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The Alpha's Regret- Her New Hero Episode
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00:00To let my mate focus on his position, I stayed behind in the old estate, caring for his ailing
00:04mother. In this ten years, Kalen returned once a year. He never touched me. He said that if I
00:10were to carry a pup while he was away, there would be no one to look after me, and that
00:14would break
00:14his heart. Every time he left, he cursed himself for his failings, swore on the moon he would come
00:19for me once he had made something of himself. In the eleventh winter, heavy snow blocked the roads.
00:25Kalen sent word that he would be delayed. I was about to bring the news to Lady Maren when I
00:29heard her speaking with my sister-in-law. Mother, you've been faking this illness for over ten years.
00:34How much longer? What else can be done? Kalen's heart has always belonged to that sworn sister of
00:39his. They bonded in secret, behind the pack's back. Their pups are nearly grown. If we don't keep Elena
00:44here, she'll go to the city and destroy everything. Kalen's rank as Alpha of the Eastern Pack would be
00:48finished. Let it be. Keep quiet. Kalen said once his position is secure, he will make it right with
00:53Elena. My eyes burned. Kalen wasn't struggling. He was Alpha of the Eastern Pack, and he hadn't been
00:59keeping his distance to protect me. He had someone else. I went to the training grounds and found the
01:04low-ranking warrior who had watched me for years. Do you still want me as your mate?
01:09Elena, I will treat you well. But give me one month. I march out tonight. This time I'll return
01:14with a deed worth claiming you. I don't need glory. Just come back safe. I watched him leave,
01:22then walked home. The estate should have been dark. Mother, you should have gone to bed by now.
01:29A tall figure stood against the candlelight. A familiar voice cut through the wind and snow.
01:34Elena, I'm home.
01:38A year had passed. Kalen carried himself differently now, steadier, with the quiet authority that comes
01:45with rank. He opened his arms, waiting for me to go to him the way I always had. I didn't.
01:52You haven't eaten, have you? Let me make you something.
01:55What's wrong? A year apart and you're not glad to see me? Are you angry with me?
02:01Go sit with Mother. I'll call you when the food is ready.
02:03Before I'd learned the truth, I had missed him. Had been a little cross with him, too. No mate wants
02:08to be kept so far away, for so long. But once I understood everything, I stopped wanting anything.
02:13Things became simpler. Better to part quietly than to rage and stay. I remained silent and cooked in the
02:18kitchen. Kalen followed. Elena, what's happened? Have you heard something?
02:22Out here in the backwoods, we barely see a stranger from one season to the next. What would I have
02:26heard? Don't worry yourself, Kalen. Elena, I came back to bring you all to the city.
02:30But there's something I need to tell you first. My chest tightened. I already knew what was coming.
02:35After ten years, he had finally run out of patience. You must be Elena. I'm Sarith. Kalen's sworn
02:41sister and his mate. These are mine and Kalen's. Go on, call her Auntie Elena.
02:48Auntie Elena. Elena, let me explain.
02:53Elena, let me explain. I was ambushed by rogue wolves on the road to the city. Sarith saved my
02:57life. I only meant to take her in as a sworn sister, but she had no one, no pack, nowhere
03:01to
03:02go. I wanted to give her a home. It was gratitude, nothing more. If you're hurt, curse me, strike me,
03:06I'll bear it. I only ask that once you come to the city, you and she can find some people.
03:10Going to the city is a good thing. I'm not upset. Mother hasn't recovered in all this time. Perhaps
03:16the city healers will do what ours couldn't. Really? You forgive me? Elena, start packing
03:22tonight. We leave in two days and we'll make it back for Christmas. Mother doesn't have much.
03:28Packing her things won't take long. I'll sort her medicines for the road. You can all leave at
03:32first light. What do you mean? You're not coming with us?
03:38I met his gaze. My voice stayed level.
03:41Kaelin, if we leave for good, I need to settle the land and the estate first.
03:46Leaving it empty still means taxes to the pack. That's wasteful.
03:50Go ahead and take everyone home for Christmas. Once I've handled things here, I'll come to
03:56you in the spring. When I had first come to this estate, we lived in a borrowed den with
04:00walls that let the wind through, funding his studies, saving coin, until I had bought this
04:04house and these two fields. It had ended the family's hunger. It had given Kaelin a place
04:09to become what he was.
