Luciano leaned closer to Talia, his face hovering an inch away from her left shoulder blade.“Some of these bruises are quite bad and might need a second layer of cream.”Talia flinched when his hot breath splashed against her skin, and she swiftly pulled the bathrobe back up while cursing internally. Why did she allow herself to get carried away like this?Her face was on fire and she was confident that she was blushing profusely.“This is more than enough. Thank you.”, she said in a whisper.Luciano was disappointed at the loss of that addicting touch, but he saw that Talia was uncomfortable, so he didn’t want to push for it.He shook his head. What was he doing exactly?They stopped for some food and first aid, and they needed to head back on the road.Besides, didn’t he decide to bring her with him and keep her safe, and there will be nothing more to it?He reached into his suitcase and got a T-shirt and shorts with a string at the waist.“Wear these for now.”Luciano tossed cloth
Maya hummed in satisfaction at the sight of Talia’s hair that was parted in two neat braids.“All done.”, Maya announced.Talia touched the braid that fell over her left shoulder. “Thank you, this is wonderful.”“You are welcome.”, Maya responded and inched closer. “You have beautiful eyes. Will you let me put some makeup on you?”Talia blinked. Unsure how to respond to the compliment or the makeup offerings.Seeing that Talia was flustered, Maya patted her shoulder. “We will do makeup next time. We need to head out now.”Maya told Luciano through the mind link that they were ready to go, and it took him a minute to reach the hotel room.Luciano stood frozen at the door and stared at Talia who was collecting fruits, cheeses, and granola bars from the food carts, wrapping them in napkins and arranging them in a paper bag Maya gave her.Eventually, Talia noticed Luciano and paused.He didn’t say anything, and she started squirming under his unreadable gaze.Did he not approve that she
~ The Dark Howlers Pack ~The sun was rising from the East when our group of four reached their destination, and Caden announced, “Home sweet home. Welcome to the Dark Howlers pack, Talia!”.Talia observed the dense forest through which the road snaked, and Caden slowed down the car as they passed through a town.“This is Darkbourne.”, Maya said. “Every person living and working in this town belongs to the Dark Howlers pack.”Talia nodded in understanding while observing the residential buildings with nice backyards that gradually turned into densely packed two-story-high buildings.“We are getting closer to the center of the town.”, Maya continued her tour.The two-story-high buildings had various shops on the ground level. Talia spotted a bakery, a coffee shop, a clothing boutique, a shoe store, a restaurant, a butcher’s shop, a tattoo parlor, a bookstore. There was something for everyone and quite a number of pedestrians filled the sidewalks.On the left, the road opened into a wid
When Travis entered the exam room, Talia was wearing the hospital gown.While Jill was drawing Talia’s blood for the lab work, and Cathy collected swabs from Talia’s mouth and nose, Travis observed Talia’s bruises.Luciano told him that Talia doesn’t have a wolf, and that would impact her healing, but it was a long time since Travis saw so many cuts and bruises on a person.They would be nothing much for a werewolf and would heal within a day or two, but for a human (or a werewolf without a wolf), it can take a week or two until they completely fade.Travis’s sight was drawn to Talia’s bandaged wrist. Considering that most of her injuries were exposed, he had to ask, “Who did this?”“Alpha Luciano.”, Talia responded.“That was very…”, Travis paused while choosing his words.Talia smiled a little while remembering Lucaino’s intense expression while bandaging her.“I know. That was very kind of him.”Travis cocked an eyebrow. “I wanted to say, unskilled, but we can go with your versio
“Are you alright?”Luciano asked Talia when they exited the pack hospital.“Yes, thank you, Alpha Luciano.”, Talia responded.Luciano cocked an eyebrow at her. “Did you forget already?”She looked at him questionably, and he said, “Just Luciano. 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 Luciano respectfully with his title, and Talia learned a long time ago that standing out is not a good thing.“Luciano.”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 my legs…”…Talia followed after Luciano, elated to be
Luciano and Talia emerged from the last line of trees and Talia shrunk at the sight of the neat lawn and the mansion.Little by little, her steps became smaller, and her face was filled with reluctance.Talia understood that this was the packhouse, and things like a packhouse didn’t bring happy memories.The packhouse at the Red Moon pack was a place where she was fine only while hiding. In the forest, she was happy, and she didn’t want to go back to the attic.“This will be your home, Talia.”, Luciano announced and tugged her hand to start moving.‘Her home?’, Talia wondered if she heard him right.She knew that Luciano lived there, and probably Caden and Maya and any other high-ranking members of the pack. But what about her? She is a nobody.Talia forced herself to stay present and observe her surroundings. It will come in handy if she needs to flee.In terms of size, the packhouse was bigger than the one at the Red Moon pack.They came from the side, but Luciano led the way toward
A blissful smile appeared on Talia’s face as the buttery waffle with a hint of vanilla melted in her mouth together with the sweetness of the plum jam.‘Caden told me that this girl is different, but only now I realized how much…’, Stephanie’s voice reached Luciano through the mind-link.Luciano guessed that Stephanie was alluding to the way he helped Talia with food.‘There is nothing wrong with me helping the girl out.’, Luciano said and took a sip of coffee nonchalantly.‘I never said that it’s wrong.’, Stephanie immediately responded.It was not wrong, but Luciano never took a personal interest in any of the new members.Stephanie knew that Luciano waited for Talia at the pack hospital, gave her his old room on the third floor, and now served her food. This was unheard of.Stephanie was not considering the possibility that Luciano had romantic feelings toward Talia.She thought of Luciano as a child, and compared to him, Talia looked like a little girl, innocent, in need of protec
“Based on your reaction, I can guess Alpha Luciano didn’t tell you that you will be staying in his old room.”“His old room?”, Talia repeated robotically. “Don’t you have any other room to give me?”Stephanie shrugged. “Don’t look at me, girl. I’m just following orders. Come inside and see how you like it.”“You travelled the whole night and then went to the hospital. I guess you want to shower and rest, right?”Talia nodded at Stephanie’s words while observing the room and her sight stopped at the intricate woodwork on the mantle that surrounded a massive fireplace.“Uhm… they didn’t bring any suitcase for you. Do you have any clothes?”, Stephanie asked.“I had clothes wrapped in a bedsheet. That was in the trunk.”, Talia said.“Give me a second.”, Stephanie lifted her finger, indicating to Talia to wait, and she mind-linked Maya. ‘Did you bring Talia’s things inside?’‘What things? Other than one book and a few trinkets, Talia has only a few items that are worn out and don’t fit her