- 7 weeks ago
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00:02ترجمة نانسي قنقر
00:36ترجمة نانسي قنقر
01:00ترجمة نانسي قنقر
01:17ترجمة نانسي قنقر
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02:40ترجمة نانسي قنقر
02:41ترجمة نانسي قنقر
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02:44ترجمة نانسي قنقر
02:46ترجمة نانسي قنقر
02:48ترجمة نانسي قنقر
02:51ترجمة نانسي قنقر
02:54هؤلاء بأيس من سرفينة لصبعه وهمت بها
02:58في المصطفى
02:59هذا المنزل
03:00أخبرتني
03:01أشعر بأي
03:02بأيه
03:02خلاله
03:03بأيس مدينة
03:05سرفينة
03:06سرفينة
03:07بأيس منع
03:08فضل
03:08وبدأت
03:10بأيس
03:10بأيس
03:11سيئة
03:11جزء
03:12بأيس
03:14بأيس
03:14بأيس
03:15الوال
03:15وليس
03:16بأيس
03:17بأيس
03:18بأيس
03:23بأيس
03:31المترجم للقناة
04:01المترجم للقناة
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07:37المترجم للقناة
07:38I knew as well as anyone how rare a beast man's loyalty was
07:42But in the mess I'd inherited from my last life
07:45Rare felt like a polite word for impossible
07:47Wasn't this just gambling with our lives?
07:50I watched father go
07:51Then turned back and called Silas from his room
07:54Leading him out into the city for the first time
07:57Mistress what's that?
07:59Ice cream
08:00He cataloged everything
08:01Stall signs, storefronts, passing vehicles
08:04With wide hungry eyes
08:06Mistress what's that?
08:09An amusement park
08:10Mistress
08:11When we get back I'll teach you to read
08:13Then you'll figure it out yourself
08:15Okay
08:16Silas beamed
08:17Falling into step just behind my shoulder
08:20Out of the corner of my eye
08:21I caught him eating the ice cream with total indifference
08:24He didn't like it at all
08:26While his gaze moved in quick methodical sweeps across the street around us
08:30The carefully performed helplessness had cracked
08:33Just for a second
08:34He didn't trust me
08:35Not even close
08:36And beneath the docile surface
08:38He was calculating
08:39Of course he is
08:41I thought
08:41We arrived at the address father had given me
08:43I had expected something imposing
08:45A high rise
08:47Gilded signage
08:48Because a beast man healer of rare power
08:50Commanded human respect as much as fear
08:53Instead
08:53I found the most unremarkable courtyard I'd ever seen
08:57Identifiable only because it was packed shoulder to shoulder with people waiting
09:01Inside
09:02I spotted Kale
09:03He was slumped against a girl's shoulder
09:06Barely breathing
09:07More absent than present
09:08As if he sensed me
09:10Kale opened his eyes
09:11And found mine instantly
09:13That one look was packed with a lifetime of grievances
09:16He pushed himself upright from the girl's arms
09:19Eyes red rimmed
09:20And fixed me with an expression that begged without words
09:23Then a hand closed over my eyes
09:26Don't look at him
09:27Glamour rat
09:29I laughed and pulled his hand down
09:31Get in line
09:34Of course I could feel Kale's fox allure threading through the air
09:38But it couldn't touch me now
09:39Not with only hatred and wariness where softness used to live
09:43And not when his glamour was still this juvenile
09:47Silas gave me one more uncertain look
09:50Then moved to join the queue
09:51What was Kale even doing here?
09:53But I wasn't the only one questioning it
09:55A fox and an heiress whose family treats beasts like dirt?
