Chapter 1A few weeks before the Moon Ceremony, Mom and Dad called us into the den.
Dad slid two resource tokens across the table. Thirty thousand Pack Credits each.
Whispers cut through my head, sharp and clear.
[Oh no. The ceremony hasn't even happened yet, and she's already screwed!]
[She still doesn't get it. The second she eats something Odessa gives her on purpose, the bond kicks in. Every credit transfers.]
[Hunt rights, ceremony money, even her winter share. She's lost so much and still hasn't caught on?]
The Whispers wouldn't stop. My hand froze on the disc.
They were right.
For eighteen years, every credit Mom and Dad gave me disappeared. I always said it just vanished.
Nobody ever believed me.
Odessa smiled and shoved a small wooden box into my hands. "You finally get real money and you're still pouting? Here. Honeycomb from up north."
I stared at the box. If I ate her food, she'd drain my account dry.
So what would happen if EVERYONE ate it?
---
Odessa held the box out, wrapped in cloth and tied with string. When I didn't move, she broke off a piece and tried to push it between my lips.
"I don't want it."
I knocked her hand away. The honeycomb hit the floor.
Her smile died.
The Whispers flared brighter.
[Wait—does she know?]
[This whole time, her credits have been bleeding into Odessa's account. She has no idea her whole life's been feeding her sister.]
My fist clenched.
The first time my share disappeared, I was ten.
Family gave me eight hundred credits total—birthday and Festival combined. Mom and Dad said most of it had to go into savings for the ceremony, so Odessa and I each kept a hundred to spend. Fine.
By morning, mine was gone.
Mom and Dad figured I lost it. They ripped into me at dinner. Odessa just sat there, big innocent eyes, saying nothing.
Later, I noticed she had snack money all season.
At fourteen, my combat instructor's tournament fee came due—twelve hundred credits. Mom transferred it so I could register online.
On the way home, Odessa bought me iced tea from the human shops.
By the time I opened the sign-up page, the twelve hundred was gone.
Mom screamed at me. I spent six hours calling the Pack treasury, checking records, backtracking everywhere I'd been.
I came home crying.
Later, Odessa went out and bought some fancy cloak she'd been eyeing. Told Mom and Dad it barely cost a hundred.
That cloak was fifteen hundred.
I knew because I'd looked at it too.
Junior year, right before my First Shift trial prep, three thousand credits—six months of my training budget—vanished overnight.
I went to the treasury. The keeper said I'd pulled it out myself. I said I didn't.
They showed me the logs. The person on record really looked like me.
I told them I'd been at evening practice on the grounds. No roll call. None of the other kids remembered exactly when I showed up.
When Mom and Dad found out, they lost it.
"Blowing through credits like you're Alpha blood, and now you're lying?"
Meanwhile, Odessa posted pictures from some traveling festival. Said she'd saved up from babysitting pups.
After that, my parents stopped trusting me. Period.
They bought everything for me directly. Wouldn't let me leave Thornhaven lands alone.
I couldn't save anything. No privacy. No freedom.
The day of my First Shift trial, Mom sent a hundred credits for a ride to the ceremonial grounds. It disappeared before the driver even got there.
I had to beg him. He looked at me, saw I was desperate, swore under his breath, and drove me anyway. Said I could pay him back later.
The memory hit me like cold water.
Then Odessa's voice cut through.
"I had this shipped in from the border, Vesper. You didn't have to throw it on the floor."
Mom and Dad were glaring at me.
I forced my hands to stop shaking and smiled.
"I'm cutting back on sweets. But thanks."
Chapter 2
Odessa's smile twitched, irritation flickering behind her eyes.
"Fine. Here—mint leaves. Won't mess with your training weight."
She pulled a small tin from her bag and held it out.
Mom sighed. "Just take it. Your sister's trying to be nice and you're still making this difficult."
I took the tin but didn't open it.
If I ate even one, those thirty thousand credits would disappear just like everything else. And Mom and Dad would say it again.
"Wasting resources like always. Serves you right."
The credits already gone couldn't be gotten back by yelling.
But what if more than one person ate her food this time?
Odessa watched me, smile still plastered on. "Vesper, why aren't you eating one? They're fresh. Good for your breath before the ceremony."
Dad's voice cut sharp. "It's a mint. Why are you dragging this out? We've given you everything, haven't we?"
I didn't move. One thought kept looping. Would it still work if someone else ate her food?
"Mom, want to try one?" I popped the tin open and held it out. "Odessa got them. Probably good."
Mom blinked, reaching for it—and Odessa's face changed in a flash.
"No—"
Her voice spiked so fast everyone froze.
Dad frowned. "Odessa, why are you acting like that?"
She forced a smile back on. "Dad, Mom doesn't like mint. Remember?"
Mom pulled her hand back. "Oh. Right. I don't really like mint. Vesper, you have one."
