Chapter 274 – Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel

Filed To Story: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel

Talia followed him obediently and her eyes widened when she saw a black marble rectangle-shaped stone with a curved top edge. It had engraved, ‘In memory of loving parents, Jacob Blake and Violet Blake’.

Dayson stood a few steps in front of the gravestone and bowed his head. “Mom, Dad, this is Talia, my mate. She is wonderful, everything a Luna should be, and much more, but I messed up. If you are alive, I would ask you how to fix the mess I created.” He exhaled audibly. “Actually, if you are alive, I would probably not make that mess in the first place.”

Dayson turned to Talia and smiled a little. “Elders wanted to bury my parents in the pack cemetery, but I refused. They were free spirits who loved this land and treated every member of the Shadow Fang pack as family, but those same people betrayed them, so I decided they should rest here. This is the most restricted area in our territory, protected by a handful of guards I personally selected, and only I can enter. I come here when I’m not sure how to deal with the situation I’m facing. It’s quiet and no one disturbs me.”

Dayson released Talia’s hand and squatted to remove stray weeds that were growing too close to the gravestone. He moved swiftly and Talia concluded that he did this many times before.

Talia watched Dayson awkwardly, unsure what to do while he approached the gravestone to dust off the dirt.

Dayson paused his movements and glanced at Talia. “You can say hi to them, or not. They can’t hear you, even though I wish that they can.”

When he finished with cleanup, Dayson stood up and looked at Talia. “You can treat this as a place where you can confess your thoughts, and no one will judge you. I instructed guards that you can come here so when you need space and the packhouse won’t do, please use this area. It’s safe and other than the two of us, no one else has access.”

Talia was not sure if she should be here, and she definitely didn’t know where this HERE was because Dayson was carrying her and she was not paying attention to her surroundings. She didn’t want to admit that if Dayson left now, she would be totally lost. During her previous outings into the forest, she didn’t spot any river or a waterfall.

Dayson saw that Talia’s exp**ssion was reluctant, so he gestured toward the gravestone. “Think of them as good listeners who are good at keeping secrets.”

He glanced behind Talia. “If you want to just sit in silence, I will prefer that you join me there.”

Talia watched as Dayson walked away with his shoulders dropping gradually with every step he took, and his big and powerful back suddenly looked lonely.

Talia could feel he didn’t want to leave her. He wanted to hold her close, but she needed some distance from Dayson because his proximity only made her crave for his touch.

She turned to the gravestone and after a few moments of hesitation, she spoke, “Hi Alpha Jacob and Luna Violet. My name is Talia. I am Dayson’s mate. I heard many good things about you from Stephanie. Dayson doesn’t talk much about you, but he is not much of a talker.”

Talia p**ssed her l*ps into a line. What was she doing? Talking to a stone?

But Dayson said to treat it as she was talking to good listeners, and she really needed to voice her grievances.

Talia saw that Dayson sat on a big rock at the bank of the river, with his legs toward the edge of the cliff, so the noise from the waterfall would prevent him from overhearing whatever she says.

Well, no matter how silly it looks, she had nothing to lose.

…

Talia squatted close to the gravestone and spoke in a low voice.

“To be honest, I am not worthy of being Dayson’s mate. He is exceptional in every way possible, and I am not. Dayson’s past is bothering me, but I don’t know if I have the right to judge him for what he did. I mean I was often thinking about running away from problems even after we met. Dayson was telling me that I am the only one who can be called Mrs. Blake, yet I was contemplating exit strategies. I am not a Luna material. Dayson is doing his best to face challenges and instead of thinking about rising to meet his level, my desire is to pull him down. What kind of a Luna does that? I wish that Dayson is not an Alpha.”

Talia shook her head at her pessimism.

“I don’t have skills or confidence for the job and the only person who believes I can do it is Dayson. Maybe that’s why I love him” Talia’s eyes widened as her cheeks caught on fire. Did she just say that she loves him? Aloud? But it’s the truth.

