I held my pup close and turned to leave without another word.
Behind me, the den erupted into chaos.
The matriarch's shrill voice cut through the air like claws on stone.
"Walk out that threshold, and never return to this pack!"
I didn't look back.
In the corridor leading away from the central den, Liri asked in a small voice.
"Mama, why aren't we eating anymore?"
"Because they wanted to make your mother a fool."
"What's a fool?"
"Someone who... gets their throat torn out and thanks the wolf who did it."
I stepped outside and summoned a territory runner to take us to my birth pack's holding.
Along the way, my message-stone kept vibrating with incoming summons.
Kael Stormhart's voice came through, laced with reproach.
"Where did you go? Come back now."
"Mother is only thinking of the whole pack. If you disagree, you could have discussed it properly."
"Are you deliberately trying to ruin the Moon Festival for everyone? Lyra, I truly underestimated you before. You really are that selfish!"
I didn't respond.
Kael sent summons after summons.
I silenced the stone completely.
I thought back to when I first received the Moonblessing payout. I had been so hopeful.
My mother had a growth pressing against her mind—a head-sickness that required healer intervention and long recovery, costing at least thirty thousand in resource shares.
And just last week, Kael's wellness assessment showed signs of a wasting sickness in his chest.
At the time, I had thought fate was showing mercy.
This blessing could solve our most urgent troubles.
But before I could even discuss it with Kael, that devoted son had already made promises to his matriarch.
So be it.
If only to protect my dignity, I had to guard what was mine.
My birth pack's den lay in the eastern reaches of the territory, nearly two hours by swift travel.
I sent word ahead to my mother.
"I'm bringing Liri home for the feast."
"Why now? Weren't you celebrating Moon Festival with your mate's pack?"
"It fell apart."
Silence stretched through the connection for two heartbeats.
"There's plenty of food. Come home."
Those simple words made my eyes sting with warmth.
When we arrived, my parents had already set out a full table.
Not as lavish as the Stormhart spread, but everything was food I loved.
Liri fell asleep quickly on the cushioned bench.
Only then did I have a moment to check my messages.
My stone showed countless notifications—nearly all from the pack alliance channel.
I didn't need to read them. They would all be curses aimed at me.
But one message stood out, from Branwen Duskbrook, a sentinel neighbor from our territory.
"Lyra, did someone breach your den? A whole group came through—they're tearing the place apart like raiders..."
I immediately opened the ward-stone vision linked to our home.
In the scrying image, Kael led his parents and his brother through our den, ransacking everything in sight.
Clothes from the wardrobe, contents of every drawer, books and documents—all scattered across the floor.
The matriarch's voice came through the ward-stone's hearing, sharp as broken glass.
"Search carefully! It must be hidden here somewhere!"
"Mother, this doesn't feel right..." Kael's voice wavered with uncertainty.
"What's wrong about it? That's shared mating property! What right does she have to keep it all?"
"But Moonblessing tokens aren't marked with names..."
"Exactly why we need to find it!"
Morwenna's voice rose even higher.
"Whoever holds it, claims it! Go search the sleeping chamber again!"
Cold spread through my entire body.
I knew my mate's pack valued resources above bonds, but I never imagined they would go this far.
Thankfully, I had kept the blessing token on my person all along.
Vesper, Kael's sister, tore apart Liri's toys and called out impatiently.
"Brother, there's really nothing here."
"Keep looking!"
Morwenna commanded from across the room.
"Flip the sleeping furs! Pull out every drawer and check behind them!"
Their actions were no different from territory raiders.
After two hours of destruction, they finally left our den, reluctant and empty-handed.
I preserved the ward-stone recording.
All of this would serve as evidence later.
My mother approached with a bowl of forest berries.
"What are you watching? Your face has gone pale."
