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