- 8 hours ago
[Doblado ESP] El collar rojo
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🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:05my mom called me a liar from the day i was born not because i actually lied but because of
00:10this
00:10thing around my neck the verity choker mom was luna of silver moon pack and she believed one
00:15thing above all lying was the mark of a weak wolf we were her daughters future alpha heirs
00:21weakness was not an option so when my twin sister emma and i were born mom clasped these chokers
00:27around our throats which had witch magic to detect lies green light means truth red light means you
00:33were lying emma's choker always green she could shred mom's ceremonial cloak and blame the cat
00:39and gem would glow a steady green not me green light believed me mom i'm hungry and flash red
00:49light the choker choked tight i shifted on instinct a small white wolf pawing desperately at the gem
00:55around my neck claws scraping against it unable to get it off i'm not lying not lying please but mom's
01:03eyes had already gone cold instant punishment mom's punishment wasn't gentle no food locked in my room
01:09no contact with anyone in the pack the truth necklace doesn't lie stella starve now study later
01:16i'm doing this for your own good after 10 years of this i started believing it too maybe i really
01:22was
01:22born wrong new year's eve everything changed mom was getting ready to take emma to the pack's bonfire
01:28celebration and that's when the pain hit like a knife twisting in my gut i collapsed on the floor
01:34my skeletal frame curling into itself mom please the choker flashed red and choked tight she looked down at
01:43me disgusted in her eyes in your dreams stella faking an illness to ruin our night she grabbed
01:51emma's hand and headed for the door i wanted to howl but my wolf was too weak to answer i
01:56shifted
01:56anyway forced it a small white wolf trembling on the floor ribs heaving maybe in this form the pain
02:03would hurt less it didn't i couldn't even hold the shift i slipped back into myself without meaning to
02:09sorry mom i won't lie anymore but the pain got worse way worse the door handle turned for one
02:16second i thought mom's coming back she came back for me hurry up the bonfire is starting emma's waiting
02:23mom i reached out with a shaking hand please something's really wrong i feel like i'm dying
02:30she glanced at my neck the gem was flashing red over and over she crouched down grabbed my chin
02:37stella how long are you gonna keep this up can't you just be honest and stay here and think about
02:43what you've done dad appeared in the doorway honey should we at least leave her some food
02:50food she has a stash of snacks she bought with stolen money she won't starve lock the door
02:57when that gem turns green we'll talk but but what it's because you spoil her that she turned out this
03:05way look at emma her gem has always been green stella is a liar an alpha heiress who can't tell
03:13the
03:13truth she needs discipline but my cabinet was empty emma stole that money emma ate those snacks emma just
03:21stood there with her glowing green gem saying not me and mom believed her i tried to defend myself
03:28it wasn't me red light the choker choked tight i tried to shift nothing happened deep inside my wolf
03:37barely stirred mom locked me up for three days with nothing but water and stale bread mom turned to
03:43leave emma peeked through the door made a face at me bye sis we're gonna see the bonfire her gem
03:50glowed a
03:51steady green so pretty the door locked the house went silent i called my wolf nothing came back not
03:59even a whisper just me alone the pain was unbearable but i kept thinking mom's right the gem doesn't lie
04:09it's red so i must be lying i'm not in pain i'm not in pain i'm not in pain i
04:19kept repeating it like a
04:20prayer eventually i almost believed it the pain dulled or maybe i was just going numb i crawled to
04:28my desk i had to write that was the rule if the gem glowed red i had to pen a
04:35thousand word apology
04:36or mom would never let me out i am a liar write it down and maybe mom would forgive me
04:44maybe she'd even
04:45let me out i opened my journal pages and pages of apologies i'd written over the years sorry i lied
04:53i won't do it again but this time i wanted to write the truth my vision blurred my hand shook
05:01as i wrote
05:01mom i really love you it really hurts why won't you believe me please believe me just once the moment
05:12i finished the last word the pain vanished just gone i felt light weightless i looked down i was
05:21floating and there slumped over the desk was my body motionless the gem still flashing red around a dead
05:29girl's neck oh i'm dead and then she came out my wolf stepping out of my body like she'd been
05:38waiting
05:38all along small skinny barely holding together she looked up at me and once soft and low in the pack's
05:48old stories they say when a wolf dies young her spirit doesn't cross over alone her wolf walks beside
05:55her until they find the door together i knelt down she pressed her nose into my ghostly palm
06:02finally we were together now but i never learned how to be honest sorry mom i heard laughter mom dad
06:11emma coming through the front door tonight's bonfire was beautiful the best one yet just like our emma
