SERA

The ceremony never started.

We were in the great hall, the candles lit, the pack assembled. I was standing at the center of the clearing in a simple white dress that Mrs. Harlow had altered to accommodate the slight curve of my belly. Kael was across from me, his eyes warm, his hands steady, and the bond between us was thrumming with a readiness that made my skin tingle.

The Elder officiant had just opened his mouth to begin the ceremonial invocation when the alarm went off.

Three sharp ...