- 5 hours ago
The Red Collar Of Lies FULL HD
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00:27¡SuscrÃbete al canal!
00:30¡SuscrÃbete al canal!
01:07¡SuscrÃbete al canal!
01:24¡SuscrÃbete al canal!
01:57¡SuscrÃbete al canal!
02:38¡SuscrÃbete al canal!
03:50¡SuscrÃbete al canal!
04:19¡SuscrÃbete al canal!
04:41¡SuscrÃbete al canal!
04:52¡SuscrÃbete al canal!
05:06¡SuscrÃbete al canal!
05:09¡SuscrÃbete al canal!
05:20¡SuscrÃbete al canal!
05:30¡SuscrÃbete al canal!
05:33¡SuscrÃbete al canal!
05:38¡SuscrÃbete al canal!
05:39¡SuscrÃbete al canal!
06:06I heard laughter.
06:08Mom, Dad, Emma
06:09coming through the front door.
06:12Tonight's bonfire was beautiful.
06:14The best one yet.
06:16Just like our Emma.
06:18Perfect in every way.
06:20I'd never heard her sound like that when she talked about me.
06:23I floated toward them, my wolf patting silently at my side.
06:27Moving on instinct, I wanted to help them take off their cloaks.
06:31That's what I always did.
06:32Mom!
06:33My arms passed right through her body, like wind.
06:37Why is it so cold here?
06:39Is the hearthi out?
06:40I stood there, staring at my transparent hands.
06:43My wolf pressed against my leg and looked up at me with sad eyes.
06:47Right.
06:48Dead wolves couldn't hug the living.
06:51Shall we go and see Stella?
06:52She hasn't eaten yet.
06:54Still the good cop.
06:55I looked at Mom hopefully.
06:57If she found me dead, would she be sad?
07:00Would she regret it?
07:02She won't starve.
07:04She is a werewolf, not a human pup.
07:07This whole fake sick for attention thing is out of control.
07:11I laughed bitterly.
07:12Mom wasn't wrong.
07:14Werewolves heal.
07:15But I hadn't been able to in a long time.
07:18Last winter, the choker left bruises that stayed for days.
07:22That hadn't happened before.
07:23I reached for my wolf.
07:24She was still there, but the warmth never came.
07:28She was too hungry, just like me.
07:31Mom never noticed.
07:33She only ever looked at my neck for one thing.
07:36The gem.
07:37And whether it was red or green.
07:39Mom pushed open my door.
07:41Didn't even turn on the light.
07:43Just for a second, her eyes flashed gold.
07:45Her wolf might have known.
07:47Mom didn't listen.
07:48In the dim glow from the hallway, she saw me slumped over my desk.
07:52I looked like a skeleton.
07:54Hadn't moved.
07:56Still putting on an act?
07:58You're ten years old, not five.
08:01Grow up.
08:02Mom, I'm not playing.
08:04I'm dead.
08:05Look at me.
08:06Touch me.
08:07I'm freezing.
08:08She couldn't hear me.
08:10She only believed what she wanted to see.
08:12Emma squeezed past her, held up her choker with that smug little grin.
08:16Look, my gem is green.
08:19Stella's is still red.
08:20She's lying, even in her sleep.
08:22That's my good girl.
08:24Ignore the liar.
08:25Let her stay there.
08:27Maybe she'll learn how to be honest.
08:30Should we at least put her in bed?
08:31It's freezing.
08:33Put her in bed?
08:34Look at that red gem, still lying.
08:37Come on, leave her.
08:38We have to visit Grandma tomorrow.
08:42The door locked again.
08:43I floated next to my corpse.
08:45My wolf curled silently at my feet, staring at that single point of red light in the darkness.
08:51Mom, if you'd just stepped closer, if you'd just touched my hand, you'd know I was ice cold.
08:57But you didn't.
08:58You believed the choker.
08:59Not the daughter you carried for nine months.
