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They discussed the upcoming festival and the issue of Marcy.

The preparations for the festival were on schedule and increased security was already in effect, so they focused on discussing Marcy.

They decided to work on delaying her visit.

It was Maya\'s plan.

"Instead of telling her not to come, we will tell her WHEN to come."

Damon didn\'t like it, but he gestured to Maya to keep on talking.

"Two weeks.", Maya said. "We will tell Marcy that your schedule is packed and that you can\'t entertain her now, but in two weeks she can come, and you will make it up to her."

"You think Marcy and Alpha Edward will accept this two-week delay?", Damon asked.

"No.", Maya said bluntly before elaborating, "This is not about getting two weeks, but about negotiating. I expect that they will ask for Marcy to come sooner. I believe that we can settle for somewhere between one week and ten days. I will tell them that we will move your schedule around and you will work overtime so that you can see Marcy sooner. That will soothe their bruised ego while keeping their belief alive that you are interested in making her your Luna, and we will get an extension to find something tangible to discredit Marcy."

It sounded OK as a short-term solution, but Damon had a bad feeling about this overall.

If Marcy was a careless party girl, they would find things right away.

Caden summarized to Damon that they already checked schools Marcy attended and dorms where she stayed, forums, media, her personal pages, news involving her classmates and roommates… there was nothing.

Every day passing without finding evidence of Marcy\'s wanton behavior, confirms that whoever was with her when she acted in a non-ladylike manner, knows that it should be kept lowkey. Caden said that their people are trying to find people who are willing to talk, but the problem is that if they are not careful, they can actually tip off Marcy that they are digging her dirt.

But no matter how bad it sounded, with no better plan, Damon agreed.

"Alright. I will let you handle that. Let me know if you encounter problems, otherwise, I will expect that we have at least a week before we need to revisit this topic."

Maya and Caden confirmed and left Damon\'s study.

Damon really didn\'t want to waste any time thinking about Marcy. For Damon, Marcy became insignificant the moment they left the Red Moon pack with Talia in the trunk of their car.

Damon also needed to figure out what to do with Talia during the Summer Solstice festival while he entertains guests that are coming from other packs.

Damon has one meeting with them in the afternoon, and they will stay in the guest bedrooms of the packhouse. That will change the dynamics they currently have, and Damon was not sure how many will stay overnight.

He never liked entertaining guests, and now that Talia is here, he really wanted to cancel everything.

Damon knows people who will come, and they are not enemies, but they are not friends either, so he is not comfortable letting them know that Talia is important.

The best thing would be to spend that day away from Talia, or even better… away WITH Talia. But how can he do that? He is the Alpha and can\'t disappear.

Should he let Talia go to the festival with Maya or with someone else, outside of his sight? Or should he lock her up in her room?

Damon didn\'t like any of this, and if he could have one wish, he would wish that he is not Alpha, at least for that one day. Then he would spend it with Talia and no one would care.

There was one more thing related to Talia that distracted him. Shortly before dinner, Travis contacted him through the mind-link.

\'Alpha, is this a good time?\'

\'What is it?\', Damon responded.

\'It\'s about Talia and awakening her wolf.\'

Damon was alarmed. \'Get to the point.\'

\'We spoke about food and mental state, but we didn\'t discuss the spiritual.\'

Damon didn\'t get it. Does Talia need to pray or take a bath in holy water? \'Go on.\'

\'It is known that we recuperate faster from illness and injuries when our mate is nearby.\'

Damon perked up. \'Are you saying that if she is with her mate, the probability of her wolf awakening will increase?\'

\'It\'s just a guess, but it\'s worth trying. That\'s if we can find out who her mate is. Considering that her wolf is weak to the point of her being unable to shift, she probably can\'t find her mate, but he should be able to identify her.\'

Damon nodded at these words. Travis is smart. Damon\'s mood dropped drastically when he heard Travis\'s next words.

\'If we expose Talia to unmated males and let her interact with them, the closer the better…\'

\'ENOUGH!\', Damon roared into the mind-link. What was that nonsense about exposing Talia to unmated males? What if some of them make a move on her? What if she ends up liking someone? Damon was back to thinking about locking Talia in her room.

\'Alpha?\', Travis asked weakly while wondering what did he do.

