- 5 weeks ago
Bought By The Lone Huntsman Episode Engsub Romance, Familia
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Short filmTranscript
00:05before father left to join the army he made a promise if i die on the battlefield you can find
00:13another man to marry like the hunter on the edge of the village but that huntsman vance had a
00:18crippled leg and a scar that split his face in two one punch they said could drop a full-grown
00:24tiger they also said he'd already beaten his first wife to death
00:29marrying mama to him was the same as sending her to die three years later word came that father was
00:36dead grandma and the village elders collected 20 silver coins from vance they sold mama off the
00:43news arrived on the day mama was washing clothes by the river deep winter the water was thick with
00:49floating ice cold enough to cut bone grandma wouldn't allow her to use hot water she said
00:55firewood was precious not for a worthless brat who couldn't produce sons i'd haul extra firewood down from the mountain
01:05but it always went straight to uncle dale's fire pit if mama or i used so much as one extra
01:12stick
01:12grandma beat us and cursed us for three days straight i tried to help with the washing mama waved me
01:20off the river's
01:22cold little one go play over there where the sun hits it's warmer in the dead of winter midday sun
01:29was the only warmth
01:30we ever had when the laundry was done when we walked home grandma and the village elders were already waiting
01:37they'd been in such a rush but not enough to walk down to the river and find us you take
01:42this long wandering off who
01:44knows where worthless brat roy's barely gone and already your heart's drifting
01:55the soldiers sent word roy's dead you killed him every bit of bad luck he had started when he married
02:01you he's gone now so hurry up and remarry don't stay here dragging our family down the bundle was small
02:07two of mama's worn out dresses grandma didn't look like she was grieving her own son she looked the same
02:13as
02:13always like someone had told her the village dog had died mama said nothing she just held my hand tighter
02:22grandma can i bring my daughter with me mama wasn't crying much she was only worried about me
02:29see if the huntsman's willing to pay for her
02:33a girl this size sell her to a broker and you'd get ten silver easy mama's grip went tighter around
02:40my
02:40hand we both knew the moment she left grandma would sell me she wouldn't keep me a single day longer
02:47than she had to mama shouldered her bundle and held my hand grandma and the village elders herded us to
02:54vance's house he was inside sharpening a blade the scraping sound never stopped his bad leg jutted
03:01stiffly to one side it couldn't bend a scar ran from below his left eye all the way to the
03:06right
03:06corner of his mouth like something had tried to split his face in half i stepped behind mama vance
03:13looked us over you people forced this woman on me 20 silver is already too much don't push it further
03:21he clearly hadn't wanted to take mama let alone me dead weight she dragged along my roy saved your life
03:27once
03:28now he's dead and we're delivering this woman straight to your door you should be on your knees
03:32thanking us she wants to bring the girl along as your daughter you get a wife and a child all
03:37at once
03:38i'm not asking for much another 10 silver and we're done most families earned two or three silver in a
03:44year 10 silver could buy a full acre of good farmland i was not worth that much
03:52people in the village said he was a silent man but when he opened his eyes and looked at you
03:57really looked it could stop your heart cold grandma shoved mama hard mama's thin frame nearly went down
04:04mr hart my daughter eats very little she can work please could you give us somewhere to go vance finally
04:13look at me a long unreadable frown mama tugged at my hand i dropped to my knees beside her with
04:19a
04:19call him something i stared up at vance at the scar my lips shook papa vance went still the scar
04:30looked
04:30even more ferocious when his face froze like that grandma's foot complete with my back your real father's
04:37fairly cold and you're already calling some stranger papa worthless brat just like your harlot mother
04:44heart already belongs to someone else she kept kicking i lay flat and didn't move didn't make a
04:51sound that was how it worked stay still let her finish and she'd stop mama tried to crawl to me
04:58one of the
04:58village elders kicked her back it was always like this in roy's household mama couldn't save me she couldn't
05:05save her side enough vance stood he went inside he came back and threw 10 silver coins onto the ground
05:13this girl is my child now i looked up at vance mama hadn't caught what he said i had grandma
05:22grabbed the
05:23silver and turned to leave vance blocked her he demanded a written contract grandma refused vance snatched
05:31the silver right back no contract no silver in the end with the village elders and the village head as
05:38witnesses the contract was signed both mama and i became part of vance's household mama put down her
05:45bundle and started working immediately if she stayed busy enough maybe vance would let me eat more maybe
05:52he wouldn't hit me vance's house was plain three main rooms a hall in the center a bedroom on each
05:58side
05:59only one bedroom had a bed the other was empty mama led me to the woodshed the firewood was stacked
06:06clean
06:06the floor was tidy mama shifted some wood and found a board she built me a rough bed out of
06:12it
06:14don't be afraid little one
06:21mama i'm not afraid at roy's house it had always been the same when father was home he'd say i
06:28was in
06:28the way always getting between him and mama when they were trying for a son he'd chase me to the
06:34woodshed roy's woodshed was filthier than this rats snakes frozen solid in winter a furnace in summer i'd survived
06:42all of it mama held me against her chest maybe once i give him a son things will ease up
06:49i said nothing
06:50i'd long suspected father's cruelty toward mama had nothing to do with sons mama why did father want
06:58you to remarry vance before he left father had kept mama on a tight leash wouldn't let her leave the
07:05village wouldn't let her look up when she passed a man grandma would curse her for it too said she
07:11was
07:11out there tempting people mama's bitter laugh stayed locked in her throat because vance was the
07:19only one who could pay that much she didn't finish she didn't need to father had sent mama here to
07:27die
07:30father had been planning to sell mama even before he left he knew he wasn't coming back he made sure
07:36mama would have nowhere left to go i'd worked this out some time ago not because i was clever they'd
07:42been obvious about it the whole village talked not long after we arrived vance came back carrying
07:48armfuls of thick wooden boards he disappeared into the empty west bedroom steady hammering rang out
07:54one blow after another mama stood outside the door she wanted to ask where the food stores were
08:00her so she could start dinner but she didn't dare after a while vance came back out he saw us
08:06both
08:06still standing there he frowned something you need his voice was rough i flinched and nearly stepped
08:13back but we were alone here mama and me if i stepped back she'd be standing by herself i held
08:20my ground
08:20i took mama's hand and stood beside her vance noticed something shifted in his brow mama asked carefully