09:02That night, a rat crawled out of my empty cabinet.
09:05I used to scream whenever I saw rats.
09:07But now, I just floated by the ceiling, watching it scurry across my dead body.
09:12The rat bit into my toe.
09:14I didn't feel anything.
09:16My wolf charged at it anyway, and passed right through, landing on the other side.
09:21She turned back to look at me, confused, lost.
09:25I pulled her close and buried my face in the fur of her back.
09:29It's okay.
09:30You can't feel it anymore.
09:32It'll be over soon.
09:33She let out one low growl, then went still against me.
09:37Finally, no more pain for either of us.
09:41The next morning, sunlight streamed through the window.
09:44No warmth reached my body.
09:46In the kitchen, I could hear mom making breakfast.
09:49The smell of roasted meat crept under my door.
09:52My favorite.
09:53But mom always said liars don't deserve meat.
09:56So I only ever got steamed vegetables.
09:59She was clanging the pots extra loud on purpose.
10:02Trying to tempt me out.
10:03Trying to make me give in and apologize for things I never did.
10:07In the old days, I might have caved.
10:09I might have confessed to anything for one bite of roasted meat.
10:13But I don't need food anymore.
10:16Stella still hasn't come out yet?
10:17Dad asked, reading the pack notices.
10:20She is so stubborn.
10:22She can eat or not.
10:23I don't care.
10:26Emma walked to my door and made a big show of sniffing the air.
10:30Then she screamed dramatically.
10:33Mom!
10:34Stella's room smells like poop!
10:36Did she poop in there?
10:38I floated by the door, watching my sister with a bitter smile.
10:42My wolf sat beside me, ears flat, eyes low.
10:46The hearth was burning hot.
10:48After just one night, my body started to rot.
10:52Mom stormed over, pounding on the door.
10:55Stella!
10:56Who does that?
10:58The toilet is right there!
10:59Did you shit on the floor to spite me?
11:01I remembered being six.
11:04I had food poisoning.
11:05Couldn't make it to the toilet in time.
11:08Mom didn't help me clean up.
11:10She made me stand outside, pointed at me, and told the neighbors.
11:13Look at this!
11:15She's such a mess!
11:17She can't even use the toilet herself!
11:19Now she thought I was dirty again.
11:21Leave her.
11:21Let her sit in her own stink.
11:24But Dad stood up, frowning.
11:26That smells really bad.
11:28I should check.
11:29Could it be a dead rat or something?
11:32My heart, if I still had one, leapt.
11:35Dad!
11:36Please!
11:37Open the door!
11:38I'm right here!
11:39Just turn the handle and you'll see I'm not moving!
11:42I waved my transparent arms frantically.
11:45My wolf ran straight to my bedroom door, willing Dad to open it.
11:50Dad's hand touched the door handle.
11:52His hand froze.
11:53Someone was pounding at the front door.
11:55A pack elder.
11:56Urgent business.
11:57Dad's face went pale.
11:58He grabbed his cloak.
12:00The border.
12:01There's an emergency.
12:02He was already out the door.
12:04I froze.
12:05So close.
12:06One second away.
12:07If that knock had come one second later, I would have been found.
12:10Maybe then, I wouldn't have rotted alone.
12:13That afternoon, Mom took Emma to the pack market.
12:16The house was empty except for my corpse.
12:18When they came back that evening, loaded down with food and gifts from the market,
12:21the smell had gotten worse.
12:23Mom gagged the second she walked in.
12:26Stella?
12:27Are you trying to turn this place into a den of inequity?
12:29She didn't even open my door.
12:31Just grabbed cloth strips and sealed the gap at the bottom.
12:34If you want to stay in there and make disgusting stew zoos, don't stink up my house.
12:38She patted her hands together, satisfied.
12:41Then went to prepare dinner.
12:42I stared at that sealed door.
12:44My wolf pressed her nose against it and whimpered once.