“I love everything about him. He is handsome and caring, and he loves to cuddle. What is there not to love?” Her l*ps curved downward. “But if everything is so great, why am I reacting like this when his past resurfaces? He has more than twenty years of life without me and if I am going to be the mate he needs, I should accept him even the dirty parts, just how he accepts me unconditionally like I don’t have any flaws.”

“You would be proud of him. Dayson takes care of his people and everyone talks about Dayson and the Shadow Fang pack with awe. That’s probably one of the reasons why so many women wish to be his Luna. On top of being an amazing Alpha, Dayson found me in a dingy attic where I was hiding from people who forgot I exist. He brought me here while risking a war bet**en packs. Without knowing my background, he gave me a place to live, and I am not wondering from where my next meal will come. He is taking good care of me even when no one is watching.” Talia’s cheeks heated. “Especially when no one is watching. And I am back to where I started. I am not worthy of being his mate.”

Talia smiled sadly at the gravestone while wondering what would his parents say if they were alive. Well, that’s one thing she will never find out.

“Thank you for listening.”

She stood up and bowed toward the gravestone. “It was nice meeting you, Mr. and Mrs. Blake. If there is a chance, I will visit again.”

Talia turned to look at Dayson. His back was hunched with his hands balled into fists and his gaze was directed at the imaginary spot on the horizon. It was a strange posture because Dayson would normally stand ramrod straight and his every pore oozed confidence, yet this was different. But even with that, he was the most handsome man Talia ever saw.

“Can I join you?”

Dayson jolted at the sound of Talia’s voice even though he knew she was approaching him. Dayson was staring at the imaginary spot on the horizon, and the deafening sound of the waterfall below him overpowered any other noise, but he was aware of Talia’s presence.

“Absolutely.”, he responded while scooting to the side to make space for Talia on the same rock.

Talia sat next to Dayson, and her mouth was slightly open as she took in the panorama. The cliff was higher than she initially thought.

There was forest as far as the eyes can reach, and hills and mountains in the distance, and she could see the irregular formation of rooftops etched into the forest. Based on the arrangement of buildings, she knew that the town below them was Darkbourne. The river continued calmly after the waterfall and disappeared among the trees, but Talia knew that was the same body of water that formed the lake Talia recognized as the one where Keith took her during the Summer Solstice festival.

How far were they from the packhouse? She craned her neck to see if she can spot the packhouse from there.

Dayson saw Talia leaning forward and his arm circled around her shoulders to support her, and she stiffened upon contact.

His heart ached at the thought that Talia’s defenses were back up full force.

“What’s the state of your wolf?”, Dayson asked.

“I’m not sure.”, Talia responded. “She said that she came forward because I was in distress and that it was too soon, and she needs more rest. Before I lost contact with her, she said that you shouldn’t mark me until you deal with Marcy.”

Dayson p**ssed his l*ps into a line and nodded in understanding. His first imp**ssion with Talia’s wolf was horrible. He remembered his first encounter with Talia; there was Marcy, bet**en his legs, and if Talia could forgive him for that, then her wolf should be able to forgive that video. Hopefully.

“Now that your wolf appeared, it won’t take long for her to recuperate fully. They retract at the back of our minds to focus on healing. My wolf is doing the same.”

Talia’s brows came together as she looked at Dayson. “He is?”

“From the wolfsbane.”, he reminded her.

Talia’s face fell. That was her fault. If she didn’t go into the forest, she wouldn’t bump into rogues, and Dayson wouldn’t end up hurt.

Dayson could feel Talia’s emotions and he r*bbed her shoulder gently. “He will be fine in a day or two.”

Talia’s guilt was replaced with panic. “What if someone attacks you before he recuperates?”

Dayson shrugged like it’s not a big deal. “I usually fight on my own. Don’t worry, kitten. I won’t allow anyone to harm you.”

Talia felt the urge to hug him tightly and k**s him senselessly, but she held that back.

The video.

Talia was still not over it and she fought mightily against remembering the visual or Marcy’s voice m**ning Dayson’s name.

Talia turned to look at the breathtaking view below them. The river fell sharply down, creating a cloud of white mist above a swelling of water surface before it narrowed and continued calmly snaking bet**en the dense trees, like this majestic waterfall never existed.