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Short filmTranscript
00:00My mom called me a liar from the day I was born. Not because I actually lied, but because of
00:05this thing around my neck, the Verity choker.
00:07Mom was Luna of Silvermoon Pack, and she believed one thing above all. Lying was the mark of a weak
00:12wolf.
00:13We were her daughters, future alpha heirs. Weakness was not an option.
00:18So when my twin sister Emma and I were born, Mom clasped these chokers around our throats, which had witch
00:24magic to detect lies.
00:25Green light means truth, red light means you were lying.
00:28Emma's choker? Always green. She could shred Mom's ceremonial cloak and blame the cat, and Jem would glow a steady
00:35green.
00:36Not me.
00:37Green light. Believed. Me?
00:40Mom, I'm hungry.
00:42And flash, red light. The choker choked tight. I shifted on instinct.
00:46A small white wolf, pawing desperately at the Jem around my neck, claws scraping against it, unable to get it
00:53off.
00:53I'm not lying! Not lying! Please!
00:56But Mom's eyes had already gone cold. Instant punishment. Mom's punishment wasn't gentle.
01:02No food, locked in my room, no contact with anyone in the pack.
01:06The truth necklace doesn't lie, Stella. Starve now, study later. I'm doing this for your own good.
01:12After 10 years of this, I started believing it too. Maybe I really was born wrong.
01:17New Year's Eve, everything changed. Mom was getting ready to take Emma to the pack's bonfire celebration.
01:23And that's when the pain hit, like a knife twisting in my gut. I collapsed on the floor, my skeletal
01:29frame curling into itself.
01:31Mom, please.
01:33The choker flashed red and choked tight. She looked down at me, disgusted in her eyes.
01:39In your dreams, Stella. Faking an illness to ruin our night?
01:43She grabbed Emma's hand and headed for the door. I wanted to howl, but my wolf was too weak to
01:49answer.
01:49I shifted anyway. Forced it. A small, white wolf trembling on the floor. Ribs heaving.
01:55Maybe in this form, the pain would hurt less. It didn't. I couldn't even hold the shift.
02:00I slipped back into myself without meaning to.
02:02Sorry, Mom.
02:03I won't lie anymore. But the pain got worse. Way worse.
02:07The door handle turned. For one second, I thought, Mom's coming back. She came back for me.
02:13Hurry up. The bonfire is starting. Emma's waiting.
02:17Mom?
02:18I reached out with a shaking hand.
02:19Please. Something's really wrong. I feel like I'm dying.
02:23She glanced at my neck. The gem was flashing red over and over.
02:27She crouched down, grabbed my chin.
02:29Stella, how long are you going to keep this up? Can't you just be honest? And stay here and think
02:36about what you've done?
02:37Dad appeared in the doorway.
02:39Honey, should we at least leave her some food?
02:43Food? She has a stash of snacks she bought with stolen money. She won't starve. Lock the door. When that
02:50gem turns green, we'll talk.
02:53But...
02:53But what? It's because you spoil her that she turned out this way. Look at Emma. Her gem has always
03:01been green.
03:02Stella is a liar. An alpha heiress who can't tell the truth. She needs discipline.
03:07But my cabinet was empty. Emma stole that money. Emma ate those snacks. Emma just stood there with her glowing
03:15green gem saying,
03:16Not me.
03:17And mom believed her. I tried to defend myself. It wasn't me! Red light. The choker choked tight. I tried
03:25to shift.
03:26Nothing happened. Deep inside, my wolf barely stirred. Mom locked me up for three days with nothing but water and
03:34stale bread.
03:35Mom turned to leave. Emma peeked through the door, made a face at me.
03:39Bye, sis. We're gonna see the bonfire.
03:42Her gem glowed a steady green. So pretty. The door locked. The house went silent. I called my wolf. Nothing
03:50came back.
03:51Not even a whisper. Just me alone. The pain was unbearable. But I kept thinking. Mom's right. The gem doesn't
04:01lie.
04:02It's red. So I must be lying. I'm not in pain. I'm not in pain. I'm not in pain.
04:10I kept repeating it like a prayer. Eventually, I almost believed it. The pain dulled. Or maybe I was just
04:19going numb.
04:20I crawled to my desk. I had to write. That was the rule. If the gem glowed red, I had
04:26to pen a thousand word apology.
04:28Or mom would never let me out. I am a liar. Write it down. And maybe mom would forgive me.
04:36Maybe she'd even let me out. I opened my journal. Pages and pages of apologies I'd written over the years.
04:44Sorry I lied. I won't do it again. But this time, I wanted to write the truth.
04:50My vision blurred. My hand shook as I wrote,
04:53Mom, I really love you. It really hurts. Why won't you believe me?
04:59Please believe me. Just once. The moment I finished the last word, the pain vanished. Just gone.
05:08I felt light. Weightless. I looked down. I was floating. And there, slumped over the desk, was my body. Motionless.
05:18The gem still flashing red around a dead girl's neck.
05:21Oh, I'm dead. And then, she came out. My wolf. Stepping out of my body like she'd been waiting all
05:29along.
05:30Small. Skinny. Barely holding together. She looked up at me and, once, soft and low.
05:38In the pack's old stories, they say when a wolf dies young, her spirit doesn't cross over alone.
05:44Her wolf walks beside her, until they find the door together.
05:48I knelt down. She pressed her nose into my ghostly palm.
05:53Finally. We were together now. But I never learned how to be honest.
05:58Sorry, Mom. I heard laughter. Mom. Dad. Emma. Coming through the front door.
06:04Tonight's bonfire was beautiful. The best one yet. Just like our Emma. Perfect in every way.
06:12I'd never heard her sound like that when she talked about me. I floated toward them, my wolf patting silently
06:18at my side.
06:19Moving on instinct, I wanted to help them take off their cloaks. That's what I always did.
06:24Mom!
06:25My arms passed right through her body. Like wind.
06:29Why is it so cold here? Is the hearthi out?
06:32I stood there, staring at my transparent hands. My wolf pressed against my leg and looked up at me with
06:38sad eyes.
06:39Right. Dead wolves couldn't hug the living.
06:42Shall we go and see Stella? She hasn't eaten yet.
06:45Still the good cop. I looked at Mom, hopefully.
06:48If she found me dead, would she be sad? Would she regret it?
06:54She won't starve. She is a werewolf, not a human pup. This whole fake sick for attention thing is out
07:01of control.