06:20perfect in every way i'd never heard her sound like that when she talked about me i floated toward
06:26them my wolf patting silently at my side moving on instinct i wanted to help them take off their
06:32cloaks that's what i always did mom my arms passed right through her body like wind is it so cold
06:40here
06:40is the hearthi out i stood there staring at my transparent hands my wolf pressed against my leg
06:47and looked up at me with sad eyes right dead wolves couldn't hug the living shall we go and see
06:53stella
06:54she hasn't eaten yet still the good cop i looked at mom hopefully if she found me dead would she
07:01be
07:01sad would she regret it she won't starve she is a werewolf not a human pup this whole fake sick
07:10for
07:11attention thing is out of control i laughed bitterly mom wasn't wrong werewolves heal but i hadn't been able
07:18to in a long time last winter the choker left bruises that stayed for days that hadn't happened
07:25before i reached for my wolf she was still there but the warmth never came she was too hungry just
07:31like me mom never noticed she only ever looked at my neck for one thing the gem and whether it
07:40was red
07:40or green mom pushed open my door didn't even turn on the light just for a second her eyes flashed
07:47gold
07:47her wolf might have known mom didn't listen in the dim glow from the hallway she saw me slumped over
07:53my desk i looked like a skeleton hadn't moved still putting on an act you're 10 years old not five
08:02grow up mom i'm not playing i'm dead look at me touch me i'm freezing she couldn't hear me she
08:12only
08:12believed what she wanted to see emma squeezed past her held up her choker with that smug little grin
08:18look my gem is green stella's is still red she's lying even in her sleep that's my good girl
08:25ignore the liar let her stay there maybe she'll learn how to be honest should we at least put her
08:33in bed it's freezing put her in bed look at that red gem still lying come on leave her we
08:41have to visit
08:41grandma tomorrow the door locked again i floated next to my corpse my wolf curled silently at my feet
08:49staring at that single point of red light in the darkness mom if you just stepped closer if you just
08:56touched my hand you'd know i was ice cold but you didn't you believed the choker not the daughter you
09:02carried for nine months that night a rat crawled out of my empty cabinet i used to scream whenever i
09:08saw
09:09rats but now i just floated by the ceiling watching it scurry across my dead body the rat bit into
09:15my
09:16toe i didn't feel anything my wolf charged at it anyway and passed right through landing on the other
09:22side she turned back to look at me confused lost i pulled her close and buried my face in the
09:29fur of her
09:30back it's okay you can't feel it anymore it'll be over soon she let out one low growl then went
09:38still
09:38against me finally no more pain for either of us the next morning sunlight streamed through the
09:45window no warmth reached my body in the kitchen i could hear mom making breakfast the smell of roasted
09:52meat crept under my door my favorite but mom always said liars don't deserve meat so i only ever got
09:59steamed vegetables she was clanging the pots extra loud on purpose trying to tempt me out trying to make me
10:06give in and apologize for things i never did in the old days i might have caved i might have
10:12confessed
10:12to anything for one bite of roasted meat but i don't need food anymore stella still hasn't come out yet
10:19dad asked reading the pack notices she is so stubborn she can eat or not i don't care
10:28emma walked to my door and made a big show of sniffing the air then she screamed dramatically
10:35mom stella's room smells like poop did she poop in there i floated by the door watching my sister
10:42with a bitter smile my wolf sat beside me ears flat eyes low the hearth was burning hot after just
10:51one
10:51night my body started to rot mom stormed over pounding on the door
10:56stella who does that the toilet is right there did you shit on the floor to spite me i remembered
11:04being
11:04six i had food poisoning couldn't make it to the toilet in time mom didn't help me clean up she
11:12made
11:12me stand outside pointed at me and told the neighbors look at this she's such a mess she can't
11:19even use the toilet herself now she thought i was dirty again leave her let her sit in her own
11:24stink
11:26but dad stood up frowning that smells really bad i should check could it be a dead rat or something
11:33my heart if i still had one leapt dad please open the door i'm right here just turn the handle
11:42and
11:42you'll see i'm not moving i waved my transparent arms frantically my wolf ran straight to my bedroom
11:49door willing dad to open it dad's hand touched the door handle his hand froze someone was pounding at
11:56the front door a pack elder urgent business dad's face went pale he grabbed his cloak the border there's
12:03an emergency he was already out the door i froze so close one second away if that knock had come
12:10one
12:10second later i would have been found maybe then i wouldn't have rotted alone that afternoon mom took
12:16emma to the pack market the house was empty except for my corpse when they came back that evening
12:21loaded down with food and gifts from the market the smell had gotten worse mom gagged the second she
