- 17 hours ago
Bought by the Lone Huntsman - Full EP | Emotional Story (ENG)
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Short filmTranscript
00:30Marrying Mama to him was the same as sending her to die.
00:34Three years later, word came that father was dead.
00:38Grandma and the village elders collected 20 silver coins from Vance.
00:42They sold Mama off.
00:43The news arrived on the day Mama was washing clothes by the river.
00:47Deep winter, the water was thick with floating ice, cold enough to cut bone.
00:52Grandma wouldn't allow her to use hot water.
00:54She said firewood was precious, not for a worthless brat who couldn't produce sons.
01:02I'd haul extra firewood down from the mountain, but it always went straight to Uncle Dale's fire pit.
01:09If Mama or I used so much as one extra stick, Grandma beat us and cursed us for three days
01:15straight.
01:17I tried to help with the washing. Mama waved me off.
01:21The river's cold, little one. Go play over there where the sun hits. It's warmer.
01:26In the dead of winter, midday sun was the only warmth we ever had.
01:31When the laundry was done and 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.
01:42You take this long, wandering off who knows where, worthless brat.
01:47Roy's barely gone and already your heart's drifting.
01:55The soldiers sent word. Roy's dead. You killed him.
01:59Every bit of bad luck he had started when he married you.
02:02He's gone now, so hurry up and remarry. Don't stay here dragging our family down.
02:06The bundle was small. Two of Mama's worn-out dresses.
02:10Grandma didn't look like she was grieving her own son.
02:12She looked the same as always, like someone had told me the village dog had died.
02:17Mama said nothing. She just held my hand tighter.
02:23Grandma, can I bring my daughter with me?
02:25Mama 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.
02:38Mama's grip went tighter around my hand. We both knew.
02:42The moment she left, Grandma would sell me.
02:45She wouldn't keep me a single day longer than she had to.
02:50Mama shouldered her bundle and held my hand.
02:52Grandma and the village elders herded us to Vance's house.
02:55He was inside, sharpening a blade.
02:57The scraping sound never stopped.
03:00His bad leg jutted stiffly to one side.
03:02It couldn't bend.
03:03A scar ran from below his left eye all the way to the right corner of his mouth,
03:08like something had tried to split his face in half.
03:11I stepped behind Mama.
03:13Vance looked us over.
03:15You people forced this woman on me.
03:17Twenty silver is already too much.
03:20Don't push it further.
03:21He clearly hadn't wanted to take Mama, let alone me.
03:25Dead weight she'd dragged along.
03:26My Roy saved your life once.
03:28Now he's dead, and we're delivering this woman straight to your door.
03:32You should be on your knees thanking us.
03:33She wants to bring the girl along as your daughter.
03:36You get a wife and a child all at once.
03:38I'm not asking for much.
03:40Another ten silver and we're done.
03:41Most families earned two or three silver in a year.
03:45Ten silver could buy a full acre of good farmland.
03:48I was not worth that much.
03:52People in the village said he was a silent man.
03:55But when he opened his eyes and looked at you, really looked,
03:58it could stop your heart cold.
04:00Grandma shoved Mama hard.
04:02Mama's thin frame nearly went down.
04:04Mr. Hart, my daughter eats very little.
04:08She can work.
04:10Please, could you give us somewhere to go?
04:12Vance finally looked at me.
04:14A long, unreadable frown.
04:16Mama tugged at my hand.
04:17I dropped to my knees beside her with a hand.
04:21Call him something.
04:22I stared up at Vance.
04:25At the scar.
04:26My lips shook.
04:27Papa.
04:28Vance went still.
04:29The scar looked even more ferocious when his face froze like that.
04:34Grandma's foot came to eat with my back.
04:36Your real father's barely cold and you're already calling some stranger Papa.
04:41Worthless brat.
04:42Just like your harlot mother, heart already belongs to someone else.
04:47She kept kicking.
04:48I lay flat and didn't move.
04:50Didn't make a sound.
04:52That was how it worked.
04:53Stay still.
04:54Let her finish and she'd stop.
04:56Mama tried to crawl to me.
04:58One of the village elders kicked her back.
05:00It was always like this in Roy's household.
05:03Mama couldn't save me.
05:04She couldn't save her son.
05:07Enough!
05:08Vance stood.
05:09He went inside.
05:10He came back and threw ten silver coins onto the ground.
05:14This girl is my child now.
05:18I looked up at Vance.
05:19Mama hadn't caught what he said.
05:21I had.
05:22Grandma grabbed the silver and turned to leave.
05:25Vance blocked her.
05:26He demanded a written contract.
05:28Grandma refused.
05:30Vance snatched the silver right back.
05:32No contract.
05:34No silver.
05:35In the end, with the village elders and the village head as witnesses, the contract was
05:40signed.
05:41Both Mama and I became part of Vance's household.
05:44Mama put down her bundle and started working immediately.
05:48If she stayed busy enough, maybe Vance would let me eat more.
05:52Maybe he wouldn't hit me.
05:53Vance's house was plain.
05:55Three main rooms.
05:56A hall in the center.
05:58A bedroom on each side.
05:59Only one bedroom had a bed.
06:01The other was empty.
06:03Mama led me to the woodshed.
06:04The firewood was stacked clean.
06:07The floor was tidy.
06:08Mama shifted some wood and found a board.
06:11She built me a rough bed out of it.
06:15Don't be afraid, little one.
06:21Mama, I'm not afraid.
06:23At Roy's house, it had always been the same.
06:26When Father was home, he'd say I was in the way, always getting between him and Mama when
06:31they were trying for a son.
06:32He'd chase me to the woodshed.
06:34Roy's woodshed was filthier than this.
06:37Rats, snakes, frozen solid in winter, a furnace in summer.
06:42I'd survived all of it.
06:44Mama held me against her chest.
06:46Maybe 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.
06:56Mama, why did Father want you to remarry Vance?
07:00Before he left, Father had kept Mama on a tight leash.
07:04Wouldn't let her leave the village.
07:05Wouldn't let her look up when she passed a man.
07:08Grandma would curse her for it, too.
07:11Said she was out there tempting people.
