“Yes,” I replied. “List it. Place it before buyers.”
There was a brief pause through the crystal communicator. Then the pack steward cleared her throat. “Understood, Luna Liora. To confirm, you are releasing the manor fully? Are there wolves residing there who must be informed?”
I breathed out slowly. “Yes. Three of them, Alden, Draven and Selene. They have shared the den with me for many cycles. I want formal notice delivered after I leave the territory and must go back to the pack.”
She hesitated. “Are there any binding agreements?”
“No,” I replied without emotion. “They stayed without offering moon-credits. It was never meant to be lasting.”
The manor had been gifted by my Alpha parents when I first entered the Lunar Academy. A quiet stone dwelling meant for one wolf became a shared den when Alden and Draven followed me into Mooncrown. Selene joined one cycle later, after my parents took her into our bloodline. I had begged for independence, for the chance to live freely, away from the shadow of Obsidian Fang Pack duties and clan power.
They warned me. They feared I would be hurt. But I had been blinded by love for Alden, by loyalty to Draven, by the dream of a chosen pack that would never break.
Back then, nothing mattered more than being together beneath the same roof.
Now, everything I built had fallen apart.
“I want an account prepared,” I added to the pack steward. “All unpaid shelter dues for the last four cycles. Written clearly. If they cannot pay, begin removal rites.”
“Understood,” she answered. “The parchments will be handled quietly and the manor will be opened to buyers.”
I nodded. “Thank you.”
I ended our conversation and activated another rune on my crystal communicator, contacting my pack steward.
“I want all my belongings traded,” I said. “Furnishings. Tools. Everything is still inside.”
“Everything on it?” he asked.
“Yes. I will take nothing.”
The connection ended, yet I remained standing.
I looked around the manor, my manor, for the final time. The air felt still, heavy, as if the walls themselves knew I was leaving. The place that once echoed with laughter now held only quiet.
I walked through the common hall slowly, my fingers brushing the stone bench where we once gathered during feast nights. The worn mark where Selene always sat was still there. So was the cracked table edge Draven caused when he stumbled after training. Even the crystal image on the wall, our first cycle together after the Academy, still reflected smiling wolves I no longer recognized.
I remembered cooking late at night with Alden, burning the first loaf and laughing as we ate it anyway. I remembered card games at the table, wagers over who would patrol next. I remembered believing this den was more than stone; it was home.
I had built my small world here. Now it was only a resting place for ghosts.
For a moment, I wished it could have been saved. That perhaps, if I had endured longer, things would have changed.
But no. I had endured long enough.
With a steady breath, I whispered farewell to the den and to the Luna who once believed love alone could bind a pack.
I lifted my travel case, left the manor and did not turn back. I took shelter at a Moonrest Inn beyond the inner territory, only until my skybound griffin departed. No goodbyes. No explanations.
Only silence.
It was not peace yet, but it was closer than I had felt in many cycles.
I was sipping warm herb brew in the Moonrest chamber when my crystal communicator pulsed.
Alden: [What is happening? Why are pack workers taking our things?]
I waited before answering, letting confusion settle. Then I sent back a simple message.
I answered, [That would be the removal notice.]
Moments later, Alden mindlinked me.
I answered.
“What madness is this?” Alden demanded. “Removal? Why are they here? Is this some trick?”
“I am selling the manor,” I replied calmly. “The parchments were sealed this morning.”
“You cannot do that! I am your Alpha, your mate!” he roared. “We never agreed!”
“I do not require your approval,” I said coldly. “It belongs to me, not under Stormfang Pack territory, but in Mooncrown. You have never given moon-credits. Not for shelter. Not for light runes. Not even for shared meals.”
Silence followed, thick and sharp.
Then he growled, “You are overreacting again. Come back, Liora. We can fix this.”
“There is nothing left to fix,” I said, standing by the window as rain washed the lantern lights below. “I am finished. With all of you.”
“You do not mean that.”
“I have meant it for many moons.”
I ended the call.
No shouting. No pleading.
Only the quiet hum of the crystal was fading.
I looked at the communicator once more, then stared to the single name that still mattered.
