The full moon hung heavy over the stone circle.
I stood in the center wearing the ceremonial gown they forced on me. The fabric felt wrong against my skin. Too heavy. Too formal. Like it belonged to someone else.
Deucalion stood across from me.
He did not look at my face.
Not once.
His eyes stayed fixed somewhere past my shoulder, cold and distant. Every part of him made it clear he did not want this. He was sober. Fully aware. And still he treated me like a duty he had no choice but to finish.
The eldest elder raised his hands. “Let the bonding begin.”
I kept my chin high even as my stomach twisted.
Deucalion stepped closer. His hand found the back of my neck. The touch was firm but empty. No warmth. No care. Just pressure.
When his teeth sank into my skin, I bit the inside of my
