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00:00I bound Silas Sterling to my bed with a blood curse for five brutal years.
00:04Every night was a war of feral snarls and desperate skin-on-skin heat.
00:09He hated me with every fiber of his wool, yet his body craved mine like an addiction.
00:14When I was dying in labor, the curse drained him dry as he gave his alpha heart blood to save
00:19me.
00:20Our pup's first cry echoed through the room, but Silas never heard it.
00:24This nightmare ends now.
00:26In the next life, let me find Chloe.
00:30Please.
00:31He begged for my half-sister, the one who had never spared him a single glance.
00:35My heart shattered as the mate bond tore itself apart inside my chest.
00:39The sterling pack threw me out like garbage the second his pulse stopped.
00:43They stripped me of everything.
00:45Driven mad by the severed bond, I let the curse worms devour me from the inside.
00:50I followed Silas into the darkness, praying the moon goddess would grant me oblivion.
00:54But when I opened my eyes, the world was bright and violent.
00:58Silas had me pinned against the wall.
01:02You toxic bitch!
01:06You cursed me just to keep me from Chloe?
01:09This was the past.
01:10I had been given a second chance.
01:12I won't let her marry Alpha Case.
01:14Last life, while I married Silas as I wanted, my sister Chloe was forced to marry Alpha Case and ended
01:19up dying within three days.
01:20This time, Silas, I'll give you exactly what you want.
01:25I will marry Alpha Case myself.
01:28Silas scoffed, razor sharp.
01:30Big words.
01:30Do you even believe them yourself?
01:32I mean every word, Silas.
01:34Then break the curse.
01:36Now.
01:37Chloe's safety is none of your concern.
01:39I'll break it.
01:40And I'll take Chloe's place as Case's mate.
01:46You?
01:47Playing the mortal now?
01:48What's the scheme this time?
01:50No scheme.
01:52I'm giving you what you want.
01:54What I want is for you to disappear from my life.
01:58Alpha Case ruled the Northern Territories with an iron claw.
02:02A warlord who'd buried three mates already.
02:04Every pack with an unwed daughter trembled at his name.
02:08Days ago, Case had demanded a sterling daughter.
02:11My parents couldn't refuse.
02:13In my last life, I'd bound Silas with the blood curse, leaving only Chloe to be dragged to Case's bed.
02:20This time, I would set Silas free.
02:22I tracked down the rogue witch who'd sold me the curse.
02:26Can it be broken?
02:27The Oblivion Worm can break it.
02:30But the cost is steep.
02:32Tell me.
02:34Heartblood.
02:35From the one each of you truly loves.
02:38Feed the worm until it turns crimson.
02:41Then swallow it whole.
02:44I rode through the night and burst into the estate with the lacquered box clutched against my chest.
02:49Silas, I found the cure!
02:51We need your heartblood and Chloe's...
02:53He struck my hand away before I could finish.
02:55The box hit the stone floor and the worm vanished into the night-blooming roses.
03:00Heartblood?
03:01Only you could dream up something so monstrous.
03:04It's not what you think!
03:05The curse is between us.
03:06Why does Chloe's blood have anything to do with it?
03:09Because the worm needs blood from the one each of us loves.
03:12I love you.
03:13You love Chloe.
03:14What an absurd excuse.
03:16Silas, please!
03:17Stop talking.
03:18I dove into the rose bushes, thorns shredding my arms.
03:22Have you lost your mind?
03:25Get out of there!
03:26For one breath, his hold felt like it used to.
03:30Let go of me.
03:31I thrashed free and hit the ground.
03:33My palm landed squarely on the fleeing worm.
03:36You're broken.
03:37Utterly broken.
03:38He turned on his heel and stormed off into the dark.
03:41So I had no choice but to go find Chloe myself.
03:44I'll take your place and mate with Alpha Case.
03:47But I need your heartblood.
03:49You might as well ask me to slit my own throat.
03:51Silas and I are poisoned by the blood curse.
03:54Break it, and the two of you can finally be together.
03:56And you'd really throw yourself into Case's bed just for that?
03:59Yes.
04:00Please.
04:03Fine.
04:04I'll summon the healer.
04:05Shockingly cooperative.
04:07I should have known better.
04:08The moment the healer raised the silver needle to her chest...
04:11Get away from her!
