Chapter 1002
[ 1,633 words ]
Maddox was next to Damon as the best man, and Mindy stood first in the line of females as the maid of honor.
The Alpha family of the Blue River pack was on the stage with Damon, and with Tony, Kalina, Cristian, Michelle, Axel, and Yasmin there, it was a big deal.
Everyone knew that those five packs were allies, but the presence of their highest-ranking members on that podium was confirmation that their relationship was beyond business deals and collaboration between packs. It was personal. It made members of the Dark Howlers, Midnight Guardians, Blue River, Spring Leaf, and Lightclaw packs proud and others envious.
The music changed again, and there was a sharp collective intake of air when two people in white stepped on the white carpet. This was it!
‘Ohs’ and ‘Ahs’ were heard everywhere at the majestic sight of Talia and Valerian.
Valerian’s suit was completely white, matching Talia’s wedding dress, and the silvery threads of their garments glistened golden under the setting sun.
Seated people stood up, and they all lowered their heads instinctively despite their desire to stare at the duo.
Valerian and Talia walked steadily in sync, with their chins held high, and even humans could feel the power radiating from them. Talia and Valerian were like royals and more than that. It was surreal, and people thought this must be how one feels when in the presence of a deity. The desire to bow to them and pledge loyalty was overwhelming.
Only a handful of people knew who Valerian was, and others were curious about his background.
It was not a secret that both Damon and Talia were Alphas and their powerful bloodline granted them animalistic instincts and possessiveness that topped all others. Rumors spread how any woman who tried getting close to Damon ended up in the dungeon, men who thought about putting their hands on Talia were beaten black and blue, and the last female who pretended to be Talia was killed on the spot by Damon himself.
The venue was silent in stark contrast to pack-links that were buzzing with questions related to who could hold Luna Talia’s (aka Alpha Natalia’s) hand without Damon losing his shit. Actually, Damon looked proud up there, obviously approving of that man next to his mate.
Sophia and Isaac were in good spirits because they got good seats. Omegas from the Midnight Guardians pack were assigned to watch over Valeria and Edgar in the area for kids while Sophia and Isaac attended the ceremony.
The ex-Alpha couple could see the podium clearly, and they could also see the bride and the man next to her.
Sophia pressed her lips into a line seeing the tiara Talia was wearing. Sure, it was the heirloom of the Moonrider family, but Sophia treated it as a precious treasure that shouldn’t be tainted, yet Talia was wearing it like a head accessory. Maybe she would be less salty if Axel didn’t make a big deal about giving the tiara to Talia and reminding his parents that everything in that packhouse belongs to the new Alpha.
Sophia shook off the unpleasant thoughts and focused on the two people in white who were now the center of attention.
With every next step Talia and Valerian took, Sophia felt something ominous approaching, and it took her some time to realize what it was.
Sophia stared at the face of the man she thought she would never see.
From the moment they received their invitation, Sophia didn’t think it was a good idea to come here. However, Isaac persuaded her to come with, “It will be good for our image. Do you really want to reject the invitation of our Alpha?”
Sophia snorted. “OUR Alpha?” For Talia to be her Alpha, Sophia needed to accept it. Their current situation was forced on them, and if Talia didn’t take away their abilities, things would end up differently.
“That attitude will only bring us more trouble,” Isaac warned her. “Our pack members are ignoring us. If we don’t go, they will hate us more.”
“Not if they don’t know we were invited,” Sophia retorted.
Isaac shook his head in disagreement. “If they think we were not invited, it will be as if we were not important. No one will take pity on us, Sophia, and even if they did, would you accept pity? I thought you were better than that…”
And here they were, at the ceremony, and Sophia would rather take any consequences of staying home than attend this personal nightmare.
Sophia was squeezing Isaac’s hand nervously.
‘What’s got into you?’ Isaac asked Sophia through the mind link. His hand was aching from her grip.
Isaac saw Valerian briefly two decades ago, and he didn’t realize that the man next to Talia was the same one.
Before Sophia could answer, there was a shriek in the pack link of the Midnight Guardians pack.
