The decision hung in the air like smoke after a fire—lingering, heavy, impossible to ignore. I’d said it, and Lucian had accepted it, but as I left his study, my stomach churned with a mix of resolve and dread. Together. It sounded solid, final, but it didn’t erase the questions clawing at me. What did this mean for us—for me? I’d spent so long fighting the pull of him, the pack, this life. Now I was stepping into it, eyes open, and it felt like jumping off a cliff without knowing how deep the drop was.
The next morning, the compound buzzed with a different energy. Word had spread—whispers turning into murmurs, then full-on conversations. The ceremony was on, set for tomorrow night under the full moon. I caught the glances as I walked through the hall—some wary, some relieved, a few even