08:28i i want to ask it's nearly dinner time if you get the grain out i can cook you've worked
08:35hard all
08:35day you should eat vance frowned harder he looked us up and down like we'd said something strange then
08:41he pointed at the kitchen in there the key vance's frown deepened he walked over and kicked the kitchen door
08:53open he looked back at us i had the feeling he was asking with his eyes whether we were simple
08:59no lock no key roy's kitchen was always locked the grain the oil the salt the eggs everything in locked
09:08cabinets grandma would measure out exactly what was needed for each meal set it on the counter then
09:13stand there watching mama cook drop a single grain of rice get a lecture that lasted half a day she
09:19called
09:20us starving ghosts said we never worked only ate she was afraid we'd steal food mama and i stepped into
09:27the kitchen grain oil salt all of it just sitting out in the open mama stood there for a long
09:33moment
09:34she glanced toward vance he'd already gone back out she was almost afraid to touch anything she was
09:40afraid she'd cook it wrong and he'd come back angry beat her like grandma she was afraid of being accused
09:46of
09:47stealing eventually mama cooked the food sat on the table the two of us stood in the courtyard
09:54neither of us moved toward it vance came back carrying two large wicker baskets he saw the food on the
10:00table
10:01he saw us standing there his frown deepened he washed his hands sat down saw us still standing he told
10:08us
10:08gruffly to sit he scooped himself less than half a bowl of rice not enough food cook more tomorrow
10:16he ate fast loud and efficient finished in minutes but barely ate half of what was there
10:23done he sat sharpening his wood cutting knife watching us eat mama hesitantly filled my bowl we ate both
10:30keeping our eyes on him i noticed it quickly when i ate fast he looked away when i slowed down
10:35and tried
10:36to set my chopsticks down he frowned he was telling me to keep eating mama and i finished every last
10:42bite
10:42then we sat waiting to be scolded or hit vance put the knife down wash up and get some sleep
10:49you've
10:50worked enough today mama hurried to heat the water she waited for vance to finish washing then after a
10:58moment washed her own face and hands and feet it's the first day if i'm clean he'll find less to
11:06resent
11:07she muttered it while she scrubbed eyes dim i used her leftover warm water the heat spread up through my
11:13hands and feet all at once so this was what it felt like to wash with hot water no wonder
11:19grandma and uncle
11:20dale always demanded extra buckets in winter i went to the woodshed for the night mama stopped me at the
11:26door cover your ears no matter what you hear tonight don't come out pretend you heard nothing you understand
11:34i nodded hard i knew once when father was hurting mama i'd run in crying and begged him to stop
11:41he'd kicked me so hard i ached for half a year this time i wouldn't make a sound we both
11:47had to survive
11:48stay alive and there was still hope even if i didn't yet know what that hope looked like
11:55then the woodshed door was kicked open vance stood in the doorway holding a lantern staring at me
12:01where i lay in the straw i shrank back cold sweat poured down my neck once father had come home
12:08half
12:08drunk in the middle of the night and walked into the woodshed he beat me nearly to death he said
12:13i was
12:13a burden my fault he had no son my fault he lost money gambling that night mama grabbed the woodcutting
12:20knife and told him she'd take his life that was the only thing that saved me vance was stronger could
12:26he put me down in three kicks but he wasn't drunk he wasn't angry he reached down and grabbed me
12:32under
12:32the arms like he was picking up a stray chick he carried me into the west bedroom mama was already
12:38standing there quietly the empty room wasn't empty anymore a wide wooden bed stood against the wall
12:44worn but tidy vance set me down he turned and walked back to his own east bedroom the door closed
12:51within
12:52minutes his snoring came through the wall mama and i stared at each other
12:58that night we slept restlessly but we slept warm i burrowed into the quilt and said quietly mama
13:05it's so warm i had never been this warm in winter not once and i'd eaten dinner my stomach was
13:11full
13:11this i thought was what being alive was actually supposed to feel like mama stroked my hair little
13:17one you called him papa today do it again tomorrow keep calling him that okay vance was already a better
13:27father than roy had ever been the meals got bigger after that and slowly mama didn't dare increase the
13:33amount all at once she added a little each day until she finally understood his appetite
13:39he ate a great deal roughly as much as mama and i put together but he never once stopped us
13:44from
13:44eating if we ate too little he'd frown he hunted large catches he sold sometimes he'd bring back a
13:51rabbit or a wild chicken and he'd have mama stew it he ate half the rest went to us i
13:57had eaten meat
13:58three times in my life before that this was the fourth it was so good no wonder grandma and uncle
14:04dale had always been so desperate for it mama saved the extra pieces for me i ate without thinking too
14:10happy to pace myself that night i woke in the dark with my stomach seizing up and cramps i rolled
14:16across
14:17the bed in pain mama rubbed my belly it didn't help she ran outside and scraped ash from the bottom
14:24of the
14:24cooking pot stirred it into water and brought it to me i took one sip and vomited everything up
14:32vance burst through the door one look at me he wrapped me in the quilt hoisted me onto his shoulder
14:36and ran mama stumbled after him she didn't say a word he ran all the way to the village doctor's
14:42house at the edge of the road and kicked the door in the whole household lurched awake they started
14:46to complain then they saw his face and went quiet the doctor checked my pulse then asked what i'd been
14:52eating what did she eat over aid indigestion nell's been underfed all her life eat this much meat at
14:58once and her stomach can't manage it she'll be fine i'll give her something to bring it up keep her
15:03warm
15:04light food for a few days she'll recover she gave me something i vomited loudly and at length the smell
15:10filled the whole room the doctor's husband muttered from the corner never had good food her whole life
15:16body can't handle it when she finally does vance looked at him one hard stare he retreated to the
15:22back room i was humiliated getting sick from eating too much meat just like grandma had always said i was
15:29a bottomless pit with no sense vance carried me home over his shoulder on the way back he said gruffly
15:37you've really never had meat before i thought he was scolding me this was only the fourth time
15:44before we only ever got a piece or two grandma had never let us have even the broth he made
15:52a low
15:52sound eat more often enough and this stops happening i was wrapped too tight in the quilt and didn't
15:58quite catch it the next few days i could only drink porridge vance brought back millet he brought back brown
16:05sugar millet and brown sugar were things only new mothers got after childbirth a bowl or two a little
16:12sweetness stirred in i was getting a full bowl at every single meal i was eating better than mama had
16:19after giving birth to me vance watched me eat every morning until the color came back to my face when
16:26it
