Chapter Eighty-Five: Ceremony Part One

Kiara POV: My heart was pounding as I sat on the edge of the bed, minutes stretching into eternity as I awaited the dreaded ceremony. Today had marked nine days since I had last seen my mates. Aiden had left to prepare, leaving me with my thoughts and the unyielding walls of the room that had become my prison. The scent of wolfsbane wafted from hidden corners, a poisonous deterrent for any wolf thinking of shifting. I took out the small, crudely carved wooden figure from under the mattress. It was a wolf, whittled by shaky hands in stolen moments—Seraphina had given it to me just this morning. "It's a guardian," she'd said, her voice almost a whisper, "to watch over you." I clenched it in my hand now, drawing strength from its form. Seraphina had begun to trust me, to believe in the sliver of hope we were both clinging to. In return, I'd promised her that I would find a way to escape, to bring help, and to expose Alpha Francis for the tyrant he was. I had also started collecting inform