04:11Elena, I'm Alpha of the Eastern Pack now. Silver is not the problem. Give the land to whoever
04:15needs it. Save yourself the trouble.
04:17I earned it with my own hands. I'm not ready to let go. Trust me, once it's done, I'll come
04:24to you. I won't be long. Kaelin hesitated. Kaelin, don't waver. The council's watching
04:29you. You leave her here and they dig into it and she says the wrong thing. Your seed is
04:33gone.
04:34I wasn't slow. I heard exactly what Kareth had just said. So it wasn't a change of heart
04:39that had brought Kaelin back. If the pack council confirmed it, they would report it to
04:43the High Alpha. The High Alpha was a man who mated once and meant it. If Kaelin wanted
04:49to keep his rank, the most important thing was keeping me quiet. It would be a lie to
04:53say that didn't hurt. 13 years. I had given this mating everything. Kaelin was packborn
04:59but useless with his hands. Lady Maren was old and couldn't help. His brother was worse
05:02than useless. The whole family ran on my back. I never complained. I nursed Lady Maren. I had
05:07believed that kind of devotion would hold a mate for life. I had overestimated what I was
05:11worth to him. I finally understood what they say. A man who climbs always drops what carried
05:17him. I held back the burn in my eyes. Kept it from spilling.
05:20So that's what you're worried about?
05:24I can put it in writing. Whoever asks, I'll say I'm Kaelin's pack sister, his adopted blood
05:30kin. Nothing more. Lady Maren and Kareth both stared. After a long silence, Kaelin said, half
05:37believing. You would really do that for me? I smiled and nodded. For you, I would do anything.
05:45But to be safe, there's something you need to destroy first. Kaelin was cautious. What? I answered
05:52without flinching. The mating scroll. Yours and mine. Out here in the back territories, we hadn't
06:00stood on ceremony when we bonded. A mating scroll. A shared cup. That was all it had taken. No pack
06:06record. No council seal. So if the scroll was gone, I was no longer Kaelin's mate. I only had to
06:12wait for
06:13the warrior to come home. Then I could be claimed properly. I expected Kaelin to want this without
06:18hesitation. Instead, he went quiet. Elena, you once told me that scroll was the most precious thing you
06:25owned. You've given so much for this pack. For me. If you burned the last thing you held onto,
06:32how much would that cost you? Let's leave the scroll as it is. He had seen everything I'd
06:38sacrificed. He had remembered all of it. And still, year after year, he had left me here while he built
06:44a life with someone else. If he could watch out all of that and stay, then I had no reason
06:49left to hold
06:50onto one sheet of parchment. But I knew him. He wouldn't simply let me go.
06:57Kaelin, you know how much that scroll means to me. But for your future, I have to let it go.
07:04Once you take me to the city properly, you can make me a new one. Wouldn't that be enough?
07:11She's right. Your position can't afford loose threads. Burn it. Elena has done this for you.
07:22Make it up to her later. Elena, hiding this from you, that was wrong. But trust me,
07:29I will make this right. Wait for me. I will come for you myself with the best claiming gifts I
07:35can
07:35find. I'll take you as Kaelin again. Properly this time. In that moment, he looked entirely sincere.
07:41I chose not to believe it. I decided it was only something I was imagining.
07:46I lit both scrolls myself. The fire took them. That absurd mating, those wasted years.
07:52And with them, the last of what I had held onto for over a decade.
08:00After Kaelin had gone in with Kareth and the children, she dropped the act entirely and sank to
08:04her knees in front of me. Elena, I failed you. I hid it from you all these years.
08:16You must hate me. Her hair had gone fully white.
08:19She was crying without restraint. I couldn't bring myself to leave her there. I helped her up.
08:26Mother, I know you love your son too much. I don't blame you. The illness was a pretense,
08:34but your body has aught its real troubles. When you reach the city, listen to the healers.
08:41Elena, how can you be so good? When I'm gone, who will ever look after me the way you have?
08:48No matter what Kaelin does to you, I will always count you as my own daughter. I will never let
08:55anyone mistreat you.
