- 6 hours ago
Betrayed on her wedding night, she rises stronger.
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Short filmTranscript
00:07Hero saves helpless Omega. Omega gives herself to her hero. That was how the old stories always
00:12went. It was the night of my mating ceremony with Alpha Dominic. His beta burst into our chamber.
00:19Alpha! Ms. Lara's father just passed. She's collapsed from grief. The words had barely
00:24landed before Alpha Dominic froze, his lips inches from my neck, the mark unfinished. He
00:29abandoned our mating ceremony without a word, shifted, and disappeared from the pack. He didn't
00:35come back until morning. The sacred bonding wreaths hadn't even been taken down yet when he returned,
00:39and he brought with him a woman in a black lace dress, a stripper from the edge of pack territory.
00:44Lara is the Omega I rescued. Her father just died. She has no one, and there are wolves out there
00:49who
00:49want to force mark her. I want to mark her, bring her into our pack, give her somewhere she belongs.
00:55Sarah, if you can't accept that, I'll send her away and never speak of her again.
00:59He looked at me with those deep, devoted eyes, every word carefully, respectfully placed. Everyone
01:04expected me to lose it, to scream, to shift, to make a scene. Instead, I smiled, slow and easy.
01:11The story of how Alpha rescued a stripper is already legend in this pack. To mark her as nothing more
01:16than a mistress would cheapen everything that story stands for. Why not mark her as your Luma? That
01:22would be a love worth remembering forever. My bonding arrangement with Alpha Dominic had been
01:27decreed by the Lycan King himself. Before we were formally bonded, word had already spread through
01:31the pack. He had once stepped in to protect a rogue Omega named Lara, a stripper being harassed by other
01:36wolves. Lara was the kind of Omega you couldn't look away from. Slender, almost fragile, but with curves
01:41that made every wolf in the room forget what they'd been saying. A rogue, technically, as she danced at the
01:47lowest tavern on the edge of pack territory. And yet wolves came from all over, just to watch her move
01:52from across the room. Someone had wanted more than a look. A wolf had tried to force mark her. Alpha
01:57Dominic had put a stop to it. The story became the kind of thing packed with feet around fires.
02:02Omega gives herself to her hero. That was how the old stories always went. There is no Luna in this
02:09pack
02:09yet. But Alpha Dominic had said publicly, I will not mark her friends. I will not mark a mistress
02:15carelessly. Lara deserves better than to be seen that way. Lycan Luna asked me herself. If I felt
02:21wronged by any of this, the arrangement could be dissolved. My father, my brothers, my mother,
02:27all of them had died in the war against the witch clans. Lycan Luna had taken me in out of
02:31gratitude for
02:32everything the Calloway family had given. And when my wolf finally awakened, she had granted me the alpha
02:37title. An honor almost no one in my position had ever received. She loved me the way she loved her
02:42own children. Maybe more. But becoming the Luna of North Moonpack was a decree from the Lycan King.
02:47It couldn't simply be undone. I didn't want to put her in a difficult position. I knelt before her and
02:52said, Sarah is not troubled by this. I've heard Alpha Dominic is one of the most powerful alphas of his
02:58generation. This is they a bonding wise all the Anderstara. This is the kind of bonding Sarah has always
03:04wanted. There's nothing to dissolve. What I hadn't counted on was Lara appearing on the very night of
03:09our ceremony. Alpha Dominic's lips hadn't even reached my neck yet when his beta crashed through
03:14the door. Alpha! Miss Lara's father just passed. She's collapsed from grief. He yanked back from me,
03:20shredded his ceremonial clothes, restricted mid-moon, and poured through the pack gates as a massive black
03:25wolf. Through the beta link, his alpha command rolled through the air behind him.
03:29Get the pack's best healer. Lara is fragile. Bring Moonstone, blessed by the Moon Goddess. Gods know what
03:36state she's in. I stood there and stared at the overturned table, the food scattered across the
03:40floor, the doors hanging off their hinges from where he'd shifted and charged through them. Amanda,
03:45of the beta my mother had left me, the one who had been with our family since before the war,
03:49her eyes went red. Miss Sarah, the alpha has gone too far. Tonight is your mating ceremony. He's left
04:00an alpha to spend her bonding night alone, all for a stripper. This is nothing short of a humiliation.
04:08The entire pack knew it. The entire werewolf world knew it. But the great alpha Dominic's heart had
04:13always belonged to an Omega who danced in a low-end tavern. Tonight I had lived it myself,
04:18and I understood now that the reality was even worse than the rumors. The Moon Goddess
04:22blessed bonding candles burned in silence through the whole night. Alpha Dominic never came home.