04:12...Sylas, his face drained of every drop of color,
04:15he hurled the healer aside and wrapped his coat around Chloe's trembling shoulders.
04:19Chloe?
04:20Are you alright?
04:21What did she do to you?
04:22You shouldn't have come.
04:25You actually believed her?
04:27Do you want to die?
04:28If it means being with you, even death is worth it.
04:32A single tear slid down her cheek.
04:34It landed squarely on the soft spot of Silas' heart.
04:38Before I could draw a breath, Silas was on me,
04:40slamming me against the stone pillar.
04:42Listen to me carefully.
04:43If you have a problem, you bring it to me.
04:46Don't you dare touch Chloe again.
04:50Silas, I wasn't...
04:51I don't want your excuses.
04:52Why can't you trust me?
04:54Just once!
04:56The witch told me...
04:57Trust you?
04:58After everything you've done?
05:00Over his shoulder, I caught Chloe watching me,
05:02with the faintest, smug smile curving her lips.
05:06She'd brought him here on purpose.
05:07I didn't have time to play her games.
05:11Just put it down!
05:12She's your sister!
05:13Do you have no fear of the moon goddess's wrath?
05:16Please.
05:17I don't.
05:19Have you truly lost every shred of humanity?
05:22Maybe I have.
05:23I want your heart blood, Silas.
05:25Give it to me, and I'll release her.
05:27Fine.
05:28Remember what you promised.
05:30For Chloe's sake, he didn't hesitate for a breath.
05:32The healer drove the hollow needle into Silas's chest,
05:35and the memory surged up without warning.
05:38The night he saved me in my last life,
05:40he had given heart blood, too,
05:42until his skin turned ashen.
05:44It's enough.
05:45Let Chloe go now.
05:46The bowl of heart blood was placed before me.
05:50Have you lost your mind?
05:52I'm your sister!
05:54Silas!
05:54Save me!
05:55Stop!
05:56If you hurt her, I will never take you as my mate!
05:59Not even in death!
06:00The needles barely threw the skin.
06:02Let the healer finish, or I'll do it myself.
06:05He shoved the healer toward me at once.
06:08The moment the blood was drawn,
06:09I released Chloe and dropped the worm
06:11into the mingled heart blood.
06:12Silas had already dashed back to her.
06:14Why is she still bleeding?
06:16This is your doing.
06:20Silas.
06:21Don't speak my name.
06:23You don't understand what I just did for you.
06:26You attacked her!
06:27She did nothing to deserve this!
06:29Chloe sobbed prettily against his shoulder.
06:31Sister, what did I ever do to you?
06:36You've been given more love than I ever had.
06:39I held out the worm,
06:40now glowing a deep, pulsing crimson.
06:42This really is the cure.
06:44Taste it and you'll see.
06:46And what if it's some new curse you've cooked up?
06:48Silas, it isn't-
06:49I don't have time for your games!
06:51Then take my life too,
06:52if that's what you want.
06:55Leah!
06:58To break the blood curse,
07:00you need the heart blood of the one
07:01each of us loves.
07:02I love you.
07:03You love Chloe.
07:04Are we direct enough for you now?
07:06Sterling,
07:07take it.
07:09Swallow it.
07:10I can't!
07:10Do it, Silas!
07:13Don't come any closer.
07:14Just take it.
07:15This time, he obeyed.
07:17He placed it on his tongue and swallowed.
07:19Relief crashed over me.
07:21The debt I had owed him from my last life,
07:24I had finally repaid it.
07:26It's done. We're done.
07:27But the moment I exhaled,
07:29my body gave out.
07:30A searing pain tore through my chest,
07:32as if something inside was devouring me alive.
07:35Leah!
07:36Leah, look at me!
07:38I'm sorry.
07:41Finally awake.
07:43Do you have any idea, child?
07:45You had one foot through death's door.
07:48Is that sterling boy truly worth this?
07:51Father, mother,
07:52I want to mate with Alpha Case.
07:54What?
07:56Listen to me.
07:57I had a dream.
07:59A long, terrible dream of another life.
08:01A dream?
08:02In that dream,
08:03Silas died for me,
08:04and Chloe was sent to Case.
08:05She lasted only seven days before she tried to flee.
08:08She scaled the fortress when she fell.
08:10She died the moment she hit the rocks.
