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Esp Susurros En La Cama Del Alfa Oscuro
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00:02i was a slave yet every night i had to take luna's place and sleep with the alpha
00:07on the bed i begged him to mark me and make me one of his mates
00:11please make me your wife what are you thinking you're nothing but a slave
00:19i close my eyes every wolf in the pack knows kailyn doesn't just love lady vivian
00:24he worships her so the next morning i walked straight to the pack matriarch
00:29and kneeled before her i volunteered to marry her eldest son kailyn's dying brother
00:34firstly shocked then the pack matriarch's eyes filled with tears
00:38after the ghost marriage is done you'll have to keep widow's ville for your mate forever
00:43my good child have you truly thought this through i will have no regrets alpha kailyn and lady vivian
00:52had gone deathly pale on the full moon night kailyn came to vivian's room again i watched them through
00:57the crack in the door his voice low and honeyed her laugh like silver vivian left to wash up
01:03cheeks ruined with wanting before she went she killed every candle as always an hour later i
01:09stepped into the dark his scent hit me first and my traitorous body answered heart slamming skin
01:16why are you so cold i was outside watching the snow truth is i'd been shivering at the threshold in
01:25a thin slip for an hour waiting for her signal like a good little ghost
01:29you smelled a pause my heart stopped the tincture
01:34so nice
01:36his mouth found mine in the dark his hardness reached my soul
01:47before dawn i knelt at vivian's feet and recited him
01:51every whisper every mark blooming purple on my throat her expression curdled then she walked back into his arms
01:58kailyn caught her hair around one lazy finger
02:01you've been sneaking out to find yourself another wolf
02:04she swatted him pouting prettily as if she were the one
02:07vivian was beautiful and chronically devastatingly fragile
02:11kailyn saw her at the spring hunt gathering
02:14he fell instantly
02:15offered her the first mate rank before the night was over
02:18perfect together everyone said so as her bonded handmaid i was genuinely happy for them
02:24until their bonding night
02:28three nights in a row no completed bond no mating mark
02:32overnight vivian became the pack's favorite joke
02:36desperate vivian invented the switch
02:38every night candles out handmade substitutes
02:41masking tinctures rubbed into my skin until i smelled like her ghost
02:46of all her handmaids only i was a viable double
02:49vivian and i were built from the same blueprint
02:51the same narrow waist the same pale slope of shoulder and throat
02:55side by side in daylight the resemblance was unsettling
02:58in total darkness with the masking tinctures working through my skin
03:02his wolf couldn't tell the difference
03:04what vivian hadn't accounted for i was not fragile
03:08she broke under kailyn's hands i did not
03:11what she couldn't endure i simply survived
03:14body learning the architecture of his need
03:17learning to anticipate it
03:18relax only three years
03:21my body will recover
03:23then i will give you enough gold to live well outside the mansion
03:27think about it
03:28my whole family's safety rested in her hands
03:30i had no choice one hour later vivian and kailyn finally rose
03:35i returned to my quarters briefly then went in to lay out the morning meal
03:42why are you dressed like that i didn't know how to answer
03:45i pressed my lips together kailyn bit hard
03:50darling you've forgotten selena is mute
03:52i nodded quickly serving vivian meant constant proximity to kailyn
03:56and she was terrified of exposure so she declared me mute
04:01the entire pack believed it
04:03your little mute is striking sad almost how pretty she is
04:07and what exactly does my alpha mean by that
04:09has she caught your eye
04:11i haven't blamed you for anything yet and you're already turning on me
04:16kailyn had pushed too far last night
04:18i'd wept myself hoarse
04:20then bitten him hard
04:21he'd walked through silver and hellfire to earn his title
04:25scars mapping him from throat to hip
04:28he wouldn't care about a few teeth marks
04:30this whole performance was foreplay
04:33i don't know how much time passed
04:35you insolent thing
04:37you dared bite him
04:38are you challenging me
04:40i had no time to defend myself
04:42vivian had me bound
04:43dragged to the supply outbuilding
04:45no food
04:46no water
04:47kailyn had left for the border territories
04:49however long he was gone
04:51i stayed locked up
04:52i was barely breathing when my sister found a way through
04:55briar had bribed the guard slipped a bowl of broth under the door
05:00she was my younger sister
05:01sister what did you do to make the lady so angry
05:04briar when will kailyn be back
05:06the guard said it tonight and he's going straight to the lady's room