04:28The next morning I went to pay my respects to Alpha Dominic's mother, the former Luna of North
04:33Moon pack, Lady Larian. Dominic was already there, standing in front of his mother with Lara at his
04:38side, dressed head to toe in a black mourning gown. The entire pack was still draped in the sacred white
04:43decorations of a new bonding. Against all of it, her black lace stood out like an open wound.
04:48The dress was the kind other she-wolves rarely wore. Thin, barely there, black chiffon that skimmed
04:53her thighs. She pressed herself behind Alpha Dominic's shoulder, all wide, frightened eyes when
04:58she saw me, like a deer that had just caught a predator's scent. Her body swayed like she might
05:02fall, and then right in front of me she dropped to her knees with a soft thud.
05:06Lara greets the Luna. Yesterday was entirely Lara's fault. Lara ruined the Luna and the Alpha's bonding
05:14night. Please, I punish Lara however you see fit.
05:19Her forehead touched the floor. Alpha Dominic looked at me with an expression pulled tight between guilt
05:24and pleading. Lara's the Omega I rescued. Her father just died. She has still just died and she has no
05:34one left and there are wolves already circling who want to force mank her.
05:37Lara, she has nowhere to go. I want to, after completing my bond with you, mark her. Let her stay
05:44in the pack as my sanctioned mistress. Give her a place. If you can't accept that, I'll drive her out
05:51of the pack and never see her again. Lara's tears fell in silence. She looked up at me, all Omega
05:56softness and helplessness. Please, Luna, show mercy. Lara has nowhere left to go. If there's no place
06:05for Lara here, Lara would rather die. Lady Larian watched with a pained, sympathetic expression,
06:14then turned to me. Lara, you are the Luna of North Moon pack now. This is your decision to make.
06:22But
06:22this pack has always been known for its kindness and generosities. As it's Luna, I hope you'll lead
06:29with an open heart. Accepting her as a sanctioned mistress costs you nothing. She cannot outrank you.
06:35That was Lady Larian's closing line. Refuse, and I was the villain. Accept and I was a fool. The story
06:41had been written before I walked into the room. Lara lifted her face from the floor. My lord saved
06:46Lara's life. Lara swore to repay that debt. If Luna fears, Lara will compete for the Alpha's attention.
06:53She pressed a hand to her chest. Lara is willing to take suppresses.
06:57Lara will never challenge Luna's position. Alpha Dominic's jaw tightened. Sarah, Lara doesn't scheme.
07:05You don't need to be this hard on her. Then Lara's attending Beta, a silent on the floor beside her,
07:10as slammed her forehead down. Luna, please. My mistress cannot take suppresses. She is already
07:16carrying the Alpha's pup. The room went still. Lady Larian shot upright. Get her off the floor.
07:22You never kneel when you're carried. Dominic pulled Lara up in one motion,
07:26his face moving through guilt and protectiveness in the span of a second. Why didn't you tell me?
07:31How long have you been carrying this alone? I didn't want to make things harder for you.
07:36I already ruined your bonding night. I felt so guilty. I thought if I did just...
07:42Her hand moved to her stomach. If I quietly ended it, you'd never have to choose.
07:47Lady Larian turned to me, measured and deliberate. Sarah, even if the pup is born,
07:51it remains a lesser heir. It cannot supersede yours. But it is still Dominic's blood. We cannot let it be
07:58cast out. A careful pause. When the pup arrives, it will call you mother. I looked at all three of
08:04them.
08:04The rehearsed timing, the tears landing at exactly the right moment. The pup revealed only after
08:09every other move had failed. I smiled. The story of how Alpha rescued a rogue Omega is already legend
08:16in this pack. To mark her as a mere mistress would cheapen that legend entirely. Dominic relaxed the
08:23moment he heard the first half. If his feelings are everything the pack believes them to be,
08:28he should mark her as his Luna. That would be a love worth howling about for generations.
08:36Then the second half reached him and his expression went hard and cold.
08:39Mark her as Luna. Sarah, Lauren, I never... I stepped back.
08:44Never what? Never loved each other. Or just that the pup she's carrying isn't yours.
08:50Every wolf in this pack knows the story. Hero saves Omega. Omega gives herself to her hero.
08:56And now there's a pup. I held his gaze. You said publicly,
09:00I will not mark a mistress carelessly. I understand now exactly what that meant.
09:04Not a mistress. Just a rogue lover, kept on the side. Is that right?
09:09The color left Lara's face. Luna! She whispered.
09:13Lara was never that. Lara only... Lara only loves him. Lara never asked for anything more.
09:19Not even a sanctioned mistress? I said pleasantly.
09:22That's worse. At least a mistress has a title. Without one, what does the pup she's carrying
09:28enter this world as? A rogue born with no standing in any pack? She stumbled back, shaking her head.
09:35That isn't what Lara meant. I nodded once.
