Chapter 2

Zevran always stood between me and any harm, which was the only reason I had not lost all control of my temper.

I had no wish to shame Eirene, who carried new life, so I looked coldly at Arion and said, " Zevran is right. Stop acting as though you're the only one who matters. Today is supposed to be a happy occasion under the Moon Goddess, after all."

I paused and let my eyes pass over the ruin of my bedchamber. Swallowing my rage, I added, "As for this mess, we will speak of it later."

Zevran turned with me and drew in a sharp breath when he saw the damage. "Lyssa, I am sorry. I didn't realize they had made such a mess."

I gave him a look and turned to the cubs.

"Out, all of you. Whose cubs are you, anyway?"

Eirene waved a lazy hand. "Come here, Ronan. You're always getting yourself into trouble."

A small cub trotted over, his face streaked with berry paint and ash.

Not long after, Rielle and Rhoswen's sister, Isanna Vilecrest, called their grandchildren to them as well.

Eirene stroked Ronan's head and smiled sweetly. "Cubs are born mischievous. They're still too young to understand pack rules. You will not hold this against him, will you, Lyssa?"

Before I could answer, Zevran spoke up, "Of course we will not!"

I frowned at him.

Just as Arion and Eirene began to smile in relief, Zevran went on. "The lip balm in Ronan's hand was a Midwinter gift I bought for my mate. It cost no more than two thousand gold coins. Arion, you can repay me later."

He then pointed at the face powder and scent vials in the hands of Rielle and Isanna's grandchildren.

"Aunt Rielle, your grandson holds a jar of Celestique Luxe moon powder worth more than a thousand gold coins. Aunt Isanna, your granddaughter has a vial of Lunaris moon perfume."

He paused and looked at her with an odd, pitying expression. "That one costs a little more. It is worth over six thousand gold coins."

His words stunned every wolf in the room.

"Zevran, would you extort your own blood? All these things come to nearly ten thousand gold coins!"

Eirene was the first to lose her temper. Her voice rose sharply, and her wolf began to stir beneath her skin.

Rielle and Isanna looked just as horrified. "Zevran, we watched you grow up among the Wolfhart Pack. We treated you as our own. How can you treat your elders this way?"

Rielle pressed her lips together and glared at him, as if his words had shamed the whole pack.

Zevran lowered his head and tugged at the hem of my robe. "Then stop tormenting my mate. She is the Lady of this den, and she is owed respect."

"You! Evander, look at him! After all we have done, this is how he repays his own blood!" Rielle shouted in anger, while the other aunts began to whisper among themselves.

Evander's face darkened. The weight of his authority filled the den as he raised his voice. "Enough! End this useless quarreling!"

He turned to me and looked at me as if I were a disobedient young cub in need of a lesson.

"Spending so much gold on face paints and scents is wasteful and shameful! As elder of the Wolfhart Pack, I will settle this myself. No one owes you anything. Lyssa, learn to control your spending. I will overlook your extravagance this once, so do not make trouble for everyone."

Rielle, Isanna, Arion, and Eirene all looked relieved at once. They even seemed pleased, as if Evander had just granted them a great boon.

I was so furious that I almost laughed. These wolves were shameless and utterly unreasonable.

What did my spending have to do with them?

I had earned that gold with my own paws, and I could spend it as I pleased. Being his son’s mate did not mean I had to hand my own wealth over to my mate's kin.

Evander claimed he would overlook the matter, as if he was the ruler of the whole kingdom, with the right to decide who was guilty and who should be punished.

Had he forgotten that he had no right to rule this den?

At that moment, my daughter, Lyra, and my son, Zevian, ran over and clung to Zevran's legs. "Father, we are hungry..."

I stroked their heads gently and drew a deep breath.

Before the others could go on praising Evander for his supposed generosity, I cut in. "I buy costly things because I can afford them, not because I have gold to waste. We all know how you treated Zevran while he was growing up in this pack. Do not try to use duty to blood and loyalty to the pack to make me feel guilty. I will send you the merchant records later. If you refuse to pay for what your grandchildren destroyed, I will bring the matter before the High Alpha's wardens and let them judge."

Without waiting for their reply, I looked at Zevran and said, "Come. Let us prepare the evening meal."