Chapter 4: The Karma Settlement

I stood behind the door, watching my family prepare for the Karma Settlement as though they were preparing to celebrate my downfall.

Theodore leaned against the wall, staring at his phone.

He had sent me one final message.

[We're going to the altar tonight. This is your last chance to come home and explain yourself.]

There was no reply.

Of course, there couldn't be.

I was dead.

For the first time, a strange thought crossed Theodore's mind.

What if something really had happened to me?

He immediately pushed the thought away.

Diana had disappeared before. She always returned when she realized everyone was worried about her.

Then Elara suddenly doubled over.

"Ah...!"

Her face turned pale as she clutched her stomach.

"Elara!" Mom rushed toward her.

Elara began coughing violently. A faint trace of blood appeared at the corner of her lips.

"It's the silver poisoning," she whispered weakly. "It's getting worse..."

Dad's expression turned furious.

"That girl actually tried to kill her own sister!"

Adrian clenched his fists.

"Alpha Theodore, we can't wait anymore. Activate the Karma Settlement. Let the Moon Goddess decide what Diana owes this family."

Theodore looked at Elara trembling in his arms.

Every remaining doubt vanished from his eyes.

"I'll do it."

He pulled out his phone and opened the ancient settlement interface.

A glowing holographic screen appeared in the middle of the room.

[System Confirmation: Initiate irreversible Moon Goddess Karma Settlement against pack member Diana Mitchell?]

My parents placed their palms against the confirmation seal.

Adrian followed.

Finally, Theodore placed his hand against it too.

[Petition accepted.]

The words appeared in brilliant silver light.

[Public Karma Settlement will begin at the Moon Altar at midnight.]

I stared at the glowing message.

They had no idea what they had just done.

The Karma Settlement wasn't a punishment system.

It was a ledger.

Every sacrifice was recorded.

Every lie was weighed.

Every favor and every betrayal would eventually be counted.

For years, I'd hidden what I'd done for this family and the pack.

I had treated wounded wolves at the clinic under a false name.

I'd delivered medicine to border patrols during storms.

I'd used my own savings to buy supplies for injured pack members.

I'd even trained orphaned pups when no one else had the patience to teach them.

I had never told anyone.

Because every time I achieved something, Elara cried.

And every time she cried, my parents blamed me.

So I'd learned to stay silent.

But silence wouldn't protect them tonight.

Theodore called Daniel, his childhood friend and the beta stationed at the border.

"Have you seen Diana?" Theodore asked.

There was a long pause.

"So you finally remembered she exists?" Daniel's voice was cold.

Theodore's expression darkened.

"Just answer the question."

"No. I haven't seen her."

"Check the border immediately."

Daniel gave a humorless laugh.

"You're filing a Karma Settlement against her, aren't you?"

Theodore stiffened.

"How did you know?"

"Because half the pack is already talking about it. Something tells me you're going to regret this."

Theodore ended the call without answering.

Elara slowly reached for his hand.

"Theodore, I'm sorry. It's because of me that you have to deal with all this."

"Don't blame yourself," he said softly.

"But Diana used to mean so much to you..."

Theodore went silent.

For the first time, he remembered how Diana used to wait outside his training grounds with a bottle of water.

How she stayed awake when he was sick.

How she had once taken a blow meant for him during combat training.

How she had smiled whenever he promised they'd always stay together.

The memories made his chest tighten.

But then Elara whimpered beside him.

His hesitation disappeared.

"You're my priority now," he said.

My soul watched him carefully.

There was no anger left inside me.

Only exhaustion.

The clock approached midnight.

Across the territory, wolves began gathering at the Moon Altar.

The ancient stone platform glowed beneath the full moon.

The council representatives stood at the center while Theodore, my parents, Adrian, and Elara arrived together.

Whispers spread through the crowd.

"Diana really went too far this time."

"Imagine hurting your own sister."

"The Karma Settlement will expose everything."

I stood beside the altar, invisible to every living wolf.

They were waiting for my judgment.

They thought I would appear frightened and ashamed.

Instead, I felt strangely calm.

The council elder raised his hand.

"The Moon Goddess has accepted the petition. The defendant, Diana Mitchell, has been summoned."

The altar flashed.

A second announcement appeared.

[Defendant absent.]

Elara smiled faintly.

My father crossed his arms.

"As expected. She's too cowardly to face the truth."

The elder's expression remained serious.

"The Settlement can proceed without her presence."

The crowd fell silent.

The Settlement Stone began to glow.

Theodore stepped forward.

He looked at the stone with complete confidence.

"Let the Moon Goddess reveal exactly what Diana owes us."

The stone pulsed once.

Then a massive number appeared above it.

+2,000,000.

Gasps erupted throughout the altar.

My father's face immediately brightened.

"There! You see? Two million! We spent that much raising her!"

Theodore lifted his chin.

"I told you. She never appreciated anything."

But the elder's expression changed.

He stared at the glowing numbers as though he had seen something impossible.

"Wait..."

The number began flickering.

Then it changed.

The positive sign disappeared.

A minus sign appeared in its place.

-2,000,000.

The crowd erupted.

My father stumbled backward.

Elara's face went completely white.

Theodore stared at the Settlement Stone in disbelief.

And for the first time, someone finally asked the question nobody in my family had ever bothered to ask.

"What did Diana actually give them?"