09:37Whatever you meant, I will give you exactly what your love deserves. My lady,
09:41the bonding rites were never completed last night. Alpha Dominic spent his bonding night with Lara.
09:46My entire household witnessed it. Every wolf in this pack can confirm it. Therefore, I,
09:50this bond is void. Dominic moved fast, stepping directly into my path.
09:54What do you mean, void? I know last night was wrong, but Lara's father died. I had no choice.
10:00It won't happen again. His voice dropped.
10:02We start over. I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you, Sarah.
10:06Then harder. If you dissolve this bond, you're throwing the Lyman King's decree into the dirt.
10:12Do you understand what that means? I looked up at him.
10:15Dominic, this bonding arrangement was the Lion King's to give. You're the one who buried it on
10:20the very first night by leaving your Luma alone to comfort a rogue Omega. If the Lycan King wants
10:26someone to answer for it, it won't be the Alpha's daughter who was simply left behind.
10:31You want to talk about what I'm supposed to do? Did you think about me even once while you were
10:38deciding what she needed? The color shifted in his face. He knew every word was true.
10:43If this reached the Lycan council, the humiliation landed entirely on him. Lara rushed forward,
10:48voice cracking. Luna, please. It's all Lara's fault. Lara will leave the pack right now.
10:56You'll never have to see Lara again. Even if those powerful Alphas try to mark me and put me in
11:02their
11:02pack, I'd rather die than let them succeed. But I'll never let an Alpha cause me trouble again.
11:08She closed the distance and dropped her voice to where only I could hear.
11:11Miss Calloway, he has always chosen me. He always will. You never stood a chance.
11:18Then she turned back, her eyes wide and glistening, voice raised for the room.
11:23Luna, if you leave, the Lycan King will punish the Alpha. Please, if anyone should go, let it be me.
11:30I raised an eyebrow. You truly want me to stay? Then understand this.
11:36If I stay, you will never set foot in this pack again. Not once.
11:43Lara doesn't know what to do. Please, Luna, I tell Lara. Alpha.
11:47She turned to Dominic. Did Lara do something wrong?
11:50Lara just wanted to repay you. Lara would be a servant. Lara would ask for nothing. Just,
11:56please ask Luna to let Lara stay. She pressed herself against his arm,
12:00a vine finding its wall. Dominic drew her close and looked at me over her head.
12:05Sarah, let her stay. She defers to you in everything. You have my word.
12:10He still believed he was worth bargaining with. I pulled my hand free.
12:14Alpha Dominic, my answer stands. The bond is dissolved. From this day forward wide,
12:19your life is your own. It has nothing to do with me. Lara clutched her black mourning dress
12:24and turned as if to leave. Then Lara will go. You don't have to ask twice.
12:29You're not going anywhere. Dominic caught her arm.
12:31I'm the Alpha of this pack. What'd I just say even here?
12:33Then he turned on me. A and every trace of warmth vanished from his face.
12:37I'm taking one sanctioned mistress. One. What kind of Luna makes a scene over that?
12:42Which pack in this entire kingdom doesn't have secondary arrangements?
12:45Lara has had a hard life. Nothing like yours. You lost your family, yes,
12:48but Lylan Luna took you in. Gave you a title. Gave you everything. Lara has had no one.
12:53I was only protecting her. Do you think everyone has what you have?
12:57A Lycan Luna who loves them? A pack that honors their bloodline?
13:02The last word barely left his mouth before my hand connected with his face.
13:06Sharp. Clean. His head turned with it.
13:10Dominic Ashvale. My voice didn't waver.
13:12What gives you the right to speak of my family to me?
13:14The Lycan king himself does not raise their names lightly in my presence.
13:18What exactly are you? He had always known I was an orphan with nowhere to go.
13:22That was precisely why he said it. Because he believed I had no move left to make. He straightened
13:26slowly. Something burning behind his eyes. You hold a title, Sarah, but it was given to you.
13:32You are not Lycan born. If you walk out of this pack, what are you walking back to? Do you
13:37really
13:37think the Lycan king and Luna will go to war with North Moon Pack over you?
13:41He thought he had me cornered. My father was the alpha of Iron Moon Pack. My mother stood beside
13:46him until the witch clan war took them both. My brothers fell with their wolves howling. I was
13:51shaped in that bloodline long before Lycan Luna ever took my hand. An alpha blood. A real alpha blood.
13:56It does not kneel. Amanda.
13:58My voice carried across the room. Pack everything. Lift the Kalowal crest. We're going home.
14:04The room stopped breathing. Iron Moon Pack had been sealed for over a decade. I was reopening it.
14:08Stop this. Dominic's voice cracked like a command.
14:12You think you're still the Iron Moon Alpha's daughter free to do whatever you want? That life is over.
