Banished

Lyra had imagined many things when her wolf finally appeared.

She had pictured the pack cheering, Mara smiling with pride, and even Garrick admitting he had been wrong about her.

She hadn't expected the silence.

“Everyone, return to your duties,” Garrick ordered.

The gathered wolves began to disperse, though several continued whispering.

“She couldn't even control herself.”

“What if she attacks someone next time?”

“Perhaps Garrick is right.”

Lyra pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders.

Mara helped her stand. “Come inside. You need to rest.”

Before Lyra could answer, Garrick spoke again.

“Lyra will report to my office this evening.”

“She needs time to recover,” Mara protested.

“She has until this evening.”

He walked away before either woman could respond.

Inside the healer's room, Lyra sat on a narrow bed while Mara examined her hands and arms.

“Does anything hurt?”

“My whole body.”

“That's expected after a first shift. Drink some water and rest.”

Lyra accepted the cup.

“Do you think he'll let me stay?”

Mara paused. “I think you should prepare yourself for either answer.”

Lyra looked away. She had hoped that getting her wolf would settle every argument about her place in the pack. Now she wondered whether anything she did would ever be enough.

By evening, she was summoned to the packhouse office.

Garrick sat behind his desk, while Beta Ronan stood near the window. A small travel bag rested beside the door.

Lyra stared at it.

“What is that?”

“Your belongings,” Garrick replied.

She waited for him to explain that he had changed his mind. He didn't.

“You're sending me away?”

“Ashen Moon cannot risk keeping an uncontrolled wolf within its borders.”

“I shifted for the first time today. You can't expect me to understand everything immediately.”

“I expect every member of this pack to control themselves around others.”

“Then teach me.”

Garrick leaned back in his chair.

“You've had years to prepare for this possibility.”

“How? I couldn't practise shifting when my wolf hadn't appeared!”

“Your circumstances do not change my responsibility to protect this pack.”

Lyra turned to Ronan.

“You heard what happened with Kyle yesterday. Today, I saved that girl's life. Doesn't that count for anything?”

Ronan's jaw tightened, but he said nothing.

Lyra faced Garrick again.

“I'll train every day. I'll follow your rules. Just give me a chance.”

“My decision is final.”

Her chest tightened.

“Where am I supposed to go?”

“That is no longer my responsibility.”

For several seconds, Lyra couldn't speak. She had carried supplies, helped the healers, and done whatever work she was given. She had never asked to be treated like a warrior. She had only wanted a place where she belonged.

Now everything she owned lay inside a small bag.

“May I say goodbye to Mara?”

“You may leave in the morning. Until then, remain in your room.”

Garrick returned to his papers.

Lyra picked up her bag and walked out without looking at Ronan again.

Mara was waiting outside the office. One look at Lyra's face told her everything.

“He's made his decision?”

Lyra nodded.

Mara drew her into an embrace, and Lyra let herself lean against her.

“I don't understand,” she whispered. “I finally got my wolf. Why isn't that enough?”

“Because some people decide what you are before giving you the chance to show them who you can become.”

Lyra swallowed the ache in her throat.

“What am I supposed to do now?”

“Take what you have, keep yourself safe, and find your next step. You don't have to figure out your whole life tonight.”

Mara packed food, herbs, and a thicker cloak into Lyra's bag. She also gave her a small knife and showed her how to secure it inside her clothing.

“Stay away from unfamiliar wolves,” she warned. “And don't assume every stranger is your enemy—or your friend.”

“You make it sound easy,” Lyra said with a faint smile.

“It isn't. That's why you must be careful.”

That night, Lyra sat beside her window, listening to the packhouse settle into darkness. She knew these sounds better than anything beyond the borders. Every creaking floorboard and distant howl reminded her of the life she was about to lose.

By sunrise, she was ready.

Mara walked with her to the western path but stopped before the boundary.

“I wish I could come with you,” she said.

“You have your work here.”

“And you have a life ahead of you, even if you cannot see it yet.”

Lyra hugged her tightly.

“Thank you for everything.”

“Promise me you'll be careful.”

“I promise.”

Mara stepped back, looking as though she wanted to say more.

Lyra turned toward the forest. For years, she had believed her wolf would finally give her a reason to be accepted. Instead, she was leaving the only home she had ever known with little more than a bag and a few supplies.

She glanced back. No one had come to see her off.

Lyra faced the trees again.

She was afraid. She had no destination, no allies beyond the pack boundary, and no idea how to survive alone.

But she would not return to beg.

With her bag over her shoulder, she crossed into unfamiliar territory.

The forest grew thicker as she walked. The familiar scent of Ashen Moon faded, replaced by strange trails she couldn't identify.

Then she caught a scent that made her stop.

Wolves.

Not Ashen Moon wolves.

The territory ahead belonged to Nightfang, the pack her people had warned her about for as long as she could remember.

Lyra tightened her grip on the strap of her bag and continued forward.

She had nowhere else to go.