- 3 hours ago
- #werewolf
Against all traditions, she follows her heart to the Alpha of her choice. #Werewolf
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00On my first birthday, Alpha Brune set out all kinds of things for me to pick from as birthday gifts.
00:05Instead, I crawled straight towards six-year-old Alpha Air Cohen and grabbed his crotch.
00:11The hall erupted.
00:12The high priest said we were chosen by the moon goddess as mates.
00:15Everyone believed it, including me.
00:17But no one could have guessed that we would grow up to be bitter enemies.
00:20At 16, Alpha Brune told me it was time to choose a mate.
00:24Before I could speak, Cohen sneered in front of the whole hall.
00:27I'd rather be torn apart by rogues than mate with her.
00:30At the time, I actually thought he was joking.
00:32It wasn't until our mating day that I realized how horribly wrong I was.
00:36On our mating night, he abandoned me.
00:38He never came to my bed.
00:39By morning, I was the silverhoned pack's laughingstock.
00:42After that, he brought others home every night.
00:51He let his lovers boss me around, treating me like the lowest, dirtiest slave.
00:57Numb and broken, I went to him, begging him to break the mating bond.
01:01He refused.
01:02He snatched up a crystal glass and hurled it straight at my face.
01:06It smashed against my forehead, blood pouring down into my eyes.
01:10Consumed by grief and illness, I died alone in the freezing, forgotten dungeons beneath the packhouse.
01:17Then, I opened my eyes.
01:19The chandeliers were bright again.
01:21The hall was loud again.
01:22I was back on the exact day the Alpha was meant to decide my fate.
01:39I parted my lips to speak, but a sudden wave of grief choked me.
01:43My eyes began to burn.
01:45Even facing this a second time, the memory still cut straight through me.
01:49Bloodfang had wanted Silverhorn Land for years.
01:52Last winter, they came for it.
01:54My father and brothers rode north with the pack's best.
01:57Before he left, my father told me to chill the moon wine for their victory feast.
02:01My brothers were loud as ever.
02:03Shoving, laughing, yelling over one another.
02:05At the time, I only thought they were being annoying.
02:07The next time I saw them, they were dead.
02:09Wrapped in torn cloth, laid out on stretchers.
02:12Still.
02:14My mother drowned in grief soon after.
02:16A few months later, she followed them into the grave.
02:19That whole house was wiped clean.
02:21Everyone in that house was gone.
02:22A wolf beside me laughed under her breath.
02:25Oh, come on, Alpha.
02:26Why even ask?
02:27Everyone in Silverhane knows Alera's been obsessed with Cowan for years.
02:31Girl probably whimpered his name into her pillow.
02:33My eyes burned.
02:35But no tears came.
02:36In my last life, I went to him hollowed out.
02:39Begged him to break the mating bond.
02:40He answered by hurling a crystal glass at my face.
02:43It split my forehead open.
02:45He still refused to let me go.
02:47Even while I was dying, Alpha Brun was about to speak again.
02:50I inhaled hard and cut him off.
02:52Alpha.
02:53Cohen and I grew up together.
02:56I have never loved him.
02:57The chamber went dead quiet.
02:59Even Cohen off to one side looked caught off guard.
03:02Is that true?
03:03Alpha Brun narrowed his eyes.
03:04I knew the trap.
03:06If I didn't name a wolf, he would name one for me.
03:08So I lowered my head and gave him one.
03:10Yes, Alpha.
03:11There is someone I want.
03:12Varric.
03:13Alpha Varric of the Nightclaw Pack.
03:15He is the only one I want.
03:19Varric was Alpha Brun's younger brother.
03:21The war hero who helped crush Bloodfath and stabilize the northern packs.
03:26Half the north respected him like a living legend.
03:28Then, one year ago, he collapsed on the road back from the border.
03:32He never woke up.
03:33The pack healers said he might spend the rest of his life in that bed.
03:36But I knew better.
03:38In my last life, he woke in the third year of my marriage.
03:41And when I was at the very end, he was the only one who ever tried to help me.
03:47Elara.
03:48That's too hard a road.
03:50Varric may still be Alpha of Nightclaw in name, but he lies unconscious.
03:54His territory is unstable.
03:56You would be walking into a nest of vipers.
