Damon and Talia had dinner with Maya, Caden, Gideon, Mindy, Dawn, George, Zina, Keith, Liam, Pierce, Caleb, and Sandy.
Petra, Erik, and Zack officially left the packhouse earlier that day, James and Cornelia were still out on their date.
Mindy and Gideon would have a private dinner in their new home but because of the blood oath, they decided to come to the packhouse.
Hearing people discuss Talia's and Damon's departure, Gideon had to ask, "Is Cornelia going to join you?"
Damon and Talia exchanged blank looks. They didn't know.
Talia responded, "We were thinking of going, but today we finalized the details. James and Cornelia were out the whole day, and James was clear that he didn't want to be disturbed, so we didn't tell her."
"You might want to give her a heads up.", Gideon said. "I remember Cornelia saying that she wanted to go home."
"That was before she got together with James.", Maya chimed in. "Both of them know they are mates. Since James can't abandon the Red Moon pack without a plan, she will probably stay here."
Gideon was not so sure. "James is too young to feel the bond. As for Cornelia, she doesn't feel the bond as we do. You say that she will stay, and I will ask you: where? The Red Moon pack is not a good place to be. Cornelia doesn't have a wolf, and she won't be able to use her powers, which means they will think she is human. Does it make sense for Cornelia to stay here and wait for James to visit her? If I was her, I would go back to my Coven and stay there until James becomes an Alpha."
Talia agreed with this. Gideon didn't know that James didn't have an Alpha aura and that James' chance of taking over the Red Moon pack was close to nil, but the rest was true.
Everyone knew that the Red Moon pack was a bad place; Cornelia would be treated as an Omega or worse, and James won't be able to protect her unless he reveals they are mates, which will put her in greater danger. Without the pull of the mate bond, why would she go there? Considering how rarely James leaves the Red Moon pack, it would be meaningless if Cornelia stayed in this realm and wait for James to visit her.
Talia knew that it would be better for Cornelia to go home, at least until James escapes the clutches of his so-called father and establishes himself so that he can protect them both, but the idea of separating mates didn't feel right, even if they couldn't feel the bond fully. Talia was with Damon before she found out they were mates; she was happy with him, and no matter how much her reasoning told her to leave, something always pulled her back… back into his arms, where she belonged, and if she managed to leave, she would miss him immensely.
Talia jolted out of her thoughts when Damon gave her hand a squeeze.
"We won't leave before breakfast.", Damon said. He could feel Talia's emotional turmoil. "In the morning, we will tell Cornelia, and we will wait on her decision. It's not like we have a set schedule."
Talia was grateful for Damon's understanding.
They all gathered at the clearing behind the garden that was illuminated with several tiki torches.
That was the area where the platform was erected for the ceremony before the pack run, but now it was just a big patch of grass that was patted down by numerous people who stood there two evenings ago, and by the crew that did the cleaning the next day.
Gideon and Mindy took the central position, with Keith, Liam, Caleb, Pierce, and Sandy standing in a semi-circle and facing them. Maya, Caden, Talia, and Damon stood on the side, and Dawn and George were further in the back.
Zina was not there, as she went to clean up after dinner. Dawn wanted to help Zina with her chores, but when Zina told her that two other Omegas were helping already, Dawn decided to attend the oath. She never saw one.
Gideon and Mindy prepared incense burners and several other things needed for the blood oath, but the most important thing was the square-shaped stone tablet that was etched with ancient symbols. The tablet was large enough for a big palm to rest on it with fingers spread wide.
"Luna", Gideon called Talia and gestured for her to come closer.
Talia slowly moved there, reluctance in her steps reflecting her unwillingness to go through with this oath.
"You will need to hold this." Gideon handed Talia the stone tablet that was light gray and unusually cold to the touch like it was refrigerated previously.
Talia wondered if the stone she was holding was that heavy, or if that was the heaviness of what it represented. Those five people will use the tablet to entrust their lives to Talia, and that was heavier than anything. Would she be able to do the same if the roles were reversed? She was not sure. They were her friends, and Talia trusted them, but the only person who had her unconditional trust was Damon.
Damon explained how their pledge of loyalty to Alpha and Luna was normal. Pack prospers together and everyone has their role. As warriors, their duty was to fight and protect, and protecting their Luna was the highest honor a warrior could have because only the most skilled ones get to serve at the top.
Even with that explanation, Talia didn't feel it was right. Was it because she didn't grow up as part of a pack? Damon was her home and she would do anything for him, but she couldn't understand the concept of a tightly-knitted community where people will make sacrifices for someone else's benefit. That's not how things went in the Red Moon pack where even Omegas wouldn't hesitate to backstab others even if they didn't gain anything from it.
Talia looked at Keith, Liam, Caleb, Pierce, and Sandy, silently giving them one last chance to back out from taking this oath, but determination in their eyes told her they will stick to it.
Keith stepped forward first.
Gideon handed him the ceremonial knife made out of white bone, the same one that Mindy used when she joined the Dark Howlers pack.
At Gideon's nod, Keith ran the blade over his palm, drawing blood.
Talia's brows furrowed when she saw Keith's blood dripping, indicating a deep cut, and he placed his palm on the tablet Talia was holding without hesitation.
Gideon murmured ancient chants, while Keith looked up at the Moon that was nearly full and spoke in a clear voice, the sound carrying through the forest, like it was amplified, "With the Moon Goddess as my witness, I, Keith of the Dark Howlers pack, pledge my loyalty to Talia Moonrider, the Luna of the Dark Howlers pack." Keith lowered his gaze and locked eyes with Talia. "I will treat your safety as my priority until there is breath in me, and if I ever think of harming you, may the Moon Goddess take my life."
Talia felt that the tablet in her hands was heating and she gripped it tighter when it started vibrating.
The tablet emitted a burst of red light, and Talia's breath hitched at the sensation in her chest she couldn't identify. Was that the bond of the oath? Did Keith feel the same?
