Subscribe and enjoy the best of Dramas, one episode at a time ❤️
Watch more movies at: LaughOverDrama
#drama #ceodrama #movie #revenge #chinesedrama #shortdrama #DramaSeries #RomanticDrama #CDrama #EmotionalScenes #TVDrama #drama86
Watch more movies at: LaughOverDrama
#drama #ceodrama #movie #revenge #chinesedrama #shortdrama #DramaSeries #RomanticDrama #CDrama #EmotionalScenes #TVDrama #drama86
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00My mom called me a liar from the day I was born.
00:03Not because I actually lied, but because of this thing around my neck, the Verity choker.
00:07Mom was Luna of Silvermoon Pack, and she believed one thing above all.
00:11Lying was the mark of a weak wolf.
00:13We were her daughters, future alpha heirs.
00:16Weakness was not an option.
00:18So when my twin sister Emma and I were born,
00:20mom clasped these chokers around our throats,
00:23which had witch magic to detect lies.
00:25Green light means truth, red light means you were lying.
00:28Emma's choker? Always green.
00:30She could shred mom's ceremonial cloak and blame the cat,
00:33and gem would glow a steady green.
00:36Not me.
00:37Green light. Believed.
00:38Me?
00:40Mom, I'm hungry.
00:42And flash, red light.
00:44The choker choked tight.
00:45I shifted on instinct.
00:46A small white wolf, pawing desperately at the gem around my neck,
00:50claws scraping against it, unable to get it off.
00:53I'm not lying! Not lying! Please!
00:56But mom's eyes had already gone cold.
00:58Instant punishment.
01:00Mom's punishment wasn't gentle.
01:01No food, locked in my room, no contact with anyone in the pack.
01:06The truth necklace doesn't lie, Stella.
01:09Starve now, study later.
01:10I'm doing this for your own good.
01:12After 10 years of this, I started believing it too.
01:15Maybe I really was born wrong.
01:17New Year's Eve, everything changed.
01:19Mom was getting ready to take Emma to the pack's bonfire celebration.
01:23And that's when the pain hit, like a knife twisting in my gut.
01:27I collapsed on the floor, my skeletal frame curling into itself.
01:31Mom, please.
01:33The choker flashed red and choked tight.
01:36She looked down at me, disgusted in her eyes.
01:39In your dreams, Stella?
01:41Faking an illness to ruin our night?
01:43She grabbed Emma's hand and headed for the door.
01:46I wanted to howl, but my wolf was too weak to answer.
01:49I shifted anyway, forced it, a small white wolf trembling on the floor, ribs heaving.
01:55Maybe in this form, the pain would hurt less.
01:57It didn't.
01:58I couldn't even hold the shift.
02:00I slipped back into myself without meaning to.
02:03Sorry, Mom.
02:03I won't lie anymore.
02:05But the pain got worse, way worse.
02:07The door handle turned.
02:09For one second, I thought, Mom's coming back.
02:12She came back for me.
02:13Hurry up.
02:14The bonfire is starting.
02:16Emma's waiting.
02:17Mom.
02:17I reached out with a shaking hand.
02:20Please.
02:21Something's really wrong.
02:22I feel like I'm dying.
02:23She glanced at my neck.
02:24The gem was flashing red over and over.
02:27She crouched down, grabbed my chin.
02:30Stella, how long are you going to keep this up?
02:32Can't you just be honest and stay here and think about what you've done?
02:37Dad appeared in the doorway.
02:39Honey, should we at least leave her some food?
02:43Food?
02:44She has a stash of snacks she bought with stolen money.
02:46She won't starve.
02:48Lock the door.
02:50When that gem turns green, we'll talk.
02:53But...
02:53But what?
02:55It's because you spoil her that she turned out this way.
02:58Look at Emma.
03:00Her gem has always been green.
03:02Stella is a liar.
03:03An alpha heiress who can't tell the truth.
03:06She needs discipline.
03:07But my cabinet was empty.
03:09Emma stole that money.
03:11Emma ate those snacks.
03:13Emma just stood there with her glowing green gem saying,
03:17Not me.
03:17And mom believed her.
03:19I tried to defend myself.
03:21It wasn't me!
03:22Red light.
03:23The choker choked tight.
03:25I tried to shift.
03:26Nothing happened.
03:28Deep inside, my wolf barely stirred.
03:30Mom locked me up for three days with nothing but water and stale bread.
03:35Mom turned to leave.
03:37Emma peeked through the door.
03:38Made a face at me.
03:39Bye, sis.
03:41We're gonna see the bonfire.
03:42Her gem glowed a steady green.
03:45So pretty.
03:46The door locked.
03:47The house went silent.
03:49I called my wolf.
03:50Nothing came back.
03:52Not even a whisper.
03:53Just me alone.
03:55The pain was unbearable.
03:57But I kept thinking.
03:59Mom's right.
04:00The gem doesn't lie.
04:02It's red.
04:03So I must be lying.
04:04I'm not in pain.
04:06I'm not in pain.
04:08I'm not in pain.
04:11I kept repeating it like a prayer.
04:13Eventually, I almost believed it.
04:16The pain dulled.
04:18Or maybe I was just going numb.
04:20I crawled to my desk.
04:21I had to write.
04:23That was the rule.
04:24If the gem glowed red, I had to pen a thousand word apology.
04:28Or mom would never let me out.
04:31I am a liar.
04:33Write it down.
04:34And maybe mom would forgive me.
04:36Maybe she'd even let me out.
04:38I opened my journal.
04:40Pages and pages of apologies I'd written over the years.
04:44Sorry I lied.
04:45I won't do it again.
04:46But this time, I wanted to write the truth.
04:50My vision blurred.
04:51My hand shook as I wrote,
04:53Mom, I really love you.
04:56It really hurts.
04:58Why won't you believe me?
05:00Please believe me.
05:01Just once.
05:03The moment I finished the last word, the pain vanished.
05:07Just gone.
05:08I felt light.
05:10Weightless.
05:10I looked down.
05:12I was floating.
05:13And there, slumped over the desk, was my body.
05:17Motionless.
05:18The gem still flashing red around a dead girl's neck.
05:22Oh!
05:22I'm dead!
05:23And then, she came out.
05:26My wolf.
05:27Stepping out of my body like she'd been waiting all along.
05:30Small.
05:31Skinny.
05:32Barely holding together.
05:34She looked up at me and, once, soft and low.
05:38In the pack's old stories, they say when a wolf dies young, her spirit doesn't cross
05:44over alone.
05:45Her wolf walks beside her, until they find the door together.
05:49I knelt down.
05:50She pressed her nose into my ghostly palm.