03:59Choose someone here instead.
04:00One of my own men.
04:01Alpha.
04:02I already swore before the altar.
04:04On my family's honor.
04:06In this life, I will mate no one but Alpha Varric.
04:09Please, grant me this.
04:13I bent into a full formal bow.
04:16The room held its breath.
04:17Alpha Brun fell silent.
04:19Then Elder Edmund spoke from the corner shadow.
04:21If the girl is this devoted to Varric, let her have him.
04:26Edmund wasn't just an old man with opinions.
04:28He represented the High Northern Council.
04:30Once he spoke, even Alpha Brun couldn't press much farther.
04:34At last, Brund exhaled.
04:35Very well, Elara.
04:37Varric is my brother.
04:38As both his Alpha and his brother, it falls to me to arrange his mating.
04:42If you are willing, this will be a blessing for him.
04:44And for both our packs.
04:45Your parents are gone.
04:46Luma Sigrid will oversee the preparations.
04:51Thank you, Alpha.
04:53Last time, I chose the wrong man.
04:55I would not make that mistake again.
04:58And Varric.
04:59In my last life, Nightclaw tore itself apart while he lay unconscious.
05:04By the time he woke and clawed his way back to power, his legs were ruined for good.
05:09He once showed me kindness when no one else would.
05:12This time, I would be there when he needed someone most.
05:16If the Moon Goddess gave me one more chance, I wouldn't just help Varric stand.
05:20This time, neither of us would kneel.
05:24A few days later, Luna Sigrid's maid, Mara, summoned me to finalize the mating ceremony.
05:29We had barely reached Luna's residence when Mara stopped short and bowed her head.
05:33Alpha hair.
05:34I looked up, and there he was.
05:36Cohen.
05:37He just stared at me with that familiar, cutting look.
05:39Brows drawn, eyes full of suspicion.
05:42I lowered my head and dipped into a polite kurdi.
05:44Alpha air.
05:45He frowned immediately.
05:47Of course he did.
05:47He was used to a different version of me.
05:50In my last life, I always found out when he'd be visiting Luna.
05:54I'd bake buttercakes myself.
05:56Time everything perfectly.
05:58Pretend our meetings were accidents, all for the chance to place those sweets in his hands.
06:02He never ate them.
06:04He either threw them away or tossed them to the servants.
06:06Then he finally spoke, and the disgust was exactly where I remembered it.
06:10Alara, enough.
06:11You're marrying my uncle, so stop embarrassing yourself and stop chasing me.
06:15This is pathetic, and honestly, you make me sick.
06:18For a second, I almost laughed.
06:20Last time, I kept trying to explain.
06:22It only made him despise me more.
06:24You're mistaken, Alpha hair.
06:25I made myself clear in the council hall.
06:27I have no feelings for you.
06:29Really?
06:30So what now?
06:31You just happen to wander in here, and I'm supposed to believe that?
06:35Luna asked for me.
06:36We're discussing the ceremony.
06:37If you doubt it, ask Mara.
06:40Cohen glanced at her.
06:41Mara nodded.
06:44Varric's half dead.
06:45Marry him, and you'll waste your whole life beside a body that can't even claim you.
06:50You needn't worry.
06:51I chose Alpha Varric long ago.
06:53If I can stay by his side, that's enough for me.
06:56Awake or asleep, I'd still choose him over you.
07:01Luna Sigrid smiled the second she saw me.
07:04A warm smile, a polished voice, but there was calculation under both.
07:08The moment I sat down, her eyes flicked past me.
07:11That's it?
07:12You came alone?
07:13Ashbrook house is empty.
07:15There's no one left to come with me.
07:17Very well.
07:18Let's settle the ceremony.
07:19She spread two parchment sheets across the table.
07:22Two dates.
07:23June 3rd, October 19th.
07:25The second I saw October 19th, my stomach clenched.
07:28That had been the date of my last wedding.
07:30The day I was mated to Cohen.
07:32The elders had called it blessed.
07:34The sky answered with a storm.
07:36Rain tore the ceremony apart.
07:38After that, the pack began whispering that I was cursed.
07:41That I carried ruin in with me.
07:42The council seems to prefer October 19th.
07:45It's an auspicious date.
