She just shrugs, looking slightly suspicious of my reaction.
“Do you knowwhatthe ceremony is?” I press.
Dale exhales through her nose, tilting her head like she’s examining a puzzle. “It’s a secret Society, Martine. I can only know so much,” she says, pulling a face that makes me laugh under my breath. “Plus, I missed mine because of you.”
“I didn’t mess things up too poorly, for you did I?” I pry, worry etched on my face.
She only nods quickly once, looking around us to check no one is eavesdropping on our conversation.
Dale watches me for a beat before leaning forward, her elbows resting on the table, her voice quieter now. "The Chosenceremony isn’t optional. It’s the final step before two people are bound by blood. And once it’s done, it’s irreversible. My family isn’t pleased I missed mine."
I blink, shaking my head. "ByBLOOD?" I shriek a bit too loudly for the library, and the student to the left of us shushes me.
Her gaze flickers with something knowing, like she’s enjoying peeling back the layers of a secret I should have already known. "All I know is it’s as contractual as it is bloody."
"Then why didn’t anything happen?" I press. "Why didn’t I go through the ceremony? Why didn’t you?"
Dale smirks, but there’s something sharper beneath it. "Because you disappeared with Hayden before the ceremony."
The words hit me like a punch to the stomach.
"No," I breathe, shaking my head. "That wasn’t—"
"Wasn’t intentional?" Dale interrupts smoothly. "Then tell me why, of all nights, you left with him? Right before the final Chosen ceremony?"
She doesn’t seem angry as I look at her, just honest.
My thoughts spin, flashes of that night rushing back. The secrecy. The urgency. The way Hayden had pulled me away before I could even think to protest.
I never stopped to think what that could mean for Dale, either. I mean, she was his chosen. Considering the pressure my family put on me, I can only imagine she’s under pressure just as much.
“I’ll be honest, it created a lot of problems for me, Martine,” She says lightly, not like she’s upset, really, but like she needs to tell me this, “My parents aren’t happy that Hayden didn’t go through with it, and now I’m going to be assigned to someone else. It doesn’t look the best, considering I’m a founder’s heir.” She shrugs.
"It wasn’t—" My voice falters.
Dale studies me, then tilts her head, watching the realization dawn on my face. "I know it wasn’t your fault. These aren’t the kind of men who don’t give us much choice."
I swallow hard, my throat suddenly dry.
“I mean, you completely missed the ceremony," she continues, her voice almost amused. "And that means they never got to bind you to anyone."
A strange sensation curls in my stomach, part unease, part something I don’t want to name.
"So he’s not bound to you?" I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
Dale’s lips curl at the edges. "No."
I freeze, suddenly terrified of the calm that washes over me from her words. Shouldn’t I be terrified of Hayden? Instead, why am I suddenly calmed by the fact that he’s not bound to Dale?
She leans back, stretching like she’s enjoying dragging this out. "He took you, and in doing so, he kept you from Archie and left me with no one."
I stare at her, my mind racing. I can’t fight the sympathy that crosses my face.
"So what does that mean?" I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
Dale exhales, her smirk widening. "It means Hayden Herron is still waiting to claim what’s his, and I’m certain it’s not me."
I shift uncomfortably, eyeing Dale with a mix of curiosity and unease. "How do you know so much about me?" I ask, careful to keep my tone light, though the question lingers in the air between us. "I mean, no offense, but it’s a little…unsettling."
