"Every moon-cycle, you only cover the den-debt payments, while the carriage loan and daily provisions all come from me! Liri's training fees and lessons—all of it is me. If I had savings, would I care so much about that fifty thousand?"
I stared at him.
"You earn twenty thousand in resource shares each cycle. After the den-debt, you still have twelve thousand left. Where does it go?"
Kael opened his mouth, glanced at Morwenna, and didn't dare speak.
"It comes to me."
Morwenna strode forward, her expression smug with triumph.
"Kael's resource shares are all held in my keeping. Precisely to guard against certain wolves who might covet them."
Certain wolves.
She meant me.
His bonded mate of seven cycles.
My gaze grew ever more hollow with despair.
"So Kael, you've decided our bond means nothing to you, is that it?"
"That's not—"
He reached for me with desperate urgency.
"Mate, I only asked Mother to safeguard my portion for me."
I wrenched my arm free from his grasp.
"Then now that we need those resources to heal my mother, are you willing to release them?"
Kael hesitated, but still gathered enough nerve to try.
"Mother, my share of the pack resources..."
"Why do you cower before her!"
The matriarch cut him off sharply.
"She's already whelped your pup—does she think she can sever the bond now? Would she truly abandon what she has?"
Her expression hardened like stone.
"Your allocations have been locked into the pack's secured holdings. Before the next moon cycle completes, don't even think of touching them!"
Kael lowered his head in helpless resignation.
"Lyra, perhaps you should ask your birth pack for assistance."
His tone carried not a trace of sorrow or concern.
He pulled out a small pouch and transferred a meager sum to me through our pack's oath-ledger.
"This is all the personal reserve I have left—two thousand tokens. I'm giving you everything."
I laughed bitterly, though moisture gathered at the edges of my eyes.
"Kael, we've been bonded for seven cycles, yet you hid this from me—surrendering your earnings to your mother. That counts as concealing mated assets. Under Pack Law, that's a violation. Did you know that?"
Kael's jaw dropped open in shock.
"How could that possibly be considered—"
"A son honoring his pack elders is sacred duty!"
Morwenna snarled with fury.
"Violation this, Pack Law that—if you're so certain, then bring your accusations before the Council!"