07:13Mama's bitter laugh stayed locked in her throat.
07:18Because Vance was the only one who could pay that much.
07:23She didn't finish.
07:24She didn't need to.
07:26Father had sent Mama here to die.
07:30Father had been planning to sell Mama even before he left.
07:33He knew he wasn't coming back.
07:35He made sure Mama would have nowhere left to go.
07:38I'd worked this out some time ago.
07:40Not because I was clever.
07:42They'd been obvious about it.
07:43The whole village talked.
07:45Not long after we arrived, Vance came back carrying armfuls of thick wooden boards.
07:50He disappeared into the empty west bedroom.
07:53Steady hammering rang out, one blow after another.
07:56Mama stood outside the door.
07:58She wanted to ask where the food stores were so she could start dinner.
08:02But she didn't dare.
08:03After a while, Vance came back out.
08:05He saw us both still standing there.
08:07He frowned.
08:09Something you need?
08:10His voice was rough.
08:12I flinched and nearly stepped back.
08:14But we were alone here, Mama and me.
08:16If I stepped back, she'd be standing by herself.
08:20I held my ground.
08:21I took Mama's hand and stood beside her.
08:24Vance noticed.
08:25Something shifted in his brow.
08:27Mama asked carefully.
08:28I want to ask.
08:30It's nearly dinner time.
08:32If you get the grain out, I can cook.
08:34You've worked hard all day.
08:36You should eat.
08:36Vance frowned harder.
08:38He looked us up and down like we'd said something strange.
08:41Then he pointed at the kitchen.
08:43In there.
08:47The key.
08:49Vance's frown deepened.
08:51He walked over and kicked the kitchen door open.
08:54He looked back at us.
08:55I had the feeling he was asking with his eyes whether we were simple.
08:59No lock.
09:00No key.
09:02Roy's kitchen was always locked.
09:04The grain.
09:05The oil.
09:05The salt.
09:06The eggs.
09:07Everything in locked cabinets.
09:08Grandma would measure out exactly what was needed for each meal.
09:12Set it on the counter.
09:13Then stand there watching Mama cook.
09:15Drop a single grain of rice.
09:17Get a lecture that lasted half a day.
09:19She called us starving ghosts.
09:21Said we never worked.
09:23Only ate.
09:23She was afraid we'd steal food.
09:25Mama and I stepped into the kitchen.
09:27Grain, oil, salt.
09:29All of it just sitting out in the open.
09:32Mama stood there for a long moment.
09:34She glanced toward Vance.
09:36He'd already gone back out.
09:38She was almost afraid to touch anything.
09:40She was afraid she'd cook it wrong.
09:42And he'd come back angry.
09:44Beat her.
09:44Like Grandma.
09:45She was afraid of being accused of stealing.
09:49Eventually, Mama cooked.
09:51The food sat on the table.
09:53The two of us stood in the courtyard.
09:55Neither of us moved toward it.
09:57Vance came back carrying two large wicker baskets.
10:00He saw the food on the table.
10:01He saw us standing there.
10:03His frown deepened.
10:04He washed his hands.
10:05Sat down.
10:06Saw us still standing.
10:08He told us gruffly to sit.
10:09He scooped himself less than half a bowl of rice.
10:13Not enough food.
10:14Cook more tomorrow.
10:16He ate fast.
10:18Loud and efficient.
10:20Finished in minutes.
10:21But barely ate half of what was there.
10:23Done, he sat sharpening his wood cutting knife.
10:26Watching us eat.
10:27Mama hesitantly filled my bowl.
10:29We ate.
10:30Both keeping our eyes on him.
10:31I noticed it quickly.
10:33When I ate fast, he looked away.
10:35When I slowed down and tried to set my chopsticks down, he frowned.
10:38He was telling me to keep eating.
10:40Mama and I finished every last bite.
10:42Then we sat waiting to be scolded or hit.
10:46Vance put the knife down.
10:48Wash up and get some sleep.
10:49You've worked enough today.
10:53Mama hurried to heat the water.
10:55She waited for Vance to finish washing.
10:57Then, after a moment, washed her own face and hands and feet.
11:02It's the first day.
11:04If I'm clean, he'll find less to resent.
11:07She muttered it while she scrubbed, eyes dim.
11:09I used her leftover warm water.
11:12The heat spread up through my hands and feet all at once.
11:15So this was what it felt like to wash with hot water.
11:18No wonder Grandma and Uncle Dale always demanded extra buckets in winter.
11:23I went to the woodshed for the night.
11:25Mama stopped me at the door.
11:27Cover your ears.
11:29No matter what you hear tonight, don't come out.
11:32Pretend you heard nothing, you understand?
11:34I nodded hard.
11:36I knew.
11:37Once, when Father was hurting Mama, I'd run in crying and begged him to stop.
11:42He'd kicked me so hard I ached for half a year.
11:45This time I wouldn't make a sound.
11:47We both had to survive, stay alive, and there was still hope,
11:50even if I didn't yet know what that hope looked like.
11:55Then the woodshed door was kicked open.
11:58Vance stood in the doorway holding a lantern,
12:00staring at me where I lay in the straw.
12:02I shrank back.
12:04Cold sweat poured down my neck.
12:06Once, Father had come home half drunk in the middle of the night
12:09and walked into the woodshed.
12:11He beat me nearly to death.
12:13He said I was a burden.
12:14My fault he had no son.
12:16My fault he lost money gambling.
12:18That night, Mama grabbed the woodcutting knife
12:20and told him she'd take his life.
12:22That was the only thing that saved me.
12:25Vance was stronger.
12:26Could he put me down in three kicks?
12:29But he wasn't drunk.
12:30He wasn't angry.
12:31He reached down and grabbed me under the arms
12:33like he was picking up a stray chick.
12:35He carried me into the west bedroom.
12:37Mama was already standing there quietly.
12:40The empty room wasn't empty anymore.
12:42A wide wooden bed stood against the wall,
12:45worn but tidy.
12:47Vance set me down.
12:48He turned and walked back to his own east bedroom.
12:51The door closed.
12:52Within minutes, his snoring came through the wall.