07:46Why don't we settle on that?
07:48Luna, I appreciate the care.
07:50Still, I would like the ceremony set for June 3rd.
07:53It's already May.
07:55That's very soon.
07:56Wouldn't that be rushed?
07:57I want to reach Alpha Varric as soon as possible.
08:00If the preparations are hurried, I accept that gladly.
08:03That was the exact moment Conan walked in.
08:06He heard every word.
08:07His steps slowed, only for an instant.
08:09But I caught it, and I saw the way his jaw tightened.
08:12Cohen, perfect timing.
08:14Allara wants the ceremony moved up to June 3rd.
08:17I think it's awfully rushed.
08:19Maybe you can talk some sense into her.
08:20She always listened to you when you were children.
08:25She's that desperate to marry my uncle?
08:28Why stop her?
08:29If we drag this out until October, we'll only look cruel.
08:32He meant that to sting.
08:33He wanted me to feel small.
08:35Instead, I lowered into a graceful curti.
08:38Thank you for understanding, Alpha Hare.
08:42You'll come to the mating ceremony on June 3rd, won't you?
08:47He went rutted.
08:49His face flushed with anger so fast it almost made me smile.
08:52For one second, he looked like he wanted to say something vicious.
08:55Instead, he muttered some excuse and left.
08:57I rose to take my leave.
08:59Oh, one more thing, Allara.
09:00I turned back.
09:02Since you have no family left,
09:04someone close to you should escort you to Nightclaw territory on the day of the ceremony.
09:09What about Conan?
09:10No, that won't be necessary.
09:13Elder Stonehill's son, Rainin, is loyal and dependable.
09:16He can escort me.
09:18Hmm.
09:21Very well.
09:22On the walk home, old memories followed me like ghosts.
09:25My grandfather trained Silverhand's young warriors.
09:28Conan and I grew up under the same roofs, on the same training grounds.
09:31As children, we used to slip away into the woods during drills.
09:34Once, deep in the forest, we crossed paths with a crazed bear.
09:38It charged.
09:39I shoved Cohen aside without thinking.
09:42The bear's paw caught me instead.
09:44It broke nearly half the bones in my body.
09:46I spent 15 days in the healing ward.
09:48Cohen cried so hard he could barely breathe.
09:50He clutched my hand and swore he'd spend his life making it up to me.
09:54Back then, I believed him.
09:55In my last life, all he gave me were tears.
09:57The old injury still arced when the weather turned cold.
10:00My eyesight had worsened too.
10:01Shadows blurred.
10:02This life, I was done bleeding for the same wound.
10:05I wasn't his promise anymore.
10:08I was going to Nightclaw.
10:11The wedding day kept creeping closer.
10:14All across Silverhorn, people talked about nothing else.
10:17The alliance.
10:18The ceremony.
10:19Alara leaving for Nightclaw.
10:21Even in the private wing of the stronghold, Cohen couldn't outrun it.
10:25Every servant.
10:26Same cursed name.
10:27It had been scraping at his nerves for days.
10:29He was just about to step out for air when Raynor, Elder Stonehell's son, walked in.
10:35Cohen flicked him a glance.
10:36What?
10:37Alara's heading to Nightclaw soon, right?
10:39Since she doesn't have any family left, Luna wants somebody to lead the escort to Varak's territory.
10:44Cohen's brow tightened at once.
10:45His first thought hit fast.
10:47Of course, Alara must have asked for him.
10:50All that talk about wanting Varak.
10:52Wanting the mating.
10:53A last little trick to get his attention.
10:55He lifted his glass, swirled the drink once, and took a slow sip.
11:01Then send someone.
11:03I don't have time for it.
11:05And I don't care.
11:07Well...
11:08Well, what?
11:09Luna did suggest you first.
11:12But Alara said she didn't want to trouble you.
11:21So, she picked you.
11:23I mean, maybe she just figured you were busy.
11:29I'm not.
11:30I've got nothing to do all day anyway.
11:33Right.
11:33I've got something to do.
11:35I'll go.
11:40Cohen.
11:42About what happened back then.
11:43Alara was innocent.
11:45You know she was.
11:46You've been taking that out on her for years, and it's not right.
11:50And now it's gotten this bad.