12:27walked in stella are you trying to turn this place into a den of inequity she didn't even open my
12:32door
12:33just grabbed cloth strips and sealed the gap at the bottom if you want to stay in there and make
12:37disgusting stew zoos don't stink up my house she patted her hands together satisfied then went to
12:43prepare dinner i stared at that sealed door my wolf pressed her nose against it and whimpered once so
12:49that's it i'm worth less than a venison dinner by day three even the cloth strips couldn't contain the
12:54smell mom was arranging fresh wildflowers trying to cover it up but the stench of death is unmistakable
13:00sweet rotten oily she cut a rose stem too hard a thorn pierced her hand she snapped in her mind
13:08i was doing this on purpose not bathing poop on the floor hiding dead rats in my room all to
13:13piss her
13:14off all to defy her authority as luna stella she grabbed a rolling pin from the kitchen storm toward
13:21my room i'm done with you you disgusting little brat time you learned what real pain feels like
13:27i floated in front of her waving my arms desperately don't come in mom please please even though she
13:36never loved me i didn't want her to see me like that but she walked right through me ripped the
13:41cloth
13:42strips off jammed the spare key into the lock the door flew open the smell hit her like a wall
13:47she stumbled back retching stella what are you doing she saw me still slumped over the desk
13:54back turned not moving to her this was the ultimate rebellion i'm talking to you she marched over
14:01raised the rolling pin but stopped she wanted to see my face first wanted to see my get up she
14:09grabbed
14:09the back of my shirt grabbed my skin the moment she touched me she froze through the thin fabric her
14:15hand didn't feel warm flesh she felt cold hard dead meat the kind of cold that seeps into your bones
14:21what but momentum carried her forward she yanked crash my body stiff as a board toppled backward
14:29taking the chair with it and there was my face blue black eyes bulging features twisted in agony
14:35dried foam and blood crusted around my mouth around my blackened neck the verity choker hung lifeless
14:41the gem dark no red no green just silence my journal slid off the desk fell open at mom's feet
14:49the last page stared up at her mom my stomach really hurts the choker is wrong i'm not lying please
14:56don't
14:56punish me mom screamed not a wolf's howl a raw guttural shriek that tore through her throat
15:03she stumbled backward slammed into the bookshelf a clay pot shattered but she didn't seem to feel
15:10the pain she just stared at me eyes wide unblinking no no no no this is not real stella get
15:20up stella
15:20get up i'm not mad anymore stop scaring me her hand reached out trembling to touch my arm
15:29the second her skin made contact with my corpse she recoiled like she'd been burned that cold was
15:36too real lisa from next door heard the screaming and went straight to the pack healer when she saw
15:42what was in my room she collapsed in the gate within the hour heavy boots on the floorboards
15:47the pack healer and a handful of pack warriors crowding the entrance mom sat on the floor a warrior's
15:54hand on her shoulder she's speaking she's always lying it doesn't lie i'm just teaching her no one
16:04responded they all looked at her like she was a monster the pack healer crouched next to my body
16:10he muttered under his breath severe malnutrition organ failure this puppy has been starved for at
16:17least a month he carefully tried to remove the verity choker but it had fused years of tightening
16:23pressed the leather deep into the skin of my neck damn it he had to use tools to pry it
16:29off even dead
16:30my soul flinched my wolf lifted her head and long raw desperate the kind of howl that should have shaken
16:40the walls no one heard it no one flinched we were already dead a warrior picked up my journal
16:47started reading his face went from neutral to horrified mom's eyes locked onto that book
16:53that's her confession she admits she lied look she wrote it herself
17:01the warrior pushed her back wrapped the journal in cloth and took it will report it to the council
17:07that's when dad got home he saw the pack healer and the pack warriors crowding the doorway
17:13saw the body wrap being carried out saw the long cord that sealed away my entire life his legs gave
17:21out he collapsed on the doorstep emma stood nearby sobbing in confusion she pointed at the discolored
17:29verity choker on the table why does stella have a black collar and i have a green one see she
17:36held up
17:36her neck the gem blinked its steady green it was grotesque the council elders arrived before dawn
17:44mom straightened when she saw them even now even with my body three days cold and rotting her luna
17:51instincts kicked in she lifted her chin squared her shoulders it didn't work today they started
17:58questioning mom in the living room mom grabbed the verity choker off the table like it was a lifeline
18:03test it that choker proved she was lying red gem means lie i never abused her the choker told me
18:14i was just educating her the council elders looked at her like she'd lost her mind
18:20the pup shows signs of extreme malnutrition months of starvation aphelion multiple old injuries
18:29consistent with prolonged that's just discipline that's teaching her to be honest then she did
