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(2026) - FULL ENGSUB | Reelshort Hot HD
Full Chinese Movie EngSub
Chinese Drama English Sub Full HD
#shortdrama #bestdrama #actionmovie #Drama #Film #Show #Anime #Movie #cdrama #Movies #BILLIONAIRE #shortdrama #dramashort #shortfilmdrama #minidrama #shortstorydrama #webdrama #indiedrama #shortfilmseries #shortdramaseries #dramashorts #englishmovie #cdrama #drama #movieshortfull
#BillionaireObsession #VirginAuction #MrDelaney #AlphaRomance #DarkDesire #SoldToHim #DailymotionDrama
#goodfilms romance #bestfilmromance #romance #filmromance #drama romance
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Short filmTranscript
00:00The day we were supposed to complete our blood bonding ceremony,
00:03my mate Rylan had the clan sentinels drag me out of the sacred hall.
00:08He walked in with his childhood sweetheart instead.
00:11Lila's baby needs a father on paper.
00:14Once we divorce, I'll marry you.
00:16Everyone thought I'd swallow my pride and wait another month.
00:19After all, I'd already waited seven years.
00:22But that night, I accepted my family's arranged alliance and left the Abyssal Reach entirely.
00:27I disappeared from Rylan's world completely.
00:31Three years later, I returned to Abyssal Reach with my mate for a clan ancestral rite.
00:36My mate had a work emergency, so he had his people to collect me.
00:40At the border crossing, I walked out and froze.
00:43That person was Rylan, my ex.
00:46The arrival clearing.
00:47I spotted a scout holding a marker carved with my name,
00:50my formal alliance name, Hela, and walked over.
00:54Rylan was holding it.
00:55He had Lyra with him, plus a few of his clansmen,
00:59all craning their necks toward the tree line.
01:01Hey, isn't that Rylan's obsessed ex?
01:04Isn't that Evara?
01:05Rylan looks surprised to see me.
01:07He covered it fast.
01:08Told you she'd come crawling back.
01:12Evara vanished without a trace.
01:14Now she sees Rylan is in a higher rank.
01:16She probably cries herself to sleep every night.
01:19Evara, if you're gonna fake a random run-in,
01:22why show up like this?
01:24Couldn't you at least put on some makeup?
01:27Without Rylan, you can't even buy a nice outfit.
01:30Look pathetic.
01:31It was true.
01:32I used to make myself perfect every time I knew I'd be near Rylan.
01:37Sharpest claws, finest scales on display.
01:41Best version of me.
01:42Not anymore.
01:43No point.
01:43Because I'm carrying, and my mate refused to let me be uncomfortable.
01:48He had this soft traveling wrap, custom-tailored for me.
01:51Listening to them mock me, it suddenly clicked.
01:54They only knew my alliance name.
01:56They had no idea the one they were here to collect was me.
02:00Evara, hey, it's good you're back.
02:02Rylan's been asking after me for years.
02:04Yeah, our son is entering the young training cohort soon.
02:06Now I'm in charge of the drama.
02:07He was still so incredibly arrogant.
02:09But I wasn't that naive girl anymore.
02:11I didn't want to waste another second on them.
02:14I was just about to tell them exactly who I was.
02:17I am...
02:17Please don't blame Rylan.
02:19He's just trying to take care of you.
02:20You disappeared for three years.
02:22Who knows what kind of shady stuff you had to do to survive.
02:25Don't worry.
02:26Caring for my son is a respectable role.
02:29No one will look down on you.
02:31Rylan caught my expression and thought I was jealous.
02:34Something flickered in his eyes.
02:36All right, Evara, drop the attitude.
02:38You clearly can't survive out there,
02:40so stop throwing tantrums,
02:42take care of the kid,
02:43and learn your place.
02:45Damn, Evara, look how good Rylan is to you.
02:48He's given you free room and board.
02:50Isn't babysitting better than whatever trashy life you're living now?
02:53Hurry up and say thank you.
02:55Don't worry, dear.
02:56If my son acts up,
02:58I'll handle him myself.
03:00You won't be mistreated.
03:02Why would she be mistreated?
03:03She ran away over a tiny little misunderstanding.
03:06If she hit rock bottom out in the wilds,
03:08a little humility is good for her.
03:11My heart actually skipped a beat.
03:12Three years had passed,
03:14and he still thought it was a small matter to dump me and married Lyra?
03:18The Rylan who used to love me was truly gone.
03:20He wasn't the young warrior who'd carried me,
03:23wounded,
03:24crossed three territory borders in the dead of a moonless night.
03:27But whatever.
03:28It was all in the past.
03:30None of it mattered anymore.
03:31Besides,
03:32I was about to carry my second patchling anyway.
03:35I looked at Rylan calmly and said,
03:37Aren't you here to pick me up?
03:38Let's go.
03:39Silence fell over the clearing.
03:41Then someone left.
03:43Pick you up?
03:44Please.
03:46Read it carefully.
03:47We are here for Hela.
03:50Do you even know who that is?
03:52Hela is the mate-bonded consort of the Frostridge line.
03:55She is blood-bonded to Lord Kael.
03:58Kael is a living legend.
