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Chapter 996: The Luna Ceremony of the century (1)

As the day of Talia's Luna ceremony approached, the Dark Howlers pack was buzzing with activity.         

Every member of the Dark Howlers pack and the Midnight Guardians pack was invited, even Omegas.     

Members of the Dark Howlers pack hosted guests, the packhouse was full, and the hotels in nearby human cities were out of vacancy.     

This event was a big deal.     

Because of human presence, other creatures were warned that they shouldn't do anything non-human, and the patrols were strengthened to assure rogues don't come to cause a ruckus.     

Tatiana and Mindy were the main organizers, setting up the whole ceremony to look like a massive wedding with the bridal party participating in a ceremony where Damon and Talia will exchange vows. After that, there will be dinner and a celebratory party.     

Talia picked her bridesmaids, and Damon picked his groomsmen, and then they added their mates as plus ones, and it became huge, but Damon said that anything less than that was unacceptable.     

The celebrations started in Darkbourne three days ago with festivities to honor Damon, Talia, and the future Alpha in Talia's belly.     

The main venue for the wedding was next to the lake.     

Omegas cleared the area and set up a podium for the ceremony, as well as one for the band. There will be a dancing area and numerous tables with chairs, several bars, and a big tent for final food preparations before it is served.     

The winter was not easing up, but in the Pacific Northwest, winters are mild, and witches set up in advance energy crystals to ward off any rain clouds and warm up the ground. Like this, it was pleasant for humans so that everyone could attend the wedding in the open.     

In the packhouse…     

Talia was standing in front of a full-length mirror while Tatiana was tying the elegant silk ribbons at her back to adjust the bodice.     

Also in the room were Cornelia, Amelia, Mindy, Meg, Kalina, Sandy, Michelle, Daria, Yasmin, Arya, Trisha, Zina, and Dawn.     

Arya, Sandy, Zina, Michelle, and Amelia were in front of dressing stations with mirrors for Omegas to fix their hair and makeup for the ceremony. Other females were sitting on the sofas and snacking on fruits while chatting in a lively atmosphere.      

Most of the females in the room were wearing black and white bridesmaids' dresses which had chest area covered in white and black crystals and a high waistline from where a knee-length flowy skirt started. The skirt was black at the waist, and it faded into white at the bottom. Those were Tatiana's creations to symbolize black and white, the groom and the bride. The high waistline was perfect for accommodating the pregnancy bellies of several bridesmaids, as Cornelia, Mindy, and Meg were showing.     

No matter how impressive the bridesmaids' dresses were, they all admired Talia's gown, which looked like it came from the fashion catalog made for royalty.     

It was a sleeveless white dress with a sweetheart neckline. The bodice was embellished with silvery sequins and diamonds. The cathedral train tulle skirt had intricate embroidery, which featured shiny see-through stones and numerous white pearls.     

"Did I tell you how wonderful this dress is?" Talia asked Tatiana.     

"You should thank Damon. He is the one who paid for the materials," Tatiana said.     

Talia wondered if Damon would approve of the dress.     

"I will thank him later." In private. Talia's brows came together at the thought of her and Damon alone with that dress on her. Will Damon rip the dress? That was highly likely. When her Alpha sets his mind on mating, he doesn't care how much money and work went into the garment that got in the way.     

Tatiana stuck her finger under ribbons that crisscrossed along Talia's back. "How is this? Is it too tight? Can you breathe? Is there pressure on your stomach?"     

Talia's bump was visible when she was naked or wearing something tight, but this gown had lines made of diamonds in such a way that it created a deception of a flat abdomen.         

"It's not tight," Talia responded.     

"Are you sure?"     

"I don't know how you made it this comfortable." The gown had a bulky appearance, but it was surprisingly light and soft. Like a cloud.     

Tatiana smiled proudly. "These are special materials."     

The door opened, and Talia turned to see Olivia peeking in before coming into the room gingerly.     

Olivia was familiar with all the females present, but she was shy in a big company and would frighten easily.     

Two days after being discharged from the hospital, Olivia became a member of the Dark Howlers pack. Olivia was living with Travis, and she was helping him in the hospital. In the last few weeks, her physical appearance improved drastically, and she resembled the female Talia remembered before she left the Red Moon pack years ago.     