07:02I laughed bitterly. Mom wasn't wrong. Werewolves heal. But I hadn't been able to in a long time.
07:09Last winter, the choker left bruises that stayed for days. That hadn't happened before.
07:14I reached for my wolf. She was still there, but the warmth never came. She was too hungry, just like
07:21me.
07:22Mom never noticed. She only ever looked at my neck for one thing. The gem. And whether it was red
07:29or green.
07:30Mom pushed open my door. Didn't even turn on the light. Just for a second, her eyes flashed gold.
07:36Her wolf might have known. Mom didn't listen. In the dim glow from the hallway, she saw me slumped over
07:42my desk.
07:43I looked like a skeleton. Hadn't moved.
07:46Still putting on an act?
07:49You're ten years old, not five. Grow up.
07:52Mom, I'm not playing. I'm dead. Look at me. Touch me. I'm freezing.
07:58She couldn't hear me. She only believed what she wanted to see.
08:02Emma squeezed past her, held up her choker with that smug little grin.
08:07Look, my gem is green. Stella's is still red. She's lying, even in her sleep.
08:12That's my good girl. Ignore the liar. Let her stay there. Maybe she'll learn how to be honest.
08:20Should we at least put her in bed? It's freezing.
08:23Put her in bed? Look at that red gem, still lying. Come on, leave her. We have to visit grandma
08:30tomorrow.
08:31The door locked again. I floated next to my corpse. My wolf curled silently at my feet, staring at that
08:38single point of red light in the darkness.
08:40Mom, if you'd just stepped closer, if you'd just touched my hand, you'd know I was ice cold.
08:46But you didn't. You believed the choker, not the daughter you carried for nine months.
08:51That night, a rat crawled out of my empty cabinet. I used to scream whenever I saw rats. But now,
08:58I just floated by the ceiling, watching it scurry across my dead body.
09:02The rat bit into my toe. I didn't feel anything. My wolf charged at it anyway, and passed right through,
09:09landing on the other side.
09:10She turned back to look at me, confused, lost. I pulled her close and buried my face in the fur
09:17of her back.
09:18It's okay. You can't feel it anymore. It'll be over soon.
09:23She let out one low growl, then went still against me. Finally, no more pain. For either of us.
09:30The next morning, sunlight streamed through the window. No warmth reached my body.
09:35In the kitchen, I could hear Mom making breakfast. The smell of roasted meat crept under my door. My favorite.
09:42But Mom always said liars don't deserve meat. So I only ever got steamed vegetables.
09:47She was clanging the pots extra loud on purpose. Trying to tempt me out. Trying to make me give in
09:53and apologize for things I never did.
09:56In the old days, I might have caved. I might have confessed to anything for one bite of roasted meat.
10:01But I don't need food anymore.
10:04Stella still hasn't come out yet? Dad asked, reading the pack notices.
10:09She is so stubborn. She can eat or not. I don't care.
10:14Emma walked to my door and made a big show of sniffing the air. Then she screamed dramatically.
10:21Mom! Stella's room smells like poop! Did she poop in there?
10:26I floated by the door, watching my sister with a bitter smile. My wolf sat beside me, ears flat, eyes
10:33low.
10:34The hearth was burning hot. After just one night, my body started to rot. Mom stormed over, pounding on the
10:42door.
10:43Stella! Who does that? The toilet is right there! Did you shit on the floor to spite me?
10:49I remembered being six. I had food poisoning. Couldn't make it to the toilet in time. Mom didn't help me
10:57clean up.
10:57She made me stand outside, pointed at me, and told the neighbors.
11:01Look at this! She's such a mess! She can't even use the toilet herself!
11:06Now she thought I was dirty again.
11:08Leave her. Let her sit in her own stink.
11:11But Dad stood up, frowning.
11:13That smells really bad. I should check. Could it be a dead rat or something?
11:19My heart, if I still had one, leapt.
11:22Dad! Please! Open the door! I'm right here! Just turn the handle and you'll see I'm not moving!
11:29I waved my transparent arms frantically.
11:32My wolf ran straight to my bedroom door, willing Dad to open it.
11:37Dad's hand touched the door handle. His hand froze.
11:40Someone was pounding at the front door. A pack elder. Urgent business. Dad's face went pale. He grabbed his cloak.
11:46The border. There's an emergency.
11:49He was already out the door.
11:50I froze. So close.
11:52One second away.
11:54If that knock had come one second later, I would have been found.
11:57Maybe then, I wouldn't have rotted alone.
11:59That afternoon, Mom took Emma to the pack market.
12:02The house was empty except for my corpse.
12:04When they came back that evening, loaded down with food and gifts from the market,
12:08the smell had gotten worse.
12:09Mom gagged the second she walked in.
12:12Stella? Are you trying to turn this place into a den of inequity?
12:16She didn't even open my door. Just grabbed cloth strips and sealed the gap at the bottom.
12:20If you want to stay in there and make disgusting stew zoos, don't stink up my house.
12:24She patted her hands together, satisfied, then went to prepare dinner.
12:28I stared at that sealed door.
12:30My wolf pressed her nose against it and whimpered once.
12:33So that's it. I'm worth less than a venison dinner.
12:35By day three, even the cloth strips couldn't contain the smell.
12:39Mom was arranging fresh wildflowers, trying to cover it up.
12:41But the stench of death is unmistakable.
12:44Sweet. Rotten. Oily.
12:46She cut a rose stem too hard.
12:48A thorn pierced her hand.
12:50She snapped.
12:51In her mind, I was doing this on purpose.
12:53Not bathing. Poop on the floor.
12:55Hiding dead rats in my room.
12:57All to piss her off.
12:58All to defy her authority as Luna.
13:01Stella!
13:02She grabbed a rolling pin from the kitchen.
13:04Stormed toward my room.
13:05I'm done with you, you disgusting little brat!
13:08Time you learned what real pain feels like!
13:11I floated in front of her, waving my arms desperately.
13:14Don't come in, Mom!
13:16Please! Please!
13:19Even though she never loved me, I didn't want her to see me like that.
13:23But she walked right through me.
13:24Ripped the cloth strips off.
13:26Jammed the spare key into the lock.
13:28The door flew open.
13:29The smell hit her like a wall.
13:31She stumbled back, retching.
13:33Stella! What are you doing?!
13:35She saw me, still slumped over the desk.