08:12Daughter, that was only a dream.
08:13It doesn't change the truth.
08:15Silas
08:16doesn't love me.
08:18He loves Chloe.
08:19Let me be the one to go to Case.
08:21Case is a death sentence!
08:23And if none of us answer his summons,
08:25do you think an Alpha like him
08:26will let our pack survive?
08:30Trust me.
08:31I won't walk Chloe's path.
08:33A distant, respectful union will be enough.
08:36Not long after they left,
08:37Silas appeared in my chambers
08:39carrying a small lacquered dish.
08:41Honey glazed meat dumplings.
08:42My favorite.
08:43He picked up the spoon to feed me.
08:45But this time,
08:46I didn't open my mouth.
08:47The curse is broken.
08:48Thank you, Sterling.
08:50You're welcome.
08:52But I truly cannot take you as my mate.
08:54I cannot stand by
08:55and watch Chloe be thrown into the fire.
08:58Then what do you intend to do,
08:59Simus?
09:05Are you going to stop the ceremony?
09:08Whatever you're planning,
09:10don't.
09:11I'm sorry.
09:12I have to.
09:13He set the bowl aside
09:14and left without another word.
09:16Living this second life,
09:17I had finally seen the difference
09:18between me and Chloe
09:19with bone-deep clarity.
09:21How starkly obvious it truly was.
09:24There was nothing left in me now
09:25that could ache.
09:26Three days later,
09:27I would mate with the monster.
09:29You don't have to do this, daughter.
09:31I do, mother.
09:32This is the only way.
09:34Then at least let your father
09:36send an escort.
09:36No, it must be me, alone.
09:40Alpha Case didn't come for me himself.
09:42He sent a warband of elite warriors
09:44armed to the teeth.
09:45It wasn't a mating escort.
09:47It was a hunting party.
09:48The carriage jolted violently.
09:50Steel screamed against Steel outside.
10:05His arm locked around my waist
10:07and ripped me from the carriage.
10:09The instant my feet hit the ground,
10:11a hundred silver-tipped arrows
10:12drew taut on us.
10:14The warband parted like a tide.
10:16Young Sterling,
10:17you mean to steal my mate?
10:19Alpha Case.
10:21Chloe doesn't want this yun.
10:23Release her.
10:23Is that so?
10:24Whether she wants it or not?
10:25I don't believe that's your call, pup.
10:27I'm not leaving without her.
10:28Then you'll die here.
10:30Chloe, don't be afraid.
10:31Say it out loud.
10:33Whatever comes after,
10:34I'll bear it.
10:35Simus.
10:35Say it.
10:36I'm right here.
10:37I raised my hand to the Crimson Veil
10:39and lifted it.
10:40Leah?
10:42Not Chloe, Simus.
10:43Me.
10:44What the hell?
10:47I am willing to mate with Alpha Case.
10:49Leah!
10:49Silas made a sound like I'd stabbed him.
10:52How can you say that?
10:53You know what he is!
10:56I know exactly what he is.
10:58I said quietly.
10:59Do you?
11:00Case's lips curved into a slow, dangerous smile.
11:03Come, bride.
11:04Let's not keep the guests waiting.
11:06He extended one clawed hand toward me.
11:09I placed my hand in his,
11:10feeling the controlled strength there.
11:13He pulled me close,
11:14lifting me onto his massive black stallion.
11:17I ended up in his lap,
11:19his arm like an iron band around my waist.
11:21He murmured against my ear,
11:23his breath hot.
11:24Comfortable?
11:26Not even a little.
11:27I admitted.
11:28He laughed,
11:29a sound like distant thunder.
11:32Good.
11:34Honesty is refreshing.
11:36You're welcome to attend the ceremony, Sterling.
11:39Watch me claim what's mine.
11:41He looked down at Silas,
11:43who was still kneeling in the dirt.
11:44Then we rode away,
11:46leaving Silas and his failed rescue behind.
11:49The Valerius Estate was a fortress carved from black stone.
11:53Towers pierced the sky like claws,
11:55and gargoyles leered from every corner.
11:58It should have been terrifying.
12:00Instead,
12:01I felt a strange sense of coming home.
12:04Case carried me over the threshold himself.
12:06Eager?
12:08Strategic.
12:09If I put you down,
12:10you might bolt.
12:10He corrected.