18:36something insane you don't believe me fine i'll wear it watch it'll be green the leather pressed against
18:48her skin cold sticky that was my blood she took a deep breath tried to calm herself she needed to
18:56prove
18:56she was innocent needed to prove her way of raising an alpha heir was right she held up the gem
19:03eyes wild
19:04listen i'm rachel i'm stella's mother this is the truth the absolute truth the gem flashed red mom's
19:14confident expression shattered i said truth i am rachel i never abused her i did it for her own good
19:27i love her and suddenly she remembered me 10 years old gasping as the choker tightened around my throat
19:36biting my lip so i wouldn't make a sound is this what it felt like why is it red i
19:44am telling the truth
19:45turn green you're broken you're setting me up but the gem kept flashing like it was mocking her
19:51you're a liar you're a liar you're a liar enough this is just a bloodstone i've seen it before
20:01it changes color with body heat fear pain anything that makes your heart race temperature rises it burns
20:10red that's all it does no witch magic never was think about your daughter ruptured appendix organ
20:20failure the pain must have been unbearable she was terrified and what did you see a red gem so you
20:28punished her more which made her more scared which made her temperature rise which made the stone turn
20:38redder you are luna you are supposed to protect every wolf in this pack you couldn't even protect your
20:46own daughter you ignored her cries for help you starved your daughter to death mom's world collapsed
20:54she sat there staring at the flashing gem on her own neck and finally understood for 10 years every
21:02red light wasn't because i was lying it was because i was scared scared of her anger scared of being
21:10misunderstood scared of eating food that made me sick i was in pain pain that made my heart race and
21:17cold
21:18sweat pour down my face i was desperate desperate for a hug for her to hold me the way she
21:24held emma every
21:26signal from my frightened heart she had interpreted as proof of my lies no get it off
21:36i'm not lying i'm not she tried to shift fur rippling across her skin bones cracking but the leather
21:44cinched harder around her throat the moment her neck began to change she snapped back into human form gasping
21:52i can't get it off stella take it back i'm sorry it's all my fault this little bit of choking
22:00and she
22:01was already breaking mom i suffered for 10 years the council elders needed evidence for judgment so they
22:10opened my journal in front of my parents february 14th sunny mom put celery on my plate i'm allergic
22:19my throat swells i can't breathe i said i can't eat it but because i was scared of making her
22:25angry
22:26my body ran hot the gem flashed red the choker tightened mom said i was picky lying made me eat
22:35the
22:35whole plate that night i threw up blood my throat felt like it was on fire i shifted to ease
22:42my pain
22:43mom saw it and said i'd snuck berry juice that i was faking the choker tightened for 10 more minutes
22:52mom's hand flew to her mouth she was shaking violently she remembered that she really did think it
22:59was berry juice she didn't even look closely just turned away to read emma a bedtime story that was
23:07blood from a swollen torn throat june 1st pups day emma shredded mom's ceremonial cloak emma's heart is
23:16always calm her gem stays green i tried to explain but i was scared of being hit my body ran
23:24hot red gem
23:26choker tightened for 10 minutes it hurt so bad but i didn't cry because crying makes your body run
23:34hotter and mom thinks that means you're not sorry so i held my breath pretended it didn't hurt mom said
23:42see she doesn't even blink she's definitely faking it dad couldn't take it anymore this man who had
23:49always put the pack before his own family chose duty over his daughter for 10 years you monster what
23:57did you do that was your daughter you treated her like a stray blood at the corner of her mouth
24:05not my fault not my fault it's her it's emma emma's gem was always green emma was the good one
24:13if it
24:13wasn't for that green light making me trust her i wouldn't have believed the red light so much
24:19this is emma's thoughts that little princess everyone had protected one of the council elders
24:25walked over gently removed the green verity choker from her neck took out a blade pried the gem loose
24:31right there it rolled onto the table still glowing green steady unchanged the elder picked up the
24:40stone a glowstone a glowstone that is all your younger daughter's choker was always going to shine
24:47green no matter what she said did or lied about it would never change your so-called verity choker was
24:57a
24:57fraud that was her truth for 10 years that was the evidence she used to convict me a common glowstone
25:04that put me in hell while emma lived in paradise so i wasn't a liar i i laughed laughed until
25:12i cried
25:13turns out ghosts could cry too the elder turned to the last page of the journal his voice broke
25:18the handwriting was a mess clearly written while dying mom if i die will the choker stop glowing red
25:26or if it turns green will you hug me then i'm not lying i couldn't heal myself anymore
25:32my stomach hurts so much like knives next life please don't make me wear the choker please i just want