14:16Lady Larian stepped between us. Sarah, I know what kind of she-wolf you are. You have my word.
14:23If Dominic ever dishonors you again, I will not stand beside him. A bonding is sacred.
14:28A Lycan decreed bonding most of all. We cannot simply undo it. Let me arrange for you both to
14:33complete the REITs tonight, properly, with no interruptions. I'll see to it myself. And if
14:39you truly cannot accept Lara's presence, she need not be a mistress at all. She can serve in the pack.
14:44Nothing more. They had forgotten what I was. Even without a bloodline, I carried the alpha title,
14:49granted by the Lycan Luna herself, something that had never been given to an orphan before.
14:53My father's name still carried weight in every corner of this territory.
14:56His brothers in arms, his allies, the wolves who had bled beside him. None of them had forgotten the
15:02Calloways. Did Dominic truly believe that I are the last blood of the Calloway line? I would simply
15:07absorb every humiliation and stay? There's no need. I met Lady Larian's eyes directly.
15:12The bond is dissolved. Alpha Dominic is free to mark Lara, freely and completely. The pup she carries
15:18will be born as the legitimate first heir of North Moon Pack. That is right and proper. Otherwise,
15:23the Alpha's firstborn enters this world as a rogue born with no standing. What kind of life is that for
15:28a pup? The shadow that crossed Dominic's face was almost satisfying. And in Lara's eyes,
15:33just for a moment, something lit up.
15:36Sarah. Dominic's voice dropped into something dangerous. If you walk through that gate,
15:40you will not be walking back through it. This pack does not open twice for the same wolf.
15:44She stepped back, eyes glistening, voice raised for the room.
15:47Luna, if you leave, the Lycan King will punish the Alpha. Please, if anyone should go,
15:54let it be Lara. You truly want me to stay? I said softly. Then know this. If I stay,
16:01you never enter this pack again. Not once. Lara bit down on her lip. The axe slipped.
16:07Lara doesn't know what to do. Please, Luna, tell Lara. She turned to Dominic, voice going small.
16:13Alpha, did Lara do something wrong? Lara just wanted to repay you. Lara would sweep floors.
16:18Lara would ask for nothing. Just please ask Luna to let Lara stay close to you.
16:24She pressed herself against his arm like she had always belonged there.
16:28Dominic held her and looked at me over her head. Sarah, she defers to you and everything. That's my
16:33word. He still believed he was an offer worth taking. I stepped back. Alpha, Dominic, my answer
16:39stands. The bond is void. I turned toward the gate. From this day forward, live however you choose.
16:44It has nothing to do with me. Iron Moon Pack had been sealed for over a decade.
16:50The day after my mating ceremony, dowry crates loaded on carts, my household walking behind me.
16:55I brought it back to life. Word traveled ahead. Within days, every hall was swept,
16:59every hearth relit. The keep smelled of pine and open air instead of dust and loss.
17:03Lycan Luna's summons arrived before the week was out. I knelt before her, red-eyed, composed.
17:08My Luna, I cannot bond with Alpha Dominic. His heart was given long before I arrived,
17:13and the Omega he gave it to as she carries his pup. Amanda knelt beside me and delivered every
17:18detail of the bonding night. Voice raw, tears running openly. Lycan Luna listened.
17:23Her expression went very still. I knew that wolf had a wandering eye, she said at last.
17:28But on the bonding night itself, with a tavern dancer, she exhaled slowly. I wouldn't have believed it of him.
17:36Sarah, if you walk away from this bond, the pack will whisper. You know how they treat she-wolves who
17:41leave.
17:41I lifted my chin. My Luna, the one who behaved wrongly was not me. I'm not afraid of whispers.
17:49My father and brothers were warriors. My mother stood beside them until the end.
17:54I carry that same blood. I will hold the Calloway name up myself. I don't need anyone to hold it
18:00for me.
18:01Lyman Luna was quiet for a long moment. Then something flickered in her eyes.
18:06Something that looked almost like pride. You are exactly your father's daughter, she said.
18:12The Calloway name will stand again. The Lycan king sent gifts to Iron Moon pack within the week.
18:18The pack's winds shifted overnight. Invitations arrived. She-wolves came to the gate. Allies of my
18:23father's old pack. Wolves who had bled beside my brothers. They came one after another and stayed.
18:28Lady Harwick, whose mate had fought at my father's side, took both my hands in hers.
18:34Sarah, our families go back too far for distance. You're home now.
18:40Come to us whenever you need anything. A sound of elegant contempt.
18:44As for that taverness, for that tavern dancer, don't waste a thought on her. When the time is right,
18:50I'll find you a match that actually deserves the Callum bloodline.
