After dinner, Stephanie and Lisa got busy with cleanup, Damon and Caden went to the study, and Maya led Talia into the room that Maya and Caden are sharing.

The moment the door closed behind Maya, Maya wrapped Talia into a hug.

"I'm happy for you, dear.", Maya said to Talia. "How did you find out you are mates? Did Damon tell you? Or was it your wolf? Tell me. I want to know!"

Talia was flustered with this sudden hugging and all the questions and before Talia could say a word, Maya pulled her to sit on the sofa and she looked at Talia expectantly.

Talia released a long breath in defeat. "I don't feel my wolf's presence, so I don't think she is back. However, I can feel the sparks when Damon and I touch. I thought that it's due to some medication, but then Damon put that in the context of scent and attraction and…"

Maya listened with interest. Normally, werewolves meet and bam, it happens, but this was different.

"Damon told me that you figured it out on your own.", Talia said when she finished her story. "Is that true?"

It's not that Talia doubted Damon, but she was curious what hints Maya picked up that revealed Talia was Damon's mate.

Maya was happy to talk after weeks of keeping secrets. "I suspected that you are special when you came out of the trunk. And then Damon opened the door for you to enter the car and he was making sure you were comfortable while sleeping."

Maya laughed at Talia's confused expression.

"I know, those are simple things, but Damon would never bring a woman with him, or act like a gentleman." Maya opened her mouth to say how in addition to that, Talia is not Damon's type (a mature, curvaceous woman with plenty of experience), but Maya closed her mouth without saying those words, knowing that Damon might skin her alive.

After hearing Maya's explanation, Talia asked, "Is that why you called me to your room now?"

"I wanted us to clarify this, and to let you know that whatever you need, I'm available to help. And also…" Maya paused. "Is Lisa giving you a hard time?"

Talia was alerted. "What makes you think so?"

Maya didn't want to say that she overheard Lisa ranting about Talia in the kitchen. That was not important. Whatever happened already was Caden's part. Maya's role was to talk to Talia about the future.

Maya chose her words while speaking, "Lisa is struggling to accept the reality where she is not Tony's partner, and she is not the future Luna of the Lightclaw pack. Because of that, she is bitter and angry. Considering your position, I fear that she might target you."

Talia nodded in understanding. "I know that even if Lisa says mean things, she is only trying to release her frustration and it's not related to me."

"Don't let your guard down.", Maya warned Talia. "You are not the cause of her predicament, but that doesn't mean she won't try to harm you. If Lisa does anything to upset you, I need you to speak up. Fight back or tell us about it and we will teach Lisa a lesson. She had a pampered life so far and is heartbroken, but those are not giving her a free pass to be a bitch."

Talia nodded in agreement, but Maya had a feeling that Talia didn't understand the severity of her situation, so she added, "Now you know that you are Damon's mate, the future Luna of the Dark Howlers pack. Keep that in mind. Even if others don't know you and Damon are mates, it's obvious that Damon values you. If anyone bullies you, they are disrespecting Damon and the pack."

Maya was pleased that Talia's expression changed. Just as Maya guessed, even if Talia allows others to bully her, she will stand up for Damon.

"Alright!", Maya exclaimed. "Now that we got this out of the way, there is one more thing…"

Talia watched as Maya dashed into the closet and she returned with several skimpy garments in her hands.

"I never wore these", Maya said. "Look, the tags are still on. Pick one or two. When we get a chance, the two of us can go shopping for more."

"What should I do with this?", Talia asked while suspiciously eyeing a see-through babydoll. That night dress didn't provide any coverage.

"Now that you know you are mates, you should make it special. This spark will set the stage for the rest of the night…", Maya said in a singing voice, and her eyebrows wiggled suggestively.

Talia's face exploded in fierce blush. "I can't take this."

"Yes, you can.", Maya said sternly. "Pick one, or I will pick for you. Don't worry about returning it because Damon will probably rip it into shreds. I use these as disposable garments. Oh, tomorrow we can get negligees and costumes like a sexy nurse or a slutty maid. Caden loves cosplay, and I'm confident that Damon will get fired up when he sees you in it..."

Talia was not sure how to respond to this. Any more fire and Damon will set the whole packhouse ablaze.

Maya stood up and started swaying her hips in slow motion. "When I do this, Caden goes crazy... he loves a good chase so I run and he needs to work for it..."

Talia stared at Maya without blinking. Was she supposed to run around in those see-through garments?

…

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...

In the study…

Damon's face was dark as he watched a video showing a scene from that morning. It was Talia and Lisa in front of the study. There was no sound, but it was obvious that Lisa was not friendly because their minute-long interaction ended with Lisa bumping Talia with her shoulder, even though there was plenty of space to pass. It was intentional.

Damon forgot that they have video surveillance in the hallways and public areas of the packhouse and around it. They installed it shortly after Damon became Alpha and as he stabilized his position, they stopped checking it.

"After this, another camera shows that Talia went straight into the garden, and from there, she headed into the forest where she met rogues.", Caden said. "In the hospital, Talia told Maya that she went for a walk, but Maya didn't buy it. It was Maya's idea to check the surveillance and see if we can find something out of place."

Damon remembered that he asked Talia why she went into the forest, and Talia didn't mention it was related to Lisa.

Damon knew that Talia is not a person who would engage in arguments. Actually, he saw firsthand how Cassie bullied her and Talia endured without talking back and based on what he saw in the video, this was a similar situation.

Damon didn't get it. He understood that Lisa was hysteric because Tony dumped her, but how did that relate to Talia? If Lisa was his ex, he would understand her hostility toward Talia, but considering that he and Lisa never crossed the line and that Lisa was obviously enamored with Tony, Damon was confused.

Did Lisa and Talia have some interaction he was not aware of? Talia didn't know that Lisa ate food Talia made for the two of them. Or was there something else?

"Did you talk to Lisa to clarify this?", Damon asked.

"No. I wanted to show you this and also to tell you that Maya and I overheard Lisa talking to Steph. Lisa has trouble accepting that Talia shouldn't be treated as an Omega."

Damon gestured toward the paused video that showed the scene from that morning, Talia standing in the hallway after Lisa left. "Does Lisa treat all Omegas like this? Even if she believes Talia is Omega, this is not acceptable."

Caden shrugged helplessly. "She came from the Lightclaw pack. You know they are different. Anyway, I only wanted to let you know about this. Maya and I warned Lisa to treat Talia with respect, but it seems that she didn't take our words seriously. Actually, based on this, I can conclude that it only increased her indignation."

Normally, they would punish such behavior, but considering that Lisa is Stephanie's daughter, Caden and Maya didn't go beyond verbal warnings.

Stephanie was loyal to the Dark Howlers pack from before they were born, and they all respect her.

Damon understood that it's up to him to decide on what to do. Well, there was only one thing.

"Thanks for showing me this, Caden. I will talk to Lisa."

Damon really didn't want to talk to Lisa, but what were his options?

He told himself to calm down and investigate first.

Talia obviously didn't want Damon to find out about this, and he wondered if she didn't want him to worry or maybe Talia wanted to handle this herself. In any case, he didn't want to risk that Lisa escalates and draws a wedge between him and Talia.

Talia just found out they are mates, and even though she can feel the sparks, Damon was aware that Talia still doesn't feel the bond to its full extent and things between them were still somewhat fragile.

---

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