Seeing that Damon's mood was worsening as he imagined who-knows-what about the upcoming ceremony and ample amount of bare flesh, Talia hugged Damon's arm and spoke through their mind-link, 'My snake.'
Damon didn't get it. 'What?'
His mind was churning with ideas related to murdering everyone who dared to look at Talia in ways they shouldn't, and about shielding her while she shifts into her wolf form so that no one can get a glimpse of her private parts, and he forgot the details of their conversation from a minute ago.
'You are mine, so everything yours is mine, and that anaconda is MY snake.' Talia ended with a glance at his crotch area.
Damon stared at Talia, and it took him a moment to understand the words which made him swell with pride. She said that his cock is anaconda, and those are huge. Damon approved. 'Yours, kitten. Every inch of me is yours.'
Talia was pleased that she got to pacify her handsome devil.
But naked people were a problem. How many females will undress, and he will get to see them? Talia was confident that Damon's heart was hers, but what about his eyes?
She heard about Alphas who were sleeping around. What if Damon turns into one of them given enough stimulation?
Her insecurities swelled when she remembered the rumors about Damon preferring curvy mature women. She couldn't do anything about her age, and realistically speaking, Talia was not the prettiest nor the curviest. What if Damon ended up seeing a female body he liked better compared to Talia's? Should she send a message to the pack that undressing was not allowed until the end of the ceremony?
Talia's head moved when Damon pinched her chin, and then he gave her a kiss that robbed her of her breath. She groaned when he bit her lip, the sharp pain told her that drew blood, and that was exactly the wake-up call she needed to stay in the present instead of stressing about things that won't happen.
Talia's arms moved around Damon's neck and she returned his kisses with equal fervor. She was not an insecure girl from the attic anymore. She was Alpha Natalia Moonrider, the Alpha of the Midnight Guardians pack, and her mate was Alpha Damon Blake, the handsome devil who kissed her like there was no tomorrow, and he was hers only.
Talia was aware they had a huge audience, but she didn't care and she knew that Damon didn't care either.
Their previous Alphas probably never gave such a public display of affection, but Talia wanted everyone to know that the bond between her and Damon was unbreakable.
She opened up her emotions for Damon to feel all the love and possessiveness she had for him and he groaned into the kiss, gathering her against him firmly.
This was about her and Damon and others could watch or look away, but no one, NO ONE had the right to interrupt them.
Damon broke the kiss and leaned his forehead on Talia's. They rested like that while inhaling each other's breaths and their matching smiles confirmed that neither of them was overthinking anymore. Damon and Talia were together, immersed in what was happening right then and there, and that was all it mattered.
Meg's and Kai's excited greetings got Talia's attention and she turned to see Tyler and Sandy emerging from the main house.
Other than big smiles on their faces, Talia also noticed that Sandy's eyes were flickering with silvery light, an obvious sign of the powers that were awakening in her.
The crowd in the garden also stirred at the sight of two newcomers. Everyone knew Tyler, and they already heard that he found his mate, so many were craning their necks to get a better view of the blonde by Tyler's side, their second Gamma.
"Sorry we are late.", Sandy said, mostly to Talia. "We wanted to come earlier, but…"
"It's fine.", Talia interrupted Sandy who would either tell the truth about how they were having sex or she would come up with an excuse no one would believe.
"We are nearly done with food. Sit and eat something while you can. We can talk later.", Talia said.
"Thank you, Alpha", Tyler responded and ushered Sandy toward two empty chairs with haste.
Sandy greeted Keith and Liam while passing by and waved at others as she held onto Tyler. Her grin was an obvious sign that she was showing off her mate.
Talia watched with amusement as usually quiet and composed Tyler was fussing around Sandy while piling food on her plate. The scene brought a big smile to Talia's face; she loved seeing the newly mated couple interact.
Sandy and Tyler were happy to be together, learning about each other, and Talia knew that feeling of being at home while soaking in unconditional acceptance. It was fantastic.
Talia leaned on Damon and observed as Axel was focused on Yasmin, Kai on Meg, and James was refilling Cornelia's glass with lemonade.
Keith and Liam were two single guys at the table, and for the first time, Talia wished to really have the power to match mates so that Keith and Liam can be happy as well.
It took them less than a minute to rearrange tables for the ceremony.
Healers were busy around the altar, and Talia noticed two of them standing out as they were telling others what to do.
'Axel', Talia called through the mind link. 'I see that Calla and Remi command authority among healers who are obeying them.'
'Are you thinking of making one of them the next Oracle?', Axel guessed.
'Yes. But I can't decide between the two. What do you think?'
Axel shook his head. 'You are the Alpha. If you think that both of them are good candidates, both of them can get the title of Oracle and they can organize work amongst themselves.'
Talia liked this idea. If they have two, then in case one was busy or otherwise not available, the other one can do the work.
'Before we make it official, I want Yasmin to evaluate their competency.', Talia said.
'It will be done, Alpha.', Axel responded in his official tone, and he even bowed a little. Whoever saw this silent interaction, understood that Axel just accepted an order and it was important.
The healers signaled that they were ready to start the ceremony, and Talia stepped forward to give her speech which was supposed to happen before the feast.
Just as Damon suggested, she told them about the ongoing efforts and the upcoming mixer. She ended with, "We are in the process of coming up with the best way for you to travel while staying safe. Expect good news soon. I thank you for your patience."
The crowd cheered and Tyler stepped forward with Sandy connected at his hip.
"Can I say a word before the ceremony?", Tyler asked Talia and she waved for him to go ahead.
Tyler raised his arm, indicating that he wanted to speak, and the noise simmered down.
"I'm confident you heard that I found my mate.", Tyler said while puffing his chest. "I was fortunate to find my other half and I want to tell every unmated member of our pack not to lose hope. Alpha Talia is here, changing our lives for the better and I can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring." He turned to look at Sandy. "My wonderful mate will become a member of our pack in a minute, but I want to be the one to introduce her first."
Tyler looked at the crowd. "Please, welcome to our pack my mate and soon-to-be your Gamma: SASA!"