08:57I understood her helplessness. I had never held it against her, but I was done trusting
09:01her too. She was still a mother. No matter what she said, her heart would always tilt
09:06toward her son. If the day came when she had to choose between Kaelin and me, she would
09:09choose him without a second thought. Mother, it's fine. Whoever Kaelin takes as his mate,
09:14she'll be half a daughter to you. You don't owe me anything.
09:20I had barely stepped out of Lady Meryn's room when Kareth was waiting in the yard.
09:24Elena, don't take anything Kaelin says at face value. The truth is, he never rescued me.
09:31I had thought that Lady Meryn's decade of deception and Kaelin's betrayal were already
09:35the worst of it. I was wrong. There was still more they had kept from me. Serith had never
09:39saved Kaelin's life. It was the other way around. Kaelin had seen her, wanted her, used the blood
09:45sister bond as a way in and destroyed the claiming she already had. Calling her his
09:49rescuer was Kaelin's strategy. He knew I was soft, that I always repaid what was owed.
09:53He had spoken to Lady Meryn first and built the story together, something designed to make
09:57me accept it, to make me give in. So everything he said about claiming you properly, it's nothing.
10:02Go to the city and you'll be a lesser mate, that's all. Oh, and his mother. All that talk
10:07about treating you like a daughter, do you believe it? When it comes down to you or her own grandchildren,
10:12who do you think she picks? Are you done? The morning they left, I walked the family to the
10:18edge of the settlement. I unclasped the only thing of value I still wore, the Luna Elder's
10:22silver clasp, and placed it in Serith's hand. That's yours, Elena. Keep it. I shook my head
10:27and pinned it to Kaelin's collar myself. I said, everyone in the settlement knows this clasp is
10:32the Luna Elder's piece, passed to the mate of the Pax heir. If I keep wearing it, it draws
10:36questions. Better that Serith has it. Mother, Elena is right. When we're together again,
10:40I'll give it back. Elena, what I give you belongs to you. In my heart, you are the only
10:44true mate this family has had. When you come to the city, I will get it back for you. Foster
10:49brother, that pendant was my grandmother's, the only thing she left me. Could you return
10:54it? Elena, I'm not used to you calling me that. When there's no one listening, call me
10:59what you always have. Better to be careful. We can't hand anyone a thread to pull. Fine.
11:08Once I've claimed you properly, you can go back to it. Let me keep the pendant for now. It was
11:14your gift to me. It's what we have between us. I never understood that. He used to resent the
11:18pendant, said a grown male wearing something like that looked ridiculous. Now that I was willing to
11:22take it back, he had found reasons to keep it. Foster brother, Christmas is almost here. I'll be
11:27alone, and I'd like something to hold on to. When I come to the city, I'll make you another.
11:32Kaylin gave it up without warmth, pressing the pendant and a folded stack of silver notes into
11:36my hands. At the last moment, he turned back. He gripped my hand once. Stay home and wait.
11:41When spring opens the roads, I'll come for you myself. There's one more thing I haven't told
11:45you yet. All right. I watched them go, then walked back inside. I reached to the top of the cabinet
11:50and
11:51took down the pack I had already prepared. I left the silver notes on the table. Then I turned north
11:57and didn't look back. The warrior I had promised myself to was somewhere in that direction. I meant to be
12:02claimed before Kaylin ever came to collect me. When that day came, I would be someone else's.
12:06There would be nothing left to untangle, nothing left to demand of me. Winter roads are slow. I had
12:11little silver, and I was too careful with it to hire a cart. I walked when I could, stopped to
12:15take
12:15work in whatever town would have me, and moved on again when I'd saved enough. By the time the cold
12:19began to ease, I was close to the northern border. Elena, the border war is over. The northern campaign
12:25won. Once they've processed the captured forces, they'll be heading back through the territory.
12:28You'll see your promised mate before long. Your mate is a hero of this pack. Call it a gift from
12:32me.
12:33Hire a cart. Go meet him at the border city. Thank you. Hired a cart, and arrived before the
12:38soldiers did. With what little silver I had left, I found the city watch captain and pressed it into
12:42his hand. Captain, my promised mate's name is Aldrich. When he arrives, please tell him I'm waiting in the
12:50second house east of the city gate. You're Aldrich's promised mate?