12:47So that's it.
12:47I'm worth less than a venison dinner.
12:49By day three, even the cloth strips couldn't contain the smell.
12:52Mom was arranging fresh wildflowers, trying to cover it up.
12:56But the stench of death is unmistakable.
12:59Sweet.
12:59Rotten.
13:00Oily.
13:01She cut a rose stem too hard.
13:02A thorn pierced her hand.
13:04She snapped.
13:05In her mind, I was doing this on purpose.
13:08Not bathing.
13:08Poop on the floor.
13:10Hiding dead rats in my room.
13:11All to piss her off.
13:12All to defy her authority as Luna.
13:15Stella!
13:16She grabbed a rolling pin from the kitchen.
13:18Stormed toward my room.
13:20I'm done with you, you disgusting little brat!
13:23Time you learned what real pain feels like!
13:25I floated in front of her, waving my arms desperately.
13:29Don't come in, Mom!
13:30Mom!
13:31Please!
13:32Please!
13:34Even though she never loved me, I didn't want her to see me like that.
13:38But she walked right through me, ripped the cloth strips off, jammed the spare key into
13:42the lock.
13:43The door flew open.
13:44The smell hit her like a wall.
13:46She stumbled back, retching.
13:48Stella!
13:48What are you doing?
13:50She saw me, still slumped over the desk, back turned, not moving.
13:54To her, this was the ultimate rebellion.
13:57I'm talking to you!
13:58She marched over, raised the rolling pin, but stopped.
14:02She wanted to see my face first.
14:05Wanted to see my...
14:06Get up!
14:06She grabbed the back of my shirt, grabbed my skin.
14:09The moment she touched me, she froze.
14:11Through the thin fabric, her hand didn't feel warm flesh.
14:15She felt cold, hard, dead meat.
14:17The kind of cold that seeps into your bones.
14:20What?
14:21But momentum carried her forward.
14:23She yanked.
14:23Crash.
14:24My body, stiff as a board, toppled backward, taking the chair with it.
14:28And there was my face, blue-black, eyes bulging, features twisted in agony.
14:33Dried foam and blood crusted around my mouth.
14:36Around my blackened neck, the Verity choker hung lifeless.
14:39The gem dark.
14:41No red.
14:42No green.
14:43Just silence.
14:44My journal slid off the desk.
14:46Fell open at Mom's feet.
14:47The last page stared up at her.
14:49Mom, my stomach really hurts.
14:51The choker is wrong.
14:53I'm not lying.
14:54Please don't punish me.
14:55Mom screamed.
14:56Not a wolf's howl.
14:57A raw, guttural shriek that tore through her throat.
15:02She stumbled backward, slammed into the bookshelf.
15:05A clay pot shattered.
15:07But she didn't seem to feel the pain.
15:09She just stared at me, eyes wide, unblinking.
15:14No.
15:15No, no, no, no.
15:16This is not real.
15:18Stella, get up.
15:18Stella, get up.
15:20Stella, please, get up.
15:20I'm not mad anymore.
15:22Stop scaring me.
15:24Scare me again.
15:25Her hand reached out, trembling, to touch my arm.
15:28The second her skin made contact with my corpse, she recoiled like she'd been burned.
15:33That cold was too real.
15:35Lisa from next door heard the screaming and went straight to the pack healer.
15:40When she saw what was in my room, she collapsed in the gate.
15:43Within the hour, heavy boots on the floorboards.
15:46The pack healer and a handful of pack warriors crowding the entrance.
15:50Mom sat on the floor, a warrior's hand on her shoulder.
15:54She's speaking it.
15:55She's always lying.
15:58It doesn't lie.
16:00I'm just teaching her.
16:01No one responded.
16:03They all looked at her like she was a monster.
16:05The pack healer crouched next to my body.
16:08He muttered under his breath.
16:10Severe malnutrition, organ failure.