18:54Dominic had assumed I was posturing. That in a few days, once my temper cooled,
18:58he could come to me with the right expression, and I would return quietly to North Moon pack.
19:04Then the Lyman king's gifts arrived at my door, and he understood I had no intention of going back.
19:10The dissolution reached the Lycan council. The Lycan king addressed it in open session,
19:14his voice carrying the particular dryness of a man stating the obvious.
19:17It seems Alpha Dominic finds the match I arranged less to his dike than a rogue Omega from a tavern.
19:21Very well. I won't force a wolf to honor what he's already dishonored. Mark your dancer.
19:24Consider the matter settled. One sentence. That was all it took. The pack understood.
19:29The Lycan king was not angry at Sarah Calloway. He was done with Dominic Ashvale. Dominic returned to
19:34North Moon pack looking like a wolf who had walked into a trap he'd built with his own hands.
19:38The king's words had closed the only door that might have reopened. If he bonded now,
19:42it would be with Lara. That was the shape of his future, and every wolf in the territory
19:46could see it. What Alpha family with any standing would accept a rogue tavern dancer as their Luna?
19:52Lara's belly grew. Dominic ran out of options. He chose the least bad one and set a date.
19:57Lara was overjoyed. She had walked into that pack expecting to be a mistress at best,
20:01and somehow she was going to be its Luna. The bonding day arrived. The great hall filled
20:06with guests. Many came out of old loyalty to the Ashvale bloodline. Others came simply because
20:11they wanted to witness it themselves. Lara had commissioned her ceremony gown from the finest
20:15atelier in the territory, cut wide, draped cleverly so the curve of her belly wouldn't show from a
20:20distance. Ceremony master called the hall to order. Luna, approach for bonding. An attendant stepped
20:26forward to arrange the ritual offering at Lara's feet. The girl wore a scented sachet at her hip.
20:30In the warm, packed hall, the fragrance bloomed thick and sharp and drifted straight into Lara's face as
20:36she leaned close. Lara's stomach turned. She couldn't hold it back. A small involuntary sound escaped.
20:42Half gasp, half wretch. The attendant lurched upright. My lady, are you unwell? The scent hit again.
20:48Lara swayed. The ceremonial veil slipped. Her face had gone the color of bone. She pressed her hand over
20:54her mouth. Eh, too late. She pitched forward and was sick, right there in the center of the hall,
21:00in front of every witness North Moonpack had gathered. The hall erupted. Guests stumbled back,
21:06hands over their mouths, the neat rows of witnesses dissolving into something between
21:09horror and dark fascination. The sharper-eyed she-wolves had already drawn their conclusions.
21:15She's carrying. She was carrying before the last bonding fell through.
21:19No wonder Alpha Calendee dissolved the arrangement. Who could blame her?
21:22The Alpha of North Moonpack tangled up with a rogue tavern dancer and now marking her as Luna?
21:27This is what binding ceremonies look like now? She danced at that border tavern. How many wolves
21:32bought a private show and we're supposed to call her Luna? We don't even know it's his. Half the
21:37men in this hall have probably tipped her at something. Lara stood white-faced at the center of
21:41it all, one hand pressed to her ribs, searching for Dominic through her tears. Alpha!
21:48Lady Larian sat rigid in the front row. The expression on her face was the particular blankness
21:53of a wolf absorbing a humiliation too large to process in public. She turned to the nearest attendant,
21:57voice flat and cold. Take the Luna inside. Now she is not to remain in this hall.
22:04The Luna who cannot stand through her own ceremony. She said quieter to herself. What kind of blood is
22:08this bringing into our line? A tavern stripper! As our Luna! Her jaw tightened. I should have put my
22:13foot down the moment Dominic carried her through the gate. A mystery I could have tolerated. But this,
22:17he threw away the Lycan King's fated match. For this? The ceremony ended before it properly began.
22:23Guests dispersed in a wave of polite horror and barely suppressed gossip. And Dominic Asheville,
22:28once the pack's great romantic hero, became its most discussed cautionary tale. Lara for her part
22:33was triumphant by the time the healers cleared her and the private rites were quietly completed.
22:37She was Luna Asheville. Not a mistress. Not a rogue lover. Luna Asheville. She had climbed from a border
22:44tavern floor to the highest seat in the pack. She let herself feel every inch of it. The morning after,
22:50she went to pay her respects to Lady Larian. She found the former Luna deep in easy laughter with
22:54a young she-wolf. Lady Larian's hand wrapped warmly around the girls. Cousin! When Dominic and Lara
23:01entered, the girl rose with an unguarded smile and reached for Dominic's arm. Lady Larian's expression
23:07warmed in a way it never had for Lara. This is Viviane, Dominic's cousin. They ran together as pups
23:12before her father took the family east. Her father has returned to the pack now, and she with him.