12:55Mama and I stared at each other.
12:58That night, we slept restlessly.
13:00But we slept warm.
13:02I burrowed into the quilt and said quietly,
13:04Mama, it's so warm.
13:07I had never been this warm in winter.
13:09Not once.
13:09And I'd eaten dinner.
13:11My stomach was full.
13:12This, I thought, was what being alive
13:14was actually supposed to feel like.
13:16Mama stroked my hair.
13:17Little one,
13:19you called him Papa today.
13:21Do it again tomorrow.
13:22Keep calling him that.
13:24Okay.
13:26Vance was already a better father
13:27than Roy had ever been.
13:29The meals got bigger after that,
13:31and slowly,
13:32Mama didn't dare increase the amount all at once.
13:34She added a little each day
13:36until she finally understood his appetite.
13:39He ate a great deal.
13:40Roughly as much as Mama and I put together.
13:42But he never once stopped us from eating.
13:45If we ate too little,
13:46he'd frown.
13:47He hunted.
13:48Large catches, he sold.
13:50Sometimes he'd bring back a rabbit
13:51or a wild chicken.
13:53And he'd have Mama stew it.
13:54He ate half.
13:55The rest went to us.
13:57I had eaten meat three times in my life before that.
14:00This was the fourth.
14:01It was so good.
14:03No wonder Grandma and Uncle Dale
14:05had always been so desperate for it.
14:06Mama saved the extra pieces for me.
14:09I ate without thinking,
14:10too happy to pace myself.
14:12That night,
14:13I woke in the dark
14:14with my stomach seizing up in cramps.
14:16I rolled across the bed in pain.
14:18Mama rubbed my belly.
14:20It didn't help.
14:21She ran outside
14:22and scraped ash
14:23from the bottom of the cooking cup,
14:25stirred it into water,
14:26and brought it to me.
14:27I took one sip
14:28and vomited everything up.
14:32Vance burst through the door.
14:33One look at me.
14:34He wrapped me in the quilt,
14:35hoisted me onto his shoulder,
14:37and ran.
14:37Mama stumbled after him.
14:39She didn't say a word.
14:40He ran all the way
14:41to the village doctor's house
14:42at the edge of the road
14:43and kicked the door in.
14:44The whole household lurched awake.
14:46They started to complain.
14:47Then they saw his face
14:48and went quiet.
14:49The doctor checked my pulse,
14:51then asked what I'd been eating.
14:52What did she eat?
14:54Ova-aid.
14:55Indigestion.
14:56Nell's been underfed all her life.
14:58Eat this much meat at once
14:59and her stomach can't manage it.
15:00She'll be fine.
15:01I'll give her something to bring it up.
15:03Keep her warm,
15:04light food for a few days.
15:05She'll recover.
15:06She gave me something.
15:07I vomited,
15:09loudly,
15:09and at length.
15:10The smell filled the whole room.
15:12The doctor's husband
15:13muttered from the corner.
15:14Never had good food her whole life.
15:16Body can't handle it
15:17when she finally does.
15:18Vance looked at him.
15:20One hard stare.
15:21He retreated to the back room.
15:23I was humiliated,
15:24getting sick
15:25from eating too much meat.
15:26Just like Grandma
15:27had always said,
15:28I was a bottomless pit
15:30with no sense.
15:33Vance carried me home
15:34over his shoulder.
15:35On the way back,
15:36he said gruffly,
15:38You've really never had meat before?
15:40I thought he was scolding me.
15:43This was only the fourth time
15:45before we only ever got a piece or two.
15:48Grandma had never let us have even the broth.
15:51He made a low sound.
15:53Eat more often enough,
15:55and this stops happening.
15:56I was wrapped too tight in the quilt
15:58and didn't quite catch it.
15:59The next few days,
16:00I could only drink porridge.
16:03Vance brought back millet.
16:04He brought back brown sugar.
16:06Millet and brown sugar were things
16:08only new mothers got after childbirth.
16:10A bowl or two,
16:12a little sweetness stirred in.
16:14I was getting a full bowl
16:15at every single meal.
16:17I was eating better than Mama had
16:19after giving birth to me.
16:21Vance watched me eat every morning
16:23until the color came back to my face.
16:26When it did,
16:27something in his own expression
16:28finally loosened.
16:31He fixed the village doctor's front gate
16:33as payment for the house call.
16:35Then he pulled the doctor back
16:36to check my pulse again.
16:39Only when she said I was fully recovered
16:41did he walk her out.
16:42He said he was going up the mountain
16:44to track a big animal.
16:45Might be gone several days.
16:47He told Mama to bake a stack
16:49of flatbreads for the road.
16:50Mama kneaded the dough with lard
16:52and mixed in brown sugar.
16:54The flatbreads came out golden and fragrant.
16:56She pressed into his hands
16:58the thick insoles and padded cap
17:00she'd sewn over the past few days.
17:02Vance took the flatbreads.
17:03He looked at the insoles and the cap.
17:05He looked up at Mama.
17:06Something in his eyes went soft.
17:08New year's coming.
17:10When I sell what I catch
17:11we'll go buy supplies.
17:12Think about what you want.
17:14Mama held my hand
17:16as we stood at the door
17:17to see him off.
17:18His figure moved away from us
17:19uneven but steady.
17:21I couldn't help shouting after him.
17:24Papa!
17:24Come home soon!
17:26Vance stopped.
17:27He didn't look back.
17:29He lifted a hand in our direction.
17:31Go inside.
17:32It's cold.
17:34We waited five days.
17:36He didn't come back.
17:37The cold deepened.
17:39On the fifth day
17:40snow began to fall.
17:41Mama watched the sky go dark.
17:44She looked at me.
17:45She pointed to the food stores
17:46and told me to mind myself.
17:48Cook my own meals if I got hungry.
17:51Mama's going to find him.
17:52I'll be back soon.
17:55Take care of yourself.
17:56She changed her clothes
17:57and strapped the wood cutting knife
17:59to her body.
18:00She found the oil lamp.
18:01I tucked a small sickle
18:03under my clothes
18:04and followed her out.