16:13This puppy has been starved for at least a month.
16:16He carefully tried to remove the Verity choker, but it had fused.
16:20Years of tightening had pressed the leather deep into the skin of my neck.
16:24Damn it.
16:25He had to use tools to pry it off.
16:28Even dead, my soul flinched.
16:30My wolf lifted her head and...
16:33Long.
16:35Raw.
16:36Desperate.
16:37The kind of howl that should have shaken the walls.
16:40No one heard it.
16:41No one flinched.
16:42We were already dead.
16:44A warrior picked up my journal.
16:46Started reading.
16:47His face went from neutral to horrified.
16:50Mom's eyes locked onto that book.
16:52That's her confession.
16:54She admits she lied.
16:56Look!
16:56She wrote it herself!
16:59The warrior pushed her back, wrapped the journal in cloth, and took it.
17:04We'll report it to the council.
17:06That's when dad got home.
17:08He saw the pack healer and the pack warriors crowding the doorway.
17:11Saw the body wrap being carried out.
17:14Saw the long cord that sealed away my entire life.
17:19His legs gave out.
17:20He collapsed on the doorstep.
17:23Emma stood nearby, sobbing in confusion.
17:26She pointed at the discolored Verity choker on the table.
17:29Why does Stella have a black collar?
17:31And I have a green one.
17:33See?
17:34She held up her neck.
17:35The gem blinked its steady green.
17:38It was grotesque.
17:40The council elders arrived before dawn.
17:42Mom straightened when she saw them.
17:44Even now, even with my body three days cold and rotting, her luna instincts kicked in.
17:51She lifted her chin, squared her shoulders.
17:54It didn't work today.
17:55They started questioning Mom in the living room.
17:58Mom grabbed the Verity choker off the table like it was a lifeline.
18:02Test it!
18:03That choker proved she was lying.
18:06Red gem means lie.
18:08I never abused her!
18:11The choker told me!
18:13I was just educating her!
18:15The council elders looked at her like she'd lost her mind.
18:19The pup shows signs of extreme malnutrition.
18:23Months of starvation.
18:25Aphelion.
18:26Multiple old injuries consistent with prolonged...
18:29That's dis-discipline!
18:31That's teaching her to be honest!
18:34Then, she did something insane.
18:36You don't believe me?
18:38Fine.
18:39I'll wear it.
18:43Watch.
18:44It'll be green.
18:45The leather pressed against her skin.
18:47Cold.
18:48Sticky.
18:49That was my blood.
18:51She took a deep breath.
18:52Tried to calm herself.
18:54She needed to prove she was innocent.
18:56Needed to prove her way of raising an alpha heir was right.
19:00She held up the gem.
19:02Eyes wild.
19:03Listen.
19:03I'm Rachel.
19:05I'm Stella's mother.
19:07This is the truth.
19:08The absolute truth.
19:10The gem flashed red.
19:12Mom's confident expression shattered.
19:15No!
19:16What?
19:17I said truth!
19:18I am Rachel!
19:20I never abused her!
19:22I did it for her own good!
19:25I love her!
19:27And suddenly, she remembered.
19:30Me.
19:31Ten years old.
19:32Gasping as the choker tightened around my throat.
19:35Biting my lip so I wouldn't make a sound.
19:38Is this what it felt like?
19:40Why is it red?
19:42I am telling the truth!
19:44Turn green!
19:45You're broken!
19:46You're setting me up!
19:47But the gem kept flashing.
19:48Like it was mocking her.
19:50You're a liar.
19:51You're a liar.
19:53You're a liar.
19:55Enough!
19:56This is just a bloodstone.
19:59I've seen it before.
20:00It changes color with body heat.
20:03Fear.
20:03Pain.
20:04Anything that makes your heart race.
20:06Temperature rises.
20:08It burns red.
20:10That's all it does.
20:11No witch magic.
20:13Never was.
