chapter 25

Tara can’t look me in the eye now. “Not like at the festival. It’s a real whip, and it really, really hurts. I felt so bad for Josh because he kept saying ‘sorry’ after every lash.”

“No way.” I push myself up from the bed and bolt across the room, as if I can escape the ceremony by getting further from my sister’s description of it.

“Do you want me to keep talking, or have you heard enough?” Tara asks, genuine concern behind her words.

I don’t want to hear anymore, but not knowing will only make whatever I imagine after worse than it probably actually is. “Fine.”

She hesitates, but continues when I shoot her an icy glare. “After the whipping, he transforms and the two of you…mate.”

“While he’s a werewolf?” Maybe I’ve been around humans too long, but that sounds so disgusting to me. Plus, everyone else in there is doing it, too? “Do the acolytes like, watch or something? This is so gross!”

“Nobody watches. That I know of,” she quickly revises. “But trust me, it’s not as mortifying as i