04:00Coldest dragon alive in the field,
04:03but completely devoted to his wife.
04:05Rumor has it he refused all alliances for years.
04:09Just waiting for Hela.
04:10Everyone knows the rule.
04:12If you want Kael's favor,
04:13go through Hela.
04:15She is his entire world.
04:17Listening to them gossip about my marriage,
04:20I couldn't help it.
04:21A genuine happy smile spread across my face.
04:24We had been married for three years.
04:27Kael's reputation as a fiercely devoted husband
04:29had spread everywhere.
04:31To claim Hela as his,
04:33Kael went to the ancient exchange
04:34and paid down a legendary artifact,
04:36the Eternal Fang Bracelet,
04:38just to give to Hela.
04:40She's the most envied female in every territory.
04:48That bracelet!
04:49That's it!
04:51It's a pretty good fake.
04:53Which a lowborn Klansman bought you that?
04:55Buying you a cheap imitation.
04:57Absolute trash.
05:01Wow, it really is high quality for a fake.
05:04Way better than the replica I had made.
05:05But I'd never actually wear mine in public.
05:08These outer territory ammucations though,
05:10the craftsmanship is something else.
05:12The weight actually feels real.
05:17Or what, Evora?
05:18Are you gonna tell us you're Hela?
05:21Are you Lord Kael's bonded mate?
05:25Of course they did.
05:26It was absurd to them.
05:28Kael was a living legend across all territories.
05:32Cold.
05:33Absolute.
05:34Untouchable.
05:35And three years ago,
05:36I was just the girl Rylan had left standing
05:39outside the Sacred Hall.
05:41There was no version of reality
05:43where those two things connected.
05:47Just give it to me, Evora.
05:49I'll pay double whatever you traded for.
05:52Give it back.
05:53Kael gave me that.
05:57Shut your mouth!
05:59Rylan looked furious.
06:01Evora, do you have any idea what you're saying?
06:04You think you can just casually invoke Lord Kael's name?
06:08Are you trying to get me killed?
06:10His clansmen piled on immediately.
06:12Do you know how hard we fought for this pickup assignment?
06:14Get on a trine for this pickup of season.
06:16Kael absorbed Rylan's clan faction last season.
06:18Our entire livelihood depends on him now.
06:19Are you two trying to ruin Rylan entirely?
06:22I wiped the blood from my lip,
06:24slowly turned back to Rylan.
06:26Whatever he saw in my eyes made him flinch.
06:29Lyra caught it.
06:30She stepped forward and pointed a claw at my face.
06:34You ungrateful snake.
06:36Rylan offered you a place and you throw it back at him?
06:38I know you're still bitter about the past,
06:40trying to sabotage his standing out of petty spite.
06:43That's sick.
06:43Hearing her say that,
06:46it felt exactly like three years ago.
06:48No matter what I did,
06:50Lyra would twist it,
06:51feed her poisonous version of the story to Rylan.
06:54In the early days,
06:55he used to defend me.
06:57By the end,
06:57he always took her side.
06:59Just like now.
07:01Jealous shrick.
07:02For old times' sake,
07:04I'll let this go.
07:07Take these.
07:08Get yourself proper clothes.
07:09If you really don't want to tend Lyra's hatchling,
07:11I'll find you something tolerable next season.
07:14Don't worry.
07:15Ever since Kale absorbed us,
07:16this kind of thing cost me nothing.
07:18No, thank you.
07:19I don't take things from strangers.
07:28Not three steps out,
07:30Rylan grabbed my arm.
07:31You won't take what I'm offering?
07:35What does that mean I'm a stranger to you?
07:37I kept walking and said evenly,
07:40We dissolved our bond.
07:43Better not to stay tangled in each other's lives.
07:46Others might get the wrong impression.
07:48I was thinking of Kale,
07:50who had a very particular dislike of misunderstandings.
07:54My faction is hosting a tribute feast for Kale in three days.
07:57I was going to bring you,
07:58show you something real,
07:59but you'd need to present yourself properly.
08:01Can't embarrass me.
08:03I'm fine,
08:03but thank you.
08:05Fine.
08:06I'll take Lyra.
08:07I won't let you down.
08:09I didn't look back.
08:10Hope you're still this confident in three days.
08:13Fresh air.
08:14I stood there for a moment,
08:16breathing it in.
08:17The nausea faded.
08:19My mind flashed back to three years ago.
08:22My family had arranged an alliance overseas.
08:25I'd gone to Rylan for the first seven years together.
08:29I wanted to seal our bond before the journey.
08:31Force the decision.
08:32He agreed.
08:33But at the Sacred Hall,
08:35it wasn't just Rylan waiting.
08:37Her hatchling needs to be registered under my bloodline.
08:41I'll dissolve her bond claim in a month.
08:43Then I'll bond with you.
08:45This is just about hatchling.
08:47I watched him take her inside.
08:49That was the last thing I needed to see.
08:51I crossed the border that night,
08:53met Kale,
08:54bonded with him a month later,
08:56had our son the year after.
08:57Now I was carrying it again.
08:59And the only reason I was even back in the reach
09:02was to attend a clan ancestral rite with Kale.
