It's not that Maddox wanted to draw a wedge between Damon and Talia.

Maddox was trying to understand what possessed his friend of many years.

Damon and Maddox are collaborating as Alphas of their respective packs, and they are also close on a personal level. Considering their Alpha nature to dominate, they aren't buddy-buddies in a normal sense because they clash often, but they flipped many skirts together and Maddox can confirm that Damon is the most promiscuous Alpha of their generation. Damon never tried to twist that fact or to change, so this was odd.

No matter how Maddox looked at it, there could be only one catalyst for this shift in Damon's behavior.

"I must congratulate you, Talia.", Maddox said.

She was afraid to find out more, but she had to. "For?"

"I have known this guy for a long time", Maddox said while gesturing toward Damon. "He never cared about someone's opinion to the point of trying to conceal his nature. Until now."

Damon closed his eyes and let out a long breath.

Damon was irritated, unaware that Talia was floating in pink clouds which echoed Damon's and Maddox's conversation.

She clearly remembered that Damon insinuated how him being with Talia is not temporary and that he wants to leave his womanizing in order to be with her, and Maddox even said that Damon cares about her. Is that possible? She was not daring enough to believe in those words, but it all sounded nice.

Talia never saw herself as worthy. Why would she? For two decades she was at the bottom, bullied, weak, wolf-less, hoping to become invisible, yet here she is now… at the fancy party, in an elegant dress, with Damon's arm around her and Damon even appeared to be upset because he was worried that she will think badly of him.

Talia glanced at Damon, and she could see that he was distressed. Was it because of what Maddox said?

Damon's eyes snapped open when he felt Talia's palm on his cheek.

"Don't be upset, Damon.", Talia said softly. "I told you that as long as you treat me well, I won't leave."

Damon held his breath while processing Talia's words. Was she comforting him? Can she be any sweeter?

Damon put his hand over Talia's which was on his cheek, and he turned his head to kiss the inside of her palm.

"I won't disappoint you, kitten…", he murmured into her palm.

Damon's icy-blue eyes met Talia's honeyed ones and they were locked in a silent exchange of emotions and vows unspoken. With every passing moment, the energy between them became tangible; it was an invisible pull that urged them to get closer.

…

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...

"Are you going to start making out?", Mindy asked when she took a seat at their table, popping Damon's and Talia's invisible lovey-dovey bubble.

Talia jerked into reality and swiftly sat facing forward.

Damon frowned at Mindy for spoiling the moment, and Talia looked flustered like a child who was caught stealing candy.

Mindy realized that her comment was tactless and she smiled apologetically while asking, "Is it OK for me to sit here?"

"If you don't mind being fed dog food and drown in a public display of affection.", Maddox said with amusement while gesturing toward Damon and Talia.

Mindy ignored Maddox's attempt to get her to tease the couple. She was hoping to secure that seat for herself for the rest of the event because it appeared unoccupied.

Yes, Mindy knew most of the people present, but that didn't mean she liked them.

Mindy had a good opinion of Talia and she wanted to find out more about the mysterious girl who was creating waves inside the Dark Howlers pack and beyond, from Talia staying in the packhouse, becoming the MVP of the tournament, to the freshest rumor that she tamed domineering Alpha Damon.

An additional bonus in getting close to Talia is if Damon and Talia are more than a fling because Damon is a walking fat bank account and Mindy would always welcome more donations to the charities she is working on.

It's not that Mindy didn't want to get close to Damon, but getting too close will only put her in the same bucket with other Damon's conquests and Mindy didn't want that to stain the reputation she built over the years, so Mindy makes sure that everyone knows their relationship is kept at a professional distance.

"They put me at the table with some daughters of Alphas and I can't stand them.", Mindy explained.

Maddox chuckled at Mindy's words. "Your father is an Alpha also."

Mindy made a face. "Well, we are NOT all made the same." She was irritated that Maddox was chatty while Talia and Damon were silent. It's their table, and they should say if she can stick around.