12:11I gave my word.
12:12I don't bolt.
12:13We'll see.
12:14He set me down in a chamber that was clearly meant for me.
12:17Silk curtains,
12:19plush furs,
12:19a bed the size of a small battlefield.
12:22Rest.
12:23He commanded.
12:24The ceremony is in two hours.
12:26What if I don't want to rest?
12:29Then don't.
12:30But you'll need your strength for tonight.
12:32Heat flooded my cheeks,
12:33and he laughed again.
12:36Such an innocent reaction for someone who spent five years cursing her lover's bed.
12:40I looked away,
12:41embarrassed and angry.
12:43How do you know about that?
12:45I know everything about you,
12:46Leah Blackwood.
12:47He crossed to a desk,
12:48the ones I'd written to Silas during his training.
12:51How did you get those?
12:52Your messenger ravens were
12:54intercepted.
12:55A clerical error, really.
12:57I've been reading about you for months,
12:59little wolf.
12:59Your favorite foods,
13:01your fears,
13:01your dreams.
13:02That's why I sent the blood price.
13:04I wanted the girl who wrote these letters.
13:06I didn't know whether to be flattered or horrified.
13:08Those letters weren't for you.
13:10They are now.
13:11He said simply,
13:12just like you are.
13:13Before I could respond,
13:14he was gone,
13:15leaving me alone with my racing thoughts.
13:17The ceremony was held in the estate's great hall.
13:20Poor thing.
13:21She'll be dead within the month.
13:23I heard the last one jumped from the tower.
13:25No, she was pushed.
13:26By him.
13:28I could hear their whispers.
13:29I kept my head high,
13:30refusing to show weakness.
13:32Case was waiting for me at the altar,
13:34dressed in black and silver.
13:35When I reached him,
13:36he took my hand and pressed a kiss to my knuckles.
13:38Brave little wolf.
13:40The ceremony began.
13:41Traditional words about bonds and blood and forever.
13:44I repeated my vows mechanically,
13:46my mind elsewhere.
13:47Then I heard a commotion at the back of the hall.
13:50Stop!
13:50She can't marry you!
13:52This is becoming tiresome.
13:55Leah is mine, Sterling.
13:57Accept it.
13:57Not if she doesn't want to be!
13:59Tell him, Leah.
14:01Tell him you'd rather be with me.
14:02I look between them.
14:04Let go, Silen.
14:05No, I love you.
14:07I finally understand that I love you.
14:08You love the idea of me.
14:10You love what you can't have.
14:12That's not-
14:13Let her go,
14:13or I'll make you.
14:15She's made her choice, boy.
14:17Honor it.
14:19I turn back to Case,
14:20ignoring the tears threatening to fall.
14:22I'm ready to finish the ceremony.
14:24No, you're not.
14:27What are you doing?
14:29Taking my bride to bed.
14:30The ceremony can wait.
14:33This was really happening.
14:35I was about to become his in every way that mattered.
14:38Case carried me to his private chambers.
14:40He set me down carefully like I was something precious.
14:44You're shaking.
14:45I'm fine.
14:47Liar.
14:48He circled me slowly,
14:50a wolf appraising his prey.
14:51Tell me the truth, little wolf.
14:53Are you afraid of me?
14:56Yes, but not the way you think.
14:58Then how?
14:59I'm afraid of wanting this.
15:01Of wanting you.
15:03Good.
15:05Fear is honest.
15:06His fingers trace the line of my jaw,
15:09my throat,
15:09the curve of my shoulder.
15:11Last chance.
15:12Say the word,
15:13and I'll let you go.
15:14Where would I go?
15:15Anywhere.
15:16Back to the Blackwood estate.
15:18To Sterling,
15:19if you want him.
15:22I could never hold you here against your will,
15:24Leah.
15:24That's not who I am.
15:25I want to stay.
15:28Why?
15:30Because you read my letters
15:31and still wanted me.
15:33Because you gave me a choice
15:34when no one else would.
15:35Because I'm tired of loving someone
15:37who can't love me back.
15:38But I didn't say any of that.
15:46Still afraid?
15:48Terrified.
15:49Perfect.
15:50Then he showed me exactly what it meant
15:53to be claimed by an alpha.
15:55I woke to sunlight streaming through massive windows.