13:37Back turned, not moving.
13:39To her, this was the ultimate rebellion.
13:41I'm talking to you!
13:43She marched over, raised the rolling pin, but stopped.
13:47She wanted to see my face first.
13:49Wanted to see my...
13:50Get up!
13:51She grabbed the back of my shirt.
13:53Grabbed my skin.
13:54The moment she touched me, she froze.
13:56Through the thin fabric, her hand didn't feel warm flesh.
13:59She felt cold, hard, dead meat.
14:02The kind of cold that seeps into your bones.
14:04What?
14:05But momentum carried her forward.
14:07She yanked.
14:08Crash.
14:08My body, stiff as a board, toppled backward, taking the chair with it.
14:13And there was my face.
14:14Blue-black.
14:15Eyes bulging.
14:15Features twisted in agony.
14:17Dried foam and blood crusted around my mouth.
14:20Around my blackened neck, the Verity choker hung lifeless.
14:23The gem dark.
14:25No red.
14:26No green.
14:27Just silence.
14:27My journal slid off the desk, fell open at mom's feet.
14:31The last page stared up at her.
14:33Mom, my stomach really hurts.
14:35The choker is wrong.
14:37I'm not lying.
14:38Please don't punish me.
14:39Mom screamed.
14:40Not a wolf's howl.
14:41A raw, guttural shriek that tore through her throat.
14:45She stumbled backward, slammed into the bookshelf.
14:49A clay pot shattered.
14:50But she didn't seem to feel the pain.
14:53She just stared at me, eyes wide, unblinking.
14:57No.
14:58No, no, no.
15:00This is not real.
15:01Stella, get up.
15:02Stella, get up.
15:03Get up.
15:03I'm not mad anymore.
15:05Stop scaring me.
15:07Scare me again.
15:08Her hand reached out, trembling, to touch my arm.
15:11The second her skin made contact with my corpse, she recoiled like she'd been burned.
15:17That cold was too real.
15:19Lisa from next door heard the screaming and went straight to the pack healer.
15:23When she saw what was in my room, she collapsed in the gate.
15:26Within the hour, heavy boots on the floorboards.
15:29The pack healer and a handful of pack warriors crowding the entrance.
15:33Mom sat on the floor, a warrior's hand on her shoulder.
15:37She's speaking it.
15:38She's always lying.
15:41It doesn't lie.
15:43I'm just teaching her.
15:44No one responded.
15:45They all looked at her like she was a monster.
15:48The pack healer crouched next to my body.
15:51He muttered under his breath.
15:53Severe malnutrition, organ failure.
15:56This puppy has been starved for at least a month.
15:58He carefully tried to remove the Verity choker, but it had fused.
16:03Years of tightening had pressed the leather deep into the skin of my neck.
16:07Damn it.
16:08He had to use tools to pry it off.
16:10Even dead, my soul flinched.
16:13My wolf lifted her head and...
16:16Long.
16:17Raw.
16:18Desperate.
16:19The kind of howl that should have shaken the walls.
16:22No one heard it.
16:23No one flinched.
16:24We were already dead.
16:26A warrior picked up my journal.
16:28Started reading.
16:29His face went from neutral to horrified.
16:32Mom's eyes locked onto that book.
16:34That's her confession.
16:36She admits she lied.
16:37Look, she wrote it herself.
16:41The warrior pushed her back, wrapped the journal in cloth, and took it.
16:46We'll report it to the council.
16:48That's when dad got home.
16:49He saw the pack healer and the pack warriors crowding the doorway.
16:53Saw the body wrap being carried out.
16:56Saw the long cord that sealed away my entire life.
17:00His legs gave out.
17:02He collapsed on the doorstep.
17:04Emma stood nearby, sobbing in confusion.
17:07She pointed at the discolored Verity choker on the table.
17:10Why does Stella have a black collar?
17:12And I have a green one.
17:14See?
17:15She held up her neck.
17:17The gem blinked its steady green.
17:19It was grotesque.
17:21The council elders arrived before dawn.
17:24Mom straightened when she saw them.
17:25Even now, even with my body three days cold and rotting,
17:29her Luna instincts kicked in.
17:32She lifted her chin, squared her shoulders.
17:35It didn't work today.
17:36They started questioning Mom in the living room.
17:39Mom grabbed the Verity choker off the table like it was a lifeline.
17:43Test it!
17:44That choker proved she was lying!
17:47Red gem means lie.
17:49I never abused her!
17:51The choker told me!
17:53I was just educating her!
17:56The council elders looked at her like she'd lost her mind.
18:00The pup shows signs of extreme malnutrition.
18:04Months of starvation.
18:06Aphelion, multiple old injuries consistent with prolonged...
18:10That's dis-discipline!
18:12That's teaching her to be honest!
18:14Then, she did something insane.
18:17You don't believe me?
18:19Fine.
18:20I'll wear it.
18:23Watch.
18:24It'll be green.
18:26The leather pressed against her skin.
18:28Cold.
18:29Sticky.
18:29That was my blood.
18:31She took a deep breath.
18:32Tried to calm herself.
18:34She needed to prove she was innocent.
18:36Needed to prove her way of raising an alpha heir was right.
18:40She held up the gem, eyes wild.
18:43Listen.
18:43I'm Rachel.
18:45I'm Stella's mother.
18:47This is the truth.
18:48The absolute truth.
18:50The gem flashed red.
18:52Mom's confident expression shattered.
18:54No.
18:56What?
18:56I said truth!
18:58I am Rachel!
19:00I never abused her!
19:02I did it for her own good!
19:05I love her!
19:07And suddenly, she remembered.
19:10Me.
19:10Ten years old.
19:12Gasping as the choker tightened around my throat.
19:15Biting my lip so I wouldn't make a sound.
19:17Is this what it felt like?
19:20Why is it red?
19:21I am telling the truth!
19:23Turn green!
19:24You're broken!
19:25You're setting me up!
19:26But the gem kept flashing.
19:28Like it was mocking her.
19:30You're a liar.
19:31You're a liar.
19:32You're a liar.
19:34Enough!
19:35This is just a bloodstone.
19:38I've seen it before.
19:39It changes color with body heat.
19:42Fear.
19:42Pain.
19:43Anything that makes your heart race.
19:46Temperature rises.
19:46It burns red.
19:48That's all it does.
19:50No witch magic.
19:52Never was.