18:05Wherever you go
18:06I go.
18:08We'll bring Papa home together.
18:10Vance was my Papa now.
18:11He was a better Papa
18:13than Roy had ever been.
18:14I was never going to have
18:15a different one.
18:16Mama let out a long breath.
18:18If something goes wrong out there
18:19you standing alone in this house
18:21isn't any safer.
18:23Alright?
18:24Together.
18:25We held hands
18:26and went up the mountain.
18:28We'd only ever been to the edges
18:29gathering firewood.
18:31We almost never went deeper in.
18:33Wolves in there.
18:34Wild boars.
18:43The snow came down harder.
18:44It was barely past midday
18:46but the sky had gone dark.
18:48Moving through the forest
18:49was difficult.
18:50Every step was uncertain.
18:52You'd break through a soft patch
18:53and sink to the knee.
18:55Mama pulled me out each time
18:56and prodded the ground ahead
18:58with a stick.
18:59We hadn't gone far
19:00when we heard heavy footsteps
19:01in the trees.
19:02Mama raised the wood cutting knife.
19:03I raised the sickle.
19:05We stared into the dark ahead
19:06both terrified.
19:08If we were going to die out here
19:09at least we'd die together.
19:11The footsteps came closer.
19:13A large figure emerged
19:14from between the trees.
19:15A tall man with a stiff
19:17lopsided gait
19:18dragging something massive
19:19behind him.
19:20A tiger.
19:21We stared.
19:23He stared back.
19:24I let go of Mama's hand
19:25and ran.
19:27I threw my arms around his leg
19:29and looked up.
19:30The tiger dropped from his grip
19:32and hit the snow.
19:33He looked down at me
19:34then up at Mama.
19:35What are the two of you
19:36doing up here?
19:37He reached down
19:38and grabbed me under the arms
19:39trying to lift me.
19:41His hands had nothing left.
19:43He couldn't manage it.
19:44I held onto his leg.
19:45He came to find you.
19:47I've been gone five days.
19:48The snow started.
19:50I was afraid.
19:53The last time she'd gone out
19:55searching for a man
19:56who hadn't come home
19:57she'd told Roy
19:58she was worried
19:59he'd been hurt.
19:59He'd slapped her
20:00across the face
20:01said she was cursing him
20:03said her worrying
20:04was the reason
20:04all his bad luck
20:05found him.
20:06After that
20:07she stopped saying
20:08she worried about Roy.
20:09She stopped worrying
20:10about Roy at all.
20:11Vance looked at her.
20:12The corner of his mouth moved.
20:14He wanted to smile.
20:15Years of not smiling
20:17seemed to have made him
20:18forget how.
20:18but he explained
20:19This one was big.
20:20It took longer than I thought.
20:22Get the fire going.
20:24Start dinner.
20:25A tiger that size.
20:27He must have been
20:28dragging it for hours.
20:29He was running on empty
20:31but he didn't ask for help.
20:33He would get it home himself.
20:34Mama stood watching him torn.
20:36She didn't dare disobey
20:37but she wanted to help.
20:39I ran forward
20:40and grabbed one of the tiger's hind legs.
20:43Papa
20:45we'll all go back together.
20:46I wasn't very strong
20:48and touching that leg
20:50even a dead leg
20:51sent a chill through me
20:52that had nothing to do
20:54with the snow.
20:55The tiger was enormous.
20:56Dead as it was
20:57it still looked vicious.
20:59Mama hesitated.
21:00Then she stepped up
21:01beside us.
21:04Vance's mouth twitched.
21:05He agreed.
21:08The three of us
21:09dragged the tiger back home.
21:11By the time we reached the village
21:13the snow lay thick on the ground.
21:15The whole village was dark.
21:17The lanes empty.
21:18We made it inside at last.
21:20The tiger lay in the yard
21:22half buried in white
21:24still looking dangerous.
21:25I wasn't afraid of it anymore.
21:27I circled it a few times
21:28just to prove it
21:29then ran back
21:30and pressed myself
21:31against Papa's leg.
21:33Papa's so strong
21:34he killed a tiger
21:35all by himself.
21:37Vance was too exhausted
21:38to move
21:39but he reached down
21:41and rested his hand
21:42on top of my head.
21:44His hand was huge
21:45and rough and heavy
21:47but when it rested
21:48on my head
21:49it was light
21:50it was warm.
21:51Roy had large hands too.
21:53They'd never been rough.
21:55He rarely did anything
21:56that required effort.
21:57He wasn't very strong either.
21:59Every time he'd picked a fight
22:01and come out worse
22:02he'd curled up on the ground
22:04and hadn't even tried
22:05to fight back.
22:06But when he hit Mama and me
22:08he hit hard.
22:09In this village
22:10most men were like that.
22:11Hands that fell hard
22:13on their wives and children.
22:14I had always thought
22:15all fathers were the same.
22:17Turns out some of them
22:18were different.
22:22The next morning
22:23before dawn
22:24Vance fetched an ox cart.
22:26He woke us up
22:27and we rode into town together
22:28to sell the tiger.
22:30In the county seat
22:31he went straight
22:32to a large estate
22:33he clearly knew well.
22:34He called someone out.
22:35Fletcher came to the door.
22:37His face lit up
22:38when he saw Vance.
22:39The two men grabbed each other
22:41by the shoulders
22:42talking like old friends.
22:44So Papa could be like this
22:45animated
22:46warm
22:47full of words.
22:48Mama and I hung back
22:50staring at the tall
22:51heavy doors
22:52the high threshold
22:53the stone lions
22:54flanking the gate.
22:55We didn't dare
22:56step forward.
22:57Vance looked back at us
22:59and said something
22:59to Fletcher.
23:00Fletcher studied us
23:01then reached into his coat
23:03and pulled out
23:03a small cloth pouch.
23:05Here child
23:07take it.
23:07I didn't dare.
23:08He pressed it
23:09into my hands.
23:10Papa nodded.
23:11I took it.
23:15Thank you Uncle Fletcher.
23:17Inside the pouch
23:18was a small piece of silver.
23:20I walked it over
23:21to Papa.
23:21Papa.
