Chapter 36: Walk In The Woods

"Are you alright?", Damon asked Talia when they exited the pack hospital.

"Yes, thank you, Alpha Damon.", Talia responded.

Damon cocked an eyebrow at her. "Did you forget already?"

She looked at him questionably, and he said, "Just Damon. Say it."

Talia glanced around, to make sure no one overhears them. He is the Alpha, and she should listen to him, but if anyone else hears that she is addressing him casually, she might end up in trouble.

Everyone they met so far addressed Damon respectfully with his title, and Talia learned a long time ago that standing out is not a good thing.

"Damon."

He smirked victoriously. "Do you want to walk, or should I get a car? The packhouse is about fifteen minutes walking from here if we cut it straight through the forest."

She was not sure why he was giving her a choice. "Anything is fine."

"Then, let's take a walk. I got stiff after so much time in the car, so it will be good to stretch legs…"

…

Talia followed after Damon, elated to be surrounded by the trees during daylight.

At the Red Moon pack, she would come out, but only during the night, when everyone was sleeping.

Alpha, Beta, and their families had a routine of sleeping at a regular schedule, so only the pack members on patrol would be awake at that time. The patrols ran only around the borders of the Red Moon territory, so after completing her chores, Talia could venture into the forest next to the packhouse to get a breath of fresh air and find medicinal herbs for her concoctions.

Other than for treating injuries, preventing infections, and easing up the pain, Talia knew that some plants are edible, and she personally came up with a mix of plants that diminishes one's scent; unless someone is really close, they couldn't pick up Talia's scent at all.

Talia's knowledge about various herbs was one of the main reasons why Talia could conceal herself while living in the Red Moon pack packhouse.

Indirectly, that was all thanks to Olivia who taught her the basics.

Olivia invokes pleasant memories for Talia, and seeing how Travis, Jill, and Cathy were nice as well, Talia was confident that people who practice medicine are good people and everyone likes them.

She wondered if one day, she can be like them as well. Can she work in the pack hospital? She could start as a cleaner and in her free time help out nurses and learn.

Talia took a mental note to discuss this with Damon, or maybe with Maya, once the topic of Talia's future comes up.

Talia wanted to talk about it right now, but she just arrived, and she didn't want to appear too needy.

Damon observed Talia and he was vexed that she was absentminded. Occasionally, she would stop and look at some plant, but then she would just continue following him. Damon slowed down his steps so that they can walk side-by-side, but a few steps later, Talia would trail behind him again.

He didn't mind going slow. Reaching their destination meant re-entering reality where a pile of paperwork and unread emails are waiting for him. After a few days away from the pack, that was inevitable.

Damon hoped that Talia would pay more attention to him.

Every woman swoons after Damon, making him feel like he is the king of the galaxy, yet with Talia, Damon felt invisible.

What's so interesting about that scrawny purple leaf?

Doesn't she know that once they reach the packhouse, he will have so much work, that they will barely see each other?

Talia was startled when Damon grabbed her hand.

"What…?" She was not sure how to finish that question.

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"The ground is uneven. I don't want to risk you tripping and making your injuries worse.", Damon said with a straight face. "Besides, you are wandering around, and you might get lost."

Talia wanted to say that she is careful, and she will not get lost. She is not a baby! Even if she loses sight of Damon, she can just follow the scent of dark chocolate, but Damon's grip on her hand tightened and she understood that he will not let go no matter what she says.

Talia decided not to argue. Besides, this was better than Damon pinning her against him.

"I noticed you observing some plants.", Damon broke the silence between them. "Do you mind telling me, why?"

Talia paused for a moment before agreeing shyly.

She pointed at the tall plant with clusters of tiny white flowers. "That is boneset. Its leaves and flowers help reduce fever and pain."

Damon was surprised to hear this. He didn't really pay attention to plants but was confident that he saw this type of flower many times. "Sounds useful. Should we harvest it?"

"This one is not ready, so it would be wasting precious resources if we collect it now. When flowers bloom, they appear to be spiky, then they are the most potent.", Talia said, and she was pleased to see that Damon was interested in what she had to say.

Damon was amazed that she spoke about not wasting things that can be freely found in the forest. It reminded him of how she packed leftovers in the hotel, and he concluded that Talia is frugal, and that's not a bad thing.

Next, Talia stopped next to a bushy plant with massive green maple-like leaves. "This is goldenseal. It's good against infections."

Damon's face scrunched with an unpleasant memory. "Is that the bitter thing I tasted when I licked your wound?"

Talia confirmed and she bit the inside of her lip to suppress the incoming laughter. His expression was comical, but she shouldn't laugh at the scary Alpha. He might punish her.

Little by little, Talia relaxed, and three plants later, she was tugging Damon's hand while navigating randomly through the forest as she followed the trail plants of interest formed.

She didn't notice at what point their fingers interlaced, but Damon noticed it very much. He noticed every little thing about Talia.

Damon was amazed that even with all the scents that are wafting through the forest, he could clearly identify the sweet citrusy scent of freesia like the whole ground is covered with colorful blooms and each of them whispered Talia's name.

Yup. Damon was lost in a daze of Talia's scent and the sparks which started from the hand which held Talia's and he would follow her no matter where she wanted to go.

Of course, they strayed from their original destination, but Damon didn't mind. He didn't mind at all.

After talking about a plant with black bead-like spots on its stem, Talia looked at Damon. "Shouldn't we go to the packhouse? Aren't you busy?"

Damon said that the walk will take about fifteen minutes, and Talia didn't have a watch, but she was confident that they are in the forest for at least one hour. Probably longer.

He wanted to say that he is not busy, but he didn't want to lie. Caden already mind-linked him thrice saying that the food Stephanie prepared is cold and that there are issues that Damon needs to address.

"We are going there.", Damon said and led the way. "Where did you learn so much about plants?"

"Olivia taught me.", Talia responded.

"Your friend?", Damon guessed.

Talia smiled a little. "I like to think so. Olivia is the daughter of the pack doctor at the Red Moon pack. She found her mate and left the pack some time ago. Olivia taught me a lot about plants, and sometimes I would sneak into the library and take a book to read. No one reads these books, so they didn't notice them missing…"

Damon listened with interest, happy that Talia finally revealed some bits of her pasts. From Talia's expression and tone, he deducted that she was fond of Olivia, and he wondered if there are other people that have a place in Talia's heart, and he also wished to be one of them.

He picked up hints that Talia did things on her own, secretively.

Talia was talking freely and smiling, and there were no traces of the timid and scared girl from the attic.

Damon concluded that unless Talia feels threatened, she is an outspoken girl with a sharp mind and cheery personality. He liked that. He liked that a lot.

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