09:05Honestly, if it wasn't for the rite,
09:07I never would have set foot back here.
09:09And I definitely wouldn't have run into Rylan.
09:12Three days later,
09:13I painted on a light adornment,
09:15threw on comfortable traveling leathers,
09:17and made my way to the feast grounds alone.
09:19The second Rylan saw me enter the clearing,
09:22his eyes lit up.
09:23A smug smirk spread across his face.
09:26You said you weren't coming, but here you are.
09:29Listen, if you want me back,
09:31you need to at least present yourself properly
09:33to match my standing.
09:34I walked past him without a word.
09:36Evara, I'm talking to you.
09:38Our circle is here.
09:39Where do you think you're going?
09:40I pulled free and said simply,
09:43That's your circle.
09:44Mine is up there.
09:45He followed my gaze to the head circle,
09:48the raised dais reserved for lords
09:50and their bonded mates.
09:51His face went pale.
09:53Lyra spotted my bracelet from across the ground.
09:55Evara, how did she get in here?
09:57She's here to cause chaos.
09:59How dare she wear that pendant tonight?
10:02Of all knights,
10:04tonight is the first time
10:05Kale is bringing his bonded mate out publicly.
10:08Is she trying to humiliate Hela?
10:10She slipped past the sentinels.
10:12She's trying to make us look disloyal
10:14in front of Lord Kale.
10:16Rylan?
10:17Is this female with you?
10:19Rylan straightened.
10:20No.
10:21Take that bracelet off and get out.
10:23I looked at her with a faint smile.
10:25You sure you want me to leave?
10:27Lyra realized others were watching.
10:29Her eyes went vicious.
10:31Stop acting like you're something.
10:33Take it off now!
10:34She lunged forward to rip it from my wrist.
10:37I swatted her claw away and stepped back.
10:40Someone behind me tripped me.
10:42I hit the ground hard.
10:43Lyra stepped on my arm
10:44and ripped the bracelet off my wrist.
10:46Treating this like it's something sacred?
10:49Trash.
10:50My wrist was bleeding,
10:51but I just sat there,
10:53staring at the bracelet lying broken on the ground.
10:56Pick her up and throw her out.
10:59A few sentinels moved toward me.
11:01They reached for my arms.
11:02Stop!
11:03I struggled.
11:04I am Kale's...
11:05Lyra struck me across the face before I could finish.
11:08Are you going to start spreading rumors
11:10that your Lord Kale's kept female?
11:14You wish.
11:17She struck me again.
11:19When I came back to the Reach,
11:20I hadn't planned to make a scene.
11:22It had felt beneath me,
11:24but now she had made it worth it.
11:26Rylan crouched down in front of me,
11:29reached for my wrist.
11:30I pulled back instinctively.
11:32Are you done throwing your fit?
11:34Huh?
11:35You show up wearing the bracelet,
11:38dressed down on purpose.
11:39You wanted me jealous.
11:41Just say it,
11:42and I'll give you what you want.
11:44I laughed.
11:45Short.
11:46Sharp.
11:47Rylan,
11:48you're finished.
11:50He frowned,
11:52opened his mouth,
11:53and then the clearing went dead silent.
11:56Guests began to straighten themselves,
11:58drifting toward the entrance path.
12:00Kale is here.
12:02Behave yourself.
12:07Lyra and I have dissolved our bond,
12:09by the way.
12:10I stared at him.
12:11I was cradling my nearly broken wrist,
12:13looking at the mail in front of me,
12:16thinking,
12:16how did I spend seven years on this person?
12:19What did his dissolution have to do with me?
12:22At that exact moment,
12:24Kale walked in with our son in his arms.
12:27Once they reached the feast grounds,
12:28our son squirmed and climbed down.
12:31He hit the stone path,
12:32all soft cheeks and small clawed boots,
12:36and every eye in the clearing went straight to him.
12:40His guardian scrambled after him.
12:42Rylan hadn't noticed who the cub was yet.
12:44If you stop being jealous of Lyra,
12:46I'll forgive you for disappearing three years.
12:49I'll give you another chance.
12:51Carry my hatchling,
12:52a real one,
12:53ours.
12:54Just come back and tend to my son.
12:56I'll get rid of Lyra.
12:58I didn't say a single word to him.
13:00I just looked past him into the crowd,
13:02trying to catch Kale's and our son's eyes.
13:06Then it happened.
13:07Kale followed the cub's small, clumsy steps,
13:10straight to where I was.
13:12The second my son saw me,
13:14something broke open in his face.
13:17He threw himself into my arms.
13:23Why is there so much blood?
13:26One word.
13:27Mom.
13:29Every dragon in that clearing
13:31turned from the cub to me.
13:32The ones who have watched me
13:33get knocked around without doing a thing.
13:36All of them staring.
13:37My son's warmth in my arms
13:39washed away everything
13:40that had been pressing down on me.
13:42I crouched down to his level,
13:44cupped his cheek.
13:45He took my hand.
13:47Cubs.
13:47They see something hurting someone they love,
13:50and they just fall apart.
13:54Who did this to you?
13:56Protecting you is mom's job, too.
14:00Before I could say anything more,
14:02the air in the clearing changed.