05:53Finally.
05:54We were together now.
05:55But I never learned how to be honest.
05:58Sorry, Mom.
05:59I heard laughter.
06:00Mom.
06:01Dad.
06:02Emma.
06:02Coming through the front door.
06:04Tonight's bonfire was beautiful.
06:07The best one yet.
06:09Just like our Emma.
06:11Perfect in every way.
06:13I'd never heard her sound like that when she talked about me.
06:15I floated toward them, my wolf patting silently at my side.
06:20Moving on instinct, I wanted to help them take off their cloaks.
06:23That's what I always did.
06:25Mom!
06:26My arms passed right through her body.
06:28Like wind.
06:29Why is it so cold here?
06:31Is the hearthi out?
06:32I stood there, staring at my transparent hands.
06:35My wolf pressed against my leg and looked up at me with sad eyes.
06:39Right.
06:40Dead wolves couldn't hug the living.
06:42Shall we go and see Stella?
06:44She hasn't eaten yet.
06:45Still the good cop.
06:47I looked at Mom, hopefully.
06:49If she found me dead, would she be sad?
06:51Would she regret it?
06:53Hmph.
06:54She won't starve.
06:56She is a werewolf, not a human pup.
06:59This whole fake sick for attention thing is out of control.
07:02I laughed bitterly.
07:04Mom wasn't wrong.
07:05Werewolves heal.
07:07But I hadn't been able to in a long time.
07:10Last winter, the choker left bruises that stayed for days.
07:13That hadn't happened before.
07:15I reached for my wolf.
07:16She was still there, but the warmth never came.
07:19She was too hungry, just like me.
07:22Mom never noticed.
07:24She only ever looked at my neck for one thing.
07:27The gem.
07:28And whether it was red or green.
07:30Mom pushed open my door.
07:32Didn't even turn on the light.
07:34Just for a second, her eyes flashed gold.
07:36Her wolf might have known.
07:38Mom didn't listen.
07:39In the dim glow from the hallway, she saw me slumped over my desk.
07:43I looked like a skeleton.
07:45Hadn't moved.
07:47Still putting on an act?
07:49You're ten years old, not five.
07:52Grow up.
07:52Mom, I'm not playing.
07:54I'm dead.
07:56Look at me.
07:57Touch me.
07:57I'm freezing.
07:59She couldn't hear me.
08:00She only believed what she wanted to see.
08:03Emma squeezed past her, held up her choker with that smug little grin.
08:07Look.
08:08My gem is green.
08:09Stella's is still red.
08:11She's lying, even in her sleep.
08:13That's my good girl.
08:14Ignore the liar.
08:16Let her stay there.
08:17Maybe she'll learn how to be honest.
08:20Should we at least put her in bed?
08:22It's freezing.
08:24Put her in bed?
08:25Look at that red gem, still lying.
08:27Come on, leave her.
08:29We have to visit Grandma tomorrow.
08:32The door locked again.
08:33I floated next to my corpse.
08:35My wolf curled silently at my feet, staring at that single point of red light in the darkness.
08:41Mom, if you'd just stepped closer, if you'd just touched my hand, you'd know I was ice
08:46cold.
08:47But you didn't.
08:48You believed the choker, not the daughter you carried for nine months.
08:52That night, a rat crawled out of my empty cabinet.
08:55I used to scream whenever I saw rats.
08:57But now, I just floated by the ceiling, watching it scurry across my dead body.
09:02The rat bit into my toe.
09:04I didn't feel anything.
09:05My wolf charged at it anyway, and passed right through, landing on the other side.
09:11She turned back to look at me, confused, lost.
09:14I pulled her close and buried my face in the fur of her back.
09:18It's okay.
09:19You can't feel it anymore.
09:21It'll be over soon.
09:23She let out one low growl, then went still against me.
09:27Finally, no more pain for either of us.
09:30The next morning, sunlight streamed through the window.
09:33No warmth reached my body.
09:35In the kitchen, I could hear mom making breakfast.
09:38The smell of roasted meat crept under my door.
09:41My favorite.
09:42But mom always said liars don't deserve meat.
09:45So I only ever got steamed vegetables.
09:48She was clanging the pots extra loud on purpose, trying to tempt me out.
09:52Trying to make me give in and apologize for things I never did.
09:56In the old days, I might have caved.
09:58I might have confessed to anything for one bite of roasted meat.
10:02But I don't need food anymore.
10:04Stella still hasn't come out yet?
10:06Dad asked, reading the pack notices.
10:09She is so stubborn.
10:10She can eat or not.
10:12I don't care.
10:15Emma walked to my door and made a big show of sniffing the air.
10:18Then she screamed dramatically.
10:22Mom!
10:22Stella's room smells like poop!
10:24Did she poop in there?
10:26I floated by the door, watching my sister with a bitter smile.
10:30My wolf sat beside me, ears flat, eyes low.
10:34The hearth was burning hot.
10:37After just one night, my body started to rot.
10:40Mom stormed over, pounding on the door.
10:43Stella!
10:44Who does that?
10:46The toilet is right there!
10:47Did you shit on the floor to spite me?
10:49I remembered being six.
10:52I had food poisoning.
10:54Couldn't make it to the toilet in time.
10:56Mom didn't help me clean up.
10:58She made me stand outside, pointed at me, and told the neighbors.
11:01Look at this!
11:03She's such a mess!
11:04She can't even use the toilet herself!
11:07Now she thought I was dirty again.
11:08Leave her.
11:09Let her sit in her own stink.
11:12But Dad stood up, frowning.
11:14That smells really bad.
11:16I should check.
11:16Could it be a dead rat or something?
11:20My heart, if I still had one, leapt.
11:23Dad, please, open the door!
11:25I'm right here!
11:27Just turn the handle and you'll see I'm not moving!
11:30I waved my transparent arms frantically.
11:33My wolf ran straight to my bedroom door, willing Dad to open it.
11:37Dad's hand touched the door handle.
11:40His hand froze.
11:41Someone was pounding at the front door.
11:42A pack elder.
11:43Urgent business.
11:44Dad's face went pale.
11:45He grabbed his cloak.
11:47The border.
11:48There's an emergency.
11:49He was already out the door.
11:51I froze.
11:52So close.
11:53One second away.
11:54If that knock had come one second later, I would have been found.
11:58Maybe then, I wouldn't have rotted alone.
12:00That afternoon, Mom took Emma to the pack market.
12:03The house was empty except for my corpse.
12:05When they came back that evening, loaded down with food and gifts from the market, the smell
12:09had gotten worse.
12:10Mom gagged the second she walked in.
12:12Stella, are you trying to turn this place into a den of inequity?
