Going home
Going home
When Caden arrived, Talia told them how she left with James and Cornelia to the Lightclaw pack, and how her negotiations with Alpha Magnus failed and she ended up erasing his memory and making him abdicate so that Tony can take over… how Axel and Yasmin were there, and Yasmin was pregnant with twins, and they believe that's a blessing because Talia is the Alpha of the Midnight Guardians pack. From there, Talia switched to talking about the time when Damon was on the run without his memories of Talia, and how she went to seek answers from Alpha Isaac and Alpha Sophia only to find out that they were her biological parents… how she wanted for Axel to take over as the Alpha, but he didn't have powers, so she ended up taking that role with Axel as her proxy, and somewhere while talking about opening the portal to the realm of witches, Talia fell asleep mid-sentence.
And here they were… in a plane, with Damon holding Talia and all the weight of her emotions.
Caden was running his hand through his hair repeatedly. There was so much information. How could Talia achieve all that within a few days? And he had a feeling that she still had a lot to tell! Caden knew that Talia was extraordinary, but he didn't know it was to this extent. It was nearly impossible to believe that such a tiny girl could achieve so much. While sleeping in Damon's arms, Talia looked drained and fragile, reminding Caden of the first day they met, when she came out of the trunk, and he wished that he could give her a portion of his energy so that she feels better.
'Is she alright?', Caden asked Damon through their mind-link.
'I'm not sure, Caden.', Damon responded.
Talia spoke about her biological parents like it was not a big deal, but Damon could feel the hurt and dejection; the feeling of being discarded pressed heavily on his little mate who was brave beyond his comprehension. 'She grew up without a family, only to find out that she had one, but they gave up on her.' And she found out about it during the time when Damon didn't remember her. He felt like such an asshole.
'Alpha Isaac and Alpha Sophia are the ones who tried to cripple you with magic.', Caden reminded Damon.
'When I heard that, I thought they did it out of a sense of self-preservation, but now that I know they gave up their own daughter when she was a baby because they feared how powerful she will become…' Damon shook his head in disbelief. Were they stupid or evil to think that strangers will do a better job than parents? Well, considering who her parents were, maybe she had better chances with strangers.
Damon's insides churned painfully as he shared his thoughts with Caden. 'Talia ended up in the Red Moon pack, in the hands of Alpha Howard. It was her luck that she was just a baby and that he wanted to keep her existence a secret, so no one knew who she really was after he died. If Alpha Edward knew...', Damon couldn't finish this thought. He clearly remembered the lecherous look Alpha Edward gave Talia when he kissed her hand. Bastard!
Caden knew that Talia's presence in the Red Moon pack was kept a secret because he was in charge of digging out information about Talia; there were no records about her staying in that pack. In a twisted way, Alpha Howard's greed and paranoia ended up saving Talia from a horrible fate.
'The Moon Goddess gave you a fine mate, Damon.', Caden said. 'Her past was rough, but together you can build a happy and steady future you both deserve.'
Damon released a long breath. 'I guess you missed the latest…' And then he told Caden about the Guardians and how they were witches and that they called Talia to join them after the warning about how they can protect her from lecherous Alphas who would want to use her for breeding.
Caden was speechless. This Council of Alphas put his focus on Alpha Edward wanting a piece of the Dark Howlers pack, and Caden completely forgot that Talia was a treasure others would covet.
'For the first time in my life, I fear that my strength is not enough. What if they take her, Caden?'
Caden snorted. 'This won't be the first time you are doubting yourself. But now the fear is real because you care about Talia, and you know that if you fail, it will kill you too. That should be the reason for you to give 110%. Tell the world who Talia is, and how important she is to you, and no one will dare to touch her.'
Damon hoped it will be that simple, but his experience with Talia told him that things get messy without any warning. There was an option for her to stay in the Midnight Guardians pack, but telling her to hide was not a solution she would accept.
Damon thought how it was not all bad. With Yasmin and Axel being mates, Damon was confident that they can count on help from the witches, but he had no idea how they related to the Guardians. He wanted to ask Talia about it, but he also didn't want to disturb her sleep. They were about to land in a few minutes, and he knew that she will wake up then, so he let her sleep as much as she could. His kitten had a busy night and she accomplished the impossible. She overturned leadership in one pack and prevented a war. Literally.
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When Damon, Talia, and Caden reached the packhouse, they saw Stephanie putting a box in the trunk of a car.
Talia wanted to go around the packhouse and sneak inside through the window, but seeing Stephanie here, she decided to approach her. Hopefully, her guards won't be looking toward the parking area.
"You are really leaving?", Talia asked Stephanie.
"Yes.", Stephanie responded with a smile at the sight of Damon sticking close to Talia. "These are a few of my things that were lingering around." She explained the box. "With this, I will pick up Lisa and we will finish packing so we can leave by the end of the day."
"Won't you stay for the pack run?", Talia asked. She hoped that Stephanie will change her mind about leaving.
Stephanie hesitated. She really wanted to, but… "I'm not sure it's wise."
"I know you are thinking about Lisa, and I am thinking about her also.", Talia said. "Can I speak openly?"
"Please."
"When Lisa was a child, there were issues here and you sent her to the Lightclaw pack. She grew up in the Lightclaw pack, believing how that's normal, and when she hit a rough patch with Tony, you brought her here. Now that she is in trouble, you are ready to move her again."
Stephanie's brows came together in a frown. "What are you trying to say?"
"I am saying that you are not allowing Lisa to confront her problems. I know it's your way of protecting her, but she won't grow by running away."
"Are you suggesting that we stay?", Stephanie asked.
"I won't tell you what to do, but I hope you won't dismiss that idea, Steph. I think it's great for you and Lisa to travel if that's what you want to do, but don't forget that this is your home. Tonight is the pack run. The first pack run in a decade, led by the Alpha and his fated mate. It will be a great chance for Lisa to see the unity of our people, and to feel that she belongs somewhere. The Lightclaw pack was not her home, the Dark Howlers pack is."
Stephanie's eyes narrowed into crescents as she smiled. "You will be a wonderful Luna, Talia."
Damon's chest puffed with pride. That's his kitten! And he had to say, "Not Luna, Steph. Talia will be an Alpha, my equal."
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