Damon took a few breaths before responding, \'Good work, Travis. Let me know if you come up with some other ideas.\' He cut off the mind-link before Travis could respond.

Part of Damon approved the news Travis gave him because now he had a medical reason to stick close to Talia. The only problem was how to make it look natural and not spook her.

Back to the present…

Damon downed the amber liquid from his glass and remembered Talia\'s focused expression while she sorted the mail that afternoon.

Was that job essential? Absolutely not.

If there is anything important, Damon gets it in email while urgent matters are discussed over the phone, and only copies are sent through regular mail. But he wanted to keep Talia with him.

When Talia finished sorting that mail, Damon asked her to get them some snacks from the kitchen.

Talia returned with apples, grapes, and pineapples, and Damon asked her to feed him, with an excuse that his hands were busy.

He truly enjoyed the feeding service Talia provided.

After that, Damon gave Talia a task to place documents he previously signed in corresponding filing cabinets. That would be Maya\'s or Caden\'s job, in the evening, but Talia did it perfectly.

It was mid-afternoon when Maya peeked into Damon\'s office and when she saw that Talia was busy, they agreed to do their walk the next day.

According to Damon, everything played out perfectly. He finished his work and got to enjoy Talia\'s presence. Just knowing that she was there put his mind at ease, and he was able to focus on things that needed to be done.

…

Talia put on the oversized tank top (aka the sleepwear) and looked at her image in the mirror above the sink of her bathroom.

She thought how another day passed in the Dark Howlers pack and she didn\'t decide if she will stay or leave, and other than helping with dinner preparation, she didn\'t make much progress toward learning something useful that will lead toward her independence.

OK. The appointment with Doctor Travis was good because she got the book, but she didn\'t get a chance to read it.

She spent the afternoon in Damon\'s study, and overall, she didn\'t hate it.

Talia was uncomfortable at first. Who eats sandwiches while holding hands?

But after that, Damon gave her work to do, and he said that he trusts her.

From the mail she went through, Talia got a glimpse into the Dark Howlers pack and Alpha Damon.

There were reports on movements of the rogues, and she found out that Alpha Damon is collaborating with several other packs on not only handling rogues, but also on resettling refugees and finding them jobs. Damon also donates to an orphanage in the Blue River pack and is the main contact for a coven of witches who are responsible for creating a memory potion that will erase memories from humans who saw werewolves.

She also saw several letters in which members of other packs confirmed their attendance at the Summer Solstice festival. Some guests are high-ranking members of other packs, and there were several teams who are coming to compete in various sports.

Talia thought that the festival is only for the Dark Howlers pack, but now that she confirmed how people from other packs will come as well, she realized that it will be on a much bigger scale and her heart fluttered from excitement. She couldn\'t believe that she will get to attend such a festival. It will be her first.

Other than asking Talia to feed him, Alpha Damon didn\'t tease her and he was dedicated to his work.

He went through numerous documents on paper and his computer, and other than a few brief phone calls, he worked in silence.

This was another side of Alpha Damon that Talia got to see.

He was serious and focused, and he projected the aura of a reliable and knowledgeable Alpha, someone worthy of leading the largest pack in North America. Her opinion of him rose by a few notches.

Talia was surprised when Damon said, "When you finish sorting those from your hands, you can go to the kitchen. Steph is looking for you."

"Is it already time for dinner?"

She didn\'t realize how quickly the time passed.

That afternoon was an eye-opener for Talia. She thought that being an Alpha means bossing around between attending (or hosting) parties, but now she saw that there is a lot of work in order to lead a pack. Fascinating.

Talia helped Stephanie and she wanted to clean up after dinner, but Stephanie said that there is no need because post-dinner cleanup is done by a few Omegas, so Talia went to the garden for some fresh air, and then she went to her room to call it a day, with an intention to freshen up and read the book Doctor Travis gave her until she gets sleepy.

And here is Talia, ready to get sleepy with a book.

Talia exited the bathroom and paused at the sight of Alpha Damon who was on her bed, with his back resting on the headboard, fiddling with his phone.

His hair was damp and slightly messy, a giveaway that he showered, and his light gray t-shirt and dark gray sweatpants didn\'t hide his impressive physique.

It was a mesmerizing sight, but after a few seconds, Talia pulled herself from her daze and wondered, why is Alpha Damon in her bed again?

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