16:26did something in his own expression finally loosened he fixed the village doctor's front gate as payment
16:33for the house call then he pulled the doctor back to check my pulse again only when she said i
16:40was
16:40fully recovered did he walk her out he said he was going up the mountain to track a big animal
16:45might be
16:46gone several days he told mama to bake a stack of flatbreads for the road mama kneaded the dough with
16:51lard
16:52and mixed in brown sugar the flatbreads came out golden and fragrant she pressed into his hands the thick
16:58insoles and padded cap she'd sewn over the past few days vance took the flatbreads he looked at the
17:04insoles and the cap he looked up at mama something in his eyes went soft new year's coming when i
17:10sell
17:10what i catch we'll go buy supplies think about what you want mama held my hand as we stood at
17:16the door to
17:17see him off his figure moved away from us uneven but steady i couldn't help shouting after him
17:24papa come home soon vance stopped he didn't look back he lifted a hand in our direction go inside it's
17:32cold
17:34we waited five days he didn't come back the cold deepened on the fifth day snow began to fall mama
17:42watch the sky go dark she looked at me she pointed to the food stores and told me to mind
17:47myself cook
17:48my own meals if i got hungry mama's going to find him i'll be back soon take care of yourself
17:56she changed
17:57her clothes and strapped the wood cutting knife to her body she found the oil lamp i tucked a small
18:02sickle
18:03under my clothes and followed her out wherever you go i go we'll bring papa home together vance was my
18:10papa now he was a better papa than roy had ever been i was never going to have a different
18:15one
18:16mama let out a long breath if something goes wrong out there you standing alone in this house isn't any
18:21safer
18:23all right together we held hands and went up the mountain we'd only ever been to the edges gathering firewood
18:30we almost never went deeper in wolves in there wild boars tigers though with mama beside me and the thought
18:38of
18:38papa waiting somewhere in that cold i wasn't afraid the snow came down harder it was barely past midday
18:46but the sky had gone dark moving through the forest was difficult every step was uncertain you'd break
18:52through a soft patch and sink to the knee mama pulled me out each time and prodded the ground ahead
18:58with
18:58a stick we hadn't gone far when we heard heavy footsteps in the trees mama raised the wood cutting knife
19:03i raised the sickle we stared into the dark ahead both terrified if we were going to die out here
19:09at least we'd die together the footsteps came closer a large figure emerged from between the trees a tall
19:16man with a stiff lopsided gate dragging something massive behind him a tiger we stared he stared back
19:23i let go of mama's hand and ran i threw my arms around his leg and looked up the tiger
19:30dropped from
19:31his grip and hit the snow he looked down at me then up at mama what are the two of
19:35you doing up here
19:36he reached down and grabbed me under the arms trying to lift me his hands had nothing left he couldn't
19:43manage it i held onto his leg he came to find you been gone five days the snow started i
19:50was afraid
19:53the last time she'd gone out searching for a man who hadn't come home
19:57she'd told roy she was worried he'd been hurt he'd slapped her across the place said she was cursing
20:02him said her worrying was the reason all his bad luck found him after that she stopped saying she
20:08worried about roy she stopped worrying about roy at all vance looked at her the corner of his mouth
20:13moved he wanted to smile years of not smiling seemed to have made him forget how but he explained this
20:19one
20:19was big it took longer than i thought get the fire going start dinner a tiger that size he must
20:28have
20:28been dragging it for hours he was running on empty but he didn't ask for help he would get it
20:33home
20:33himself mama stood watching him torn she didn't dare disobey but she wanted to help i ran forward and
20:40grabbed one of the tiger's hind legs papa we'll all go back together i wasn't very strong and touching
20:49that leg even a dead leg sent a chill through me that had nothing to do with the snow the
20:55tiger was
20:55enormous dead as it was it still looked vicious mama hesitated then she stepped up together vance's
21:04mouth twitched he agreed the three of us dragged the tiger back home by the time we reached the village
21:13the snow lay thick on the ground the whole village was dark the lanes empty we made it inside at
21:19last
21:20the tiger lay in the yard half buried in white still looking dangerous i wasn't afraid of it anymore
21:26i circled it a few times just to prove it then ran back and pressed myself against papa's leg
21:32papa's so strong he killed a tiger all by himself vance was too exhausted to move but he reached down
21:40and rested his hand on top of my head his hand was huge and rough and heavy but when it
21:47rested on my
21:48head it was light it was warm roy had large hands too they'd never been rough he rarely did anything
21:56that
21:56required effort he wasn't very strong either every time he'd pick to fight and come out worse he'd curled
22:03up on the ground and hadn't even tried to fight back but when he hit mama and me he hit
22:08hard in this
22:09village most men were like that hands that fell hard on their wives and children i had always thought all
22:15fathers were the same turns out some of them were different
22:22the next morning before dawn vance fetched an ox cart he woke us up and we rode into town together
22:28to sell the tiger in the county seat he went straight to a large estate he clearly knew well
22:33he called someone out fletcher fletcher came to the door his face lit up when he saw vance
22:39the two men grabbed each other by the shoulders talking like old friends so papa could be like this
22:45animated warm full of words mama and i hung back staring at the tall heavy doors the high threshold
22:53the stone lions flanking the gate we didn't dare step forward vance looked back at us and said
22:59something to fletcher fletcher studied us then reached into his coat and pulled out a small cloth pouch
23:04here child take it i didn't dare he pressed it into my hands papa nodded i took it
23:15thank you uncle fletcher inside the pouch was a small piece of silver i walked it over to papa
23:21papa and tucked it into his hands for you fletcher blinked then he laughed loud and warm
23:27well old vance you've got yourself a devoted little girl you're a lucky man that one's for your papa
23:35this one's yours keep it fletcher bought the tiger and invited vance to stay for drinks
23:40vance shook his head nothing at home need to stock up for new year next time then and you'd better
23:46actually show up the tiger had sold for a good sum vance walked us through the market first a
23:53wonton stall for breakfast a big bowl each thin wrappers fat filling floating in rich broth that
24:00steamed in the cold air mama was afraid to eat but vance had already paid wasting it was worse she
24:06tried to give me her bowl vance stopped her children who overeat end up with stomachaches
24:11mama thought of my illness immediately she stopped after the wontons her face had some color in it
24:17vance took us to buy pork grain flour oil dried spices for cooking then to the cloth shop new quilts
24:24and padded coats mama waved her hands the ones we have are perfectly fine i said the same when we'd
24:31first