‘By the Moon Goddess! Doesn’t that man have the same aura as our Alpha?’
‘It’s not the same, but it’s similar.’
‘That’s Alpha Valerian!’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Of course, I’m sure! Look at them! They are so alike!’
‘Who else could hold our Alpha? In this human custom, only a father or a father figure could walk with the bride.’
A few people started crying. ‘Alpha Valerian is back! He is not dead!’
In the next moment, people started sharing theories.
‘Is that why previous Alphas gave up their positions for Alpha Natalia? They knew that Alpha Valerian was alive and well?’
‘I was wondering the same. It was so strange that they stepped down for a female that just appeared. Relative or not, she was still an unknown person.’
‘How can you say unknown? Alpha Natalia is from the Moonrider family, and she is more powerful than all Alphas combined!’
‘I agree. If Alpha Sophia and Alpha Isaac didn’t step down, Alpha Natalia would make it happen without flexing a muscle.’
‘I think the same! Why else would they step down for a female we never heard about?’
‘WE never heard about them, but maybe they did.’
‘It makes sense.’
‘If they knew about Alpha Natalia’s existence, why would they keep it a secret from us?’
‘Do you think you are worthy of knowing what’s going on in the Alpha family?’
‘Alpha Valerian being alive and having a daughter who was the legitimate heir is a big thing! It impacts the whole pack, and we had the right to know!’
‘They made us believe that Axel was the next Alpha. Didn’t they fear we won’t accept Alpha Natalia?’
‘Shush with that and focus on the ceremony. We can ask our ex-Alphas for an explanation later…’
Isaac’s face fell as he confirmed the identity of the man holding Talia’s hand. Isaac knew what they did two decades ago and that Valerian won’t let it slide. The more he thought about it, the more his instincts told him to flee.
‘What are we going to do?’ Isaac asked Sophia through their mind link.
‘We need to leave,’ she responded nervously.
‘IF YOU DARE TO LEAVE, I WILL HUNT YOU!’ Valerian’s ferocious growl sounded in Sophia’s and Isaac’s heads.
Sophia plopped down on her chair, and Isaac paled. Those words came with the Alpha command, and they couldn’t move even if they wanted to. What was with that power? They were aware that Valerian was an impressive individual, but wasn’t this too much?
‘Dad?’ Talia called Valerian through the mind link. ‘Is everything OK?’ She was right next to him, and she could feel his murderous intent.
‘Yes, yes,’ Valerian responded with urgency while stabilizing his emotions. ‘Sorry about that, Natalia.’ He didn’t want to ruin her ceremony. He will deal with Sophia and Isaac later.
Talia raised her gaze to the podium in front of them, and her breath hitched when she saw Damon’s totally black eyes fixed on her.
He was taking in her appearance greedily while letting some of his aura leak in a possessive display of power.
Talia knew that he could see her clearly through the veil, and he was aware of the heat that crept up her neck. She hoped she won’t get aroused because her father was right there!
But it was hard to focus on anything other than her devilishly handsome mate whose scorching gaze could see straight into her soul. She was glad Valerian was holding her hand because her legs became wobbly.
With every step that brought her closer to Damon, Talia fought the urge to run to him. The attraction was maddening.
Talia and Valerian climbed the podium, and Damon balled his hands into fists to prevent himself from reaching to grab Talia and whisk her away from there. She was enchanting, and he couldn’t wait for this ceremony to be over so they could find their privacy.
Valerian shook his head at the duo, who stared at each other, oblivious of numerous eyes on them.
Valerian cleared his throat to get their attention before speaking.
“I am proud to be your father, Natalia. I know your mother would be proud of you as well.”
Talia’s vision blurred from tears.
Not so long ago, Talia wondered if her parents loved her, and she wanted to be in the company of people who would be unashamed of her. And now she stood surrounded by Alphas and high-ranking members of the werewolf society, her mate was the most powerful Alpha in existence, her background was impressive, her wolf was an ancient spirit, and all this crowd gathered to celebrate her. This went beyond her wildest imagination.
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