imminent vacation and Maya's heat. Until the last moment, the Beta duo was focused on training Erik, Petra, and Zack, so that the youngsters could help Damon and Talia in Maya's and Caden's absence.
Back to the present…
Talia and Damon were in the study attending a video conference with Maddox, Cristian, Axel, and Tony.
Axel didn't have the means to join the conference from the Midnight Guardians pack, so he went to the Lightclaw pack and attended from Tony's study. Moving from the portal to Tony's packhouse didn't require much time, and Yasmin was happy to perform the teleportation spell if that meant chatting time with Kalina while the guys dealt with work.
Cristian and Maddox summarized what they found from the interrogation of rogues that attacked them recently. Unfortunately, it was not much.
Alphas agreed that they must collaborate in dealing with this. Since rogues were tightlipped and organized, unlike before, it was essential for packs to cooperate.
"I want to thank everyone for your assistance during Ashton's birthday party," Cristian spoke from the computer screen. "If your warriors were not there, the casualties would be unimaginable."
"We were lucky to find out that rogues will be attacking," Damon said.
"I guess this proves that Cassie from the Steelbite pack knows something," Tony said. "Damon, when will you call her to see if she has more information?"
Damon released a long breath.
He didn't want to deal with Cassie, especially not from a position where he was the one asking favors. First, it might all be a trap where Cassie revealed one attack in order to gain their trust. And there was a chance she might give them more legit information with the goal of betraying them when they lower their guards. Second, even if Cassie wanted to collaborate, Damon knew that female was a pain in the ass. And third, there was always the possibility of Talia remembering that Cassie was Damon's bed warmer at some point and all that exploding into Damon's face. With Talia's temper flaring unexpectedly due to pregnancy, anything was possible.
Unfortunately, he didn't have a choice.
"I will call her today and let you know about the outcome. Any updates about Alpha Adam?"
Alpha Adam asked if he could join their open-borders policy and act as a bridge between a combined territory that belonged to Damon, Maddox, Cristian, and the current isolated territory owned by Tony.
"Alpha Adam met with Alpha Peter from the Everfang pack yesterday," Tony said. "I still need to hear the outcome of that meeting."
Tony would love it if they could combine all their territories, but not at the expense of opening the door to backstabbers. None of the Alphas present trusted Alpha Adam or Alpha Peter. Those two flip-flopped too many times. Sure, they had their reasons, but their previous behavior was a testament that they would collaborate with whoever gave them more benefits.
Luckily, Tony was not isolated. With the portal of the Midnight Guardians pack nearby, Axel could send reinforcements when needed.
After a long time of stagnation, dozens of members of the Midnight Guardians pack found their mates among witches and werewolves. Their morale was on all high, and they were ready to help their allies in fighting off attackers.
After the video conference with other Alphas ended, Damon glared at his phone like it was his mortal enemy. He knew that he needed to call Cassie, but every cell in his body was resisting that action.
"The sooner you do it, the sooner it will be done," Talia said.
Damon cocked an eyebrow at Talia. "Come here."
Talia got off her chair and sat on Damon's lap. His calm exterior didn't deceive her as she could feel his anxiety.
"It will be alright, Damon," Talia said. "It's just a phone call. Put her on a speaker, and let's hear what she has to say. And no matter what she says, I won't think you are cheating on me," she ended teasingly.
Damon groaned. "That was not funny."
Talia pressed her lips into a line. She was trying to lighten the mood, but it didn't work. Change of strategy!
Talia ran her fingers through his raven black hair. "How about you tell me what's bothering you?"
"If Cassie doesn't have a believable story, she wouldn't risk coming here with the tribute from the Steelbite pack and seeking me. I can't imagine what she can offer that we don't know already, but it will be something big, something I can't ignore. If I ignore it, I will regret it, but if I act on it and it's a trap…" He will regret it even more.
Damon was always a control freak, acting logically, choosing violence over negotiations because it was faster and cleaner, but now it was not just him. Other packs will be involved, and he had Talia and a pup on the way if anything happened to them because he made a wrong decision… Damon didn't want to think about it.
