My mother’s voice was steady as she laid out the steps for the ceremony, her words weighed with the seriousness of it all. “You have to fast for the entire day, Faye. No food, no water. Your body needs to be empty and pure when you connect with the Moon Goddess.”
I nodded, trying to keep my thoughts from drifting to the gnawing hunger already starting to settle in my stomach. I could handle that—one day wasn’t so bad. But then she added something that made me pause.
“And you can’t see Ryder for the rest of the day,” she continued, her gaze unwavering. “The bond between you two is too strong. It will interfere with your connection to the Goddess. You need to be completely focused on the ceremony.”
A pit formed in my stomach at the thought of not seeing Ryder. After everything that had ha
