Page 44 of Eclipse Pack

I’m kept busy with handshakes and backslaps for what seems like hours, but is in reality only a few minutes. When I turn back to the stage where I will await Taria, I stop and stare, dumbstruck.

The transformation is nothing short of miraculous. Center stage is an archway covered in roses of many pastel shades. The floor is strewn with colored flower petals on top of a red carpet that covers the bare wood flooring of minutes ago. A line of pack members are walking by the stage and placing gifts at the front. I am nothing short of speechless.

Through all this, I see Mother standing proudly with a huge smile directed at me. She gestures for me to join her and I make my way past yet more pack members, eager to congratulate their new Alpha.

Approaching my mother, I hold out my arms to hug her, but she holds back in front of the pack. Stepping in close, I scoop her into a hug and be damned with what anyone thinks. The pack erupts with cheering and when she sees this, she hugs me back.

Taking my place at the center of the stage, I make a small speech to the standing pack announcing the arrival of my mate and our imminent bonding. The pack remains silent and I’m unsure if they don’t like my speech or are just awaiting Taria’s appearance. As one, they all take their seats except for a small group at the back by the center aisle. They remain standing and all are wearing a dark cloak. Throwing off their cloaks, all but one, I see Wesley, Ember and two warriors standing in a uniform I don’t recognize. The final cloak falls to the floor and Taria, my Taria, stands there resplendent in her tailored suit.

As she walks towards me, the pack members gasp as she passes them. Her suit is the same as mine, but cut in a feminine way that enhances every curve of her form. She looks nothing short of spectacular and I watch her approach with her guards in their own gray uniforms, looking as regal as anything I’ve ever seen.

The pack is in an uproar as they watch their future Luna take her place by my side beneath the arch. Standing slightly away from me, she gives her own speech that tells of the way she has been greeted by the pack, and that she will do everything she can to be the Luna they deserve and to follow on in Luna Sage’s footsteps. Announcing that they are monumental steps to follow has my mother shedding a tear.

I step forward and complete the blood oath which brings Taria forward in the pack’s hierarchy and bonds her as my Luna. We still have the official mating to complete but that we will do behind closed doors.

Taria turns to the pack and pledges to do her best for the pack from this moment forward until her Luna reign ends, which brings a loud cheer forth from the pack.

Presenting my mate as their Luna, I begin the process of sharing the pack's mental status with Taria. Trying to do it in such a way that it doesn’t overwhelm her, I smile when she tells me to stop treating her like a child and get on with it. She takes the whole thing in her stride and I see her eyes glow as her wolf helps her.

Speaking to the pack with a mind link, she calls for a pack run and I hear yet another cheer as the pack agrees. Stepping away from me, she removes her jacket, then unbuttons her blouse. Thinking that she is going to strip naked, I’m about to stop her when I see a blue bodysuit show itself. When she is standing there in the suit, Ember stands by her in a similar gray one. They look amazing.

Taking my hand, she calls for all those that are able to shift to do so and join us in the run. As soon as Maya appears, Titan growls a deep and meaningful growl in her direction, then howls to start the run. Hearing the pack howl as one is an indescribable feeling, and we all take off for the forest. Wesley, Ember, and the two warriors surround us and I can’t help but grin as I watch Ember’s wolf, River’s pride at being her Luna’s personal guard.

Chapter 23

TARIA

Arriving back at the packhouse after the run, I feel exhilarated. Retrieving my suit from the stage where I’d dropped it, I get dressed and cover the blue bodysuit. I’m not in the least embarrassed by the snug fit of the suit, but as I’m going to be mingling with the pack, I feel the gray suit would be far more appropriate. It will also allow Bronze to concentrate on matters other than my curves. Ember has had no such concerns and is thoroughly enjoying the male attention that her bodysuit is attracting.

Titan has done nothing but preen since he met Maya, and to her credit, she is playing very hard to get. She wants to mate as badly as Titan, I can tell, but she is making him work for the privilege, that’s for sure.

Bronze has my arm and is walking me around the festivities, introducing me to everyone. He isn’t preening like Titan, thoughhe does look very proud of himself. I myself have to admit to being more than a little smug as to how I made such a grand entrance and won over the pack. Walking arm in arm with my mate has me wearing the biggest grin possible.

Seeing how much effort has gone into the food for the garden party following the ceremonies, I’m astounded. The preparation alone must have been staggering. Mentioning this to Bronze, he steers me toward a female who is watching the tables that contain the vast array of dishes.

“Luna Taria, please meet Cook Ash. Although I’m afraid that the title of cook seriously underrates her abilities. Cook Ash, your new Luna, Luna Taria.”

“At your service, Luna Taria,” Cook Ash tips her head in respect and I immediately get a good feeling from this female.

“Chef Ash, you have excelled with such a magnificent feast. You are to be congratulated on this achievement.” I wait to see if she notices the change of title.

“Thank you, Luna Taria, but it is cook, not chef. I have had no formal training to grant me that title.”

“To produce food to this standard and to not have had any formal training, that alone, in my eyes, entitles you to be called a chef. From now on, you will be referred to as Chef Ash and will receive any pack gratuities that go along with that position.” I see the conflict in her eyes and wait to see what she has to say.

“There is not, nor has there ever been, a pack chef’s position, my luna, but thank you for the thought. It means a lot to me to just have that recognition,” Chef Ash blushes furiously.

Turning to Bronze, I raise my eyebrows and I see him smile first at me, then he turns to Chef Ash, saying, “As of this moment,there is a requirement within the pack to fill a vacancy for a newly created position for a chef. Cook Ash, I believe you fit the criteria for the role. You are duly appointed as pack chef. Congratulations on your promotion.” Offering his hand, she shakes it and looks like she is going to burst into tears.

Offering her hand to me, I brush it aside and as she looks at me, horrified that I would refuse, I grab her to me in a hug. “Well done, Chef Ash, and may I also add my congratulations on your promotion. Not before time, I may add,” giving Bronze a mock glare, but know it’s not particularly his doing.

Once Bronze is satisfied that he has paraded me enough, we join everyone else in partaking of the sumptuous feast. Sitting to one side, we eat and pack-watch. It would have been the icing on the cake if my Momma and Pops could have been here to see this, but I understand that with the rogues causing so many issues, they couldn’t be away from the pack.

Once we’ve eaten, I ask Bronze if he will give me a tour of the grounds. Holding hands, which brings the mate tingles to the fore, we slip away and the first thing I’m drawn to are the kitchen gardens. They are certainly full of healthy plants, and there is an array of different herbs. I notice that there are other plants mixed in the beds too, and this reminds me of a conversation I had with Dahlia about something she called companion gardening. Different plants grow well when in proximity to others, and some keep bugs and harmful insects away. Someone here obviously knows their stuff, too.

Passing newly turned flower beds, I see fresh shoots appearing and can only imagine that they will be a riot of color when everything is in bloom. Walking past vegetable beds, they look like they have been tended by an OCD gardener as there isn’t a weed in sight. Nothing appears to have been eaten by slugsor snails either, which is very unusual. There is always that one plant that gets demolished by the evil demons that leave their silver trails all over.

Entering an orchard, I see a circular bench surrounding the trunk of a large apple tree. It looks new and as we approach, there is a male sitting on the bench, his back to us. As we approach, Bronze speaks out.

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