Chapter 5: The Karma Settlement

Half an hour later, the altar was packed. The whole pack had gathered.

The public hearing for my settlement had begun. Whispers rippled through the crowd.

"I heard Diana was jealous of her sister. Even colluded with rogues. A total disgrace to the family."

"Their Elara's always been frail, and Diana not only refused to take care of her—she bullied her, poisoned her with silver, then went AWOL. The family had no choice but to trigger the Karma Settlement to track her down."

"That poor girl, Elara..."

The crowd's sentiment was unanimous. And why wouldn't it be? For years, my parents and Elara had carefully crafted a narrative—and I'd done nothing to correct it. Because I'd been working in secret.

The Silvermoon Devotion Medal I was supposed to receive wasn't for something flashy. It was for anonymous service: healing injured pack members at the clinic under a false name, delivering supplies to border patrols in the middle of the night, teaching orphaned pups to read and fight without ever taking credit.

I'd done it all quietly, because I'd learned early on that any achievement of mine would only make Elara cry—and make my parents hate me more.

So I'd hidden every good thing I ever did. The pack saw a quiet, awkward gray wolf who kept to herself. They heard my family's stories about how lazy, selfish, and cruel I was. And they believed it, because they had no reason not to.

Until now.

To my surprise, the pack council had taken notice. They knew who I was behind the anonymity, and they didn't hold back their praise. It made me feel like I actually existed in this pack, like I mattered.

I'd planned to slip away and claim the medal quietly, but Elara found out.

My family and Theodore stood tall at the center of the altar, backs straight, chins high.

[Moon Goddess Karma Code—Phase One: Assess the contributions made by family and mate to the subject.]

A beam of light engulfed Theodore and my parents.

Instantly, a massive number blazed above their heads: +2 million dollars!

"Holy shit! Two million! Alpha Theodore and her family poured that much into her?!"

Gasps erupted from the crowd.

My father lifted his chin and announced loudly, "You all see it! We treated her well. She's the one who never appreciated it. She doesn't deserve to be part of this family! No one tolerates a traitor under their roof!"

Everyone turned to stare at the empty defendant's seat, spitting venom in their minds, waiting for me—the "sinner"—to fall from grace.

Then—a thin, determined figure charged up to that seat.

It was Maria. My best friend.

Her eyes were bloodshot, her face streaked with frozen tears, and she laughed—a cold, bitter laugh—right at my family.

"You say she gave nothing? You call her a traitor? Fine. Today, I'll stand in for Diana. Let's settle this."

Maria slammed her palm onto the Settlement Stone.

Theodore sneered. "Maria, stepping in for her won't change anything. It'll just expose how she's bled this family dry for years in front of everyone—"

But before he could finish, the stone let out a deafening boom. His smirk twisted into shock, then contorted into something grotesque.