Banished and abandoned on the same day—I was probably the most wretched wolf in the territory.
Just then, my parents arrived unexpectedly.
They stepped through the threshold with worry etched across their faces. "Lyra, did you have a falling out with Aurora? Listen to us—gather some tribute gifts and go apologize to her immediately!"
I frowned. "How did you find out?"
My parents exchanged uneasy glances before my father finally spoke.
"Aurora contacted us through the pack-link. She said you... that you've become arrogant beyond reason, that you caused chaos at the Central Den over some seasonal rewards, and she had no choice but to banish you."
Fury blazed through me, threatening to break free.
But my father pressed the apology gifts into my hands.
"Aurora said you two have been pack-sisters for years. If you return and submit to her properly, she'll take you back. You won't be a Den Captain anymore—you'll have to start from the lowest rank again."
He had already prepared the offerings.
My parents lived frugally, wearing the same furs for a decade, yet what they placed in my hands was a precious box of rare healing salves from the mountain territories.