By dawn, most of my travel packs were prepared. Leather bags stood against the stone wall beside my bed, tied and marked with runes. Garments, parchments and crystal records I had not yet burned. I folded the final tunics with slow care, not from affection, but because there was a strange calm in working quietly.
They all believed I was only packing for the Moonbond Ceremony.
No one questioned when their Luna would be back. No one asked if I would go back at all.
That silence answered everything.
I walked to the back of my chamber, where I kept a small velvet-lined case hidden within my chest. My adornments. Simple things collected through cycles, nameday gifts, clan tokens, small keepsakes I once treasured.
I opened the case. The necklace.
A moon-diamond pendant set in pale silver, shaped in an old clan design. It once belonged to my grandmother, then my mother and then me. I was meant to wear it on my mating night, whenever that fate arrived.
But when I looked inside, it was gone.
The necklace was missing.
My body went cold.
I searched the drawers. The shelves. The locked box is beneath my bed. I tore through my travel packs. Nothing.
My heart struck hard against my ribs. I left my chamber and went straight into the main den.
Alden was there, resting on the couch, his crystal communicator in hand.
“Alden,” I said, my voice sharp, “where is my moon-diamond necklace?”
He barely lifted his gaze. “Ah. That.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I gave it to Selene,” he replied easily. “She will wear it on our Bloodmoon Territory journey. It suits her.”
My breath stopped. “You did what?”
He finally looked at me, irritation clear. “She admired it. It fit her. You were not using it, so I allowed it.”
I stepped closer, hands tight. “That pendant is not a decoration. It is a blood heirloom. It belongs to my mother’s pack. It was given to me. It is mine.”
Alden shook his shoulders. “She is family, too. Why are you acting this way? She only borrowed it.”
“No,” I said through clenched teeth. “She was never a pack blood. I brought her into our lives. I begged my Alpha parents to shelter her. I gave her a den. And she took everything.”
His face darkened. “You are speaking poorly, Liora. I cannot believe you were truly envious of her, just as she said.”
“I am speaking truth,” I said bitterly. “I regret bringing her into my pack. And I am not jealous. Never. She is nothing but poison.”
The sound came without warning.
A sharp strike.
My head snapped to the side. Heat burned across my cheek.
I blinked, stunned. Alden’s hand remained lifted between us.
“She is your sister by bond,” he said harshly. “She is packed. Never speak of her that way again.”
Before I could respond, Selene stepped from her chamber. She wore a silk robe, bare feet silent on stone, her face shaped in false concern.
“What is happening?” she asked softly. “Why are voices raised?”
I pointed at her chest. “Where is my necklace?”
She glanced down, as if surprised to see it resting there. The moon-diamond shone at her throat.
“Oh… this?” she said lightly, touching it. “I borrowed it. I did not think you would mind. Alden said it was fine. I am a pack member too, am I not?”
“Remove it,” I ordered. “Now.”
Her face tightened. “Luna….”
“Remove. It.”
I stepped forward. She stepped back, clutching the pendant.
“What is happening with you?” she cried. “Why are you like this? I only wanted to feel beautiful. I love this piece…”
I reached for it. She pulled away. We struggled. She resisted harder than expected.
The chain snapped.
The pendant fell, striking stone, rolling beneath the low table.
“You broke it!” I shouted.
“It is not serious,” she said, breathless. “It is only jewelry.”
“You had no right to touch it!”
Alden rushed between us, blocking my path. “Enough!”
Draven came from the hall, moving straight to Selene. “Are you harmed?”
“She has gone mad,” Selene sobbed, holding his arm. “She is cruel. I did not mean to damage it…”
“She attacked me,” she added quietly. “I think she pushed me.”
I felt numb. “You are shameless.”
Draven turned on me, eyes cold. “What is wrong with you? She did not mean it. You always seek conflict.”
Then Alden shoved me back, not hard, but enough to unbalance me.
“Stop this,” he mumbled, guiding Selene away.
And again, they left me. Alone.
I stood in the center of the den, breathing unevenly, staring at the broken chain on the floor. I knelt and gathered the pieces with shaking fingers.
That was it.
The final boundary crossed.
I returned to my chamber, took my crystal communicator and activated a call rune.
A sleepy voice answered. “Hello?”
“It is Luna Liora,” I said plainly. “I wish to sell the manor dwelling in Mooncrown.”
“Sell?” the voice echoed. “Immediately?”
“Yes,” I replied. “List it. Open it to buyers.”
