The Alpha's Bride

"Don't cry, kitten. This is a happy occasion."     

"I am happy," she said in a shaky voice. "I never thought I could be this happy. Thank you, Damon."     

Damon smiled at the silly female who was tearing up again, and he leaned to capture her lips with his.     

Olivia, Zina, and Dawn were also sniffling, and Keith and Arya exchanged glances like proud parents.     

Alpha Desmond cocked an eyebrow at the kissing couple in front of him. He was supposed to say that the Moon Goddess was blessing their union, and they were now husband and wife, but they were werewolves, and no one cared about it anyway, so he said, "You can kiss the bride!"     

People laughed and cheered as Damon and Talia hugged without breaking the kiss.     

Mindy's smile faltered when she saw a sheen of silver light enveloping Talia and darkness seeping out of Damon.     

'We need to block the view for humans!' Gideon shouted in the pack link.     

Mindy, Arya, Dawn, Zina, Olivia, and Trisha were first to move toward Damon and Talia, and then the others joined them to create a half-circle between the newlyweds and the rest of the crowd.     

People also stood up and cheered with the goal of creating a distraction.     

Humans were distracted, but there were a few Guardians in the audience that didn't miss the spectacle.     

Declyn confirmed that what he saw in the snow-covered forest was a manifestation of primal powers. In one breath, he could sense light, renewal, and immortality mixed with darkness, regression, and rebirth. It was all, it was nothing, and it was exhilarating.     

Declyn wondered what Gregory would do if he could witness this spectacle. If not for his greed, Gregory would be part of this. He always preached about ways for their species to flourish. There were several babies with the Guardian bloodline born or on the way, but Gregory was missing it because he was busy rotting in the dungeon.     

On the podium, Damon pulled out of the kiss, and Talia blinked at the sight of their friends surrounding them.     

'We had to cover up your light show,' Maya's voice sounded in Damon's and Talia's heads.     

"Sorry, everyone," Talia said, and the people parted.     

Alpha Desmon cleared his throat and spoke loudly, "It is my honor to present to you Alpha Damon Blake and Alpha Natalia Moonrider as Mr. and Mrs. Blake. From today onward, they will be known as one, and they wish to be known as equals."     

The crowd erupted in cheers, and Damon took Talia's hand into his and kissed her knuckles.     

'This is it, kitten,' he spoke to her through their mind link. 'Now you are mine. Forever. There is no escape.'     

Talia smiled dreamily. 'Even if I want to escape, the only way I can run is toward you.'     

Damon grinned in approval.     

"Ahh!" Talia cried when Damon scooped her into his arms.     

He carried her princess-style down the stairs, and people parted to open a path that led toward the dance area.     

For people watching online, drones hovered above Damon and Talia to record from every angle. People in the back who couldn't see were using their phones to watch through the live feed. Tyler thought of everything.     

By the time they reached the middle of the dance floor, the whole area was devoid of people.     

Damon lowered Talia to stand, and she bit her lip nervously as she became aware of so many eyes on her. How was it possible that Damon was so calm? More than calm, he was happy and proud.     

With the corner of her eye, Talia saw a figure in white approaching them.     

"Can I?" Valerian asked while offering his hand to Talia, palm up.     

Talia waited for Damon to nod in approval before she accepted Valerian's offer.     

Damon walked back to give them space, and slow music started.     

"I picked this song while thinking about you and your mother," Valerian said.     

They swayed slowly left and right, and then the singer's melodious voice was heard from the speakers.     

Talia didn't know this song, so she listened to the lyrics.     

"…You gave me a reason for living,     

You taught me the meaning of giving…"     

Talia was touched.     

"When I look into the mirror, I see     

Laughter in the eyes where tears used to be.     

Heavens sent you to me from above,     

To teach me about life and love…"     

By the time song ended, Talia was an emotional mess.     

"Thank you, Natalia," Valerian said. "For everything."     

Talia sniffled. "Why does this sound like a goodbye?"     

Valerian shook his head. "Goodbye? Where would I go? You are everything I have. Even if I go, I will always be nearby."     

"OK. That's enough," Damon grumbled while pulling Talia on him, and he frowned at Valerian. "Your dance is over. It's my turn now." And if it was up to Damon, Valerian won't get any turns. Ever again. Why was he upsetting Talia?     