12:56He smiled a little awkwardly. Keep it. Just put in a word for me if you ever get the chance.
13:03I had no idea what he meant. Aldrich was a low-ranking warrior. What good would a word from
13:07him do? The captain had probably mistaken him for someone else. Still, silver saved was silver saved.
13:13Waiting wasn't easy. I knew what Aldrich felt for me. He had shown it for years, but I had been
13:18made it before. I wasn't sure whether he had said yes out of true wanting, or out of something that
13:23would fade. Then again, I thought it through, and it settled. If he had changed his mind,
13:27I would manage on my own. I had two hands and enough stubbornness. I wouldn't starve. Once I
13:32was at peace with that, everything felt lighter. I started cutting fabric for a claiming dress,
13:38the best material I could find. Useful if things went well, a small pleasure for myself if they didn't.
13:43The first time I was claimed, there had been no wedding at all. The pack had nothing. No
13:46wedding dress. No feast. When I'd finally had coin to spare, the first thing I did was return two full
13:51jugs to that neighbor. She had held my hands and cried, Elena, a girl like you? Why did you stay
13:55in that pack? You've suffered so much. You're strong and you're lovely. You could have had an elder son
13:59and it wouldn't have been reaching. Why tie yourself to a scholar who can't lift his own pack and grind
14:03your life away? That's your bias speaking. I trust him. He won't fail me. You are such a fool.
14:08Now I understood. She was the one who had seen clearly. The day I slipped away from the settlement,
14:13I had nearly walked into Kaylin's sister-in-law. It was that neighbor who spotted her first. She
14:19held the woman back, then sent her husband to pass me word. Move. Now. Elena, that pack was never
14:26worthy of you. Go. Live freely. Stop letting them keep you caged. I'll deal with your sister-in-law.
14:35They won't know you're gone for a while. I never found out what she said to buy me the time,
14:39but it had worked. For an entire month, no one had come looking. People, though, have a way of
14:44undoing themselves. On the third day, a cart stopped outside my door. I thought it was Aldrich.
14:50I ran out. It wasn't. Kaylin stood there, dust on his shoulders.
14:54Elena. His voice worn down to gravel.
14:58Kaylin said, Elena, you have no idea how long I've been looking for you. He was across the yard in
15:03a few
15:03strides, his hand locking around my wrist hard enough to grind. Kaylin said, Elena, you promised me.
15:09Why did you leave? Why come all the way out here? I spent half a month preparing. I rode to
15:13the
15:13settlement myself to bring you home, and the house was empty. I said, do you know how frightened I
15:18was? I stopped pulling against his grip. Alpha Kaylin, why waste your concern on me? The mating
15:23scroll is ash. I'm not your pack anymore. Where I go, whether I live or die, none of that is
15:29your
15:29matter. Kaylin's jaw tightened. Elena, I know you're hurting, but this kind of recklessness doesn't
15:34suit you. You told me you would come to the city. You gave me your word. How can you break
15:38it
15:38like this? Something in me gave up trying to stay composed. I said, when we were claimed,
15:44you gave me your word too. You swore on the moon you would never take another mate. You broke that
15:48one first. So between the two of us, I'd say we're even.
15:55Kaylin saw that I meant it. His eyes went red at the edges. He pulled me close until there was
16:00almost no space between us. Thirteen years. You think that just cancels? Elena, I know I've wronged
16:07you. Let me make it right. Come back with me. I'll give you equal standing. You won't be beneath
16:13Kerith in anything. I promise. I couldn't stop a short, dry sound from escaping. Kaylin took it for
16:18pride over the title and frowned. Elena, equal standing is the best I can do right now. Serith,
16:24what she did for me, what she did for you. Are you still going to use that story? I cut
16:29him off.
16:30Kaylin, your apology has no effort in it at all. Kaylin went still. His eyes shifted. What do you mean
16:36by that? I watched the change move across his face and I took it apart, piece by piece. Terith
16:44already told me everything. There were no rogue wolves. There was no rescue. You saw her, wanted her,
16:50and used the sworn sister bond to get close. You destroyed the claiming she already had and took
16:55her for yourself, calling her your rescuer. That was cover, nothing more. Kaylin's face went pale.
