Damon raised his arm, at the same time as he released a short burst of his aura, and two-hundred-something people in the noisy cafeteria quieted down abruptly like someone flipped a switch.
"I am glad to be here.", Damon said. "The Dark Howlers pack was always on friendly terms with the Midnight Guardians pack. We are in the process of discussing how Talia and I being mates will reshape our relationship, but I can assure you that our bond will strengthen. We are a family now. Your Alpha here is planning a mixer for unmated members of our packs, and I will help her make it a reality. Expect it in the near future."
Boisterous cheers shook the cafeteria, and Talia allowed all that joy to wash over her. They were really looking forward to this, and Talia appreciated this dose of happiness that Damon gave them.
'Axel?', Talia called through the pack mind-link. 'Do you have pack runs?'
'We didn't have one in a long time, but yes, we do.', Axel responded.
This information was just what Talia hoped to hear. She wanted to address people in the cafeteria, but the clamor was not subsiding, so she released a burst of her aura, just as Damon did before.
Compared to Damon's aura, Talia's was not so sharp, it was like when a mother gently pats her child's shoulder to get his attention.
"Tomorrow, we will have a feast, and after that, we will have a pack run.", she announced, making Axel, Yasmin, Meg, and Kai look at her questionably. That was news for them also!
Talia was not sure if Cassandra's helpers can do the ceremony in her absence (because Cassandra was used as a lab rat by witches), but Talia didn't think that was a problem. Even without the ceremony, it was about the pack coming together, establishing hierarchy, and confirming the existing one while strengthening the bond between the pack members.
'Will you lead the pack run with me, Alpha Damon?', Talia asked Damon through their private mind-link. 'Sapa and Liseli can have some time together also.' As an added bonus, here they didn't need to worry about someone seeing them emit the white light because members of the Midnight Guardians pack definitely saw all kinds of abilities.
Damon responded to Talia with a lopsided smile that promised carnal pleasures. Talia took that as his agreement.
"I will lead the run with my mate, Alpha Damon", Talia said to everyone. "I hope you will join us, and I also hope you won't mind our friends joining." She gestured toward Keith, Liam, James, and Cornelia. "Keith and Liam are capable warriors from the Dark Howlers pack, they are my close friends and my personal guards. James is our friend from the Red Moon pack, and Cornelia is Luna Yasmin's sister from the Silver Flame Coven."
Talia didn't mention Sandy because she was not sure if Sandy and Tyler will end their activities until tomorrow evening, but as Tyler's mate, Sandy won't be an outsider.
Axel noticed that people were still looking at Talia, expecting her to say more, so he stepped in.
"Alpha came here to eat, so we appreciate your understanding in letting her have a breather. Spread the word that the feast is tomorrow with the pack run afterward. Who doesn't attend will miss a good thing.", Axel said, and he remembered one more thing, "Before we resume our regular activities, I want to share another good news…" He made a dramatic pause. "Our Gamma Tyler found his mate. It's Sandy from the Dark Howlers pack, and she is the reason he won't be joining us for dinner tonight."
Laughter and claps erupted, and Talia couldn't believe how all of them were happy for Tyler. They were all locked up in this realm for a long time, sharing hardships and desires. Weren't they like a big happy family?
For a brief moment, Talia wondered how things would turn out if she grew up here instead of the Red Moon pack. If she knew about her identity with an Alpha bloodline and a special wolf, would she be so confident like Marcy, Mindy, Cassie, Jade… Talia shook those useless thoughts away. It's not like she could turn back the time.
In Tyler's room…
There were tatters of red and gray fabric scattered on the floor, shoes, black trousers, a bra… all those forming a path from the door to the bed where Sandy and Tyler were lying naked.
Tyler was on his back, staring at the ceiling with a big grin on his face. If not for his ears, his mouth would form a full circle around his head. It was his first time having sex (and second, and third, and fourth), and he thought it will be amazing, but now he confirmed that his imagination paled in comparison to the real thing. Even just holding Sandy like that and inhaling her zesty scent while sparks of their bond danced wherever they touched was phenomenal.
Sandy was next to Tyler, her body leaning on his, equally dazed by the marvels of the coitus that was amplified by the sparks of their bond. The man was not only gifted with a cock that had a generous girth that stretched her perfectly with a hint of ecstatic pain, but Tyler was adorably curious and cautious, and she loved the way his maple-infused breath splashed on her face whenever he groaned that silly nickname Sasa. She had no intention of correcting him.
Tyler kissed Sandy's forehead, happy to finally hold his mate in his arms, and he opened up his feelings to share his joy, but he paused when he felt that there was some dejection coming from her.
"Sasa?", he called. "What's wrong?" The first time it was short and a bit clumsy, but every next time was better and longer with different angles and rotations, and he was confident that he did a good job of satisfying her. Or maybe it was not good enough?
Sandy looked at him after a long second of silence. "Do you think I'm worthy of being a Gamma by your side?"
Tyler didn't get it. "Gamma is just a set of duties I can handle on my own. If you are interested in sharing them, I will show you what I do, and you can pick what you want to do. Don't worry about it."
"If that's not the problem, then what is? Don't you like me?"
Tyler felt like someone poured a bucket of ice on him. Where did that come from? "What made you think I don't like you?"
"Why didn't you mark me?"
"Oh…", he exhaled audibly in relief. For a moment, he thought that his performance in bed was lacking and she thought his heart was not into it because his cock was all in.
Now he also understood the Gamma question because he got his Gamma position after a ritual that strengthened his bond with the pack and gave him a power boost. As his mate, Sandy will get the same after he marks her.
But the Gamma position was not the reason why he didn't mark her yet.
"We need to talk.", he said.
Sandy was alarmed. This sounded serious. The 'we need to talk' was usually something people said before breaking up. But they were mates! Why would he break up with her, unless… "Do you have another woman? Or do you prefer men?"