24:32arrived the quilts and padded clothes vance gave us had been second hand but they were clean and warm
24:37that was already more than i'd ever had before i had no silver i bought used now i have silver
24:47we buy new in the end they didn't buy ready-made they bought fabric and cotton batting mama still
24:53didn't want to spend too freely i can sew my hands are fast done before new year i promise
24:58she found a length of dark blue cloth and held it up beside vance this one suits you
25:04it was the closest they'd ever stood i was almost sure i saw vance's face go red
25:12his face went red and he looked happier he lifted me up and set me on his shoulders so i
25:17could see all
25:17the way down the market road i laughed so hard i could barely breathe it was the highest i'd ever
25:22been
25:23i could see everything mama walked carefully beside us glancing again and again at his leg afraid he'd
25:30tire himself out further along vance bought sesame candy and sugar figurines he bought hair ribbons and
25:37flowers for mama and me both the stall woman smiled at them your wife and daughter are lovely these
25:44flowers suit them perfectly city made you know vance and mama both went red at exactly the same moment on
25:49the way home i sat in the ox cart holding my sugar figurine and refused to eat it it was
25:55a general in
25:56full armor fierce looking just like papa we passed roy's old house on the road through the village grandma
26:02was in the yard washing clothes in hot water so she'd always known about hot water uncle dale sat slumped
26:09under the eaves doing nothing they'd sold mom and me for 30 silver dale still hadn't found himself a wife
26:15with that money he just sat around and called it waiting for a good match grandma looked up uncle
26:22dale looked up they stared at us slack jawed then their faces turned ugly worthless brat harrel it
26:32the curse had barely left grandma's mouth when a rock hit uncle dale square on the head
26:37who threw vance threw a second rock it landed straight in grandma's washtub and sent water
26:42splashing in all directions these are my wife and daughter open your mouths against them again
26:46and you've got me to answer to he stood at the gate in the fading light even with the bad
26:51leg he was
26:52a wall grandma and uncle dale bullies who ran at the first sign of real resistance went completely silent
26:58mama's hand found mine her eyes had gone red we rode on when i looked back i could still see
27:05the venom in
27:05their faces then i found my nerve i raised my sugar figurine at them and made the ugliest face i
27:12could
27:12manage i had a real papa now they couldn't touch us anymore i lost my sugar figurine and my new
27:21hair
27:21ribbon i was too ashamed to go home i hovered near our gate going back and forth not able to
27:29make myself
27:29walk in papa came down from the mountain he saw me coat torn face bleeding covered in mud he dropped
27:38his
27:38firewood dropped the wild chickens he'd been carrying who did this i'd never seen him this frightened it
27:45scared me more than the beating i started shaking i'm sorry i'm sorry he crouched down he wiped the mud
27:53off my face with his rough hands his hands weren't steady tell papa who did it his voice steadied me
28:01i
28:02told him everything halting stumbling over the words with every sentence his expression darkened he
28:08took me inside and handed me to mama then he picked up his walking stick and walked back out mama
28:14grabbed
28:14his arm she shook her head papa thought about it he picked up the thick wooden post that braced the
28:20door
28:20shut that afternoon the fathers of every boy who'd hit me got beat i won't hit a child i'll hit
28:27you one more
28:28incident and i'll break your legs every one of them was a grown able-bodied man papa had one good
28:37leg
28:37he chased them through the village anyway one methodical blow at a time then papa went to roy's
28:44old house and beat uncle dale in front of the whole street you people forced ivy and this girl on
28:49me i
28:49painted the silver i signed the contract they're mine if i hear any more talk from your side of the
28:53village dale should stop walking alone after dark uncle dale howled and promised over and over
28:59that it would never happen again anyone with something to say say it to me directly not one
29:06person stepped forward several hurried to point out that grandma's family had always treated ivy and me
29:12badly it's true ivy and little nell are well off with you old vanch you know how to take care
29:18of
29:18people those two are lucky they ended up with you papa walked home carrying the door post he stopped
29:23in front of me and rested his hand on my head he held my hand and walked me inside in
29:29the lane he
29:29said quietly who gave you that name anyway nell it was grandma's choice half the girls in the village
29:37had names like it nell for invite a brother hope for wish for a son bless for pray he comes
29:43papa didn't like it how about clara from now on bright as the sun and moon that's what clara means
29:49a name for someone with a future ahead of her
29:53i was six years old and had my first real name clara clara heart a heart now i told mama
30:01grinning
30:02she laughed through red eyes pressing the tears back papa said it twice softly to himself clara heart
30:08clara heart that night mama finished sewing the new quilts she came to me with them folded in her
30:14arms clara you're a big girl now time to sleep in your own room all right her own room if
30:23i moved
30:23out where would mama sleep i thought about it for one second yes mama you and papa should hurry up
30:29and
30:29have a little brother or sister for me i'll take care of them i meant it a little brother or
30:36sister
30:36who had papa they'd be wonderful i already wanted to meet them the next morning papa woke me at dawn
30:42clara yesterday was papa impressive very impressive you can't rely on me your whole
30:47life you need to protect yourself do you want to be as strong as papa yes
30:53i wanted to be strong enough to protect papa and mama the future little ones to hunt on the mountain
30:58and earn enough silver to take care of all of them papa was pleased he pointed at the yard run
31:0450 laps
31:04to start 50 laps by the end i could barely stand he didn't let me stop mama watched with pained
31:13eyes
31:13she said nothing after running came stances and lifting the stone block papa had brought back from
31:20the mountain it was just heavy enough that i could manage it on a good day by evening my hands
31:25and
31:25feet were covered in blisters train hard your papa means it for your good i know mama i understood what
31:33papa's care looked like that night mama carried her new quilt into papa's bedroom they talked quietly for
31:39a while the lamp went out the night was noisy for a bit i slept soundly in my new quilts
31:45anyway
31:45the next day papa woke up late i'd already run 30 laps around the yard by the time he appeared
31:52at
31:52the door all day he and mama kept catching each other's eyes and looking away fast both of them
31:57red-faced both of them smiling at nothing if you want to look just look why the sneaking adults were
32:05very strange after new year papa bought several acres of good farmland with the tiger money he farmed in
32:15the busy seasons and hunted in the quiet ones he teaching me how to track animals how to read droppings
32:21and prints which sounds meant danger taught me the knife and the bow how to put a person down using
32:27as
32:27little force as possible my strength was still limited progress was slow the village gossiped most of