19:53Think about your daughter.
19:55Ruptured appendix.
19:56Organ failure.
19:58The pain must have been unbearable.
20:00She was terrified.
20:02And what did you see?
20:03A red gem.
20:05So you punished her more.
20:07Which made her more scared.
20:09Which made her temperature rise.
20:12Which made the stone turn redder.
20:16You are Luna.
20:18You are supposed to protect every wolf in this pack.
20:22You couldn't even protect your own daughter.
20:24You ignored her cries for help.
20:27You starved your daughter to death.
20:30Mom's world collapsed.
20:32She sat there.
20:32Staring at the flashing gem on her own neck.
20:35And finally understood.
20:37For ten years.
20:38Every red light wasn't because I was lying.
20:41It was because I was scared.
20:43Scared of her anger.
20:45Scared of being misunderstood.
20:47Scared of eating food that made me sick.
20:50I was in pain.
20:52Pain that made my heart race and cold sweat pour down my face.
20:56I was desperate.
20:57Desperate for a hug.
20:59For her to hold me the way she held Emma.
21:02Every signal from my frightened heart she had interpreted as proof of my lies.
21:14She tried to shift.
21:16Fur rippling across her skin.
21:18Bones cracking.
21:19But the leather cinched harder around her throat the moment her neck began to change.
21:24She snapped back into human form.
21:27Gasping.
21:28I can't get it off.
21:30Stella take it back.
21:32I'm sorry.
21:33It's all my fault.
21:35This little bit of choking and she was already breaking.
21:39Mom.
21:39I suffered for ten years.
21:42The council elders needed evidence for judgment.
21:46So they opened my journal in front of my parents.
21:49February 14th.
21:51Sunny.
21:51Mom put celery on my plate.
21:54I'm allergic.
21:55My throat swells.
21:56I can't breathe.
21:57I said I can't eat it.
21:58But because I was scared of making her angry, my body ran hot.
22:03The gem flashed red.
22:05The choker tightened.
22:07Mom said I was picky.
22:09Lying.
22:10Made me eat the whole plate.
22:12That night, I threw up blood.
22:14My throat felt like it was on fire.
22:16I shifted to ease my pain.
22:18Mom saw it and said I'd snuck berry juice.
22:21That I was faking.
22:23The choker tightened for ten more minutes.
22:27Mom's hand flew to her mouth.
22:29She was shaking violently.
22:31She remembered that.
22:32She really did think it was berry juice.
22:36She didn't even look closely.
22:38Just turned away to read Emma a bedtime story.
22:41That was blood from a swollen, torn throat.
22:45June 1st.
22:46Pup's Day.
22:47Emma shredded Mom's ceremonial cloak.
22:50Emma's heart is always calm.
22:52Her gem stays green.
22:54I tried to explain, but I was scared of being hit.
22:58My body ran hot.
22:59Red gem.
23:00Choker tightened for ten minutes.
23:03It hurt so bad.
23:05But I didn't cry.
23:06Because crying makes your body run hotter.
23:09And Mom thinks that means you're not sorry.
23:11So I held my breath.
23:13Pretended it didn't hurt.
23:15Mom said,
23:16See?
23:17She doesn't even blink.
23:19She's definitely faking it.
23:21Dad couldn't take it anymore.
23:23This man, who had always put the pack before his own family, chose duty over his daughter for ten years.
23:29You monster!
23:31What did you do?
23:32That was your daughter!
23:35You treated her like a stray!
23:37Blood at the corner of her mouth.
23:39Not my fault.
23:40Not my fault.
23:41It's her.
23:42It's Emma.
23:43Emma's gem was always green.
23:46Emma was the good one.
23:47If it wasn't for that green light making me trust her, I wouldn't have believed the red light so much.
23:53This is Emma's fault.
23:55That little princess everyone had protected.
23:57One of the council elders walked over, gently removed the green Verity choker from her neck, took out a blade,
24:04pried the gem loose right there.
24:06It rolled onto the table, still glowing green.
24:10Steady.
24:11Unchanged.
24:12The elder picked up the stone.
24:14A glowstone.
24:15That is all.
24:17Your younger daughter's choker was always going to shine green.
24:21No matter what she said, did, or lied about, it would never change.
24:27Your so-called Verity choker was a fraud.
24:31That was her truth for ten years.
24:33That was the evidence she used to convict me.
24:36A common glowstone that put me in hell while Emma lived in paradise.
24:40So I wasn't a liar.
24:43I laughed.
24:44Laughed until I cried.
24:46Turns out, ghosts could cry too.
24:48The elder turned to the last page of the journal.
24:51His voice broke.
24:52The handwriting was a mess, clearly written while dying.
24:55Mom, if I die, will the choker stop glowing red?
24:59Or if it turns green, will you hug me then?
25:02I'm not lying.
25:03I couldn't heal myself anymore.
25:05My stomach hurts so much.
25:07Like knives.
25:09Next life, please don't make me wear the choker.
25:12Please.
25:13I just want to be a normal pup.
25:15I want to eat mom's roasted meat.
25:17Mom stared at the broken glowstone on the table.
25:19That truth magic she trusted without question?
25:22A worthless stone.
25:24Because of that stone, she spoiled Emma for ten years.
25:28Because of that cursed red light, she tortured me for ten years.
25:35Mom started laughing.
25:37Her voice cracking at every sound.
25:40Worse than crying.
25:42Fake!
25:43All fake!
25:46I killed my most honest pup.
25:49And I worshipped a liar!
25:51She'd lost her mind.
25:53For real this time.
25:55My death became the talk of the entire pack.
25:58Lisa, the neighbor who had sent for the pack healer, told everyone what she'd seen.
26:03Every wolf knew by morning.
26:05Luna had starved her own daughter to death.
26:09Monster!
26:10Murderer!
26:11She doesn't deserve to be Luna!
26:13Stones flew at our door.
26:15The word killer carved into the wall.
26:18The council convened within the day.
26:20The verdict was swift.
26:22Dad lost his alpha title.
26:24No wolf would follow him now.
26:26My grandfather, the former alpha, read out the judgment himself.
26:31He didn't look at his son once.
26:33Dad walked out of the council hall and never looked back.
26:36He took Emma and left the pack that same night.
26:39Emma was a bad seed, sure.
26:41But she was still his blood.
26:43Before they left, Emma tried to take her green choker.
26:47Dad stomped on it.