05:10what else was happening in the mansion
05:12the alpha haired his wolf spirit is fading again
05:14the pack healers say there's nothing left to do
05:16they're preparing the rates
05:17lucian
05:17the elder brother
05:18cursed since birth
05:20fading
05:20never anchored to this world
05:22he's never taken a mate
05:24the matriarch doesn't want him to cross alone
05:26she's looking for someone willing to complete a spirit bond
05:30a spirit bond with a dying alpha heir meant grieving him forever
05:34no high-ranking female would consent
05:36not even the lower-ranked handmaids
05:38at dusk
05:39they released me
05:39i'd be needed that night
05:41selena
05:41i was impulsive
05:43i meant to release you hours ago
05:45but things got away from me
05:46don't hold it against me
05:48of course not my lady
05:49my lady
05:50it has been three years
05:52when will i leave the pack mansion
05:54you want to leave
05:54yes
05:55my body hasn't healed
05:56kailyn still needs you
05:58if you insist on leave
05:59i'll simply use briar instead
06:00your sisters
06:01the voice
06:02the build
06:02close enough
06:03how old is she
06:0413 or 14
06:05then
06:07could kailyn at least give me a rank
06:09reaching for status now
06:12if i wanted kailyn to take a new mate
06:14i have a hundred candidates
06:16you would never make that list
06:18don't bother trying to go through kailyn directly
06:20you're a convenience to him
06:24even if you ended up in his quarters permanently
06:27i could have you removed with a single word
06:31but every unmated female is supposed to be matched eventually
06:35eventually
06:36was i supposed to be her substitute
06:38in bed
06:40for the rest of my life
06:41the gatekeeper's son is your age
06:43when you turn 16 next year i'll arrange the match
06:46the gatekeeper's son
06:47a man with a child's mind
06:50and fists like hammers
06:52hitting because it was the only thing he knew
06:54only by being bound to someone that broken
06:57would i remain useful
06:58and too far gone to threaten her
07:01kailyn returned
07:02to find me kneeling
07:04you're home
07:05you must be exhausted
07:07this girl broke the crystal chalice from the western alliance
07:10i've had her kneeling
07:11kailyn stepped over me
07:13without a glance
07:15what's the status on my brother
07:17i've asked every unmated female in the pack
07:19a spirit bond sounds like a curse to them
07:21none of the young wolves will agree
07:23what's there to agree about
07:24find a female
07:25threaten someone she loves
07:26and it's done
07:27that kind of coercion would be hard to hide from your mother
07:30enough gold and fear
07:32will find a willing body
07:34and if you handle this well
07:37my mother might finally look at you differently
07:41and
07:42every time kailyn came back from the border
07:44he spent the whole night making up for lost time
07:48he was an alpha who'd spent weeks at war
07:50he came home hungry
07:52and he made that hunger my problem
07:55that night i gave him everything
07:58pushed past my own limits to match him
08:00why so eager tonight
08:01did you miss me
08:03i rarely initiated
08:04he noticed
08:06good girl
08:07near dawn
08:09i came back to myself in pieces
08:13trying to run again
08:17my wolf has always been scent sensitive
08:23i've known about your lady's little switch since the beginning
08:26no wonder
08:27he grew bolder every time
08:29which meant he never held back
08:31it was all for me
08:33then why won't you give me a rank
08:35a rank
08:36she's the one who brought you here
08:38i'm not going to be the one to claim her handmaid
08:41that would fracture our bond
08:43she was right
08:43a she-wolf
08:45taken for free
08:46why give her a title
08:47what grows in the dark
08:49stays small
08:51speechless with joy
08:52thank you for your generosities alpha
08:55i'm afraid i don't have the kind of luck to deserve it
08:57you've shared my bed for years
08:59don't get ideas above your station
09:01he didn't like greedy she-wolves
09:03he had others
09:04bonded females
09:06all with bloodlines
09:07gifts from allied packs
09:09and yet since vivian came
09:11he never touched them
09:13the pack praised him for devotion
09:15and he wore that praise
09:17like armor
09:18a handmaid
09:19born to serve
09:20was never meant to stand beside him
09:23the colder i became
09:25i was born low
09:27i don't deserve a rank
09:28and i don't belong in your quarters
09:30i only hope you and the lady are devoted to each other until the end
09:33the next morning
09:34the briar heard of vivian's plan to marry me off to the gatekeeper's son
09:37we served her faithfully
09:38how can she be this cruel
09:41that brute
09:41would be a slow death
09:43the thought lingered
09:45then twisted
09:45into something darker
09:47if i couldn't escape fate
09:48i would choose it
09:50i will take the spirit bond with lucien
09:52the matriarch stared
09:54then broke into astonished relief
09:56she asked my name
09:57my birth date