Talia's eyes fell on Olivia's neck.      

Olivia's steps halted, and she subconsciously reached for the left side of her neck.     

Talia smiled slyly. "Travis marked you."     

Olivia nervously glanced to her right, only to see all females staring at her.     

"The good doctor got his pecker wet! I wish it happened last week!" Mindy exclaimed, and Olivia's face exploded in blush.     

"Don't be shy," Kalina said to Olivia, and she turned to Dawn. "Pay up!"     

Dawn pouted. "I'm not paying anything. That mark doesn't mean they had sex."     

Kalina cocked an eyebrow and turned to Olivia. "Well? Did you have sex with your mate?"     

Olivia swallowed hard. "What?"     

"Did you bet on when Olivia and Travis will seal the bond?" Talia asked in disbelief.     

Kalina nodded earnestly. "I said it would be in the week of your Luna ceremony. Dawn, Amelia, and Arya said it would be next week, and Mindy and Sandy put their bets on the previous week. Cornelia said it would happen after the new year."     

"Don't forget Maya. She was for this week also," Cornelia reminded Kalina. "You will need to share the winning with her."     

Talia shook her head helplessly and looked at Olivia.     

"We are happy for you," Talia said, and then she spoke to Olivia through the mind link, 'Ignore them. They mean no harm. Did you have fun?'     

Olivia bit her lip and responded through the mind-link, only for Talia to hear, 'Travis was… wonderful.' He was gentle and patient, and caring, and he put her first. It was all that Luis wasn't and so much more, and Olivia was so happy that she feared it was all a dream and she would wake up to see it was not real. But it was real because she woke up in Travis' embrace, and the first thing he did was ask her if she was OK to what she responded how she was much more than OK. Travis' kiss ignited a passion Olivia had never felt before, and they made love in the morning (twice), and they would probably still be in bed if Talia's Luna ceremony was not such a big deal.     

Talia put her hand behind her back and showed a thumbs up to the females on the sofa.     

"YES!" Kalina screamed. "I knew it! Victory is MINE!"     

Olivia flinched, unsure what was going on, but then Tatiana pushed a black-and-white dress into her hands with, "The ceremony won't wait for you."         

Tatiana's tone told Olivia that this was nonnegotiable, and she scurried into the bathroom.     

Kalina was jumping for joy.     

"Lina!" Talia called sternly. "Stop jumping!"     

Kalina looked at her feet. "Are you afraid I will break a heel or damage your carpet?"     

Talia giggled. "None. But I fear you might hurt your pup."     

Kalina's jaw fell open slack. "What did you say?"     

"Did you say that Kalina is pregnant!?" Tatiana shrieked while holding onto her belly. Out of all the bellies in the room, Tatiana's was the biggest one. "Are you sure?"     

Talia confirmed with a confident nod.     

Kalina sat on the sofa in slow motion, and she held onto her stomach. She didn't get pregnant during her first heat, so she didn't dare to hope that the second time would be much better, but this… was wonderful.     

"Please, don't tell Tony. I want to surprise him," Kalina said, and females murmured in agreement.     

The door of the room flew open to show Maya come in breathily. "Am I late?"     

Talia greeted her with a smile. "No, you are just on time."     

"We thought you won't make it, considering that you went into heat four days ago," Cornelia said.     

Maya responded with a stiff smile while swallowing the pinch at the back of her throat.     

Maya's previous heat was just over a month ago. Talia predicted it in advance, so Maya and Caden planned a vacation getaway where they could focus on making a pup. Maya was optimistic, but it didn't happen.     

The heat four days ago hit her unexpectedly. It's normal for heats to be about six months apart, and this was unusual. Maya asked Talia if Talia had anything to do with it, but Talia didn't deny or confirm her involvement.      

"My pheromones are in check. I can do this," Maya said bravely.     

Talia walked to Maya and hugged her.     

"Of course, you can do this," Talia said and leaned closer to say in a whisper, "Take it easy. You don't want to overwork yourself in your condition."     

Maya's whole body froze. "What did you say?"     

Talia smiled, and she closed her eyes. "Three pups."     

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