Damon put himself between Talia and the source of the noise protectively while cursing himself for his negligence. He was so consumed in his interaction with Talia that he forgot to check their surroundings for intruders. And what about Talia's guards? Even if they couldn't fight off whoever was coming, they could at least warn them, damn it! Useless bunch!
The noises were getting louder by the second and Talia subconsciously gripped Damon's arm while wondering what will come from there.
It was one furry head after another and within a few seconds, the riverbank was filled with hundreds of wolves, and the crowd was still increasing as they were huddling together to accommodate everyone on one side of the river.
'That's our pack.', Damon told Talia through their mind-link. 'The two in front are Maya and Caden. On their left are Gideon and Mindy.' Damon recognized many others, but he stopped explaining because he realized that Talia was not listening.
Talia was overwhelmed with anxiety. Did they find out what happened in that clearing? Were they upset because she ran away from Damon? Or did they see the ritual and assume that she bewitched him? Many questions swirled in Talia's head, one possibility worse than the previous one.
This was Talia's first time to face so many wolves. They were all staring at her, and the fact that she was naked in the water hiding behind Damon was not helping. She felt vulnerable and exposed and she leaned closer into Damon's back in an attempt to hide.
'Kitten?', Damon called through their mind-link.
'Why are they here?', Talia asked Damon.
Damon's eyes lost focus for a moment before telling Talia. 'James advised them to come here like it was part of the run to find their Alphas.'
Talia needed a moment to understand that James wanted the pack run to be successful despite Talia's and Damon's absence, and also... 'James knew that we won't fight in front of an audience.' It was social pressure!
Damon turned to face Talia and he touched her cheek to make her look at him. "What do you say, Alpha Talia? Should we lead the pack run? Or should we tell them to go on without us?"
Talia swallowed hard as Damon's words sank in. Were all these wolves here because of the run? They didn't come here to lynch her?
Something sounded off with him calling her 'Alpha Talia' in this setting. The Dark Howlers pack was Damon's pack. Damon grew up here and he built his reputation for a decade and his people loved him. No matter what she did, she would always be Talia, his mate, never his equal. But the truth was that Talia didn't want to compete for that spot in the eyes of his people.
'One condition.', she responded through their mind-link. 'Can you stop calling me Alpha? I want to be your Luna.'
Damon's brows came together. 'Are you sure?'
'It's just a title.', Talia said with a smile. 'Your people worship you and if you force them to address me as an Alpha, it might backfire. Let them get to know me as your mate, as your Luna, and we will take it from there. If I prove myself as worthy, you can tell them to call me Alpha.'
Damon stared at Talia as his love for her swelled even more. He knew how amazing she was, and it was normal in their society for people to crave titles even when they were not due, yet Talia was shrinking her importance on purpose.
Luna was the second position in the pack, but the reality was that it could mean various things. For many Alphas, Luna was their companion, the pretty thing that hung on Alpha's arm during parties, but Luna didn't necessarily wield power.
Denying herself the Alpha title meant that Talia would diminish in the eyes of the Dark Howlers pack, but Damon knew Talia meant it. She didn't care about positions or titles, she really wanted to be with him, and she would do the same even if he was not the Alpha. And no matter what her official title is, Talia will always be his kitten.
Damon cupped her cheeks and kissed her on the lips. "You have a deal, Mrs. Blake."
Damon straightened his posture, making the water reach just above his waist level, and he turned to the crowd of wolves that gathered at the riverbank.
"Good job in finding us.", Damon spoke in an official tone. "I am excited to lead this pack run with my fated mate. It will be the first pack run out of many. I hope you will welcome Talia to our pack as your Luna." He reached for the necklace made out of teeth that was around his neck and he put it over Talia's head. "I want you to keep in mind that regardless of her title, Talia is my equal, and for me, she is my moon, my sun, my everything. Take care of her how you would take care of me."
Talia smiled foolishly and she wanted to get up and give him a kiss, but Damon's eyes flashed in warning when he realized that her breasts were nearly exposed, so he quickly sank to get down on Talia's level. No one will get to see her body. That was only for him to see.
Talia couldn't believe that she was completely naked in the water, hugging equally naked Alpha in front of a lively audience of wolves, but there she was, kissing her mate who embraced her ardently like no one was watching.
"Awooo!", Maya and Caden howled at the same time, and a second later, the entire forest shook as the whole pack howled in celebration of their Alpha and Luna.
Damon grinned into the kiss.
"Ready, Mrs. Blake?"
Talia nearly choked on emotions that poured into her through their mate bond. She couldn't believe that Damon was this happy, and it was because she was by his side, in front of his pack, as his Luna. She was delighted to know that her presence impacted him this much.
Talia clung to Damon, and they sank under the surface of the water.
Intense silence blanketed the whole area and all wolves stared at the river while wondering where their Alpha and Luna disappeared.
With a loud splash, two wolves emerged from the water and landed on the side of the river that was not crowded with wolves.
'Liseli?', Talia called, surprised that the old creature was not present.
'This is between you and Damon.', Liseli responded. 'Enjoy your time with your mate. I will take my time with Sapa later.'
Talia felt Liseli retracting at the back of her mind, and she was really moved. Even after centuries of waiting, Liseli was letting Talia and Damon do the pack run first. Talia was not sure if she would have that much patience.
Now that she was on her own, Talia paid attention to her surroundings. Her senses were sharper than ever before, and she found it overwhelming.
Talia looked down to see a pair of light gray paws and another wave of anxiety hit her. Will she know how to move in wolf form without Liseli? What if she trips on her own paws and makes a fool of herself?
