ley

ver Peak, bypassing the commercial high-rises and pulling into

nstructed from dark grey granite, its towering arched doors carve

ide, escorting me up the wide stone steps as th

ld, the low hum of conversation insid

ck representatives sat in the carved wooden pews, their sharp,

ifted, forcing my trembling legs to carry me

was comple

o groom wai

arry had not even bothered to

out among the guests in the front rows, s

family dumped on us? She looks like

t an altar for a sacrificial pawn? The elders forced this ma

I clamped my jaw shut, refusing to give them

throat nervously, wiping sweat from his foreh

cathedral's overhead sound system, making the sensit

g hymn, the sound system began bl

ted ceiling, filling the sacred hall with t

ud, mocking laughter, pointing at my solit

designed to remind me that this marriage w

nged open, and an imposing woman in her late fifties s

, and a heavy, braided silver torc gleamed ag

atriarch of the clan and the m

" Deborrah barked, her voice carrying the sha

funeral march cut out abruptly, leaving

feet in front of me, her cold, calculating eyes sweepi

h announced loudly, addressing the entire room without bothering to look at

ned on her designer heel and walked tow

u need to learn the

followed her through the narrow arched d

ting off the noise from the chapel, leavin

pouring herself a cup of black tea from a porcelai

ing makes you a real Luna in this territory," Deborrah sa

Mejia," I replied evenly, meetin

tate her, and she leaned forwar

to satisfy the tribal council's deadline," she sneered, her voice dro

and," I sa

ly. "For the next sixty days, you will keep your head down, you will never inquire ab

in her leather chair with

r standard severance check, and disappear from Silver Peak forever. If you

cted relief wash

mo

would be completely free from both the Mccall family and th

d, dipping my head slightly to con

eaching into her leather clutch to p

oor at my feet, watching me like a

the Grand Summit Tower," she said dismissively. "Cristian

metal card from the floor, the

cathedral as the guests drove away in their luxury seda

y lace train onto the cracked vinyl seat, and gav