Page 8 of Ceremony of Lust

“Great.”

Every Match Ceremony, he gives me some kind of lecture on finally taking responsibility for my life. My parents are the only ones, outside of the Elders, who know about my past, and while my mother has forgiven me, my father still treats me with animosity.

When my mother leaves, I get out of bed to rummage through my bag for a T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. Once I’m decently dressed, I head to the dining room where my father is waiting with an expectant look on his face.

“Who is the unlucky girl today,” I ask as I sit down, reaching for the silver pot of coffee. The dark brown liquid streams into my cup, the delicious aroma hitting my nose and waking me up.

“Yael Blum,” he answers gruffly as he shakes out his newspaper and continues to read the day’s headlines. I try to picture the girl in my head; surely, I’ve seen her before, but I can’t conjure a face.

“Yael Blum? Didn’t her grandfather pay to have her mother’s match invalidated?”

“Watch your tongue, Zev! Harold Blum was deeply respected in this community.”

“If he was so revered, then why the scandal? Why was his daughter shunned? Surely, you must know what people say about the Blum family.”

“I do not pay attention to idle gossip,” he says with impatience as he folds his newspaper and sets it on the mahogany dining table. “There are things you know about this town, but just remember, you do not know all of its secrets. Do you need to be reminded of your own indiscretions, son? They could have easily ruined this family. Then what, Zev? You are lucky the Elders even helped you.”

I look away and rub my jaw. “If Hadassah chooses me tonight, is that it? Is my life over then?”

“You are their Wolf, Zev. How could they possibly let you go free?” My father sips his coffee, making eye contact with me over the rim of the mug. “However, being selected might give you the courage to finally take charge of your own life.”

“Unless Hadassah chooses Anders Huxley, and then I’m fucked.”

The problem with Match Ceremonies is young, single men are thrown into the mix with men who might have already been married once or even twice. Anders Huxley, the Chief Elder, was recently widowed, making him eligible to be matched with Yael Blum. The thought of someone like him being matched with someone so young makes my skin crawl. For her sake, I hope he is passed over.

“Say the word, son, and I can persuade Hadassah to choose you.”

“Bribe the Mystic?”

“You act like it hasn’t been done before.”

“And become beholden to you while remaining chained to them? No, thank you, Father. I’ll take my chances tonight.”

I finish my breakfast and excuse myself from the table. There’s still an uneasiness in my bones, and the only way I know how to handle stress is to work. My life might change dramatically, but I still have a business to run.

Landau Security was started with seed money provided by the Elders. They saw something in me and bailed me out of a sticky situation in exchange for the money to start my business. It’s the perfect cover to provide them with much-needed muscle. Most of the time, it’s small jobs. Many of them own properties outside of Ripley, and when they have tenants who are late with rent, they send me to collect. Sometimes though, I’m asked to do things I know I’ll eventually regret. Dark, ugly things that erase bits of my humanity.

For hours, I work in my father’s library, checking in with my team and ensuring their jobs are running smoothly. I’ve no idea how long I’ve been working until there’s a soft knock on the door and my mother’s face appears.

“Do you want me to trim your hair before you leave?” she asks.

I blink a few times, confused. She steps inside the library and runs her hands through my hair the way she did when I was a child.

“When was the last time you visited the barber,” she scolds me playfully.

“To be honest, I don’t know.”

“Come to the bathroom.” She pats my shoulder, and I cover it with my hand.

“What if Hadassah picks me tonight, Mother?”

“Then you’ll make a good husband. You come from a good family. You’re wealthy. You will provide Yael with a good life.”

“But I am not a good man.”

“We’re all capable of redemption, Zev. You just have to want it.” She kisses my cheek and leaves.

I sit back in the hard, wooden chair and lean my head on my fist. My mother’s words echo in my thoughts. Do I want to be redeemed? Can Zev the Wolf be tamed? I wasn’t sure of either thing.