The Whispers flared again.
[Wait—does she suspect?]
[Look at her face. She panicked hard just now, hahaha.]
[Of course she panicked. The magic bond triggers automatically.]
[The second someone eats food Odessa gives them on purpose, the transfer happens within the hour.]
It clicked. If Mom had actually eaten that mint, her entire seasonal allowance and savings would've dumped straight into Odessa's account. Every last credit.
And then it would only be a matter of time before the whole bond got exposed.
I lowered my eyes. I had a plan now.
Odessa pressed the tin into my hand. "Here, Vesper, just eat one already. Don't make Mom and Dad worry."
Her palm was warm. Her smile looked perfect.
Over the years, every time credits went missing, Odessa would buy me food. Then she'd announce in front of Mom and Dad, "Vesper's broke again. I helped her out."
Mom and Dad would praise her for being so thoughtful, then turn around and rip into me for not knowing how to manage my share.
A month before my First Shift trial, the last three hundred credits in my account vanished. That was supposed to cover my training supplies and food for the whole month.
I cried myself sick that night.
Odessa came into my room, smiling. "It's fine. I'll spot you."
But when Mom and Dad found out, they said I was careless and distracting Odessa from her own prep. They gave me another five hundred and warned me again not to waste it.
The morning of my trial, Odessa handed me an energy bar. Said it would help with stamina.
I ate it.
When I went to pay the rideshare driver, my account was empty.
I still made it to the trial grounds. Barely.
My trial score came back thirty points higher than Odessa's. Rare "pure silver" grade.
I took a breath and looked up, meeting her fake-concerned gaze.
I didn't open the tin. Slipped it straight into my pocket.
Odessa blinked. "Why aren't you eating one?"
"Just ate. Still got a taste in my mouth. Later."
Mom snapped. "What is wrong with you? Your sister's being nice and you're still making excuses!"
Dad's face went dark. "Just take it. Why do you always make everything so damn hard?"
Odessa waved her hands fast. "Dad, Mom, it's fine. Let it go. If Vesper doesn't want one, she doesn't have to."
But I saw the smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.
If I blew up right now and said something was wrong with her mints, Mom and Dad would just think I was stirring up drama. In their eyes, Odessa was perfect. I was the reckless, lying, ungrateful one.
The second she said that, their anger flared hotter.
"Your sister does nothing but look out for you, and this is how you act? I don't even know who you are anymore."
Dad scoffed. "Good trial score and nothing else. Forget it. Let her eat one or not."
Chapter 3
The Whispers picked up again.
[These parents. I'm speechless. The favoritism in this pack is insane.]
[They have no idea the credits are going straight to Odessa, and they're still blaming their own daughter.]
[Girl, wake up. Do something already.]
[Great, now they're about to guilt her into being the scapegoat again...]
I lowered my eyes and slid my hand into my pocket.
In my left pocket sat the mint leaves I'd bought myself, packaged almost exactly like the ones Odessa gave me.
In my right pocket was the actual tin—the marked one.
I pulled one from the left, unwrapped it, and popped it into my mouth.
"Fine. I ate it," I said, mouth still full.
Odessa stared at my mouth for two seconds, then smiled. "See? Was that so hard? Good, right?"
"Good."
"I'll get you more next time." Her voice went light again.
The Whispers practically sighed in relief.
[Close call! Good thing she buys these for herself normally.]
[She bought it! Look at that smile. She can't even hide it!]
[She actually pulled that off? Not bad!]
Mom's tone softened. "See, wasn't that easy?"
Dad didn't say anything else, just looked down at his phone.
I chewed the mint, cool and sharp on my tongue.
Odessa's tin stayed exactly where it was, tucked safe in my right pocket.
After dinner, I went back to my room and locked the door. Pulled out my phone and opened the Pack treasury app.
Thirty thousand credits. Not a single one missing.
I let out a breath, then scrolled back through my old records.
The few hundred credits I'd had before were gone—probably drained the last time I ate something of hers.
At least it wasn't much.
Without thinking twice, I transferred the entire thirty thousand to Grandma Elowen's account. Told her I was worried I'd blow through it and wanted her to hold it for me.
Grandma, sweet as always, said, "My girl wouldn't waste credits. I trust you. Call me if you need any, and I'll send them right back."
The lump in my throat wouldn't go down.
I looked at the Whispers drifting by.
[Good. At least she didn't just leave it there to get stolen. Smart move.]
[Smart? That's just common sense.]
[Odessa's going to get suspicious when the credits don't show up. Let's see how she handles this.]
---
The next day, I got back from my shift at the coffee shop. Pushed open my bedroom door and found Odessa crouched in front of my dresser, drawer yanked open, everything inside tossed around.
She spun at the sound, panic flashing across her face.
"You—you're back already?"