20:14Think about your daughter.
20:16Ruptured appendix.
20:18Organ failure.
20:19The pain must have been unbearable.
20:21She was terrified.
20:23And what did you see?
20:24A red gem.
20:26So you punished her more.
20:28Which made her more scared.
20:31Which made her temperature rise.
20:33Which made the stone turn redder.
20:38You are Luna.
20:39You are supposed to protect every wolf in this pack.
20:43You couldn't even protect your own daughter.
20:46You ignored her cries for help.
20:49You starved your daughter to death.
20:52Mom's world collapsed.
20:53She sat there.
20:54Staring at the flashing gem on her own net.
20:57And finally understood.
20:59For ten years.
21:00Every red light wasn't because I was lying.
21:03It was because I was scared.
21:05Scared of her anger.
21:07Scared of being misunderstood.
21:09Scared of eating food that made me sick.
21:12I was in pain.
21:14Pain that made my heart race.
21:15And cold sweat pour down my face.
21:18I was desperate.
21:20Desperate for a hug.
21:21For her to hold me the way she held Emma.
21:24Every signal from my frightened heart.
21:26She had interpreted as proof of my lies.
21:37She tried to shift.
21:39Fur rippling across her skin.
21:41Bones cracking.
21:42But the leather cinched harder around her throat.
21:44The moment her neck began to change.
21:46She snapped back into human form.
21:49Gasping.
21:51I can't get it off.
21:53Stella take it back.
21:54I'm sorry.
21:55It's all my fault.
21:58This little bit of choking.
22:00And she was already breaking.
22:02Mom.
22:02I suffered for ten years.
22:06The council elders needed evidence for judgment.
22:09So they opened my journal.
22:11In front of my parents.
22:12February 14th.
22:14Sunny.
22:15Mom put celery on my plate.
22:17I'm allergic.
22:18My throat swells.
22:19I can't breathe.
22:20I said I can't eat it.
22:22But because I was scared of making her angry.
22:24My body ran hot.
22:26The gem flashed red.
22:28The choker tightened.
22:30Mom said I was picky.
22:32Lying.
22:33Made me eat the whole plate.
22:35That night.
22:36I threw up blood.
22:37My throat felt like it was on fire.
22:40I shifted to ease my pain.
22:42Mom saw it and said I'd snuck berry juice.
22:45That I was faking.
22:47The choker tightened for ten more minutes.
22:50Mom's hand flew to her mouth.
22:53She was shaking violently.
22:55She remembered that night.
22:56She really did think it was berry juice.
22:59She didn't even look closely.
23:01Just turned away to read Emma a bedtime story.
23:05That was blood.
23:06From a swollen, torn throat.
23:09June 1st.
23:10Pup's Day.
23:11Emma shredded Mom's ceremonial cloak.
23:14Emma's heart is always calm.
23:16Her gem stays green.
23:18I tried to explain, but I was scared of being hit.
23:21My body ran hot.
23:23Red gem.
23:25Choker tightened for ten minutes.
23:27It hurt so bad.
23:29But I didn't cry.
23:30Because crying makes your body run hotter.
23:33And Mom thinks that means you're not sorry.
23:36So I held my breath.
23:38Pretended it didn't hurt.
23:39Mom said,
23:41See?
23:42She doesn't even blink.
23:44She's definitely faking it.
23:45Dad couldn't take it anymore.
23:47This man, who had always put the pack before his own family, chose duty over his daughter for ten years.
23:53You monster!
23:56What did you do?
23:57That was your daughter!
23:59You treated her like a stray!
24:02Blood at the corner of her mouth.
24:04Not my fault.
24:05Not my fault.
24:06It's her.
24:07It's Emma.
24:08Emma's gem was always green.
24:11Emma was a good one.
24:12If it wasn't for that green light making me trust her, I wouldn't have believed the red light so much.
24:18This is Emma's fault.
