Talia lost the capacity to think about the threads and what they meant. As one ceremony ended, and the second one continued, she was high on the energies that were pouring into her. It was euphoric.
Cassandra's chants stirred the powers of nature and Talia was a magnet to attract them all, effortlessly absorbing them as her own.
Damon looked at Talia in awe. Her whole body was enshrouded with silvery light, making her look like a Goddess. His Goddess.
"Is this normal?", Varya asked in a whisper while eyeing Talia nervously. She never saw anything like this. There was a sheen of light around Talia, and if this was night, Varya imagined that Talia would be like a lightbulb.
"Your Alpha is special," Axel said with pride in his voice. "It is your luck to join this pack. Don't waste it."
Varya and Grady both gasped when the pack link was formed, filling them with energies they never experienced before. The sensation was overwhelming, and Varya gripped Grady's arm because her insides trembled.
Both Varya and Grady relaxed when Talia's soothing aura enveloped them. It was like a long-forgotten mother's embrace that will protect them from everything bad in the world.
The couple looked at Talia to see her smiling at them.
'Welcome to the Midnight Guardians pack,' Talia's voice sounded in Varya's and Grady's minds, startling them because they never had a mind-link before.
'Please, take a minute to accept congratulations from everyone, and then you will be shown to your living quarters…'
Daria was relieved to see this development. Kalina and Tatiana explained that if Varya and Grady don't join a pack, they will be in big trouble. Actually, Grady would be in trouble, but since Varya was sticking to him, she would be implicated as well. Daria also talked with Pierce about this, and he confirmed that the biggest problem was Grady's association with rogues. It didn't matter if he was with them for a day or for a decade; he was with them, participating in an attack, and that's enough for many to vent their grievances on him.
Wilkow sisters wondered why would the Moon Goddess put Varya in such a tricky situation. However, thanks to Talia and Damon, the potential disaster was avoided, and now all five sisters had their mates and were happy.
Sandy and Tyler took the initiative to escort Grady and Varya to their room. It was a one-bedroom suite, and neither Grady nor Varya noticed that it was underground. They didn't care. The only thing on their mind was that there were no more obstacles for them to complete mating.
Grady's wolf was going crazy from the impulse to sink his fangs into Varya's neck, and Grady also wanted to sink another part of him inside her, repeatedly.
Once they reached their destination, Sandy wanted to wish them all the best, but Grady closed the door in her face.
"How rude…" Sandy grumbled.
Tyler agreed, but… "Can you blame them? I heard that they recognized each other eight days ago. Eight days. Could you wait that long before getting a taste of me?"
Sandy puffed her cheeks. "Well, when you put it that way…" She turned to the closed door. "You are forgiven."
Tyler chuckled and hugged Sandy. "Come, Sasa. Food will be served soon. Now that Alpha is back, we should spend our time with her. Keep your anger toward Grady's rudeness for after they come out of seclusion." Tyler took a mental note to get back at Grady for disrespecting Sandy.
Sandy smiled dreamily and leaned on Tyler, letting him lead the way. Every time he called her Sasa it warmed her heart. It started silly, because of her stutter, but now it was the best thing ever. Everything with Tyler was the best thing ever.
Axel guessed that Varya and Grady won't be in the mood to celebrate, and Talia said not to go over the top with preparations, so they all had dinner in the cafeteria.
Talia was happy to see all the faces looking at her expectantly and she ended up feeling guilty because she promised them to go out and find mates, yet how could she do that with Guardians lurking in the area?
They found out from Vincent that the Guardians were aware of the portal, and the only reason why they didn't intrude openly was because they feared Alpha Sophia and Alpha Isaac might close the portal; their policies to keep everyone inside for safety were known even to the outsiders. However, now that Talia was in charge, no one could guess what the Guardians were thinking. Talia hoped that they will stay on the other side and leave this realm unspoiled.
'What is troubling you, kitten?' Damon asked through their private mind-link.
Talia thought for a moment before sharing her thoughts. 'Guardians are out there, waiting. I want to keep everyone safe. But doesn't that make me the same as Sophia and Isaac?'
'Think about it this way… If you knew there was danger, and if you suspected that I'm out there, would you stay here for your safety, or would you take the risk and go out to find me? And another thing, that Guardian showing up here was proof that any safety in this realm is just an illusion.'
Talia knew he was right. She agreed with him completely. But just letting people out didn't sound like a good idea either. 'Can you help me, Damon?'
'Always, kitten. Just say the word, and I will make it happen.'
His sincerity warmed her heart.
'I want to start letting people out. Maybe if we are with them, the risk of it ending badly will reduce. Let's pick a group and bring them with us to the Dark Howlers pack. They are curious about the world on the other side of the portal, but they are mostly interested in finding mates. After some time there, we can take them to Cristian's and Max's territory. I need a set of guidelines for them, something that will help them see the dangers and stay safe while avoiding exposure.'
'Sounds like you already have something on your mind,' Damon said. 'Let's take twenty people with us for the first batch. I will contact Maya and Caden, asking them to prepare accommodations. Also, you should tell Axel to be ready to welcome additional pack members when those twenty return with their mates.'
'When?' Talia asked. 'You wanted to say, IF they return with mates.'
Damon chuckled. 'Malia is a famous service for finding mates. As long as you are nearby, they will find mates.'
Talia rolled her eyes, but she didn't want to argue. She knew that After Daria, Lidia, and Varya found their mates, Damon was an open supporter of the Malia service.
'Tell Axel to come up with a list of people,' Damon said to Talia. 'There must be some criteria to decide who will go first. And also… don't forget that there is another realm with witches. Axel could take another group that way to see if they get lucky.'
Talia liked that idea. She was confident that Damon always knew what to do. 'I will make a point that Axel and Yasmin should go with them, or Evanora might keep them as ingredients to make potions.'
Damon chuckled.
"Talia, can we have a word?" Yasmin called and gave eye signals toward the exit. It was obvious that she wanted to talk in private.
"Sure," Talia responded. They could always talk later, but she guessed that it was important if Yasmin wanted them to leave the cafeteria early.
