Published at 15th of January 2023 9:26 pm

Chapter 1003: The Luna Ceremony of the century (8)

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Valerian leaned to kiss Talia's forehead, and she felt his lips pressing there through the veil.

It was a gesture full of meaning. Respect, protection, care.

For Talia, it was the first kiss from her parents she could remember, and it meant the world to her.

Valerian turned to Damon.

"I regret missing a lot of Natalia's life, but it gives me comfort to know that her future is bright with you." Valerian put Talia's hand in Damon's. "Natalia is now part of the Blake family. Treat her well. I welcome you into the Moonrider family. Take care of my daughter, Alpha Damon."

Normally, Damon would blow a fuse to see someone else being protective of his kitten, but this was Talia's father, and Damon knew that this message was more for Talia to hear than for him. She always wanted a family that loved and supported her, and Valerian was giving her that.

Damon lowered his head in a sign of respect. "Talia is my soulmate. I will do everything I can to ensure her safety and happiness. You have my word, Alpha Valerian."

The crowd gasped at the confirmation of Valerian's identity, and some sobs were heard from the distance.

Humans looked around, wondering what was with those Alpha titles, but no one else made a fuss about it, so they assumed it was normal.

Humans in attendance were celebrities, politicians, and successful businessmen. They were aware that the Blake family was well established in the area and that Damon inherited many assets when his parents passed. However, none of them expected to see this mass of people who were looking at the podium with fervent worship.

Valerian wanted to say so many other things, but he felt that he didn't have the right to do so. Missing Talia growing up was terrible enough, but she also ended up suffering because of his mistake… mistake of trusting Sophia and Isaac.

As an Alpha, Valerian was supposed to take care of his pack and his family, yet he failed at both. He was grateful that Talia accepted him, and he didn't dare to ask for more. He couldn't accept other people's forgiveness until he forgave himself.

Talia could feel Valerian's grief, and she wanted to help him, but she didn't know how. Only his mate could fill the void that tormented him, and Talia couldn't fix that.

Valerian looked at Damon and then at Talia, and then he walked down the podium to an empty seat in the front row that waited for him.

Cassandra stood up as Valerian approached her. The Oracle's time with Valerian was rewarded with a spot next to him in the front row of the seated audience. Cassandra swatted the invisible dust from Valerian's chair before he sat on it, and the ceremony could begin.

Damon's eyes were switching from black to blue due to excitement. Damon was very good at managing his emotions, but this time his control was slipping.

Talia's joy and love were overloading his senses, and he fought against his urges to rip his clothes, shift into his wolf form, and run into the forest with Talia.

The only thing still keeping him here was the thought of how all this was for Talia. She needed this ceremony as a sign of acceptance. He wanted everyone to see how much he values her and for her to realize how many people support her, admire her, and worship her. She deserved it.

Damon and Talia were holding hands, but he really wanted to hold the rest of her, and he thought that the see-through veil was in the way.

He gripped the edge of the veil with his free hand. "Can I?"

'That should come off at the end of the ceremony!' Mindy's voice sounded in Damon's head through the pack link.

Damon made a face, and he was about to let go when he heard Talia say, "You can."

Damon's eyes lit up, and he lifted the veil over Talia's head letting it fall over her back. He shut down Mindy's protests by closing off the mind link.

Alpha Desmond cleared his throat. "Can we start?"

Damon and Talia nodded, turning to face the man, both having difficulty breaking eye contact.

Alpha Desmond smiled helplessly. It was evident that lovebirds would have a hard time until the kiss-the-bride moment. But he couldn't deny that Damon and Talia were a perfect couple beyond looks and power. There was something else between them, something he had never experienced. It was an energy of some sort that overpowered his Alpha energy, and it was fascinating and scary at the same time.

Alpha Desmond took a deep breath and spoke loudly, "We all gathered here to celebrate the union of Alpha Damon Blake and Alpha Natalia Moonrider…"

'You are beautiful,' Damon said to Talia through their mind link.