12:16She didn't even open my door.
12:18Just grabbed cloth strips and sealed the gap at the bottom.
12:21If you want to stay in there and make disgusting stew zoos, don't stink up my house.
12:25She patted her hands together, satisfied.
12:27Then went to prepare dinner.
12:29I stared at that sealed door.
12:30My wolf pressed her nose against it and whimpered once.
12:33So that's it.
12:34I'm worth less than a venison dinner.
12:36By day three, even the cloth strips couldn't contain the smell.
12:39Mom was arranging fresh wildflowers, trying to cover it up.
12:42But the stench of death is unmistakable.
12:45Sweet.
12:46Rotten.
12:46Oily.
12:47She cut a rose stem too hard.
12:49A thorn pierced her hand.
12:50She snapped.
12:51In her mind, I was doing this on purpose.
12:54Not bathing.
12:55Poop on the floor.
12:56Hiding dead rats in my room.
12:57All to piss her off.
12:59All to defy her authority as Luna.
13:01Stella!
13:02She grabbed a rolling pin from the kitchen.
13:04Stormed toward my room.
13:06I'm done with you, you disgusting little brat.
13:09Time you learned what real pain feels like.
13:11I floated in front of her, waving my arms desperately.
13:15Don't come in, Mom!
13:17Please!
13:18Please!
13:20Even though she never loved me, I didn't want her to see me like that.
13:23But she walked right through me.
13:25Ripped the cloth strips off.
13:26Jammed the spare key into the lock.
13:29The door flew open.
13:30The smell hit her like a wall.
13:31She stumbled back, retching.
13:33Stella!
13:34What are you doing?
13:35She saw me.
13:36Still slumped over the desk.
13:38Back turned.
13:39Not moving.
13:40To her, this was the ultimate rebellion.
13:42I'm talking to you!
13:44She marched over.
13:45Raised the rolling pin.
13:46But stopped.
13:47She wanted to see my face first.
13:50Wanted to see my...
13:51Get up!
13:52She grabbed the back of my shirt.
13:53Grabbed my skin.
13:54The moment she touched me, she froze.
13:56Through the thin fabric, her hand didn't feel warm flesh.
14:00She felt cold, hard, dead meat.
14:02The kind of cold that seeps into your bones.
14:05What?
14:06But momentum carried her forward.
14:08She yanked.
14:08Crash.
14:09My body, stiff as a board, toppled backward, taking the chair with it.
14:13And there was my face.
14:15Blue-black.
14:15Eyes bulging.
14:16Features twisted in agony.
14:18Dried foam and blood crusted around my mouth.
14:20Around my blackened neck, the Verity choker hung lifeless.
14:24The gem dark.
14:25No red.
14:26No green.
14:27Just silence.
14:28My journal slid off the desk.
14:30Fell open at Mom's feet.
14:32The last page stared up at her.
14:34Mom, my stomach really hurts.
14:36The choker is wrong.
14:37I'm not lying.
14:38Please don't punish me.
14:40Mom screamed.
14:41Not a wolf's howl.
14:42A raw, guttural shriek that tore through her throat.
14:46She stumbled backward, slammed into the bookshelf.
14:49The clay pot shattered.
14:51But she didn't seem to feel the pain.
14:53She just stared at me, eyes wide, unblinking.
14:58No.
14:59No, no, no.
15:00This is not real.
15:02Stella, get up.
15:03Stella, get up.
15:04Stella, please, get up.
15:04I'm not mad anymore.
15:06Stop scaring me.
15:08Scare me again.
15:09Her hand reached out, trembling, to touch my arm.
15:12The second her skin made contact with my corpse,
15:15she recoiled like she'd been burned.
15:17That cold was too real.
15:20Lisa from next door heard the screaming
15:21and went straight to the pack healer.
15:24When she saw what was in my room,
15:25she collapsed in the gate.
15:27Within the hour, heavy boots on the floorboards.
15:30The pack healer and a handful of pack warriors
15:32crowding the entrance.
15:34Mom sat on the floor, a warrior's hand on her shoulder.
15:37She's speaking it.
15:39She's always lying.
15:42It doesn't lie.
15:44I'm just teaching her.
15:45No one responded.
15:46They all looked at her like she was a monster.
15:49The pack healer crouched next to my body.
15:51He muttered under his breath.
15:53Severe malnutrition, organ failure.
15:56This puppy has been starved for at least a month.
15:59He carefully tried to remove the Verity choker,
16:02but it had fused.
16:04Years of tightening had pressed the leather
16:06deep into the skin of my neck.
16:08Damn it.
16:09He had to use tools to pry it off.
16:11Even dead, my soul flinched.
16:13My wolf lifted her head and...
16:17Long, raw, desperate.
16:20The kind of howl that should have shaken the walls.
16:23No one heard it.
16:24No one flinched.
16:25We were already dead.
16:27A warrior picked up my journal, started reading.
16:30His face went from neutral to horrified.
16:33Mom's eyes locked onto that book.
16:35That's her confession.
16:37She admits she lied.
16:38Look, she wrote it herself.
16:42The warrior pushed her back,
16:44wrapped the journal in cloth, and took it.
16:47We'll report it to the council.
16:49That's when dad got home.
16:50He saw the pack healer and the pack warriors
16:53crowding the doorway.
16:54Saw the body wrap being carried out.
16:57Saw the long cord that sealed away my entire life.
17:01His legs gave out.
17:03He collapsed on the doorstep.
17:05Emma stood nearby, sobbing in confusion.
17:08She pointed at the discolored Verity choker on the table.
17:11Why does Stella have a black collar?
17:13And I have a green one.
17:15See?
17:16She held up her neck.
17:17The gem blinked its steady green.
17:20It was grotesque.
17:22The council elders arrived before dawn.
17:25Mom straightened when she saw them.
17:26Even now, even with my body three days cold and rotting,
17:31her luna instincts kicked in.
17:33She lifted her chin, squared her shoulders.
17:36It didn't work today.
17:37They started questioning Mom in the living room.
17:40Mom grabbed the Verity choker off the table like it was a lifeline.
17:43Test it!
17:45That choker proved she was lying.
17:48Red gem means lie.
17:50I never abused her!
17:52The choker told me!
17:54I was just educating her!
17:57The council elders looked at her like she'd lost her mind.
18:01The pup shows signs of extreme malnutrition.
18:05Months of starvation.
18:07Aphelion, multiple old injuries consistent with prolonged.
18:11That's dis-discipline!
18:12That's teaching her to be honest!
18:15Then, she did something insane.
18:18You don't believe me?
18:19Fine.
18:21I'll wear it.
18:24Watch.
18:25It'll be green.