25:41to be a normal pup i want to eat mom's roasted meat mom stared at the broken glowstone on the
25:47table
25:47that truth magic she trusted without question a worthless stone because of that stone she spoiled
25:54emma for 10 years because of that cursed red light she tortured me for 10 years
26:03mom started laughing her voice cracking
26:06in every second worse than crying fake all fake
26:14i killed my most honest pup and i worshipped a liar she'd lost her mind for real this time my
26:23death
26:24became the talk of the entire pack lisa the neighbor who had sent for the pack healer told everyone what
26:30she'd seen every wolf knew by morning luna had starved her own daughter to death monster murderer
26:39she doesn't deserve to be luna stones flew at our door the word killer carved into the wall the council
26:47convened within the day the verdict was swift dad lost his alpha title no wolf would follow him now
26:54my grandfather the former alpha read out the judgment himself he didn't look at his son once
27:01dad walked out of the council hall and never looked back he took emma and left the pack that same
27:07night
27:08emma was a bad seed sure but she was still his blood before they left emma tried to take her
27:14green choker
27:15dad stomped on it why the hell would you want that piece of trash emma cried as he dragged her
27:22away
27:22mom got out of the dungeon the healer said she had lost her mind the council locked her in the
27:28home
27:28instead the one that still smelled like death her mental state deteriorated fast she refused to take
27:35off the red choker she would tighten it herself whenever the guilt got too heavy she said choking
27:41was the only thing that eased it it was her self-imposed punishment i floated in the darkness my wolf
27:47curled
27:48beside me watching her unravel day after day she'd talk to the empty corner where i used to stand
27:54stella i brought you some food no celery today it's all roast just how you like it but there was
28:01no
28:01food there was nothing just her hands cupped around air she'd pretend to set a plate down her hands shook
28:09the gem flashed red she was anxious guilty falling apart she smiled but her eyes were empty the gem is
28:18red mom is lying liars don't deserve food she pulled the choker tight with her own hands let it choke
28:26her
28:26her body convulsed against the cold floor it hurts so much is this how stella felt i'm sorry mom started
28:35reenacting my diary entries i couldn't eat celery because of my allergy so she forced herself to eat
28:43spoiled food until she vomited blood then swallowed it back down i was locked in isolation so she locked
28:51herself in my old room lights off and bowed to my portrait until her forehead bled over and over blood
29:00on
29:00the floor late at night she'd see the red glow of the bloodstone reflected on the wall to her it
29:07looked
29:07like my bloody eyes were watching she kept punishing herself the wounds healed slower and slower her wolf
29:15exhausted by months of self-torture slowly fell into a deep sleep mom didn't care she scrawled on the back
29:22of my journal i'm sorry i was wrong red means pain red means love please come back and say it
29:30hurts hurts
29:31one more time i'll save you i promise too bad i'm dead dead wolves can't cry for help eventually the
29:39new
29:39alpha intervened mom's self-harm had gone too far she'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
29:52someone
29:53posted to watch her day and night she was the strangest woman they'd ever seen nobody knew where
29:59she'd found it a frayed red cord tied around her own neck her homemade choker if anyone tried to remove
30:07it she'd snap at them teeth bared snarling wild-eyed don't touch me stella's watching she'll be
30:16angry if you take it every time the guard called her name and brought her food mom would grab the
30:22red cord and pull it tight against her own throat convulsing screaming red light red light don't
30:30punish punish me i'll eat i'll eat even if the food was scalding hot she'd gulp it down burning her
30:38throat
30:39wouldn't spit it out she was reenacting my final moments living my hell on repeat years later
30:46emma grew up without guidance and with a trail of shame behind her she drifted from pack to pack
30:52stealing to survive no one would take her in when she ran out of options she remembered mom was still
31:00alive she slipped back into the silverman pack under the cover of night not for love for money
31:07hey crazy lady dad's dead give me whatever you've been hiding emma stood there face hard eyes full of
31:15contempt she looked at mom's hollow broken form and spat on the floor it's disgusting give me what i
31:24want or i'll send you to meet your daughter for a moment mom's cloudy eyes cleared she looked at emma
31:31and suddenly remembered that choker that always green glowstone that decade of deception
31:39it's you it's you you lie you're the green light that wasn't there you killed stella give her back to
31:47me give her back to me the last shred of maternal love twisted into something feral mom lunged grabbed
31:55emma by the throat emma by the throat emma thrashed but couldn't break free from a mad woman's grip
32:07the guards rushed in pulled her off emma stumbled out of the hut terrified they're all insane she bolted
