After I Severed the Kinship Bond, My Whole Family Regretted It Chapter 05

After I Severed the Kinship Bond, My Whole Family Regretted It Chapter 05

I couldn’t hear Mom’s reply.

One of the Council representatives looked furious. “She thinks we’re scammers?”

I sighed. Anyone who could override another wolf with a Council–authorized mind–link outranked her by a mile. How was my biological mother this stupid?

I called Mom myself and told her to come back so we could finalize the severance. She scoffed. “Elara, what

stunt are you pulling now? You’re seriously trying to threaten us with the Kinship Bond? Fine. I wish you

weren’t my daughter. You’re the one who turns every little thing into a crisis.”

I was about to answer when I heard Lyra whine that she wanted ice cream. Mom’s voice softened instantly

as she promised to get her some. In the background, Dad called, “Elara, stop this. We’re renewing the bond like we always do. We’ll talk when we get home.”

Councilor Ivy was a gentle older woman. She even made me lunch.

We waited until a little after ten that night before my parents finally came back, loaded down with shopping

bags.

When the Council explained why they were there, my parents just stared at them.

Mom dropped the bags and slapped me across the face.

“Over this? You’re really cutting off your family because we took your sister to a concert? You can’t stand

seeing her happy, can you? God, how did I raise someone this bitter?”

I held my cheek. Tears slipped out anyway.

Dad pasted on an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. She’s upset and not thinking straight. We’ll renew the Kinship

Bond like we always do.”

The Council representatives stayed professional. “Elara’s consent matters. If she does not consent to renewal, she has the right to sever the bond and seek placement with another family.”

Lyra pouted and jumped in. “We’re literally your family, Elara. You’d seriously rather move in with some

random old couple than stay with Mom and Dad? Do you have any idea how this makes us look?”

Dad nodded along. “Lyra’s right. We’ve never abused her. She’s just being dramatic. I don’t consent to ending

the bond.”

The Council representatives exchanged a look. “Then we’ll conduct a brief home assessment and determine whether continued cohabitation is appropriate.”

One of them pointed to the shopping bags. “Is anything in those bags for your older daughter?”

The bags were stuffed with makeup, collectibles, Rex merchandise, and seven or eight beautiful new outfits. I

barely brushed one of them before Mom snapped.

“Don’t touch that. That dress is for your sister.”

“That skincare set was picked out for Lyra. Leave it alone.”

“And that collectible was expensive. Put it down before you break it.”

By the end, even Mom seemed to hear how bad she sounded. She awkwardly pulled out a hat. “This one’s for

you.”

Lyra shrieked. “Mom, that’s my hat! Why are you giving it to Elara? I don’t want her touching my stuff!”

Disgust flashed across the Council representatives‘ faces. The color drained from Mom’s.

Then one of them asked, “Which room does your older daughter sleep in?”

Mom looked away and refused to answer. I walked over and opened the storage–room door. “Here.”

The space was cramped. A thin sleeping pad lay on the floor because there wasn’t even a bed. The ceiling light flickered overhead, and the room smelled damp and moldy.

Then we opened Lyra’s bedroom. It was warm and comfortable, full of dolls and decorations. A framed family photo sat on her desk.

Of course, I wasn’t in it.