11:53You're not happy.
11:54And she...
11:55Rayla.
11:57Aren't you late for something?
11:59Your Majesty.
12:04Cohen rose and walked to the window.
12:06From there, he could just make out the distant silhouette of the old Ashberg house.
12:11His gaze darkened.
12:12At some point, the crystal in his hand had cracked under the force of his grip.
12:18Alara.
12:21Mating day came fast.
12:23Raynor and the others arrived early, waiting in the great hall before sunrise.
12:26When I walked down the staircase in my gown, Raynor forgot himself for a beak.
12:31He just stood there staring, like he'd never seen me before.
12:34He snapped out of it a second later, ears turning red.
12:38Cough, uh...
12:39Ahem.
12:41Alara.
12:43Word slipped out of the healing ward two days ago.
12:46Cohen collapsed.
12:47He's still unconscious.
12:49Alpha Brunn buried the news.
12:51Doesn't want it spreading.
12:52That's why Cohen didn't come.
12:53It has to be...
12:56Rayna.
12:58I don't care about him anymore.
13:00I know you mean well, but some things are over.
13:03And once they're over, you leave them buried.
13:09Today is my wedding day.
13:11Try looking happy.
13:12And next time you see me, don't forget to call me Lady of Nightclaw.
13:18By the time we reached Nightclaw territory, dusk had fallen.
13:22The entrance was packed.
13:23Torches blazed.
13:24Voices rolled through the air.
13:26The whole place was grander than I'd expected.
13:28In the Moonshadow Grove, the High Priest stood atop the Moonstone Altar.
13:32Elders lined both sides in perfect silence.
13:34I wore white satin, a silver veil covered my hair.
13:37And under every eye in that sacred forest, I walked alone toward the statue of the Moon Goddess.
13:42There was no groom waiting for me.
13:44Only Varuk's wolf fang pendant.
13:46My steps never faltered, and my heart stayed steady.
13:48When I reached the altar, the High Priest raised his voice.
13:51Elara Ashberg.
13:53Do you swear, in health or sickness, in waking or in sleep,
13:57to guard, honor, and stand beside Alpha Varuk of the Nightclaw Pack,
14:03as his mate for the rest of your life?
14:06I do.
14:07Then I bit my fingertip.
14:09Let the blood fall onto the wolf fang.
14:11The pendant flashed silver white.
14:13The wolf spirit had accepted the bond.
14:16The contract was sealed.
14:17Nightclaw erupted.
14:18The cheer that tore from the crowd shook the trees themselves,
14:21as though the whole Nightclaw Pack had been waiting for this day for years.
14:25When the cheers finally eased, a young man stepped out from the crowd and dropped to one knee before me.
14:33But his eyes were clear, respectful.
14:36My lady, this way, please.
14:37He rose and guided me through the territory, pointing things out as we walked.
14:41He spoke with easy energy, like he was proud to show me all of it.
14:45At last, he brought me to the Alpha's quarters.
14:48The Alpha is resting inside.
14:50The room was simple.
14:51Varuk lay there asleep.
14:53His face was pale, leaner than it should have been.
14:55But his chest still rose and fell in a slow, steady rhythm.
14:59Alpha Varuk has been unconscious for more than half a year.
15:02He's lost weight, but otherwise he's held up well.
15:05He gets medicine once a day.
15:07In hot weather, we wash him every other day.
15:10I handle all of that.
15:11You don't need to trouble yourself, my lady.
15:14I've had a separate room prepared for you, just across the hall.
15:17That won't be necessary.
15:19Varuk and I are mated now.
15:20Why would we sleep apart?
15:22Starting tonight, I sleep here.
15:25It's late, my lady.
15:26You should rest.
15:27Then he slipped out and closed the door softly behind him.
15:30Later, after I washed and changed into my night ground, I climbed carefully into bed beside Varit.
15:36The candlelight trembled over his face.
15:38He was handsome in a dangerous way, only too pale.
15:41From this close, I could smell the faint herbal scent of his medicine.
15:45I looked at Varit's sleeping face for a long moment.
15:48I'm sorry I married you while you couldn't choose for yourself.
15:51But I swear I'll care for you.
15:54And I'll be a good Luna to your pack.