15:58My body ached in unfamiliar ways
16:00and my skin was marked with bites and scratches.
16:03Evidence of a very thorough claiming.
16:09Morning, Luna.
16:11He said,
16:12his tone lazy and satisfied.
16:15Don't hide.
16:17I like looking at you.
16:21You're shameless.
16:23Absolutely.
16:30Does it hurt?
16:31A little.
16:33Good.
16:33That means you'll remember who you belong to.
16:37I should have been offended
16:38by his possessiveness.
16:39Instead,
16:40something warm unfurled in my chest.
16:44Alpha,
16:45there's a situation.
16:46What kind of situation?
16:48The Sterling boy is at the gate.
16:49He says he won't leave
16:50until he speaks with Lady Leah.
16:53Tell him to go away.
16:55You heard her.
16:56She's busy being thoroughly debolraged.
16:59Don't say that!
17:00Why not?
17:01It's true.
17:03He's causing quite a scene, Alpha.
17:05Should we remove him by force?
17:07Your call, little wolf.
17:08Want me to break his legs
17:09or just scare him off?
17:11Let me talk to him.
17:12One last time.
17:13You're too kind.
17:14Bring him to the garden.
17:16Under guard.
17:16If he tries anything, kill him.
17:18I dress quickly in a simple gown,
17:20wincing at the soreness in my muscles.
17:23I don't trust him.
17:24Neither do I.
17:25That's why you're here.
17:27Silas was waiting by the fountain,
17:29flanked by four Valerius guards.
17:30Leah, thank the goddess.
17:36What do you want, Silas?
17:38He took a step forward
17:39and the guards immediately drew their weapons.
17:41Easy.
17:43Let him speak.
17:45It'll be his last chance.
17:46I made a mistake.
17:48The biggest mistake of my life.
17:49You've made several.
17:50I know, but this is different.
17:52I remember everything now.
17:53How we were before the curse.
17:55How much I loved you
17:56even if I was too stupid to admit it.
17:58Careful, Sterling.
17:59You're confessing love to another man's mate.
18:01She's not your mate.
18:03Not really.
18:04You forced this marriage.
18:05I gave her a choice.
18:06Something you never did.
18:08That hit home.
18:09I saw it in the way Silas flinched.
18:11Leah, please.
18:12Come home with me.
18:14I'll spend the rest of my life making this up to you.
18:16But I'd learned my lesson about Silas Sterling.
18:20No.
18:21No?
18:26I'm staying with Case.
18:28This is where I belong now.
18:29You don't mean that.
18:31He's a monster, Leah.
18:32Everyone knows what he's done.
18:35If I'm such a monster,
18:37why did she scream my name last night?
18:42If I'm such a monster,
18:43why did she scream my name last night?
18:45I turned bright red, mortified.
18:50You bastard!
18:55Leah is mine.
18:56My wife, my mate, my property, by law and bond.
19:00If you come near her again,
19:01I will remove your head and mount it on my wall.
19:04Do we understand each other?
19:06Silas gasped for air.
19:08Let him go.
19:09Case glanced at me, then back at Silas.
19:11You're lucky she's merciful.
19:13Go home, Sterling.
19:15Forget about her.
19:15Or don't.
19:16I don't actually care.
19:17But if I see you on my sland again,
19:20you're dead.
19:21Get off me!
19:22When we were alone, Case turned to me.
19:24You're angry with me.
19:27You could have killed him.
19:28I could have.
19:29I didn't.
19:30You're welcome.
19:32You're impossible.
19:33Yes.
19:35But I'm yours.
19:36Don't leave me for him, little wolf.
19:38I'm not good at sharing.
19:40I won't.
19:43Come on, boy, just show me
19:45What it is I'm missing
19:48And for the first time in a long time,
19:51I meant it.
19:52Three months passed in relative peace.
19:55Case was demanding, possessive,
19:57and utterly uncompromising.
19:59He was also surprisingly gentle,
20:01attentive to my needs in ways Silas had never been.
20:04I found myself falling into the rhythm of life as his mate.
20:07Then, one morning, everything shattered.
20:10I woke to find Case standing by the window.
20:13A letter in his hand.
20:14His expression was carved from ice.
20:23What's wrong?
20:25I asked, sitting up.
20:26He turned to me, his mismatched eyes blazing.
20:30How long have you been fucking Simus straffling?
