The Alpha's Bride

Chapter 883: Trip to the portal

"I asked nurses if they had something for me to cover up, and they gave me this cap," Talia said to Damon. "Look. If I pull it low, no one can tell it's me."         

Seeing Damon's frown deepening, Talia quickly added, "I got one for you also. Normally, a couple of warriors would go with newly mated couples to escort them to the portal, but now we can take their place."     

Damon was glad that Talia didn't think of leaving him behind. Yes, it wouldn't take long, but every second without Talia stretched into eternity.     

If it were up to Damon, Talia would be waiting in the packhouse, but he knew that was not an option, so he agreed that both of them would go.     

Damon mind-linked Pierce and Daria to come. They will serve as an escort all the way to the Midnight Guardians pack. As a bonus, Daria can see Varya and spend time with her sister. A few days there are only a few hours in the human realm, so Pierce and Daria can treat it like a vacation.     

The Midnight Guardians pack had several witches mated to their members, so bringing back Pierce and Daria whenever they want to return, won't be a problem.      

Damon also instructed Pierce to assess Grady's and Varya's attitudes. Damon was uneasy with Grady's background as a rogue and how Varya didn't think it was a big deal. Damon was unsure if they would take it as far as collaborating with whoever gives them more benefits (that's how rogues operate), but one can't be too careful. If Sophia and Isaac didn't notice Guardians getting in and out of their territory, Damon doubted Axel's ability to handle similar situations. If Axel failed, that would harm Talia, and Damon didn't want to allow it.     

"Liam," Damon called solemnly. "We will rely on you to report if anything is out of the ordinary when we reach there."     

"Yes, Alpha," Liam responded right away.     

"Don't use your aura," Talia reminded Damon. "We don't want to expose ourselves unless necessary."     

Talia looked at two babies that were being swaddled by a nurse for Yasmin and Axel to see.     

"What if Guardians are there and they can sense presences?" Talia asked Damon. "No matter how much we conceal things from sight, two tiny lifeforms will attract attention." And there was a chance of Valeria causing a light spectacle again.     

"I have an idea," Sandy said from the side. "The energy disturbances around the portal are preventing anyone from using long-range abilities, however, short-range abilities work to a certain degree. I can identify the presence of a wolf that manifests as a spirit. Lately, I have been practicing on expanding mine, like a blanket. Let me show what I mean on Tyler."     

"You can expand your spirit?" Talia asked, genuinely curious.     

Sandy confirmed. "It's not perfect, but I'm working on it. However, we don't need perfection now. The energies are messed up, and I can help scramble that further. It should be enough to cover up the presence of those two nuggets."     

Damon waved at Sandy to go ahead.     

Talia focused on Sandy, and she could sense that Sandy's presence expanded to cover up Tyler completely. The shape was odd because it was obvious that it was either two people or a monster, but with two babies cradled closely, Sandy might pull it off.     

"What do you think?" Talia asked Damon, knowing that he was paying attention as well.     

"Looks promising," Damon said. It depended on what kind of sensing Guardians had, but this was better than nothing.     

Their first priority was to get Axel and Yasmin with babies through the portal without anyone noticing that the babies were there.     

Damon asked Doctor Travis and the nurses to keep it a secret that Yasmin gave birth, and they immediately agreed, but Damon knew it was only a matter of time until the information leaked. Friends, coworkers, family, strangers… someone will talk.     

…     

The forest was silent when several figures appeared out of thin air.     

Amelia, Liam, Meg, and Kai led the way, with Sandy, Tyler, Pierce, and Daria behind them. Axel and Yasmin were right there with Talia and Damon at the back.     

Sandy was wearing a baggy trench coat that covered Valeria and Edgar, who were secured by baby carriers to Sandy's body.     

Talia held Damon's hand and looked around.         

'Do you sense something?' Damon asked Talia through the mind-link.     

'No,' she responded.     

They were in the natural maze that surrounded the portal, and even the keenest senses would be messed up, but Talia couldn't shake off the feeling that someone was watching them. Was she just paranoid, or were her instincts telling her to run?     

Talia put her hand over her belly, and she snuggled closer to Damon. Her shoulder fit under his armpit as his arm supported her upper back. She loved his grip on her shoulder. It was solid, and it gave her confidence that he was there to protect her.     

The ten minute-long walk seemed like forever, and they would stop and turn at the slightest sound. By the time they reached the portal, everyone was breathing rapidly.     

Talia was glad that for the last two-three minutes the feeling of being watched was gone. But again, maybe it was not gone, but only her senses were impacted by energy disturbances.     

After a short round of goodbyes, eight figures passed through the portal, leaving Amelia, Liam, Talia, and Damon behind.     

They waited at the portal until Talia got a text message from Axel that they had reached the main house in the Midnight Guardians pack.     

Talia looked at the portal that was projected right in front of a massive tree. The faint ripples in the air were barely noticeable with a naked eye, and unless someone was aiming to walk into a tree, they wouldn't step through it accidentally. But Talia knew that applied only to humans. Many creatures could sense something there, and some could see the energies twirling.      

Leaving this here unguarded was unsettling, but putting guards would also bring attention.     

Talia wished to scoop everyone dear to her and bring them through the portal. And then she would close the portal, and all the bad things would be on the other side.     

Talia was aware that was just wishful thinking. If she did that, many good people would be left behind. Did she have the capacity to worry about others? Talia was not sure, but she knew that leaving them with Guardians to fend for themselves would plague her for the rest of her life. Maybe that was not her problem, but she had the bloodline of a Guardian, and she felt it was her responsibility to stop them from harming others.     

Should she just ruin this portal? Maybe Axel and others will hate her for it, but at least they will be safe.     

Talia shook those thoughts away. If she did that, she wouldn't be better than Sophia and Isaac, who opted to isolate their people in the name of keeping them safe. It wouldn't be fair to do so without giving them a choice, and Talia knew that they would pick to fight compared to staying imprisoned. Too many people were still unmated, waiting for their turns to find their other half, confident that their Alpha Natalia would make it happen.