- 18 hours ago
The Alpha's Regret - Her New Hero Dramareel
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00:01To let my mate focus on his position, I stayed behind in the old estate, caring for his ailing
00:06mother. In this 10 years, Kalen returned once a year. He never touched me. He said that if I were
00:12to carry a pup while he was away, there would be no one to look after me, and that would
00:16break his
00:16heart. Every time he left, he cursed himself for his failings, swore on the moon he would come for
00:21me once he had made something of himself. In the 11th winter, heavy snow blocked the roads. Kalen
00:27sent word that he would be delayed. I was about to bring the news to Lady Maren when I heard
00:31her
00:31speaking with my sister-in-law. Mother, you've been faking this illness for over 10 years. How much
00:37longer? What else can be done? Kalen's heart has always belonged to that sworn sister of his. They
00:42bonded in secret, behind the pack's back. Their pups are nearly grown. If we don't keep Elena here,
00:46she'll go to the city and destroy everything. Kalen's rank as alpha of the eastern pack would
00:50be finished. Let it be. Keep quiet. Kalen said once his position is secure, he will make it right with
00:56Elena. My eyes burned. Kalen wasn't struggling. He was alpha of the eastern pack, and he hadn't
01:01been keeping his distance to protect me. He had someone else. I went to the training grounds and
01:06found the low-ranking warrior who had watched me for years. Do you still want me as your mate?
01:12Elena, I will treat you well. Forgive me one month. I march out tonight. This time I'll return
01:17with a deed worth claiming you. I don't need glory. Just come back safe. I watched him leave,
01:25then walked home. The estate should have been dark. Mother, you should have gone to bed by now.
01:32A tall figure stood against the candlelight. A familiar voice cut through the wind and snow.
01:37Elena, I'm home.
01:42A year had passed. Kalen carried himself differently now, steadier, with the quiet authority that comes
01:48with rank. He opened his arms, waiting for me to go to him the way I always had. I didn't.
01:55You haven't eaten, have you? Let me make you something.
01:58What's wrong? A year apart and you're not glad to see me? Are you angry with me?
02:05Go sit with Mother. I'll call you when the food is ready.
02:07Before I'd learned the truth, I had missed him. Had been a little cross with him, too. No mate wants
02:12to be kept so far away, for so long. But once I understood everything, I stopped wanting anything.
02:17Things became simpler. Better to part quietly than to rage and stay. I remained silent and cooked in the
02:22kitchen. Kalen followed. Elena, what's happened? Have you heard something?
02:26Out here in the backwoods, we barely see a stranger from one season to the next. What
02:29would I have heard? Don't worry yourself, Kalen. Elena, I came back to bring you all to the city.
02:34But there's something I need to tell you first.
02:36My chest tightened. I already knew what was coming. After ten years, he had finally run out
02:41of patience. You must be Elena. I'm Sarith. Kalen's sworn sister. And his mate.
02:49These are mine and Kalen's. Go on, call her Auntie Elena.
02:52Auntie Elena. Elena, let me explain.
02:57Elena, let me explain. I was ambushed by rogue wolves on the road to the city. Sarith saved my life.
03:02I only meant to take her in as a sworn sister. But she had no one, no pack, nowhere to
03:06go. I wanted
03:07to give her a home. It was gratitude, nothing more. If you're hurt, curse me, strike me, I'll
03:11bear it. I only ask that once you come to the city, you and she can find some people.
03:15Going to the city is a good thing. I'm not upset. Mother hasn't recovered in all this time. Perhaps
03:21the city healers will do what ours couldn't. Really? You forgive me? Elena, start packing
03:27tonight. We leave in two days and we'll make it back for Christmas. Mother doesn't have
03:33much. Packing her things won't take long. I'll sort her medicines for the road.
03:37You can all leave at first light. What do you mean? You're not coming with us?
03:43I met his gaze. My voice stayed level. Kaelin, if we leave for good, I need to settle the
03:49land and the estate first. Leaving it empty still means taxes to the pack. That's wasteful.
03:56Go ahead and take everyone home for Christmas. Once I've handled things here, I'll come to
04:01you in the spring. When I had first come to this estate, we lived in a borrowed den with
04:05walls that let the wind through, funding his studies, saving coin, until I had bought this
04:10house and these two fields. It had ended the family's hunger. It had given Kaelin a place
04:15to become what he was. Elena, I'm Alpha of the Eastern Pack now. Silver is not the problem.