32:15into the forest she didn't get far rogues the kind that haunted the borderlands preying on anyone
32:22foolish enough to run through the trees alone at night emma never saw them coming by the time she
32:28did it was too late she survived barely both legs shattered beyond repair she'd never walk again
32:36meanwhile mom was strapped to her cot staring at the ceiling tears streaming in her dreams she finally
32:44saw me i was 10 again no choker white dress smiling mom she reached for me crying with joy
32:54stella but the moment her hands touched me i burst into ash no she woke up screaming if she'd been
33:02wearing that choker it would have been blood red eternal torment i stood in the void watching it all
33:09mom strapped to her bed emma in a wheelchair begging on the market dad drunk and dead in some gutter
33:16i felt nothing no satisfaction just a flat dead calm my wolf padded over quietly she didn't howl
33:25didn't nudge just pressed her head against my hand and held it there in the distance a door of light
33:31appeared soft steady waiting i looked at my wolf she looked at me yeah time to leave this life was
33:40too bitter nothing worth holding on to i floated to mom's hut one final time she looked ancient hair
33:47completely white frail as paper she sent something her cloudy eyes focused on a point in the air right
33:54where i stood stella is that you her trembling hand reached into the emptiness mom destroyed the choker
34:00i don't believe in it anymore come back please i'll cook for you no salary i'll buy you new dresses
34:06not emma tears rolled down her face i looked at the red marks on her neck from the frayed cord
34:12i i reached out my cold ghostly finger touched her forehead this was my final mercy sleep mom in sleep
34:20there's no pain her eyes fluttered shut she slumped into a deep dreamless rest a breeze blew through the
34:27hut the old journal on her cot flipped open the last page my dying words stared up at the ceiling
34:33but below it in shaky handwriting were new lines written by mom during a lucid moment next life let
34:40me wear the choker let me be the liar punish me however you want just don't leave me i stared
34:46at
34:46those words felt nothing too late repentance means nothing to the dead mom i don't hate you anymore
34:53but i don't love you either let's not meet again i turned away my wolf was waiting in the distance
34:59the
35:00door of light still glowed soft steady patient i looked at my neck the phantom verity choker still
35:07there even in spirit form the nightmare that had changed me for a lifetime i grabbed it it shattered
35:12into nothing i felt weightless free no red light no hunger no lies just freedom my wolf pressed against
35:20my side together we walked toward the light i didn't look back morning came a guard pushed open the door
35:26rachel time to eat no response she walked closer mom's hand clutched the torn journal a single tear
35:33crystallized at the corner of her eye she crouched beside her held two fingers beneath her nose
35:38nothing she was gone passing through the door wasn't violent no spinning no chaos just warmth
35:44like sinking into a spring stream i looked to my side my wolf was gone i didn't panic i pressed
35:51my
35:51hand to my chest and there she was steady warm then i heard her voice not a whimper not a
35:57whine clear
35:58and bright and full of life like the first time we met run i shifted four paws hit the ground
36:04and i ran
36:05through forests that smelled of pine and rain through cold shallow streams that splashed silver around
36:11my legs through meadows i had never seen but somehow knew my white fur caught the light my paws were
36:17sure
36:18my lungs were full my body was strong no choker around my throat no red light no hunger the lingering
36:26ache in my soul the phantom pain of 10 years started to fade with every step i ran toward brightness
36:33behind me
36:34old life dissolved like a worn photograph left out in the rain mom's final tear the red glow of the
36:41choker blood on the journal pages gone i didn't look back that 10-year nightmare was finally truly over
36:49when i opened my eyes again i was tiny wrapped in soft blankets someone was humming
36:55a woman's voice gentle off key but full of love her fingers brushed my cheek the scent of wildflowers
37:05not the cold clinical distance of my old mother not the silence of someone who only touched me to punish
37:12i blinked up at her she had kind eyes a soft smile she cradled me like i was made of
37:19glass
37:19grace is awake honey come quick our daughter just opened her eyes a man appeared tall a little awkward
37:28but his face lit up when he saw me he touched my tiny hand with one finger his voice was
37:34deep warm
37:36hey grace i'm your dad
37:40grace not stella no weight no chains no red light just grace a name that meant something light
37:49something cherished this house was small but warm full of light cartoon painting on the walls flowers by
37:57the window sunlight pouring through the windows warm on the floor i realized fast this family was nothing
38:04like the last one they never forced me to do anything there were no chokers no red lights no punishments
38:12for things i hadn't done i grew learned to crawl to talk and when i was three mom made a
38:20stew with celery
38:21the green stalks in the bowl triggered me i flashed back to choking throat swelling vomiting blood