15:57Then I tucked myself against him.
15:58The medicinal scent should have felt cold and sterile.
16:01Instead, somehow, it made me feel safe.
16:04And I never saw it.
16:05Varit's fingers moved.
16:08Meanwhile, in the Silverhorn Healing Ward's private recovery room,
16:11Coen lay flat on his back, dead to the world.
16:15His eyes stayed shut.
16:17In the dream, he was standing before the High Priest.
16:20I stood beside him.
16:21Not his aunt's chosen bride.
16:23Not Varit's mate.
16:24His Luna.
16:26Rain crashed outside.
16:27His clothes were soaked through.
16:29Everything was cold.
16:30Then he stepped into the bridal chamber and saw me.
16:33Coen just stared.
16:35The storm disappeared.
16:36The cold disappeared.
16:37All he could hear was his own heartbeat.
16:40Louder.
16:41Then he jerked awake.
16:43White curtains.
16:44Sweat-sticked sheets.
16:46His whole body sticky and overheated.
16:48For a few long seconds, he could barely breathe.
16:52Alpha here.
16:53You're awake.
16:54What time is it?
16:56Ninth bell.
16:57Around nine.
16:57Alpha and Luna should be back from Nightclaw by now.
16:59What day is it?
17:02June 3rd, sir.
17:03The day Alpha Vani of Nightclaw took Alara Ashwar as his mate.
17:07Coen went silent so fast he looked carved from stone.
17:10All he saw was me in white, looking up, smiling at someone else.
17:14Something tore inside his chest.
17:16Just a slow, jagged ache spreading under his ribs.
17:22I woke before dawn.
17:23The sky outside was still dark.
17:26Liv came in to brush my hair and stop the second she saw my face.
17:29My lady, did you sleep at all last night?
17:32A full-grown man lying beside me the whole night.
17:34I hadn't slept much.
17:36Help me get ready, Liv.
17:38Is the new Luna awake?
17:44Lady Helga sent me.
17:46She expects the new mate to present herself this morning.
17:49I'd already heard enough about Nightclaw to know exactly who that meant.
17:52Years ago, Varuk's uncle died protecting him during a rogue attack.
17:56Varuk repaid that debt by taking the man's widow and children into his territory.
18:01He gave them power and standing.
18:03So much that now, Helga ran half this pack like it belonged to her.
18:06I had also heard she once wanted her youngest daughter mated to Varuk.
18:10Varuk refused.
18:11And now I was the one in his room.
18:13My lady just woke up.
18:14Why the rush?
18:17Well, of course.
18:18The new mate is Silver Homeborn.
18:20Hand picked by Alpha Brun himself.
18:22I can see why she thinks Lady Helga can wait.
18:24I lifted one hand and stopped her.
18:26Then I smiled at the woman.
18:30What's your name?
18:31Inga.
18:32Lady Helga's personal maid.
18:33Inga.
18:34You can go back and tell Lady Helga this.
18:36After I've washed, dressed, and had breakfast, I will go pay my respects.
18:39She is an elder in this territory.
18:41Respect is due.
18:42But when I go, that will be my decision.
18:44Not hers.
18:45And one more thing.
18:46You're a servant.
18:48You entered without knocking, spoke out of line, and forgot your place in my room.
18:52If Lady Helga can't train her own taff, I don't mind doing it for her.
18:59The color flooded Inga's face.
19:01In the end, she gave the barest excuse for a kurtzel and backed out.
19:04Are we really going to see that woman?
19:07Of course we are.
19:08But we go when I say we go.
19:11That mattered.
19:12If you let people shove you around on day one, they never stopped.
19:16By the time I was dressed, I had brought Liv and Astrid with me and headed outside.
19:21I'm not drunk!
19:23I can still drink three more barrels!
19:26Do you idiots know who I am?
19:29Varric's my cousin!
19:30Until he wakes up, this whole damn territory answers to me!
19:36That's Varric's cousin?
19:39Viggo Frostfield.
19:41He's infamous, my lady.
19:43Drinks too much.
19:44Beds anything that moves.
19:46He missed your mating ceremony yesterday.
19:49Passed out in a brothel.
19:50I stared at the mess in front of me.
19:52Varric?