Mindy looked at Talia expectantly. "No objections to me sitting here. Right?"

Talia glanced at Damon who shrugged, indicating that it's up to her.

"No objections.", Talia said happily.

Talia found it refreshing to have Mindy there. Like this, she didn't need to pick between chatting with her friend and being close to Damon.

Seeing Mindy and Maddox, Talia remembered their company during the festival. "Is Axel here also?"

Damon cocked an eyebrow in disapproval. Why was she asking about some random guy?

"No.", Mindy responded. "You should know that it's rare to see people from the Midnight Guardians pack. They are called mysterious for a reason."

Subconsciously, Talia leaned closer to Mindy. "Really?" She wanted to know more.

Mindy didn't know much. "Alphas might know more, but we regular folks are limited to many rumors, including the ones that no one knows exactly where they are located or the size of the pack."

Talia thought how that's fascinating and probably exaggerated. Aren't werewolves territorial? Others must know where the borders of the Midnight Guardians pack are so that they don't wander there accidentally.

How is it possible that the whole pack of werewolves stays hidden with the current technology? Can't they track them with GPS, satellites, or something like that? Or maybe they live in some cave, underground, but… it all sounded incredible.

The more Talia thought about it, the more she wanted to call Axel and ask him if his offer for her to visit the Midnight Guardians pack was still valid.

Can she go on her own?

Will Damon want to accompany her?

Talia shook those thoughts away. Damon is a busy Alpha, and she was getting carried away to think about visiting the Midnight Guardians as some kind of a vacation the two of them can take.

When did she get so bold to make plans for the future that include Damon?

But… wouldn't it be nice, to go on a vacation, just the two of them?

It didn't need to be anything fancy. Forest, tent, campfire. Maybe next to a lake. Damon could catch an animal or two so that they eat meat, with his skills, Talia was confident that hunting is a piece of cake for Damon. She would gather edible plants… In the evening, they could share a sleeping bag...

Talia was lost in her daydreaming, and she didn't notice that Mindy and Maddox started chatting and that Damon was feeding her.

Once her plate was empty, he resumed feeding her from his.

Damon looked at the silly girl next to him who absentmindedly opened her mouth whenever something touched her lips.

How can she space out in the middle of the party with Damon sitting right next to her?

Damon got an idea.

An array of dips and sauces complemented appetizers to add a zing of flavors, and Damon took a piece of artisan flatbread with prosciutto and dipped it in the chili sauce before offering it to Talia.

Just like many times before, Talia opened her mouth and accepted his offerings.

Talia's lips enclosed the spicy flatbread inside her mouth, and she chewed it once, twice, and then Talia's eyes opened in horror, and she swallowed contents from her mouth on a reflex which caused blistering heat to coat her throat.

Talia waved frantically in front of her mouth in an attempt to cool herself. Her eyes darted over the table, desperately looking for a beverage to wash the scorching fire from her mouth. Somehow, the heat was increasing and Talia was on the verge of crying.

Damon grabbed her hand and before she could object, his lips covered hers.

It took less than a second for the heat in her mouth to be soothed with Damon's tongue which carried the flavor of the dark chocolate, and her eyes fluttered to close at the delightful new taste of the spicy chocolate.

Talia was lost in Damon's scent of the forest and his flavor of the dark chocolate, and the sensation of his lips moving against hers while their tongues danced in sensual movements.

Damon cupped Talia's cheeks gently and kissed her unhurriedly and thoroughly, enjoying every sigh that escaped her lips right into his.

Talia was faintly aware of their surroundings and that people were watching, but she couldn't extricate herself from the sensation that was impossible to describe with words. However, she knew that she could stay forever, just like that, with Damon all around her.

Damon's and Talia's make-out session attracted many eyes. Some stared at them with jealousy, some with malice, and some in disbelief.

Werewolves are promiscuous in general, but in these events where high-ranking members are gathered, there is a certain unspoken rule of conduct with restraint, and Alpha Damon didn't show much of it.

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