04:20Give the land to whoever needs it. Save yourself the trouble.
04:23I earned it with my own hands. I'm not ready to let go.
04:28Trust me. Once it's done, I'll come to you. I won't be long.
04:32Kaelin hesitated. Kaelin, don't waver. The council's watching you.
04:35You leave her here and they dig into it and she says the wrong thing. Your seat is gone.
04:40I wasn't slow. I heard exactly what Kareth had just said.
04:44So it wasn't a change of heart that had brought Kaelin back. If the pack council confirmed it,
04:49they would report it to the High Alpha. The High Alpha was a man who made it once and meant
04:53it.
04:54If Kaelin wanted to keep his rank, the most important thing was keeping me quiet.
04:59It would be a lie to say that didn't hurt.
05:01Thirteen years. I had given this mating everything. Kaelin was pack-born but useless with his hands.
05:07Lady Maren was old and couldn't help. His brother was worse than useless. The whole family ran on my
05:11back. I never complained. I nursed Lady Maren. I had believed that kind of devotion would hold a
05:16mate for life. I had overestimated what I was worth to him. I finally understood what they say.
05:21A man who climbs always drops what carried him. I held back the burn in my eyes. Kept it from
05:26spilling. So that's what you're worried about. I can put it in writing. Whoever asks, I'll say I'm
05:35Kaelin's pack-sister, his adopted blood kin. Nothing more. Lady Maren and Kareth both stared.
05:42After a long silence, Kaelin said, half-believing,
05:45You would really do that for me? I smiled and nodded. For you,
05:50I would do anything. But to be safe, there's something you need to destroy first.
05:57Kaelin was cautious. What? I answered without flinching. The mating scroll.
06:02Yours and mine.
06:05Out here in the back territories, we hadn't stood on ceremony when we bonded.
06:09A mating scroll. A shared cup. That was all it had taken. No pack record. No council seal.
06:16So if the scroll was gone, I was no longer Kaelin's mate. I only had to wait for the warrior
06:21to come
06:21home. Then I could be claimed properly. I expected Kaelin to want this without hesitation.
06:27Instead, he went quiet.
06:30Elena, you once told me that scroll was the most precious thing you owned.
06:34You've given so much for this pack. For me, if you burned the last thing you held onto,
06:40how much would that cost you? Let's leave the scroll as it is.
06:45He had seen everything I'd sacrificed. He had remembered all of it. And still,
06:50year after year, he had left me here while he built a life with someone else.
06:54If he could watch out all of that and stay, then I had no reason left to hold onto one
06:59sheet of parchment. But I knew him. He wouldn't simply let me go.
07:05Kaelin, you know how much that scroll means to me. But for your future, I have to let it go.
07:13Once you take me to the city properly, you can make me a new one. Wouldn't that be enough?
07:20She's right. Your position can't afford loose threads.
07:25Burn it. Elena has done this for you. Make it up to her later.
07:32Elena, hiding this from you, that was wrong. But trust me, I will make this right.
07:40Wait for me. I will come for you myself with the best claiming gifts I can find.
07:44I'll take you as Kaelin again, properly this time.
07:47In that moment, he looked entirely sincere. I chose not to believe it. I decided it was
07:54only something I was imagining. I lit both scrolls myself. The fire took them. That absurd mating those
08:00wasted years. And with them, the last of what I had held onto for over a decade.
08:09After Kaelin had gone in with Kareth and the children, she dropped the act entirely and
08:13sank to her knees in front of me. Elena, I failed you. I hid it from you all these years.
08:25You must hate me.
08:27Her hair had gone fully white. She was crying without restraint. I couldn't bring myself to
08:32leave her there. I helped her up.
08:36Mother, I know you love your son too much. I don't blame you. The illness was a pretense. But
08:44your body has aught its real troubles. When you reach the city, listen to the healers.
08:51Elena, how can you be so good? When I'm gone, who will ever look after me the way you have?
08:59No matter what Kaelin does to you, I will always count you as my own daughter. I will never let
09:05anyone mistreat you.
09:08I understood her helplessness. I had never held it against her. But I was done trusting her too.