18:26The leather pressed against her skin.
18:29Cold.
18:30Sticky.
18:30That was my blood.
18:32She took a deep breath.
18:33Tried to calm herself.
18:35She needed to prove she was innocent.
18:37Needed to prove her way of raising an alpha heir was right.
18:41She held up the gem, eyes wild.
18:44Listen.
18:44I'm Rachel.
18:46I'm Stella's mother.
18:48This is the truth.
18:49The absolute truth.
18:51The gem flashed red.
18:53Mom's confident expression shattered.
18:57I said truth.
18:59I am Rachel.
19:01I never abused her.
19:03I did it for her own good.
19:06I love her.
19:08And suddenly, she remembered.
19:11Me.
19:11Ten years old.
19:13Gasping as the choker tightened around my throat.
19:16Biting my lip so I wouldn't make a sound.
19:18Is this what it felt like?
19:21Why is it red?
19:22I am telling the truth.
19:24Turn green.
19:25You're broken.
19:26You're setting me up.
19:27But the gem kept flashing.
19:29Like it was mocking her.
19:31You're a liar.
19:32You're a liar.
19:33You're a liar.
19:35Enough.
19:36This is just a bloodstone.
19:39I've seen it before.
19:40It changes color with body heat.
19:43Fear.
19:44Pain.
19:44Anything that makes your heart race.
19:47Temperature rises.
19:48It burns red.
19:49That's all it does.
19:51No witch magic.
19:53Never was.
19:54Think about your daughter.
19:56Ruptured appendix.
19:57Organ failure.
19:59The pain must have been unbearable.
20:01She was terrified.
20:03And what did you see?
20:04A red gem.
20:05So you punished her more.
20:08Which made her more scared.
20:10Which made her temperature rise.
20:13Which made the stone turn redder.
20:17You are Luna.
20:19You are supposed to protect every wolf in this pack.
20:23You couldn't even protect your own daughter.
20:25You ignored her cries for help.
20:28You starved your daughter to death.
20:30Mom's world collapsed.
20:33She sat there.
20:34Staring at the flashing gem on her own net.
20:36And finally understood.
20:38For ten years.
20:39Every red light wasn't because I was lying.
20:42It was because I was scared.
20:44Scared of her anger.
20:46Scared of being misunderstood.
20:49Scared of eating food that made me sick.
20:51I was in pain.
20:53Pain that made my heart race and cold sweat pour down my face.
20:57I was desperate.
20:59Desperate for a hug.
21:00For her to hold me the way she held Emma.
21:03Every signal from my frightened heart she had interpreted as proof of my lies.
21:08No! Get it off!
21:14I'm not lying! I'm not!
21:16She tried to shift.
21:17Fur rippling across her skin.
21:19Bones cracking.
21:20But the leather cinched harder around her throat the moment her neck began to change.
21:25She snapped back into human form.
21:28Gasping.
21:29I can't get it off!
21:31Stella, take it back!
21:33I'm sorry!
21:34It's all my fault!
21:36This little bit of choking and she was already breaking.
21:40Mom, I suffered for ten years.
21:44The council elders needed evidence for judgment.
21:47So they opened my journal in front of my parents.
21:50February 14th.
21:52Sunny.
21:53Mom put celery on my plate.
21:55I'm allergic.
21:56My throat swells.
21:57I can't breathe.
21:58I said I can't eat it.
22:00But because I was scared of making her angry, my body ran hot.
22:04The gem flashed red.
22:06The choker tightened.
22:08Mom said I was picky.
22:10Lying.
22:11Made me eat the whole plate.
22:13That night, I threw up blood.
22:15My throat felt like it was on fire.
22:17I shifted to ease my pain.
22:19Mom saw it and said I'd snuck berry juice.
22:22That I was faking.
22:24The choker tightened for ten more minutes.
22:28Mom's hand flew to her mouth.
22:30She was shaking violently.
22:32She remembered that.
22:33She really did think it was berry juice.
22:37She didn't even look closely.
22:39Just turned away to read Emma a bedtime story.
22:42That was blood.
22:43From a swollen, torn throat.
22:46June 1st.
22:47Pup's day.
22:48Emma shredded Mom's ceremonial cloak.
22:51Emma's heart is always calm.
22:53Her gem stays green.
22:55I tried to explain, but I was scared of being hit.
22:59My body ran hot.
23:00Red gem.
23:02Choker tightened for ten minutes.
23:04It hurt so bad.
23:06But I didn't cry.
23:07Because crying makes your body run hotter.
23:10And Mom thinks that means you're not sorry.
23:12So, I held my breath.
23:15Pretended it didn't hurt.
23:16Mom said,
23:18See?
23:18She doesn't even blink.
23:20She's definitely faking it.
23:22Dad couldn't take it anymore.
23:23This man, who had always put the pack before his own family,
23:27chose duty over his daughter for ten years.
23:30You monster!
23:32What did you do?
23:34That was your daughter!
23:36You treated her like a stray!
23:38Blood at the corner of her mouth.
23:40Not my fault.
23:41Not my fault.
23:42It's her.
23:43It's Emma.
23:45Emma's gem was always green.
23:47Emma was the good one.
23:48If it wasn't for that green light making me trust her,
23:51I wouldn't have believed the red light so much.
23:54This is Emma's fault.
23:56That little princess everyone had protected.
23:58One of the council elders walked over.
24:00Gently removed the green Verity Choker from her neck.
24:04Took out a blade.
24:05Pried the gem loose right there.
24:08It rolled onto the table, still glowing green.
24:11Steady.
24:12Unchanged.
24:13The elder picked up the stone.
24:15A glowstone.
24:17That is all.
24:18Your younger daughter's choker was always going to shine green.
24:22No matter what she said, did, or lied about,
24:26it would never change.
24:27Your so-called Verity Choker was a fraud.
24:32That was her truth for ten years.
24:35That was the evidence she used to convict me.
24:37A common glowstone that put me in hell while Emma lived in paradise.
24:42So I wasn't a liar.
24:44I laughed.
24:45Laughed until I cried.
24:47Turns out, ghosts could cry too.
24:49The elder turned to the last page of the journal.
24:52His voice broke.
24:53The handwriting was a mess, clearly written while dying.
24:56Mom, if I die, will the choker stop glowing red?
25:00Or if it turns green, will you hug me then?
25:03I'm not lying.
25:04I couldn't heal myself anymore.
25:06My stomach hurts so much.
25:08Like knives.
25:10Next life, please don't make me wear the choker.
25:13Please.
25:14I just want to be a normal pup.
25:16I want to eat mom's roasted meat.
25:18Mom stared at the broken glowstone on the table.