23:18Light and easy. Viviane tells me she'd rather be here than anywhere else, so I've told her the
23:22keep is her second home. Her father is the new minister of pack riles. A significant appointment.
23:27A meaningful pause. Viviane, since Lara is carrying and can't manage the household just now,
23:33I'd like you to oversee it. You know this pack better than almost anyone. I trust you completely.
23:39Viviane smiled at Lara with the ease of a wolf who had never needed to perform warmth,
23:42because she simply had it. Don't mind me, sister. I practically grew up here. Let me carry the weight
23:50while you're carrying the pup, that's all. The color left Lara's face. She understood the message
23:56precisely. She laughed carefully. Mother, Viviane comes from a good family. Wouldn't it be beneath her
24:03to manage a household as staff? Please. You know what I'm asking. Don't do this.
24:10Oh, I see exactly what you mean. You're absolutely right. It would be beneath her.
24:14That's why I'm proposing she come in as a co-mate. Equal standing. It would honor her rank properly,
24:20and give this pack a lunar who can actually represent us at formal summits while you recover.
24:26Dominic needs a mate who can stand beside him in public after all.
24:29Lara turned to Dominic. For the first time since the ceremony, she let him see what was underneath.
24:34You told me your heart was only mine. It is. Vivian is family, nothing more. This is a formality.
24:39Whatever title she holds in the pack, you are the one I come back to. Focus on the pup. Let
24:44her handle
24:44the work. Isn't that easier? You're new to this world. High-pack households have ways you haven't
24:48learned yet. I'll put the household back in your hands. I promise. Three days after the bonding ceremony,
24:52Vivian Crane moved into North Moon Pack as co-mate. When word reached me at Iron Moon Camp, I laughed.
24:59Dominic had played it cleverly. Vivadian's father, the new minister of pack rights,
25:03was exactly the Alliance and Alpha in his position needed. Lara couldn't hold a formal summit.
25:08Vivadian could. Now the pack had something new to whisper about. Two Lunas behind one set of gates,
25:14waging a quiet war between them. Whose room Dominic slept in? Whose table he sat at longest?
25:20Whose name the pack members said with more weight. Every morning brought a new skirmish.
25:24Every night reset the board. Vivian called Lara a border dancer who didn't know which fork belongs at
25:29her own bonding table. Lara said Vivian was no better than the Omega she looked down on,
25:33crawling after another she-wilves mate with less dignity than the tavern ever required.
25:37Dominic stopped going inside when he came home.
25:40It was like in Luna's commission that brought me back into the same room as Dominic and Lara.
25:44I was hosting the spring charity gathering at Iron Moon Keep, a formal occasion,
25:48and I had dressed accordingly. Dominic saw me across the hall and went still.
25:52Then his gaze drifted to Lara, standing not far off, her face carrying the specific
25:57grey-yellow exhaustion of a she-wolf deep in a difficult pregnancy, her silhouette nothing
26:01like what it once was, and something moved behind his eyes. He came to find me.
26:06Sarah, are you well?
26:07Careful. Deliberate.
26:09I've been meaning to come to the keep. To apologize properly. I was afraid you wouldn't see me.
26:14To anyone who didn't know better, he looked like a wolf carrying genuine regret. I stepped back. He
26:19followed.
26:20Sarah, I had a jewelry suite commissioned at the Silver Quarter. A full set. I'd like to send it
26:27before your birth moon. Consider it...
26:29Alpha Dom. I smiled pleasantly.
26:31We have no bond and no arrangement. You are another she-wolf's mate. If you send jewelry to
26:35my keep and someone notices, what exactly do you expect them to think? I am an unbonded she-wolf with
26:39a clean name. I intend to keep it that way. Please conduct yourself accordingly.
26:42Lara had already spotted us. She crossed the room fast, tucking herself against Dominic's arm with the
26:47practiced ease of something territorial. Alpha Calloway.
26:51Her eyes were bright with a very specific kind of pleasure. I heard the Lycan king may be arranging
26:55another match for you. I do hope this time you won't run from it. I looked at her, at the
27:01triumphant
27:01expression, at the careful grip on Dominic's sleeve, and I smiled. Una Ashvale, before you worry
27:07about my future, perhaps tend to your own. I kept my voice effortlessly light. I hear your
27:13co-mate made quite an impression at the last council summit. Her tea ceremoniae, exceptional,
27:18apparently. The kind of performance that turns heads. Your alpha seemed very proud of her.
27:24She's been sleeping in the east wing for the better part of a month now, hasn't she?
27:28Once she's carrying, the first legitimate air of North Moonpack comes from her, you and your pup.
27:34I let the pause settle, like a stone dropped into still water. We have very, very little ground left
27:38to stand. I turned and walked away before she could answer. Behind me, I heard Lara's voice rise,
27:43a low and sharp aimed at Dominic. Dominic's tone came back flat and tired. I marked you, didn't I?