09:12She was still a mother. No matter what she said, her heart would always tilt toward her son. If the
09:17day came when she had to choose between Kaelin and me, she would choose him without a second thought.
09:22Mother, it's fine. Whoever Kaelin takes as his mate, she'll be half a daughter to you.
09:27You don't owe me anything.
09:31I had barely stepped out of Lady Meryn's room when Kareth was waiting in the yard.
09:35Elena, don't take anything Kaelin says at face value. The truth is, he never rescued me.
09:42I had thought that Lady Meryn's decade of deception and Kaelin's betrayal were already the worst of it.
09:47I was wrong. There was still more they had kept from me. Sareth had never saved Kaelin's life.
09:52It was the other way around. Kaelin had seen her, wanted her, used the blood sister bond as a way
09:57in and destroyed the claiming she already had. Calling her his rescuer was Kaelin's strategy.
10:01He knew I was soft, that I always repaid what was owed. He had spoken to Lady Meryn first and
10:06built the story together. Something designed to make me accept it, to make me give in.
10:10So everything he said about claiming you properly, it's nothing. Go to the city and you'll be a lesser
10:15mate, that's all. Oh, and his mother. All that talk about treating you like a daughter,
10:20do you believe it? When it comes down to you or her own grandchildren, who do you think
10:24she picks? Are you done?
10:27The morning they left, I walked the family to the edge of the settlement. I unclasped the
10:31only thing of value I still wore, the Luna Elder's silver clasp, and placed it in Sareth's
10:35hand. That's yours, Elena. Keep it.
10:38I shook my head and pinned it to Kareth's collar myself.
10:41I said, everyone in the settlement knows this clasp is the Luna Elder's piece, passed to
10:45the mate of the Pax heir. If I keep wearing it, it draws questions. Better that Sareth
10:49has it. Mother, Elena is right. When we're together again, I'll give it back.
10:53Elena, what I give you belongs to you. In my heart, you are the only true mate this family
10:57has had. When you come to the city, I will get it back for you.
11:01Foster brother, that pendant was my grandmother's, the only thing she left me. Could you return
11:06it?
11:07Elena, I'm not used to you calling me that. When there's no one listening, call me what
11:11you always have.
11:16Better to be careful. We can't hand anyone a thread to pull.
11:20Fine. Once I've claimed you properly, you can go back to it.
11:24Let me keep the pendant for now. It was your gift to me. It's what we have between us.
11:29I never understood that. He used to resent the pendant, said a grown male wearing something
11:33like that looked ridiculous. Now that I was willing to take it back, he had found
11:36reasons to keep it. Foster brother, Christmas is almost here. I'll be alone, and I'd like
11:41something to hold on to. When I come to the city, I'll make you another.
11:45Kaylin gave it up without warmth, pressing the pendant and a folded stack of silver notes
11:49into my hands. At the last moment, he turned back. He gripped my hand once.
11:53Stay home and wait. When spring opens the roads, I'll come for you myself. There's one
11:57more thing I haven't told you yet.
11:59All right.
11:59I watched them go, then walked back inside. I reached to the top of the cabinet and took
12:04down the pack I had already prepared. I left the silver notes on the table. Then I turned
12:10north and didn't look back. The warrior I had promised myself to was somewhere in that
12:14direction. I meant to be claimed before Kaylin ever came to collect me. When that day
12:18came, I would be someone else's. There would be nothing left to untangle, nothing left to
12:22demand of me. Winter roads are slow. I had little silver, and I was too careful with it
12:26to hire a cart. I walked when I could, stopped to take work in whatever town would have me,
12:30and moved on again when I'd saved enough. By the time the cold began to ease, I was close
12:34to the northern border.
12:36Elena, the border war is over. The northern campaign won. Once they've processed the captured
12:40forces, they'll be heading back through the territory. You'll see your promised mate
12:43before long. Your mate is a hero of this pack. Call it a gift from me. Hire a cart.
12:47Go meet him at the border city.
12:49Hired a cart, and arrived before the soldiers did. With what little silver I had left, I found
12:54the city watch captain and pressed it into his hand. Captain, my promised mate's name
13:00is Aldric. When he arrives, please tell him I'm waiting in the second house east of the
13:05city gate. You're Aldric's promised mate?
