Maren
My stomach felt like a knot. A really tight one, pulled like a rope until it hurt. I tried to breathe slow, like Mom always told me. In, out. You are strong. You are loved.
But Mom wasn’t here. She was just a feeling in my chest now, a silver thread around my heart that only I could see. And Aldric, my father, was at the front of the hall, standing next to the old Elder.
He looked like always, like a stone. He never looked at me like I was a person. He looked through me, or past me, like I was just a ghost who got in the way.
He always did, ever since I was born a girl. A girl wasn't what he wanted. A girl was a problem.
The ceremony hall was too big, too loud with all the whispers. Both packs were here, Ashveil on one side, IronBlood on the other. They were lined up against the