23:22And tucked it
23:23into his hands.
23:24For you.
23:24Fletcher blinked.
23:25Then he laughed
23:26loud and warm.
23:27Well old Vance
23:28you've got yourself
23:30a devoted little girl.
23:31You're a lucky man.
23:33That one's for your Papa.
23:35This one's yours.
23:37Keep it.
23:37Fletcher bought the tiger
23:39and invited Vance
23:39to stay for drinks.
23:41Vance shook his head.
23:42Nothing at home.
23:43Need to stock up
23:44for New Year.
23:45Next time then
23:46and you'd better
23:46actually show up.
23:49The tiger had sold
23:50for a good sum.
23:51Vance walked us
23:52through the market.
23:54a wonton stall
23:54for breakfast.
23:55A big bowl each.
23:57Thin wrappers,
23:58fat filling.
23:58Floating in rich broth
23:59that steamed
24:00in the cold air.
24:01Mama was afraid to eat.
24:03But Vance had already paid.
24:05Wasting it was worse.
24:06She tried to give me
24:07her bowl.
24:08Vance stopped her.
24:09Children who overeat
24:10end up with stomach aches.
24:11Mama thought of my illness
24:13immediately.
24:13She stopped.
24:14After the wontons,
24:15her face had some color in it.
24:17Vance took us
24:18to buy pork,
24:19grain,
24:20flour,
24:20oil,
24:21dried spices for cooking,
24:23then to the cloth shop,
24:24new quilts,
24:25and padded coats.
24:26Mama waved her hands.
24:27The ones we have
24:28are perfectly fine.
24:29I said the same.
24:31When we'd first arrived,
24:32the quilts and padded clothes
24:34Vance gave us
24:35had been second hand,
24:36but they were clean and warm.
24:37That was already more
24:39than I'd ever had.
24:41Before,
24:41I had no silver.
24:43I bought used.
24:45Now I have silver.
24:47We buy new.
24:48In the end,
24:49they didn't buy ready-made.
24:50They bought fabric
24:51and cotton batting.
24:52Mama still didn't want
24:53to spend too freely.
24:54I can sew.
24:55My hands are fast.
24:57Done before new year,
24:58I promise.
24:59She found a length
25:00of dark blue cloth
25:01and held it up beside Vance.
25:02This one suits you.
25:04It was the closest
25:05they'd ever stood.
25:06I was almost sure
25:07I saw Vance's face go red.
25:12His face went red
25:13and he looked happier.
25:14He lifted me up
25:15and set me on his shoulders
25:16so I could see
25:17all the way down
25:18the market road.
25:19I laughed so hard
25:20I could barely breathe.
25:21It was the highest
25:22I'd ever been.
25:23I could see everything.
25:25Mama walked carefully
25:26beside us,
25:27glancing again and again
25:28at his leg,
25:29afraid he'd tire himself out.
25:32Further along,
25:33Vance bought sesame candy
25:34and sugar figurines.
25:36He bought hair ribbons
25:37and flowers
25:38for Mama and me both.
25:40The stall woman smiled at them.
25:41Your wife and daughter
25:43are lovely.
25:44These flowers suit them perfectly.
25:45City made, you know?
25:46Vance and Mama both went red
25:48at exactly the same moment.
25:49On the way home,
25:50I sat in the ox cart
25:52holding my sugar figurine
25:53and refused to eat it.
25:55It was a general
25:56in full armor,
25:57fierce looking,
25:58just like Papa.
25:59We passed Roy's old house
26:00on the road
26:01through the village.
26:02Grandma was in the yard
26:03washing clothes
26:04in hot water
26:05so she'd always known
26:06about hot water.
26:08Uncle Dale sat slumped
26:09under the eaves
26:10doing nothing.
26:11They'd sold Mama and me
26:12for 30 silver.
26:13Dale still hadn't found himself
26:15a wife with that money.
26:16He just sat around
26:18and called it
26:18waiting for a good match.
26:20Grandma looked up.
26:21Uncle Dale looked up.
26:23They stared at us,
26:24slack-jawed,
26:25and their faces turned ugly.
26:28Worthless brat.
26:29Haral it!
26:32The curse had barely
26:33left Grandma's mouth
26:34when a rock hit Uncle Dale
26:36square on the head.
26:37Who threw?
26:38Vance threw a second rock.
26:39It landed straight
26:40in Grandma's washtub
26:41and sent water splashing
26:43in all directions.
26:43These are my wife and daughter.
26:45Open your mouths
26:46against them again
26:47and you've got me
26:47to answer too.
26:48He stood at the gate
26:49in the fading light.
26:50Even with the bad leg,
26:52he was a wall.
26:53Grandma and Uncle Dale,
26:54bullies who ran
26:55at the first sign
26:56of real resistance,
26:57went completely silent.
26:59Mama's hand found mine.
27:00Her eyes had gone red.
27:02We rode on.
27:03When I looked back,
27:04I could still see
27:05the venom in their faces.
27:07Then I found my nerve.
27:08I raised my sugar figurine
27:10at them
27:10and made the ugliest face
27:12I could manage.
27:13I had a real Papa now.
27:14They couldn't touch us anymore.
27:18I lost my sugar figurine
27:20and my new hair ribbon.
27:22I was too ashamed
27:23to go home.
27:25I hovered near our gate,
27:26going back and forth,
27:28not able to make myself walk in.
27:30Papa came down
27:32from the mountain.
27:33He saw me,
27:34coat torn,
27:35face bleeding,
27:36covered in mud.
27:37He dropped his firewood,
27:39dropped the wild chickens
27:41he'd been carrying.
27:42Who did this?
27:43I'd never seen him
27:44this frightened.
27:45It scared me more
27:46than the beating.
27:47I started shaking.
27:49I'm sorry.
27:50I'm sorry.
27:51He crouched down.
27:52He wiped the mud
27:53off my face
27:54with his rough hands.
27:55His hands weren't steady.
27:57Tell Papa
27:58who did it.
28:00His voice steadied me.
28:01I told him everything.
28:03Halting,
28:04stumbling over the words.
28:05With every sentence,
28:06his expression darkened.