13:11He smiled a little awkwardly. Keep it. Just put in a word for me if you ever get the chance.
13:17I had no idea what he meant. Aldric was a low-ranking warrior. What good would a word from him
13:22do?
13:22The captain had probably mistaken him for someone else. Still, silver saved was silver saved.
13:27Waiting wasn't easy. I knew what Aldric felt for me. He had shown it for years. But I had
13:32been mated before. I wasn't sure whether he had said yes out of true wanting, or out of
13:37something that would fade. Then again, I thought it through, and it settled. If he had changed
13:41his mind, I would manage on my own. I had two hands and enough stubbornness. I wouldn't
13:46starve. Once I was at peace with that, everything felt lighter.
13:51I started cutting fabric for a claiming dress. The best material I could find. Useful if things
13:55went well. A small pleasure for myself if they didn't. The first time I was claimed, there had
13:59been no wedding at all. The pack had nothing. No wedding dress. No feast. When I'd finally had
14:04coin to spare, the first thing I did was return two full jugs to that neighbor. She had held my
14:07hands and cried.
14:08Elena, a girl like you? Why did you stay in that pack? You've suffered so much. You're strong
14:13and you're lovely. You could have had an elder son and it wouldn't have been reaching.
14:15Why tie yourself to a scholar who can't lift his own pack and grind your life away?
14:19That's your bias speaking. I trust him. He won't fail me.
14:22You are such a fool.
14:23Now I understood. She was the one who had seen clearly. The day I slipped away from the
14:28settlement, I had nearly walked into Kaylin's sister-in-law.
14:33It was that neighbor who spotted her first. She held the woman back, then sent her husband
14:37to pass me word.
14:38Move. Now. Elena, that pack was never worthy of you.
14:43Go. Live freely. Stop letting them keep you caged.
14:49I'll deal with your sister-in-law. They won't know you're gone for a while.
14:53I never found out what she said to buy me the time, but it had worked. For an entire month,
14:58no one had come looking. People, though, have a way of undoing themselves.
15:01On the third day, a cart stopped outside my door.
15:04I thought it was Aldrich.
15:06I ran out. It wasn't.
15:08Kaylin stood there, dust on his shoulders.
15:10Elena.
15:10His voice worn down to gravel.
15:14Kaylin said, Elena, you have no idea how long I've been looking for you.
15:18He was across the yard in a few strides, his hand locking around my wrist hard enough to
15:22grind. Kaylin said, Elena, you promised me. Why did you leave? Why come all the way out
15:27here? I spent half a month preparing. I rode to the settlement myself to bring you home,
15:31and the house was empty. I said, do you know how frightened I was? I stopped pulling against
15:36his grip. Alpha Kaylin, why waste your concern on me? The mating scroll is ash. I'm not your pack
15:42anymore. Where I go, whether I live or die, none of that is your matter. Kaylin's jaw tightened.
15:48Elena, I know you're hurting, but this kind of recklessness doesn't suit you. You told me you
15:52would come to the city. You gave me your word. How can you break it like this? Something in me
15:57gave
15:57up trying to stay composed. I said, when we were claimed, you gave me your word too. You swore on
16:03the moon you would never take another mate. You broke that one first. So between the two of us,
16:08I'd say we're even. Kaylin saw that I meant it. His eyes went red at the edges. He pulled me
16:17close
16:17until there was almost no space between us. Thirteen years. You think that just cancels?
16:23Elena, I know I've wronged you. Let me make it right. Come back with me. I'll give you equal
16:29standing. You won't be beneath Kareth in anything. I promise. I couldn't stop a short, dry sound from
16:34escaping. Kaylin took it for pride over the title and frowned. Elena, equal standing is the best I
16:40can do right now. Sareth, what she did for me, what she did for you. Are you still going to
16:46use
16:46that story? I cut him off. Kaylin, your apology has no effort in it at all. Kaylin went still.
16:52His eyes shifted. What do you mean by that? I watched the change move across his face and I took
17:00it apart
17:00piece by piece. Tarith already told me everything. There were no rogue wolves. There was no rescue.
17:06You saw her. Wanted her. And used the sworn sister bond to get close. You destroyed the claiming she
17:12already had and took her for yourself. Calling her your rescuer. That was cover. Nothing more.
