In Damon's study...

Talia was sitting in Damon's lap and his arms were firmly around her.

They were both thinking about Damon's talk with Alpha Edward and how it impacts them.

"Kitten…", Damon broke the silence. "Are you alright?"

Damon was aware she was a nervous wreck, but he had to start the conversation somehow.

Instead of answering his question, Talia asked, "What if Marcy comes to the event?"

"I don't think she will, but if she does, I won't let her touch you. Do you trust me?"

Talia exhaled a shaky breath. "Yes." She really did, but... "What if she recognizes me and it causes issues to you or the pack?"

"I don't think she will recognize you. You look nothing how you did when you were at the Red Moon pack.", Damon said honestly. "But on an off chance she figures out your identity, let me handle it. And one more thing…" Damon paused. "Marcy is planning to come here in one week. I want you to know that I have no plans of making her my Luna and we are working on creating a case so that she doesn't come here at all."

Talia heard what Damon and Alpha Edward said, and she assumed that Damon will avoid mentioning Marcy's visit.

Damon bringing up this topic openly was unexpected, in a good way. It made Talia feel like they are a team. She liked that.

"You don't need to explain. I know."

Damon was surprised. "You know?"

Talia picked up bits and pieces from Damon, Caden, Maya, Stephanie, and several others, how there are women who are trying to win Damon's favor and become his Luna by using their charms and connections, and that Marcy belongs to that group. Talia didn't know the details, but she was aware how those girls have impressive backgrounds, and that Damon can't reject them rashly without causing unimaginable chain reactions.

Talia clearly remembered his words, "You said that Marcy won't be your Luna in this life or any next one. I believe you, Damon."

Damon smiled. He said that in the attic of the packhouse at the Red Moon pack, shortly before he asked Talia to come with him.

Damon nudged her cheek with his chin, and Talia lifted her head. She met Damon's icy-blue eyes which stared at her in awe.

"Thank you for remembering that.", Damon said. "And thank you for your trust."

"More than remembering your words, I am watching your actions. As long as you don't give me a reason to doubt you, I will not leave."

"And if you doubt me, you will give me a chance to clear up the misunderstanding. Right?", Damon reminded her. That was the deal they made.

"IF it's a misunderstanding."

Damon frowned and pinched her nose. "If you doubt my sincerity, it's a misunderstanding."

"How can you be so certain?"

"Because only you get to call yourself Mrs. Blake. Now give me more kisses because I still didn't have my fill for the morning…" He puckered his lips.

Talia rolled her eyes. Damon was back to being playful.

"Isn't it time for breakfast?", Talia asked.

"Not yet. Steph will mind-link me when it's ready. Until then…"

Instead of finishing his thought, Damon's hand landed at the back of Talia's head, pulling her closer and he was delighted that Talia returned his kisses with equal fervor after a moment of hesitation.

…

-- This work is published on WebNovel (w e b n o v e l . c o m). Don't support illegal copies! Read from the original site to support the author --

...

Caden was ready to depart after breakfast.

He was driving to the Blue River pack with two warriors accompanying him, and Talia and Damon stood at the door of the packhouse and watched as Caden and Maya hugged and kissed like Caden was going on a suicidal mission to save humanity.

Damon had a strange mix of iciness in his eyes a smirk at the edge of his lips which showed how he loved and hated the scene at the same time.

Damon loved that Maya was already getting a taste of her own medicine. She was feeling desperation at the thought that Caden will be out of her reach.

And Damon hated that it reminded him of his rage when he saw Talia with that drunkard in the Shifters nightclub, and the excruciating pain that pulled Damon out of the meeting with Alphas which ended only when he found Talia with Keith next to the lake, and his helplessness as he watched Talia on the playfield with all those sweaty soccer players around her. None of those would happen if Maya didn't meddle.

Talia couldn't look at Caden and Maya making out like there is no tomorrow, so she decided to ask Damon, "What's next?"