09:59The pair drew everyone's attention
10:01Someone gossiped among the crowd
10:03On Kale's first day in the fighting pit
10:05He had weaved his fox allure around a girl named Talia
10:09Making her desperate to buy him
10:11Her father was a business partner of fathers
10:13And when the black market saw how badly she wanted Kale
10:16They drove the price up
10:18Talia didn't have enough
10:19Went home to scrape together the rest
10:21And spent several days doing it
10:23During those days
10:24On the bodyguard's quiet instruction
10:26Every beast man Kale faced in the pit
10:29Was as brutal as they came
10:31Talia had come back just in time to pull him out at death's door
10:34I understood now
10:36Kale was wounded badly enough that Talia had brought him here
10:39I took a proper look at Talia
10:41Peach bloom skin
10:42Wide eyes
10:43All open sincerity
10:45Not a calculating bone in her body by the look of it
10:48No wonder Kale had reeled her in so easily
10:50He never does change
10:52Suddenly Kale tore free of Talia's grip
10:55And lurched toward me
10:56Hey where are you going?
10:58Talia reached for him
10:59And he shoved her hand away viciously
11:01Don't touch me
11:03He glared at her with an expression I knew by heart
11:07Revulsion
11:07The specific kind reserved for things that had already served their purpose
11:11He was certain Talia couldn't live without him
11:14So he treated her with careless cruelty
11:16Something sour moved through me
11:18And I set my jaw
11:20Silas's brow creased
11:21His weight shifted
11:23I stopped him with a look
11:24Kale staggered to me in a few short steps
11:27Those steps costing him everything
11:29His legs gave
11:30He dropped to one knee
11:31Barely catching himself before he hit the ground entirely
11:35He forced his chin up
11:36And his eyes were sincere in a way that made my skin crawl
11:39I'm sorry
11:41I know what I did
11:43He reached out small and careful
11:45Can you forgive me?
11:47So he'd guessed I'd been reborn too
11:49I didn't move
11:50And a flicker of relief crossed his face
11:53He was almost close enough to take my hand
11:55I looked past him at Talia instead
11:57Let me show you how to handle a beastman who won't behave
12:00The next second
12:01I drove my boot into the center of Kale's chest
12:04With every bit of force I had
12:06He flew back and crashed through a low stone table in the choked room
12:10A choked sound
12:11Then a mouthful of blood hit the flagstones
12:14Kale sat in the wreckage
12:16White faced
12:16Hand pressed to his chest
12:18Talia sprinted over and rounded on me
12:21What do you think you're doing?
12:22He's my beastman
12:23Even if he's mishaving that's between us
12:25Who gave you the right?
12:27I tilted my head
12:28You can't control him
12:30And I don't like Fox Beastmen getting too close to me
12:33They carry a certain
12:34Musk
12:35Kale coughed up another mouthful of blood
12:38And stared at me with the expression of someone whose world had just inverted
12:42Talia flushed Scarlet
12:44There's no
12:44There's no musk
12:45You're making that up
12:46That's beastman discrimination
12:47Careful
12:49Statements like that tend to offend my beastman
12:51Silas looked at Talia
12:53Then let his gaze drop to the barely breathing Kale
12:56You should be grateful it was my mistress who hit him
12:59He said
13:00His voice carrying the disinterest of someone announcing a weather forecast
13:04Otherwise I would have killed him
13:05The undisguised kill intent sat in the air like a blade
13:09You
13:10Talia sputtered at him
13:11Then whipped around to stare at me
13:13At last she made a disgusted sound
13:15Hoisted Kale up with visible effort
13:18And marched straight for the door
13:23Out of the way
13:24Can't you see he's dying
13:25Everyone in the queue had been waiting far longer
13:28And had no interest in being cut
13:30Talia ended up wedged at the entrance
13:33Kale sagging against her
13:34She raised her voice in desperation
13:36Miss Mira
13:38Please I'm begging you
13:39Save him
13:40He really is
13:41From inside the room came a voice
13:43Smooth as river water
13:47He won't die
13:48Wait your turn
13:49I raised an eyebrow
13:51I liked this Mira already
13:53Talia had no choice but to stand there
13:55Seething
13:56Kale was losing his grip on his human form
13:59The fox ears and tail slipped free
14:01Trembling
14:02She glared daggers at me
14:04This isn't over
14:04I looked at her
14:06Does your father know how much you paid for that beastman?
14:09The Talia family and mine were nothing alike
14:11Our bloodline maintained some measure of regard for beastmen
14:15The Talias treated them like livestock
14:17If her father found out she'd spent a small fortune on a useless fox
14:22The fallout would be spectacular
14:24Talia blinked
14:25You know my father?
