Travis thought for a moment about how to answer Talia's question.

"How about this… I am free after two o'clock in the afternoon and we can meet at the library where I can help you pick your next book."

Talia nodded earnestly. "I would love that."

Travis smiled at her enthusiasm. "Until then, I'm giving you a task to think about what you want to do with that knowledge. Are you interested in medicine in general, as someone who would treat colds and cuts, or are you interested in surgery, aftercare, specific conditions, or some parts of the body? Even if you want to know it all, you need to prioritize them into what you want to learn first."

Talia left the pack hospital in a good mood.

She was determined to talk to Damon about visiting Shaman Gideon, and she will go to the library.

It was barely past eleven o'clock in the morning, and Travis said that they can meet at two o'clock, and Talia was not sure what to do in the meantime.

Should she go back to the packhouse? Did Damon finish with the matter he had to handle personally? If he was not back, there was no point in heading there. It was empty with his scent lingering everywhere.

Talia got her phone, only to see a message from Damon…

[This is taking longer than expected. Have lunch without me.]

With that, Talia decided to follow Travis's advice. He said that she should think about what she wants to learn first and do things that make her happy. She headed to the forest. Forest made her happy.

…

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...

The library was one of the buildings that circled the town square with the clocktower in the middle, so Talia didn't face any issues finding it.

Talia arrived a bit early, and she stood close to the entrance to the library so that Doctor Travis can see her when he gets there.

She lifted her head up and closed her eyes, enjoying the sun that warmed her skin. Compared to the scorching heat of Colorado, the sun in Darkbourne was pleasant.

Time in the forest was therapeutic. Talia's mind was calm and the only two things that bothered her were her stomach which craved for the lunch she skipped, and the second issue was that she didn't know what got Damon so occupied.

She pacified her stomach with the silent promise that she won't linger in the library. As soon as she picks the book with Doctor Travis's help, she will go to the packhouse and have a meal. A big one.

As for Damon, Talia wanted to call him and hear his voice, but if there was something important, she shouldn't disturb him.

She concluded that she shouldn't worry because if there was an emergency or something dangerous, there would be commotion or people would go into shelters, and the town square had people chatting leisurely.

Talia knew that with Caden gone for days, and Damon being absent due to the party they attended, there must be things piled up that only someone like Beta or Alpha can resolve so she shouldn't overthink the situation.

Talia shifted from one leg to another while looking around, hoping to see Doctor Travis, but she met two pairs of curious eyes looking at her.

Two blonde women stood not so far from Talia and stared at her unabashedly, and Talia swallowed hard when she realized that the blonder-blonde was holding the latest edition of WW Magazine.

Did they recognize her?

But… her hair was lifted into a loose bun, and she wore jeans and a white blouse, and without shiny earrings, makeup, and Damon by her side, Talia didn't look like that sophisticated 'Lia' from the magazine. At least, that's what Talia thought.

The truth was that as much as the Dark Howlers pack is a big pack, there are not many people who would linger in the town square on a Monday afternoon. Those few that had such luxury were either people who worked there or some jobless idlers and they all knew each other, and Talia didn't fit in any of those categories.

The biggest giveaway was that those two misses couldn't sense the pack mind-link with Talia, which confirmed that Talia is an outsider, a new face, a face that has uncanny resemblance to the woman who attended a party with Alpha Damon and was photographed for evidence.

With every step those two women made toward Talia, she clutched the handle of her bag tighter.

Realistically, there was no reason for Talia to be apprehensive but something about their gazes reminded Talia of Anna and her henchmen from the Red Moon pack, and Talia fought mightily against her urge to flee.

"Lia, right?", one of the two women said, and her words stamped Talia's worries as genuine. They recognized her.

Talia had a fleeting thought that she should pretend that she has no idea who that 'Lia' is, but then she gave up on that idea. It made no sense. Even if she denied it now, she might bump into these two women later, and then she will be labeled not only as Alpha Damon's date, but as a liar also.

"And you are?", Talia responded with a question.

The blonder-blonde elbowed the other blonde and said with glee, "I told you that's her!" Then she turned to Talia, "I am Ashley, and this is Heather."

Talia was surprised that it just ended at that. Or were they expecting for Talia to say something?

"Can I help you?", Talia asked.

Ashley shrugged. "We recognized you and thought of saying, hi. The magazine says that your background is mysterious and now I know why."

"You do?"

Ashley's eyes flashed. "You are obviously not from our pack. From where are you?"

Talia went with her well-practiced story. "I arrived here recently, and I don't belong to a pack."

Heather's face changed a few times as she connected the invisible dots. "You are the girl who is staying in the packhouse! You are not just a one-time date. How did you do it?"

Talia was not sure how to respond to that. "I don't know what you are talking about."

Ashley rolled her eyes. "Come on. Alpha Damon's habits are not a secret. No woman lasts long, yet you managed to hold onto him long enough to show up in a magazine. Did you use some specific technique? Or is it a pose? Everyone knows that he loves to take a woman from the back."

Ashley got closer to Talia with her every word and by the time she was finished talking, she was very close. Too close.

Talia frowned and stepped backward, eager to put distance between herself and two women. Why did Heather and Ashley act like they are some gossip-buddies?

Talia cherished every moment with Damon, naked ones included, yet these two managed to make it sound dirty.

"If you are so curious, why don't you ask Alpha Damon?", Talia said dejectedly.

Ashley and Heather had matching frowns on their faces as they scrutinized Talia.

"It seems that a little favor from the Alpha gave you an inflated sense of importance.", Heather said, her condescending tone was a total opposite of her friendly one she had only a minute ago.

Ashley continued, "Let's see how long this lasts. Another day or two? And then Alpha Damon will find another woman that tickles his libido, and he will leave you behind just like all of us. Or do you think that you are different?"

Heather snorted. "Different? If she is, her pretty neck wouldn't be so clean."

Talia reached for the left side of her neck. She knew that those two were talking about the absence of Damon's mark.

Seeing that Talia's face fell, Heather was emboldened.

"You need a reality check, Lia. You are nobody. Just like the rest of us. Why don't you use your head and see the truth? You are in the packhouse for such a long time. If Alpha Damon thinks you are worthy, he wouldn't hide you. Or are you his pet so that…"

"Hey!", Travis's angry voice came from the side. He didn't hear everything, but he definitely heard this last part that Heather said, and he knew that Heather and Ashley were ganging up on Talia.

When they realized that Travis was approaching them, Ashley and Heather stepped away.

"What's going on here?", Travis asked.

"Nothing.", Ashley was quick to respond. "We thought that Lia might be someone important, but we made a mistake."

And with that, Ashley and Heather turned on their heels and left.

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