24:20That little princess everyone had protected.
24:22One of the council elders walked over.
24:24Gently removed the green Verity Choker from her neck.
24:28Took out a blade.
24:29Pried the gem loose right there.
24:32It rolled onto the table, still glowing green.
24:35Steady.
24:37Unchanged.
24:38The elder picked up the stone.
24:40A glowstone.
24:41That is all.
24:42Your younger daughter's choker was always going to shine green.
24:46No matter what she said, did, or lied about, it would never change.
24:52Your so-called Verity Choker was a fraud.
24:56That was her truth for ten years.
24:59That was the evidence she used to convict me.
25:01A common glowstone that put me in hell while Emma lived in paradise.
25:06So I wasn't a liar.
25:08I laughed.
25:10Laughed until I cried.
25:12Turns out, ghosts could cry too.
25:14The elder turned to the last page of the journal.
25:16His voice broke.
25:18The handwriting was a mess, clearly written while dying.
25:21Mom, if I die, will the choker stop glowing red?
25:25Or if it turns green, will you hug me then?
25:28I'm not lying.
25:29I couldn't heal myself anymore.
25:31My stomach hurts so much.
25:33Like knives.
25:35Next life, please don't make me wear the choker.
25:38Please.
25:39I just want to be a normal pup.
25:41I want to eat mom's roasted meat.
25:43Mom stared at the broken glowstone on the table.
25:46That truth magic she trusted without question?
25:48A worthless stone.
25:50Because of that stone, she spoiled Emma for ten years.
25:54Because of that cursed red light, she tortured me for ten years.
26:02Mom started laughing.
26:04Her voice cracking in every sound.
26:06Worse than crying.
26:09Fake!
26:10All fake!
26:13I killed my most honest pup.
26:16And I worshipped a liar.
26:19She'd lost her mind.
26:20For real this time.
26:22My death became the talk of the entire pack.
26:25Lisa, the neighbor who had sent for the pack healer, told everyone what she'd seen.
26:30Every wolf knew by morning.
26:32Luna had starved her own daughter to death.
26:36Monster!
26:37Murderer!
26:38She doesn't deserve to be Luna!
26:41Stones flew at our door.
26:43The word killer carved into the wall.
26:45The council convened within the day.
26:48The verdict was swift.
26:49Dad lost his alpha title.
26:52No wolf would follow him now.
26:54My grandfather, the former alpha, read out the judgment himself.
26:58He didn't look at his son once.
27:00Dad walked out of the council hall and never looked back.
27:04He took Emma and left the pack that same night.
27:07Emma was a bad seed, sure.
27:09But she was still his blood.
27:11Before they left, Emma tried to take her green choker.
27:14Dad stomped on it.
27:16Why the hell would you want that piece of trash?
27:19Emma cried as he dragged her away.
27:21Mom got out of the dungeon.
27:23The healer said she had lost her mind.
27:26The council locked her in the home instead.
27:28The one that still smelled like death.
27:30Her mental state deteriorated fast.
27:32She refused to take off the red choker.
27:35She would tighten it herself whenever the guilt got too heavy.
27:39She said choking was the only thing that eased it.
27:42It was her self-imposed punishment.
27:44I floated in the darkness.
27:46My wolf curled beside me, watching her unravel day after day.
27:50She'd talk to the empty corner where I used to stand.
27:53Stella, I brought you some food.
27:54No celery today.
27:56It's all roast.
27:58Just how you like it.
28:00But there was no food.
28:01There was nothing.
28:02Just her hands, cupped around air.
28:05She'd pretend to set a plate down.
28:07Her hands shook.
28:08The gem flashed red.
28:10She was anxious.
28:12Guilty.
28:12Falling apart.
28:14She smiled, but her eyes were empty.
28:16The gem is red.
28:18Mom is lying.
28:20Liars don't deserve food.
28:22She pulled the choker tight with her own hands.
