"You thought what you were doing was right," Damon said to Stephanie. "Did you tell yourself the same thing when you drugged me and let the Guardians take me, so I become bait for Talia?"
Stephanie's eyes darted to Talia, who was standing behind Damon. "She seems to be fine, and so are you."
"Do you know why?" Damon asked, and he continued before Stephanie responded, "The Guardians are dead. My mate and I killed them all." It was close to the truth.
"Impossible," Stephanie said under her breath. "They have abilities and are powerful, and…"
"And now they are gone," Damon interrupted her. "Did you think I will praise you for the treason you committed? You put me, my mate, and my unborn pup in danger. Combined with what you did to my parents, that's three generations of Alphas. Because of you, Alpha Jacob and Luna Violet are dead. Just as we defeated the Guardians, my parents could have done the same, but they never had a chance."
"I did what was best at the time."
"NO!" Damon shouted. "You did what YOU thought was best at the time! What gives an Omega the right to think she knows better than her Alpha? We are leading this pack as Alpha and Luna for a reason. Your options are to follow us or to leave."
Stephanie lowered her head. "I will leave."
"Too late."
Stephanie looked at Damon warily, and her eyes widened in horror when she felt his Alpha aura pressing on her.
"Killing me won't fix anything!" Stephanie said with panic in her voice.
"I won't kill you. Yet," Damon responded icily. There were fates worse than death, and if Stephanie thought this would be easy, she was gravely mistaken.
"Stephanie of the Dark Howler pack," Damon spoke while using his aura. "I, Damon Blake, the Alpha of the Dark Howler pack, find you guilty of the highest treason against your Alpha and Luna. As a punishment, I banish you from my pack."
Stephanie fell to her knees, clutching her chest as she felt a gap where the pack bond used to be. It was painful, but the truth was that Stephanie was prepared for worse.
"Thank you for showing mercy," she said in a strained voice.
"Mercy?" Damon sneered. "The Dark Howlers pack knows of your betrayal. I will notify all other packs that if anyone else takes you in, they will be going against the Dark Howlers pack. You have half an hour to leave the territory of the Dark Howlers pack, or you will be hunted and killed on sight."
Stephanie looked up at Damon, and her expression changed in slow motion as she realized what was happening. With her being banished and no one taking her in, she was doomed to become a rogue. She will suffer as her wolf turns feral, and there will be nothing she can do about it. And once she becomes a rogue, everyone will set to kill her. Even her own wolf might turn against her.
"They wouldn't hurt you," Stephanie said pleadingly. "If they got their hands on Talia, they would leave us alone. I did it for you. Didn't you say that you always put the pack first? I have been watching you for more than a decade working hard for this pack and everyone in it. Are the lives of thousands less worthy than one female? You know what I did was right. You can find another mate, and you can have other pups, but you can't replace the pack!"
Talia felt that Damon's control was snapping, and she grabbed his hand, which was trembling as the darkness started spreading around him.
It took Damon a second to acknowledge the sparks of their bond where they touched, and he opened his palm to allow their fingers to interlace. He held her firmly as if she was his lifeline, the only thing preventing him from destroying everything in sight… and she was exactly that and so much more.
"A powerful Alpha doesn't choose between his mate and his pack because he will save them all or die trying," Talia said while her silvery eyes made Stephanie unable to breathe. "You forgot that Damon is not alone. He has his warriors and allies, and he has me. You had no right to take away Damon's choice on the matter. Even with you backstabbing him, he still saved us all." Unfortunately, Damon's parents were not so lucky.
Damon was moved by Talia's words that were enforced by the pure love and complete trust she had for him.
"You have twenty-nine minutes, Stephanie," Damon said. "From one minute ago, you are an outsider without authorization to be here. I suggest you start running. If my warriors catch you, they won't grant you a swift death."
Stephanie opened her mouth to say something, but then she closed it.
Damon watched as Stephanie scurried away, and he waved at the warriors who were hiding nearby to go after her with, 'Make sure she leaves the territory.'
Damon turned to the gravestone and stared at it. His legs shook like the fatigue of ten sleepless nights crashed on him, and he fell to his knees.
"Mom, dad, you heard it all. I'm sorry it took me this long to find out who betrayed you. I hope that with this, you can rest in peace."
Talia got down on her knees and hugged Damon tightly.
"It's OK," Talia said softly. "I've got you."
That's what he would normally say to Talia to comfort her, and he wanted to be her rock all the time, but this time she offered comfort, and he took it.
Damon leaned his forehead on her shoulder, and then he nuzzled her neck as he buried his face into her hair while fisting the back of her blouse desperately.
His shoulders shivered, and Talia pretended not to notice he was crying.
Talia could feel Damon's grief and guilt. It was like his parents had died all over again. She guessed that he was replaying in his mind the last moments with his parents and many scenes which happened after that with Stephanie.
He was blaming himself for not seeing it sooner. For not realizing how toxic Stephanie was. He was taking the burden that shouldn't be his to carry, and Talia's heart cried for him.
The strong and willful Alpha looked so soft and fragile at the moment, and Talia was moved that he allowed her to see him like that, vulnerable. It was a sign of ultimate trust, and she loved him even more for it.
After an unknown measure of time, Damon pressed a kiss on her neck. "Thank you, kitten," his lips moved against her skin.
"You are a wonderful man, Damon Blake. I am honored you are my mate, and this pack is blessed to have you as their Alpha."
"Keep talking," Damon said, and Talia could hear he was smiling.
"I would like to talk to your parents," she said, and he loosened his hold on her so she could turn sideways.
"Mr. and Mrs. Blake," Talia started officially. "Damon and I are expecting our first pup. I didn't discuss this with Damon yet, but I was hoping that if it's a girl, we will call her Violet, and if it's a boy, it would be Jacob."
Talia turned to Damon. "What do you think?"
Damon glanced at the gravestone briefly, and then he looked at Talia seriously. "Now that you said it in front of my parents, I would be an ass if I objected."
Talia's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You don't like it?"
Damon broke into a bright smile. "I love it."
"You do?"
"I do." He loved everything about her, and he couldn't wait to be a father.
