Tomorrow. The wedding was tomorrow at noon in the citadel's great hall. Not small. Not quiet. Everyone.
Her entire pack was invited. Elias's court, his elders, his guards, even some neutral clan leaders who wanted to witness the peace. Tables for hundreds. Banners with both wolf and vampire sigils.
A priest from the old order to speak the vows. White silk dress already waiting for her in the preparation chamber. Rings forged from silver and obsidian. It was a fucking wedding. Not a quick signature and a cold handshake. A spectacle.
A show for both sides to prove the war was really over. She walked into the pack house after dark. The fire was roaring. People everywhere-packmates sitting on benches, elders murmuring, kids running between legs. They all went quiet when she came in. Her mother stood up first. Eyes red.
"Rhea..." Rhea held up a hand. "Don't." She walked straight to her room. Shut the door. Locked it. The room was the same as always-narrow bed, worn rug, Kael's old knife on the shelf. She dropped onto the mattress without taking off her boots.
Stared at the ceiling beams. Tomorrow she would wake up here one last time. Walk out in that white dress. Ride to the citadel with half the pack trailing behind like a funeral procession. Stand in front of Elias in front of everyone she knew. Say "I do" while her father watched, while her mother cried, while Jiro and Mara stood with clenched fists, while Uncle Torin nodded like it was all noble and right.
She turned on her side. Pulled Kael's coat over her like a blanket. The scent was fading-pine, smoke, him. She buried her face in it. Her chest hurt. Not crying hurt. Just... heavy. Like someone had stacked stones on her ribs.
She thought about the dress. White silk. High neck. Long sleeves. Someone had chosen it to look innocent. To look like peace. She hated it already. Hated how it would feel sliding over her skin. Hated how everyone would look at her in it and think "she's the one who saved us." She wasn't saving anyone.
She was being sacrificed. She rolled onto her back again. Hands clenched at her sides. What if she ran? Right now. Grabbed a horse, headed north, disappeared into the mountains. Jiro would cover for her. Mara would lie. Her mother might even help. But then the war started again. More graves. More kids without fathers.
More brothers like Kael bleeding out in the snow. She couldn't do that. She pressed the heel of her hand to her eyes. Hard. Tomorrow Elias would be waiting at the altar. Tall. Cold. Gray eyes on her the whole time. He'd say his vows like they meant something. She'd say hers because she had to.
Everyone would clap. Everyone would drink. Everyone would pretend it was beautiful. She would smile if she had to. She would walk down the aisle. She would let him put the ring on her finger. But inside she would be screaming. She sat up. Grabbed the wolf pendant from around her neck. Held it tight until the edges bit into her palm.
"I'm not yours," she whispered to the dark. To Elias. To the citadel. To tomorrow. "I'm not anyone's." She lay back down. Eyes open. The firelight from the main room slipped under the door crack.
Voices murmured outside-people laughing nervously, someone singing a low pack song. Life going on. She didn't sleep. She just waited for morning. For the dress. For the ride. For the moment she stepped into that hall and everyone looked at her like she was the end of the war. She felt sick. She felt angry. She felt terrified. And she felt nothing at all. All at once.
Tomorrow was coming whether she wanted it or not. And when it did, she'd walk into it with her head up. Because wolves didn't bow. Even in white silk.