Due to the landscape of the garden, not everyone was able to get a clear view of Damon and Talia.
However, news and gossips were spreading faster than wildfire, so the ones who didn't see the couple directly, heard that Alpha Damon was shamelessly kissing the woman who came to the party as his date.
Just kissing was not much, but when all was put together, it was a big deal.
First, Alpha Damon appeared with a woman (aka Talia) by his side, and that NEVER happened before. And it's not just that they arrived at the Lightclaw pack together and are sharing a room, but they also walked side-by-side with Damon's arm around Talia's waist in a possessive hold.
Second, Alpha Damon sent Cassie (aka the princess of the Steelbite pack) to the dungeon. Some said that she got a beating, and her swollen face now resembled a pig. That happened in the presence of Alpha Damon's date (aka Talia) and considering that everyone knows how Cassie is cuckoo for Damon, they could assume with high certainty that Cassie insulted Talia and that Damon's action was in defense of his date.
Third, Alpha Damon was openly showing affection by feeding and kissing the mysterious woman, and he was smiling and holding her close and doing all the lovey-dovey things he had never done before.
When Mindy said that Damon slept with half of the she-wolves present (from the younger generation), she was not exaggerating.
Those misses knew very well that Damon was acting out of character. It was common knowledge that Damon would never show affection in public and the ones fortunate to capture Damon's interest for one night, experienced that even in private Damon wouldn't treat them with love and care. Yes, there was kissing and caressing, but only to the point of getting a release, and after that it was, 'dress up and get out'.
Since all of them got the same treatment, they comforted themselves by saying how that's his nature, but this… just what is this?
Considering that werewolves are prideful and possessive, it was natural for them to be jealous of Talia.
They didn't understand, how can an unknown woman capture the attention of Alpha Damon, the most desirable bachelor among werewolves?
Alpha Magnus stepped on the elevated stage that was set for the occasion with Luna Alicia, Tony, and Kalina.
"May I have your attention, please…", Alpha Magnus spoke into the microphone. It took a few seconds for the chatter to simmer down, and he continued, "As you probably know, my son, Anthony, the next Alpha of the Lightclaw pack found his mate. I want to take this opportunity to introduce you to the future Luna of the Lightclaw pack, Kalina…"
Applause covered his next few words and Kalina waved at the people and at the camera.
Since not everyone could attend in person, the speech portion of the event was live-streamed so that members of the werewolf society can attend virtually.
Talia looked at the stage decorated with flowers and streamers, and four people on the stage dressed in elegant clothing, and Talia thought how it looks like a prince is announcing his upcoming wedding. Well, it was not far from that.
Luna Alicia also said a few words, and then it was Tony's and Kalina's turn, and after a big round of applause, the official part of the evening was over for guests.
Several photographers approached the stage and Tony, Kalina, and Tony's parents posed for the official photos that will be used in WW Magazine and several other publications that will cover this event.
Omegas started milling among tables to clean up the mess from appetizers and make space for dinner.
"What do you think?", Damon asked Talia while gesturing at the stage and overall surroundings. "Is it too much, or too less?"
Talia had no idea how to answer this. She saw a number of parties while at the Red Moon pack, but this was the first time for her to attend one.
Damon wanted to hear Talia's inputs so that he gets an idea of her preferences.
They won't have a ceremony to announce Talia as his future Luna, but there will definitely be a party where Talia will become his Luna.
That party will have a ceremony where Talia will officially become Damon's partner and the Luna of the Dark Howlers pack, and she will establish the full mind-link as one of the leaders of the Dark Howlers pack.
In Damon's head, everything was great, and the only thing missing was for Talia to say 'yes', but he was also aware that he will need to approach the shaman, Gideon. There was no one else qualified to conduct the ceremony.
Seeing that Talia was silent, Damon asked his next question. "Are you having fun so far?"
Talia smiled. "Everything is wonderful." Because you are by my side.
Talia enjoyed immensely that Damon's arm was around her, and she wished to snuggle closer.
Maddox snorted while looking at Damon and Talia. How he saw it, the couple was obnoxiously sweet and there were invisible hearts floating around them.