09:58my bloodline
09:59the pack shaman consulted the moon charts
10:01and looked up
10:02nodding
10:02this female's spirit signature
10:04aligns with the heirs in a way i have not seen in decades
10:08she was born into hardship
10:09which means she carries the kind of resilience that could anchor him
10:13the bond will serve him well in the next life
10:15kaylin and vivian arrived quickly once word spread
10:18they walked in together to find me sitting at the matriarch's feet
10:21working the tension from her ankles
10:23kaylin's voice came first
10:25amused
10:26sharp
10:26this is the female who agreed to bond with my brother
10:29whoever's handmaid she is
10:30she has a rare heart
10:32mother you must reward her well
10:33i turned and faced them
10:35kaylin went very still
10:36it's me
10:37alpha kaylin
10:38lady vivian's
10:42you're supposed to be mute
10:43i can speak
10:44my lady simply prefers i don't
10:47vivian's face turned to chalk
10:48i didn't know your household contained such a loyal soul
10:51but once this bond is sealed you'll carry his grief for the rest of your days
10:55are you certain
10:57i will never regret it
10:58the hand hanging at kaylin's side curled into a fist
11:01he stared at me like i had become something he didn't recognize
11:04child
11:04tell me what you want
11:07silver land titles
11:09anything i can grant is yours
11:11i turned and looked at vivian
11:13she held her smile together
11:14but she took half a step back
11:16after a long pause i dropped my eyes
11:19i have a younger sister
11:20briar i ask that she be transferred to your personal household matriarch
11:23she's already part of this pack
11:25i'll see to her for the rest of her life
11:28vivian's smile pulled thin
11:30mother
11:31briar came with my dowie pack
11:33she's my bonded household i'd hate to be ungenerous
11:35but she's a handmaid
11:37mother wants her
11:38give her over
11:39kaylin's voice cut across hers
11:41flat and final
11:42the matriarch's expression had gone stone cold
11:44bring the bond papers
11:48i will find briar a secure place before i pass
11:52you don't have to worry about her ever again
11:54i hadn't expected the matriarch to think about her entire future
11:58moved beyond words
12:00thank you matriarch
12:02i promise to care for lucian with everything i have
12:05when the matriarch spoke of her eldest son
12:07she couldn't stop the break in her voice
12:09i was pregnant with lucian during the dark coven war
12:14the fear marked him at birth
12:16he came into the world without breath
12:19without a wolf spirit
12:21his father had returned victorious that same night
12:24and brought someone with him from the deep forest
12:26a shaman
12:27the shaman's methods were outside anything the pack had seen
12:31he brought lucian back from the edge of nothing
12:33it should have been a miracle
12:34but the shaman warned them
12:36pulling a spirit back across that threshold
12:38was a transgression against the laws of wolf and moon
12:41lucian could live
12:43but only for 30 years
12:44no more
12:45and so it had been
12:46lucian had grown up slight
12:47unable to shift into warrior form
12:50but razor sharp in mind
12:52a natural strategist
12:53a scholar
12:54he'd won council honors young
12:56but the older he got
12:57the weaker his body became
12:59eventually he stopped leaving his territory altogether
13:02retreating to a lakeside cabin at the edge of the pack mansion
13:05since i had agreed to the spirit bond
13:07i was to remain at his side
13:09word was that he didn't allow anyone to serve him
13:12just the shaman
13:13who had stayed all these years
13:14the shaman brought me into the cabin while lucian was asleep
13:17i looked at his face
13:19his lashes trembled faintly with each shallow breath
13:21he was two years older than kaylin
13:2327
13:24the brothers looked nothing alike
13:26kaylin was bronze and hard edged from years of combat training
13:30lucian was fine boned
13:31pale as snow
13:33almost startlingly beautiful in a way that made you forget to breathe
13:36i spent the afternoon learning his preferences
13:38when the sun touched the horizon
13:40lucian finally woke
13:42it was time for his medicine
13:43i'd spent the afternoon learning to brew it from the shaman
13:46so you're the female who plans to bond with my corpse
13:48yes
13:50get up
13:50he picked up the bowl calmly
13:56i don't want it
13:57what are you going to do about it
13:59lucian looked up
14:00a thread of provocation in his gaze
14:02the shaman had told me lucian was a person of pure instinct
14:05all feeling
14:06no armor
14:07earned honors at 15
14:08and had the makings of something extraordinary ahead of him
14:12then one evening
14:13a hunting trip
14:14with kaylin
14:15ended with lucian falling off the cliff
14:17and drown in the water
14:19his wolf spirit seizing
14:20and three days of unconsciousness
14:22the matriarch had broken every servant in his household for failing him