19:53What exactly had they left festering in your house?
19:56I gave no reaction.
19:57I just climbed into my carriage.
19:59What I didn't notice was Viggo watching me through a gap in the hedges.
20:03The second my face came into view, the drunken fog lifted right out of him.
20:07He rubbed his face hard and grabbed one of the tavern workers.
20:14Who the hell was that?
20:15Couldn't see her clearly, but that carriage belongs to the Alpha's house.
20:19Oh, that must be the new lady of Nightclaw.
20:21The one who came in yesterday.
20:23Varric's new mate?
20:24But Varric's still asleep.
20:26So she's alone.
20:28The thought thrilled him.
20:30A wicked grin stretched from ear to ear.
20:35I timed it carefully.
20:36If I went to greet Luna in Silverhorn late enough, the visit would end right around the time Alpha Brun
20:40finished his council session.
20:41What I hadn't expected was Cohen at the door.
20:44The second he saw me, he stopped short.
20:46Today my hair was braided in a married she-wolf style.
20:49I looked nothing like the girl he used to brush past without seeing.
20:52Something in his expression shifted.
20:54Maybe he was seeing the dream still clinging to me.
20:56The bride in white.
21:00So you're proud of yourself now?
21:02Mating Varric really made your day, huh?
21:05That's not what you got wrong.
21:07You should address me properly.
21:09You call me Lady Alama now.
21:12Or Aunt if you want to get technical.
21:15You don't get to use my name anymore.
21:18It's rude.
21:19Didn't anyone teach you manners, Alpha Hare?
21:23You're enjoying this.
21:27This is the match I asked for.
21:29I got what I wanted.
21:30So yes.
21:31I'm very pleased.
21:33That really should have been obvious.
21:39You're still sick.
21:41Try medicine.
21:42Try rest.
21:43Try staying out of other people's business.
21:46Luna asked for me.
21:47I'll leave you to your coughing.
21:54By the time Alpha Brune joined us later, his mood was excellent.
21:58Apparently the council session had gone unusually well.
22:01The elders were praising the alliance.
22:03Even rival faction heads had agreed for once.
22:05No wonder he was smiling.
22:07Luna asked me to stay for a meal.
22:09I accepted.
22:11By the time I returned to Nightcloth territory, Gale was heading toward the Alpha's chambers with two male servants.
22:17When I spotted him in the corridor.
22:19What are you doing?
22:23He stopped at once.
22:25It's time for Alpha Varric's medicine, my lady.
22:27My gaze dropped to the wooden tray in his hands.
22:29A clay medicine jar sat on it, giving off the same bitter herbal smelt I had noticed on Varden the
22:34night before.
22:36If you'll wait outside, we'll handle it and come right back.
22:40It may take a while.
22:42Feeding him isn't easy in this condition.
22:45I'll come with you.
22:46With us?
22:48I'm his mate now.
22:50Learning how to care for him is part of that.
22:53Let me watch tonight.
22:55From now on, I'll do it.
22:56That hit him harder than I expected.
22:58He couldn't exactly refuse me, so he led me in.
23:01As we walked, he tried to prepare me.
23:03My lady, he can't swallow on his own.
23:06We have to force it down.
23:08Sometimes it goes in, sometimes it comes right back up.
23:11It's not pleasant.
23:13I listened calmly.
23:15He let out the smallest sigh under his breath, probably hoping I wouldn't get disgusted and bolt.
23:19Inside, the two servants lifted Varaby into a half-sitting cessation.
23:23Gale poured some of the dark medicine into a smaller bowl, sat at the bedside, and scooped up half a
23:28spoonful.
23:29He tipped it toward Varrican's lips.
23:31Varrican's mouth stayed closed.
23:32One of the servants had to grip his jaw and force it open.
23:36Only then could Gale get the liquid in.
23:38And even then, most of it slid right back out.
23:40The dark broth ran from the corner of Varric's mouth and soaked into his nightshirt, leaving a wide, ugly stain.
23:47Gale tried again.
23:48Same result.
23:49Half swallowed.
23:50Half wasted.
23:52I watched for a while, then finally turned my head away.
23:55Out of the corner of his eye, Gale saw that and immediately misunderstood.