25:21That truth magic she trusted without question?
25:23A worthless stone.
25:25Because of that stone, she spoiled Emma for ten years.
25:29Because of that cursed red light, she tortured me for ten years.
25:37Mom started laughing.
25:39Her voice cracking in every sound.
25:41Worse than crying.
25:43Fake!
25:44All fake!
25:44All fake!
25:47I killed my most honest pup.
25:50And I worshipped a liar.
25:53She'd lost her mind.
25:55For real this time.
25:56My death became the talk of the entire pack.
25:59Lisa, the neighbor who had sent for the pack healer, told everyone what she'd seen.
26:04Every wolf knew by morning.
26:06Luna had starved her own daughter to death.
26:09Monster!
26:11Murderer!
26:12She doesn't deserve to be Luna!
26:15Stones flew at our door.
26:16The word killer carved into the wall.
26:19The council convened within the day.
26:21The verdict was swift.
26:23Dad lost his alpha title.
26:26No wolf would follow him now.
26:27My grandfather, the former alpha, read out the judgment himself.
26:32He didn't look at his son once.
26:34Dad walked out of the council hall and never looked back.
26:37He took Emma and left the pack that same night.
26:41Emma was a bad seed, sure.
26:43But she was still his blood.
26:45Before they left, Emma tried to take her green choker.
26:48Dad stomped on it.
26:50Why the hell would you want that piece of trash?
26:52Emma cried as he dragged her away.
26:55Mom got out of the dungeon.
26:56The healer said she had lost her mind.
26:59The council locked her in the home instead.
27:01The one that still smelled like death.
27:03Her mental state deteriorated fast.
27:06She refused to take off the red choker.
27:09She would tighten it herself whenever the guilt got too heavy.
27:12She said choking was the only thing that eased it.
27:15It was her self-imposed punishment.
27:17I floated in the darkness.
27:19My wolf curled beside me, watching her unravel day after day.
27:23She'd talk to the empty corner where I used to stand.
27:25Stella, I brought you some food.
27:27No celery today.
27:29It's all roast.
27:31Just how you like it.
27:33But there was no food.
27:34There was nothing.
27:35Just her hands, cupped around air.
27:38She'd pretend to set a plate down.
27:40Her hands shook.
27:41The gem flashed red.
27:43She was anxious.
27:44Guilty.
27:45Falling apart.
27:46She smiled, but her eyes were empty.
27:48The gem is red.
27:50Mom is lying.
27:52Liars don't deserve food.
27:54She pulled the choker tight with her own hands.
27:56Let it choke her.
27:58Her body convulsed against the cold floor.
28:00It hurts so much.
28:02Is this how Stella felt?
28:05I'm sorry.
28:06Mom started reenacting my diary entries.
28:08I couldn't eat celery because of my allergy.
28:13So she forced herself to eat spoiled food until she vomited blood, then swallowed it back down.
28:19I was locked in isolation.
28:21So she locked herself in my old room, lights off, and bowed to my portrait until her forehead
28:27bled.
28:28Over and over.
28:30Blood on the floor.
28:32Late at night, she'd see the red glow of the bloodstone reflected on the wall.
28:36To her, it looked like my bloody eyes were watching.
28:40She kept punishing herself.
28:42The wounds healed slower and slower.
28:45Her wolf, exhausted by months of self-torture, slowly fell into a deep sleep.
28:50Mom didn't care.
28:52She scrawled on the back of my journal.
28:54I'm sorry.
28:55I was wrong.
28:56Red means pain.
28:58Red means love.
28:59Please come back and say it hurts hurts one more time.
29:03I'll save you.
29:04I promise.
29:05Too bad I'm dead.
29:06Dead wolves can't cry for help.
29:09Eventually, the new alpha intervened.
29:11Mom's self-harm had gone too far.
29:14She'd nearly choked herself to death with her own hands.
29:17He ordered her to move to a small hut at the far edge of the village, locked from the
29:22outside.
29:23Someone posted to watch her day and night.
29:25She was the strangest woman they'd ever seen.
29:27Nobody knew where she'd found it.
29:30A frayed red cord tied around her own neck.
29:33Her homemade choker.
29:35If anyone tried to remove it, she'd snap at them.
29:38Teeth bared, snarling, wild-eyed.
29:41Don't touch me.
29:44Don't touch me.
29:44Stella's watching.
29:45She'll be angry if you take it.
29:48Every time the guard called her name and brought her food, Mom would grab the red cord and pull
29:53it tight against her own throat, convulsing, screaming.
29:57Red light!
29:58Red light!
29:59Don't punish!
30:00Punish me!
30:01I'll eat!
30:02I'll eat!
30:03Even if the food was scalding hot, she'd gulp it down, burning her throat.
30:08Wouldn't spit it out.
30:10She was reenacting my final moments, living my hell on repeat.
30:14Years later, Emma grew up, without guidance and with a trail of shame behind her.
30:19She drifted from pack to pack, stealing to survive.
30:23No one would take her in.
30:25When she ran out of options, she remembered.
30:28Mom was still alive.
30:30She slipped back into the Silverman pack under the cover of night.
30:33Not for love, for money.
30:36Hey, crazy lady!
30:38Dad's dead.
30:39Give me whatever you've been hiding.
30:41Emma stood there, face hard, eyes full of contempt.
30:45She looked at Mom's hollow, broken form and spat on the floor.
30:50It's disgusting.
30:52Give me what I want, or I'll send you to meet your daughter.
30:56For a moment, Mom's cloudy eyes cleared.
30:59She looked at Emma, and suddenly remembered.
31:02That choker.
31:03That always green glowstone.
31:05That decade of deception.
31:08It's you!
31:09You lie!
31:10You're the green light that wasn't there!
31:12You killed Stella!
31:14Give her back to me!
31:16Give her back to me!
31:17The last shred of maternal love twisted into something feral.
31:22Mom lunged, grabbed Emma by the throat.
31:25Should have died!
31:27Not her!
31:29You!
31:31Emma thrashed, but couldn't break free from a madwoman's grip.
31:35The guards rushed in, pulled her off.
31:38Emma stumbled out of the hut, terrified.
31:40They're all insane!
31:42She bolted into the forest.
31:44She didn't get far.
31:46Rogues.
31:47The kind that haunted the borderlands.
31:49Preying on anyone foolish enough to run through the trees alone at night.
31:53Emma never saw them coming.
31:55By the time she did, it was too late.
31:58She survived.
31:59Barely.
32:00Both legs shattered beyond repair.
32:02She'd never walk again.
32:04Meanwhile, Mom was strapped to her cot, staring at the ceiling.
32:08Tears streaming.
