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