28:08He took me inside
28:09and handed me to Mama.
28:11Then he picked up
28:11his walking stick
28:12and walked back out.
28:13Mama grabbed his arm.
28:15She shook her head.
28:16Papa thought about it.
28:18He picked up
28:18the thick wooden post
28:20that braced the door shut.
28:21That afternoon,
28:23the fathers of every boy
28:24who'd hit me got beaten.
28:25I won't hit a child.
28:26I'll hit you.
28:27One more incident
28:28and I'll break your legs.
28:32Every one of them
28:33was a grown,
28:34able-bodied man.
28:36Papa had one good leg.
28:37He chased them
28:38through the village anyway.
28:40One methodical blow
28:41at a time.
28:42Then Papa went
28:43to Roy's old house
28:45and beat Uncle Dale
28:46in front of the whole street.
28:47You people forced Ivy
28:49and this girl on me.
28:49I painted the silver.
28:50I signed the contract.
28:51They're mine.
28:52If I hear any more talk
28:53from your side of the village,
28:54Dale should stop walking alone
28:55after dark.
28:56Uncle Dale howled
28:57and promised over and over
28:59that it would never happen again.
29:02Anyone with something to say,
29:04say it to me directly.
29:05Not one person stepped forward.
29:08Several hurried to point out
29:09that Grandma's family
29:10had always treated Ivy
29:12and me badly.
29:13It's true.
29:14Ivy and little Nell
29:15are well off with you,
29:16old Vanch.
29:17You know how to take care of people.
29:18Those two are lucky
29:19they ended up with you.
29:20Papa walked home
29:21carrying the door post.
29:23He stopped in front of me
29:24and rested his hand
29:25on my head.
29:26He held my hand
29:27and walked me inside.
29:29In the lane,
29:29he said quietly,
29:31Who gave you that name anyway?
29:33Nell?
29:34It was Grandma's choice.
29:36Half the girls in the village
29:37had names like it.
29:38Nell,
29:38for invite a brother,
29:40hope,
29:40for wish for a son,
29:42bless,
29:42for pray he comes.
29:44Papa didn't like it.
29:45How about Clara
29:46from now on?
29:46Bright as the sun and moon,
29:48that's what Clara means.
29:49A name for someone
29:50with a future ahead of her.
29:53I was six years old
29:55and had my first real name.
29:56Clara.
29:57Clara Hart.
29:59A heart now?
30:01I told Mama,
30:01grinning.
30:02She laughed through red eyes,
30:04pressing the tears back.
30:05Papa said it twice,
30:06softly to himself.
30:08Clara Hart.
30:09Clara Hart.
30:10That night,
30:11Mama finished sewing
30:11the new quilts.
30:12She came to me with them
30:14folded in her arms.
30:16Clara,
30:17you're a big girl now.
30:19Time to sleep
30:20in your own room.
30:21Alright?
30:22Her own room.
30:23If I moved out,
30:24where would Mama sleep?
30:25I thought about it
30:26for one second.
30:27Yes.
30:27Mama,
30:28you and Papa
30:29should hurry up
30:29and have a little brother
30:30or sister for me.
30:32I'll take care of them.
30:34I meant it.
30:35A little brother
30:36or sister who had Papa.
30:37They'd be wonderful.
30:38I already wanted
30:39to meet them.
30:40The next morning,
30:41Papa woke me at dawn.
30:42Clara,
30:43yesterday,
30:43was Papa impressive?
30:45Very impressive.
30:46You can't rely on me
30:47your whole life.
30:48You need to protect yourself.
30:49Do you want to be
30:50as strong as Papa?
30:51Yes.
30:53I wanted to be strong enough
30:55to protect Papa and Mama,
30:56the future little ones,
30:58to hunt on the mountain
30:59and earn enough silver
31:00to take care of all of them.
31:01Papa was pleased.
31:03He pointed at the yard.
31:04Run 50 laps to start.
31:0650 laps.
31:07By the end,
31:08I could barely stand.
31:09He didn't let me stop.
31:11Mama watched with pained eyes.
31:13She said nothing.
31:15After running,
31:16came stances.
31:17And lifting the stone block,
31:19Papa had brought back
31:20from the mountain.
31:20It was just heavy enough
31:22that I could manage it
31:23on a good day.
31:24By evening,
31:25my hands and feet
31:26were covered in blisters.
31:28Train hard.
31:29Your Papa means it
31:30for your good.
31:31I know, Mama.
31:32I understood
31:33what Papa's care looked like.
31:34That night,
31:35Mama carried her new quilt
31:37into Papa's bedroom.
31:38They talked quietly for a while.
31:40The lamp went out.
31:41The night was noisy for a bit.
31:43I slept soundly
31:44in my new quilts anyway.
31:46The next day,
31:47Papa woke up late.
31:48I'd already run 30 laps
31:50around the yard
31:51by the time he appeared
31:52at the door.
31:53All day,
31:53he and Mama kept
31:54catching each other's eyes
31:55and looking away fast,
31:57both of them red-faced,
31:59both of them smiling at nothing.
32:01If you want to look,
32:02just look.
32:03Why the sneaking?
32:04Adults were very strange.
32:09After New Year,
32:10Papa bought several acres
32:12of good farmland
32:13with the tiger money.
32:14He farmed in the busy seasons
32:16and hunted in the quiet ones.
32:18He was teaching me
32:19how to track animals,
32:20how to read droppings
32:21and prints,
32:22which sounds meant danger.
32:23Taught me the knife
32:24and the bow,
32:25how to put a person down
32:26using as little force
32:28as possible.
32:29My strength was still limited.
32:30Progress was slow.
32:32The village gossiped.
32:34Most of it came
32:34from Roy's old household.
32:36That cripple got a wife
32:37and a daughter
32:38handed to him for nothing.
32:40It doesn't matter
32:40how smug Ivy acts.
32:42She still ended up
32:43with a cripple.
32:44Roy was twice as handsome.
32:46Roy had been handsome.
32:47Much good it had done anyone.
32:49He couldn't carry a load
32:50or plant a field.
