Meeting the Devil

‘Ruin your mating ceremony…

Humiliate Ryan in front of the pack and accuse Selene of leaking false news…’

Flora shook her head instantly.

“I’m not doing it.”

The words left her mouth quickly.

Marcus didn’t respond immediately.

He stood a few feet away from her, his expression unreadable.

“You don’t get to decide that so quickly,” he said at last, his voice low.

Flora let out a sharp breath. “I already did.”

Marcus stepped closer to her.

“This isn’t about pride,” he said. “Or guilt you're feeling. This is about damage control.”

Flora laughed, but there was no humor in it.

“Damage control?” she repeated. “You want me to stand in front of everyone and humiliate Ryan? Accuse Selena of something I don’t even know is true?”

“You don’t know it isn’t,” Marcus countered.

Her eyes flashed. “That’s not the point!”

“That is exactly the point,” he said, his tone sharpening. “We’re being handed a way out—”

“A way out?” Flora cut in, incredulous. “By ruining other people?”

Marcus’s jaw tightened.

“By protecting ourselves.”

Flora took a step back, shaking her head.

“No. That’s not protection…that’s cowardice. I refuse to be a coward...”

Something cold flickered in his eyes then.

“You’re still thinking like this is about right and wrong,” he said quietly. “It stopped being that the moment we made that mistake.”

The words hit her hard.

Flora’s chest tightened…but she didn’t back down.

“Then I’ll deal with the consequences,” she said.

Marcus let out a slow breath, his gaze fixed on her like he was trying to see through her.

“You don’t even understand the consequences.”

“Then explain them to me!” she snapped.

His silence was answer enough.

And somehow, that made it worse.

Flora clenched her fists.

“No,” she said again, firmer this time. “I’m not becoming that person. I won’t destroy someone else just to save myself.”

Marcus’s voice dropped.

“Ryan and Selena didn’t think twice about destroying you.”

The words struck a nerve.

For a second…just a second, she hesitated.

Images flashed in her mind.

Seeing them in the bedroom together, backbiting her and making her look like a complete fool.

Her throat tightened.

“That’s the reality you’re dealing with,” he pressed. “People don’t play fair. And if you keep pretending they do, you’re going to lose.”

Flora swallowed hard.

“I don’t care,” she said, though her voice wavered slightly. “If I do this… I’m no better than them.”

A long silence followed.

The air is thick and heavy.

Marcus studied her like she was a problem he couldn’t solve.

Then finally—

“Fine,” he said.

But there was nothing accepting in his tone.

“Have it your way.”

Flora didn’t trust that.

Not for a second.

But she was too angry to stay.

“Good,” she said, turning toward the door.

“Flora—”

She didn’t let him finish.

She grabbed the handle, yanked the door open, and stepped out.

The slam echoed behind her.

Her room felt too quiet.

Too still.

Flora dropped her bag on the floor and paced once, twice, before stopping in the middle of the room.

Her phone felt heavy in her hand.

The messages still sat there waiting for a reply 

She just stared at them as her heart pounded.

Do it. Just do it.

It would be so easy.

Just one lie. One moment of cruelty.

And everything would go away.

Or at least—

That’s what they wanted her to believe.

Flora’s jaw tightened.

“No,” she whispered.

Her fingers moved.

She opened the message and simply typed..

No.

She stared at it for a second.

Then hit send.

The message was delivered.

And just like that…

It was done.

Nothing happened.

At first, Flora thought maybe it was delayed.

That something would come.

Another message.

A threat.

Something.

But hours passed.

And there was nothing.

A day.

Still nothing.

Two days.

Silence.

By the third day, the tension in her had settled.

It wasn't entirely gone, but it had at least… dulled.

Flora still checked her phone day in and out.

By the end of the week…

Even that began to fade.

“Flora!”

Her mother’s voice echoed from downstairs.

Flora blinked, pulling herself out of her thoughts.

“Coming!” she called back.

She set her phone down on the bed and headed out.

Mrs. Bennett stood in the living room, surrounded by fabric samples, papers, and what looked like a growing list of plans.

“You’re finally here,” she said, barely looking up. “Good. We don’t have much time.”

Flora frowned slightly. “For what?”

Her mother looked up then, her eyes bright with excitement.

“The Binding Feast, of course.”

Flora stilled.

“The… what?”

Mrs. Bennett smiled. “It’s the formal gathering before the ceremony. Both families, the pack.

.everyone important will be there. It’s where everything is solidified before the final rite.”

Flora’s stomach tightened.

“We need to make sure everything is perfect,” her mother continued, already moving again. “You and Lily will handle the presentation details. Decorations, seating, appearance…everything.”

Flora forced a nod. “Okay.”

“Good,” Mrs. Bennett said briskly. “Now go. Lily should be here any minute.”

Lily arrived exactly ten minutes later.

And for the first time in what felt like forever—

Things felt… normal.

They laughed and argued over colors.

They debated details that didn’t matter.

And for a little while, Flora allowed herself to forget.

For a while there were no threats or messages or secrets.

Just—

Lily.

Her best friend.

“Okay, no,” Lily said, holding up a sample. “This is awful.”

Flora laughed. “It’s not that bad.”

“It’s terrible,” Lily insisted. “If you pick this, I’m not showing up.”

Flora raised an eyebrow. “You’d really skip my event over a color?”

“Absolutely.”

Flora shook her head, smiling despite herself.

“Drama queen.”

“Perfectionist,” Lily corrected.

Flora laughed again.

And for that moment—

It felt real and it felt so easy.

Like things weren’t slowly unraveling under the surface.

And then her phone buzzed.

The sound cut through everything.

Flora froze.

Her smile faded instantly.

Lily didn’t notice.

“Wait…look at this one,” she said, reaching for another sample.

But Flora wasn’t listening anymore.

Her heart had already started racing.

Slowly… carefully…

She reached for her phone.

Unknown number.

Her stomach dropped.

It was back.

Her fingers felt cold as she opened the message.

A picture loaded.

Flora’s breath caught.

It was an invitation card to The Binding Feast.

Her grip tightened around the phone as Lily still kept talking

Flora’s eyes moved to the text under the image.

And everything inside her went still.

“See you at the feast.”