My heart wouldn't stop hammering in my chest. Even after Elara left, her words about the Moon Bathing ritual kept echoing in my mind, each repetition sending fresh waves of anxiety through my body.
Naked. In front of the entire pack. Leading a sacred ritual.
I paced our suite, one hand pressed protectively over my baby bump. The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the room as I moved restlessly from window to sofa to bed and back again.
"This is insane," I whispered to myself, feeling the familiar sting of tears. "How can I possibly do this?"
The thought of standing bare before hundreds of werewolves—people who already questioned my place among them—made my stomach churn. I wasn't ashamed of my body exactly, but my very human sense of modesty screamed in protest. And with my pregnancy changing my figure daily...
