POV: Eve

Eve stood outside the Morrison family home, reviewing her notes one more time before knocking.

The territorial dispute had been ongoing for months, the Morrison and Peterson families arguing about property boundary lines where their estates met. It wasn’t pack-critical, but the tension was affecting both families and creating ripples through the pack hierarchy.

And now it was Eve’s job as Luna to mediate.

"You’ve got this," Damian said from beside her. He’d insisted on accompanying her, though he’d promised to let her lead. "Just listen to both sides, find the common ground, propose a fair solution."

"Easy," Eve muttered.

"It is easy. You’ve mediated disputes between entire supernatural factions at the Seraphim Court. Two families arguing about a property line is nothing compared to that."

Eve appreciated his confidence even if she didn’t entirely share it. Court politics operated on different rules than pack dynamics. The personal stakes felt higher somehow.

She knocked.

Margaret Morrison opened the door, a woman in her fifties with steel-grey hair and sharp eyes that immediately assessed Eve with pack hierarchy awareness.

"Luna," Margaret said, bowing her head respectfully. "Thank you for coming. Please, come in."

The Morrison home was warm and well-lived-in, with pack photos covering nearly every wall. Margaret led them to a sitting room where her husband Robert waited, along with their adult son James.

"Alpha," Robert said, nodding to Damian. Then to Eve: "Luna. We appreciate you taking time to help resolve this situation."

"Of course." Eve settled into the chair Margaret indicated. "Why don’t you start by explaining your perspective on the boundary dispute?"

Robert pulled out a map of the properties. "The issue is this section here, about two acres where our property meets the Peterson estate. When my father purchased this land forty years ago, the boundary was clearly marked by the stone wall you can see in these photos. But three years ago, David Peterson started claiming the wall is actually on his property, that the boundary extends another fifty feet into what we’ve always considered our land."

"Why the sudden dispute after so many years?" Eve asked.

"Because David wants to build a workshop," James said, frustration clear in his voice. "He needs more space, so suddenly he’s reinterpreting boundary lines to give himself room."

"That’s not fair," Margaret added. "We’ve maintained that land for decades. My garden is planted there. The kids’ treehouse is on one of those oaks. It’s been Morrison property for as long as we’ve lived here."

Eve made notes while they talked, letting them explain fully without interruption. When they finished, she said, "I’d like to see the disputed area myself. Would you walk me through it?"

"Of course."

Twenty minutes later, Eve stood at the boundary line examining the old stone wall that was at the center of the dispute.

It was clearly ancient, probably dating back a century or more. The stones were weathered, covered in moss, but still structurally sound. And it ran in a clear line marking a definitive boundary.

"This is where our property ends," Robert said, gesturing to the wall. "Has been for forty years."

Eve walked the length of the disputed section, taking mental notes. The garden Margaret mentioned was indeed on this side of the wall....well-established, clearly tended for years. The treehouse was visible in a massive oak about thirty feet from the wall.

"Thank you," Eve said. "Now I need to hear the Peterson family’s perspective. Are they available?"

"I arranged for them to meet us back at our house," Damian said. "Neutral territory seemed better than having you go between properties."

"Good thinking."

Back at the Morrison home, the Peterson family arrived shortly after, David Peterson, his wife Lisa, and their daughter Michelle.

David was roughly Robert’s age, with similar frustration evident in his expression. Lisa looked uncomfortable, like she’d rather be anywhere else. Michelle seemed resigned.

"Luna," David said with a respectful nod. "Thank you for mediating this situation."

"Of course. I’ve heard the Morrison family’s perspective. Now I’d like to hear yours. Why do you believe the boundary line extends beyond the stone wall?"

David pulled out his own map, this one showing property surveys and official documents. "When I had my property professionally surveyed last year in preparation for building my workshop, the surveyor found that the legal boundary according to county records extends fifty feet beyond that stone wall. The wall itself appears to be decorative, not a legal boundary marker."

He pointed to the survey documents. "Here....you can see the property line clearly marked. The Morrison family has been using land that technically belongs to me."

"Why wait so long to address this?" Eve asked. "If the survey showed the discrepancy last year, why are we only dealing with it now?"

"Because I was trying to be neighborly," David said, frustration creeping into his voice. "I talked to Robert privately, showed him the survey, suggested we work out a compromise. But he refused to even acknowledge the possibility that the wall isn’t the actual boundary. Insisted his father’s original understanding was correct and dismissed the professional survey entirely."

Robert’s expression tightened. "Because that survey is wrong. My father had this property surveyed when he bought it. The wall was the boundary then, and it’s the boundary now."

"Do you have documentation from that original survey?" Eve asked.

Robert hesitated. "It would have been in my father’s papers. He passed fifteen years ago. I’d have to search through everything to find it."

"So you’re operating on memory and assumption," David said. "While I have current professional documentation showing the legal boundary."

"The wall has been there for a century...."

"Which proves nothing about legal property lines...."

"Gentlemen," Eve interrupted firmly. "This is exactly why we need mediation instead of continued arguments. You’re both operating from different information sources and assumptions."

She turned to Damian. "Is there pack documentation about property boundaries? Something from when these estates were originally incorporated into pack territory?"

"There should be. Pack records going back at least eighty years." Damian pulled out his phone. "I’ll have someone check the archives."

While they waited, Eve asked more questions....about how the disputed land was currently being used, what David’s workshop plans entailed, whether there were alternative locations for the workshop on undisputed Peterson property.

"There are," Lisa said quietly. "David could build the workshop on the north side of our property. There’s plenty of space. But he’s fixated on this spot because it’s closer to his existing garage and has better access to the road."

David shot his wife an irritated look. "That’s oversimplifying....."

"But is it inaccurate?" Eve asked.

David was quiet for a moment. Then: "No. The north side would work. It would just be less convenient."

"And the garden?" Eve turned to Margaret. "Could it be relocated if necessary?"