38:27i stumbled backwards shaking tears came without permission mom immediately put down her spoon
38:34crouched pulled me into a hug grace what's wrong you don't like celery i couldn't speak just shook my
38:42head sobbing dad knelt too rubbed my back hey it's okay you don't have to eat it can you tell
38:50us why
38:50their eyes were patient gentle finally i choked out it hurts my throat makes me bleed they didn't say
39:00the verity choker doesn't lie they didn't accuse me of faking they took me to the pack healer immediately
39:07turns out i really do have a celery allergy after that celery never appeared in the house again mom
39:15added it to her market list grace's allergies celery she checked every time she shopped i lay in her arms
39:22that night smelling wild flowers and realized this is what it feels like to be believed love isn't
39:29measured by a stone it's listening even when the story sounds impossible when i was four dad took me
39:36to the pack healer for my first health check there was a blood draw i saw the needle and lost
39:41it flashes
39:42of the choker tightening around my throat flashes of starvation i screamed clung to dad's leg the healer
39:50side i couldn't stop shaking don't punish me i'm not lying dad immediately scooped me up sorry she's
39:58not ready we'll come back another time on the walk home dad didn't scold me for being weak he just
40:04asked
40:05gently grace did someone hurt you before i buried my face in his shoulder tears soaking his shirt mom
40:15choker red light i couldn't explain it clearly but he listened nodded it's okay dad's here now no one's
40:25ever hurting you again from then on they took me to the pack healer regularly not for blood draws just
40:32to
40:32talk she has been hurt be patient with her my parents never complained never made me feel like a burden
40:39they bought me a colorful necklace but never forced me to wear it this is just a pretty thing grace
40:44wear it if you want take it off if you don't we'll love you either way slowly i started to
40:51heal i could
40:52say i don't like this without fear i could say i'm scared i could say i want that i didn't
41:00have to worry
41:00about my heart racing being proof of a lie i started sharing my stories with them i cried when i
41:06didn't get a
41:07toy i laughed when i got praise i was finally just a pup a normal loved pup when i turned
41:15seven i
41:16started at the pack school there was a girl in my class annie sullivan she looked exactly like emma
41:23same eyes but her hair hair was shorter and she was timid scared the first time i saw her my
41:30heart
41:31clenched flashbacks emma's smug grin the green light mocking me i stepped back instinctively annie
41:39noticed she looked down voice barely a whisper i'm annie do you want to be friends her tone was so
41:48careful so desperate to please just like i used to be i glanced at her neck she wore a simple
41:56choker with
41:56green gem my stomach turned later i found out annie's mom was strict too this family demanded
42:03honesty locked her in her room without food when she made mistakes one day annie accidentally knocked
42:10over the teacher's ink pot she was trembling too scared to admit it i saw her face red rimmed eyes
42:17barely holding back tears i remembered myself at that desk writing i am a liar over and over
42:25i walked over took her hand annie it's okay accidents happen let's tell the teacher together
42:34she won't be mad annie looked at me shocked but mom says liars are bad wolves being honest isn't
42:41about never making mistakes it's about owning up when you do and even if you tell the truth you
42:47shouldn't be punished for it if the teacher gets angry i'll stand with you if your mom gets angry come
42:53to my house my parents will help i gave her the courage i never had she confessed the teacher
42:59forgave her told her to be more careful next time from that day on we have been best friends i
43:05brought
43:06annie home to meet my parents she saw how warm they were how they didn't yell didn't punish little
43:12things i told her you don't have to make everyone happy you're allowed to feel things say things one day
43:21annie's mom came to pick her up from school she saw us together and her face twisted she grabbed
43:27annie's hand did you mess up again is grace covering for you annie immediately looked down silent i stepped
43:36in front of her looked at the mom in the eye ma'am annie didn't do anything wrong she's a
43:42good pup you
43:43shouldn't always assume the worst she's scared of you the mom froze looked at me then at annie's
43:53tear-filled eyes her expression softened that night she called my mom thanked her said i'd opened her
44:00eyes over time annie's mom got gentler what you want to started listening instead of yelling and annie
44:06she blossomed confident happy i watched her laugh freely one day and felt this warmth in my chest
44:14i didn't get saved in my last life i suffered alone in the dark but this time i could save
44:20someone
44:21else i could stop another stella from happening maybe that's the gift my past life gave me the
44:27ability to see pain and to heal it when i was 10 my parents took me to visit grandma there
44:33was an old
44:33oak tree in her yard its branches spread wide casting shade over the whole garden i sat beneath
44:39it watching sunlight filter through the leaves my wolf dozed inside me warm and content then i saw her