14:03A heavy, suffocating stillness
14:05washed over the crowd.
14:07Kale was walking toward us.
14:09That quiet, controlled walk
14:10that made the air around him
14:12move different.
14:13Dragons moved aside
14:14without knowing why.
14:15I felt him before I saw him.
14:17I picked up our son
14:18and turned around.
14:19The blood on my wrist
14:20looked stark against his white wrap.
14:21Our son looked up
14:23at Kale immediately.
14:26Father,
14:26someone hurt mother.
14:28We have to make them pay.
14:31Kale stepped forward
14:32and very carefully
14:33lifted my arm.
14:34His face was unreadable,
14:36but his voice was quiet.
14:37Evara,
14:39what happened?
14:41I'm right here,
14:42and you're already hurt.
14:43I can't take my eyes off you.
14:45Whoever did this?
14:56Looking at this cold,
14:58absolute lord
14:59turn into a fiercely
15:00protective mate
15:01made my heart ache.
15:02He was always like this.
15:04A mosquito bite,
15:05a bruise from sleep.
15:07Even just eating
15:08half a portion,
15:09he'd be beside himself
15:10with worry.
15:11The feast hall's
15:12ambient light
15:13was low and dim,
15:14but our son felt
15:15something hard
15:16beneath his boot.
15:17Father,
15:18isn't this the bracelet
15:19you gave mother?
15:21Kale took it from him,
15:22turned it over,
15:23saw the engraving.
15:24Then I looked at the shards
15:26scattered across the ground
15:27and at my wrist.
15:28The nearest stone pillar
15:29cracked in his grip.
15:30He drew me gently
15:31into the light.
15:31Bring every torch
15:32to the ground over here.
15:35When our eyes met,
15:36his pupils narrowed slightly.
15:38What happened to your face?
15:40They actually dared
15:41to do this to you?
15:44I softened my voice.
15:45I'm fine, Kale.
15:48Ivera, I am your mate.
15:49You never have to swallow
15:50this kind of treatment alone.
15:53Our son pressed close.
15:55No one gets to hurt mother!
15:57Honestly,
15:58I could have handled
15:59Rylan and Lyra myself,
16:01but perhaps it was pregnancy.
16:03Or perhaps it was just
16:05finally feeling safe.
16:07My voice cracked.
16:08All the weight
16:08I'd been holding
16:09for three days
16:10broke open.
16:12You weren't here.
16:13And they all came at me.
16:15The feast grounds
16:16had gone dead silent.
16:18Rylan's scouts
16:19from the border crossing
16:20were somewhere
16:21in that clearing,
16:22shaking hard enough
16:23that they needed
16:24the standing stones
16:25to hold themselves up.
16:26They didn't expect it either.
16:28The female they'd spent
16:29three days calling
16:30Rylan's lovesick cast-off
16:32was Lord Kale's
16:34bonded mate.
16:35Every single one of them
16:36was now looking for a way
16:37to disappear into the tree line.
16:39But then Lyra's companion,
16:41a female named Vessa
16:42who had arrived late,
16:44strutted out from the crowd.
16:47Ivara,
16:48where did you find these two?
16:49Their performance is impressive.
16:51Do you want Lyra
16:52to get them placed
16:53with a traveling troop?
16:54Not that you could afford
16:55the placement fee.
16:56Vessa threw her head back
16:57and laughed at her own words.
16:59Usually half the clearing
17:01would laugh with her.
17:02But this time,
17:03the entire grounds
17:04just stared at her
17:05like she had lost her mind.
17:07Vessa noticed
17:08the dead silence.
17:09She doubled down.
17:11She turned to Kale
17:12and smirked.
17:13You're actually
17:14quite striking.
17:16If you ever want
17:17to leave her,
17:18I wouldn't mind
17:19taking care of you.
17:20My mouth twitched.
17:22She was propositioning
17:23my mate
17:24in front of me.
17:25Vessa finally registered
17:27the clearing's energy.
17:28She drifted toward Lyra
17:30for backup.
17:31Lyra wanted
17:31nothing to do with her.
17:33Before Vessa
17:33could even speak,
17:35Lyra spun around
17:36and struck her
17:37viciously across the face.
17:39Vessa?
17:40Are you insane?
17:41You just insulted
17:42Lord Kale
17:43and his bonded mate.
17:45Do you not banished?
17:46Do you want
17:46to be banished?
17:52I just told her mate
17:57I take care of him.
17:58I take care of him.
18:00Oh no!
18:02Then someone near the back
18:03of the clearing
18:04made a sound.
18:05Heads turned.
18:06Vessa had lost control
18:08of herself entirely.
18:10Her shift reflex
18:10had misfired
18:11in the most primal,
18:13humiliating way
18:14a dragon can
18:15in public.
18:16Scales broke out
18:17down one side
18:18of her neck
18:19and arm
18:20in a panicked,
18:21involuntary half-shift.
18:23The kind that
18:23happened to hatchlings
18:25who couldn't control
18:26their fear responses.
18:28Kale's jaw
18:28tightened slightly.
18:30A sentinel materialized
18:31and quietly escorted
18:32her from the grounds.
