After dinner, females from the packhouse went into one spare bedroom, while males went into another.
It was part of the tradition to prepare separately for the ceremony.
They would put traditional leather clothes on and accessorize with necklaces made of teeth and colorful pebbles in an attempt to show themselves in their best edition for their mates and the rest of the pack.
When it was time for the ceremony to begin, females, elderly, and children would gather close to the altar where Shaman was, and males in their prime would form a circle around them, symbolizing that they will protect the pack.
After the Shaman completes the ceremony for the Moon Goddess to bless them, elderly and children would disperse and head home, while females and males would shift into their wolf forms and dash into the forest. Females would go first, for males to chase after them. The ones that were mated would look for their mates, while others would treat this as a big mixer. No matter how random it looked, they would all be following after their Alpha, Luna, and other high-ranking members of the pack, to complete one circle around their territory, after which they would be free to enjoy time with their mates, or their partner for the night, with the whole event ending after the midnight. Some would use this time to hunt and present their catch in the hope to woo another wolf.
Pack runs were full of positive energy where pack members get to show off their outfit, physique, speed, and hunting skills.
A pack run after a decade was a big deal. Everyone was impacted and the whole Darkbourne was buzzing with excitement.
Maya prepared one guestroom in the packhouse, and that's where Maya, Dawn, Zina, Mindy, Talia, and Cornelia gathered.
Talia wanted Sandy and Lulu to be with them also, but Damon objected. Per Damon's arrangement, Talia's six guards were already dressed up in ceremonial clothes and waiting outside for Talia to be ready. They will escort her until she reunites with Damon, and Damon threatened Talia that if she objects to this deal, he will spill the beans and tell her guards how they failed on their first night to watch over her. Talia agreed reluctantly to treat her personal guards as her guards while they were on duty.
The guestroom had four full-length mirrors and four stations where they could sit to do their hair and makeup.
Each of the females had a leather outfit that covered the chest area, leaving their abdomen exposed, and the bottom part was a skirt of several overlapping layers. It all stayed together with one string that when pulled made everything fall down. It was convenient so the fabric doesn't rip when they shift into their wolf forms.
Females wore stylish necklaces of colorful pebbles, and they were braiding each other's hair and decorating it with small flowers that Cornelia and Mindy gathered earlier that evening.
"I saw that some necklaces are made of teeth.", Cornelia said while checking out herself in the mirror. She approved of this outfit, it was not restricting. Since she came to the human realm, these were the most comfortable clothes she put on, and she wished that she could wear this every day.
"Hunters preserve teeth of their catch and so jewelry can be made out of those.", Maya explained while pointing at her necklace that had teeth in it. "One can wear these if he caught them himself or if it was gifted by a hunter who is mate or family member. You can't buy it."
Talia touched the soft leather that hugged her hips. It was light brown and it had embroidered with black thread shapes of wolves and moon on it. It was beautiful. Talia smiled at Maya gratefully. Talia was so consumed with everything that was going on, and she totally forgot about ceremonial clothes, but Maya made arrangements not only for Talia but for Cornelia as well.
Talia won't be there for the ceremony, but she hoped that Damon will see her like that, and that he will approve.
Talia put her hands over her chest. She was nervous.
"Don't worry, Talia.", Dawn said. "We are here to support you." Her chin shivered when she remembered that she will leave soon. "This is my first and last pack run in the Dark Howlers pack." She was emotional.
Talia and Zina gave Dawn hugs at the same time, making it a three-girl-hug.
"Don't be sad.", Talia said. "I will change rules so you can join every pack run, even after you leave the Dark Howlers pack. You and George will always be welcome here."
"I hear that the Red Moon pack doesn't do monthly pack runs.", Zina said. "So, the two of you make an excuse to come here."
Dawn nodded while sniffling. She didn't talk about this with George, but she hoped he will approve. On the other hand, considering George's plan to take down Alpha Edward, Dawn didn't dare to think so far into the future.
A mental image of Damon flashed in Talia's mind. He was topless, wearing a black skirt-like garment that reached half of his thighs, black patterns were drawn over his skin, and he had around his neck several necklaces made out of teeth that were big as Talia's pinky finger. Talia could see Damon smiling cockily while striking a pose and flexing his muscles.
'What do you say of your man, kitten?', his voice sounded in her head. 'Do I look tempting enough for you?'
Talia realized that Damon was communicating with her mentally.
'For a moment, I thought I'm hallucinating. You look delicious.', she responded. 'Is that black paint edible?'
Damon chuckled in response. 'You won't know unless you try. But even if the paint is not edible, your man is.'
Talia bit the inside of her cheek to prevent herself from laughing at the shameless Alpha who was thrusting his hips suggestively. Other females will think she went crazy if she just starts laughing for no apparent reason.
Talia touched her hair which was braided and wrapped around her head like a crown, and she moved to stand in front of the full-length mirror before sending him back a mental image of herself.
Damon whistled loudly, making Talia wince.
'Which room are you in?', Damon asked with urgency. 'I'm coming to pick you up, and we can leave this pack run business to others to handle.'
Talia giggled. 'Thank you, Damon.' She needed that boost in confidence that only he could provide. And she was super happy that he got to see her, and he approved.
Talia glanced at the time before releasing a sharp breath. 'It's almost time.', she told Damon.
'I will wait for your signal that things are ready, and then I will find you.', Damon responded. 'After that, it will be just the two of us and our wolves.'
Talia felt Liseli leaping with joy. 'Liseli is looking forward to meeting Sapa again.'
'Me too, kitten. I gotta go now. Gideon says it's time for a speech and Caden and I need to be there.'
'I will see you soon.', Talia responded as Maya was telling Mindy that it was time to go.
This was a sign for Talia that she needed to start moving also.
