Esmeralda's alarm jolted her out of bed, but she had barely gotten any sleep the previous night. Nerves had gotten the best of her as she anticipated the intimate and vulnerable initiation ceremony tonight in front of the twelve wolf lords and their ladies. The thought of such an event was daunting, and she had even considered running away. The initiation ritual had been eagerly anticipated by everyone for weeks. As the first princess ever born to the wolf royal family, with all her predecessors being male, Esmeralda felt an added pressure to uphold the family's honor.
The day before, her father had walked her through the proceedings, assuring her that it was a piece of cake and not something to be nervous about. The ritual involved drinking the blood of all twelve wolf lords and transfor
