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I kept my eyes trained on Selena across the circle. She hugged herself and refused to meet my gaze.

“You have gathered for a chance to find that sacred union we so desperately crave, to continue our line and our existence for futures to come.”

Terra visited each participant in the circle, her ceremonial athame drawn. When she stopped at me, I saw through the flickering darkness a stray smile. Despite her duties as the seer, she never discouraged Selena and me. I wondered why, especially when she usually agreed with my dad about everything.

But, as she dragged the tip of the knife across my palm, I held my breath. The sharp edge produced a wet line of blood, and I clenched my teeth against the sting. The seer hurried to the next awaiting werewolf.

When everyone had bled, she returned to the center, chanting her lines and holding her hands up to the full moon. Everyone was quiet, holding their breath.

Next to me, a spark blossomed in the palm of a young werewolf visiting from one of the OA territories. It rose slowly above his head and floated across the clearing. Moony-eyed, he followed it. From the other side of the fire, an identical spark rose, and the two lights shot toward one another, coming together in a shimmering shower of sparks. Under the blaze of light, he stood with his new mate. They regarded each other, eyes alight with wonder. We in the circle watched in awe as the couple joined hands, leaned in, and kissed.

More sparks erupted after that. Couples bathed in glittery sparks were hurrying, hand in hand, into the forest shadows to enjoy their first moments of forever together. I scanned those remaining in the circle, searching for her.

A sudden jolt of energy seized me.

My vision flooded with a scintillating haze wrapped in silver starlight, and a strange, mesmerizing music, like rain falling on crystal chimes, filled my head. The orbs summoned me, pulled me forth with a silent command I was compelled to obey. The sensation of gritty sand under my feet was the single tether that kept me bound to the earth as I reached for my mate, the heavens in her gaze.

All traces of agitation and apprehension melted away. There was only the silky sensation of being wrapped in mint and honey. Embraced. Cool and sweet andhome. My shoulders opened and my chest relaxed, my whole self expanding, and I had the sense that I could finallybreathe. Like every other breath had been held in anticipation for this single moment.

I gave no resistance to the impulse to kiss her. The action was familiar, instinctual, imperative. And then I tasted those sacred lips, and a vast world of realization opened up to me. I would run miles, fight to my last breath, and burn the world down just for her.

When I finally broke for air to survey my love wholly at this moment, I was met with the exquisite sight of who the fates had always known was my one, true mate. Of course, it was her,Diana.

DIANA

My morning started like any other. Wake up early, shower, get dressed, devour a quick breakfast, and avoid Selena. It was an easy thing to do. Selena rarely woke up as early as I did, and so I had the bonus of her equally avoiding me.

Avoidance was my thing now. I avoided all of my favorite people lately.

I’d been over it in my head a thousand times. My trip to Cersey’s felt unreal, like a dream. I’d been certain before I crossed back into the compound that her vile potion hadn’t worked. By the time I got home, my longing for Orion was unbearable.

Like I could actually bargain with a sketchy old hag to rid me of my obsession with Orion. How could I have been so half-mooned?I decided right then that there was no bargain. She didn’t hold up her end, so I owed her nothing. “That’s fair,” I mumbled to no one.

But then, at the ceremony, the unimaginable happened. Orion was bound tome. In one moment, the goddess answered my deepest longing. The next moment we had stolen away to a private spot on Kuksu Beach Trail together, and I was swept up in a torrent of elation, bliss, rhapsody. My lips, the nape of my neck, and tips of my earlobes tingled where he had kissed, nuzzled, and nipped, and I grew warm remembering the feel of his hard bulge pressing against my middle.

The shame hit me only when Orion and I were walking back to the beach and I caught sight of Selena, alone and crumpled on the ground near an extinguished torch. She must have felt my gaze. She looked up and saw us just as I tugged on Orion’s hand to follow me in the other direction. Orion was oblivious, his eyes never left my face, but I couldn’t take my eyes off my sister’s. In the bright moonlight, her expression was marred with pain, disgust, and betrayal. She stood slowly, brushing off the sand and watching us. In that moment, I knew she’d never forgive me. I wanted to run to her, to explain, but I was frozen, my hand attached to the love of her–of my–life. All I could do was watch her turn and walk away.

That is when I thought of Cersey. As Orion stroked my hair, held my face, planted kisses on my cheeks, my lips, my neck, chattering sweet promises of our love, our future together, the ground seemed to fall out and I was spiraling. Orion steadied me, chuckling and blaming my dizziness on the trance, an after-effect of the ritual, like I was a delicate flower. He led me to sit down, and I stiffened as he pulled me towards him.

I was overwhelmed by it all; I let him think that was it. I couldn’t tell him I was puzzling something horrible together, something unthinkable.

What if all of this was because…Cersey?

While other couples were bemoaning the requirement that we return to our family’s homes on the night of the ritual, I was relieved to hear my mother’s call to come back to the circle. Orion groaned, but I made a comment about tradition and duty. To that, he smiled broadly, then kissed me with such devoted tenderness that my heart nearly burst on the spot.

Soon after, I was back in my own bed, not sleeping, going over and over what had transpired at the witch’s cottage that night. The potion. The amulet. She’d known about Dad. And me. She’d known the ceremony was happening on the Blue Flower Moon. Why did she need me to get the amulet? Why did they take the amulet in the first place? She’d started the potion as soon as I mentioned Orion. She knew Orion was Alpha Nathaniel's son. The amulet. The potion. The bargain…

By morning I still hadn’t worked much of it out, but I was almost convinced of one thing. My bond with Orion, our fated coupling, was not the doing of Goddess–this was Cersey’s magic. Probably.

I’d also determined that Cersey was many things, but she was no charlatan. She was a powerful sorceress, and I was a pawn in her game. She was also a liar. On that beach last night I had no choice. No control at all. Worse yet, I was powerless to change it.

Now what? I couldn’t take back the ritual, the moment we were taken by the trance and given to each other by the fates, a union blessed by the Goddess herself. Or so everyone believed.

I dragged a sleeve across my eyes to wipe the tears away and got on with my morning. It’s like Dad said. Pride and Pack, first and always. Life carries on.

* * *

It had beena week since the coupling ceremony and so far, I’d managed to avoid Orion. He was needed at the council to deal with the human trespassers. I was training and patrolling with Cara day and night. At first, it was everything I could do to put him off, but the excuses wore thin pretty quickly. After a few days, Orion seemed to be avoiding me in turn, which stung more than I wanted to admit.