Talia was touched by the care Maddox, Tony, and Cristian showed, but she had to make something clear.
"I'm not Tanya, Maddox," Talia said. She was not comfortable discussing her heritage as a Guardian, so she stuck to other facts. "The Guardians want me. I can make this stop."
"You are right," Cristian said. "If you contact them and agree to negotiate, they will call off the attacks. However, they won't accept a trivial tribute. They don't need money or land. They want you. Assuming you accept their conditions, we will live in peace until the next powerful female catches their eye."
Tony added, "If you go, it will only tell them that this strategy works. Damon taught me that if the other party won't give anything in return, that's not negotiation; it's blackmail. This time, they get you. Next time, they will come for Kalina, Tanya, Michelle, and many others."
Maddox hummed in agreement. "I know you feel guilty by sitting there, knowing you can stop it. But you going to them won't be a solution. How guilty will you feel to know that your friends were targeted next because you gave in?"
"They are right," James said to Talia from the side. "We will figure out how to deal with attacks, and we will come up with a plan to save everyone without pushing you in the middle of it. I am confident that every pack member feels the same. You are Luna of the Dark Howlers pack and the Alpha of the Midnight Guardians pack. You are not replaceable."
Talia exhaled helplessly. She had no intention of going to surrender herself. She wanted to punish the Guardians for their behavior and save Damon, Yasmin, and the kids. But the truth was that she didn't know where they were held or where the Guardians were.
"I promise that I won't do anything reckless," Talia said to James and then turned to her laptop from where Maddox, Tony, and Cristian were looking at her. "Caden and Maya will be in charge of our warriors, and George will assist them. James will be our point of contact and main strategist. Please inform him of any changes. Axel is handling the Midnight Guardians pack and searching for clues on where Yasmin and the twins are, and I will do the same here regarding Damon."
After the video call ended, Talia turned to Cassandra, who was standing on the side silently. "Work with Cornelia in organizing the relics you've brought. Tell her what they do and how to activate them. Amelia, you will be in charge of preparing teleportation diagrams. In case of an emergency, we need to be able to move our units quickly. James, work with Maya and Caden to distribute relics to our people in the best way possible."
Caden nodded in approval. Instead of shrinking, Talia took charge of the situation. Damon will be proud to hear about this.
Amelia left the study to handle her tasks.
Keith and Arya went with Caden to sync up on the current situation. They went to Caden's study because Damon's was crowded with everyone in it, and Cassandra and Cornelia needed space.
Liam stayed to keep an eye on Talia.
"What will you do about Damon?" James asked.
Talia shook her head. "I don't know where to start."
"Do what feels right, and you won't have regrets," James said. "The worst thing you could do is rush."
"You expect me to sit and wait?"
"That's exactly what I'm expecting," James said. "If we are right, and the Guardians are doing this to get to you, they will get in touch with you to state their demands."
Talia started massaging her temples. The tension was building up, and she found herself emotionally detached. She knew that her people were in danger, but the only thing she could think about was Damon.
Talia grit her teeth in annoyance. Was this the extent of her abilities? What was the point of her power and strength if the only thing she could do was sit and wait for news? Damon was missing, and she could feel the bond but not the pull. Where was he? Shouldn't she be able to sense the direction of where he is?
'There are several reasons why you can't sense the pull,' Liseli spoke into Talia's mind. 'One is the distance, something might be obstructing your connection, and then there is your emotional turmoil. You are anxious and angry, and nothing is going through that.'
Talia put her hands over her stomach. 'Help me, Lis. Our mates are missing. I fear that…' She couldn't finish.
'The bond with Sapa is there, but it's weak,' Liseli said dejectedly. 'We can't follow the bond, but you can follow the clues.'
'Clues?'
'Stephanie. She is a member of this pack, and she can't be far away.'
Talia's eyes lit up. 'I can force-open the mind link and demand that she comes here.'
'Don't,' Liseli said right away. 'If she is guilty, it will only alert her you are onto her, and she will flee.'
Talia's excitement dwindled. 'If I can't use the pack link, how do I follow the clues?'
'You can still use the pack link. Even if they've done something to block your bond with Damon, they wouldn't be so cautious about her. Calm down and focus on the bond you have with this pack. Feel its members. Find the one you are looking for…'
Talia realized that Liseli was right. When she became the Alpha of the Midnight Guardians pack, she could see strings connecting her to every pack member. When she became the Luna of the Dark Howlers pack, she could feel the energies, and there was a lot of light, but she focused on Damon and emotions, and she didn't pay attention to the strings.
If she could focus. Only if she could sense that one particular string that connected her to Stephanie, she could… maybe… it was worth a shot.
Talia closed her eyes and took deep breaths to calm down. The talk between Cassandra and Cornelia turned into murmurs, and James' typing on the keyboard of a laptop blended with it. Everything faded as Talia focused on channeling energies like her mother taught her in the secret message.
If her mother was here, what would she do? Talia remembered the first message that gave her an insight into the relationship her parents had. They were in danger, hiding, protecting each other, and Talia could feel her mother's determination not to give up.
Cornelia and Cassandra both turned to stare at Talia when she started glowing. The light spread around Talia in pulses, and then it transformed into silvery threads that reached in all directions with Talia in the center of it.
The other four people in the room saw the light being compacted into a rich silvery layer around Talia, but they couldn't see the threads.
Little by little, threads faded into nothing, leaving only one.
Talia's silvery eyes snapped open, and she started moving while following the thread.
"Luna?" Liam asked while scurrying after Talia. Where was she going? And why was she picking up the pace?
'Keith! Arya!' Liam called through the pack link frantically. 'Luna is leaving the packhouse!'
'Where to?' Keith asked.
'How am I supposed to know? Get out! Now!' He was nervous that he would lose Talia, and it would be all his fault.
'Stay with her and tell us the direction!' Keith demanded. 'We are right behind you!'
Keith and Arya rushed out of Caden's study, leaving Caden totally confused. They were in the middle of something important!