26:48Why the hell would you want that piece of trash?
26:51Emma cried as he dragged her away.
26:53Mom got out of the dungeon.
26:55The healer said she had lost her mind.
26:57The council locked her in the home instead.
27:00The one that still smelled like death.
27:02Her mental state deteriorated fast.
27:05She refused to take off the red choker.
27:07She would tighten it herself whenever the guilt got too heavy.
27:11She said choking was the only thing that eased it.
27:13It was her self-imposed punishment.
27:16I floated in the darkness.
27:18My wolf curled beside me, watching her unravel day after day.
27:22She'd talk to the empty corner where I used to stand.
27:24Stella, I brought you some food.
27:26No celery today.
27:28It's all roast.
27:30Just how you like it.
27:31But there was no food.
27:33There was nothing.
27:34Just her hands, cupped around air.
27:37She'd pretend to set a plate down.
27:39Her hands shook.
27:40The gem flashed red.
27:42She was anxious.
27:43Guilty.
27:44Falling apart.
27:45She smiled, but her eyes were empty.
27:47The gem is red.
27:49Mom is lying.
27:51Liars don't deserve food.
27:53She pulled the choker tight with her own hands.
27:55Let it choke her.
27:56Her body convulsed against the cold floor.
27:59It hurts so much.
28:01Is this how Stella felt?
28:03I'm sorry.
28:04Mom started reenacting my diary entries.
28:07I couldn't eat celery because of my allergy.
28:11So she forced herself to eat spoiled food until she vomited blood, then swallowed it back down.
28:17I was locked in isolation.
28:20So she locked herself in my old room, lights off, and bowed to my portrait until her forehead bled.
28:26Over and over.
28:29Blood on the floor.
28:30Late at night, she'd see the red glow of the bloodstone reflected on the wall.
28:35To her, it looked like my bloody eyes were watching.
28:39She kept punishing herself.
28:40The wounds healed slower and slower.
28:43Her wolf, exhausted by months of self-torture, slowly fell into a deep sleep.
28:49Mom didn't care.
28:50She scrawled on the back of my journal.
28:52I'm sorry.
28:53I was wrong.
28:55Red means pain.
28:56Red means love.
28:58Please come back and say it hurts hurts one more time.
29:01I'll save you.
29:03I promise.
29:04Too bad I'm dead.
29:05Dead wolves can't cry for help.
29:07Eventually, the new alpha intervened.
29:10Mom's self-harm had gone too far.
29:12She'd nearly choked herself to death with her own hands.
29:15He ordered her to move to a small hut at the far edge of the village, locked from the outside.
29:21Someone posted to watch her day and night.
29:24She was the strangest woman they'd ever seen.
29:26Nobody knew where she'd found it.
29:28A frayed red cord tied around her own neck.
29:32Her homemade choker.
29:34If anyone tried to remove it, she'd snap at them.
29:37Teeth bared, snarling, wild-eyed.
29:40Don't touch me!
29:42Stella's watching.
29:44She'll be angry if you take it.
29:46Every time the guard called her name and brought her food,
29:49Mom would grab the red cord and pull it tight against her own throat, convulsing, screaming.
29:55Red light!
29:56Red light!
29:58Don't punish!
29:59Punish me!
30:00I'll eat!
30:00I'll eat!
30:02Even if the food was scalding hot, she'd gulp it down, burning her throat.
30:07Wouldn't spit it out.
30:08She was reenacting my final moments, living my hell on repeat.
30:13Years later, Emma grew up, without guidance and with a trail of shame behind her.
30:18She drifted from pack to pack, stealing to survive.
30:22No one would take her in.
30:23When she ran out of options, she remembered.
30:26Mom was still alive.
30:28She slipped back into the silverman pack under the cover of night.
30:32Not for love, for money.
30:35Hey, crazy lady!
30:37Dad's dead!
30:38Give me whatever you've been hiding!
30:40Emma stood there, face hard, eyes full of contempt.
30:44She looked at Mom's hollow, broken form and spat on the floor.
30:48It's disgusting.
30:50Give me what I want, or I'll send you to meet your daughter.
30:54For a moment, Mom's cloudy eyes cleared.
30:57She looked at Emma, and suddenly remembered.
31:00That choker.
31:01That always green glowstone.
31:04That decade of deception.
31:06It's you!
31:08You lie!
31:09You're the green light that wasn't there!
31:11You killed Stella!
31:13Give her back to me!
31:15Give her back to me!
31:16The last shred of maternal love twisted into something feral.
31:21Mom lunged, grabbed Emma by the throat.
31:24You should have died!
31:26Not her!
31:27You!
31:29Emma thrashed, but couldn't break free from a madwoman's grip.
31:33The guards rushed in, pulled her off.
31:36Emma stumbled out of the hut, terrified.
31:39They're all insane!
31:41She bolted into the forest.
31:43She didn't get far.
31:44Rogues.
31:45The kind that haunted the borderlands.
31:47Preying on anyone foolish enough to run through the trees alone at night.
31:52Emma never saw them coming.
31:54By the time she did, it was too late.
31:57She survived.
31:58Barely.
31:59Both legs shattered beyond repair.
32:01She'd never walk again.
32:03Meanwhile, Mom was strapped to her cot, staring at the ceiling.
32:07Tears streaming.
32:08In her dreams, she finally saw me.
32:11I was ten again.
32:12No choker.
32:13White dress.
32:14Smiling.
32:15Mom!
32:17Mom!
32:17She reached for me, crying with joy.
32:19Stella!
32:21But the moment her hands touched me, I burst into ash.
32:25No!
32:26She woke up screaming.
32:27If she'd been wearing that choker, it would have been blood red.
32:31Eternal torment.
32:33I stood in the void, watching it all.
32:35Mom strapped to her bed.
32:37Emma in a wheelchair, begging on the market.
32:40Dad, drunk and dead in some gutter.
32:42I felt nothing.
32:43No satisfaction.
32:45Just a flat, dead calm.
32:48My wolf patted over quietly.
32:50She didn't howl.
32:51Didn't nudge.
32:52Just pressed her head against my hand and held it there.
32:55In the distance, a door of light appeared.
32:58Soft.
32:58Steady.
32:59Waiting.
33:00I looked at my wolf.
33:02She looked at me.
33:03Yeah.
33:04Time to leave.
33:05This life was too bitter.
33:07Nothing worth holding onto.