Maddox was about to say something, but his mouth opened in outrage when Mindy pinched his thigh harshly under the table.
'What was that about?', Maddox snapped at Mindy through their mind-link while rubbing the spot that throbbed painfully.
'Keep your snarky remarks to yourself.', Mindy said. 'I know that so far you and Alpha Damon blabbered without filter, but if you don't want to anger him, you should control your urge to make fun of them.'
'How did you know…?', Maddox didn't finish that. Mindy is his sister, of course, she knew what he was about to do. 'Do you think Damon will be angered?'
'Don't you see that he cares about Talia? If you continue messing with them, Alpha Damon might mess you up.'
Maddox frowned. 'He can try.'
Mindy rolled her eyes. She never understood their macho-showdowns that lead nowhere other than the hospital. Maddox is bulkier than Damon, but whenever those two ended up in a scuffle, it was Maddox who needed medical help.
'The outcome of the fight doesn't matter. What matters is that you might anger him and spoil the ongoing collaborations. Is cracking a few jokes worth it?'
Maddox arched his eyebrow thoughtfully and he heard Mindy's voice in his head, 'To understand how important Talia is, let me tell you that Tony was asking Alpha Damon about the Luna ceremony for Talia, and he didn't deny the possibility.'
Maddox looked at Mindy suspiciously. 'Seriously? This Damon? Damon who swore that he won't get hooked up?'
Mindy smirked knowingly. 'Yes. The same Damon who said that he won't have a girlfriend yet look at him now. You should know better than anyone that Damon doesn't behave like this with his hookups. And considering how long Talia is staying in the packhouse, this is definitely nothing casual. Keep that in mind…'
"Can we join here?", Kalina's question interrupted the mind dialogue between Maddox and Mindy.
Damon and Talia also looked at two newcomers, Kalina and Tony.
Mindy gestured toward the free chairs, for Kalina and Tony to sit. It's their party, who is she to stop them?
"Aren't you sitting at the main table?", Mindy asked while glancing in the direction where the largest table was set up with lavish flowery decorations. Alpha Magnus, Luna Alicia, and a number of Elders were seated at that table.
Kalina puffed her cheeks. "I paid my respects to everyone who was on a must-greet list, and to be honest, I don't know anyone who makes me comfortable."
If not for her mate bond with Tony, Kalina would escape from the moment Luna Alicia presented her with a silky peach-colored gown which is totally not Kalina's sport-ish style, but because of Tony, Kalina sucked it up and put on a princess style dress. It even came with a tiara that had pink sapphires!
After the speech and photos, Kalina paid respects to the Elders of the Lightclaw pack. She smiled and pretended not to see their condescending looks while telling herself that this is just temporary, one evening, and she will talk about this with Tony later. He can't expect her to do this all the time, right?
This evening, so far, was suffocating, and spending some time with Talia and Mindy will be like a fresh breeze.
Tony welcomed Kalina's suggestion to sit at the table with Damon, Talia, Maddox, and Mindy.
This event has more than a dozen Alphas, but only Damon and Maddox are from the younger generation. Everyone else is much older and they are talking with Tony like he is a child.
Tony was painfully aware of his inexperience, but he still had his pride and a will to learn. That's one of the reasons why Tony hoped to establish good relationships with Damon and Maddox.
Omegas just finished setting the table with salads and soups when the reporter from WW Magazine approached the table.
"Can I take some photos?", he asked while his camera pointed at Tony and Kalina, but his eyes were gravitating toward Damon and Talia.
"Sure.", Tony responded. "Just hurry up. We want to eat in peace, and you should grab something to eat also."
The reporter bobbed his head excitedly and started clicking with his camera fervently. He was pointing at Tony and Kalina, but at an angle while hoping to capture Damon with his mysterious date.
The reporter is a werewolf, and he knew who Damon is. Getting a photo of Damon with his date will be huge!
Seeing that reporter is not very good at being sneaky, Damon pulled Talia to lean completely on him. "Come closer, kitten, so that the man can get a good photo of us."
Photos!? Talia held her breath while panicking internally, but she obeyed. She didn't want to cause a scene because of the people watching.
The reporter nearly squealed from joy. He just got permission from Damon to take their photos!
