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