28:24Let it choke her.
28:25Her body convulsed against the cold floor.
28:28It hurts so much.
28:30Is this how Stella felt?
28:32I'm sorry.
28:34Mom started reenacting my diary entries.
28:36I couldn't eat celery because of my allergy.
28:40So she forced herself to eat spoiled food until she vomited blood, then swallowed it back down.
28:47I was locked in isolation.
28:49So she locked herself in my old room, lights off, and bowed to my portrait until her forehead bled.
28:56Over and over.
28:58Blood on the floor.
29:00Late at night, she'd see the red glow of the bloodstone reflected on the wall.
29:04To her, it looked like my bloody eyes were watching.
29:08She kept punishing herself.
29:10The wounds healed slower and slower.
29:13Her wolf, exhausted by months of self-torture, slowly fell into a deep sleep.
29:19Mom didn't care.
29:20She scrawled on the back of my journal.
29:22I'm sorry.
29:23I was wrong.
29:25Red means pain.
29:27Red means love.
29:28Please come back and say it hurts hurts one more time.
29:31I'll save you.
29:33I promise.
29:33Too bad I'm dead.
29:35Dead wolves can't cry for help.
29:37Eventually, the new alpha intervened.
29:40Mom's self-harm had gone too far.
29:42She'd nearly choked herself to death with her own hands.
29:46He ordered her to move to a small hut at the far edge of the village, locked from the outside.
29:51Someone posted to watch her day and night.
29:54She was the strangest woman they'd ever seen.
29:56Nobody knew where she'd found it.
29:59A frayed red cord, tied around her own neck.
30:02Her homemade choker.
30:04If anyone tried to remove it, she'd snap at them.
30:07Teeth bared, snarling, wild-eyed.
30:10Don't touch me!
30:13Don't touch me!
30:13Stella's watching!
30:14She'll be angry if you take it!
30:16Every time the guard called her name and brought her food, Mom would grab the red cord and pull it
30:22tight against her own throat, convulsing, screaming.
30:26Red light!
30:27Red light!
30:29Don't punish!
30:30Punish me!
30:31I'll eat!
30:31I'll eat!
30:33Even if the food was scalding hot, she'd gulp it down, burning her throat.
30:38Wouldn't spit it out.
30:39She was reenacting my final moments, living my hell on repeat.
30:44Years later, Emma grew up.
30:46Without guidance and with a trail of shame behind her, she drifted from pack to pack, stealing to survive.
30:53No one would take her in.
30:55When she ran out of options, she remembered.
30:58Mom was still alive.
31:00She slipped back into the Silverman pack under the cover of night.
31:03Not for love, for money.
31:06Hey, crazy lady!
31:08Dad's dead!
31:09Give me whatever you've been hiding!
31:11Emma stood there, face hard, eyes full of contempt.
31:15She looked at Mom's hollow, broken form and spat on the floor.
31:20It's disgusting.
31:22Give me what I want, or I'll send you to meet your daughter.
31:26For a moment, Mom's cloudy eyes cleared.
31:29She looked at Emma, and suddenly remembered.
31:32That choker.
31:33That always green glowstone.
31:36That decade of deception.
31:38It's you!
31:40You lie!
31:41You're the green light that wasn't there!
31:43You killed Stella!
31:45Give her back to me!
31:47Give her back to me!
31:48The last shred of maternal love twisted into something feral.
31:53Mom lunged, grabbed Emma by the throat.
31:56Should have died!
31:58Not her!
31:59You!
32:02Emma thrashed, but couldn't break free from a madwoman's grip.
32:06The guards rushed in, pulled her off.
32:08Emma stumbled out of the hut, terrified.
32:11They're all insane!
32:13She bolted into the forest.
32:15She didn't get far.
32:17Rogues.
32:18The kind that haunted the borderlands.
32:20Preying on anyone foolish enough to run through the trees alone at night.