17:17Kaylin's face went pale. He opened his mouth. Nothing came out. I was done wasting time. I moved to see
17:22him
17:22out. He found his voice. Elena, listen to me. Kareth is possessive. She said all of that to drive a
17:28wedge
17:29between us. You know how it is. No mate wants to share. I cut him off. I felt nothing in
17:34my chest
17:34anymore. It had all gone numb. You understand that. Which is why you kept me out here for 10 years,
17:40alone, while your mother faked an illness to hold me in place. Isn't that right?
17:47I said, if you care about her so much, stop chasing me. You'll hurt me and you'll hurt her. I
17:52wrenched my
17:53wrist free and stepped back. The Elena who existed before is gone. She died the day she found out the
17:58truth.
17:58Who I am now has no connection to you. To Kaylin. To your pack. Out of whatever feeling I once
18:04had,
18:04I won't say a single word against you. I'm only asking you to leave. My promised mate is returning
18:10with the army. I don't want him to misread this. Kaylin's spine went rigid. He looked up at me.
18:15He said, promised mate? Who? What's his name? I said, a low-ranking warrior. No one you'd know.
18:22Please go. Kaylin's expression curdled. Elena, have you lost your mind?
18:26You'd pass up an alpha of the eastern pack for some common soldier with a border stipend?
18:34He said, he could be dead by next season. And even if he's not, what does he earn? You'd go
18:40back
18:40to going hungry. You're not young anymore. Do you really want that kind of life again?
18:45I looked at him steadily. I wasn't afraid of hardship when I chose you.
18:50I'm not afraid of it now. Don't speak about my promised mate like that.
18:55He may not have your rank, but what he feels for me is real. Unlike you. Kaylin opened his mouth,
19:01then stopped. A long pause, then more controlled. Elena, you've misread all of this. I never stopped
19:08carrying you. He seemed to decide that words weren't enough and cut himself off. Come back with me.
19:13I'll show you. Give me the chance. The border campaign's war alpha, General Vane. He and I go
19:19back. I'll speak to him. As long as that warrior is reasonable, I'll find him a proper match myself.
19:24I'll cover the claiming gifts. I had always been slow to anger. This was one of the few times I
19:33wasn't. Staring at Kaylin, I struggled to contain my fury as I questioned him, asking if he had lost his
19:40mind. He didn't put it plainly, but I understood perfectly. He intended to use his status as the
19:46alpha of the Eastern pack to pressure Aldrick into stepping aside. Aldrick was just a foot soldier,
19:52with no standing to resist an alpha of the Eastern pack. In desperation, I grabbed the sword from
19:58Kaylin's side. I pressed the blade firmly against my own throat, warning him that if he dared to go near
20:03Aldrick, I would end my life right then and there. I told Kaylin that my life was not worth much,
20:11but if a pack alpha drove a free woman to her death, his own fate would not be better. Kaylin
20:16had always thought of me as cautious and someone who valued her own life. He had never imagined I
20:21would resort to threatening my own life. He froze instantly, his voice dropping low as he urged me to
20:27put down the sword, saying we could talk things through. I didn't move an inch, firmly telling him
20:33there was nothing to talk about. If he didn't want me dead, he had to write down his promise immediately.
20:38The promise was simple. From that day on, if anything happened to me or my betrothed, Aldrick,
20:45he would be held fully responsible.
20:51Kaylin had spent years in pack politics and would never willingly leave evidence that could be used
20:56against him. But as he looked at the sword pressed to my throat, his tone remained steady. He agreed
21:01to write it down, but said he had come in a hurry and had nothing to write with, asking me
21:05to go
21:05inside to find him ink and parchment. I didn't think ahead, turning toward the house at once.
21:12But the moment my back was to him, he moved. He snatched the sword from my hand, didn't even glance
21:17at me. He ordered his escort to hold me while he went to find General Vane. His men reacted quickly,
21:24seizing me before I could respond. I couldn't even utter a curse.
21:28Just then, a deep, calm, and resonant voice came from beyond the gate. The voice asked Alpha
21:35Kaylin why he was there and mentioned that he had heard his name, wondering if something was wrong.
21:43I didn't recognize that voice, but moments later, I heard Kaylin's tone shift to one of deference as
21:48he greeted the man, addressing him as General Vane and saying what perfect timing his arrival was.