18:34Lyra and Rylan
18:35went scarlet.
18:36The guests
18:36looked at them
18:37the way you look
18:38at those who have
18:38shamed themselves
18:39past the point
18:40of recovery.
18:41Meanwhile,
18:42a healer Kale
18:43had summoned
18:43was tending
18:44to my wrist nearby.
18:45I hissed.
18:46Kale and our son
18:47both turned
18:48with the same expression.
18:49Can you perhaps
18:50be a little more careful?
18:51The healer's hands
18:53started trembling.
18:54I shot them both
18:55a look.
18:55He's helping me.
18:57Stop.
18:58They immediately
18:58turned identical
19:00wounded expressions
19:01on me.
19:02Father and son,
19:03same face,
19:04same pout.
19:06Okay.
19:07I know.
19:09I'm sorry.
19:10Keep going.
19:11I told the healer.
19:12He visibly relaxed.
19:14When he finished,
19:15he turned to Kale.
19:17My lord,
19:18your mate
19:18is perfectly fine.
19:20The unborn
19:20is safe.
19:21The wrist
19:22is the worst
19:22of it.
19:23I will source
19:25the best remedies
19:25available
19:26and do everything
19:27possible to ensure
19:27no scarring.
19:28Kale said nothing.
19:29I knew exactly
19:31what that silence meant.
19:32It was the one
19:33that came before
19:34something irreversible.
19:36Standing in the crowd,
19:38Rylan looked terrified.
19:39But underneath the panic,
19:41he burned with
19:42something else.
19:43Jealousy.
19:44Watching how close
19:45Kale stayed beside me,
19:47his old possessiveness
19:48was peaking.
19:49But the survival
19:50of his faction
19:51was on the line,
19:52so he had to bite it down.
19:54Kale stood beside me
19:55and surveyed the clearing
19:56with the kind of stillness
19:58that made everyone in it
19:59feel like they'd already
20:01been found guilty
20:02of something.
20:02He looked almost cold,
20:04almost lethal.
20:06I actually found it
20:07a little endearing,
20:08especially with our son
20:10standing right beside him
20:11like a tiny,
20:12furious mirror image.
20:14I want to know
20:15exactly what happened.
20:17Everything.
20:18If you speak now,
20:20perhaps you survive this.
20:22If I have to find it out myself,
20:25every single one of you
20:26goes down with it.
20:28It was a naked threat.
20:29These dragons had clawed
20:31for the chance
20:32to attend this feast.
20:33None of them wanted
20:34to burn for Ryland's sake.
20:36Ryland panicked.
20:37He stepped forward.
20:38Lord Kale,
20:40there's been a misunderstanding.
20:42As Ivara's,
20:44as her former bonded partner,
20:46I was simply reconnecting
20:48with her.
20:49Things got out of hand.
20:50He unexpectedly said
20:52former bonded partner
20:54with a particular emphasis.
20:56God blessed him.
20:57Such an idiot.
20:58The worst possible moment for it.
21:01He actually thought
21:02I had spent three years
21:03keeping myself for him,
21:05waiting for him
21:06to snap his fingers
21:07so I could come running back.
21:09He completely missed
21:10the murderous stillness
21:11crossing Kale's face.
21:12I heard the stone goblet
21:14in Kale's hand crack.
21:16Ryland kept going.
21:18You likely know
21:19she was quite devoted to me
21:20before the disavolition.
21:23Reconnecting after years apart,
21:25it's natural that emotions
21:26would...
21:27The goblet shattered
21:28in Kale's grip.
21:29Stone fragments fell.
21:31Blood ran down his fingers.
21:33I pushed Ryland out of my focus
21:35and reached for Kale's hand.
21:39Stop!
21:40Stop trying to put yourself
21:42between us!
21:42You had your chance
21:43and you threw it away!
21:45Don't flatter yourself.
21:47I have loved exactly one person
21:48in my entire life.
21:49And it is you.
21:52Everyone here
21:52can hear me say it!
21:54I grabbed a clean wrap
21:55and frantically began
21:56binding Kale's bleeding hand.
21:58Ryland looked genuinely hurt.
22:00Evora,
22:01I know you're bitter,
22:03but Lyra and I
22:04have dissolved our bond.
22:05Her hatchling is ready
22:06to call you mother.
22:09You only bonded with Kale
22:11to wound me.
22:12I understand.
22:12I'm not angry.
22:13Just come back.
22:15Whatever he can give you,
22:16I'll work twice as hard
22:17to match it.
22:18Just return
22:18and tend to my son!
22:21If you don't want Leia,
22:23I'll make her disappear.
22:25I honestly could not believe
22:26what I was hearing.
22:28Kale's blood was smearing
22:29onto my wraps,
22:30but as I urgently pressed
22:32the binding to his palm,
22:33he suddenly let out
22:34a low, genuine laugh.
22:36I looked up at him,
22:37furious.
22:38Why are you laughing?
22:40Kale reached over
22:41with his uninjured hand
22:42and quietly rested it
22:43on top of my head.
22:45Evora,
22:46you just said
22:47I'm the one you love most.
22:49Our son made a face
22:50and looked away.