Damon knew that this was his adorable assistant Talia asking. "I will go through emails that you so well organized, and you can use that time to read the book Travis gave you. Once I have something for you to do, I will let you know."

Talia's face lit up. It seems that this assistant work is easier than she thought it will be. Other than a boatload of kisses before breakfast, she even got time to read the book. But there was one more thing… "I have training with Keith later."

Damon smiled mysteriously. "Coach Keith sent me your schedule. Don't worry, you won't miss your training."

Talia nodded happily. In this way, she will not skip anything she wants to do. Other than cooking. But she can spend some time in the kitchen on the weekends when Damon is taking it easy with work. Perfect.

If she ignored the sad parting between Caden and Maya and the nerve-wracking call from Alpha Edward, this day had a promise of being overall awesome.

…

Just as Damon promised, Talia got nearly two hours of studying when he called her with, "It's time for your training."

Damon led the way up to the third floor and Talia paused at the sight of Damon's huge walk-in closet.

What the…?

"Change into clothes for exercise.", Damon said while removing Talia's blazer. And it's not that he just removed it, but he also kept it neatly on the hanger and then he moved to the right side of the closet and started unbuttoning his shirt.

Talia was too confused by the situation to notice Damon undressing right next to her.

She stood in the middle of a massive closet that was bigger than the room where she spent years, in the attic of the packhouse at the Red Moon pack. Dark brown shelves lined the walls and there were bars for hangers with clothes, drawers, and even narrow shelves for shoes. In the middle was a massive standalone mirror and a long leather bench, but the most shocking out of all that was that the left side of the closet had her clothes.

When did that happen?

"Why are my clothes here?", Talia asked while opening the drawer only to see her underwear, neatly folded, with matching bras and panties together.

Damon chuckled. "You said that this can't be our room while your things are across the hallway, so…"

Talia's mind stuttered.

At that time, she was confident that Damon was teasing her, but this… Wait! What if he is still teasing her but his idea of a joke is much more elaborate than her imagination could stretch?

Talia jolted out of her thoughts when she felt Damon's heat on her back.

His arms were already around her waist, keeping her in place.

"I told you, kitten, I won't lie.", his words splashed on her ear. "I never lied to you and the only thing I expect from you is to give me enough time to prove that."

Talia's hair was lifted into a high bun, exposing her neck, and Damon couldn't resist the temptation to kiss her right there.

Talia's body shook when she felt his lips at the base of her neck, and his teeth grazing her skin sent electric bolts through her body that shot straight to her core.

Damon groaned when the scent of her arousal reached him.

"Damn it, kitten. At this rate, you won't get to do any training."

That didn't mean she wouldn't exercise, but the exercise he wanted was without clothes, just the two of them, merged into one.

Talia let out a shaky breath when his lips latched onto her neck, and his hands caressed her body, disheveling her clothes further with each stroke.

This was so inappropriate, yet she couldn't stop leaning into him, wanting more.

"Damon…", she called breathily when she felt him lifting her skirt. "This… Training... We shouldn't… Ah…" Her words ended with a moan when he bit her ear while growling lowly.

Her mind was a mess, and she moved her arms backward to hold onto him, only to realize that he was not wearing any shirt. She wanted to turn and hug him, but he didn't allow her to move.

"Stay still, kitten…", he breathed heavily.

Damon wanted to touch her everywhere, but he was also aware that he was reaching his limit. It was an internal struggle of wanting more and keeping in mind that he should take it slow.

But how on Earth was he supposed to take things slow when his mate was releasing all those sweet moans and letting him do as he pleases? And it was more than just letting him have his way, she was responding to him wonderfully.

Damon was painfully aware that the little woman in his arms is his to mold and if he gives in to his urges to devour her, he might break her and ruin the progress he made so far.

---

If you are not reading this at 'W e b n o v e l .. c o m', then the content you're reading is stolen! Please support the author by reading this novel from the original source.