Gideon refused to give in to negativity. Surely, the Moon Goddess paired them up for a reason. He waited for his mate for decades, and even though he didn't live like a monk, he was not a womanizer either. But no matter how many women passed through his hands, he was left feeling empty, until Mindy showed up, his pumpkin-infused beauty.
"Princess", Gideon called pleadingly and lifted Mindy's hand to press his lips against her knuckles as he opened up his emotions for her to feel his sincerity. "Allow me to fix my wrongs."
Mindy didn't respond, but the lack of her fighting back was a silent agreement.
He held her hand firmly and his other arm circled around her shoulders as he guided her back to the clearing where the crowd was gathered.
Mindy and Gideon reached the podium to see Nina sorting the herbs that Mindy had previously thrown down.
"Leave those.", Gideon said stiffly and when Nina looked at him questionably, Gideon repeated, "You heard me. Leave those. I don't need your help."
After a second of delay, Nina left the herbs back on the floor of the podium and walked to the side. She was not sure what happened, but Gideon was obviously in a bad mood, and she didn't want to provoke him.
Gideon led Mindy up to the podium and they stood in front of the altar to face the crowd.
"Can I have your attention?", Gideon called. His voice was not loud, but nearby people heard him, and they quieted down to turn toward him and everyone else followed suit, waiting to see what Gideon will say.
"Before tonight's ceremony starts, I want to introduce a very important person.", Gideon said and turned to look at Mindy. "The Moon Goddess blessed me with a mate, and that's Mindy River from the Blue River pack. I hope you will all welcome her to our pack and make her feel that by coming here she didn't lose her family, but she expanded it."
The crowd cheered, and Gideon inched closer to Mindy to ask, "Was this OK for a start?"
Mindy's chin shivered. "Why didn't you do this right away?"
"I am old and some think of me as wise, but I am not all-knowing.", Gideon said. "I will rely on you to remind me when I forget to do something important." He reached for his necklace which was made out of beads, teeth, and feathers, and placed it around Mindy's neck. "Will you be my assistant tonight, Mindy? Will you be my mate for life?"
Mindy was moved. Every necklace used for these ceremonies was personally made by the person wearing it, and the gesture of Gideon giving her his necklace meant that what was his was hers to have. And he did it in front of the whole pack to see.
"I am not asking you to trust me right away.", Gideon said to Mindy. "I am asking you for a chance. I might mess up again and hurt you unintentionally, but if I repeat the same mistake, I will personally help you pack if that's what you want. Among all women in the Dark Howlers pack, among all women in the world, there is only one Mindy River, and she is my mate, and I promise to cherish her as long as there is breath in me."
Mindy looked into Gideon's eyes that silently pleaded for her to accept his longwinded apology. How can she say no to that?
Seeing that Mindy's lips lifted into a smile, Gideon was quick to move to place a kiss on her lips, and use that proximity and sparks of their bond to prevent her from changing her mind.
"You won't regret this, princess", he murmured against her lips, and then he kissed her again.
Among cheers and whistles, Gideon inched away from Mindy and grinned at the crowd. His hand was firmly around Mindy's waist, telling everyone that the young woman by Gideon's side was taken.
Mindy released a shaky breath before saying, "I, Mindy River, denounce my pack, the Blue River pack." She felt a pang in her chest as the connection between her and the Blue River pack was severed, and she was confident that her brother felt it also. Maybe he didn't know it was Mindy, but every Alpha can feel when someone leaves or joins their pack. Of course, joining a pack is not as simple as saying a few words as it required a ceremony and Alpha's acceptance.
Gideon reached for the knife that was on the altar, and he gave it to Mindy.
Mindy accepted a long white knife that was made out of a bone, and the handle had intricate designs etched into it.
Mindy looked into Gideon's eyes and winced when the white blade cut into her palm.
A few drops of blood trickled, and Gideon collected them in a chalice.
"Do you accept the Dark Howlers pack as your own?", Gideon asked.
"I, Mindy River, am willing to accept the Dark Howlers pack as my own.", Mindy confirmed.
Gideon glanced at Damon who was standing on the side.
Damon responded with a nod and, "Mindy River, I, Alpha Damon Blake, accept you as the member of the Dark Howlers pack."
Gideon murmured unintelligible chants while pouring those few drops of blood into the fire that was crackling on the altar, and the moment the flames licked the blood, Mindy felt another pang in her chest, and this one Damon felt as well.
"Welcome to the Dark Howlers pack, Mindy", Damon said, and the crowd cheered.
Nina stood on the side, and now she understood Gideon's strange behavior. He found his mate. Who knew? She couldn't prevent the jealousy that swelled within her at the sight of Gideon who was licking Mindy's palm to help her heal while gazing at the young woman lovingly.
It was obvious that the Shaman was smitten by his mate, and Nina clearly saw that Mindy threw a fit only a few minutes ago. Nina wondered, why did the Moon Goddess pair up Gideon with someone as young and impulsive as Mindy? Wasn't a mature woman like Nina a better match?
Nina knew Gideon for a long time. She served as his assistant on many occasions and they were friends with benefits. She was confident that Gideon was blinded by Mindy's youthful appearance and that he will eventually get bored of Mindy's snappy personality, and then he will return to normal and to Nina.
Back in the crowd, Lisa stood with Ester and a few other friends.
"Isn't that nice?", Ester asked excitedly while elbowing her girlfriends. "Finally, our Shaman found his mate. And that is Mindy from the Blue River pack. She is famous!" Ester was hoping to get close to Mindy, and maybe Mindy could introduce Ester to some of those high-ranking males that were not mated. Who knows, maybe her mate was among them? That would be a dream come true!
Lisa was not enthusiastic about Gideon and Mindy. Her gaze was on Damon who was standing on the side. "Why is our Alpha on his own? Shouldn't he lead the run with his mate?"
Lisa heard that Marcy left, that was not a secret, and Lisa wondered if Talia will be there or maybe some other she-wolf will fill in that spot. Lisa had difficulty believing that Talia would rise from a no-name Omega, a wolf-less she-wolf, to be the Luna of the largest pack in North America. Damon was there with Caden and Maya by his side, and part of Lisa was happy that Talia was not in the visible range.
"Didn't you hear?", Ester responded. "Our Luna went ahead, and Alpha will hunt for her. Exciting!"
Lisa thought that something was off. "Hunt can start after the ceremony. Why was our Luna willing to skip on the blessing from the Moon Goddess?" She gave Ester a knowing look. "Would YOU skip on the blessing from the Moon Goddess on your first pack run as the Luna?"
"You think that something is not right?", Ester asked.
"Something is definitely off.", Lisa said confidently, and then she quickly lowered her voice when she remembered her mother's warnings about not causing trouble. "Don't take my word for it. I'm just guessing. Let's wait and see what will happen."