14:26and sold the rest
14:27lucian didn't treat servants like livestock
14:30he'd read too much
14:31and thought too hard to do that
14:34alpha hair
14:37i genuinely can't force you
14:39but since we're going to be bonded eventually perhaps
14:42i look down at the dark liquid
14:44perhaps i should start exercising a mate's authority now
14:48either you drink this
14:50or
14:52or what
14:53the shaman had told me lucian had refused medicine for six months
14:57that was why he was hovering at the edge of nothing
14:59at this rate
15:00he wouldn't survive to spring
15:16when i looked at him again
15:17vivid color had bloomed across his face
15:20like dawn breaking over frost
15:22those butterfly wing lashes were trembling
15:24with outrage
15:25i thought distantly
15:27of every arrogant she-wolf
15:29kaelin had ever teased into furious helpless blushing
15:32lucian's expression was painfully similar
15:34a prick of guilt moved through me
15:36i forced my own pulse to slow
15:38keeping my voice steady
15:40if you won't drink
15:41i'll be forced to do that again
16:00alpha hair
16:01your color has improved over these past few days
16:03your skin isn't as cold as it was
16:05that's the medicine working
16:06medicine is useless
16:08the shaman works hard to brew it
16:10if you pour it out every time
16:12he'll be heartbroken
16:14watch
16:16testing the temperature alone
16:17takes constant checking
16:18to preserve the potency
16:20i've only been doing it a few days
16:22and my hands already look like this
16:24he pressed his lips together
16:26said nothing
16:26and drank the rest of the bowl
16:28without being asked
16:29after that
16:30he never made me beg him
16:31to drink his medicine again
16:34half a month later
16:36the shaman gave the matriarch
16:38his report
16:38lucian had genuinely improved
16:40no longer at death's edge
16:43could it be a final surge
16:45before the end
16:46no
16:47it's real healing
16:48this one is responsible
16:50i told you before
16:51her wolf spirit signature
16:52is a natural compliment to his
16:54she steadies him
16:56the matriarch looked satisfied
16:58when she turned to me
16:59her eyes were almost tender
17:01how has selena been caring for you
17:07she's been taking very good care of me
17:12alpha lucian may not know
17:14but when selena was serving in my household
17:17her skill at attending to cailin
17:18was quite exceptional as well
17:20such a good servant
17:23the air went very still
17:25is that how you speak to your future sister-in-law
17:29vivian
17:30you are young
17:31but that is no excuse for
17:33ignorance of pack law
17:35shut up
17:36stop embarrassing yourself
17:39days later
17:41did you hear about it
17:42vivian had found another substitute
17:44she looked for a maid again
17:46not from the pack's own hand aids
17:47she'd bought a woman from outside
17:49trained and shaped to match her voice and build exactly
17:51how do you know
17:52because cailin lit every lantern in the room that night
17:54and when he saw what he saw
17:56he beat woman half to death
17:57and threw her at vivian's feet
17:58viviana fainted
17:59and then
18:00he said if she refused to truly share his bed
18:02he would never come to her rooms again
18:04they're sleeping in separate dens now
18:06separate dens meant every wolf in the pack
18:08knew the bond was broken
18:09no mate's devotion
18:11no matriarch's approval
18:13no pups
18:13no wonder vivian looked like she hadn't slept in a month
18:22he looked fragile in the lake wind
18:24unsteadying
18:25i went back to get his cloak
18:32is it you?
18:36was it always you?
18:40answer me
18:41you think you can play mute with me again?
18:49silence won't save you
18:52i don't need your voice to confirm it
18:55one night and i'd know for certain
18:57had he lost his mind?
19:00i spent three years with a woman
19:02and she's going to be bonded to my brother
19:06how dare you make fools of us both
19:08especially me
19:10would a rank at my side really be worse than grieving a dead man forever?
19:14do you actually want a bond with a corpse?
19:19i just want to survive!
19:24if i didn't do this
19:25she'd give me to someone who'd break me
19:29a formal bond
19:30even a broken one
19:31would have made me untouchable
19:34useful to no one
19:37forced to stay her shadow forever
19:39before he could recover
19:41i stomped hard on his foot
19:43and ran
19:43i was still stumbling
19:45when i rounded the corner
19:46what took you so long?
19:50i smiled
19:51walked over
19:53and settled the cloak
19:53around his shoulders
19:54but he simply brushed my hand away
19:56somehow he lost balance
19:57and fell
19:58his chest had a severe bruise
20:00just leave me
20:01i am not your burden
20:06lucian liked to sit there
20:07open a book in the shade
20:09why did you really agree to the spirit bond?
20:12i didn't want to be given to the given to the gatekeeper's son
20:17i thought it would be something like that
20:19what is it to guess that it would be like this?
