The Alpha's Bride

On the balcony off Damon's bedroom, there was one bistro table and one chaise that was used last time more than a year ago. Luckily, those few Omegas that are allowed on the third floor for cleaning purposes were doing their job well and everything looked like new.

Damon didn't entertain people on the balcony, actually, the whole third floor was off-limits to people other than the Alpha family. On a few occasions when he came to the balcony, it was to clear his head or to drink until his head muddled.

But now he was there with Talia, and he was happy that there was no more furniture because Talia had to sit next to him on the chaise.

Talia opened the lunchbox and took the quiches out. After giving them a careful sniff, she offered one to Damon. "It didn't go bad. Will you tell me about the security issue that happened tonight?"

Instead of accepting her offer of food, Damon moved to lay on the chaise behind Talia's back.

"Feed me and I will tell you."

Talia shook her head at the playful Alpha who wanted to be served, and she broke a piece of quiche with her fingers before putting it into his open mouth.

While chewing, Damon spoke, "I left the festival when I got the message that my warriors found two guys sneaking in the forest nearby. They admitted that there were more of them in the town. It's a protocol that non-fighters leave the perimeter before we make a move to capture the intruders. It reduces the chance of them taking hostages. We found five individuals who were at the festival without proper authorization and they are now in the dungeon being interrogated."

Talia didn't want to know what being interrogated meant. She put another piece into his mouth before asking, "Why were they in the town?"

While thinking about how to answer, Damon reached for the quiche that was in Talia's hand and broke a piece to put in Talia's mouth which she readily opened.

Damon was glad to see that Talia was used to him feeding her. There was no awkwardness, only the pleasant comfort of being together.

Damon didn't want to scare her, so he stuck to a generic response. "It's not the first time we get spies during events. As for what they were looking for, I will know more in the morning." He didn't lie.

Before she could question him further, Damon asked something that was bugging him from that morning. "Did Travis ask you to be the team spirit?"

"No. It was Keith. The girl who was supposed to be the team spirit was unavailable, and I was right there so… it happened."

Damon thought how that makes sense. Keith is the coach, after all.

"But you were there because of Travis." Damon wanted to confirm.

"No. Keith invited me to come on the field." Technically, it was Liam and Pierce, but they only conveyed Keith's message.

Damon felt that he found out something important. "Did you know Keith from before?"

Talia confirmed. "I've met him yesterday at the training center."

"You were at the training center?"

"Maya took me."

"Maya took you.", Damon responded stiffly. He thought that Maya was only behind Talia drinking at the Shifters nightclub, but it seems that Maya did more than that.

"And? How was the training center?"

"It's great.", Talia responded while putting another bite into his mouth. "I really like what you have there. I got to try the treadmill, and I met not only Keith, but Lulu, Sandy, Pierce, Liam, and Caleb. They are soccer players, Sandy is the goalie. Lulu's father was the one who worked at the ramen stand…"

Talia stopped talking when Damon put a bite of quiche in her mouth.

Damon was not interested in hearing about Sandy or Lulu. He just got three more guys on his radar. Pierce, Liam, and Caleb. Soccer players. That means those three were in the bunch of sweaty scoundrels who dared to touch Talia's hand with their dirty hands and sagging lips.

"Tell me more about your morning. I saw what happened on the field. What did you do during breaks? Did someone bully you?", Damon continued probing with the intention to find out who all dared to get into a touching distance with Talia.

"It was a bit overwhelming.", Talia admitted. "I am not used to being so close to people. Hand holding was uncomfortable but when I saw that they really believe it will bring them good luck, I told myself that it's not a big deal. If I grew like a normal girl, I would be fine with holding hands…"

Damon's heart cracked. It was easy to forget that Talia grew up alone, hiding in the attic, in the second biggest pack of werewolves.

…

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Damon reached to hold Talia's hand and she stopped talking as their fingers intertwined naturally, like they belong together.

"Is this making you uncomfortable?", Damon asked.