22:51His cold,
22:52fearsome father
22:53was currently acting
22:54like a lovesick hatchling,
22:56all because I'd defended him.
22:58The entire feast grounds
22:59went still.
23:00Half the guests
23:01were in shock.
23:02The other half
23:02were dying of quiet envy.
23:04The whispers spread
23:05through the crowd
23:06like fire
23:06through dry grass.
23:07The rumors are real.
23:09He is completely
23:11devoted to his mate.
23:13Rylan stood there,
23:14his knuckles white
23:15with humiliation.
23:16But our son wasn't finished.
23:17He looked Rylan up and down
23:18with open disdain.
23:20Cub tender?
23:21My mother is the most
23:22protected one in our den.
23:24You think you deserve her?
23:26Mother only carries two cubs.
23:28Me and my sister.
23:32You really think
23:33your unacknowledged hatchie
23:34gets to call her mother?
23:35Mother?
23:37I know all about you.
23:41You're the one
23:41who broke my mother's heart.
23:43You're not as impressive
23:44as my father,
23:45not as strong,
23:47not as well-formed.
23:48He tilted his head,
23:50studying Rylan
23:50with the kind of cold disdain
23:52that was entirely
23:53too familiar
23:54on that small face.
23:56And you smell like
23:57someone who peaked too early
23:58and never recovered.
23:59It's making my eyes water.
24:01Is your hatchling
24:02going to grow up
24:03leeching off others
24:04just like you?
24:05The guests surrounding us
24:06erupted.
24:07They couldn't help it.
24:09Rylan bit his lip
24:10hard enough to draw blood,
24:12shaking with shame.
24:13Everyone in that clearing
24:14knew the truth.
24:15He had coasted for years
24:17on Lyra's family resources.
24:19It was not a secret.
24:21Hearing all of this,
24:22Lyra had completely lost
24:23her grip on rational thought.
24:25Her hatchling was the most
24:27important thing
24:27in the world to her.
24:30The most exceptional cub alive.
24:33And this female
24:34was going to replace her.
24:35Rylan had essentially
24:36said so himself.
24:38Lyra grabbed a bone-handled knife
24:40from the nearest table.
24:41You little wretch!
24:42I'll kill you!
24:44I didn't think.
24:45I let go of Kale's hand
24:46and threw myself
24:47entirely over our son.
24:49A blinding, searing pain
24:51ripped through my back.
24:53The color drained
24:54from my face.
24:55Dre, are you...
24:56I didn't finish the sentence.
24:57Everything went black.
24:59I collapsed to the stone.
25:00The last thing I saw
25:01before I lost consciousness
25:03was our son's face,
25:04white with panic.
25:06I wanted to tell him
25:07not to cry.
25:07I didn't get the chance.
25:09I woke to the sharp smell
25:10of healer's den.
25:12Dried herbs,
25:13warm stone walls.
25:15I stared at the ceiling
25:16for a moment,
25:17disoriented.
25:18My best friend Sorin
25:19was in the chair beside me.
25:21The second she saw
25:21my eyes open,
25:22she grabbed my hands.
25:24Oh, thank the ancient fires!
25:26You're awake!
25:27If you had stayed under
25:28any longer,
25:29your mate and your son
25:30were going to tear
25:31this entire territory apart.
25:34What?
25:35She was definitely exaggerating.
25:38Sorin caught the look immediately.
25:40I reached for my stomach
25:42on instinct.
25:43You're both fine.
25:43The healer said
25:44it was shock and pain.
25:46That's why you went under.
25:47The unborn is completely safe.
25:50That Lyra is something else.
25:52Going after a cub with a blade.
25:54My chest tightened.
25:56My son!
25:57Kale!
25:58Are they-
25:58Both fine.
25:59Physically,
26:00completely fine.
26:01Slow down.
26:02Drink.
26:04Sorin handed me
26:05a cup of broth.
26:08I drank.
26:10The tightness
26:10eased a little.
26:13You didn't need
26:14to throw yourself
26:14in front of him.
26:15There were six sentinels
26:16in that clearing.
26:17Dre was never
26:17going to get touched.
26:20That's Dre.
26:21I know, I know.
26:22He's your whole heart.
26:23That terrifying
26:24little creature.
26:25He doesn't need protecting.
26:26He's more dangerous
26:27than most full-grown warriors.
26:29I smiled
26:30despite myself.
26:31Where are they?
26:33Sorin's eyes lit up.
26:35Getting revenge?
26:35I wanted to come along,
26:37but your mate
26:38and your son
26:38are genuinely terrifying
26:40when they operate together,
26:41so I volunteered
26:42to stay with you instead.
26:43She settled in
26:44and began.
26:45When I arrived,
26:46you were already under.
26:48From what I pieced together
26:49from the witnesses
26:50still standing,
26:51your son watched you collapse
26:52and went completely still
26:53for about two seconds.
26:54Then he picked up
26:55the knife Laya had dropped
26:56and drove it straight
26:57through her hand,
26:58into the stone beneath.
27:01A cub.
27:02I don't know where
27:03he gets that cut strength.
27:05Kale found out
27:06about the strike
27:07at the border crossing
27:07three days ago,
27:09and the bracelet,
27:10and everything
27:10they said to you.