33:08I floated to Mom's hut one final time.
33:11She looked ancient.
33:12Hair completely white.
33:14Frail as paper.
33:15She sensed something.
33:15Her cloudy eyes focused on a point in the air, right where I stood.
33:19Stella, is that you?
33:21Her trembling hand reached into the emptiness.
33:24Mom destroyed the choker.
33:25I don't believe in it anymore.
33:27Come back, please.
33:28I'll cook for you.
33:29No salary.
33:30I'll buy you new dresses.
33:31Not Emma.
33:32Tears rolled down her face.
33:34I looked at the red marks on her neck from the frayed cord.
33:37I...
33:37I reached out.
33:38My cold, ghostly finger touched her forehead.
33:41This was my final mercy.
33:43Sleep, Mom.
33:44In sleep, there's no pain.
33:46Her eyes fluttered shut.
33:48She slumped into a deep, dreamless rest.
33:50A breeze blew through the hut.
33:52The old journal on her cot flipped open.
33:54The last page, my dying words, stared up at the ceiling.
33:58But below it, in shaky handwriting, were new lines.
34:01Written by Mom during a lucid moment.
34:04Next life, let me wear the choker.
34:06Let me be the liar.
34:07Punish me however you want.
34:09Just don't leave me.
34:10I stared at those words.
34:11Felt nothing.
34:12Too late.
34:13Repentance means nothing to the dead.
34:15Mom, I don't hate you anymore.
34:18But I don't love you either.
34:19Let's not meet again.
34:21I turned away.
34:21My wolf was waiting.
34:23In the distance, the door of light still glowed.
34:25Soft.
34:26Steady.
34:27Patient.
34:27I looked at my neck.
34:28The phantom Verity choker.
34:30Still there, even in spirit form.
34:32The nightmare that had changed me for a lifetime.
34:35I grabbed it.
34:36It shattered into nothing.
34:37I felt weightless.
34:39Free.
34:39No red light.
34:40No hunger.
34:41No lies.
34:42Just freedom.
34:43My wolf pressed against my side.
34:45Together, we walked toward the light.
34:47I didn't look back.
34:48Morning came.
34:49A guard pushed open the door.
34:50Rachel, time to eat.
34:52No response.
34:53She walked closer.
34:54Mom's hand clutched the torn journal.
34:56A single tear crystallized at the corner of her eye.
34:59She crouched beside her.
35:00Held two fingers beneath her nose.
35:02Nothing.
35:02She was gone.
35:03Passing through the door wasn't violent.
35:05No spinning.
35:06No chaos.
35:07Just warmth.
35:08Like sinking into a spring stream.
35:10I looked to my side.
35:12My wolf was gone.
35:13I didn't panic.
35:14I pressed my hand to my chest.
35:16And there she was.
35:17Steady.
35:17Warm.
35:18Then I heard her voice.
35:19Not a whimper.
35:20Not a whine.
35:21Clear and bright and full of life.
35:23Like the first time we met.
35:25Run.
35:25I shifted.
35:26Four paws hit the ground and I ran.
35:28Through forests that smelled of pine and rain.
35:31Through cold, shallow streams that splashed silver around my legs.
35:35Through meadows I had never seen but somehow knew.
35:38My white fur caught the light.
35:39My paws were sure.
35:41My lungs were full.
35:42My body was strong.
35:44No choker around my throat.
35:46No red light.
35:47No hunger.
35:48The lingering ache in my soul.
35:50The phantom pain of ten years.
35:52Started to fade with every step.
35:54I ran toward brightness.
35:56Behind me, old life dissolved like a worn photograph left out in the rain.
36:01Mom's final tear.
36:02The red glow of the choker.
36:04Blood on the journal pages.
36:06Gone.
36:06I didn't look back.
36:07That ten year nightmare was finally, truly, over.
36:11When I opened my eyes again, I was tiny.
36:14Wrapped in soft blankets.
36:16Someone was humming.
36:18Mmm.
36:19A woman's voice.
36:20Gentle.
36:21Off-key.
36:22But full of love.
36:23Her fingers brushed my cheek.
36:25The scent of wildflowers.
36:27Not the cold, clinical distance of my old mother.
36:31Not the silence of someone who only touched me to punish.
36:34I blinked up at her.
36:36She had kind eyes.
36:37A soft smile.
36:39She cradled me like I was made of glass.
36:41Grace is awake, honey.
36:43Come quick.
36:45Our daughter just opened her eyes.
36:47A man appeared.
36:48Tall.
36:49A little awkward.
36:50But his face lit up when he saw me.
36:52He touched my tiny hand with one finger.
36:55His voice was deep.
36:57Warm.
36:58Hey, Grace.
36:59I'm your dad.
37:02Grace.
37:03Not Stella.
37:04No weight.
37:05No chains.
37:06No red light.
37:07Just Grace.
37:08A name that meant something light.
37:11Something cherished.
37:12This house was small.
37:13But warm.
37:14Full of light.
37:15Cartoon painting on the walls.
37:17Flowers by the window.
37:19Sunlight pouring through the windows.
37:21Warm on the floor.
37:22I realized fast.
37:24This family was nothing like the last one.
37:27They never forced me to do anything.
37:29There were no chokers.
37:31No red lights.
37:32No punishments for things I hadn't done.
37:35I grew.
37:36Learned to crawl.
37:37To talk.
37:38And when I was three, mom made a stew with celery.
37:42The green stalks in the bowl triggered me.
37:44I flashed back to choking.
37:46Throat swelling.
37:47Vomiting blood.
37:49I stumbled backwards, shaking.
37:51Tears came without permission.
37:53Mom immediately put down her spoon.
37:55Crouched.
37:56Pulled me into a hug.
37:58Grace, what's wrong?
38:00You don't like celery?
38:01I couldn't speak.
38:02Just shook my head, sobbing.
38:04Dad knelt too.
38:06Rubbed my back.
38:07Hey, it's okay.
38:08You don't have to eat it.
38:10Can you tell us why?
38:11Their eyes were patient.
38:13Gentle.
38:14Finally, I choked out.
38:16It hurts my throat.
38:18Makes me bleed.
38:19They didn't say,
38:21The Verity choker doesn't lie.
38:23They didn't accuse me of faking.
38:25They took me to the pack healer immediately.
38:28Turns out, I really do have a celery allergy.
38:31After that, celery never appeared in the house again.