23:59He probably thought I was horrified, or disgusted, or regretting everything already.
24:04I had no idea what nonsense was running through his head.
24:07I turned away first, then faced him again.
24:10Gale, you're wasting half the bowl.
24:12Give it to me.
24:17Hand me the medicine.
24:18He rose automatically, still looking shell-shocked.
24:22Then, while I sat down at the bedside, he glanced at the servants and cleared his bin's throat.
24:26My lady, should we step outside?
24:30Why?
24:31Aren't you going to feed the Alpha?
24:32He lowered his voice, serious as a priest.
24:36If we stay, you might feel embarrassed.
24:39It wouldn't be proper.
24:42Embarrassed about what, exactly?
24:43Gale scratched the back of his neck.
24:45Then, with complete sincerity...
24:48Weren't you planning to do it mouth-to-mouth?
24:52I just stared at him.
24:54Mouth-to-mouth, heat rushed straight into my face.
24:58Who told you that's how you feed medicine to an unconscious man?
25:02Books.
25:03That's how they do it in all the romance stories.
25:06Those are stories.
25:08Stories are stories.
25:09Medicine is medicine.
25:11Go find me a thin wooden slab.
25:13About this long,
25:14and this wide.
25:16Smooth it down.
25:17Wash it clean.
25:18Gale clearly had no clue where this was going,
25:21but he went.
25:22A few minutes later,
25:23he came back with the wood.
25:25I had the servants prop another pillow behind Verovan's head.
25:28Then I placed one end of the smooth slat inside his mouth.
25:31After that,
25:32I spooned the medicine slowly onto the wood.
25:34The liquid ran down the slat and straight into his throat.
25:38Gale's jaw dropped.
25:39That's it?
25:40It's that easy?
25:45Read fewer novels.
25:47My lady, how did you know that?
25:50My grandfather was a healer,
25:53pouring another careful spoonful.
25:55This is only a makeshift fix.
25:57There's a proper healer's funnel for patients like this.
26:00Much better than a piece of wood.
26:02Gale looked utterly astonished.
26:03By the time we finished the bowl,
26:06Gale turned to refill it.
26:08I looked at Varget's pale face,
26:10and something cold tightened in my chest.
26:12Even a pack alpha could have enemies, couldn't he?
26:15My grandfather knew better.
26:17Any trained healer should have known too.
26:18So why had no one used one here?
26:20Why had half his medicine been wasted every day?
26:22This wasn't carelessness.
26:24Someone wanted Varric weak.
26:35Varric on one side, Helga and her children on the other.
26:38That caught him off guard.
26:40Yes.
26:41The divide started when Alpha Varric brought Lady Helga into Nightclo.
26:44Internal matters, resource assignments, staffing, household operations,
26:48all of that ended up in her hands.
26:50External dealings, trade, contracts, territory accounts,
26:54those stayed under the Alpha.
26:55But after he fell unconscious, I took over what I could.
26:58Poorly, if I'm being honest.
27:01It's been a mess.
27:03Lady Helga has asked more than once to take control of everything.
27:06I refused.
27:07Thank the moon you're here now.
27:09I nodded slowly.
27:11Before I entered Nightclaw, I had no idea the pack was built like this.
27:15But maybe that was a blessing.
27:16If the territory was already split,
27:19then no one held absolute control over me either.
27:21That meant I had room to move.
27:23Room to decide things for myself.
27:26So I told Gail to summon the department heads.
27:29All of them.
27:30Soon enough, they stood before me.
27:32Or around a dozen in total.
27:36I had them state their duties one by one.
27:38By the end, I understood the shape of Nightclaw.
27:41Gail stood right behind my chair,
27:43his massive frame looming like a stone wall.
27:46Split power.
27:47Hidden loyalties.
27:48Too many guarded voices in one room.
27:50This system had been built for some future lady of Nightclin, not me.
27:54Fine.
27:55Fate had given me the seat anyway.
27:58I cleared my throat and looked at all of them.
28:00I was raised and silver-haired.
28:02I won't pretend I know every corner of how Nightclin runs.
28:05But I do know one rule.
28:07Do the job well, and you'll be rewarded.
28:10It's hot today.
28:11You've all been standing in this heat long enough.
28:15After this, go to the dining hall.
