hat everyone should get ready. From the kitchen, I could hear my mother whistling a lullaby. I suppose th

r was seated at the kitchen table, doing the last few alterations to my bridal gown. She had spent months stitching it together with tan fur and silks,

ake you. Are you ready to try it

on sooner or later

he undergarments you would we

the brown wit

air to shove my disda

with red lace

my eyes.

Come here, let me

t and came over to me. She removed my rob

uch a fine woman.” She whimpere

ways be your baby

me into the dress once she was assured that they were properly secured in place. As soon as my feet were in the center, sh

it over my tummy and breast. As it got increasingly tight on my chest, breathing became more d

a surprise for y

difficult. In the end, she brought over a wo

beamed, handing

w you shouldn’

silly, o

k ribbon laced through them were revealed to me. I took

are gor

my mother, and her mother. Each generation of women in our famil

ister wear if t

daughter. She will get a new ge

he box, I jumped up and hugged h

y. Now, let’s get the

to the square and join my prospective husband and the rest of the tribe's members. I was losing hope th

er and I made our way to the meeting grounds, I saw that the ground was completely covered in petals everywhe

at me with a happy grin and a tinge of obligation in his eyes before wrapping his arm thro

rs. Ahiga was standing at the end of the path. His pants were made of leather, and he wore fur around the sides of them. His chest was exposed with fur across his back an

d a murmured "thank you" to him from beside me. The moment the spiritual man began to speak

had said anything negative about me since I had arriv

take place, please speak now or forever h

please

” He ask

this.” A famil

nd gasps in the audience. Calian was standing near my

s tightened

our reasoning?” The

not want this.” Calian sh

The Chief

y face as Ahiga refused to

lian responded tak

he did was nowhere clos

ceremony.” My

o you, Ahiga, take Kiera as your soulmate,

wered, annoyan

s your soulmate, bond foreve

become dry, and I had lost my ability to spe

” Ahiga

s of answering no would be severe. My family w

it difficult to take in any air. Ahiga and I started to cough, resulting in him releasing my hands. I turned my gaze to Ca