27:11He had his sentinels
27:13hold Rylan down,
27:14and they dealt with
27:14the hand he used
27:15to hit you.
27:16I closed my eyes briefly.
27:17Lyra's face
27:18received the same treatment.
27:19And then Kale
27:20had a chest of gemstones
27:21brought into the clearing,
27:22all the shards
27:23from your broken bracelet,
27:24and he told Lyra
27:26that since she loved
27:26taking things
27:27that belonged to you
27:28so much,
27:28she had to swallow them.
27:34You know what Kale said?
27:41You love taking what is hers.
27:43So here,
27:44I am giving you
27:45everything you wanted.
27:46The stones
27:47and the mail.
27:48She refused at first,
27:50so Kale had her hatchling
27:51brought in.
27:52Then she did it.
27:53She swallowed
27:54a great many shards.
27:55They worked her over
27:56until she was barely conscious.
27:58Then Kale had her drop
27:59beyond the outer borders,
28:00swallowed shards,
28:02face first.
28:03Every dragon who stood around
28:04watching you get hurt,
28:05every single one of them
28:06carries a mark
28:06on their wrists now,
28:07just for doing nothing.
28:08If you weren't
28:09my closest companion,
28:10I'd probably have one too.
28:11I gave her a flat look.
28:13The clan records
28:14were updated,
28:14but the only news
28:15that spread was about
28:15Ryland's faction
28:16being absorbed and dissolved.
28:17Every allied group
28:18in that clearing
28:19with border exposure,
28:20Kale absorbed it.
28:21Some were disbanded entirely.
28:22Some are still bleeding out.
28:25Raelynn was supposed
28:26to go the same way as Lyra.
28:28But Lyra stopped it.
28:29Threw herself in front
28:30of the sentinels,
28:31bought him time to run.
28:35I think she made a deal with him.
28:36It wasn't hard to figure out.
28:38The hatchling.
28:38When a mother is running out of time,
28:40the one thing she'll trade everything for
28:42is her child's safety.
28:44Ryland must have promised her
28:45something about the boy.
28:46Lyra had swallowed shards and stones
28:48for the chance that her son
28:49would be all right.
28:50Kale was precise,
28:51and he was cold.
28:52But every time I so much
28:54as bruised my arm,
28:55he acted like he personally failed.
28:57He was brutal because he was afraid.
28:59Not of losing power,
29:00of losing me.
29:01And Dre,
29:02my sweet, sharp,
29:03slightly terrifying cub,
29:05had been shaped by that same love.
29:07I'd been trying to counterbalance it,
29:09clearly still working on it.
29:14Kale, can you grab my...
29:16Evara.
29:17It's me.
29:18His face was still swollen.
29:20He'd managed to find a decent cloak,
29:22the one I'd given him years ago.
29:24The one he'd told me was plain
29:26and unworthy of his rank.
29:28I stayed where I was.
29:29Last time I'd moved too fast,
29:31it had cost me.
29:33He seemed to read that.
29:34I'm not going to hurt you.
29:36I just needed to...
29:39What?
29:42I still love you.
29:43His voice broke on it.
29:44Every time I think about you,
29:46I can't breathe.
29:48I know it's too late.
29:49I know what I did.
29:51But I can't just...
29:52Ryland,
29:53you were with another female
29:55while we were still bonded.
29:56You let me humiliate myself.
29:58You abandoned me
29:59and destroy me.
30:01And then tonight,
30:03when you had the chance
30:03to do literally anything else,
30:05you stood in front of my mate
30:06and told him I was devoted to you?
30:08You've had seven years
30:09and three more
30:10to figure out what you want.
30:11What you want keeps shifting
30:12based on what you can reach.
30:14That's not love.
30:15Ryland's jaw worked.
30:17He wanted to argue.
30:18I was always your contingency.
30:20And you were never mine.
30:22Not really.
30:23He looked at me for a long time.
30:24Then he looked at the cloak.
30:25You gave me this
30:26for the winter solstice.
30:28I told you it was plain.
30:31I know.
30:34I kept it.
30:35I didn't say anything.
30:38He left quietly.
30:39Kale came in with his hand
30:40newly wrapped,
30:41Dre right behind him.
30:42They both stopped
30:43when they saw I was awake.
30:44Then they were both
30:45in front of me
30:45at the same time.
30:46Ivara.
30:47Kale's voice was unsteady.
30:48You're up.
30:49Are you...
30:50Does anything hurt?
30:51Do you need...
30:52Father,
30:53she was fine
30:54two minutes
30:55before you got here.
30:56She was talking
30:57and everything.
30:58Kale ignored him.
30:59Are you okay?
31:00Tell me you're okay.
31:01I'm okay.
31:02You say that every time.
31:04Because it keeps being true.
31:05Dre tucked himself
31:06under my arm,
31:07spoke very quietly.
31:08Mom,
31:09are you upset
31:10that father
31:11raised his voice at me?
31:12Did he raise
31:13his voice at you?
31:15I am fine.
31:16He didn't yell.
31:17Dre said very firmly.
31:18Kale.
31:21He was scared.