32:34it came from roy's old household that cripple got a wife and a daughter handed to him for nothing
32:39it doesn't matter how smug ivy acts she still ended up with a cripple roy was twice as handsome
32:45roy had been handsome much good it had done anyone he couldn't carry a load or plant a field
32:51he was a farmer who refused to farm his greatest skill was hitting the people who lived in his house
32:58i glanced at papa's leg he noticed he adjusted his gait and walked more carefully than before
33:05mama caught me looking she smacked the back of my head the moment we were alone
33:09your papa has been nothing but good to us clara don't you dare look at him the way this village
33:14does
33:14don't you dare mama i want to study medicine if i'm good enough someday maybe i can fix papa's leg
33:20i
33:21didn't care about the limp i didn't care about the scar i just didn't want him to hurt on rainy
33:26days
33:26i didn't want him working through the pain and never saying a word about it mama's expression shifted
33:31she worried female apprentices were hard to place most healers wouldn't take them but papa had been
33:37standing just outside the door he went quiet for two days then he took me back into town to fletcher
33:44at the large estate fletcher looked me over for a long moment medicine is hard work clara an
33:50apprentice life is harder can you take it i can and when i've learned enough i'll fix papa's leg
33:55then i'll earn enough silver to take care of all of them papa and mama and my little brothers and
33:59sisters brothers and sisters is there news already papa went scarlet and said it was far too early for
34:05that far too early i moved into the county seat and began my apprenticeship at the clinic
34:12i only asked to bring one thing from home my stone lifting block for training mama couldn't make
34:19herself leave she stood at the clinic door and wouldn't move i waved her off mama come back when
34:27i've made something of myself she laughed despite herself all right mama's waiting the clinic's doctor
34:35was warm and patient with patience with her apprentices she was merciless too slow to learn she scolded you
34:42made an error she scolded you sometimes she hit some of the younger apprentices cried and went home
34:49within weeks i wasn't troubled by any of it she only ever struck the padded parts of the body the
34:55force
34:55was calibrated sharp on impact no lasting harm compared to roy's household this was nothing and when the
35:02doctor scolded us i recognized that look it wasn't hatred it was impatience born from caring she also made
35:09sure we ate every meal every day without exception she never once stinted on food or clothing
35:16i could tell the difference between people who meant you harm and people who were hard on you for a
35:22reason i kept lifting my stone block i kept practicing the fighting forms papa had taught me
35:28my grip got stronger when i started learning massage and manipulation from the doctor i was already ahead
35:34of the others i could feel exactly where the tension sat under the skin i worked on her shoulders when
35:40she'd had a long day she started looking less grim every two weeks i went home first thing papa's bad
35:47leg he refused at first twisted around in his seat like i'd suggested something embarrassing a few minutes
35:53in his eyes went red when he stood up afterward he walked without catching himself on the doorframe clara's
36:00gotten good learning fast mama asked me to teach her when you're in the city i can work on it
36:05for him
36:05he pushes himself too hard i walk them both through it side by side when i'm not here you can
36:11do it for
36:12each other they both turned red at exactly the same time adults truly inexplicable
36:45so
36:55so
36:55so
36:55so
36:56so
38:56Wolfsbane.
38:57I looked at Dominic.
38:58He wasn't surprised.
39:00He was checking his watch.
39:01Vivian's water just broke.
39:03Delay her for two hours.
39:05Our true heir needs to be born first.
39:07He turned and walked away.
39:09Didn't look back.
39:10I tried to scream.
39:11I wanted my wolf to tear free and lunge after him.
39:14But the wolfsbane was already working.
39:16My wolf was dragged under.
39:17My voice died in my throat.
39:19And my pup halfway into the world stopped moving.
39:22Frozen inside me by her own father's command.
39:24Two pack guards dragged me down into the dungeon beneath the temple.
39:27A place for rogues, war prisoners, and wolves sentenced to death.
39:31Now it held the alpha's fated mate and his unborn child.
39:36A single rune lamp flickered on the wall.
39:39Straw on the floor.
39:40No bed.
39:41I slid down the freezing stone wall, hands clutching my belly.
39:44She was still kicking, faint, frantic.
39:47Mummy's here.
39:49Mummy's here.
39:49Three months ago, Dominic's older brother, Marcus, died in a territorial dispute.
40:01His mate Vivienne was carrying a boy.
40:04A pure-blood alpha heir.
40:05The only pup who could inherit.
40:07Mine was a girl.
40:09Girls couldn't inherit.
40:11The moment the ultrasound confirmed it, the entire Blackwood pack abandoned us both.
40:16Heels clicked down the corridor.
40:18Cassandra Blackwood.
40:18Dominic's sister, the pack beta.
40:25She stood outside the iron bars, twirling a silver dagger.
40:29The blade dragged along the bars, metal screeching.
40:31Selene, don't blame my brother.
40:34Vivienne is carrying Marcus's posthumorous son.
40:37A pure-blood alpha heir.
40:39The only pup in our generation who can inherit the alpha title.
40:42It doesn't matter how early you give birth.
40:45You're carrying a girl.
40:46Girls can't inherit.
40:47You know that.
40:49A contraction slammed into me.
40:51The wolfbane pushed the labor down.
40:53My body fought back.
40:54Two forces tore me apart from the inside.
40:57Get the priest.
40:58The baby is coming.
41:00Please.
41:02The wolfbane will last another three hours.
41:05Vivienne has already been taken to the birthing altar.
41:08You'll stay here and wait.
41:10If she starts howling, gag her.
41:13Don't let the noise reach upstairs.
41:15Don't scare Vivienne.
41:22I looked down.
41:24My dress was soaked in blood.
41:25All I could see was Dominic's face.
41:27When he turned away, his eyes held no guilt.
41:29Just cold calculation.
41:31I dragged myself to the cell door.
41:33Then I punched the cell door hard.
41:34Again and again.
41:35Until my skin split open.
41:37Somebody!
41:38Help!
41:39I'm in labor!
41:40Save my baby!
41:41Shut up.
41:41If it dies, that's its fate.
41:43A girl with no inheritance rights.
41:45Her death won't affect the pack.
41:48My blood-stained hands slid off the cell door.
41:51I collapsed into a pool of my own blood.
41:54This wasn't fate.
41:55Someone was murdering my child.
41:57Just as my vision began to blur, the heavy door crashed open.
42:01Dr. Holden, the pack doctor.
42:03The moment he saw me, all the colors drained from his face.
42:07Luna?
42:08What are you doing here?
42:09Domic said you were resting in the Moonstone Lounge.
42:12Fully dilated.
42:13Water broke.
42:14You're losing too much blood.
42:15The Wolf of Spain is still suppressing your healing.
42:19Guards!
42:20The Luna is hemorrhaging!
42:22Only echoes answered.
42:23No one came.
42:24He tried his comm stone.
42:26Nothing.
42:26The dungeon's warding runes blocked all signals.
42:29Gritting his teeth, he scooped me up and ran.
42:32An aging beta carrying a bleeding woman up three flights of stone stairs.
42:36Every jolt sending agony through my pelvis.
42:39He burst onto the ground floor.
42:41Ran for the medical wing.