21:54He added that it was nothing urgent, just a small favor he wanted to ask of General Vane.
21:59Only then did I realize that the man before me was General Vane, the War Alpha of the Northern
22:04Territory. General Vane smiled and readily agreed to help, but asked Alpha Kaylin to wait a moment
22:10while he finished a piece of business first. Kaylin stepped back toward the gate quickly,
22:15respectfully saying he was willing to wait and telling General Vane to take his time.
22:19General Vane then dismounted from his horse and pointed directly at my door.
22:23He said that as it happened, his business was right there.
22:29Kaylin stopped abruptly, looking stunned. General Vane looked at him without further explanation,
22:35only stating that he had come to negotiate a claiming.
22:38Kaylin froze completely, unconsciously stepping in front of the gate.
22:42He tried to persuade General Vane, saying that his mate bond was well known, his children were
22:48nearly grown, and such a thing would be inappropriate. General Vane laughed heartily,
22:53shook his head, and told Kaylin he had misunderstood. This claiming was not for himself, but on behalf
23:00of his sworn son, who had been injured and couldn't come in person.
23:05I was just as confused as Kaylin, even starting to wonder if General Vane had come to the wrong house.
23:11General Vane himself looked a little uncertain as he walked past Kaylin into the yard.
23:16His escort, not wanting to get into trouble, let me go.
23:20Born in the north, General Vane was straightforward and didn't notice anything amiss. He looked straight
23:26at me and asked if I was Elena. I nodded slowly. He immediately looked satisfied, confirming he had come
23:33to the right place. He told me that his sworn son was my betrothed, Aldrich.
23:42Upon hearing General Vane's words, my thoughts went sideways. Aldrich was just a low-ranking
23:47soldier. How had he ended up as General Vane's sworn son? I rubbed the back of my neck and explained
23:54to General Vane that I thought there must be a mistake. My betrothed was indeed named Aldrich,
23:58but he could never be General Vane's sworn son. I even wondered if there might be two people with
24:04the same name. General Vane seemed less confident as he described his sworn son's features.
24:10Born in the eastern settlement of the southern territory, with a small mark near the corner
24:14of his left eye. He asked if these features matched my betrothed. He added that if it would help,
24:20he would have his sworn son carried over for me to confirm in person. I stopped him quickly,
24:25telling him there was no need, that every detail he described matched Aldrich perfectly.
24:30I begged him not to move the injured Aldrich, saying that since he was hurt, I would go to see
24:35him myself. With that, I walked toward the gate, distracted. But Kaylin, who had been silent for
24:42a long time, suddenly reached out and grabbed my arm, stopping me in my tracks.
24:49Kaylin stood in front of me, turning to General Vane and saying there was something he should know
24:54first. He told General Vane that I was his pack sister, that he had raised me, and that he had
25:00never heard me mention the name Aldrich once. He added that if Aldrich and I had made promises
25:05to each other without the family's knowledge, their bond could not be recognized. Then he lowered his
25:11voice, leaned close to me, and warned me not to say anything foolish. He said that Aldrich was now
25:17General Vane's sworn son. And if General Vane found out I had been mated before, I would not
25:23only lose this claiming, but also ruin Aldrich's reputation. Those words hit home.
25:31Aldrich had only just found his footing in the north. If I cost him everything because of my past,
25:35I would never forgive myself. I was still trying to figure out how to respond when General Vane's
25:40expression shifted. He told Kaylin firmly that his approval no longer mattered, because it was not I
25:47who had come to them, but they who had sought me out. General Vane then spoke of Aldrich's deeds,
25:53saying that in this campaign, Aldrich had charged into the thickest of the fighting. He had taken out
25:58the enemy's left flank and brought back the enemy commander's banner, earning the first honor of
26:03the war. Yet he had refused all rewards from the High Alpha, every single coin. Instead, he used his
26:11achievement to petition the Moon Council for a decree, a recognized claiming with me. General Vane
26:18finally warned Kaylin that if his family dared to object, they would be opposing the High Alpha's own
26:23ruling. I stood there for a long time, never having imagined that Aldrich would fight so fiercely for me.
26:34I had certainly never imagined he would spend everything he had earned, not on land or rank,
26:38but on a piece of paper that made me his. In that moment, the last of what I'd been holding
26:43dissolved.
