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The circle of people who can approach Damon is small, and he doesn't have any close family members. No matter what girls they send Damon's way, none of them kept him interested for more than one night. Well, Cassie is an exception, but she never went beyond occasional hookup.

However, if there is a girl who managed to invoke Damon's protective side, she might be someone important.

Alpha Richard's story of how the girl might be Damon's relative or a spy was just nonsense to pacify Cassie; she was never the sharpest tool in the shed; far from it. Actually, Cassie is not stupid, but her rash personality and short fuse make her susceptible to external influences and unless someone is guiding her, she easily loses focus.

Alpha Richard was stuck on the part where Cassie described the woman as weak; it was unusual. He knows very well that Cassie has no oppressive aura and that she is weak by werewolf standards. Any average teenage werewolf can defeat Cassie, so... why was this woman powerless in front of Cassie? Did the woman pretend to be weak, or did Cassie exaggerate to make herself look better? Is it possible that the woman is not a she-wolf?

Maybe, just maybe, Cassie returned from the Dark Howlers pack with something useful, but Alpha Richard knew better than to say that in front of Cassie because she will probably ruin it.

Alpha Richard never found his destined mate. Over the years, women by his side changed, and one of them gave birth to Cassie. The woman expected benefits and Alpha Richard chased her away before Cassie turned three years old, but he kept the child because an Alpha without family is frowned upon. He made sure that all kinds of rumors about Cassie's mother were spread so that she doesn't dare to show her face, and the image of a doting father worked in his favor.

Cassie grew up with nannies (who doubled as Alpha Richard's bed warmers) and Alpha Richard didn't bother much with Cassie; he bought her things and made sure everyone treats her like a princess.

It didn't take much effort to convince Cassie that Alpha Damon is the man for her, and Alpha Richard rejoiced thinking that Cassie will finally become useful.

To his disappointment, Cassie failed, just like many others before her, and Alpha Richard used his connections to get Cassie back into Damon's arms. After the third time Cassie showed up, Damon started tolerating Cassie's presence and he didn't question when she appeared unannounced, and even though she didn't make much progress, it was more than all previous bride candidates.

Alpha Richard told Cassie to play stupid and stick close to Damon while keeping her eyes open with the hope that she might find something useful, and so far, there was nothing. However, now Cassie brought news: there is a woman who is close to Alpha Damon, and Alpha Damon was protective of her. Coincidence? Alpha Richard doesn't believe in coincidences.

It didn't matter if Damon's interest in Talia was romantic or not, the fact that Damon moved for her was the key point. Something that could be used.

…

~ the Dark Howlers pack ~

Damon held sleeping Talia in his arms and counted her slow breaths while playing with the strand of her hair.

He remembered Talia saying how she wants to leave, and he firmed his resolve to keep her by his side at any cost.

Damon knew that unless he tells Talia they are mates, she will doubt his intentions, but… what if that scares her away? What if she doesn't believe him?

Without Talia's wolf, Damon had no way to prove to Talia how much she means to him, and he feared that his significance in her life is not enough for her to stay.

Damon was confident that Talia is not a wolf-less Omega.

She moved freely through the dark kitchen and through the forest, which proved that her wolf is enhancing her sight. When she gave a lesson to Mr. Mendez at the hospital, Talia projected an aura only a queen could have. Definitely not an Omega. He didn't imagine any of those.

Damon didn't care if Talia is an Omega or a human, but he knew that if she can find her wolf, Talia will become stronger and incidents like the one with Cassie will not repeat.

'Travis. Travis!', Damon called through the mind-link. 'Are you awake?'

'I am now…', Travis responded drowsily, and it took him a moment to snap awake, 'Alpha!? What happened? Is there an emergency?'

'Not an emergency. This is about Talia.'

Travis couldn't believe this. It was the middle of the night! But that's Alpha Damon and he didn't dare complain. 'Is she OK?'

'I don't know. Can you keep a secret?'

'Everything about my patients is confidential.', Travis responded right away.

'I told you that she doesn't have a wolf.'

'Yes.', Travis confirmed. 'That's why her healing is slow.'

