Later that evening…
Talia plopped on the bed and stared at the ceiling while thinking about the events from the last few hours.
She was Damon's Luna now, and she could feel the Dark Howlers pack.
The fair mixer was a big success, with almost one hundred new mates reported across various packs. Talia was looking forward to finding out the final numbers tomorrow.
Yasmin had her babies, and their family of four reached the Midnight Guardians pack safely.
Overall, it was a successful evening, so why was she feeling uneasy?
"What are you thinking?" Damon asked while sliding on the bed next to Talia.
So many things. "I am thinking that we should speed up dealing with the Guardians. Yasmin doesn't deserve a future where she needs to hide with her children." And it was not just hiding; it was about a lifetime of living in fear of being kidnapped, used, brainwashed, enslaved, and many other horrible things.
Talia put her hand over her belly. "Maybe Yasmin will be fine staying in the Coven or the Midnight Guardians pack, but what about me? Should I disappear and pretend that the world doesn't exist? What will Guardians do when they find out about our baby? What if they…"
"Shh…" Damon shushed Talia while pulling her into his embrace. He loved how she nuzzled his chest with her nose before turning her head to rest her head there. He knew that she was listening to his heartbeat.
"We will figure it out, kitten. Don't allow the anxiety of an uncertain future to spoil what we have now. Feel the pack. They are happy to have you as their Luna, and the fair was fantastic. Remember all the smiling faces you've seen tonight. Remember the feeling of Valeria in your hands. That was new life, thanks to you."
"Thanks to me?"
"Mhm," Damon confirmed with a hum. "If you didn't open the portal to the realm of witches, Axel and Yasmin wouldn't meet, and they wouldn't have the twins. Thanks to the event you organized, so many mates found each other tonight. You are like a blessing that spreads to everyone around you. Even Chef Page was into the arcade with Jane by his side. So many good things happened. Let that positivity seep into you and silence your worries." At least for tonight.
Talia wished that it was that easy.
"Help me, Damon," Talia pleaded. "Help me forget about all the bad things."
Damon was about to ask how, but then her lips found her mark on his neck, and a barely audible 'Ah' escaped his lips as the pressure in his groin increased.
That night, Damon and Talia made love slowly, unhurriedly.
Damon's every touch, kiss, and heated gaze told Talia how much he worshiped her as he caressed her ears with his sweet whispers.
Talia allowed herself to get lost in the love Damon was giving her, hoping he could feel that she loved him back with equal devotion.
Next evening…
Damon and Talia entered the study to see that Cassie was there.
Amelia, Liam, Keith, and Arya stood around Cassie who was sitting on a chair.
"Can you tell your guards that I'm not an enemy?" Cassie said to Damon.
"We will see if you are an enemy," Damon responded to Cassie and looked at Keith. "Thank you for bringing her here. Did you have any issues?"
Damon got the report through the mind-link, but he wanted Cassie to hear that this was official business and that they were being cautious.
"She is clean of trackers, and we were not followed. Her cell phone and tablet are powered off, and we brought them in a Faraday bag. The tech team is looking into those. Other than her attitude, things went smoothly," Keith responded.
Keith was leading the team in extracting Cassie from the Steelbite pack. Normally, high-ranking soldiers would be involved in that type of mission, but because they were using teleportation to move, and Amelia's identity as a witch was not widely known, Damon and Talia decided to send a few people who already knew what Amelia could do.
In order for Cassie to not find out about witches, they knocked her out at the point of pickup, and they woke her up only after reaching the packhouse of the Dark Howlers pack. She had no idea how long she had been unconscious or how she got there.
Cassie didn't know they would knock her out, and she threw a fit after waking up, hence Keith's comment.
Cassie pressed her lips into a line while looking at Damon, who leisurely sat on his extra-wide executive chair, and he spread his arms, silently inviting Talia to sit on his lap. Only after Talia sat there and his arms closed around her did Damon look at Liam and Amelia.
"Cornelia should be here with James soon. Make sure to tell them where we are. After that, you are dismissed for the day."
Liam and Amelia acknowledged Damon's instructions and left the study.
"The two of you can wait in the hallway," Damon instructed Keith and Arya.
With four people gone, Cassie got more comfortable in her chair.
Seeing that Damon didn't talk, she did. "Won't you ask me anything?"
"In a minute," Damon responded.
"Are we waiting for something?"
"Someone," Damon corrected her.
Cassie was not sure what to expect. Damon rested his chin on Talia's shoulder, and his eyes closed as Talia leaned on him. Damon and Talia looked like they were relaxing.
After a brief knock, the door opened for Liam to peek in.
"They are here," Liam said and pushed the door open for Cornelia and James to enter.
"James Redmayne?" Cassie was unable to conceal her surprise. She turned to Damon. "Are you selling me out?"
Damon cocked an eyebrow at her. "James is here because I called for his presence. As for me selling you out, it will depend on what you have to say."
Cassie was not happy about it. "I agreed to talk to you. I have information, and in return, you will give me a ticket out."
Cassie didn't like all these additional people. Cassie and Talia were not getting along well, and Cassie had no idea who Cornelia was. But James was the young Alpha of the Red Moon pack, and Damon knew that Alpha Richard and Alpha Edward were collaborating. Why did he bring James here?
Damon was losing his patience. "Listen, Cassie. I brought you here, and I can easily send you back."
Cassie's eyes widened. "You wouldn't do that."
"Don't test my patience, Cassie. I can tell Alpha Richard that you came to me with information about him, but I didn't believe you, and I decided to let him handle the situation because I didn't want to dirty my hands. Do you want a way out? I need to hear what you will give me in return."
"That's not what we agreed. You send me first..."
Damon raised his hand, making Cassie stop talking. "We didn't agree on anything beyond me listening to what you have to say. Well, I am here, listening."
Seeing Cassie's stubborn expression, Talia put her hand over Damon's, indicating that she will take over. Cassie obviously thought that she had some leverage over Damon, and Talia didn't like it.