31:23We both were.
31:25He wasn't really yelling.
31:27He was just...
31:28loud.
31:29I kissed the top
31:30of his head.
31:32Protecting you
31:33is also my job.
31:34I'm not sorry.
31:37I know.
31:39I know, Mom.
31:44Sorin eventually
31:45took Dre to find food
31:47and it was just
31:47the two of us.
31:48Kale sat by the bedside,
31:50not quite touching,
31:51like he was still afraid
31:53something would break
31:54if he moved too fast.
31:55He wanted to look
31:56at my wrist.
31:57I let him.
31:58I'll do better.
31:59He said.
32:01You won't be alone
32:02like that again.
32:03Kale,
32:04this wasn't your fault.
32:06You were alone
32:07and you got hurt.
32:08I was in a clearing
32:09full of dragons
32:10and I got hurt.
32:11That's not the same thing
32:12as being alone.
32:13He looked up.
32:14I'm not made of glass.
32:16I'm also not leaving.
32:18You understand that?
32:19I'm here.
32:20I chose this.
32:22You chose it
32:23because your family
32:23arranged the alliance.
32:24I chose to stay.
32:26Every single day
32:28for three years,
32:29I chose to stay.
32:30That's not an arrangement.
32:32That's me.
32:33He didn't answer,
32:34but something in his face shifted.
32:36I thought about the hidden chamber
32:38behind the clan tapestry,
32:39his quiet,
32:40years-long devotion
32:41that he'd never once
32:43spoken aloud.
32:43The young,
32:44unblooded dragon
32:45eating alone
32:46at the edge
32:47of the training grounds
32:48every day.
32:48The young,
32:49unblooded dragon
32:50eating alone
32:51at the edge
32:51of the training grounds
32:52every day.
32:53While I stuffed a pouch
32:54of resource tokens
32:55into his pack
32:56and told him
32:57he was my honorary
32:58younger clansman.
33:00He'd loved me
33:00before he knew
33:01what to do with it.
33:02Before I even knew his name,
33:04I reached over
33:05and took his uninjured hand.
33:07You want to know
33:08what I was thinking?
33:09Every time things got hard
33:11and someone told me
33:12I'd bonded
33:13with the wrong dragon,
33:14he waited.
33:15That they'd never seen you
33:16bring me whomp stones
33:17when the cold fever took me.
33:19Or stay awake beside me
33:21through three full nights
33:22because I was homesick
33:24and couldn't sleep.
33:25Or look at me
33:26the way you look at me
33:26when you think
33:27I'm not watching.
33:28They were comparing you
33:29to whoever they assumed
33:31you were.
33:32I know who you actually are.
33:34Kale didn't show weakness easily.
33:36He was showing it now.
33:38I don't need you
33:39to be fearless.
33:40I just need you
33:41to stop assuming I'll leave.
33:44I'm not going anywhere.
33:46He brought my hand up
33:47and held it against his face.
33:49Didn't speak.
33:50Didn't need to.
33:51They kept me
33:51in the healer's den
33:52two extra days.
33:54The morning they finally
33:55let me return to our den,
33:57I walked back
33:58through the entrance
33:58and stopped in front
33:59of the bonding tapestry.
34:01We were both so young in it.
34:04I lifted the tapestry
34:05and I found the wall
34:07behind it.
34:08Image after image
34:10after image
34:11etched in the old way.
34:13Dragon memory stone.
34:18Me at 19.
34:21Me at 16.
34:23Me at 14 in a clan corridor.
34:26He'd loved me
34:27across a decade
34:28before I'd ever
34:29said his name.
34:30I heard the den
34:31entrance behind me.
34:33Kale froze in the corridor.
34:40Evira, I can explain.
34:41You noticed me first.
34:44I gave you resource tokens
34:46at the training grounds
34:47because I thought
34:47you couldn't afford to eat.
34:50I told you that you were
34:51my honorary younger clansman
34:53and I never even
34:54asked your name.
34:57I didn't know it was you
34:58until I found these.
34:59I'm a little upset
35:00it took us this long.
35:04I think about all the time
35:05we wasted.
35:07You're not...
35:08Upset about the stones?
35:10No.
35:11I'm glad.
35:12I'm glad you kept me kicking.
35:14Kale crossed the den
35:15in four strides
35:16and pulled me in
35:16before I could say
35:17anything else.
35:18I never thought
35:19you'd say that.
35:20I know.
35:21That's the problem.
35:23You've been waiting
35:23for me to leave
35:24since the day I arrived.
35:26I'm not leaving.
35:27I've told you.
35:28I'll keep telling you.
35:29For how long?
35:32I thought about it.
35:34As long as it takes
35:35for you to actually believe me.
35:37Drey appeared
35:38in the den entrance,
35:39took one look at us
35:40and silently backed away.
35:42Kale held on
35:43a little tighter.
35:45Outside,
35:45the ancient forests
35:47of the abyssal reach
35:48kept moving.
35:49Wind through the canopy,
35:51the distant sound
35:52of wings,
35:53the slow pulse
35:54of a territory
35:55that had stood
35:55for 10,000 years
35:58and I stayed
35:59exactly where I was.
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