"Odessa, what are you looking for?"
She stood, brushed dust off her knees, and smiled. "Lost an earring. Thought maybe it fell in here. Guess not."
I knew exactly what she was looking for.
The mints were hidden inside a tampon box. She'd gone through every inch of that room and never once touched it.
The Whispers exploded.
[Hid it in a tampon box? That's genius, hahaha.]
[Oh my God, she searched the whole room and missed the one place she'd never check.]
Odessa spoke up casual. "Vesper, where'd you put those thirty thousand credits Mom and Dad gave you?"
My stomach dropped, but I kept my face blank. "Oh, I lent them to a friend."
"Lent them? All thirty thousand?"
"Yeah. Her family had an emergency and needed credits fast. She said she'd pay me back before the ceremony."
Odessa stared at me for a few long seconds, like she was weighing whether I was lying.
[Is she finally catching on? She can lie now too?]
[Weak excuse, but it'll hold. If Odessa pushes, just give a name.]
I met her gaze without flinching.
She finally looked away and smiled. "Fine. Just make sure she writes you a promise."
"Sure."
She turned and left. I shut the door and let out a long breath.
A minute later, she was knocking again.
I opened it. She was holding two iced teas from the human district.
She handed one to me. "Vesper, got you one. It's hot out. Drink something cold. Don't worry, no sugar."
I stared at the cup. Whispers drifted past.
[Another one? Does she think you're that gullible?]
[Don't drink it—oh, she already did. Okay, whatever.]
I hesitated, then took it anyway and drank a sip. Sweetness spread through my mouth. I swallowed.
Odessa watched my throat, saw me swallow, and the corner of her mouth curved up.
My thirty thousand was already in Grandma's account. No matter how strong her bond was, it couldn't pull credits from an account that didn't have them.
But to make sure she'd never suspect, I'd left twelve hundred credits in my account on purpose—money I'd earned from the coffee shop that summer. Two weeks on my feet for that.
Odessa headed to the bathroom pretty quick after that.
I pulled out my phone and opened the app.
Balance: 0.
The twelve hundred credits were gone.
The Whispers sighed.
[Ugh, there it goes. That twelve hundred hurts.]
[Consider it the cost of keeping her off your back. Worth it.]
[I feel like she's planning something big.]
[Don't tease. She hasn't caught a break in years.]
They were right. That twelve hundred was the price.
If she didn't get those credits, she'd start thinking the bond was broken, and she'd test me some other way.
Then the whole plan for the Moon feast could fall apart.
Sure enough, when Odessa came back from the bathroom, her smile was brighter than it had been in days.
For the next two days, she stopped testing me completely.
She spent that time planning the ceremony feast with Mom and Dad instead—booking the hall, sending invites, picking the menu. She was completely in her element.
Every so often, a relative would ask in the pack chat what I was doing.
Mom would just reply, "She wastes credits like they're nothing. We give her a share, and she's still out working in the human district."
Then everyone would start praising Odessa instead.
"Odessa has great trial scores, and she's so responsible. We're lucky to have her."
The pack chat only ever showed off Odessa's score report.
Mom would say, "Odessa already got her spot at Mooncrest Academy, and with that moon-silver grade, she'll probably get elder sponsorship too."
If anyone brought me up, Mom would brush it off. "Vesper? Well, getting placed anywhere at all would be something."
The Whispers picked back up.
[A pure-silver grade and nobody even asks? Where are this pack's priorities?]
[Character matters more than a score, come on.]
[Excuse me, what's wrong with her character? Somebody explain that.]
I scored pure-silver. Thirty points higher than Odessa.
By then, I'd already received my academy decisions and filled out my sponsorship forms. Never told anyone where I'd been accepted.
Mom and Dad knew I'd applied. But maybe because they thought I was a liar, they let it erase every good thing about me.
I locked myself in my room and pulled out the tin of mints.
The Whispers had already told me one more rule.
Anything Odessa intentionally gave stayed linked to her bond, even if it was crushed or mixed into other food.
Using a small blade, I scraped the mints down to fine powder and sealed it in a plastic bag. Thin, unremarkable layer.
The mints themselves were harmless.
But they were more than enough to make Odessa's bond trigger on twenty-some people at once.
---
The morning of the Moon feast, I got up early and headed straight to the hall kitchen before anyone else arrived.
"Hi, I'm one of the host family's daughters. Just checking on the food," I said, smiling at the head cook.
"Hard worker, aren't you," he said, nodding.
I pretended to help prep. When nobody was looking, I emptied the entire bag of powder into the pot simmering on the stove.
It was the last course of the night—the hall's signature stew, one bowl for every guest.
I stirred it with the long ladle. The powder dissolved instantly. Gone without a trace.
The Whispers drifted by.
[Oh my Goddess. She's really going for everyone at once!]