'Talia is physically weak, and her healing ability is just like humans. But what if I told you that she has night vision comparable to mine?'

'You are saying that her wolf is crippled?'

'I don't know. I was hoping that you might have some answers.', Damon said honestly. 'I have a feeling that her wolf is not gone, but something weakened her, and she can only enhance Talia's vision. Are you aware of any cases like that?'

There was silence, and Damon waited patiently, knowing that Travis was thinking about it.

'Wolves are our spiritual halves that enhance our bodies', Travis spoke after some time. 'There are cases when a werewolf was hurt physically or mentally, and the wolf side would be sacrificed in order to save the human half. If we take into consideration that Talia is malnourished and abused for years, I can see as a possibility that her wolf's vitality reduced in order to preserve Talia's life. Talia's medical history would help us get more information, but Talia told me that she saw a doctor the last time when she was a child, in the Red Moon pack. I didn't find it relevant to her condition because it was a long time ago, but if you want me to investigate her wolf, I can contact the pack doctor there…'

'No!', Damon cut him off. 'I need you to keep to yourself that Talia is from the Red Moon pack. If there is a record about it, erase it.'

'Got it.', Travis agreed right away. Considering Talia's condition, he had a vague idea that she came to their pack to seek asylum and if the Red Moon pack gets a whiff about Talia's whereabouts, it might be troublesome.

'Is there something we can do without her medical history?', Damon asked.

'You want to awaken her wolf?', Travis guessed.

'Is that possible?'

Travis was not sure. 'Technically, yes. Talia's body and mind are weakened. Assuming that her wolf is not beyond salvation, if Talia improves her physical condition, and is in a supportive environment that will help her mentally, there is a chance of her wolf recuperating. But keep in mind that her condition is deteriorating for many years, and it might take even longer for her to bounce back. There is no way for us to get any timelines or estimates that make sense.'

Damon didn't like the uncertainty, but some chance was better than none.

'I will come with Talia tomorrow. I want you to do tests for her senses and strength and keep track of any changes without letting her know about this.'

Travis was surprised by this last part. 'You don't want her to know that there is a possibility of her wolf coming back?'

'Not yet.', Damon said. 'Getting her wolf back is a big deal and Talia is currently fragile. You said it, it can take years and there is no guarantee that it will work. I don't want her to get disappointed if it doesn't work out. I want you to schedule weekly appointments on the pretense of checking her weight and health, and I will take care of everything else. When we are fairly confident that we are making progress, we can discuss telling her.'

Other than tracking Talia's progress, Damon wanted Talia to have more attachments to the pack, starting with regular doctor's appointments. That will make it more difficult for her to leave.

Travis hummed in agreement. 'Sounds good, Alpha. It's good that you are going to get involved because Talia has a big challenge ahead of her.'

Damon didn't understand. 'What do you mean?'

'I noticed her mental scars. She needs surrounding that will allow her to feel safe so that she can be herself. If she finds herself in a stressful situation, it can pull her back and destroy months of progress…'

Damon listened to Travis, and he wondered if keeping Talia in the packhouse is the right thing to do. But he couldn't let go, because the fragile girl in his arms gave him a sense of purpose beyond leading the pack.

Damon wanted to take care of Talia because, in a way, that was taking care of himself, and besides, no matter where he sends her, he can't guarantee that someone won't pick on her.

When Travis was done talking, they confirmed Talia's appointment at ten o'clock in the morning and Damon was back to staring at Talia's sleeping face.

Her lips were slightly parted, and he really wanted to kiss her.

Damon wondered if that would be her first kiss. But no matter if it would be her first kiss, it would be THEIR first and he didn't want to steal it. He wanted her awake and aware and willing… for much more than just kissing.

Damon leaned lower and left a soft kiss on Talia's forehead.

Delightful sparks tingled his lips, and he inhaled a shaky breath which filled his system with the sweet citrusy scent of freesia. This was far from enough, but it would have to do until the time is ripe and he gets to put that kiss where it belongs, on Talia's lips… and on the rest of her.

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