By the time the motorcade reached the mountainside, sunlight had already spilled across the pine forest.
A red carpet stretched from the parking grounds all the way up to the altar. On either side, the spectator seats were already filled.
The members of Avery Band, dressed in matching silver–gray suits, were tuning their instruments. Sinclair. Corporation’s Donald sat in the front row with his executives, holding a gift etched with wolf totems. Harper from Beauty Lux adjusted her elegant gown with her sisters fussing nervously at her side. Samuel leaned close to Michael in quiet conversation, while Rosa lifted her camera, eager to capture every moment of the sacred day.
From every corner of life, friends had gathered for this celebration.
The Nightshade wolves turned out in full force. The elders of the Thorne family sat in the place of honor at the very front. Landon’s father, always a stern presence, now wore the most solernn ancient robes of the pack. For once, even his strong gaze shimmered, eyes reddening as he looked toward the red carpet.
On the right, representatives of the newly reformed Frost Paek sat respectfully, with crystals of power glowing softly before them – both as gifts and as pledges of allegiance.
Hand in hand, Tessa and Landon walked the carpet. Along the path, wolves rose in unison, bowing and sending blessings that rolled like waves.
Lina and Ysabel flanked Tessa, fussing with her gown, while Camille followed closely with a small case of cosmetics, ready at a moment’s notice.
Sunlight filtered through the pines and scattered over her skirts, the silver wolf patterns shimmering as though alive, mirroring the subtle designs woven into Landon’s dark attire.
“So many people,” Tessa whispered, fingers tightening slightly.
Even after all she had endured, nerves struck her in this moment.
Landon squeezed her hand and bent closer, voice low against her ear. “Don’t be afraid. Just look at me.”
At the foot of the altar, they paused for a moment of rest. Elders from the Thorne family stepped forward, their expressions warm.
“Good girl,” Darren, the family’s representativè, said with a smile, offering a brocade box. “From this day, -you are one of us. This heirloom of the Thorne family is yours. May you and Landon be bound forever.”
Tessa accepted it with a courteous nod, passing it back to Lina for safekeeping.
Then the bell of the Nightshade high/priest tolled, announcing the arrival of noon.
“The bonding ceremony begins!” the herald’s voice carried across the mountain, magnified for all to hear.
Landon clasped Tessa’s hand once more, and together they ascended the altar.
Beneath their feet, the ancient stone slabs shimmered with faint golden light, stirred by the weight of their wolf auras. In the center, the sacred flame burned high, stretching their shadows long against the stones.
A hush swept the crowd. Only the whisper of wind in the pines and the faint stirrings of instruments
remained.
07.49
nu, 21 Aug
Chapter 612 The Bonding Ceremony
** Finished
At the altar stood the Nightshade high priest alongside an elder of the international wolf council. Raising the bone scepter passed down through countless generations, the priest’s voice rang out, aged yet filled with
power.
“In the name of the Moon Goddess, before the ancestors of the Nightshade Pack, we bear witness to the bonding of Alpha Landon and the White Wolf, Tessa.”
will you, by blood oath, vow to protect her for life,
He turned to Landon. “Landon, Alpha of Nightshade honor her as light, and never bind her in chains of status?”
Landon raised his right hand, and the aura of the Obsidian Crystal Wolf burst forth. At once, the crystals of the sacred mountain ignited, weaving a brilliant band of light across the altar.
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