32:51He was a farmer
32:52who refused to farm.
32:54His greatest skill
32:54was hitting the people
32:55who lived in his house.
32:59I glanced at Papa's leg.
33:01He noticed.
33:01He adjusted his gait
33:03and walked more carefully
33:04than before.
33:05Mama caught me looking.
33:06She smacked the back of my head
33:08the moment we were alone.
33:09Your Papa has been
33:10nothing but good to us, Clara.
33:12Don't you dare look at him
33:13the way this village does.
33:14Don't you dare.
33:15Mama,
33:16I want to study medicine.
33:18If I'm good enough someday,
33:19maybe I can fix Papa's leg.
33:21I didn't care about the limp.
33:22I didn't care about the scar.
33:24I just didn't want him
33:25to hurt on rainy days.
33:26I didn't want him
33:27working through the pain
33:28and never saying a word about it.
33:30Mama's expression shifted.
33:32She worried.
33:32Female apprentices
33:33were hard to place.
33:35Most healers wouldn't take them.
33:37But Papa had been standing
33:38just outside the door.
33:39He went quiet for two days.
33:41Then he took me back into town
33:43to Fletcher
33:44at the large estate.
33:45Fletcher looked me over
33:46for a long moment.
33:48Medicine is hard work, Clara.
33:50An apprentice life is harder.
33:51Can you take it?
33:52I can.
33:53And when I've learned enough,
33:54I'll fix Papa's leg.
33:55Then I'll earn enough silver
33:56to take care of all of them.
33:57Papa and Mama
33:58and my little brothers and sisters.
34:00Brothers and sisters,
34:02is there news already?
34:03Papa went scarlet
34:04and said it was far too early
34:05for that.
34:06Far too early.
34:08I moved into the county seat
34:10and began my apprenticeship
34:12at the clinic.
34:13I only asked to bring
34:14one thing from home,
34:16my stone lifting block
34:17for training.
34:18Mama couldn't make herself leave.
34:20She stood at the clinic door
34:21and wouldn't move.
34:22I waved her off.
34:24Mama,
34:26come back when I've made
34:27something of myself.
34:29She laughed despite herself.
34:31All right.
34:32Mama's waiting.
34:34The clinic's doctor
34:35was warm and patient
34:36with patience.
34:37With her apprentices,
34:38she was merciless,
34:40too slow to learn.
34:41She scolded you.
34:42Made an error.
34:43She scolded you.
34:45Sometimes she hit.
34:47Some of the younger apprentices
34:48cried and went home
34:49within weeks.
34:50I wasn't troubled
34:51by any of it.
34:52She only ever struck
34:53the padded parts of the body.
34:55The force was calibrated.
34:56Sharp on impact.
34:57No lasting harm.
34:59Compared to Roy's household,
35:00this was nothing.
35:01And when the doctor scolded us,
35:03I recognized that look.
35:04It wasn't hatred.
35:05It was impatience
35:06born from caring.
35:08She also made sure we ate.
35:10Every meal,
35:11every day,
35:11without exception.
35:12She never once
35:13stinted on food or clothing.
35:17I could tell the difference
35:18between people
35:19who meant you harm
35:20and people who were hard on you
35:22for a reason.
35:23I kept lifting
35:24my stone block.
35:25I kept practicing
35:26the fighting forms
35:27Papa had taught me.
35:28My grip got stronger.
35:30When I started learning
35:31massage and manipulation
35:32from the doctor,
35:33I was already ahead
35:34of the others.
35:35I could feel exactly
35:36where the tension
35:37sat under the skin.
35:39I worked on her shoulders
35:40when she'd had a long day.
35:42She started looking
35:43less grim.
35:44Every two weeks,
35:45I went home.
35:46First thing,
35:46Papa's bad leg.
35:47He refused at first,
35:49twisted around in his seat
35:50like I'd suggested
35:51something embarrassing.
35:52A few minutes in,
35:53his eyes went red.
35:55When he stood up afterward,
35:56he walked without
35:57catching himself
35:58on the doorframe.
36:00Clara's gotten good.
36:01Learning fast.
36:02Mama asked me to teach her.
36:04When you're in the city,
36:04I can work on it for him.
36:06He pushes himself too hard.
36:07I walked them both
36:08through it side by side.
36:10When I'm not here,
36:11you can do it for each other.
36:13They both turned red
36:14at exactly the same time.
36:15Adults,
36:16truly inexplicable.
36:50faithfully lurking.
36:51Be sal Or LINDA
36:53of India
36:54or Thailand
36:55Even when I was talking tamシ擇
36:56to life for him
37:01in the channel.
37:01So that's what he wants me
37:03So you're helping out
37:05and your brother
37:05and sexuality
37:09your son isn't
37:09who he is
37:38Gracias por ver el video.
38:07Gracias por ver el video.
38:10Gracias por ver el video.
40:09No bed.
41:10If she starts howling, gag her.
41:12Don't let the noise reach upstairs.
41:15Don't scare Viviana.
41:44I looked down.
41:47My bloodstained hands slid off the cell door.
42:19I collapsed into a pool of my own blood.
42:21Never aging!
42:22Only echoes answered.
42:24No one came.
42:25He tried his comm stone.
42:26Nothing.
42:26The dungeon's warding runes blocked all signals.
42:30Gritting 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.
42:38He burst onto the ground floor, ran for the medical wing, kicked open the door, and 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.
42:57Cassandra strolled down the hall.
42:58Two Omega attendants followed behind her.
43:01We 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.
43:12I knew that smile.
43:13Six months ago, she'd worn it downtown, linking her arm 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.
43:30Dr. Holden laid me on a bare stone cot.
43:32He tore open every cabinet and drawer.
43:35Empty.
43:35Not a single herb.
43:37I'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.
43:57This 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.
44:09And this is Blackwood family business.
44:12You're a contract beta doctor.
44:14Know your place.
44:15She snapped at the guards.
44:17Drag him to the third floor.
44:18Vivian needs him.
44:19I'll handle her.
44:21Two guards grabbed Dr. Holden.
44:22He thrashed against them, screaming over his shoulder.
44:25Luna!