20:22the shaman pressed a small wooden box into my hands
20:25should i start calling you mate of the alpha?
20:27please don't
20:28my future, most likely
20:30was a silent room in a shrine
20:32grieving him in his name until i followed
20:35with the shaman gone
20:36i took on more responsibility
20:37including helping lucian bathe
20:43i watched his ears
20:44and tried not to smile
20:46had no one ever helped him bathe?
20:48kaylin had always kept
20:49half a dozen female attendants for bathing
20:51a younger version of me
20:53would have died of the blush alone
20:55but i wasn't that innocent girl anymore
20:57there was a phrase i'd found in one of his books
20:59a broken moon
21:00a she-wolf
21:02who'd been claimed and discarded
21:03the text said that's what i was
21:05what strange things are you reading now?
21:10i tucked it behind my back
21:11i'd memorized a passage
21:13and presented it to him like a prize
21:15look at you
21:16impressive
21:17you sound like you're humeering a child
21:21how old are you?
21:22eighteen
21:24i have almost a decade on you
21:26to me
21:27you are a child
21:29the shaman had introduced new compounds
21:31performed old rituals at the edge of firelight
21:34burned offerings
21:36and whispered things i didn't catch
21:38speak a wish
21:40you do it
21:42i want you to be happy
21:44what does that look like?
21:45your body heals
21:46you find a mate who deserves you
21:48a pack of your own
21:50a life that finally goes the way it should have
21:53do you mean that?
21:55our eyes met
21:56i looked away
21:56did i mean it?
21:58it didn't matter
21:58what mattered was
21:59the shaman's ritual apparently worked
22:02because lucian decided he wanted to leave the cabin
22:04i asked him where he wanted to go
22:07he studied me for a long moment
22:08there's a moon festival gathering tonight
22:10i've heard the town lights the whole river
22:12festival fires were always burning somewhere
22:15nothing special
22:16but since coming into vivienne's household
22:18i hadn't been to a single one
22:20the longing had been sitting quietly in me for years
22:22that night
22:23a young noblewoman arrived with her escort
22:26they said
22:26used to getting everything she reached for
22:28in the river of lantern light and moving bodies
22:31she found lucian in seconds
22:33loser buys dinner at the finest inn in the city
22:35what do you say?
22:36and she walked straight up and challenged him to a game of darts
22:39i've forgotten who won
22:40i only remember the brightness in her eyes
22:43lucian turned to look at me
22:45if you'd like to go i'll wait outside
22:47i hadn't behaved like a servant in front of him in a long time
22:51but there were others watching
22:52she didn't wait
22:53she stepped around me cheerfully and reached for lucian's chair
22:56i watched them move into the crowd
22:58and i felt something leave me that i hadn't known was mine to lose
23:01i stood in the cold for a very long time
23:04then i remembered
23:05today was my birthday
23:06she was the regent's only daughter
23:08every door in the wolf world was open to her
23:11when the regent and his mate arrived at the pack mansion
23:13to formally propose the match
23:15the matriarch looked more shaken than pleased
23:18through briar i learned the truth
23:20it wasn't love at first sight
23:21she'd fallen for lucian over a decade ago
23:24back when he was a young scholar with fire in his eyes
23:27and a future everyone could see
23:29she'd been carrying it ever since
23:30refusing every other offer
23:32lucian's potential mating became the pack's entire focus
23:36even the news that kaylin's quartermate had conceived was forgotten
23:39if the match succeeded
23:40the matriarch would have been overjoyed
23:43but lucian was already bound by the spirit bond
23:45to take a living mate
23:46the bond had to be dissolved
23:48and so i knew exactly what i had to do
23:50just as i'd once knelt before the matriarch and volunteered
23:54i came before her again
23:57i'm willing to step aside
23:59i want lucian to have this
24:02i'd had the shaman check their spirit signatures as well
24:05they aligned perfectly
24:06she was born to rank
24:08polished in every art
24:09and her love for lucian had outlasted years of silence
24:13if he died
24:14she would grieve him faithfully
24:15there was nothing more i could offer that she couldn't match
24:18so what do you want in return
24:22money
24:22is it still about status
24:24the matriarch squeezed my hands
24:26and asked what i wanted in return
24:28i pressed the gold i'd saved over two years into her palm
24:31i asked to be released from the pax bond records
24:35i want to be a free wolf
24:38child
24:40you could ask me for so much more
24:42i held the bow and didn't move
24:44tears fell
24:45one by one
24:46onto the stone
24:47take me with you okay
24:50outside the pack paushin