28:17Each of you gets a glass of iced honey mint water.
28:20That stunned them into silence.
28:22A few swallowed on reflex.
28:24Their foreheads were already damp from the heat.
28:27And starting today, you'll get it every afternoon until summer ends.
28:30If your teams need something reasonable, tell Liv.
28:33I'll review it.
28:36This time, the thanks came fast.
28:38Louder.
28:39Warmer.
28:40More sincere.
28:40I let them have the moment.
28:42Because I knew exactly what I was doing.
28:44Set the rules first, then offer sweetness.
28:47That was how you got people to work for you willingly.
28:49And once they were on your side, they'd stand by you.
28:52After dealing with the staff, I moved to the territory ledgers.
28:56Gale wasn't lying.
28:58He didn't have a clue what he was doing.
29:00The numbers were a disaster.
29:01The handwriting looked like crawling spiders.
29:04I forced myself to sit there, tracing lines, sorting figures, until the sun finally went down.
29:12Across the estate, in the east wing, Lady Helga slashed her hand onto a heavy harmogony table.
29:17That little bitch!
29:18She didn't even bother showing up!
29:20Relax, mother.
29:21I'll go check on her tonight.
29:23Teach her a little respect.
29:25What are you didn't answer?
29:26Vigor didn't answer.
29:27Because his head was already full of the woman he'd seen from the carriage.
29:31The pale skin, the sharp eyes, the itch in his blood was too strong.
29:36He wasn't going to let that slip away.
29:38You wanted her to come groveling, didn't you?
29:41Don't worry.
29:42I guarantee she'll be at your door bright and early tomorrow.
29:48Later that night, I washed up and got ready for bed.
29:51Liv finished turning down the sheets.
29:53But the second she opened the door to leave, a man laughed from the hallway.
29:57Easy.
29:57It's just me, Viggo Frostbark.
29:59I'm not here to bite.
30:01I frowned immediately.
30:03What the hell was he doing here this late?
30:05What do you want?
30:06Got some urgent business to discuss with my lovely new sister-in-law.
30:10My lady's asleep.
30:11Come back in daylight.
30:12It's an emergency.
30:13Go wake her up.
30:14She sleeps heavy.
30:15She won't wake.
30:16Leave.
30:17Fine.
30:18Tomorrow morning then.
30:19Liv let out a long sigh.
30:23Inside the room, I let out a breath of my own.
30:26I turned back toward the bed.
30:28Then I heard it.
30:29I whipped around just as the heavy glass swang open.
30:32A shadow dropped silently into the room, dot my chest heightened.
30:35You lied to me, Alara.
30:37Before I could even scream, he lunged.
30:39His hand clamped hard over my mouth.
30:42Don't make a sound.
30:43If someone catches us like this, they'll think we're sneaking around.
30:46Alpha's mate or not, that'll be the end of you.
30:49And besides, you really want to waste yourself on a half-dead corpse?
30:53I had learned enough combat for my father and brothers to know how to fight.
30:57But against a fully grown male wolf, I couldn't break his grip.
31:01Viggo's breathing grew rougher as I struggled.
31:03He pressed closer.
31:07Alara, you've never been with a real man, have you?
31:10Let me show you once.
31:12After that, you'll come begging.
31:16Look at him.
31:17He's half a corpse.
31:19You think he knows what room he's in?
31:23He's half-dead.
31:25I drove the heel of my foot down as hard as I could.
31:28Viggo grunted in pain.
31:30So I bolted for the far wall, toward the weapons rack.
31:33I was born of the Ashbrook bloodline.
31:35I was not going to let some drunken rat touch me.
31:38You think you can lift that, Alara?
31:40You're shaking.
31:42Just be a good girl.
31:43Come back to the bed.
31:45We can do it right next to him.
31:48He'll never know.
31:49I grabbed the hulp with both hands and heaved.
31:51My arms trembled under the strain, but I gripped it tight, pointed it straight at Vigrid's chest.
31:57Take one step, and I'll take your hand off.
32:00Viggo was still smiling.
32:02Then, suddenly, his eyes flicked past my shoulder.
32:05His smile vanished.
32:07He stared behind me, backing away in pure, undisguised terror.
32:13Viggo
Comments