"No.", Talia admitted.

Damon smiled. "Good. I am aware that my actions sometimes push you out of your comfort zone, but I hope you will let me know if I push it too much."

A wave of warmth swelled from within Talia and she had to ask, "Why?"

Damon didn't get it. "Why, what?"

Talia inhaled a choppy breath before asking, "Why are you so nice to me?"

Considering his looks, position, and reputation, Talia was aware that Damon can have any woman he wants without trying. She knew that what she heard during the parade was the truth, and it's not just that. Everyone told her that Alphas are sleeping around, Damon included.

Talia guessed that Damon could easily pick a woman and engage in carnal activities until morning, yet he spent time with her without doing anything inappropriate. Far from it. Damon was considerate and kind and Talia enjoyed it very much.

She didn't want this spell to break, but she was also aware of how what Damon did with her doesn't fit his character, and Talia was questioning his motives. If it's one day or two, she would think that it's some form of charity, but it was ten days already and the more Damon's kindness lasted, the more Talia was getting wary of him. What does he want from her? The only thing Talia had was her body, and she didn't believe that Damon would be attracted to her because there were many she-wolves that were more alluring.

Talia's question caught Damon by surprise. Why is he nice to her? How should he answer that question?

Damon pushed himself into a seated position, putting them at the same eye level.

He liked that Talia noticed how she was getting special treatment.

Unfortunately for Damon (and Talia), even though hundreds of women experienced Damon deep inside their vaginal cavity, Damon was an absolute novice in ways of romancing a woman.

Damon would always speak his mind because he didn't care if he hurts the feelings of the other party, but with Talia, it was different. What if he scares Talia and she runs away?

Instead of answering Talia's question, Damon decided to probe the situation.

"What are you hoping to hear, kitten?"

Talia hoped that Damon won't notice how much her insides trembled with anxiety. "The truth."

"Will you believe me if I tell you that I want you to be my Luna?", Damon asked without missing a beat.

Talia's eyes widened in shock and a second later, she frowned a little, convinced that he was teasing her. With so many promising Luna candidates, why would he pick her?

There. She finally gathered the courage to ask the question that was burning her for some time, and he ended up spouting nonsense. She should have known. All this was a game for him.

Damon could feel Talia's disappointment, but he didn't know how to fix it. "I don't think you will believe me, no matter what I say."

Talia let out a long breath and lowered her head, knowing that he was right.

She chided herself. Why did she ask that question?

If he said something nice, she wouldn't believe him, and if he said something nasty, the mood would be ruined. But no matter what he said, she already ruined the mood.

Was she so used to being miserable, that she couldn't accept these Band-Aids of happiness that Damon provided?

Damon touched Talia's chin, making her look at him.

"Don't give up on us, kitten. I said that I can't convince you with words, but that doesn't mean it's hopeless."

"What do you mean?", Talia breathed while wondering if she heard him right. It almost sounded like they are a couple. A real one. This whole evening was just unbelievable. Or maybe she drank much more beer than she thought, and she passed out at the lake next to Keith, and all this is just a drunken mish-mash happening in her head.

"I will show you.", Damon said. "I want you to stick close to me and keep your eyes open. Watch me carefully and every day you will reveal more of you why I'm nice to you until eventually, you get answers to all of your questions. How does that sound?"

Talia's brows furrowed. How did that sound? Horrible! Talia spending more time with Damon sounded like a recipe for disaster. It sounded like a massive heartbreak that would make her crippled for life.

But she found herself unable to say 'no' to Damon.

He was unstable and unpredictable and sometimes scary, but against all reason, Talia fell for him, and she was like a moth that couldn't resist his flame.

Was it because his deep voice made her insides tremble? Or because his icy-blue eyes were full of sincerity and definitely not icy? Or because she was addicted to his scent? Or because of this sense of security that enveloped her, against all reason, whenever Damon was close?

"OK.", she breathed, and then she put another piece of quiche in his mouth.

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