42:42Kicked open the door.
42:43And froze.
42:45He kicked open the door and froze.
42:47Everything was gone.
42:48Stripped bare.
42:49Every Moonstone crystal, runestone, potion, gone.
42:53How?
42:54I checked inventory this afternoon.
42:56Cassandra strolled down the hall.
42:58Two Omega attendants followed behind her.
43:00We move to the third floor.
43:03Vivian's C-section is high risk.
43:05She needs the best resources.
43:06Her gaze drifted to me, drenched in blood, half dead in Dr. Holden's arms.
43:11She smiled.
43:11I knew that smile.
43:13Six months ago, she'd worn it downtown, linking her arms through mine.
43:17Selina, you're the best Luna I've ever met.
43:19You're more like a real sister to me.
43:21The antique Moonstone necklace I gave her still rested against her collarbone.
43:25It glowed softly in the dim hallway and made her smile look monstrous.
43:29Dr. Holden laid me on a bare stone cot.
43:32He tore open every cabinet and drawer.
43:35Empty.
43:35Not a single herb.
43:36I'm sorry, Luna.
43:38I have nothing.
43:40Relax.
43:41Once Vivian is done, the supplies will be returned.
43:44What's the rush?
43:45Her gaze dropped to my belly.
43:47Besides, you were nothing but a breeding machine from the beginning.
43:52And you couldn't even produce the right product.
43:55Dr. Holden stepped in front of me.
43:56This is murder, Cassandra.
43:58Two lives.
43:59Her smile vanished.
44:01Mothers and pups die in childbirth every day.
44:03Dystedia, hemorrhage, healing failure, perfectly natural causes of death.
44:08No one will say a damn thing.
44:10And this is Blackwood family business!
44:12You're a contract beta doctor!
44:14Know your place!
44:15She snapped at the guards.
44:16Drag him to the third floor.
44:18Vivian needs him.
44:19I'll handle her.
44:20Two guards grabbed Dr. Holden.
44:22He thrashed against them, screaming over his shoulder.
44:24Luna, press your stomach!
44:27Shard the wolf hard!
44:28Fight the wolf bond!
44:29The baby still has a heartbeat!
44:31You can still save her!
44:33Cassandra slammed the door, then pulled out a comm.
44:36Stone, Dominic's face appeared in the holographic screen.
44:39Behind him, the birthing altar blazed with light.
44:41Priests moved in and out.
44:43Nurses swarmed around Vivian.
44:45Dominic?
44:46Selina looks like she's about to deliver.
44:49Want to see?
44:50Dominic's eyes shifted to me.
44:52One glance, like I was trashed by the roadside.
44:55Stop messing around, Savina.
44:57Vivian isn't doing well.
44:58The baby's heart rate dropped twice.
45:00Cassandra moved the stone closer, making sure the screen clearly showed my dying form.
45:04But look, she's bleeding a lot.
45:06Doesn't she look like she's dying?
45:08Tell her to wait.
45:09Once Vivian is done, I'll send a priest down.
45:11Cassandra pocketed the stone.
45:12You heard him?
45:13Vivian is the priority.
45:15Marcus' son is the priority.
45:17You were nothing.
45:18I closed my eyes, stopped looking at her.
45:21My hand crept behind my back, fingers finding the tiny raised bump on my left hip.
45:25It looked like a mole.
45:26It wasn't.
45:27A blood seal rune.
45:28My father had carved it into my skin on my wedding day with his own alpha blood.
45:32His voice echoed in my head.
45:34Selina, the waters in the Blackwood family may run deeper than you know.
45:37If the day ever comes when you need help, bite your finger and let one drop of blood fall on
45:42this rune.
45:42No matter where you are, someone will reach you within 30 minutes.
45:46I had laughed and pushed his hand away.
45:48Dad, you're being dramatic.
45:50Dominic treats me so well.
45:52I'm his mate.
45:53The moon goddess chose him for me.
45:55How could he ever hurt me?
45:57My father had been silent for a long time.
45:59Then he only said one thing.
46:01The moon goddess binds the souls, Selina.
46:03But she doesn't bind the heart.
46:05I was such a fool.
46:06Blood welled on my fingertip.
46:08I let it fall on the rune.
46:1230 minutes, I looked at the blood pooling beneath me.
46:15My baby's heartbeat was still there.
46:17Hold on.
46:18Please hold on.
46:19The wolf's bane suppression broke.
46:20Every contraction that had been held back for hours hit at once, like a damn collapsing wave.
46:25After wave, faster, harder, I screamed.
46:28The sound ricocheted off stone walls.
46:30An omega attendant rushed in, checked me, and went white.
46:34Fully dilated.
46:35The head's crowning.
46:36Hemorrhage, we need moonstone crystals, healing rooms, anything.
46:38Cassandra didn't even step into the room.
46:40Then let them die.
46:41It's just a girl.
46:44Completely useless.
46:46Alive, she's a waste of space.
46:49Dead, changes nothing.
46:51She turned and walked away.
46:53The attendant tried.
46:54But I had no blood left.
46:55No strength.
46:56No wolf.
46:56My muscles wouldn't obey me.
46:58The baby was stuck in the birth canal.
47:00I could feel her heartbeat getting weaker.
47:02Slower fading, my vision went black.
47:04I am sorry, baby.
47:05Mommy tried.
47:06A deafening wolf howl tore through the night.
47:09The entire Blackwood territory shook.
47:11The protective wards flared violently across the walls.
47:14Then shattered.
47:15A booming blast rocked the building.
47:17Centuries of Blackwood enchantments.
47:19Destroyed in seconds.
47:21Moonlight flooded the room.
47:22In that silver light stood a massive man in tactical combat gear.
47:29He ripped off his helmet.
47:30Battle-scarred face.
47:32Cold silver eyes.
47:33Eyes that had witnessed countless massacres and never flinched.
47:36But the moment they found me, they turned bloodshot.
47:39Garrett.
47:40My father's head better.
47:41The man who caught me every time I fell learning to walk.
47:44Who shifted into wolf form and slept beside my bed when I was afraid of the dark.
47:48Who stood at the very back of my wedding, silent, jaw locked, eyes red.
47:53Because he already knew.
47:54He crossed the room in one stride and dropped to one knee.
47:57The stone floor cracked under the impact.
47:59Princess.
48:01I am late.
48:03Behind him stood 12 heavily armored warriors.
48:05Silver eyes.
48:06Weapons drawn.
48:07The elite shadow fangard.
48:09Blackwood guards lay unconscious in the hall.
48:11The Omega attendants screamed.
