“I couldn’t agree more,” Karina answered, sapphire  gaze meeting Lilya’s pointedly. Karina had always and would always put the wellbeing of the Mother’s children as individuals above what she saw as the rigid and archaic law of the pack.  Then, above the wellbeing of the individual, comes the greater good of all beastkind.  This was most certainly not what Lilya was referring to, but it made Karina smile all the same.  No wonder she struggled so much to fit into her family’s narrow mold for how a pack wolf ought to behave.


  “I should be returning to the children,” Karina said after a moment, her tone a little reluctant.  Lilya seemed comfortable and willing to carry on their conversation, and if it had been a few short months ago Karina would have happily chattered the newcomer’s ear off until she could stand it no more. However, the new mother had new responsibilities, and she knew if she made a habit of staying away long hours, her packmates’ enthusiasm for babysitting would wane.


  “Mother bless and guide you,” Karina said with a parting nod. It was a phrase she never would have spoken in front of Lachesis or Kisla, for fear that they would disapprove of her religiosity (namely, her shared religiosity with Kjors).  According to her mate, the pack leaders were already wary enough of the self-proclaimed dragon. The Mother only knows how they would react if they thought Kjors was attempting to influence their packmates and family with religion.


 Karina had a lot on her mind as she shuffled back to Zephyr Rill. Was her return to Hearthwood River only prolonging the inevitable? It was only a matter of time before pack law challenged her own beliefs, and Karina knew from the past what she would choose. She would always favor relationship over pack; the Mother’s will and greater good before the law.  She needed to be in a place where pack law, the wellbeing of the individual, and the greater good all aligned. She needed to be in a place where the Voice of the Mother determined the law. Dragonveil.