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.
I was not leaving the Mooncrown without a farewell, just not the kind they expected.