Chapter 451: 439 On their way to the cabin [Bonus chapter]

　　About ten minutes after they passed Darkbourne, the black armored Lexus SUV took a right turn, and Damon skillfully navigated a gravel road that snaked between massive sequoias and pine trees that were blocking the afternoon, allowing only occasional thin bright rays to spear through the air and speckle the ground with white dots.

As the drive progressed, gravel became sparser, revealing the hard soil beneath it. Bushes and ferns stretched toward the road, indicating that this road was not frequently used.

Other than the moving car, everything appeared to be still.

Talia opened the window and warm sticky air caressed her cheeks. The humidity was so high that there were puddles on the side of the road even though it didn't rain in days. But she loved it. Wherever she looked, she could see the green untouched nature.

And the best part was her left hand was in Damon's right, their fingers interlaced.

Talia knew that they were heading for his cabin, and she didn't ask where exactly that was. As long as she was with Damon, she would go willingly even if it's inside a volcano.

Over the steady hum of the car engine, Talia listened to the sounds of the forest. She could hear birds chirping and there was faint clamor of water that sounded like a stream hidden in the dense foliage, but not a single animal was in sight no matter how much she looked.

"Are you searching for something in particular?", Damon asked her.

"I was wondering if I could see a bear or a fox." Or anything. They were away from the town, and she was sure that this dense forest will be a home to many creatures.

Damon chuckled. "Animals have strong instincts to avoid danger. They won't get close to us."

Talia paused and it took her a few long moments to realize that the danger he spoke of was him.

She smiled while thinking how Damon is so sweet with her that she forgot he is an efficient killing machine. An Alpha. Predator.

There was a time when she was afraid of him, but in time he showed her that he can be caring, gentle, passionate. Hers.

Maya told her that Damon's behavior changed since he returned from the Red Moon pack with Talia. He was less aggressive, not so impulsive, thinking more (and sometimes overthinking), but overall, happier. Maya also said that Damon would spend a lot of time training with warriors or engaged in a fight. That was not the behavior Talia observed and she hoped the change in Damon was for good and that people won't think less of him.

Talia unbuckled her seatbelt and scooted closer to lean her head on Damon's shoulder. It didn't matter how other people (and animals) looked at him, to her, he was Damon. Just Damon. Her mate.

The drive was steady, and the exhaustion caused by stress of the last few days caught up to her, and Talia drifted off to sleep.

Damon glanced at the sleeping woman by his side, and he made sure to avoid bumps on the road, so she can rest.

Both of them needed a break, from everything.

Damon really wished that they can take a whole week, or a month, or forever, just for the two of them. But he knew that was impossible. He couldn't leave the pack. It was his duty to keep everyone safe and provide for them, and now that he found his Luna, he needed to introduce her to his people. Their people.

Last few days were a constant reminder that he screwed up. Maddox and Tatiana, Kai and Meg, Gideon and Mindy. Even George and Dawn were clinging onto each other from the moment they realized they were mates, and Damon… didn't.

Damon was supposed to announce Talia as his mate on the same day she arrived at the Dark Howlers pack. Actually, even at the Red Moon pack, instead of sneaking Talia in the trunk of a car, Damon should have claimed her as his mate in front of everyone and walk her out through the main door with a warning that Alpha Edward will suffer for mistreating her. Surely, a fallout after that couldn't be messier than what they were facing at this point.

Damon squeezed the steering wheel while releasing a frustrated breath. He was unable to change the past, and he decided to treat this as a new beginning. This time, he will do things right.

His plan was solid. The two of them will enjoy the next three days; he will mark Talia and assure her that he will keep her safe and support her to the best of his abilities, swearing loyalty and commitment while they make sweet love and savor each other until exhaustion. And when these three days pass, Damon will bring Talia back to the Dark Howlers pack as his Luna, ready for the pack run and to deal with Alpha Edward and anyone else who dares to endanger what they have.

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Talia opened her eyes when the movement of the car changed.

"Sleep, kitten…", Damon murmured as she blinked herself awake.

"No, it's fine.", she said and rubbed her eyes. "I didn't mean to sleep."

Talia felt guilty. Damon was working more compared to her, yet she ended up dozing off while he was driving.

She observed that the road became bumpier, and it was actually just two faint strips in the grass. If not for those, the only indication that it's a path would be that there were no bushes that way.

The amount of light diminished, indicating that the sun was setting. How long was she sleeping?

"We will be there in a few minutes.", Damon said, and she hummed in response while looking out the window that was closed now.

With every passing second, Talia was becoming more aware that she was alone with Damon. They were going to spend some time in a cabin and… have sex. Her cheeks heated. They did it many times before, but now they were going with an intention to do it, and she was getting flustered.

Damon threw her a side-glance. "What are you thinking, kitten?"

There was no way she will admit her thoughts. "I was wondering how the cabin looks like. You said that there is a lake nearby. I would like to see it."

"Mhm…", Damon hummed in response. "Do you think it's a sexy lake?"

Talia blinked. "What?"

He chuckled. "I can smell your arousal. So, either you were hoping that the lake is sexy, or it was something else. Were you thinking what are we going to do in the lake? Now that is something I want to hear about, so I can make it come true."

Talia cleared her throat awkwardly and swiftly pushed the button to open the window. She forgot about the scent!

Damon's hand was squeezing and caressing her knee now, but she decided to ignore him and think about something else because if she acknowledges her naughty thoughts, it will only spur him to tease her more, or maybe stop the car so they can go at it right there, and it's not that she didn't want it but she wanted to reach the cabin before nightfall.

She couldn't believe that they were about to spend three days off the grid considering what was happening at home.

But she knew that these three days were calm before the storm and even though everyone seemed to be happy to get this break, they were anxious about what's coming.

Other than Maya and Caden, no one else knew that they left. They agreed that Maya will say how she will tell everyone that Damon and Talia went to handle some pack business and it might take a few days.

Talia didn't want to conceal this from her friends, but she knew that the fewer people were aware that Alpha Damon was set on marking her, the bigger were chances that no one disturbs them. After all, when Damon marks her, their bond as mates will be sealed, and even if someone doesn't approve, only by killing one of them that can be broken. Talia tried not to think about it. She hoped that people will approve, or at least not meddle. One can wish.

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