38:34Mom added it to her market list.
38:37Grace's allergies.
38:38Celery.
38:39She checked every time she shopped.
38:41I lay in her arms that night, smelling wildflowers,
38:44and realized, this is what it feels like to be believed.
38:48Love isn't measured by a stone.
38:50It's listening.
38:52Even when the story sounds impossible.
38:54When I was four,
38:55Dad took me to the pack healer for my first health check.
38:58There was a blood draw.
38:59I saw the needle and lost it.
39:02Flashes of the choker tightening around my throat.
39:04Flashes of starvation.
39:06I screamed.
39:07Clung to Dad's leg.
39:09The healer sighed.
39:10I couldn't stop shaking.
39:12Don't punish me.
39:14I'm not lying.
39:16Dad immediately scooped me up.
39:17Sorry, she's not ready.
39:18We'll come back another time.
39:20On the walk home,
39:21Dad didn't scold me for being weak.
39:23He just asked gently.
39:25Grace,
39:26did someone hurt you before?
39:28I buried my face in his shoulder,
39:31tears soaking his shirt.
39:32Mom,
39:33Joker,
39:35red light.
39:36I couldn't explain it clearly,
39:37but he listened,
39:39nodded.
39:40It's okay.
39:41Dad's here now.
39:43No one's ever hurting you again.
39:45From then on,
39:46they took me to the pack healer regularly.
39:49Not for blood draws.
39:50Just to talk.
39:51She has been hurt.
39:53Be patient with her.
39:54My parents never complained.
39:56Never made me feel like a burden.
39:58They bought me a colorful necklace,
40:00but never forced me to wear it.
40:01This is just a pretty thing, Grace.
40:03Wear it if you want.
40:05Take it off if you don't.
40:06We'll love you either way.
40:08Slowly,
40:09I started to heal.
40:10I could say,
40:11I don't like this.
40:12Without fear.
40:13I could say,
40:14I'm scared.
40:15I could say,
40:17I want that.
40:18I didn't have to worry about my heart racing being proof of a lie.
40:21I started sharing my stories with them.
40:24I cried when I didn't get a toy.
40:26I laughed when I got praise.
40:28I was finally just a pup.
40:30A normal,
40:31loved pup.
40:34When I turned seven,
40:36I started at the PAC school.
40:38There was a girl in my class,
40:40Annie Sullivan.
40:41She looked exactly like Emma.
40:43Same eyes,
40:44but her hair was shorter.
40:46And she was timid.
40:48Scared.
40:49The first time I saw her,
40:51my heart clenched.
40:52Flashbacks.
40:53Emma's smug grin.
40:55The green light mocking me.
40:57I stepped back instinctively.
40:59Annie noticed.
41:00She looked down,
41:02voice barely a whisper.
41:04I'm Annie.
41:06Do you want to be friends?
41:08Her tone was so careful,
41:10so desperate to please,
41:11just like I used to be.
41:13I glanced at her neck.
41:14She wore a simple choker with green gem.
41:17My stomach turned.
41:19Later,
41:19I found out,
41:20Annie's mom was strict too,
41:22demanded honesty,
41:24locked her in her room without food when she made mistakes.
41:27One day,
41:29Annie accidentally knocked over the teacher's ink pot.
41:31She was trembling,
41:33too scared to admit it.
41:34I saw her face,
41:36red-rimmed eyes,
41:37barely holding back tears.
41:39I remembered myself at that desk,
41:41writing,
41:42I am a liar,
41:43over and over.
41:44I walked over,
41:46took her hand.
41:48Annie,
41:48it's okay.
41:50Accidents happen.
41:52Let's tell the teacher together.
41:54She won't be mad.
41:55Annie looked at me,
41:56shocked.
41:57But mom says liars are bad wolves?
41:59Being honest isn't about never making mistakes.
42:02It's about owning up when you do.
42:04And even if you tell the truth,
42:06you shouldn't be punished for it.
42:08If the teacher gets angry,
42:09I'll stand with you.
42:10If your mom gets angry,
42:12come to my house.
42:13My parents will help.
42:14I gave her the courage I never had.
42:16She confessed.
42:18The teacher forgave her,
42:19told her to be more careful next time.
42:21From that day on,
42:23we have been best friends.
42:24I brought Annie home to meet my parents.
42:26She saw how warm they were,
42:28how they didn't yell,
42:29didn't punish little things.
42:31I told her,
42:32You don't have to make everyone happy.
42:35You're allowed to feel things,
42:38say things.
42:39One day,
42:41Annie's mom came to pick her up from school.
42:42She saw us together and her face twisted.
42:45She grabbed Annie's hand.
42:47Did you mess up again?
42:49Is Grace covering for you?
42:51Annie immediately looked down,
42:53silent.
42:54I stepped in front of her,
42:55looked at the mom in the eye.
42:57Ma'am,
42:58Annie didn't do anything wrong.
43:00She's a good pup.
43:01You shouldn't always assume the worst.
43:06She's scared of you.
43:08The mom froze,
43:09looked at me,
43:10then at Annie's tear-filled eyes.
43:12Her expression softened.
43:14That night,
43:15she called my mom,
43:16thanked her,
43:17said I'd opened her eyes.
43:19Over time,
43:20Annie's mom got gentler,
43:21started listening instead of yelling.
43:24And Annie,
43:25she blossomed.
43:26Confident,
43:27happy.
43:28I watched her laugh freely one day,
43:30and felt this warmth in my chest.
43:32I didn't get saved in my last life.
43:34I suffered alone in the dark.
43:36But this time,
43:38I could save someone else.
43:39I could stop another Stella from happening.
43:42Maybe that's the gift my past life gave me.
43:44The ability to see pain,
43:46and to heal it.
43:47When I was 10,
43:48my parents took me to visit Grandma.
43:50There was an old oak tree in her yard.
43:52Its branches spread wide,
43:54casting shade over the whole garden.
43:56I sat beneath it,
43:57watching sunlight filter through the leaves.
43:59My wolf dozed inside me,
44:01warm and content.
44:02Then I saw her,
44:03an old woman,
44:04white hair,
44:05hunched over a walking stick,
44:07wearing a faded blue dress.
44:09The second I saw her face,
44:10I froze.
44:11She looked exactly like Rachel,
44:14my old mother.
44:15Grandma noticed me too.
44:17Walked over slowly.