'Do you like the dress?'

'I like you the most naked, but this is fine also.'

Talia bit her lower lip to prevent herself from bursting into giggles at the outrageous comment. 'Can you focus on the ceremony?'

'This is a ceremony to celebrate our union. That's what I'm focusing on. The union.'

He sent her a mental image of their naked bodies merged into one, and she could see from the corner of her eye that he was smiling smugly.

She loved that he would show her all the sides of him, mischievous included. With her, he was not Alpha Damon, he was just Damon, free to be serious, sad, happy, lusty, overprotective, insecure, and goofy, and she wouldn't want him any other way.

'Thank you,' she said.

'For?'

'For everything.'

'You deserve so much more, kitten.'

Talia turned her head to see him looking at her. 'Will you give me everything I deserve?'

'Every day for the rest of our lives.'

'I look forward to it.' She really did.

Alpha Desmond was done talking, and Maddox handed two rings to Damon. They were matching wedding rings. Talia's was made of platinum, and it had designs in black gold, representing the moon and wolves. Damon's ring was made of black gold with the same designs as Talia's ring, but the designs on Damon's ring were made in platinum. When put side-by-side, they were matching but opposites, just like Damon and Talia.

"Did you prepare your vows?" Alpha Desmond asked.

Damon nodded and turned to face Talia completely. "Can I go first, kitten?"

"OK." She was not sure what to expect.

Damon took a deep breath, and he slid Talia's ring on her finger while talking, "Ever since I became of age, people were telling me that I should look for my soulmate. They said that when I find the one, she will make me stronger and wiser, and keep me grounded. I didn't believe them, and I made stupid mistakes in the process." Many stupid mistakes. "But then I met you, and you destroyed the illusion that I was enough. How can one half be enough after I've met the person who made me feel whole? I didn't know anything about you, but I knew that I was living for the moments you would look at me. I craved your approval, and I still do. I can't breathe in your absence."

𝑓r𝘦𝘦𝘄eb𝒏𝙤vel.c𝙤𝙢

The ring was now fully on her finger, and Damon gestured toward the crowd on his right.

"All this is for you. They are here to celebrate you, Natalia Moonrider, their leader, my soulmate. I vow in front of our people and guests that no matter what the future brings, I will choose you every single moment of my life. I will treat you as my equal, as my queen, if you allow me to."

Talia's smile was crooked as she was suppressing the sobs bubbling in her throat. Damon spoke about his love for her in front of so many people, and she was sure she was floating.

She took the second ring from Maddox and slipped it on Damon's ring finger while talking, "You showed me that fairytales could come true. I didn't think I deserved kindness, but you convinced me otherwise. At first, it was so overwhelming that I thought of escaping, but I didn't because loving you was easy. Moments with you were more precious than a lifetime without, and I couldn't leave. If staying by your side means we will face enemies and hardships, I will stay with you so we can face them together. Everything is worth it as long as we are together. I will never leave you, Damon Blake." She reminded him of a promise she had made a long time ago. "You showed me what it means to be treasured, and I accept your vow with a vow of my own. I will treat you as my equal, as my king, if you allow me to."

Alpha Desmond was about to continue talking, but then he saw Damon raising his hand.

"I waited for you for a long time," Damon said, his voice a bit raspy. It was Sapa.

Talia's eyes flashed silver as Liseli came in front. "Thank you for waiting. I feared that you forgot about me, that you choose someone else."

Damon stepped closer, and his dark eyes stared into Talia's silvery ones. "I will never choose someone else because you are my only one. I would rather spend eternity alone than with a female that will soil your memory. You are my first, my last, my everything."

Liseli approved. 'You can kiss him now, girl,' the old spirit said, only for Talia to hear.

Talia was in a daze. Liseli's love for Sapa amplified Talia's emotions, and there were Damon's, it was all boosted by her pregnancy hormones, and she could feel the positivity from two packs and the overall good mood, and her chin trembled as a lone tear slid down her cheek.

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