"Kael, are you truly going to be this cruel?"
Kael's face twisted with reluctance, but he turned away, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Just hand the token over to Mother first."
I laughed bitterly.
It tasted like ash in my mouth.
What kind of wolf had I chosen to bind myself to?
My hand trembled as I raised it, pointing toward my satchel.
"Behind our bonding portrait..."
Morwenna snatched my satchel with greedy claws. Inside lay the portrait of our small family—me, Kael, and our pup together.
She ripped the image out without hesitation and let it fall to the floor.
Just as I'd hidden it, the Moonblessing token gleamed behind the portrait.
"Finally found it!"
Vesper rushed forward immediately.
"Wait—verify the rune-marks first. Make sure she hasn't tricked us."
They examined it over and over, checking the sacred inscriptions multiple times before breaking into triumphant laughter.
"It's the real one."
I stared at them with hollow eyes.
"Can we take my mother to the healer-den now?"
Kael moved quickly to help my mother stand.
"Come, I'll drive the carriage."
Throughout the journey to the healer-den, Morwenna clutched the Moonblessing token as though it were her very lifeblood.
I held my mother's ice-cold hand, unable to stop the tears streaming down my face.
In the reflection of the carriage mirror, Kael drove with an expressionless face.
Morwenna was already counting heads.
"Twenty wolves in the pack. Five thousand resource shares each..."
Ronan spoke up eagerly.
"Can I get my portion now? I've had my eye on a new communication crystal..."
"What's the rush! We'll claim the full blessing at the Council Hall tomorrow!"
I closed my eyes.
All I could hear was the sound of their scheming.
My mother was rushed into the healing chamber.
My father sat in the corridor, holding Liri close on the stone bench.
The others chattered and laughed among themselves.
Vesper announced loudly.
"I want ceremonial furs—I've been eyeing a set for ages."
Ronan added.
"After the crystal, I can upgrade my hunting gear too."
Morwenna smiled indulgently.
"Fine, all of it is fine!"
At that moment, a healer's assistant approached with parchment.
"Family of Selene Ashvale—we need ten thousand resource shares as a deposit."
I turned to Kael.
"Half of that Moonblessing belongs to me through our mating bond. Transfer ten thousand to me first."
Kael froze.
In Morwenna's calculations, I had never existed at all.
Morwenna overheard and her brow furrowed deeply.
"Your mother's sickness is her own pack's burden. Why should my son pay for it?"
I looked at her coldly.
"So you're denying it now? Earlier you claimed the Moonblessing was shared property of mated pairs! I should receive fifty thousand!"
Morwenna planted her hands on her hips and laughed.
"This was my son's tribute of devotion to me. I've already distributed it."
Of course.
This was exactly the face I'd expected to see.
"Is this what you think too?"
Kael kept his head down, saying nothing.
I fixed my gaze on him.
"Put yourself in my place. If it were your mother lying in that chamber, what would you do?"
He still wouldn't lift his head.
After a long silence, he forced out a single sentence.
"I'm sorry, but I already promised Mother... I can't take it back now."
"Then what about my mother? Just watch her die?"
Kael grimaced.
"Maybe you could ask your birth-pack for help..."
His voice grew smaller and smaller.
"Or use your own savings..."
"What savings do I have?"
I lost control.
"Every moon-cycle, you only cover the den-debt payments, while the carriage loan and daily provisions all come from me! Liri's training fees and lessons—all of it is me. If I had savings, would I care so much about that fifty thousand?"
I stared at him.
"You earn twenty thousand in resource shares each cycle. After the den-debt, you still have twelve thousand left. Where does it go?"
Kael opened his mouth, glanced at Morwenna, and didn't dare speak.
"It comes to me."
Morwenna strode forward, her expression smug with triumph.
