Ana was curled up in a fetal position on the floor, and the cracking sounds were her bones shattering under Damon's Alpha aura.
Since meeting Talia, Damon was suppressing murderous urges every time he saw Marcy, Alpha Edward, Elders who were trying to get him married to random women, and anyone who dared to cause grievances to Talia.
He was justifying his lack of action as protecting Talia, but there were times when he wondered if that was the right thing to do.
Damon could not change the past, but now they decided to stop hiding Talia's identity, and Damon wanted to make up for all the times he didn't act how an Alpha should when his mate was bullied.
Damon increased his pressure, and Ana's mouth opened in a silent scream as her vision darkened.
"Don't spill blood on the carpet," Talia said to Damon with urgency. "It's new."
"Who cares about the carpet?" Damon grumbled. "We will roll this trash in it, and I will buy George a new one." He looked at Ana. "So, you are the one who touched my mate? Tell me, how should I punish you?" Damon knew Ana couldn't respond, but he wanted her to know why she was suffering retribution.
Nora looked at this from the side while trying to diminish her presence. Damon was angry, and she didn't want to join Ana on the floor.
Nora thought it was lucky that she never touched Talia, so Damon won't kill her. Hopefully.
Talia put her hand over Damon's forearm. "Let me do it."
Damon looked at Talia dejectedly. Did she forget she was growing his child in her belly? He wanted Talia to save her energy for necessities, and getting rid of one Omega was not a necessity.
"Why don't you rest?" Damon asked Talia.
"If I wanted to rest, I would stay home. I knew that coming here would be unpleasant. Meeting Ana is just a bonus. She bullied me for many years. If you punish her in my place, it will feel empty."
Damon puffed his cheeks and retracted his aura.
Talia looked at Ana who was barely breathing, and Talia got an idea.
"I want her blindfolded."
Dawn stuck her hand between the cushions of the sofa and produced a black leather facemask. It would look like a sleeping mask, but this one was not soft or cushioned, and Talia wondered what Dawn and George did in this living room so that Dawn had such things handy.
Dawn used the facemask to secure Ana's eyes closed, and Ana had no strength to resist.
Next, Talia leaned over Ana and extended her hands which started lighting up with a silvery glow.
Everything was perfectly silent as Talia used her ability to heal Ana's wounds.
Nora craned her neck to see better what was going on. She gave up on the idea of escaping the place.
Ana didn't dare to move as Talia removed the blindfold.
Ana wondered what had happened. She couldn't see a thing, but she felt something soothing, and she was not in pain anymore. Did she imagine it?
"Leave," Talia said.
"You are letting her go?" Dawn asked, visibly confused.
Talia didn't respond to Dawn as she was focused on Ana. "Do you want me to change my mind?"
Ana blinked, and then she scurried out of the door, and she ran through the hallway, out of the villa, into the woods, and she continued running until she was out of sight.
"Why did you let her go?" Zina asked. "She will tell Alpha Edward what happened here."
"I'm counting on it," Talia said. "Dawn, talk to George, so your stories match. Nora came here with Ana. While Nora was helping you with clothes, Ana sneaked out and tried to seduce George, who kicked her out. Fill in any missing details."
They all stared at Talia, and it was Nora who understood Talia's intention. "Ana will tell Alpha Edward that you are here, and she was bullied, but you will twist it into lies Ana created because George rejected her. Since Ana is Alpha Edward's squeeze, he will be furious that she sought another man, and he won't believe her. Hahaha!" Nora ended with an evil laugh.
Talia had to admit that Nora was right. She wanted Ana to suffer, just as Talia did while Ana bullied her. It was not about the beatings; it was about isolation and no one helping or offering a kind word.
Ana will tell Alpha Edward how Talia and Damon were in George's villa, that Damon's Luna came from the attic of the Red Moon pack, and that Ana's bones were broken, but there will be no proof for any of it.
If Ana was convincing enough, Alpha Edward might send someone to check on George's villa and risk offending George, but he will not dare to act against Alpha Natalia or Alpha Damon solely based on a word from an Omega.
Ana's story will be unbelievable, to begin with, and without proof, Alpha Edward will call her a liar. Like that, Ana will lose the big thigh she was hugging, which will cause others to stop tolerating her because of Alpha Edward's protection. Ana will feel the pain of being shunned by everyone, and then… then Talia will teach her a lesson while others are watching, and no one will come to Ana's aid.
'Good plan, kid,' Liseli praised Talia.
Nora was giggling while talking, "Alpha Edward will discard her. Ana will be punished, and I can't wait to see that skunk reduced to where she belongs."
"It takes a skunk to recognize one," Zina said from the side. No one liked Ana, but they also didn't like Nora.
Nora glared at Zina, and Talia waved her hand to get their attention. "Let's not bicker." She turned to Nora. "Like it or not, you are with us on this."
"I would join hands with rogues if that means getting rid of Ana," Nora admitted her thoughts. "Enemy of my enemy is my friend, so we are friends now."
Talia wondered, how Nora could talk shamelessly about Ana when they were the same? Talia also had a belly full of grievances against Nora, but Nora was a lesser evil when compared to Ana.
"I assume that Alpha Edward sent you here with an agenda," Talia said to Nora. "Work with Dawn, Zina, Owen, and George to come up with a matching story. If you return to Alpha Edward empty-handed, you will be punished, so it's in your interest to cooperate."
Nora had to admit that Talia's point was valid.
Dawn was already on her phone, texting George to come to the living room with Owen. She wondered how the guys would react to this development.
Damon was staring at Talia with an unreadable expression. He didn't know that his kitten could be this devious and calculative, and he didn't hate it, not even a little bit.
Damon was angry at Alpha Edward, Alpha Howard, Alpha Sophia, Alpha Isaac, Cassandra's prophecy, and this whole pack for making Talia believe she was not important. They neglected her to the point of endangering Liseli, yet Talia was a daughter of an Alpha and a Guardian, and she was brilliant in every way possible. Actually, if Talia's background was not so impressive, she would probably die under such circumstances.
Talia turned to Damon, and she wondered why he was frowning. His emotional turmoil didn't make sense. "We should leave in case Alpha Edward sends his people. I assume we have ten minutes, maybe fifteen."
Damon couldn't wait to leave this place. The villa was big, but it felt crowded. Keith and the guys should be close also, so they can all enter the packhouse together and face another set of challenges.