20:33What?
20:34I haven't-
20:34Don't lie to me!
20:36I picked it up with shaking hands.
20:38This isn't real.
20:41Someone drew these.
20:43They're not real.
20:43They look pretty fucking real to me.
20:46Case, I swear to you,
20:47I haven't seen Simus since that day in the garden.
20:49Then explain the drawings.
20:51His voice was deadly calm.
20:52I can't.
20:53Because I didn't do this!
20:55I warned you, Leah.
20:57I told you what would happen if you betrayed me.
20:59Terror and rage warred in my chest.
21:02You don't actually believe this, do you?
21:04For a long moment, he just stared at me.
21:06Get dressed.
21:07We're going to your father's estate.
21:08Why?
21:09Because we're going to find out who did this.
21:12And if I find proof you've been unfaithful,
21:15I will rain holy hell on everyone you've ever loved.
21:19His tone promised violence, but his eyes-
21:22His eyes held a flicker of doubt.
21:24He didn't want to believe it either.
21:26That gave me hope.
21:28We rode to the Blackwood estate in intense silence.
21:31Case was a coiled spring beside me,
21:33ready to explode at the slightest provocation.
21:35My father met us at the door, his expression worried.
21:39Leah?
21:41Alpha Case?
21:42What brings you here?
21:48Where did you get these?
21:50They were delivered to my estate this morning.
21:53Do you recognize the artist?
21:55Ah.
21:56The style.
21:58It's similar to Chloe's work.
22:00She used to draw constantly.
22:03Where is she?
22:05In her chambers, I think.
22:06Why would she-
22:07But I was already running.
22:14Going somewhere?
22:17Leah.
22:18I was just-
22:19Cut the shit, Chloe.
22:20You drew those pictures, didn't you?
22:23So what if I did?
22:25You deserve it after stealing Silas from me.
22:28I didn't steal anyone.
22:30He chose you.
22:31I gave him to you!
22:33By trapping yourself with that monster instead?
22:35How noble.
22:40That monster is my husband.
22:44And you just tried to get me killed.
22:47I-
22:48I just wanted you to hurt the way you hurt me.
22:51By accusing me of adultery?
22:53Do you have any idea what he could do to me for that?
22:55Oh, I have several ideas.
22:58Want to hear them?
22:59I'm sorry.
23:02I didn't think-
23:03No, you didn't.
23:04You never do.
23:09Did you create those drawings?
23:13I just wanted her to know what it felt like.
23:15She gets everything.
23:17Your love.
23:18Your attention.
23:18What do I have?
23:19Nothing.
23:20I'm nothing.
23:23You have nothing because you've earned nothing.
23:26We gave you our home, our love,
23:28and you repay us with lies and cruelty.
23:32Send her away.
23:33To the border territories where she can't hurt anyone else.
23:44No.
23:50She stays here.
23:51Under guard, under watch, but here.
23:54Why?
23:56Because you'll regret it if I send her away.
23:58She's still your sister, even if she's a venomous little snake.
24:02This way you can decide what happens to her when you're ready.
24:11Don't thank me yet.
24:13I'm still furious about the whole thing.
24:15I know.
24:16You can punish me later.
24:18Oh, I will.
24:20Two weeks after the incident with Chloe,
24:23I woke up violently ill.
24:30What's wrong?
24:33I don't know.
24:34Bad meat, maybe?
24:36But it happened again the next morning.
24:38And the next.
24:40Finally, Case summoned the pack physician.
24:43She examined me thoroughly,
24:45then smiled.
24:48Congratulations, Alpha.
24:50Your mate is with child.
24:53What?
24:54About six weeks along, I'd estimate.
24:56The pup is healthy and strong.
25:01A pup.
25:03We're having a pup.
25:05He looked at me like I'd just handed him the moon.
25:08Are you happy?
25:12Happy?
25:13Happy?
25:13Leah, I'm terrified.
25:16What if I'm like my father?
25:17What if I hurt it?
25:19Or you, or...
25:19You won't.
25:21You're nothing like him.
25:23How do you know?
25:25Because you're here,
25:27panicking about being a good father.
25:29That alone makes you better than him.
25:32I'm going to keep you safe.
25:34Both of you.
25:35Nothing will touch you while I draw breath.
25:39Case became impossibly more protective
25:41after learning about the pregnancy.
