Never Free

Ch. 10 The Celebration

The snow had been swept from the steps, but the chill still crept under the doors. The packhouse buzzed with preparation—decorations hanging from the beams, candles lined in rows, food already being laid out on long tables.

Brandon had shifted.

So now, there would be a celebration. Amber called it tradition. Xochi knew it was something else. It was just another way for her to force her control.

She stood stiffly while Mira Green pinned her hair back into carefully, elegantly twisted loops, her hands careful but brisk. Amber had asked her to help Xochi get ready, since she doubted Xochi would do it correctly.

“You’ll look perfect beside him,” Amber said from behind, voice syrupy, startling her. “Just like you were meant to.” Xochi watched Amber through the reflection in the mirror. She was dressed in silver, her hair perfectly pinned in place.

Xochi didn’t answer and she watched her walk away.

The dress was pale blue, soft as snow and just as cold. She would've never picked it for herself.

It fit too well. Like it had been waiting for her. How long has Amber been planning this, she asked herself.

Brandon watched from across the room at the dining hall as the last decorations went up. He didn’t smile. He was lost in thought, lost in worry.

Amber had made her way over to the hall and came up next to her son. She slipped her arm around to his back and leaned in.

“Tonight, you show them what fate has given you.”

“What if she doesn’t—” he started, then stopped, worry cracking through the edges of his mask.

Amber pulled back just enough to meet his eyes.

“Touch her. Hold her hand. Let them see it. Who cares what she does? This is about you. It has always been about you.”

Brandon nodded once. He could fake it. He’d been faking everything else.

By nightfall, the hall was full of pack members. Wolves lined the walls, murmuring with excitement. Candles burned low, casting gold across the little more than two dozen pack members.

Brandon entered through the dining hall doors to applause. He was tall. Composed. A true alpha-in-waiting.

Amber beamed behind him like she was the one being crowned. Her silver gown shimmered under the golden light.

Xochi followed behind the mother and son in silence, every eye drawn to her pale dress and quiet expression.

“May I present to you our newest wolf, my son, Brandon,” Amber gleefully called out. She let the second round of applause die down before she led Xochi forward, presenting her to the crowd with an open hand.

“His Luna,” she said. “The bond is blooming.”

Xochi did not speak. She stood next to Brandon as another round of applause was showered on her.

She looked at the faces of the pack members. Nothing but hopeful smiles and eager stares looked back at her.

Brandon took her hand in his. His fingers were too tight around hers. His smile was too practiced.

“Smile,” he muttered. “Don’t make me look weak.” So, she smiled. Barely. Her lips moved, but her eyes didn’t change. Brandon’s jaw flexed. Inside, he was burning, she could tell. Good, she thought.

Brandon hated how little she tried. He wished he could shake some sense into her. Make her do what he wanted her to. Make her feel what she was supposed to feel. But she doesn’t feel anything… because there’s nothing to feel, he thought as the applause continued.

But the pack was watching. So he pressed closer, leaned near her ear like they shared some private moment. Took her hand in his.

He made it look real. That was all that mattered.

Byron stood near the back, arms folded, face unreadable.

He watched as Brandon led Xochi through the celebration—offering her his hand, brushing hair from her face, whispering things no one else could hear.

Something about it made his skin itch. They’re acting. They have to be, he thought as he watched through narrowed eyes. Brandon’s grip was too stiff. Xochi’s shoulders too still. He wasn't hurting her, shoving or grabbing her, but still—something didn't seem right to him.

He told himself it was just the past. That he was just used to seeing them at odds all the time. It was just caution that was making him feel uneasy. But another part of him—the part that never looked away from her—whispered something else.

You know why this bothers you, his thought bubbled up. You’ve always known.

As quickly as it came, Byron shoved it down just as fast, praying it stay buried wherever it came from.

Luckily, his attention was grabbed by his mother raising her glass.

“Our Alpha is rising,” she said, eyes shining. “His Luna awaits. And soon, the bond will be sealed.”

Cheers rang out. Not as loud as Amber probably wanted. Her smile faltered for just a second, too quick foremost to notice, but Byron knew she was picking up on the pack's doubt. Apparently, he wasn't the only one not buying the bond.

A few elders exchanged glances. No one said anything. But the silence behind the noise was beginning to show.

The rest of the celebration felt endless to Xochi. Brandon was attentive and always found a reason to touch her hand. It made her skin crawl. She hated every minute of it, but she kept her stoic stance and never let them see her falter.

By the time Xochi stood alone in her room, she was on edge.

She ripped the pins from her hair and let them clatter onto the floor. The dress stayed on the chair. The smile had faded hours ago. She stared at her reflection.

This wasn’t her.

It never had been.

She hadn’t spoken once that entire night.

But her every breath was a clear refusal.