27:52If I wanted her, I wouldn't have brought you to this pack. Lara stood very still, one hand resting
27:56on the swell of her belly, running the numbers on everything I'd said about Vivian. She thought
28:01about the last summit, Vivian's tea ceremony, the whole room murmuring in admiration, Dominic's face
28:07lighting up with the specific pride of an alpha made to look good in public. He had slept in Vivian's
28:11wing for most of the following month. Word had reached her that Vivian was now consulting pack
28:17healers about conception rituals. Lara had to do something. She had to take the room back.
28:23She looked around the hall, guests sipping tea, low polished conversation, and rose to earth,
28:28she announced, to the nearest cluster of guests. Just sitting here sipping tea is so dale.
28:33Lara has been working on something new. Her voice sliding back into that warm easy register she had
28:38carried through years in the tavern. Give you all something worth remembering.
28:42I'll see you soon.
28:45A look crossed Dominic's face that Lara didn't see. The males in the room began to clap and call out.
28:51You lucky wolf! Aluna who performs!
28:56We haven't seen her dance since she bonded. What a treat! Best offering of the evening, I'd wager.
29:03Lara rose to it. This A, this was the sound she had grown up with. The warmth of a room
29:09turning
29:09toward her. She had missed it more than she'd ever let herself admit. She moved to the center of the
29:13hall without a veil, without hesitation, and she performed. She performed beautifully. The room went
29:19quiet. When she finished, the applause was genuine and full. I raised my fan to cover my smile and spoke
29:25quietly to the nearest attendant. Luna Ashvale performed magnificently. Please,
29:30offer her a token of appreciation. I started it. The room followed as rooms always follow someone
29:36of standing. A gold pin from one she-wolf. A bracelet from another. Silver coins from a lord who used
29:42to
29:42visit the border tavern on his mate's free evenings. Small tokens from others placed on a tray with the
29:48easy generosity of an audience rewarding a show they had enjoyed. The tray came to Lara piled high.
29:53Her attendant presented it with a bright smile. Luna Ashvale, awe from the guests in appreciation.
29:58Lara looked at the tray, at the silver coins, the scattered pin money, the small denomination tokens
30:04pressed into the palm of a performer at the end of a good night. She looked up at the room.
30:08Dominic's
30:08face had gone somewhere past anger into something colder. He crossed to her in four strides. The sound
30:14of his hand connecting with her cheek cut through the hall like cracking ice.
30:17You are Luna Ashvale. He said, low and vicious. Not a border dancer. You just performed at a charity
30:23gathering and accepted tips in front of every titled wolf in this territory. Is the pack not
30:29providing for you? Do you need the coin that badly? Take her out. He turned to the nearest attendant.
30:36Back to the keep. Confined to her rooms until she understands what her rank requires of her.
30:42Lara stood frozen, one hand pressed to her face. Then her voice came back, a high and unraveling.
30:48She made me do this. Alpha Calloway said if I didn't prove I was worth more than Vivian,
30:55you'd hand the pack to her. She told me. I pressed a hand to my mouth in exaggerated shock.
31:04Alpha Dominic Luna Ashvella, I beg your pardon? What am I supposed to have said? My voice carried.
31:10The room turned. I am an unbonded she-wolf hosting a charity event. I have not spoken privately with
31:15Luna Ashvilles today. I let the bewilderment sit for one precise beat, then let it soften. You
31:21dissolved my bonding arrangement and caused me considerable embarrassment before the Lycan King and Luna.
31:27I have never held that against you. I ask only that you not damage my name with accusations you
31:34cannot support. You know what you did. Lara's eyes went red with fury. You brought me here on purpose.
31:40You made them tip me like I was still on that stage. I turned to the hall. My voice was
31:46calm and clear.
31:47Every gathering I have hosted this season has been a fundraiser. The format is always the same. Guests
31:53offer a token in response to any talent they enjoy and every item on that tray goes in the donor's
31:59name
32:00towards supplies for the border pack units. Food, winter gear, healing herbs for the wolves protecting
32:07our borders. I let my gaze move across the room. Several guests performed before Luna Ashville arrived.
32:15They all wore veils as is customary for a charitable showcase to keep the focus on the cause rather
32:21than the performer. A gentle pause. Luna Ashville chose not to wear one. That is entirely her right.
32:28But the tray is the same tray and the cause is the same cause it has always been. A murmur
32:34of confirmation
32:34moved through the crowd. She arrived late. We'd already donated twice before she came in.
32:41I didn't realize she hadn't been briefed with the other guests. Dominic was already steering Lara
32:46toward the gate, one hand at her elbow, both of them wanting to be anywhere else in the territory.