32:09In her dreams, she finally saw me.
32:12I was ten again.
32:14No choker.
32:15White dress.
32:16Smiling.
32:17Mom!
32:18She reached for me, crying with joy.
32:21Stella!
32:22But the moment her hands touched me, I burst into ash.
32:26No!
32:27She woke up screaming.
32:29If she'd been wearing that choker, it would have been blood red.
32:33Eternal torment.
32:34I stood in the void, watching it all.
32:37Mom strapped to her bed.
32:38Emma in a wheelchair, begging on the market.
32:41Dad, drunk and dead in some gutter.
32:44I felt nothing.
32:45No satisfaction.
32:47Just a flat, dead calm.
32:49My wolf padded over quietly.
32:51She didn't howl.
32:53Didn't nudge.
32:54Just pressed her head against my hand and held it there.
32:56In the distance, a door of light appeared.
32:59Soft.
33:00Steady.
33:01Waiting.
33:02I looked at my wolf.
33:03She looked at me.
33:05Yeah.
33:05Time to leave.
33:06This life was too bitter.
33:08Nothing worth holding onto.
33:09I floated to mom's hut one final time.
33:12She looked ancient.
33:14Hair completely white.
33:15Frail as paper.
33:16She sensed something.
33:17Her cloudy eyes focused on a point in the air, right where I stood.
33:21Stella?
33:22Is that you?
33:22Her trembling hand reached into the emptiness.
33:25Mom destroyed the choker.
33:27I don't believe in it anymore.
33:28Come back, please.
33:29I'll cook for you.
33:31No salary.
33:31I'll buy you new dresses.
33:33Not Emma.
33:33Tears rolled down her face.
33:35I looked at the red marks on her neck from the frayed cord.
33:38I...
33:39I reached out.
33:40My cold, ghostly finger touched her forehead.
33:43This was my final mercy.
33:45Sleep, mom.
33:46In sleep, there's no pain.
33:48Her eyes fluttered shut.
33:49She slumped into a deep, dreamless rest.
33:52A breeze blew through the hut.
33:54The old journal on her cot flipped open.
33:56The last page, my dying words, stared up at the ceiling.
34:00But below it, in shaky handwriting, were new lines.
34:03Written by mom during a lucid moment.
34:05Next life, let me wear the choker.
34:07Let me be the liar.
34:09Punish me however you want.
34:10Just don't leave me.
34:11I stared at those words.
34:13Felt nothing.
34:14Too late.
34:15Repentance means nothing to the dead.
34:17Mom, I don't hate you anymore.
34:20But I don't love you either.
34:21Let's not meet again.
34:22I turned away.
34:23My wolf was waiting.
34:24In the distance, the door of light still glowed.
34:27Soft, steady, patient.
34:29I looked at my neck.
34:30The phantom Verity choker.
34:32Still there.
34:33Even in spirit form.
34:34The nightmare that had changed me for a lifetime.
34:37I grabbed it.
34:37It shattered into nothing.
34:39I felt weightless.
34:40Free.
34:41No red light.
34:42No hunger.
34:42No lies.
34:43Just freedom.
34:44My wolf pressed against my side.
34:46Together, we walked toward the light.
34:48I didn't look back.
34:49Morning came.
34:50A guard pushed open the door.
34:52Rachel, time to eat.
34:53No response.
34:54She walked closer.
34:55Mom's hand clutched the torn journal.
34:57A single tear crystallized at the corner of her eye.
35:00She crouched beside her.
35:01Held two fingers beneath her nose.
35:03Nothing.
35:04She was gone.
35:05Passing through the door wasn't violent.
35:07No spinning.
35:08No chaos.
35:09Just warmth.
35:10Like sinking into a spring stream.
35:12I looked to my side.
35:13My wolf was gone.
35:14I didn't panic.
35:15I pressed my hand to my chest.
35:17And there she was.
35:18Steady.
35:19Warm.
35:20Then I heard her voice.
35:21Not a whimper.
35:22Not a whine.
35:23Clear and bright and full of life.
35:25Like the first time we met.
35:26Run.
35:27I shifted.
35:28Four paws hit the ground and I ran.
35:30Through forests that smelled of pine and rain.
35:33Through cold, shallow streams that splashed silver around my legs.
35:37Through meadows I had never seen but somehow knew.
35:39My white fur caught the light.
35:41My paws were sure.
35:43My lungs were full.
35:44My body was strong.
35:46No choker around my throat.
35:48No red light.
35:49No hunger.
35:50The lingering ache in my soul.
35:52The phantom pain of ten years.
35:54Started to fade with every step.
35:56I ran toward brightness.
35:58Behind me, old life dissolved.
36:00Like a worn photograph left out in the rain.
36:02Mom's final tear.
36:04The red glow of the choker.
36:06Blood on the journal pages.
36:07Gone.
36:08I didn't look back.
36:09That ten year nightmare was finally, truly, over.
36:13When I opened my eyes again, I was tiny, wrapped in soft blankets.
36:18Someone was humming.
36:20A woman's voice.
36:22Gentle.
36:23Off-key.
36:24But full of love.
36:25Her fingers brushed my cheek.
36:27The scent of wildflowers.
36:29Not the cold, clinical distance of my old mother.
36:32Not the silence of someone who only touched me to punish.
36:36I blinked up at her.
36:37She had kind eyes.
36:39A soft smile.
36:41She cradled me like I was made of glass.
36:43Grace is awake, honey.
36:45Come quick.
36:47Our daughter just opened her eyes.
36:48A man appeared.
36:50Tall.
36:51A little awkward.
36:52But his face lit up when he saw me.
36:54He touched my tiny hand with one finger.
36:57His voice was deep.
36:58Warm.
37:00Hey, Grace.
37:01I'm your dad.
37:04Grace.
37:05Not Stella.
37:06No weight.
37:07No chains.
37:08No red light.
37:09Just Grace.
37:10A name that meant something light.
37:12Something cherished.
37:13This house was small, but warm.
37:16Full of light.
37:17Cartoon painting on the walls.
37:19Flowers by the window.
37:21Sunlight pouring through the windows, warm on the floor.
37:24I realized fast.
37:26This family was nothing like the last one.
37:29They never forced me to do anything.
37:31There were no chokers.
37:33No red lights.
37:34No punishments for things I hadn't done.
37:36I grew.
37:38Learned to crawl.
37:39To talk.
37:40And when I was three, mom made a stew with celery.
37:43The green stalks in the bowl triggered me.
37:46I flashed back to choking.
37:48Throat swelling.
37:49Vomiting blood.
37:50I stumbled backwards, shaking.
37:53Tears came without permission.