48:13This is Blackwood territory.
48:15Who are you?
48:16How did you get it?
48:16Garrett didn't look at her.
48:18He was already lifting me off the cot, one arm beneath my knees.
48:21The other cradling my head, as gently as if I were made of glass.
48:24Blackwood?
48:27Soon, there won't be a Blackwood.
48:29The shadow fang warriors moved with terrifying efficiency.
48:32From the moment the captain picked me up to the second,
48:34I was loaded into an armored pack ambulance waiting just outside the borders.
48:38Barely four minutes had passed.
48:40Four minutes I had bled in that dungeon for hours, begging for help and no one came.
48:44Shadow fang shattered the territory's defenses and extracted me in four minutes.
48:49Inside the medical transport, emergency moonstone arrays flared to life,
48:53bathing my body in pure silver light.
48:55Blood pressure critically low.
48:56Blood loss exceeds the lethal threshold by three times.
48:59Fetal distress is severe.
49:01Heart rate is under 60 and dropping.
49:03We must perform an emergency C-section right now.
49:05But her vitals can't handle surgery.
49:07Do it!
49:08The captain's roar rattled the walls of the ambulance.
49:11Every medic flinched.
49:12He gripped my hand, his knuckles white, veins bulging up his forearms.
49:16I'll take full responsibility.
49:18Cut her open!
49:19I squeezed his fingers back, using the absolute last shred of my strength.
49:24Garrett.
49:26Garrett.
49:27Save the baby.
49:29Save the baby first.
49:30Garrett, my father's headbeater.
49:32The man who had guarded me since the day I was born.
49:35When I was learning to walk and fell, he was the one who picked me up.
49:37When I was terrified of the dark, he shifted into his wolf form and slept beside my bed the entire
49:42night.
49:42On the day I got married, he stood at the very back of the crowd.
49:46Completely silent, his eyes red.
49:47Now he was kneeling beside my stretcher, his combat armor stained with blackwood blood, his silver eyes completely bloodshot.
49:54Princess, don't speak.
49:56Save your strength.
49:57His voice trembled, but he gritted out every word like a blood oath.
50:01The Alpha is on his way.
50:02He'll be here soon.
50:04You and the pup will be fine.
50:05I swear it on my life.
50:06Before he could finish, the moonstone array above the operating table violently flickered.
50:11The vital sign monitors erupted into a shrill, piercing, uninterrupted scream.
50:17Cardiac arrest.
50:19The Luna's heart has stopped.
50:21Push the moonlight essence.
50:22Start the recitation, Ronins.
50:24Fetal heart rate is plummeting.
50:2670, 50, 30.
50:28Scalpel, now!
50:29The medics shoved Garrett out of the way.
50:31He stumbled back into the corner of the ambulance, clenching his fists so hard his claws tore through his own
50:37palms, blood dripping onto the metal floor.
50:39The surgeon sliced open my abdomen with a rune-carved scalpel.
50:42Silver energy flooded the incision, forcibly cauterizing the bleeding.
50:46They were draining the absolute limits of their healing stones just to keep my soul tethered to my body.
50:51Essence injected.
50:52Heartbeat is faint but back.
50:54Where's the pup?
50:55Found her!
50:56Extract!
50:57Pull her out!
50:58The umbilical cape is wrapped around her neck.
51:00Damn it!
51:01The wolfsbane choked off her oxygen in the womb for too long.
51:03She's out!
51:04She's out!
51:05They pulled a baby from my womb, but she didn't cry.
51:08In the final second, before the darkness swallowed me entirely, I forced my eyes open.
51:13My vision was a massive blur of blinding silver light.
51:16But I saw it.
51:18Through the haze, the doctor held a tiny blood-covered infant in his hands.
51:22She wasn't moving.
51:23She wasn't breathing.
51:24She didn't cry.
51:25The voices faded, faded into an abyss of static.
51:28The last thing I heard was Garrett, a battle-hardened warrior in his 40s, covered in 37 scars,
51:34a man who had ripped the throats out of hundreds of rogues, collapsing into the corner of the
51:38ambulance, and silently weeping.
51:39I woke up to the harsh smell of medical bleach, mixed with the crisp, ozone scent of moonstone
51:44crystals.
51:45The princess is awake!
51:47Someone shouted in relief.
51:49Several faces crowded my vision.
51:51Familiar faces.
51:53My father's personal elite guards.
51:55Uncles who had watched me grow up.
51:57Garrett stood closest to the bed.
51:58His jaw was clenched so tight a muscle ticked in his cheek.
52:02His eyes rimmed with red.
52:03Seeing me open my eyes, his lips parted, but no words came out.
52:07He just gave me one stiff, trembling nod.
52:10Where is she?
52:12A figure standing at the foot of my bed slowly turned around.
52:15My father.
52:16My father, the current alpha of the Shadowfang Pack, the absolute ruler of the oldest, most
52:20lethal werewolf bloodline on the North American continent.
52:23In the entire werewolf world, his name alone made other alphas bow their heads in submission.
52:28He was 54, his posture as straight as a spear.
52:32I had never seen him slouch.
52:34But right now, his hair was completely white.
52:36Overnight, he had gone totally gray.
52:38He walked over and sat on the edge of my bed.
52:40He took my hand in his.
52:42His hands were massive, calloused, scarred from decades of war.
52:45These hands had snapped the necks of his enemies and signed treaties that dictated the fates
52:50of millions of wolves.
52:51Right now, they were shaking.
52:53Selina.
52:53He choked on my name.
52:54He bowed his head.
52:56In my entire life, I had never seen this man bow his head.
52:59Not when facing the interrogations of the Seven Alpha Council.
53:03Not when executing traitors with his bare hands.
53:05Not even when he stood before my mother's grave for an entire night.
53:09But now, looking at me, he bowed his head.
53:12She's gone, isn't she?
53:15I looked at him, and I knew the answer.
53:17My father nodded.
53:19A single, scalding tear fell from his face onto the back of my hand.
53:24The hemorrhage, placental abtruction, the wolf bait in her bloodstream.
53:28She was deprived of oxygen for too long.
53:30The doctors did everything.
53:32The moonlight essence, the healing stones, the ancient bloodline resurrection rituals.
53:37We couldn't bring her back.
53:38The room fell dead silent.
53:40The only sound was the low, steady hum of the medical crystals.
53:43I closed my eyes.
53:45That tiny life that had lived inside me for nine months.
53:48The pup that kicked my ribs.
53:49The pup that made me run to the bathroom three times a night.
53:52The little wolf who would instantly calm down the second.