44:46an old woman white hair hunched over a walking stick wearing a faded blue dress the second i saw her
44:53face
44:53i froze she looked exactly like rachel my old mother grandma noticed me too walked over slowly her eyes
45:01were hazy but there was something familiar in them something heavy what's your name child grace she
45:07repeated it softly grace that's a beautiful name she reached out like she wanted to touch my hair
45:13then hesitated pulled back like she was afraid of disturbing something sacred my mom came over
45:18steadied her mom this is our daughter grace so she was my grandma in this life too over the next
45:25few
45:25days grandma watched me constantly her expression was unreadable one morning she brought me a bowl of
45:31roasted meat grace eat up this used to be your favorite i stared at the bowl in my last life
45:36i
45:37wrote in my dying breath i want to eat mom's roasted meat and here was grandma saying those exact words
45:43tears blurred my vision this wasn't some distant wish anymore it was real right in front of me i picked
45:50up a piece bit into it tender sweet perfect grandma smiled a tired guilty smile that night lying in bed
45:59with
45:59my wolf curled warm inside my chest i thought about rachel's last words next life let me wear the
46:05choker let me be the liar punish me however you want just don't leave me i thought about her final
46:11tear the torn journal i didn't hate her anymore hating someone is like locking yourself in the past
46:17chewing on pain forever this life's warmth had already washed away the bitterness i just felt sad sad that
46:24she only understood too late real love was never about stones or punishment we stayed for a month
46:30then went back home before i left she held my hand grace live well be happy her voice was soft
46:37but heavy
46:37with meaning i nodded you too grandma i watched her walk away and i felt nothing no anger no grief
46:45the
46:45grudges of my past life were like fallen leaves blown away by the wind i wasn't stella anymore the girl
46:51locked in the dark choking on a lie i was grace sterling surrounded by love free at 13 i graduated
46:58from pack school got into the best academy in the region my parents took me to the lake for a
47:03picnic
47:03to celebrate i stood at the edge of the water wind in my hair the scent of pine and cold
47:08water on my skin
47:09i stretched out my arms feeling the freedom for a moment i saw her my ghost self floating desperate to
47:17hug
47:17someone but passing right through grace what are you thinking dad handed me a drink i smiled just
47:24i'm grateful to be alive to be with you both mom pulled me into a hug silly girl we're the
47:31lucky ones
47:32no one said anything we all just shifted at the same time like we'd done it a hundred times before
47:38we ran together through the trees through the shallow edge of the lake water spraying silver around
47:43our paws eventually i slowed down turned and threw myself at them we tumbled into the grass together
47:50mom nuzzled her head against mine dad licked the top of my head with lazy affection i pressed into them
47:57both and stayed there breathing hard warm all the way through i looked up at the sky through the canopy
48:03of trees i didn't need to prove i wasn't a liar anymore i didn't need to fear a red light
48:08i could laugh
48:09cry speak freely i had parents who loved me a best friend a healthy body a bright future this was
48:17the
48:17life i died wishing for that night i wrote in my journal not the blood-stained confessions of my old
48:23life this one was full of happiness growth love i wrote today we ran by the lake mom and dad
48:31shifted with
48:32me without saying a word we tumbled in the grass like pups i thought about my past self that little
48:37girl
48:37locked in a room choking in the dark desperate to be loved she'd never believe that i could be this
48:44happy mom and dad love me they taught me that honesty isn't something you punish out of someone
48:49it's something you grow with patience and warmth annie is my best friend now she laughs freely she speaks
48:57without flinching grandma is getting older but her eyes are warm when she looks at me my wolf grows
49:03stronger every day with her beside me i feel at ease i don't hate anyone anymore i don't cling to
49:10the past those painful memories are like paw prints in the mud washed away by rain but they taught me
49:16to
49:16cherish every step forward i know my old mom sister and dad got what they deserved and i finally broke
49:24free
49:24i found real freedom i don't want to see them again i don't want to relive that life i just
49:30want to be
49:30grace simple happy loved the lake was beautiful life was beautiful i closed my journal looked out
49:38the window moonlight shimmered on the water through the trees my wolf stirred softly inside my chest warm
49:44steady i smiled this life i finally became who i wanted to be no red light no starvation no lies
49:52just love freedom happiness and those scars from my past they became part of me proof that i had survived
49:59proof that darkness no matter how long it lasts cannot swallow you whole not if you keep moving
50:05toward the light the road ahead is long but i will walk it with courage with joy towards something even
50:12brighter
50:13you
50:14you
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