37:55Mom immediately put down her spoon.
37:57Crouched.
37:58Pulled me into a hug.
38:00Grace, what's wrong?
38:01You don't like celery?
38:03I couldn't speak.
38:04Just shook my head, sobbing.
38:06Dad knelt too.
38:07Rubbed my back.
38:09Hey, it's okay.
38:10You don't have to eat it.
38:12Can you tell us why?
38:13Their eyes were patient.
38:15Gentle.
38:16Finally, I choked out.
38:17It hurts my throat.
38:20Makes me bleed.
38:22They didn't say,
38:23The Verity choker doesn't lie.
38:25They didn't accuse me of faking.
38:27They took me to the pack healer immediately.
38:29Turns out, I really do have a celery allergy.
38:33After that, celery never appeared in the house again.
38:36Mom added it to her market list.
38:38Grace's allergies.
38:41She checked every time she shopped.
38:43I lay in her arms that night, smelling wildflowers, and realized, this is what it feels like to be believed.
38:50Love isn't measured by a stone.
38:52It's listening, even when the story sounds impossible.
38:56When I was four, Dad took me to the pack healer for my first health check.
39:00There was a blood draw.
39:01I saw the needle and lost it.
39:03Flashes of the choker tightening around my throat.
39:06Flashes of starvation.
39:08I screamed.
39:09Clung to Dad's leg.
39:11The healer sighed.
39:12I couldn't stop shaking.
39:14Don't punish me.
39:16I'm not lying.
39:17Dad immediately scooped me up.
39:19Sorry, she's not ready.
39:20We'll come back another time.
39:22On the walk home, Dad didn't scold me for being weak.
39:25He just asked gently.
39:27Grace, did someone hurt you before?
39:30I buried my face in his shoulder, tears soaking his shirt.
39:34Mom, choker, red light.
39:37I couldn't explain it clearly, but he listened, nodded.
39:42It's okay.
39:43Dad's here now.
39:45No one's ever hurting you again.
39:47From then on, they took me to the pack healer regularly.
39:50Not for blood draws.
39:52Just to talk.
39:53She has been hurt.
39:54Be patient with her.
39:56My parents never complained.
39:58Never made me feel like a burden.
40:00They bought me a colorful necklace, but never forced me to wear it.
40:03This is just a pretty thing, Grace.
40:05Wear it if you want.
40:06Take it off if you don't.
40:08We'll love you either way.
40:09Slowly, I started to heal.
40:12I could say, I don't like this.
40:14Without fear.
40:15I could say, I'm scared.
40:17I could say, I want that.
40:20I didn't have to worry about my heart racing being proof of a lie.
40:23I started sharing my stories with them.
40:25I cried when I didn't get a toy.
40:28I laughed when I got praise.
40:30I was finally just a pup.
40:32A normal, loved pup.
40:36When I turned seven, I started at the pack school.
40:40There was a girl in my class, Annie Sullivan.
40:42She looked exactly like Emma.
40:45Same eyes, but her hair was shorter.
40:47And she was timid.
40:50Scared.
40:51The first time I saw her, my heart clenched.
40:54Flashbacks.
40:55Emma's smug grin.
40:57The green light mocking me.
40:59I stepped back instinctively.
41:01Annie noticed.
41:02She looked down.
41:04Voice barely a whisper.
41:06I'm Annie.
41:08Do you want to be friends?
41:10Her tone was so careful.
41:11So desperate to please.
41:13Just like I used to be.
41:15I glanced at her neck.
41:16She wore a simple choker with green gem.
41:19My stomach turned.
41:21Later, I found out, Annie's mom was strict too.
41:25Demanded honesty.
41:26Locked her in her room without food when she made mistakes.
41:30One day, Annie accidentally knocked over the teacher's ink pot.
41:33She was trembling.
41:35Too scared to admit it.
41:36I saw her face.
41:38Red-rimmed eyes.
41:39Barely holding back tears.
41:41I remembered myself at that desk.
41:43Writing,
41:43I am a liar.
41:45Over and over.
41:47I walked over.
41:48Took her hand.
41:50Annie, it's okay.
41:52Accidents happen.
41:54Let's tell the teacher together.
41:56She won't be mad.
41:57Annie looked at me, shocked.
41:59But mom says liars are bad wolves?
42:01Being honest isn't about never making mistakes.
42:04It's about owning up when you do.
42:06And even if you tell the truth,
42:08you shouldn't be punished for it.
42:10If the teacher gets angry,
42:11I'll stand with you.
42:13If your mom gets angry,
42:14come to my house.
42:15My parents will help.
42:16I gave her the courage I never had.
42:18She confessed.
42:20The teacher forgave her.
42:21Told her to be more careful next time.
42:23From that day on,
42:25we have been best friends.
42:26I brought Annie home to meet my parents.
42:28She saw how warm they were.
42:30How they didn't yell.
42:31Didn't punish little things.
42:33I told her,
42:34You don't have to make everyone happy.
42:37You're allowed to feel things.
42:40Say things.
42:41One day,
42:42Annie's mom came to pick her up from school.
42:45She saw us together and her face twisted.
42:47She grabbed Annie's hand.
42:49Did you mess up again?
42:51Is Grace covering for you?
42:52Annie immediately looked down.
42:55Silent.
42:56I stepped in front of her.
42:57Looked at the mom in the eye.
42:59Ma'am,
43:00Annie didn't do anything wrong.
43:02She's a good pup.
43:03You shouldn't always assume the worst.
43:08She's scared of you.
43:10The mom froze.
43:11Looked at me.
43:12Then at Annie's tear-filled eyes.
43:14Her expression softened.
43:16That night,
43:17she called my mom.
43:18Thanked her.
43:19Said I'd opened her eyes.
43:20Over time,
43:22Annie's mom got gentler.
43:23Started listening instead of yelling.
43:26And Annie?
43:27She blossomed.
43:28Confident.
43:29Happy.
43:30I watched her laugh freely one day
43:32and felt this warmth in my chest.
43:34I didn't get saved in my last life.
43:36I suffered alone in the dark.
43:38But this time,
43:40I could save someone else.
43:41I could stop another Stella from happening.
43:44Maybe that's the gift my past life gave me.
43:46The ability to see pain.
43:48And to heal it.
43:49When I was 10,
43:50my parents took me to visit Grandma.
43:52There was an old oak tree in her yard.
43:54Its branches spread wide,
43:56casting shade over the whole garden.
43:58I sat beneath it,
43:59watching sunlight filter through the leaves.
44:01My wolf dozed inside me,
44:03warm and content.
44:04Then I saw her.
44:05An old woman.
44:07White hair.
44:07Hunched over a walking stick.