17:00He opened his mouth. Nothing came out. I was done wasting time. I moved to see him out. He found
17:05his
17:05voice. Elena, listen to me. Kerith is possessive. She said all of that to drive a wedge between us.
17:11You know how it is. No mate wants to share. I cut him off. I felt nothing in my chest
17:16anymore.
17:16It had all gone numb. You understand that. Which is why you kept me out here for 10 years,
17:21alone, while your mother faked an illness to hold me in place. Isn't that right?
17:28I said, if you care about her so much, stop chasing me. You'll hurt me and you'll hurt her.
17:33I wrenched my wrist free and stepped back. The Elena who existed before is gone. She died the day she
17:38found out the truth. Who I am now has no connection to you, to Kaylin, to your pack. Out of
17:44whatever
17:44feeling I once had, I won't say a single word against you. I'm only asking you to leave.
17:49My promised mate is returning with the army. I don't want him to misread this. Kaylin's spine
17:55went rigid. He looked up at me. He said, promised mate? Who? What's his name? I said, a low-ranking
18:00warrior. No one you'd know. Please go, Kaylin's expression curdled. Elena, have you lost your mind?
18:07You'd pass up an alpha of the eastern pack for some common soldier with a border stipend?
18:15He said, he could be dead by next season. And even if he's not, what does he earn? You'd go
18:20back to
18:20going hungry. You're not young anymore. Do you really want that kind of life again? I looked at
18:26him steadily. I wasn't afraid of hardship when I chose you. I'm not afraid of it now. Don't speak
18:33about my promised mate like that. He may not have your rank, but what he feels for me is real.
18:39Unlike you. Kaylin opened his mouth, then stopped. A long pause, then more controlled.
18:45Elena, you've misread all of this. I never stopped carrying you. He seemed to decide that words
18:50weren't enough and cut himself off. Come back with me. I'll show you. Give me the chance.
18:55The border campaign's war alpha, General Vane. He and I go back. I'll speak to him. As long as that
19:02warrior is reasonable, I'll find him a proper match myself. I'll cover the claiming gifts.
19:09I had always been slow to anger. This was one of the few times I wasn't.
19:15Staring at Kaylin, I struggled to contain my fury as I questioned him,
19:19asking if he had lost his mind. He didn't put it plainly, but I understood perfectly.
19:24He intended to use his status as the alpha of the eastern pack to pressure Aldrick into stepping aside.
19:30Aldrick was just a foot soldier, with no standing to resist an alpha of the eastern pack.
19:35In desperation, I grabbed the sword from Kaylin's side. I pressed the blade firmly against my own
19:40throat, warning him that if he dared to go near Aldrick, I would end my life right then and there.
19:48I told Kaylin that my life was not worth much, but if a pack alpha drove a free woman to
19:52her death,
19:52his own fate would not be better. Kaylin had always thought of me as cautious,
19:56and someone who valued her own life. He had never imagined I would resort to threatening my own
20:01life. He froze instantly, his voice dropping low as he urged me to put down the sword,
20:07saying we could talk things through. I didn't move an inch, firmly telling him there was nothing to
20:12talk about. If he didn't want me dead, he had to write down his promise immediately.
20:17The promise was simple. From that day on, if anything happened to me or my betrothed,
20:22Aldrick, he would be held fully responsible. Kaylin had spent years in pack politics and would never
20:29willingly leave evidence that could be used against him, but as he looked at the sword pressed to my
20:33throat, his tone remained steady. He agreed to write it down, but said he had come in a hurry and
20:38had
20:39nothing to write with, asking me to go inside to find him ink and parchment. I didn't think ahead,
20:45turning toward the house at once. But the moment my back was to him, he moved. He snatched the sword
20:51from
20:52and glanced at me. He ordered his escort to hold me while he went to find General Vane.
20:57His men reacted quickly, seizing me before I could respond. I couldn't even utter a curse.
21:03Just then, a deep, calm, and resonant voice came from beyond the gate. The voice asked Alpha Kaylin
21:10why he was there and mentioned that he had heard his name, wondering if something was wrong.
21:17I didn't recognize that voice, but moments later, I heard Kaylin's tone shift to one of deference as
21:23he greeted the man, addressing him as General Vane and saying what perfect timing his arrival was.
