4 - LACK OF SYMPATHY

"I can offer you three crates of winter pelts for the grain," I told the merchant sitting across from me.

He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "Four. And we want the Alpha's seal on the final agreement. My Alpha won't accept a trade of this size on a Luna's word alone."

I looked at the empty chair at the head of the long wooden table. Tobias should have been sitting there. He should have been the one looking the Riverbend merchant in the eye, securing the food our people needed to survive the coming freeze. Instead, he was locked in the Alpha suite down the hall.

I understood why the pack was letting him hide.

The Goddess's Penance was a horrific thing. When a pregnant wolf lost a child, the Moon Goddess did not let the trauma fade quietly into the past. For five years, on the exact anniversary of the loss, the mother was cursed to relive the miscarriage. The bleeding, the blinding pain, the hysterical grief—it all returned in a violent physical wave as if it were happening for the very first time.

That was why Lily had stumbled into the packhouse yesterday covered in blood, three years after she vanished. The pack believed they were watching a sacred, agonizing punishment playing out in front of them. It was rare and it was terrifying. Because of the curse, they treated her like a fragile saint. Everyone in the packhouse was walking on eggshells, speaking in hushed voices so they wouldn't disturb her rest.

I did not lack sympathy. I knew the Penance was pure agony.

But a pack could not survive on sympathy alone.

If we didn't get this grain, the pups in the lower village would go hungry when the snow fell.

"Three and a half crates," I said, keeping my voice level. I pushed the drafted contract across the table. "You know our pelts are the thickest in the region. Your people will need them just as much as we need the grain."

The merchant considered it for a moment, then gave a short nod. "Three and a half. But I still need his seal on the wax before I leave today."

"You will have it by noon," I promised.

The merchant left the council room. I let out a long breath, picked up the contract, and walked out into the hallway.

The corridor leading to my old bedroom was quiet. Two guards stood near the heavy oak door. They kept their eyes forward, but I could feel the tension in the air as I approached.

Before I could knock, the door opened.

Tobias stepped out. He looked terrible. His skin was pale, and dark circles bruised the skin under his eyes. He was wearing the same wrinkled shirt from yesterday.

"Tobias," I said.

He immediately put a finger to his lips and pulled the door shut behind him with a soft click. "Keep your voice down," he whispered. "She finally fell asleep a few hours ago."

I lowered my voice, but I didn't back away. "The Riverbend merchants are here. I negotiated the grain down to three and a half crates of pelts, but they refuse to leave without your seal on the wax."

He rubbed his temples. He didn't even look at the contract in my hand. "You can sign for me. Just use the Luna stamp."

"I tried that. They want the Alpha's mark." I held the paper out to him. "I just need you to read it and stamp it. It will take two minutes."

"Zinnia, I can't do this right now."

"It's a trade agreement," I said. "We need the food."

"Lily is going through the Penance," Tobias snapped, keeping his voice to a harsh whisper. "You saw the blood yesterday. You heard her screaming in the clinic. She is reliving the worst day of her life in that room, and you are bothering me about grain?"

I stood my ground. "I know what she is going through. But the pack needs you."

He glared at me. "She lost my child. Do you have any idea what that does to a person? She is broken, Zinnia."

"And you are the Alpha of Grimclaw," I replied. "If you hide in that room all week, the Riverbend deal falls through. Our people will starve. You have a duty to them."

"Don't tell me how to run my pack." He ran a hand through his messy hair, looking at me like I was a stranger. "I thought you would understand. I thought you had a heart, but you are just being cold."

The words stung, but I didn't let it show on my face. Before I could defend myself, a soft click echoed in the hallway.

The bedroom door opened slowly.

Lily stood in the doorway. She was wearing one of Tobias's oversized shirts, the fabric hanging off her small frame. Her hair was messy, and her face was pale and tear-stained.

"Toby?" she whispered.