44:18Her eyes were hazy,
44:19but there was something familiar in them.
44:21Something heavy.
44:22What's your name, child?
44:23Grace.
44:24She repeated it softly.
44:25Grace, that's a beautiful name.
44:27She reached out,
44:28like she wanted to touch my hair.
44:30Then hesitated.
44:31Pulled back,
44:31like she was afraid of disturbing something sacred.
44:34My mom came over,
44:36steadied her.
44:36Mom, this is our daughter.
44:38Grace.
44:38So she was my grandma in this life too.
44:41Over the next few days,
44:42grandma watched me constantly.
44:44Her expression was unreadable.
44:46One morning,
44:47she brought me a bowl of roasted meat.
44:48Grace, eat up.
44:49This used to be your favorite.
44:51I stared at the bowl.
44:52In my last life,
44:53I wrote in my dying breath,
44:55I want to eat mom's roasted meat.
44:57And here was grandma,
44:58saying those exact words.
45:00Tears blurred my vision.
45:02This wasn't some distant wish anymore.
45:04It was real,
45:05right in front of me.
45:06I picked up a piece,
45:07bit into it.
45:08Tender,
45:09sweet,
45:10perfect.
45:10Grandma smiled.
45:12A tired,
45:13guilty smile.
45:14That night,
45:14lying in bed with my wolf curled warm inside my chest,
45:18I thought about Rachel's last words.
45:20Next life,
45:20let me wear the choker.
45:22Let me be the liar.
45:23Punish me however you want.
45:25Just don't leave me.
45:26I thought about her final tear,
45:28the torn journal.
45:29I didn't hate her anymore.
45:31Hating someone is like locking yourself in the past,
45:34chewing on pain forever.
45:35This life's warmth had already washed away the bitterness.
45:38I just felt sad.
45:39Sad that she only understood too late.
45:42Real love was never about stones or punishment.
45:45We stayed for a month,
45:46then went back home.
45:47Before I left,
45:48she held my hand.
45:49Grace,
45:50live well,
45:51be happy.
45:51Her voice was soft,
45:52but heavy with meaning.
45:54I nodded.
45:54You too,
45:55grandma.
45:55I watched her walk away,
45:57and I felt nothing.
45:59No anger,
46:00no grief.
46:00The grudges of my past life were like fallen leaves,
46:03blown away by the wind.
46:04I wasn't Stella anymore,
46:06the girl locked in the dark,
46:07choking on a lie.
46:08I was Grace Sterling,
46:10surrounded by love,
46:11free.
46:12At 13,
46:13I graduated from PAC school,
46:14got into the best academy in the region.
46:16My parents took me to the lake for a picnic to celebrate.
46:19I stood at the edge of the water,
46:21wind in my hair,
46:22the scent of pine and cold water on my skin.
46:25I stretched out my arms,
46:27feeling the freedom.
46:28For a moment,
46:29I saw her,
46:30my ghost self,
46:31floating,
46:32desperate to hug someone,
46:33but passing right through.
46:35Grace,
46:36what are you thinking?
46:37Dad handed me a drink.
46:38I smiled.
46:39Just,
46:39I'm grateful.
46:40To be alive,
46:41to be with you both.
46:42Mom pulled me into a hug.
46:44Silly girl,
46:45we're the lucky ones.
46:46No one said anything.
46:48We all just shifted at the same time,
46:50like we'd done it a hundred times before.
46:53We ran together through the trees,
46:54through the shallow edge of the lake.
46:56Water sprang silver around our paws.
46:59Eventually,
46:59I slowed down,
47:01turned,
47:01and threw myself at them.
47:03We tumbled into the grass together.
47:05Mom nuzzled her head against mine.
47:07Dad licked the top of my head with lazy affection.
47:10I pressed into them both and stayed there,
47:13breathing hard,
47:14warm,
47:14all the way through.
47:16I looked up at the sky through the canopy of trees.
47:18I didn't need to prove I wasn't a liar anymore.
47:20I didn't need to fear a red light.
47:23I could laugh,
47:24cry,
47:24speak freely.
47:25I had parents who loved me,
47:27a best friend,
47:28a healthy body,
47:29a bright future.
47:30This was the life I died wishing for.
47:33That night,
47:34I wrote in my journal,
47:35not the blood-stained confessions of my old life.
47:38This one was full of happiness,
47:40growth,
47:41love.
47:42I wrote,
47:42Today,
47:43we ran by the lake.
47:44Mom and dad shifted with me without saying a word.
47:47We tumbled in the grass like pups.
47:49I thought about my past self,
47:50that little girl,
47:52locked in a room,
47:53choking in the dark,
47:54desperate to be loved.
47:56She'd never believed that I could be this happy.
47:58Mom and dad loved me.
48:00They taught me that honesty isn't something you punish out of someone.
48:03It's something you grow with patience and warmth.
48:06Annie is my best friend now.
48:09She laughs freely.
48:10She speaks without flinching.
48:12Grandma is getting older,
48:13but her eyes are warm when she looks at me.
48:16My wolf grows stronger every day.
48:18With her beside me,
48:19I feel at ease.
48:20I don't hate anyone anymore.
48:22I don't cling to the past.
48:24Those painful memories are like paw prints in the mud,
48:27washed away by rain.
48:28But they taught me to cherish every step forward.
48:31I know my old mom,
48:33sister,
48:33and dad got what they deserved.
48:35And I finally broke free.
48:37I found real freedom.
48:39I don't want to see them again.
48:41I don't want to relive that life.
48:42I just want to be gray,
48:44simple,
48:44happy,
48:45loved.
48:46The lake was beautiful.
48:47Life was beautiful.
48:49I closed my journal,
48:50looked out the window.
48:51Moonlight shimmered on the water through the trees.
48:53My wolf stirred softly inside my chest.
48:56Warm,
48:57steady,
48:57I smiled.
48:58this life.
48:59I finally became who I wanted to be.
49:02No red light,
49:03no starvation,
49:04no lies,
49:05just love,
49:06freedom,
49:06happiness.
49:07And those scars from my past,
49:09they became part of me.
49:10Proof that I had survived.
49:12Proof that darkness,
49:13no matter how long it lasts,
49:15cannot swallow you whole.
49:16Not if you keep moving toward the light.
49:18The road ahead is long,
49:20but I will walk it,
49:21with courage,
49:22with joy,
49:23toward something even brighter.
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