32:24Emma never saw them coming.
32:27By the time she did, it was too late.
32:29She survived.
32:30Barely.
32:31Both legs shattered beyond repair.
32:34She'd never walk again.
32:36Meanwhile, Mom was strapped to her cot, staring at the ceiling.
32:40Tears streaming.
32:41In her dreams, she finally saw me.
32:44I was ten again.
32:45No choker.
32:46White dress.
32:47Smiling.
32:49Mom!
32:49She reached for me, crying with joy.
32:52Stella!
32:54But the moment her hands touched me, I burst into ash.
32:58No!
32:59She woke up screaming.
33:01If she'd been wearing that choker, it would have been blood red.
33:04Eternal torment.
33:06I stood in the void, watching it all.
33:08Mom strapped to her bed.
33:10Emma in a wheelchair, begging on the market.
33:13Dad, drunk and dead in some gutter.
33:15I felt nothing.
33:17No satisfaction.
33:18Just a flat, dead, calm.
33:21My wolf padded over quietly.
33:23She didn't howl.
33:25Didn't nudge.
33:26Just pressed her head against my hand and held it there.
33:28In the distance, a door of light appeared.
33:31Soft.
33:32Steady.
33:33Waiting.
33:34I looked at my wolf.
33:35She looked at me.
33:37Yeah.
33:37Time to leave.
33:39This life was too bitter.
33:40Nothing worth holding onto.
33:42I floated to mom's hut one final time.
33:45She looked ancient.
33:46Hair completely white.
33:47Frail as paper.
33:49She sensed something.
33:50Her cloudy eyes focused on a point in the air.
33:52Right where I stood.
33:53Stella?
33:54Is that you?
33:55Her trembling hand reached into the emptiness.
33:58Mom destroyed the choker.
33:59I don't believe in it anymore.
34:01Come back, please.
34:02I'll cook for you.
34:03No salary.
34:04I'll buy you new dresses.
34:06Not Emma.
34:06Tears rolled down her face.
34:08I looked at the red marks on her neck from the frayed cord.
34:11I...
34:12I reached out.
34:13My cold, ghostly finger touched her forehead.
34:16This was my final mercy.
34:18Sleep, mom.
34:19In sleep, there's no pain.
34:20Her eyes fluttered shut.
34:22She slumped into a deep, dreamless rest.
34:25A breeze blew through the hut.
34:26The old journal on her cot flipped open.
34:29The last page, my dying words, stared up at the ceiling.
34:33But below it, in shaky handwriting, were new lines.
34:36Written by mom during a lucid moment.
34:38Next life, let me wear the choker.
34:40Let me be the liar.
34:42Punish me however you want.
34:44Just don't leave me.
34:45I stared at those words.
34:46Felt nothing.
34:47Too late.
34:48Repentance means nothing to the dead.
34:50Mom, I don't hate you anymore.
34:53But I don't love you either.
34:54Let's not meet again.
34:56I turned away.
34:57My wolf was waiting.
34:58In the distance, the door of light still glowed.
35:00Soft.
35:01Steady.
35:02Patient.
35:02I looked at my neck.
35:04The phantom Verity choker.
35:05Still there.
35:06Even in spirit form.
35:08The nightmare that had changed me for a lifetime.
35:10I grabbed it.
35:11It shattered into nothing.
35:13I felt weightless.
35:14Free.
35:14No red light.
35:15No hunger.
35:16No lies.
35:17Just freedom.
35:18My wolf pressed against my side.
35:20Together, we walked toward the light.
35:22I didn't look back.
35:23Morning came.
35:24A guard pushed open the door.
35:26Rachel, time to eat.
35:27No response.
35:28She walked closer.
35:29Mom's hand clutched the torn journal.
35:31A single tear crystallized at the corner of her eye.
35:34She crouched beside her.
35:35Held two fingers beneath her nose.
35:37Nothing.
35:38She was gone.
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