The Alpha's Bride

Chapter 810: The heat is over (2)

Amelia was excited to hear they would be going to the Midnight Guardians pack, and she self-invited.         

“We can head there after the meal. I look forward to seeing Yasmin. I wonder if her belly started showing.” Amelia turned to Cornelia. “How about you also come? We will be back on time for you to join James after dinner.”     

Talia liked Amelia already. She was bubbly and loud, and somehow it made Talia miss Dawn.     

Talia asked Cornelia about Dawn and George. Cornelia said that Dawn was doing well. George was busy most of the day, but Dawn had Estelle and a few other Omegas to keep her company. Dawn would spend a lot of time in the kitchen, cooking and baking, and Cornelia was sure that George had gained some weight.     

“Do you think we can visit Dawn?” It was Zina who asked.     

At first, Dawn would come to the Dark Howlers pack during the day with Cornelia, but as Dawn was getting more comfortable in her new home, Dawn’s visits thinned.    

Talia was not so sure about going to the Red Moon pack She spent two decades there and had no good memories. 

"Sure!' Amelia exclaimed. She was always ready for an adventure. "How about tomorrow?

"Wait a minute," Damon popped Amelia's excited bubble. "You can't go to that pack recklessly."

Liana took Amelia's hand and explained patiently, "The Red Moon pack is not friendly. If we go there unannounced and are discovered, we could get in trouble. Dawn could get in trouble. If they suspect we are spies, everyone in that villa could get in trouble, and they could use that to start a war."

Amelia's mood deflated, but there was nothing they could do about it.

"Don't worry, Zina," Talia tried to coax her friend. "Dawn is always welcome to come here, and we will go there for James. birthday:. 

After the meal, Pierce and Darla went to inform Grady and Varya about the change in plans, and the others went to pack a few changes of clothes. Going to the Midnight Guardians pack for a few hours meant several days would pass.

Maya, Caden, Damon, and Talia used this opportunity to meet in the study and discuss more secretive things. Damon sat W a leather chair behind his executive desk and pulled Talia to sit on his lap. He craved Talia's proximity. After seven days of skin-to-skin contact, that meal with just holding hands was uncomfortable.

Caden and Maya sat in the chairs on the other side of Damon's desk.

Caden started with the report about the rogue attack at the Blue River pack.

"We have information that Indicates Alpha Edward was one of the people who organized rogues," Caden said. "However, we identified seven different rogue groups. Mats too much for just Alpha Edward. He was not alone. We are figuring out who else was pulling the strings." 

"Why is it taking so long?" Damon asked. 

Caden lowered his head in shame. A week passed, and they didn't find much. It's not that they didn't try, but... "Leaders of rogue groups didn't participate in attacks, or they did and escaped. Everyone who was caught and interrogated was just a pawn. They knew bits and pieces without anything we could use. We checked their usual hideouts, but they were empty. They knew we were coming."

Damon didn't like this. Rogues were getting smarter. 

Why were rogues so difficult to eliminate? 

Rogues had a vast supply of members. Besides werewolves who were kicked out of their packs, rogues would recruit werewolves who lived among humans, like Grady. And it was not uncommon for rogues to work with humans. 

In addition to that, rogues were not locked to a specific territory. They would move locations frequently, sometimes mingling with humans in big cities. 

"What about Tristan? Did we confirm Lisa is his mate? What about Steph?• Damon asked. 

Maya responded. "Tristan disappeared, and so did Lisa. We are keeping our eyes open, but so far, there is nothing. We didn't confirm that Lisa is his mate, but we didn't find anything that would say otherwise either. As for Steph..." Maya exhaled. "I asked her about Lisa and her mate. Steph says that she didn't meet him. Lisa is staying in touch through the mind-link and always saying how her mate is treating her well." 

Damon rapped his fingers on his desk "Do you believe that after all this time, Steph doesn't know anything about Lisa's mate?" 

"I don't know what to believe," Maya said honestly. "But we should also keep in mind that Stephanie found her second chance mate. She is smitten by this new bond, which means that she is not spending the whole day worrying about Lisa. If she is convinced that Lisa is happily mated, Step won't think much about Lisa. I find it difficult to believe that Steph would collaborate with rogues." 

Talia didn't want to suspect Stephanie, but she had to share her thoughts. "This is not about collaboration with rogues. This is about covering up for Lisa. We know she did that more than once. Only when Lisa messed up badly and got caught did Steph allow us to deal with the problem." 

"What do you suggest? Damon asked Talia. He sensed her resolve, which told him she had a plan. 

Talia was always against drastic solutions, but Lulu's death was freshly etched in Talia's mind. How could she be soft in finding and punishing the culprits? 

"We will confront Stephanie and tell her that Lisa is mated to Tristan. We need to ask Stephanie how much information she shared with Lisa. There are ways to check if she is telling the truth." 

"No one will deny that Stephanie is overprotective of Lisa, and she will do anything for her," Maya said. "However, if Stephanie doesn't know that Lisa is mated to a rogue, and we spill the beans, it can backfire." 

Caden agreed with Maya. "If we are wrong and Steph loses her shit, all kinds of wrongs could happen. What if Steph ends up going there, and they keep her as a hostage?"

"At least Steph will take us to Lisa," Damon said. 

Maya disapproved. To you really believe that Steph would act against her pack? If we accuse her of such a thing, it will scar her. Her first mate died for this pack, yet she stayed to help. Talia is your mate, Damon. Our Luna. Selling information about Talia to rogues is treason. Steph loves her daughter, but she loves this pack as well. When you became Alpha, Stephanie needed to choose between her daughter and this pack, and she sent Lisa away so that she could stay here and help." 

"That was then," Talia said. "No one will deny that Stephanie made sacrifices for this pack But circumstances change, and so do people." 

Damon liked that Talia was speaking up for what she believed in. Being an Alpha meant that life won't be a walk in the park, and staying firm while confronting friends and allies was one of the hardest things she would need to do. 

"Let me talk to her again," Maya said to Talia. "I will hint that we heard nasty rumors about a guy and a girl and that the girl matches Lisa's description."

"What will that achieve?" Talia asked.

"We can set up cameras to watch her. We have systems that can block and track external communication. Let's see if she will contact Lisa and go from there."

Seeing that Talia nodded in agreement, Damon said, "You have three days. After that, we will talk to Steph.."