'Watch yourself, boy,' Valerian growled in Damon's head through forced mind-link.     

Damon frowned. 'Don't you see she is emotional? I planned this day to make her happy and not cry. Do you need to mention how your mate is gone? Talia knows that already!'     

Valerian's frown matched Damon's, but he didn't want to cause a scene. Damon was right.     

Valerian gave Talia a stiff smile and walked away, leaving Damon and Talia on the dance floor.     

'Kitten?' Damon called. 'Are you alright?'     

'Yes, yes,' Talia confirmed right away. 'Emotional, but happy. I just wish that my dad could be happy also.'     

'He is happy for you, for us.'     

'He would be happier if his mate was here.'     

Damon touched Talia's chin and made her look at him. 'What happened to your mother was not your fault. You were a baby. I need you to stop blaming yourself. You can't fix everything.'     

Talia looked in the direction where Valerian had left, and she realized that Damon was right. His words applied to her father as well. Valerian needed to stop blaming himself for everything that happened to Astraea and Talia, and for everything else. She decided to talk to him about it later.     

"Do we also get a dance?" Talia asked Damon.     

Damon grinned. "You get my every next dance for the rest of our lives, kitten."     

Music started, and the singer was singing, but she could clearly hear Damon singing in a low voice for her.     

"When a man loves a woman,     

If she is bad, he can't see it,     

She can do no wrong…"     

Talia was staring at Damon, and her legs were moving, but the only thing she could comprehend was Damon's proximity, his scent, and his deep voice that was full of emotions.      

"This man loves you, woman.     

I gave you everything I have,     

Baby, please don't treat me bad…"     

Talia swallowed the pinch at the back of her throat. Can he be any sweeter?     

Damon leaned closer, and his breath splashed on her ear.     

"When a man loves a woman     

I know exactly how he feels,     

Because kitten, you're my world..."     

Talia's chin shivered, and then the waterworks started again.     

Damon looked at Talia helplessly. He wanted her to be happy, and he gave Mindy his credit card and freedom to organize everything other than a few bits he handled himself. Damon was confident that Talia would like it, and he could feel she was happy, but she was also crying. Now what?     

'Old guy!' Damon called. 'What do I do?'     

Sapa snorted. 'Your intention was good, but you pushed too much. Mate's emotions are erratic. Physical touch will stabilize her.'     

Without thinking, Damon pressed his lips on Talia's and pulled her on him. The best thing would be to get naked and cuddle or maybe to have sex, but none of those were an option considering their surroundings.     

It took Talia a few seconds to raise her arms and wrap them around Damon's neck, and Damon hummed in approval when she kissed him back with passion replacing the sobs.     

'Tell me this is real, Damon,' Talia spoke into their mind link.      

'It's real.'     

'How can you be sure?'     

'Because I'm controlling myself from ripping your dress.'     

Talia smiled into the kiss and pushed herself further into Damon. 'I love you, Damon Blake.'     

'I love you more, Mrs. Blake.'     

Talia's heart skipped a beat. He had called her Mrs. Blake many times before, but this time... it was different.     

Mindy couldn't believe this.     

'They are about to glow again!' Mindy shouted in the pack-link. She thought that the biggest challenges were decorations and securing food for all these people, yet it turned out she needed to babysit Damon and Talia or risk exposure to humans.     

Gideon tugged Mindy onto the dancefloor. 'If we are there, humans won't notice!'     

Zina pulled Owen to the dancefloor, and Arya and Keith were next with Maddox, Tatiana, Caden, Maya, Cornelia, James, and many others filling the space. They coordinated their positions in order to keep humans as far as possible from Damon and Talia.     

Mindy loved that Gideon was dancing with her, but she was still huffing because Damon and Talia were so reckless.     

"Let them enjoy, princess. If you are upset, our pup is upset also," Gideon said.     

His deep voice full of wisdom, combined with her favorite scent of lavender, calmed her down instantly.     

"What would I do without you?"     

Gideon chuckled and pulled her closer for a kiss. He didn't know what she would do without him, but he knew that his life before Mindy was pale compared to what he had now. He had a beautiful mate who kept him on his toes and filled their house with laughter, and there was a pup on the way, and he couldn't be happier.