25:43He barely let me out of his sight,
25:45hovering like an anxious shadow.
25:49I can walk to the garden by myself.
25:53No.
25:55Case, I'm pregnant, not dying.
25:59Same thing to me.
26:01I rolled my eyes,
26:03but secretly,
26:04I loved his attention.
26:05After years of being ignored by Silas,
26:08Case's devotion was intoxicating.
26:10Then, one night,
26:11I was woken by a sharp pain in my stomach.
26:13I gasped, clutching my belly.
26:16Case was awake instantly.
26:17What's wrong?
26:18Is it the pup?
26:20I don't know.
26:21It hurts.
26:24He carried me to the physician himself,
26:26refusing to let anyone else touch me.
26:28The examination seemed to take hours.
26:31Doctor?
26:31The pup is fine.
26:32Just some cramping from growth.
26:33Perfectly normal.
26:35But Lady Leah needs to rest.
26:37No stress, no exertion.
26:38For how long?
26:39At least a month.
26:41Maybe more.
26:42I groaned,
26:43already imagining Case's reaction.
26:45He didn't disappoint.
26:46A month?
26:48She's confined to bed for a month?
26:52At minimum.
26:53Case looked at me,
26:54his expression fear.
26:55Then that's what we'll do.
26:58True to his word,
26:59he took a full month away from his duties.
27:01He spent every day with me,
27:03reading to me,
27:04talking to me,
27:05just being present.
27:06It was the happiest month of my life.
27:09At eight months pregnant,
27:10I was enormous and uncomfortable.
27:13You're glowing.
27:14He said one morning.
27:15I'm sweating.
27:17It's not the same thing.
27:18He laughed,
27:19pressing a kiss to my stomach.
27:21The pup kicked in response.
27:22She knows my voice.
27:23How do you know it's a she?
27:27Father's intuition.
27:28That night was the full moon gathering.
27:30You can't avoid your duties because I'm pregnant.
27:32Case didn't want to go,
27:33but I insisted.
27:35Case,
27:36go.
27:38I'll be fine for a few hours.
27:39A mandatory event for all pack alphas.
27:42Reluctantly,
27:43he agreed,
27:44but he left me surrounded by guards
27:46with strict orders to summon him
27:47if anything happened.
27:49I settled in with a book,
27:50enjoying the rare moment of solitude.
27:52Then I heard a commotion in the hallway.
27:55Voices raised in anger,
27:56the sound of a scuffle.
27:58Before I could call for help,
27:59my chamber door broke open.
28:02Silas came there,
28:03wild-eyed and desperate.
28:04Leah,
28:05thank the goddess.
28:07We have to go now.
28:08I stared at Silas.
28:09How did you get in here?
28:10I bribed a guard.
28:12Doesn't matter.
28:12Leah, you're in danger.
28:13From what?
28:14From him.
28:15Don't you see?
28:16He's going to kill you,
28:16just like he killed the others.
28:18I laughed.
28:19Silas,
28:19I'm eight months pregnant with his child.
28:21If he wanted me dead,
28:22he's had plenty of opportunities.
28:23No, you don't understand.
28:25The full moon gathering,
28:26it's a trap.
28:28While he's gone,
28:30assassins are coming for you
28:31to destroy his bloodline.
28:33That gave me pause.
28:35How do you know this?
28:36I have sources in the pack.
28:39People who hate him as much as I do.
28:44He reached for me,
28:45but I backed away.
28:47Come with me.
28:50Don't touch me.
28:52Leah, please.
28:53I know you don't trust me,
28:55but I'm trying to save your life.
28:56At that moment,
28:57one of the guards appeared behind Silas.
28:59My lady,
29:00should we...
29:01Silas spun,
29:02drawing the blade
29:03and slashing the guard's throat
29:04in one smooth motion.
29:07I'm sorry.
29:08He advanced on me.
29:09But you're not leaving me a choice.
29:11And I realized with horror
29:12what he intended.
29:13You're going to kill me yourself,
29:14aren't you?
29:16No.
29:17Never.
29:18His expression crumbled.
29:19But I will take you away from here.
29:21Even if I have to drag you.
29:23Before he could reach me,
29:24a massive black wolf
29:25crashed through the window.
29:27Get.
29:27away
29:29from
29:30my mate.
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