32:51Lady Larian heard the full account before they cleared the pack border.
32:54That wretched creature. She said to no one in particular. He had a like an appointed alpha,
32:59a general's daughter, a royal title, the king's direct favor, and he threw all of it away for that.
33:06She pressed the back of her hand to her mouth. Strip her rank. Give it to Viviana. One Luna who
33:11can
33:11actually function is worth more than two useless ones fighting over the same sleeping quarters.
33:18Lara heard what Lady Larian had said before the day was out. She pressed both hands flat over her belly
33:23and walked straight to Dominic. You promised me the Luna's seat. You promised this pub would be your first
33:30heir. Now your mother wants to strip my rank and hand it to Viviana. Her voice was quiet, precise.
33:38Which lie would you like to start with? If you demote me, I will put my head through that pillar.
33:44Right now. In front of everyone. Dominic grabbed her. Stop. Nobody is taking anything from you.
33:50An attendant came running in from the courtyard, breathless and beaming. Alpha, congratulations.
33:54Luna Vivian has just confirmed a pregnancy. The healer says she's strong. My lord, she's asking for you.
34:01Dominic's grip loosened. Lara, still braced against a resistance that had vanished, had nothing left to
34:06push against. She went sideways and took her and herself. The sound was solid and terrible. She slid down to
34:11the floor, blood running from her temple, both hands clutching her abdomen. The pup. She gasped.
34:20Lara's labor came too early. She had hit her head hard enough to drain most of her strength before
34:24it began. The healers kept her conscious through roots and ritual, but she fought through a full
34:28day and night. What she finally delivered was a girl. Small, early, thin as thread, a pup that
34:33hadn't been ready to arrive. Lara passed out. When she woke, she took one look and screamed,
34:38it's not right. I was carrying a son. Where is he? Someone switch them. Give me back my son.
34:45It's Vivian. She raged and wept and accused until the walls of the keep rang with it. She was
34:49absolutely certain. Give my son back. Give him back. Vivian didn't bother to engage. She was too
34:55pleased. The first legitimate heir of North Moon Pack would come from her now. That was the only number
35:00that mattered. She celebrated too early. At the daughter's full moon naming ceremony, the traditional
35:04sweets were laid out for the guests. Vivian, wanting the occasion's good fortune, helped herself to a
35:09bowl of honey lotus porridge. She was back in her rooms before the cramps began. By the time her
35:14attendance reached her, she was doubled over, soaking through her robes, calling for anyone who
35:18would come. The healers arrived. Too late to stop what had already started. The pregnancy, barely two
35:23months along, was gone. The healer examined the remaining porridge and went still. He asked to speak
35:29with Dominic privately. There is red clover extract in this, at a concentration I have never seen
35:34outside of deliberate preparation. A pause. There is also something else. Something that will prevent
35:40Luna the Vivian from carrying again. Vivian's voice, when they brought Lara to her rooms,
35:48Bring her here! Now! was the sound of a wolf, with nothing left to lose. Lara walked in, carrying her
35:55daughter. She did not look frightened. She looked like someone who had made her decision long before this
35:59moment. Yes. She said, before anyone asked. I put it in the porridge. The red clover and the other one.
36:07And I would do it again. She looked at Dominic, really looked at him, for the first time in months,
36:13with nothing performing behind her eyes. You claimed me under false pretensions.
36:18You brought me into this pack under false pretensions. And three days after our bonding,
36:25You tried to hand my rank to your cousin. Her voice was flat and even. You lied to me more
36:29times than I
36:30can count. I lied to you once. I think that's fair. You dishonored me first, Dominic. Don't act surprised
36:36that I stopped pretending to be good. The Minister of Pack Rights arrived at North Moon Pack before
36:43sunrise. He wanted Lara handed over to Pack Justice. Formal charges. Real consequences. Lara said simply that if
36:50anything happened to her, she would tell the Lycan Council everything she knew, about certain
36:54private arrangements involving North Moon Pack. Things that had never been made public. She named
36:59nothing specifically. She didn't need to. Dominic intervened. The minister agreed to stand down
37:03on conditions. Lara would be exiled to the Pack Shrine, the old stone den at the edge of the territory,
37:09used for the disgraced and the penitent. She would not return to the pack. She would not raise the
37:14daughter she had nearly died to deliver. The pup would go to Vivian. Dominic would take no further
37:19mates, no mistresses, no arrangements of any kind. Vivian Crane would hold the Luna's seat of North
37:25Moon Pack for the rest of her days. Barren, childless, raising another she-wolf's daughter,
37:30despising her for it. The conditions were accepted. North Moon Pack went quiet after that.
37:35Not the quiet of peace. The quiet of a place that had used itself up entirely.
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