— Mating ceremony-no one came. Aknock slammed against the door. It creaked open, and Dax stepped inside like he owned the place, his boots heavy on the floor. “There you are.” He looked me over, taking in the fur cloak now folded by my desk and the half-written letter to the Council. “Eris wants your meatloaf. Make it spicy- she says she missed the way you cook it.” I stared at him, hands resting on my lap. “You missed my mating ceremony.” Dax blinked, then shrugged like it didn’t matter.
“It’s just a ritual. You and Cain can do it next moon, or the one after. Eris’s back, Vera. We haven’t seen her in a year.” He picked up my journal from the desk, flipped through it without asking. “You still writing this stuff down?” His eyes landed on the fresh page. At the top in bold letters: FINAL WARNING. He snorted. “What’s that supposed to mean? You gonna run away? To bea rogue?” —- He tossed the journal back onto the bed.
“Just make the meatloaf, Vera.” I stood slowly and walked past him toward the kitchen. My hands stung as I pulled out the meat from the cold box. The new soap they’d brought back for me to use- Eris’s favorite brand-had left red blotches on my skin. Dax leaned against the wall behind me, watching too closely. “Why are you so quiet?” he asked. “Planning to poison her or something?” Before I could answer, her voice rang out from the main room. “Daxee!
The chestnuts!” He rolled his eyes and muttered, “Coming,” before turning and leaving without a second glance. I washed my hands under cold water, watching the red fade into pale pink. My eyes drifted to the counter. There sat the ceremonial cake I’d ordered. Still untouched. The bonding rings lay beside it, sealed in their velvet box. I didn’t cry. —- Ijust stood there for a long time, staring at all the things that were supposed to matter.
My wolf had been quiet all day, but now her voice was sharp in my head. Vespa, my wolf, growled low in my chest. “They’ve made their choice,” she said. “So will we.” I looked toward the window. Beyond it, the dark trees of the northern woods swayed gently in the night wind. Eris was back. She had everything. And me? I was done waiting.
