When Damon returned to the pack hospital, he found Keith and Arya standing guard in front of Valerian's room.
It was late afternoon, and Damon wanted to come earlier, but he needed to deal with rogues. Rogues didn't expect that Damon could attack from a distance, so they were sitting ducks while Damon practiced controlling his darkness.
After handling those pests, Damon assured that things were stable before he left matters to Maya, Caden, George, and James, who worked closely with Erik, Petra, and Zack. Mindy, Gideon, Owen, Zina, and Dawn were not idle, as they each had their tasks.
Damon quickly showered to wash away dirt and blood, got clean clothes, and rushed to the pack hospital. He knew that Talia was still there.
"You are dismissed," Damon said to Keith and Arya. "Report to duty tomorrow morning at nine o'clock."
Keith and Arya didn't object. They knew that Damon wouldn't leave Talia's side, and the couple was looking forward to relaxing, just the two of them.
Damon entered the room to find Valerian on the hospital bed.
He was wearing a hospital gown, and the nurses gave him a good sponge bath, so the stale odor he had carried previously was gone. His copper-colored hair was neatly combed back, and the messy, overgrown beard was gone to reveal a sharp jaw.
A side table on Valerian's left had two bowls smudged with creamy chicken soup from the packhouse and several empty containers of jello and pudding that the hospital provided. Valerian was still hungry, but Travis told him to take it easy. Valerian was getting the necessary nutrients through the IV drip.
Talia was on the sofa, covered with a dark blue blanket, sleeping like a log. She didn't admit how tired she was, but she was asleep by the time Valerian returned from radiology. A nurse covered her up, and Talia didn't move a muscle since then.
Damon and Valerian exchanged nods, and Damon stalked to the sofa. Carefully, very carefully, he lifted Talia's upper half and sat so she could lean on him.
Talia stirred to make herself more comfortable, and she scooted higher to sit on his lap.
Damon smiled when he felt her fisting his shirt and nuzzling his neck while inhaling his scent. Even in her sleep, she recognized him, and then she released a long sigh before relaxing against him completely.
Damon adjusted the blanket around Talia and cradled her in his arms. It was good to feel her against him. He was home.
'Your name is Damon Blake. Jacob's son, right?' A strange voice sounded in Damon's head, and he lifted his gaze to see Valerian looking at him.
'I know you can hear me.'
"How?" Damon asked.
'I can communicate mentally without the pack link,' Valerian said. 'You can talk to me in the same way as long as I keep the connection open.'
'I see,' Damon responded. 'I assume there is a reason why you disclosed this to me.'
Valerian nodded faintly. 'Natalia. I want to know about her.'
'What do you want to know?'
'Everything. Is it true that she grew up in the Red Moon pack?'
Damon didn't want to lie. 'Yes.'
'Do you know why?'
'Yes, but…' Damon hesitated.
'But?'
Damon was not sure if Talia would hate him if he told Valerian about her past. Knowing her, she wouldn't want to burden her father. 'That's a matter of the Moonrider family. I suggest you talk to Axel.'
'As Natalia's mate, you are family, and I'm talking to you. Speak.'
Damon liked that he was called family, and he had a feeling that it would be a bad move to refuse. 'One condition,' Damon said. 'You will keep it to yourself until Talia or Axel tell you about it.'
'I can't make those promises.'
'I am asking this for Talia. It is not a secret what happened, but it left deep scars on her. Talia suffered for a long time and is still struggling with acceptance.'
'I understand.'
Damon took that as Valerian's agreement, and he started talking.
'It all started with a prophecy…' Damon told Valerian about Cassandra's prophecy and that Sophia and Isaac gave Talia away, and she ended up in the hands of Alpha Howard. He didn't know much about her time in the Red Moon pack, but he said whatever he knew. Next, Damon told him how Sophia and Isaac were Alphas of the Midnight Guardians pack, and the plan was for Axel to be the next Alpha until Talia appeared. Sophia and Isaac used dark magic on Damon, and Talia took Alpha's position from them forcibly. Axel didn't object to Talia taking what was rightfully hers, but Sophia and Isaac were not happy about it.
Valerian listened to everything with an unreadable expression, and he didn't say a word when Damon finished.
Valerian just laid on the bed and closed his eyes. The silence was heavy.
Damon understood that the guy was processing the information, and he didn't want to disturb him.
Damon decided to focus on the little woman who was sleeping peacefully in his arms.
He scooted lower on the sofa and pressed his lips at the top of Talia's head. She was in his arms, safe with their pup in her belly. Talia's breath slipping into his shirt to fan his chest was soothing, and his eyelids became heavy as the fatigue took over.
Valerian couldn't sleep as the gravity of Talia's childhood pressed on him.
It's not that he didn't believe Damon, but he couldn't believe that Sophia and Isaac would do that. Didn't he ask them to watch over his daughter? How was that watching over her? Talia was the rightful heir of the Midnight Guardians pack, and instead of raising her as the next Alpha, they sent her away and didn't check on her for two decades!
Talia was precious, not only as the female Alpha from the Midnight Guardians pack, but because she was Astraea's daughter. Talia was the only thing left from his mate in this world of mortals, and Sophia and Isaac nearly took it away!
Talia took a deep breath of her favorite scent.
The warmth of Damon's body made her lips lift into a smile, and the rhythmical rise and fall of his chest told her he was sleeping.
Her eyes fluttered open to see that it was dark outside.
The low beeping of the heart rate monitor reminded her where she was, and she turned to see Valerian lying on the bed.
"How are you doing?" She asked.
"Better."
"Do you need something? I can call the doctor or nurses."
Valerian refused. "No need." His eyes darted toward Damon. "Your mate treats you well."
Talia smiled dreamily. "He does."
"I am glad. Can I ask you something?"
Talia's ears perked up. It sounded important. "Sure."
"Can I stay here until I recover?"
Talia blinked. "Of course! You can stay here as long as you want."
"Another thing," he said. "Can you keep my existence a secret for now?"
"It might be late for that." So many people had seen him already, and they knew he was Talia's father.
"I understand, but… can you try to keep this as low-key as possible?" Seeing Talia's confused expression, he explained. "I was gone for a long time, and many think I'm dead. If our people hear I'm back, some will want to visit. I don't want others to see me in this sorry state."
Talia couldn't make any promises, but she couldn't refuse this request either. "I will tell Axel."