24:51life was uncertain and hard
24:53inside
24:54with the matriarch's protection
24:56you would be safe
24:57stay
24:58serve well
24:59don't make enemies
25:00the rest would come
25:04briar wept
25:05and pressed gold into my hands anyway
25:07on the morning i left
25:09many of the other handmaids came to see me off
25:11the shaman also walked towards me in the crowd
25:14may your ancestors guide your path
25:19padded my shoulder
25:20and then walked towards the crowd
25:24i turned around and walked towards the door
25:26but in the crowd i saw karen also there
25:30kaylin grabbed me to the corner
25:31he caged me against the wall and looked at me like he wanted to devour me
25:36say the word and i'll take you as a formal mate
25:41serve me like you used to and i'll give you rank above the others
25:45i stared at him for a long time
25:53don't look at me like that
25:56what
25:56you think lucian's gonna come running after you
25:59you're deluding yourself
26:02he's probably not even thinking of you
26:04once his body improved he didn't need you anymore
26:07you were useful and now you're spare
26:09and don't expect him to remember you in a year
26:11he didn't even come to see you off
26:13that tells you exactly where you rank to him
26:17something in my chest seized
26:18the truth was lucian and i had been in a cold war for weeks
26:22it had started on the way home from the festival
26:24if i was happy
26:28yes the warmth vanished from lucian's face
26:31happy about the fireworks
26:33no watching you walk with her
26:35you look like you belong together
26:36my wish is starting to work
26:37that made me happy
26:38you see me with another female and that's what makes you happy
26:41she's extraordinary
26:42she might become the pax future first luna
26:44of course i'm happy
26:44selena
26:47i didn't know you could be so heartless
26:49my parents had died years ago in the household where i was born into service
26:53i had no home to return to
26:54i'd planned to head south
26:56find a city where no one knew my name
26:58but the second kaylin's and vivian's faces floated up behind my eyes
27:02i was on my feet
27:04booking passage on the first river ferry south
27:07before i'd finished the thought
27:10property deeds
27:12golds a house a plot of land
27:14somewhere in the south
27:16i tried to remember when the shaman had touched my bag
27:19he'd had his hands on it during the send-off
27:21but where had he gotten it
27:23the ferry listed suddenly
27:24i nearly went over the rail
27:28i scrambled upright
27:29and found boots surrounding me on three sides
27:32then i was bound
27:33carried ashore
27:34and pushed into a carriage
27:37when the blindfold came down
27:44vivian smiling
27:46i couldn't stop the bitter laugh from escaping
27:48briar had been right
27:49for all the years i'd served her
27:51and this was still where we ended up
27:53they brought out women with strong hands to deal with me
27:56the blows were professional and thorough
27:58she'd grown thinner since i last saw her
28:01the delicate elegance that had once made her untouchable
28:04now just made her look breakable
28:06what it didn't do was protect her inside the pack
28:10i used your body as a convenience
28:12and you had the nerve to find your own way out
28:15ungrateful
28:16ungrateful
28:16traitorous
28:17have you forgotten what you swore
28:19loyal service
28:21always
28:22loyal service
28:24she wasn't wrong
28:25but loyalty is a two-way bond
28:27and she had never honored her house
28:29waited for the anger to burn out so i could leave
28:32i overestimated her capacity for mercy
28:34the first day
28:35i knew the hitting
28:36look at me
28:38the second day
28:39she used silver tipped needles on my hand
28:43the third day
28:44she locked me in the holding den beneath the estate
28:46i found my parents remains there
28:48for a moment
28:49just one
28:50i genuinely wanted to stop fighting
28:52the young guard outside pulled me up
28:54before i could follow the thought all the way
28:56delina come back please
28:58you saved me
28:59do i know you
29:00years ago
29:01a bracelet went missing in the ladies rooms
29:04they were going to use me as the culprit
29:06you figured out who really took it
29:08and you bought me enough time to prove it
29:10i kept all my fingers because of you
29:12you're one of the kindest people i've ever known
29:14why is she doing this to you
29:17because i wasn't loyal enough
29:19what's happening at the pack mansion
29:22the alpha haired
29:23is he truly going to bond with the regent's daughter
29:26the matriarch is frantic
29:27the whole bonding is off
29:29the regent's family pulled their daughter out
29:31the night his wolf spirit nearly went dark completely
29:33she agreed to cancel it
29:36she's never been this close to real death before
29:38they say she ran
29:39selene
29:40please stop thinking about them