26:44How is this possible? Alpha Salem? Isn't this a good thing? You don't seem pleased.
26:53I am. Of course I am.
26:55Vane had brought the Moon Council's decree with him. Whatever Kaylin wanted, there was nothing left to
26:59argue. With the claim already spoken aloud, he had no choice but to play the part of a
27:03foster brother and see me through the preparations. He brought me to the city under that pretense,
27:08and the whole pack household set about getting ready. The estate was bright with it.
27:11Kareth was loudest of all, running back and forth, eager to see me gone.
27:15Only Kaylin and Lady Maren moved through the days with their faces set. When Aldrich was well enough
27:20to travel, he came to the house himself and asked for me again.
27:24You've gone too far. Doing this shows that I'm sincere. I asked my sworn father to speak for me
27:31because I had no other choice. I was afraid that if I stayed unconscious too long, someone would
27:37take you. Kaylin's expression darkened another shade. After Aldrich left, Lady Maren turned on
27:41her son. It was the angriest I had ever seen her. I was bringing tea in by custom when I
27:48heard the
27:48sound of something shattering inside the room. Then Lady Maren's voice, thick with weeping.
27:54I told you, Elena was worth keeping. Let her go and someone else would see it. And they did.
28:00And you didn't listen. Now look.
28:03Mother, what are you saying? Serial is your daughter-in-law too.
28:06She? When have I ever been sick? And she came to check on me. Said a single word. And you,
28:14up through the night, working. Did she ever sit with you? Make you anything? Think back. When you
28:20were up studying in the old estate, who never left your side? Who made sure you never went hungry?
28:25Not once. Kaylin, I don't care what reason you give. What you did is something a good mate doesn't
28:31do. Do you think I don't know that? But what can be done? Elena and Aldrich have the high
28:35Alpha's decree. Even if I wanted to fight it, I can't. Mother, we make do. Serith gave the pack
28:41airs. That's something. We both just live with it. I had no interest in making trouble for myself.
28:46I started to slip away. Footsteps came up fast behind me. Before I could react,
28:51Kareth had swept past me and pushed through the door. Kaylin, what does make do mean exactly?
28:55Now that you know what Elena was worth, I'm the one you're settling for? Is that what this is?
28:58I'm telling you both. I don't care. Once Elena is gone, I'm the one who runs this household.
29:02That doesn't change. Don't. You hit a first mate. I know everything. If you want to spend the rest of
29:06your life without that coming out, you will fall in line. Both of you. And you. You were the one
29:10who came up with this plan. You offered to keep Elena tied to that estate. Now she slipped the
29:13knot and you want to cry about it? That's what you earned. If you don't want your son destroyed,
29:16keep quiet. Stop using your age to give me orders. I stood in the hallway and watched. There was
29:20nothing in me left that felt sorry for any of them. This was what they had made. I turned and
29:25walked
29:25away without letting the door creak. Three days later, I left the pack estate. I was claimed in
29:32a house the High Alpha had given Aldrick. Aldrick had put every coin of his reward into the claiming
29:36gifts. His savings ran thin. I had been satisfied before the day arrived. At least this time,
29:43unlike with Kaylin, I had a dress. When I first came to that estate, there had been nothing.
29:49No dress. No gifts. Even the shared cup had been borrowed from next door. The first time I had real
29:56money, I gave that neighbor back two full jugs. She had held my hands and wept. In the second year,
30:04I went with Aldrick to the northern border post where he was stationed. Contact with the old pack
30:08dwindled to almost nothing. Only bits reached me through rumor. That the estate was not a peaceful
30:14place. That Kareth had taken hold of everything inside it. That nothing moved without her approval.
30:20That Kaylin had grown worn. His work had grown careless. He had been called before the council
30:26more than once. His rank held, but there was nowhere left for him to rise. Lady Marin's health
30:32had turned real. She spent her remaining years in bed. When I heard it, I felt nothing. I was sitting
30:39quietly, focused on the new boots I was making for Aldrick. He trained hard. He went through seven
30:45or eight pairs a month. It wore on my heart to think of it. Lena, the healer said you're carrying
30:51twins. That's harder on the body. Stop worrying about my boots. I'm your mate. If I don't worry about
31:00it, who will?
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