44:26Press your stomach!
44:27Shard the wolf hard!
44:28Fight the wolf on!
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.
44:42Priests 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.
44:52Like 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,
45:02making sure the screen clearly showed my dying form.
45:05But 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.
45:13You heard him?
45:14Vivian 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,
45:23fingers 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.
45:38If the day ever comes when you need help,
45:39bite your finger and let one drop of blood fall on this rune.
45:43No 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.
46:07Blood welled on my fingertip.
46:08I let it fall on the rune.
46:1230 minutes.
46:14I looked at the blood pooling beneath me.
46:16My baby's heartbeat was still there.
46:17Hold on.
46:18Please hold on.
46:19The wolf's bane's suppression broke.
46:20Every contraction that had been held back for hours hit at once.
46:24Like a damn collapsing wave.
46:25After wave.
46:26Faster.
46:27Harder.
46:27I 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.
46:36We need moonstone crystals.
46:37Healing rooms.
46:38Anything.
46:39Cassandra didn't even step into the room.
46:41Then let them die.
46:42It's just a girl.
46:44Completely useless.
46:46Alive.
46:47She's a waste of space.
46:49Dead.
46:50Changes nothing.
46:51She turned and walked away.
46:53The attendant tried.
46:54But I had no blood left.
46:55No strength.
46:56No wolf.
46:57My 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.
47:03My vision went black.
47:04I am sorry baby.
47:06Mommy 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.
47:20Destroyed in seconds.
47:21Moonlight flooded the room.
47:23In that silver light stood a massive man in tactical combat gear.
47:29He ripped off his helmet.
47:31Battle 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.
47:42The 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 twelve heavily armored warriors.
48:06Silver eyes.
48:06Weapons drawn.
48:07The elite shadow fanguard.
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?
48:17Garrett 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.
48:43Begging for help and no one came.
48:45Shadow 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.
48:57Blood 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.
49:08Do 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.
49:17I'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.
49:31Garrett, 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.
49:38When I was terrified of the dark.
49:39He shifted into his wolf form and slept beside my bed the entire night.
49:42On the day I got married, he stood at the very back of the crowd.
49:46Completely silent, his eyes red.
49:48Now he was kneeling beside my stretcher.
49:50His combat armor stained with blackwood blood.
49:52His 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.
50:07Before he could finish, the moonstone array above the operating table violently flickered.
50:11The vital.
50:12Sign 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.
50:30The medics shoved Garrett out of the way.
50:32He stumbled back into the corner of the ambulance, clenching his fists so hard his claws tore through his own
50:37palms,
50:38blood 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.
51:04She'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.
51:17But 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.
51:26Faded into an abyss of static.
51:28The last thing I heard was Garrett, a battle-hardened warrior in his forties, covered in 37 scars.
51:34A man who had ripped the throats out of hundreds of rogues, collapsing into the corner of the ambulance, and
51:39silently weeping.
51:40I woke up to the harsh smell of medical bleach, mixed with the crisp, ozone scent of moonstone crystals.
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.
51:59His 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.
52:18The absolute ruler of the oldest, most lethal werewolf bloodline on the North American continent.
52:24In the entire werewolf world, his name alone made other alphas bow their heads in submission.
52:29He was 54.
52:30His 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.
52:41He took my hand in his.
52:42His hands were massive, calloused, scarred from decades of war.
52:46These hands had snapped the necks of his enemies and signed treaties that dictated the fates of millions of wolves.
52:51Right now, they were shaking.
52:53Selena.
52:53He choked on my name.
52:55He 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.
53:06Not even when he stood before my mother's grave for an entire night.
53:10But 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.
53:31The 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.
53:44I closed my eyes.
53:45That tiny life that had lived inside me for nine months.
53:48The pup that kicked my ribs.
53:50The pup that made me run to the bathroom three times a night.
53:53The little wolf who would instantly calm down the second I rubbed my belly and whispered,
53:57Mommy's here, gone.
53:59Where is Dominic?
54:00My father lifted his head and wiped his face.
54:03Who?
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.
54:38His fated mate had nearly bled to death in a dungeon and his daughter was a corpse.
54:43And he was celebrating.
54:45Good.
54:46That's good.
54:47My father tightened his grip on my hand.
54:49Selena.
54:50Come home with me.
54:52Blackwood 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.
55:04My father froze.
55:05The soul-severing ritual.
55:06One of the darkest, most ancient forbidden arts of the Shadowfang bloodline.
55:11It artificially severed a mate bond.
55:13Forcing 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.
55:31Deep within the Shadowfang's ancestral lands.
55:34Midnight.
55:35A new moon.
55:36Pitch black.
55:37It was the only time we could deceive the moon goddess's gaze.
55:40I lay on the cold stone.
55:42Surrounded by four of our oldest priests.
55:44Their chanting was deep, guttural.
55:46Vibrating with the ancient, lost tongue of the first wolves.
55:49My chest kind of violent.
55:51It was Dominic's heart beat, eating inside me.
55:54Clear 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.
56:05The 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.
56:15In 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.
56:30Leaving 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, Dominic stood proudly
56:43at 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
56:52it open.
56:52The bond snapped.
56:54He crashed to his knees.
56:55His hands desperately clawed at his own chest, his nails digging so deep into his own flesh
57:00that blood poured out over his shirt.
57:02A primal, guttural roar of pure agony exploded from his throat.
57:07Cassandra shoved through the panicked crowd.
57:10Brother!
57:11What's wrong?
57:12Dominic convulsed on the marble floor, his claws scraping sickeningly against the stone.
57:16Selina.
57:18She'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!
57:28She was always going to-
57:29Get the fuck away from me!
57:31Dominic backhanded her so hard she fell 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.
57:42There 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.
57:50Dominic 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!
58:17Cassandra took a step back.
58:18But she was having a girl!
58:20She 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.
58:35If I had been by her side, she wouldn't have died!
58:39If 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,
58:52he made every single decision.
58:54Cassandra was just the executioner.
58:56The person who murdered Selene and their child was him.
58:59I 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.
59:07And 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.
59:20He 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.
59:28That 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,
59:42created 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.
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