29:42think about yourself
29:43you have to survive long enough to be rescued
29:45will you let me help you
29:46please help me bury my parents
29:48is there anything else i can do for you after that
29:50i need you to find a small wooden box
29:52you buried my parents
29:54i'll carry that gratitude into whatever comes next
29:57on the fifth evening vivian returned
30:00she examined her nails as if nothing else mattered
30:03i could barely hold my head up
30:05you're still alive
30:07heaven must want you to suffer longer
30:09begging me to stop
30:11don't bother
30:12i wasn't begging
30:14i was cursing her
30:15quietly
30:16steadily
30:17the rope around my neck tightened
30:19i let out a slow breath
30:20finally
30:21a clean ending
30:22it pulled taut
30:23tighter
30:24until the air was gone
30:25then
30:26it went slack
30:27a second cruelty
30:30another method
30:31noise poured in from every direction
30:33someone was calling my name
30:34someone was in the water
30:36selena
30:37selena
30:42i'm sorry
30:44i'm sorry
30:45please don't leave me
30:47i was lifted
30:48carried
30:49fast
30:50too fast
30:51and then i hit a cold chest
30:52and stayed there
30:54whoever held me dropped to their knees
30:56their arms locked around me like i might disappear
31:01lucian
31:02where are you
31:03i am here
31:04i am here
31:06i thought i had lost you
31:07selena
31:08i'm so sorry
31:11i should have found you sooner
31:15lucian brought me back to the lakeside cabin
31:18the shaman had prepared a medicinal bath
31:20something old
31:21something meant for deep wounds
31:22lucian washed me himself
31:24every new injury he found
31:26made the skin around his eyes darken
31:28deeper
31:29redder
31:30in the blur between waking and sleep
31:32i felt like i was drifting
31:34held up by careful hands
31:36in warm water
31:37rocking
31:38gently
31:39the last thing i remembered
31:41was a soft bed rising up to catch me
31:44and my arms closing around it
31:46i slept
31:47for a very long time
31:57where's lucian
31:58he kept watch over you for days
32:00i added something to his tea
32:01he's out
32:02is he having an episode
32:03his wolf spirit
32:04he's been destroying himself since you left
32:07his wolf didn't want to be steady
32:09i couldn't do much
32:10you were the only person keeping him anchored
32:12that was never me
32:13don't cry
32:15he's alive
32:15and he won't die before 30
32:17i made sure of that much
32:20what happens at 30
32:21does the bond snap
32:22he was always going to die early
32:24you know this
32:25if he weren't fated for early death
32:27you two would never have found each other
32:28i sat
32:29very still
32:30something inside me
32:32was splitting apart
32:33lucian woke
32:35to find me staring into nothing
32:37what's wrong
32:38his voice came out rough with sleep
32:40i wiped my face
32:41said nothing
32:42my fingers rested against his throat
32:44feeling his pulse
32:46i'm going to kiss you
32:48say yes or no
32:51you were a lot less polite the first time
32:57his mouth was cold
32:59and his breath against mine
33:01was like a thread of warmth
33:03in a blizzard
33:04brief
33:04and so easy to lose
33:08lucian
33:08i love you
33:14i love you too
33:20i never expected to fall in love
33:23with someone within such short life
33:27neither did i
33:29then the shaman came back
33:31he returned three nights later
33:32moving with purpose
33:34and sat across from us
33:36i've been doing a great deal of thinking
33:38that's usually ominous
33:40the curse on you
33:41the life debt your father made with the witch clan
33:44it was sealed with sacrifice
33:46specifically the sacrifice of a wolf spirit
33:49sacrifice can be answered with sacrifice
33:51or with something equal and opposite
33:54a bond freely chosen
33:55a mating bond
33:57a true one
33:58not a spirit bond with a corpse
34:00a living breathing voluntary mating bond
34:03freely given both sides willing
34:05under the full moon
34:06if the bond takes hold
34:09the original sacrifice is fulfilled differently
34:12life for life
34:13but instead of taking
34:16it gives
34:17the curse breaks
34:19has this worked before
34:20i believe it will
34:24yes
34:26the next few days passed in controlled chaos
34:29the matriarch convened a pack circle
34:31vivian's crimes had not gone unnoticed
34:33the poisoning of kaylin's quartermate
34:35and the unborn pup had been confirmed
34:37by pack law
34:39that was grounds for exile
34:40vivian was removed
34:41quietly
34:42finally
34:43the regent's daughter came to the cabin
34:45one more time
34:46he told me at the festival you know
34:48the night we went to dinner
34:49what to say
34:51he talked about you for three hours straight
34:53without realizing it
34:54i'm sorry i was slow to understand
34:56her expression unreadable
34:58i didn't know what to say
35:00she stepped forward and squeezed my hand once
