Talia was having the time of her life.
Her four-legged steps were wobbly at the beginning, but Damon told her to give in to the call of nature and not overthink it, and within a minute, she was running through the bushes in a game of tag with a massive black wolf. Her mate.
Damon would playfully nudge her or nip at her tail, and she would squeal every time he caught up with her.
Talia thought that she had an advantage in speed, but no matter how fast she ran, Damon would always be one step behind her.
The sense of freedom was overwhelming, and Talia wished that this could last forever.
Talia knew that there were many other wolves behind them as she could hear steps and rustling of foliage that mixed with howls and yelps occasionally, but her focus was completely on Damon.
Eventually, the two of them stopped at one clearing. The moon was gone completely and only the starry sky illuminated the world, yet both Damon and Talia had no problems seeing the slightest details like grass and pebbles on the ground.
Damon turned to Talia and rubbed his head against hers.
Both of them could feel that their mate bond reached another level and they wondered if there was such a thing as too much good stuff because they were intoxicated by the happiness and love that coursed through them.
'That's it, kitten…', Damon murmured into their mind-link. 'This is how things should have been from the beginning. Just the two of us and no one else.' Everything would be so much simpler if he was not an Alpha and if she was just a regular she-wolf.
Talia giggled while rubbing her head against Damon's. How can he say that there was no one else? 'You are forgetting that the whole pack is following us.'
'They are not following us anymore.', he responded. 'The moment we finished the circle, they dispersed to find their own fun with mates or with other company for tonight.'
Talia blinked. 'Are you saying we are alone?'
'I even told your guards to take a break.', Damon responded, and she could hear that he was smiling.
Talia took a moment to sense their surroundings and confirm that he was right. Other than small night critters, it was just the two of them. She was surprised how her senses were much sharper in wolf form.
Talia sat on the ground and Damon was quick to sit next to her.
'Our first pack run was a success.', Damon said. 'I can tell you that our people love you.'
Talia was not sure about people loving her, but she was content with Damon loving her and she didn't want to nitpick. She had a question, 'What about Elders?'
'They all attended the ceremony, and a few of them participated in the pack run. None of them said a word against you.'
Talia was glad to hear this.
They both knew that Talia coming out as Damon's fated mate will bring another set of worries and that the Council of Alphas exposed significant changes in the society of werewolves, and there was a detail of her being Damon's Luna and her being the Alpha of the Midnight Guardians pack, but they didn't want to talk about it, not tonight.
She remembered… 'Now that the pack run is over, we should let Liseli and Sapa come to the front.'
Damon groaned in disapproval, but he knew that Talia's words made sense. 'That's a big sacrifice. I will need you to make it up to me, kitten.'
'We have our whole lives for that, Mr. Blake.', she responded coyly. 'I will be making it up to you over and over again.'
Damon's eyes widened. 'Do you think this will make me want to let the old guy come in front?'
Talia burst into laughter, and Damon joined her. They were truly happy and if anyone saw two wolves wiggling while releasing whimpers and snorts, they might think that the animals ate some funny mushrooms.
'Lis', Sapa called while looking at the light gray wolf in front of him.
'Hi, Sapa', Liseli responded. 'It's good to see you.'
Sapa's tail was waggling wildly. He was excited.
After a round of sniffing and licking, Sapa suggested, 'Should we go for a run?'
'Don't you think we are old for games?'
'You are old how much you feel, and when I look at you, I'm charged up like a young pup.', Sapa responded enthusiastically. 'Come on. You always loved a good chase.'
'You remember.'
'Of course.', Sapa responded right away. 'I remember every single detail, as long as it's related to you.'
Liseli tilted her head. 'Then you should also remember that I'm faster.'
'True. But I also remember that you wouldn't let me struggle for a long time and you would slow down so I can catch you.' He inched closer and touched her nose with his. 'You were just playing hard to get. Like now. Come on, Lis, we both know you want it.'
Liseli sneered. 'You are overconfident.'
'With a good reason.', Sapa responded confidently.
Without any warning, Liseli dashed into nearby bushes with Sapa hot on her trail and a wild chase began.
After an unknown measure of time, Sapa and Liseli stopped at a clearing where their evening started. It was the clearing where Damon's parents were buried and where Cornelia conducted the ritual to remove black runes from Damon.
The dawn was cracking to light the sky in oranges and purples that were getting brighter by the second.
Two wolves stood in front of a diagram that was still visible on the ground.
'I have remnants of dark magic inside me.', Liseli said.
Sapa was alerted. 'Is it serious?'
Liseli shook her head. 'I'm not sure. So far, it showed when this child was overwhelmed with negativity.'
'We should talk to witches and see if they can help.'
'We should', Liseli confirmed. 'And we should also clarify what the witch will want from you as payment for conducting the ritual.'
Sapa lowered his head at this. He was not present to prevent Damon from accepting the deal with Cornelia, but he was not sure if he would prevent Damon even if he was there.
'Sapa, why are we here?', Liseli asked.
Sapa turned toward the gravestone that was under a big tree. He walked there and Liseli followed.
'Jacob…', Sapa spoke to the gravestone. 'I know that you never forgave me for not mating with Violet's wolf, but I couldn't because she was not my mate. This is Liseli. She is my mate, and now you can see that I was not being mean.'
Liseli realized that Sapa was apologizing to Damon's father. 'Do you think he can hear you?'
'Probably not, but it's making me feel better.', Sapa responded. He wished that he could visit the graves of all people where his spirit lived since he was punished with an immortal soul and an eternity without Liseli. Sapa knew that if they could see Liseli, they would forgive him for not mating with wolves who were not his soulmate.
Liseli looked at Sapa and her heart cracked. For centuries he lived with people who were unrelated to him; he formed bonds and memories, and there were regrets as well.
'I can't imagine what you've been through, Sapa.'
'Whatever it was, it was worth it because we are together now.'
'Show me.', she demanded. 'I want to see everything.'
Without hesitation, Sapa turned to face Liseli and he leaned his forehead against hers.
Countless images flowed between them, accompanied by sounds, scents, and emotions as Liseli and Sapa opened their minds to each other to share everything they missed while being apart for centuries.
The air around two wolves hummed while white light enveloped them, getting thicker with every heartbeat as their souls were getting entangled in unimaginable ways.
Everything stilled in deafening silence as if the whole world anticipated what will happen next.
The pulsating light reached critical mass and it exploded silently without disturbing a single strand of grass at the exact moment when the sun peeked behind the mountains in the East.
The new day brought unknown new beginnings as the two strongest Alphas were finally fully mated, the depth of their bond making them feel as if they were one.