44:09Wearing a faded blue dress.
44:11The second I saw her face,
44:13I froze.
44:13She looked exactly like Rachel.
44:16My old mother.
44:17Grandma noticed me too.
44:19Walked over slowly.
44:20Her eyes were hazy.
44:21But there was something familiar in them.
44:23Something heavy.
44:24What's your name, child?
44:25Grace.
44:26She repeated it softly.
44:28Grace.
44:28That's a beautiful name.
44:29She reached out like she wanted to touch my hair.
44:32Then hesitated.
44:33Pulled back.
44:34Like she was afraid of disturbing something sacred.
44:36My mom came over.
44:38Studied her.
44:38Mom.
44:39This is our daughter.
44:40Grace.
44:40So she was my grandma in this life too.
44:43Over the next few days,
44:44grandma watched me constantly.
44:46Her expression was unreadable.
44:48One morning,
44:49she brought me a bowl of roasted meat.
44:50Grace.
44:51Eat up.
44:52This used to be your favorite.
44:53I stared at the bowl.
44:54In my last life,
44:55I wrote in my dying breath,
44:57I want to eat mom's roasted meat.
44:59And here was grandma,
45:00saying those exact words.
45:02Tears blurred my vision.
45:04This wasn't some distant wish anymore.
45:06It was real.
45:07Right in front of me.
45:08I picked up a piece.
45:09Bit into it.
45:10Tender.
45:11Sweet.
45:12Perfect.
45:12Grandma smiled.
45:14A tired, guilty smile.
45:16That night,
45:16lying in bed with my wolf curled warm inside my chest,
45:20I thought about Rachel's last words.
45:22Next life.
45:23Let me wear the choker.
45:24Let me be the liar.
45:25Punish me however you want.
45:27Just don't leave me.
45:28I thought about her final tear.
45:30The torn journal.
45:31I didn't hate her anymore.
45:33Hating someone is like locking yourself in the past.
45:36Chewing on pain forever.
45:37This life's warmth had already washed away the bitterness.
45:40I just felt sad.
45:41Sad that she only understood too late.
45:44Real love was never about stones or punishment.
45:47We stayed for a month,
45:48then went back home.
45:49Before I left,
45:50she held my hand.
45:51Grace,
45:52live well.
45:53Be happy.
45:54Her voice was soft,
45:55but heavy with meaning.
45:56I nodded.
45:57You too, grandma.
45:58I watched her walk away,
45:59and I felt nothing.
46:01No anger,
46:02no grief.
46:02The grudges of my past life were like fallen leaves,
46:05blown away by the wind.
46:06I wasn't Stella anymore,
46:08the girl locked in the dark,
46:10choking on a lie.
46:11I was Grace Sterling,
46:12surrounded by love,
46:13free.
46:14At 13,
46:15I graduated from PAC school,
46:16got into the best academy in the region.
46:18My parents took me to the lake for a picnic to celebrate.
46:21I stood at the edge of the water,
46:23wind in my hair,
46:24the scent of pine and cold water on my skin.
46:27I stretched out my arms,
46:29feeling the freedom.
46:30For a moment,
46:31I saw her,
46:32my ghost self,
46:33floating,
46:34desperate to hug someone,
46:35but passing right through.
46:37Grace,
46:38what are you thinking?
46:39Dad handed me a drink.
46:40I smiled.
46:41Just,
46:42I'm grateful.
46:42To be alive,
46:43to be with you both.
46:45Mom pulled me into a hug.
46:46Silly girl,
46:47we're the lucky ones.
46:49No one said anything.
46:50We all just shifted at the same time,
46:53like we'd done it a hundred times before.
46:55We ran together through the trees,
46:57through the shallow edge of the lake,
46:58water spraying silver around our paws.
47:01Eventually,
47:02I slowed down,
47:03turned,
47:03and threw myself at them.
47:05We tumbled into the grass together.
47:07Mom nuzzled her head against mine.
47:09Dad licked the top of my head with lazy affection.
47:12I pressed into them both and stayed there,
47:15breathing hard,
47:16warm,
47:17all the way through.
47:18I looked up at the sky through the canopy of trees.
47:20I didn't need to prove I wasn't a liar anymore.
47:23I didn't need to fear a red light.
47:25I could laugh,
47:26cry,
47:27speak freely.
47:28I had parents who loved me,
47:29a best friend,
47:30a healthy body,
47:31a bright future.
47:33This was the life I died wishing for.
47:35That night,
47:36I wrote in my journal,
47:37not the blood-stained confessions of my old life.
47:40This one was full of happiness,
47:42growth,
47:43love.
47:44I wrote,
47:45today,
47:45we ran by the lake.
47:47Mom and dad shifted with me without saying a word.
47:49We tumbled in the grass like pups.
47:51I thought about my past self,
47:53that little girl,
47:54locked in a room,
47:55choking in the dark,
47:57desperate to be loved.
47:58She'd never believe that I could be this happy.
48:00Mom and dad love me.
48:02They taught me that honesty isn't something you punish out of someone.
48:05It's something you grow,
48:07with patience and warmth.
48:09Annie is my best friend now.
48:11She laughs freely.
48:12She speaks without flinching.
48:14Grandma is getting older,
48:16but her eyes are warm when she looks at me.
48:18My wolf grows stronger every day.
48:21With her beside me,
48:22I feel at ease.
48:23I don't hate anyone anymore.
48:24I don't cling to the past.
48:26Those painful memories are like paw prints in the mud,
48:29washed away by rain.
48:31But they taught me to cherish every step forward.
48:34I know my old mom,
48:35sister,
48:36and dad
48:36got what they deserved.
48:37And I finally broke free.
48:40I found real freedom.
48:41I don't want to see them again.
48:43I don't want to relive that life.
48:45I just want to be gray,
48:46simple,
48:47happy,
48:47loved.
48:48The lake was beautiful.
48:50Life was beautiful.
48:51I closed my journal,
48:52looked out the window.
48:54Moonlight shimmered on the water through the trees.
48:56My wolf stirred softly inside my chest.
48:59Warm,
48:59steady.
49:00I smiled.
49:01This life.
49:02I finally became who I wanted to be.
49:04No red light.
49:05No starvation.
49:06No lies.
49:07Just love.
49:08Freedom.
49:09Happiness.
49:10And those scars from my past?
49:11They became part of me.
49:13Proof that I had survived.
49:14Proof that darkness,
49:15no matter how long it lasts,
49:17cannot swallow you whole.
49:19Not if you keep moving toward the light.
49:21The road ahead is long,
49:22but I will walk it with courage,
49:25with joy,
49:26toward something even brighter.
Comments