Chapter 118 An Oath

• AN OATH
• The ritual night was unlike anything the Shadow Moon Pack had ever witnessed. The flames around the altar burned brighter than any ordinary fire, a strange silver sheen rippling through them as if the moon itself had descended to sit among mortals. The air was heavy with power, so thick it seemed to press against the skin of every wolf gathered. Nothing about that night was ordinary. Wolves who had never once believed in the power of the old ways found themselves trembling, unable to explain the pull that ran through their blood. Children whimpered, clutching at their mothers’ skirts, and even the elders stood rigid with both awe and fear.
• The seer had prepared the ground herself before the ritual began. She scattered sacred herbs mixed with powdered bone across the soil, whispering words too ancient for most to understand. Wherever the mixture touched, the earth seemed to breathe. Roots trembled beneath the surface, releasing a faint scent of pine and earth. The air grew cooler, yet the flames remained steady. A circle had been marked with salt and ash, its boundaries glowing faintly as the seer’s staff traced the edges. It was within this circle that Ava had lain down, dressed in white as if she were both sacrifice and vessel.