53:55I rubbed my belly and whispered,
53:57Mommy's here.
53:58Gone.
53:59Where is Dominic?
54:00My father lifted his head and wiped his face.
54:02Who?
54:03At the Blackwood Pack.
54:04By Vivian's side.
54:05She gave birth.
54:06A boy.
54:07Pure blood alpha lineage.
54:09The entire Blackwood Pack is throwing a massive celebration for their new heir.
54:13They held the moonlight recognition ceremony.
54:15The old alpha hosted it himself, right before he died.
54:18Not a single person thought of you.
54:20Not a single person asked if you were dead or alive.
54:23I laughed.
54:24My chest heaved as a broken hysterical laugh tore out of my throat.
54:28The mate bond was still pulsing faintly in my chest.
54:31I could feel Dominic's heartbeat.
54:34Steady.
54:34Joyful.
54:35Untroubled.
54:36He was smiling.
54:37He was celebrating.
54:39His fated mate had nearly bled to death in a dungeon.
54:41And his daughter was a corpse.
54:43And he was celebrating.
54:45Good.
54:46That's good.
54:46My father tightened his grip on my hand.
54:49Selina.
54:50Come home with me.
54:51Blackwood Pack doesn't deserve you.
54:56Dad.
54:57I need you to do something for me.
55:00Anything.
55:01Perform a soul-severing ritual on me.
55:03My father froze.
55:05The soul-severing ritual.
55:06One of the darkest, most ancient forbidden arts of the Shadowfang bloodline.
55:10It artificially severed a mate bond.
55:12Forcing the other party to experience the exact physical sensation of their mate dying.
55:17The stopping of the heart.
55:18The shredding of the soul.
55:19The permanent snapping of the bond.
55:21To the person on the receiving end.
55:23It felt exactly like their mate had perished.
55:26You want him to think you're dead?
55:27Yes.
55:28The soul-severing ritual took place on the obsidian altar, deep within the Shadowfang's ancestral lands.
55:34Midnight.
55:34A new moon.
55:35Pitch black.
55:36It was the only time we could deceive the moon goddess's gaze.
55:40I lay on the cold stone, surrounded by four of our oldest priests.
55:44Their chanting was deep, guttural, vibrating with the ancient, lost tongue of the first wolves.
55:49My chest pounded violently.
55:51It was Dominic's heartbeat, eating inside me, clear across a thousand miles.
55:55The high priest pressed his palm against my sternum.
55:59The runes flared blinding white.
56:00And then, an invisible silver spike was viciously ripped out of my heart.
56:04The mate bond is a tether woven into the soul.
56:07Severing it felt like two deeply intertwined trees being violently ripped apart by their roots.
56:12I clamped my teeth together, refusing to scream.
56:14In my mind's eye, I saw glowing golden threads.
56:17The physical manifestation of our bonds snapping one by one, turning into ash.
56:21When the final thread broke, my chest went completely hollow.
56:25A terrifying, absolute emptiness.
56:27Like someone had reached into my ribcage and carved out my heart, leaving nothing but a gaping void.
56:32The ritual was complete.
56:34From this second onward, in Dominic's mind and soul, I was dead.
56:37Meanwhile, a thousand miles away, in the heart of Blackwood Territory,
56:41Dominic stood proudly at the main altar, accepting the congratulatory toasts from his pack members.
56:47Without warning, it felt as if an invisible claw had just plunged into his chest and ripped it open.
56:52The bond snapped.
56:53He crashed to his knees.
56:55His hands desperately clawed at his own chest,
56:57his nails digging so deep into his own flesh that blood poured out over his shirt.
57:01A primal, guttural roar of pure agony exploded from his throat.
57:06Cassandra shoved through the panicked crowd.
57:09Brother!
57:11What's wrong?
57:12Dominic convulsed on the marble floor, his claws scraping sickeningly against the stone.
57:16Selina.
57:17She's dead.
57:19The bond just broke.
57:21She's dead.
57:22Cassandra's face drained of color for a split second, but only a second.
57:26Brother!
57:26Calm down!
57:27She was always going to-
57:29Get the fuck away from me!
57:31Dominic backhanded her so hard she went backward, crashing violently into the altar pillars.
57:35He scrambled to his feet, stumbling and sprinting wildly out of the temple.
57:40The dungeon was empty.
57:41There was nothing left but a massive coagulated pool of blood and a soaked pile of straw,
57:46and the rapidly fading scent of Selene lingering in the damp air.
57:49Dominic stood frozen in the center of the blood pool.
57:52He stood there for a very, very long time.
57:55Long enough for Cassandra to finally creep into the room and gingerly touch his arm.
58:00Brother.
58:03You locked her in here?
58:06I just told her to wait!
58:09Wait for what?
58:11Wait to die?
58:12Those were two lives!
58:14My mate!
58:15My pup!
58:16Cassandra took a step back.
58:18But she was having a girl!
58:19She was useless to the pack!
58:22The sharp crack of flesh meeting flesh echoed through the dungeon.
58:26Cassandra's head whipped to the side, a bright red handprint instantly welling up on her cheek.
58:31She clutched her face, staring at Dominic in total disbelief.
58:34Dominic glared at her.
58:36If I had been by her side, she wouldn't have died!
58:38If you hadn't taken all the medical supplies, she wouldn't have died!
58:43If I hadn't ordered them to inject her with Wolfbane...
58:46He couldn't finish the sentence.
58:48Because the subject of that sentence was pre-syndrome, from start to finish, he made every single decision.
58:54Cassandra was just the executioner.
58:56The person who murdered Selene and their child was him.
58:58I spent the next few weeks recovering in the Shadowfang estate.
59:01My body healed agonizingly slowly.
59:04The Wolfsbane residue severely crippled my cellular regeneration,
59:06and the pack doctor estimated it would take three months to completely purge it from my system.
59:11But I wasn't in a hurry.
59:13I had all the time in the world.
59:14My father ate with me and walked with me every day,
59:17treating me exactly like he did when I was a little girl.
59:19He never brought up the Blackwoods,
59:21but I knew his intelligence network never stopped spinning.
59:25Shadowfang's eyes and ears were buried in every major pack in North America.
59:29That was the terrifying power of an ancient bloodline.
59:32Every meeting, every decision.
59:34Every hushed conversation the Blackwoods had was transcribed and placed on my desk.
59:38Dominic had brought my corpse, a flawlessly forged illusion,
59:41created by the soul-severing ritual back to the Blackwood Manor.
59:45He didn't place the casket in the main hall.
59:47It was shoved into a side morning room.
59:49You can't do that.
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