21:28He added that it was nothing urgent, just a small favor he wanted to ask of General Vane.
21:33Only then did I realize that the man before me was General Vane, the War Alpha of the Northern
21:38Territory. General Vane smiled and readily agreed to help, but asked Alpha Kaylin to wait a moment
21:44while he finished a piece of business first. Kaylin stepped back toward the gate quickly,
21:48respectfully saying he was willing to wait and telling General Vane to take his time.
21:53General Vane then dismounted from his horse and pointed directly at my door.
21:57He said that as it happened, his business was right there.
22:01Kaylin stopped abruptly, looking stunned. General Vane looked at him without further explanation,
22:07only stating that he had come to negotiate a claiming.
22:10Kaylin froze completely, unconsciously stepping in front of the gate. He tried to persuade General
22:16Vane, saying that his mate bond was well known, his children were nearly grown, and such a thing
22:21would be inappropriate. General Vane laughed heartily, shook his head, and told Kaylin he
22:27had misunderstood. This claiming was not for himself, but on behalf of his sworn son, who had
22:33been injured and couldn't come in person.
22:35I was just as confused as Kaylin, even starting to wonder if General Vane had come to the wrong
22:40house. General Vane himself looked a little uncertain as he walked past Kaylin into the
22:45yard. His escort, not wanting to get into trouble, let me go.
22:50Born in the north, General Vane was straightforward and didn't notice anything amiss. He looked
22:56straight at me and asked if I was Elena. I nodded slowly. He immediately looked satisfied,
23:01confirming he had come to the right place. He told me that his sworn son was my betrothed,
23:06Aldrich.
23:10Upon hearing General Vane's words, my thoughts went sideways. Aldrich was just a low-ranking
23:15soldier. How had he ended up as General Vane's sworn son? I rubbed the back of my neck and
23:21explained to General Vane that I thought there must be a mistake. My betrothed was indeed named
23:26Aldrich, but he could never be General Vane's sworn son. I even wondered if there might be two
23:31people with the same name. General Vane seemed less confident as he described his sworn son's
23:37features. Born in the eastern settlement of the southern territory, with a small mark near the
23:41corner of his left eye. He asked if these features matched my betrothed. He added that if it would help,
23:47he would have his sworn son carried over for me to confirm in person. I stopped him quickly,
23:52telling him there was no need, that every detail he described matched Aldrich perfectly.
23:57I begged him not to move the injured Aldrich, saying that since he was hurt, I would go to see
24:02him myself. With that, I walked toward the gate, distracted. But Kalen, who had been silent for
24:09a long time, suddenly reached out and grabbed my arm, stopping me in my tracks.
24:16Kalen stood in front of me, turning to General Vane and saying there was something he should know
24:20first. He told General Vane that I was his pack sister, that he had raised me, and that he had
24:26never heard me mention the name Aldrich once. He added that if Aldrich and I had made promises to
24:32each other without the family's knowledge, their bond could not be recognized. Then he lowered his
24:37voice, leaned close to me, and warned me not to say anything foolish. He said that Aldrich was now
24:43General Vane's sworn son, and if General Vane found out I had been mated before, I would not
24:49only lose this claiming, but also ruin Aldrich's reputation. Those words hit home. Aldrich had only
24:56just found his footing in the north. If I cost him everything because of my past, I would never
25:01forgive myself. I was still trying to figure out how to respond, when General Vane's expression shifted.
25:06He told Kalen firmly that his approval no longer mattered, because it was not I who had come to them,
25:12but they who had sought me out. General Vane then spoke of Aldrich's deeds, saying that in this
25:18campaign, Aldrich had charged into the thickest of the fighting. He had taken out the enemy's left
25:23flank and brought back the enemy commander's banner, earning the first honor of the war. Yet he
25:29had refused all rewards from the High Alpha, every single coin. Instead, he used his achievement to
25:35petition the Moon Council for a decree, a recognized claiming with me. General Vane
25:42finally warned Kalen that if his family dared to object, they would be opposing the High Alpha's
25:46own ruling. I stood there for a long time, never having imagined that Aldrich would fight so fiercely
25:53for me.
25:54For me.
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