While Talia was uneasy at the edge of the garden, at the bar…

Damon and Maddox were looking at an older man who joined them a minute ago, instantly creating a stifling atmosphere.

Before the man appeared, Tony was summoned by his father, so only Damon and Maddox got to face this man who looked at them with displeasure.

He was glancing at both Maddox and Damon, but Damon had a feeling that the guy came for him.

"Elder Parker, to what do we owe this pleasure?", Damon wanted to be done with whatever the man had on his mind.

Elder Parker is working with Alpha Edward on setting up Marcy as Damon's Luna, and Damon knew that the old guy didn't come for a drink. After all, as an Elder, Elder Parker doesn't roam around to approach youngsters unless he has some important business.

"I hear you came with a date.", Elder Parker said to Damon, going straight to the point.

"So?"

Elder Parker narrowed his eyes at Damon. "Shouldn't you be with your future Luna?"

"You mean, the woman you chose to be my Luna?"

"I am only reminding you that you shouldn't offend people unnecessarily. You don't have a Luna and some of us are willing to help you find a suitable candidate.", Elder Parker said casually like he was discussing the weather. "The Dark Howlers pack is big, and you have a small number of people managing it. Luna will help you, and the right one will bring valuable allies. Your current situation is not optimistic. Without enough people in charge, the pack members are restless, and they might leave or rebel. Imagine what will happen if you lose one of those few people you are currently relying on. Hm?"

Damon was boiling on the inside. What crap was the old fart selling? This was an obvious warning that if he doesn't listen, they will cause him trouble.

Damon also knew that Elder Parker was not working alone.

There were others watching carefully and if Damon loses his temper, they will sabotage him, somehow.

Besides, he was here with Talia and if he causes a scene, he will spoil her fun. He really wanted Talia to have a good time.

The good thing in the current situation was that Talia was not nearby to hear Elder Parker's words.

"Thank you for your warning, Elder Parker. I'm confident you are aware that my engagement with Marcy from the Red Moon pack is not set in stone and that we are working toward figuring out what works. Now if you would excuse me, this is a party. If you want to discuss business, I suggest you schedule an appointment. It's not advisable to have serious discussions over drinks." Damon nodded curtly and walked away from the bar.

Maddox was one step behind Damon.

"They are not even pretending anymore to care about you.", Maddox said to Damon.

Damon exhaled in frustration and didn't respond. There was no point in saying anything but he was grateful for Maddox's silent support. Just by standing by Damon's side, Maddox was announcing whose side he will take once the shit hits the fan.

Everyone knew that Elders and some Alphas are trying to set up Damon with the candidate of their choice to be Damon's Luna. That was not a secret.

People in power want more power, and Maddox was not immune to various plots, but his parents were there to shield him from many schemes while those leeches were coming at Damon on a pretense that he is young and without guidance from seniors, and they were offering their so-called help.

So far, Damon was taking them lightly and he would scheme to refuse the bride candidates in various ways, but now it was different. Now there was Talia, and he didn't want her to be involved in these unsavory games.

Damon was royally pissed after talking with Elder Parker, and he feared that the old guy might extend his reach toward Talia.

Damon froze in place when he observed that only Kalina and Mindy were at the table, and he rushed those last few steps until he got there.

"Where is Talia?", Damon asked grimly. Did Elder Parker get her already?

Mindy responded. "She is somewhere in the garden."

Damon's eyes flashed dangerously. "Why?"

"She said that she wanted to get some air.", Kalina said.

"What for?" It was obvious that Damon was losing his patience.

Mindy and Kalina exchanged concerned glances and Mindy exhaled before spilling the beans, "On the way out of the restroom she bumped into Marcy and Nora from the Red Moon pack."

Damon shoved his hand into his hair.

He thought that the uneasiness he felt was because of Elder Parker, but now it seems that was Talia's.

…

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...

Talia was walking in circles while trying to shake off or at least understand negative emotions that refused to leave her system. Actually, it was getting worse.

She bit her lower lip nervously while wondering if she stayed here for too long and she reached into her purse to get her phone. It was no use to check the time because she didn't know when she arrived there, but she was contemplating between going back or maybe calling Damon to tell him that she was fine.

Was she fine? She was not sure, but she was confident that he would be concerned about her when he saw Mindy and Kalina returning to the table without her. But… some time passed. If he was worried about her, why didn't he call or come to find her?

Talia returned the phone in her purse and wondered if she was too rash to come here. Surely, she was supposed to return to the table right away.

It would be better if she didn't come to the party at all. Why did she think that she will fit in here and have a good time? It was obvious that all good time was tied to Damon and for that, she didn't need to come all the way to Colorado and make him spend money on the dress and shoes and…

Talia's thoughts stopped when she heard steps approaching her and some male voices.

It was two men, chatting, and based on their swaying, Talia could guess that they drank more than they could handle.

Actually, the party was quite lively. After dinner, people started mingling and drinking, but Talia was sticking to Damon, isolated in their lovey-dovey bubble and she didn't notice anyone else. Until now.

Two men halted their steps and observed Talia with curiosity.

"I didn't expect to find a woman here.", one man said and bowed a little. "I am Gordon. General from the Frostfang pack, and this is my friend Bence. And you are…?"

"Talia.", Talia responded automatically.

Bence narrowed his eyes at Talia and spoke with a slur, "I know you… You are the woman who was dancing with Alpha from the Dark Howlers pack." He grinned. "What happened? Did your Alpha find another woman?"

Gordon made a face. "Be tactful."

They were both intoxicated, but Gordon was in visibly better shape.

Bence snorted. "Tactful? Everyone knows that women fall for Alphas faster than they can pick them up. This was no different."

Talia didn't refute anything. She did fall for Damon, after all.

Gordon looked at Talia apologetically. "I apologize in his name, Miss Talia. He drank…"

"Pft!", Bence interrupted him. "What Miss? Why are you apologizing? Don't you see that she is no one? If that Alpha appreciates her, he wouldn't leave her alone, and if he is serious, he would mark her. Her neck is clean. Maybe it's waiting for me to mark her. After all, a woman who can get Alpha's attention must have some good skills in bed…"

'POW!'

A fist came out of nowhere, connecting with Bence's face and producing bone-cracking sounds while sending him flying. Bence fell on the ground like a ragdoll.

Damon turned toward Gordon and he punched him in the face before Gordon could react. Gordon stumbled backward and before he could stabilize himself, Damon's knee got lodged in his abdomen and then Damon elbowed him in the back of his neck.

Talia stared at Gordon who was sprawled on the ground without moving a muscle, and she wondered if Damon killed him. But then... it's not easy to kill a werewolf. He is just unconscious. Probably.

"What did I tell you about wandering on your own!?", Damon squeezed through his teeth and Talia pressed her lips into a line guiltily.

Damon panicked when he realized that Talia was on her own after meeting with Marcy and Nora. Who knows what could have happened? How can he find her when her scent is so faint due to those damned herbs she is taking? But then he remembered to use his phone and track her via GPS.

How come every time she leaves his sight he finds her with some sleazy guys sticking to her?

Before Talia could figure out how to respond to Damon's question without angering him further, she found herself in Damon's embrace.

"Kitten…", he called with desperation in his voice. "If anything happened to you…" Damon choked on his words and gathered her tightly against himself.

Talia's heart cracked. Why was she so sad?

---

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