Chapter 5

The ceremony hall smelled like lilies and lies.

I stood before the Elders in a white dress that wasn't mine, holding words in my throat that would choke me if I spoke them. Christopher and Adelynn waited on the dais, her hand tucked into his elbow, that collar—my mother's collar—gleaming at her throat.

"Speak the blessing, Sister," Elder Miriam prompted, her ancient eyes patient.

The traditional words sat on my tongue like poison. I was supposed to say: *I bless this union under the Moon Goddess's light. May their bond bring strength to our pack.*

Instead, I closed my eyes…