Damon stood behind Talia, and he embraced her from behind.
"Good job, kitten," he murmured close to her ear.
Talia turned her head, and her silvery eyes met his blue ones.
"Did I reveal too much?" Talia asked. She acted on an instinct in her desire to comfort them, and only now she realized that she looked like a walking lightbulb.
"No," Damon responded.
With the Red Moon pack out of the picture and with the addition of James and George, they were by far the strongest pack.
On the other hand, members of the Midnight Guardians pack were coming out more often, and then there were Cornelia, Amelia, and other witches mingling. It was a matter of time until the concept of people with abilities became normal.
Werewolves were used to keeping their existence a secret. Witches and abilities were just additional flavors of what humans shouldn't know about.
In addition to all that, Damon observed that Talia was awesome, and he was determined to use everything at his disposal to keep her safe. Talia will never ever hide in the attic or anywhere else. Her spot was right there, on the podium, at the top, with Damon, assuring their people that things would be alright. Talia was the beacon of hope, forgiveness, and acceptance. She was proof that powerful people don't turn into self-serving assholes. That was his kitten!
Damon stood next to Talia and spoke to everyone in a loud voice.
"As you can see, the Dark Howlers pack is a place where you will experience unusual things. In general, members of the Dark Howlers pack are accepting of newcomers as long as they mean no harm, and we expect that everyone follows the same rules regardless of if they were born here or if they joined recently. Keep an open mind and give yourself time to adjust to the diversity we have here. If someone gives you a hard time or you have questions, you should reach out to any of the high-ranking members. This packhouse is open to everyone. If you can't get what you need through regular channels, come here and seek help."
Damon gestured to the area where the Elders were. "These are the Elders of the Dark Howlers pack. Their job is to provide guidance to youth and newcomers. Use them."
Next, Damon gestured toward where Zack, Erik, and Petra were. "These three are young, but don't let that fool you. They are knowledgeable about the pack, and they are on their way to becoming high-ranking members."
Zack, Erik, and Petra lifted their chins proudly.
Damon turned to Talia to meet her silvery eyes smiling at him.
"And this right here is your Luna," Damon said. "She will do whatever she can to make your life better, but her most important role is to keep me in check."
Talia's heart swelled from emotions. "I don't need to keep you in check. You are a wonderful Alpha, and our people are lucky to have you leading them."
'And I am lucky that you are my mate,' she added through their mind link.
Damon smiled. "You bring out the best in me, kitten."
Talia got on her toes, and Damon lowered his head, and their lips met halfway.
The silvery light spread from Talia to envelop her and Damon, forming a cocoon that pulsated in the rhythm of their matching heartbeats.
People held their breaths while staring at the magical spectacle.
With every passing second, the light increased around Talia and Damon, making everyone squint in anticipation of what was to come.
The light silently exploded, and people gasped as the wave of gentle energy washed over them.
Damon inched a fraction and looked at Talia, whose eyes were now back to her usual honeyed ones. He took a lock of her copper-colored hair and twirled it with his finger. He had an urge to scoop her into his arms and find privacy, but they just had a big ceremony, and they should stay with their people a bit more. Just a bit more.
Seeing that many people were still staring at Talia and Damon, Gideon stepped forward and shouted, "The Moon Goddess blessed us!"
"Yeah!" Elder Agatha exclaimed excitedly. Ever since Talia's Luna ceremony, she could feel changes in her. She couldn't pinpoint what it was, but she was more energetic. Now the blessing happened again, and she was confident that this would trigger her ability to manifest itself.
Caden and Maya raised their heads and howled at the sky.
"AWOOO!"
Everyone joined to release their pent-up emotions. Joy, anxiousness, excitement, uncertainty, pride, hope. It was all there.
Damon and Talia howled as well, and so did George, Dawn, Owen, Zina, Mindy, Gideon, James, and even Cornelia went with it and howled the best she could do.
The noise settled, and people spoke in excited whispers, wondering what was next.
Damon's eyes lost focus for a moment, and he turned to see Stephanie standing at the door of the packhouse. She was reminding him that everyone was focusing on ceremonies and the food was ready to be served for a while.
The inside of the packhouse was not big enough to accommodate everyone, so they had tables set up outside. The food was offered buffet-style with stalls that kept it warm. There was a large selection of grilled meats, and there were also salads, pastries, fruits, pasta dishes, cakes, and many more. One of the stalls served ramen with Chef Page and sous-chef Jane behind it. There was something for everyone.
Damon nodded at Stephanie and then spoke to the people again, "Now that the ceremonies are over, you should enjoy the food that members of the Dark Howlers pack prepared to welcome you. Feel free to approach them, thank them for their efforts, and ask questions about the pack and life here. In about one hour, warriors will be available to lead you in groups so you can familiarize yourself with the territory."
Maya stepped forward next. "Just a moment! Before you disperse and dive into food, I want to remind you that Elders prepared for you an event tomorrow morning. The pack will provide you with clothes and other necessities. The event will start with breakfast at nine o'clock in the morning at the town square of Darkbourne."
Elders were bobbing their heads. Finally, they got to do something as well. Some of them hoped that this was a sign of Damon giving them more authority, but none dared to ask about it openly.
People started moving in the direction from where the delicious aroma was wafting, and James looked around to see Dawn and George staring at each other. Similarly, Owen and Zina held hands and didn't move. James guessed that those two couples were communicating through their newly established mind links, and based on their heated gazes, it was naughty talk.
James was a bit jealous because he didn't have the mind link with Cornelia, but he comforted himself by saying how it's not all bad. Actually, he had everything other than the mind link with his mate, and he should focus on the positives.
If anyone should feel the lack of the pack link, that would be Cornelia. James couldn't talk secretly to her only, but Cornelia couldn't talk mentally at all. He hoped she wouldn't be upset because of that, and he decided to put in the extra effort, so she didn't feel like an outsider.