35:02don't let him die
35:04then she was gone
35:10kaylin came to the cabin the night before the ritual
35:12he stood in the doorway
35:13and for the first time in the years i've known him
35:16he looked genuinely lost
35:19my brother
35:21he's going to be alright
35:23the shaman believes so
35:26i never saw you
35:27do you know
35:29for three years
35:31i've actually never given you a proper look
35:34for whatever it's worth i'm sorry
35:37i thought about everything i could say
35:39what i said was
35:42take care of yourself
35:43kaylin
35:45he nodded
35:46turned
35:46walked away
35:48it wasn't forgiveness
35:49not yet
35:52but it was a beginning
35:53the full moon rose over the lake
35:56like a white flame
35:57the shaman built the circle
35:58at the water's edge
35:59silver dust
36:00wolf herbs
36:01old fire
36:02lucian stood at the center
36:03he'd refused the chair tonight
36:05he was standing on his own
36:07in the moonlight
36:08and the sight of him
36:09pale and slight
36:10and stubbornly
36:12impossibly upright
36:13hit me somewhere
36:14i didn't have words for
36:16the shaman's voice rose over the water
36:18speaking old words
36:19in the witch clan's tongue
36:20the language of the curse
36:22that had been turned
36:23tonight
36:24into something else
36:25he looked at me
36:26with those moth wing lashes
36:27and that expression
36:28that always meant
36:29he'd run out of arguments
36:30and was trying not to show
36:32how much he felt
36:32celine
36:34you don't have to
36:35i know
36:38i might still
36:40i know that too
36:42then what are you doing
36:45choosing
36:46the shaman's voice peaked
36:48the circle ignited
36:49not fire exactly
36:51something older
36:52silver blue
36:53rising from the water's surface
36:55i felt the pull of it
36:56in my chest
36:57not pain
36:58not fear
36:59something more like
37:00recognition
37:01lucian's hand tightened on mine
37:03and i felt the moment
37:04it happened
37:05a snap
37:06deep in the core of me
37:07like a lock giving way
37:09like something that had been
37:10held closed for 30 years
37:12finally opening
37:13lucian made a sound
37:14i'd never heard from him before
37:16not pain
37:17the opposite of pain
37:18he dropped to his knees
37:20in the silver circle
37:21and his wolf
37:22his wolf spirit
37:23which i had never seen
37:24which he had never been able
37:26to fully call
37:27tore out of him
37:28with a howl
37:29that shook the lake
37:30white
37:30enormous
37:31blazing like a comet
37:33above the water
37:34he threw his head back
37:35and howled again
37:36the sound broke over the forest
37:38over the pack mansion
37:40over every territory for miles
37:42and from far away
37:44from every direction at once
37:45howls began to answer
37:47the shaman wept
37:48i didn't realize it until i saw his shoulders shaking
37:51lucian's wolf settled around him like a second skin
37:54the color returned to his face
37:56not the brief flush of fever
37:58but real warmth
37:59steady
38:00and permanent
38:01he touched his own hands
38:02like he was checking they were real
38:04then he looked at me
38:05and his eyes
38:06those beautiful
38:07exhausted
38:08fighting to stay open eyes
38:10were the clearest i'd ever seen them
38:14selena
38:15just my name
38:16the way he said it
38:17cracked something open in me
38:19i pressed my face against his chest
38:22and stayed there for a long long time
38:24his heartbeat was strong
38:26steady
38:26warm
38:27not borrowed time
38:30just him
38:31the matriarch came to the lake the next morning
38:35she took one look at lucian
38:36standing in the early light
38:38no chair
38:39no shawl
38:40real color in his face
38:41and she sat down on the nearest bench
38:43and didn't move for several minutes
38:45how
38:45thanks to selena
38:47who sacrificed herself willingly
38:50she was a good girl
38:51the shaman explained what had happened
38:54then she reached out
38:56and drew me to sit beside her
38:57as she'd done before
38:58what do you want?
39:01i once hoped my sister would be safe
39:03and that i could be free
39:04but now
39:05all i want is for lucian
39:07to return as leader
39:08safe and happy
39:11it happened at the next full moon
39:13briar stood beside me
39:17it's already more than enough
39:18you have a thread
39:19right there
39:20hold
39:22briar
39:23what
39:26thank you
39:31lucian was waiting at the lake's edge
39:33he'd learned to stand like he meant it
39:35may your life together be filled with love
39:39laughter and happiness
39:40may your home always be warm
39:43and your hearts always full
39:45i had survived every single thing
39:48and i was here
39:49free
39:50loved
39:50his mate
39:52and mine
39:58selena
39:59i'm not going to die
40:01cause i'll sleep with you
40:03and i was like
40:07i'm not going to die
40:07i'm not going to die
40:07i'm not going to die
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