The rising moon announced the end of the feast.
Talia noticed that people slowed down with food and were throwing glances her way.
'Kitten?' Damon's voice sounded in her mind through their private mind-link. 'Is something wrong?'
He could feel her anxiety rising, and he feared that the necklace was acting out again. Or what if remnants of the dark magic stirred?
'Nothing is wrong.', Talia responded.
'Then?', he persisted.
'Everyone is expecting me to speak before the pack run, and I'm not sure what to say.', Talia admitted.
'Are you worried that you won't be able to top the speech you gave when you became the Alpha?'
Talia blinked at Damon. How did he know about the speech? It took her a moment to remember that she had shared those memories with him.
'I'm not worried about making a better speech. I fear that I have nothing to say.', Talia admitted. 'At that time, I promised to find their mates. For them, months passed. When I tell them that no progress was made, they will be disappointed. How can I be a good Alpha if I don't deliver on promises made?'
Damon took a napkin and wiped the corners of Talia's lips that were glistening from the grease. He fed her well. Damon would lick that tasty mess away, but here she was the Alpha, and licking her face might be inappropriate.
'Nothing is finalized, but that doesn't mean there is no progress.', Damon said. 'Aren't we planning a mixer with several packs? We will visit witches and come up with rules that will work for everyone when moving between realms. You want to create a portal that will make it easy for them to come to the Dark Howlers pack without risking exposure, and it's not just the Dark Howlers pack because we opened borders to two other packs.'
'That won't reduce the possibility of them being hunted', Talia responded. 'It will take a long time to educate our people how individuals with abilities are not freaks.'
'That can come later.', Damon said smugly. 'Unmated pack members don't have any abilities, and unless they find their mate, they can pretend to be from the Dark Howlers pack, or from the Blue River pack, or from a small pack in North no one heard about. Like that, they will be able to move freely like any other werewolf. Isn't that what you promised them? For the ones who find their mates, until we figure out safety protocols, they will live in the Midnight Guardians pack, just as they did so far. We are not far from making it happen, kitten.'
Talia looked at Damon with sparkles in her eyes. He was right. She totally forgot how many things were in motion. There was a possibility that some of those won't come true (like opening the portal that will connect the Midnight Guardians pack with the Dark Howlers pack), but if they hit a wall, they will keep on trying until they find something that works.
The biggest challenges were to hide the location of the portal and to provide different identities to members who ventured to the human realm so that no one knew from where they came, and those were not difficult to accomplish. Talia was not sure how they will do it, but she was confident that with Damon's help, it will be done flawlessly because he was amazing like that.
Talia cupped Damon's cheeks and gave him a smacking kiss on the lips.
"Thank you, Damon. You are the best."
Damon chuckled. "I only reminded you how amazing you are, but I will take the compliment." Talia praising him will never get old.
Talia turned to Axel. "When will the ceremony start?" Now she knew what to say, and she was excited about the pack run. Liseli was stirring inside Talia, eager for some frolicking in the forest with Sapa.
"Whenever you want.", Axel responded. "Healers are ready. You only need to say the word, and we will start the ceremony, after which the pack run can start. Everyone is here."
"I see", Talia said while looking at people who were obviously eager to move on to the next part of tonight's program. But, was everyone present? "What about Sandy and Tyler?" Tyler mind-linked them how they would attend the feast, yet they didn't make an appearance.
Axel's eyes lost focus for a moment, and then he said, "They are coming."
"I'm sure they are.", Damon said under his breath, and he winced when Talia pinched his thigh under the table.
"Kitten", his hot breath splashed on her ear. "Do that again, and I will drag you inside, and people will be waiting for us to come."
Talia's eyes widened at his outrageous words, but even more outrageous was that it turned her on. What was wrong with her? But then she saw mental images of Damon pinning her against the wall just behind those doors that lead to the garden... her sitting on the sink in the powder room with Damon's head between her legs…
'Stop it!', she exclaimed to Damon through their private mind-link. This was NOT the time to get aroused.
Damon chuckled lowly when he picked up the scent of her arousal. He corrupted her in naughty ways, and he loved it.
Desperate to think about anything other than racy images of her and Damon, Talia cleared her throat and asked Axel, "Do you have special clothes for the ceremony and the pack run?"
She remembered elaborate preparations at the Dark Howlers pack that included skimpy leather clothes, hairstyles, necklaces, and black markings on the bodies of warriors, and here no one mentioned anything.
Axel paused. Special clothes? "The run is in wolf form, so there is no need for clothes."
Damon craned his neck to see Axel around Talia. "But you are wearing something during the ceremony. Right?"
"Uhm… Not really. I mean, you can wear what you have on now, or just remove it. Naked is fine."
Yasmin nodded earnestly. "Remove obstructions so that nature can touch you. Tall, short, skinny, chubby, or anything in-between, there is no need to be ashamed of your body. This is about celebrating our connection with mother nature, and she loves us in every shape and form."
Talia remembered scarcely dressed witches, so she was not surprised to hear this from Yasmin. But how come Axel was fine with others looking at Yasmin's bare body?
'Do you think they will get naked in advance?' Talia asked Damon through their private mind-link.
'Regardless of what they will be doing, our clothes are staying on until we shift.', Damon said with finality before adding, 'If they start undressing, I want your eyes on me. Got it?'
Talia stifled a giggle. 'Do you think I want to look at my brothers' trouser snake?'
Damon's brows came together in obvious disapproval. 'He is not your brother. And you can look only at my snake.'
Talia wanted to tease him, but she held back because she knew it could backfire. Just like Damon didn't want Talia to look at naked men (Axel included), she didn't want him to look at naked women either.
With every next marking, their bond was getting stronger, and so was their possessiveness. Talia had no doubts that Damon would murder any guy who dared to get close to Talia naked, regardless of the blood relations.