14:26Then her eyes went wide
14:28You're threatening me!
14:29I just smiled
14:30Talia's lip trembled
14:31Tears spilled down her face and she cried openly, chest heaving
14:35I hadn't expected the waterworks
14:37A headache bloomed behind my eyes
14:39Stop crying!
14:41Your beastman isn't worth it!
14:42I won't let you say that about him!
14:44He's weak!
14:45Yes, but to me he's worth a thousand times more!
14:47Right!
14:48I had nothing left to say to that
14:50The queue crawled forward for several more hours before it was finally, mercifully, Kale's turn
14:57I had arrived later and stood behind them
14:59By the time Talia helped Kale out of the treatment room, an hour had passed and his color had returned
15:05He looked at me and the wounded helplessness was gone
15:08Replaced by something close to resentment
15:11You're heartless, Alaksa
15:12I made a dry sound
15:14I can't compete with you
15:14Stop wasting breath on her
15:17Let's go
15:19Steering Kale away with a huff in my direction
15:21Behind me, Silas spoke quietly
15:24You know them?
15:27I pointed toward the treatment room door
15:29Your turn
15:32Silas pressed his lips together, said nothing, and stepped inside
15:36I followed and watched Mira work
15:38The Merkin were extraordinary
15:40No instruments, no diagnostic tools
15:43Only a touch
15:44And she already knew
15:45I said it without thinking
15:47That's remarkable
15:48Mira looked at me with a faint smile
15:50Nothing special
15:51There are dozens in my bloodline more gifted than I am
15:54And the greatest among them is
15:56Her expression dimmed
15:58A shadow of grief crossed her face
16:00And she let the sentence die
16:01His body has a congenital gap
16:05It's why he appears far weaker than other beastmen
16:08And it will shorten his lifespan
16:09The hand resting at Silas' side closed into a fist
16:13And his voice came out tight
16:14Please, help me
16:15Then he turned to me
16:17And the look in his eyes said everything
16:20Money is no obstacle
16:22But Mira shook her head
16:23Her smile faint and tired
16:25A congenital gap is beyond my reach
16:29I can't mend what was never formed
16:31Silas' face fell in a way that was visible to the naked eye
16:35Thank you anyway
16:37He turned to leave
16:38And Mira looked at me
16:40If you happen to know Lucian, Miss Alara
16:43There may still be a chance
16:44I was caught off guard
16:45Not only because Mira had recognized me
16:47But because of the name itself
16:49Lucian was the most gifted
16:51And most ungovernable of the Vos bloodline
16:54The family's golden heir
16:56Known to everyone as their little crown prince
16:58We had attended the same school once
17:01I knew him after a fashion
17:02But his health had declined
17:04And he'd withdrawn from classes years ago
17:06We hadn't spoken since
17:08Does Lucian keep someone gifted near him?
17:11The Merkin are born with healing in our blood
17:13It's simply a matter of degree
17:15Even the least gifted of us
17:17Can mend our own bodies through instinct alone
17:19But the rarest among us
17:20The ones born with song
17:23They can restore the dead to life
17:25I stared at her
17:26That sounds impossible
17:27I've never heard of anything like it
17:29It isn't surprising
17:30Our bloodline hasn't produced that level of gift in centuries
17:33Then her voice shifted
17:35Quiet, deliberate
17:36But in the past twenty years
17:38One Merkin was born
17:39Carrying that gift from her very first breath
17:41Something clicked into place
17:43At the back of my mind
17:45What is her name?
17:47Lyra
17:47Of course
17:50I understand
17:51Thank you, Mira
17:52I set a payment card on the table
17:54And left with Silas
17:55The moment we were outside
17:57He asked
17:57Barely containing himself
18:00Are we going to find Lyra?
18:01His eyes were bright
18:03With something almost desperate
18:04If it's possible
18:05I'll take you to her
18:06I had heard Lyra's name once
18:08In my last life
18:09Lyra
18:11She had been offered
18:12To the Vos bloodline
18:13By the Merkin
18:13As a gesture of protection
18:14Her extraordinary healing talent
18:17The price of her bloodline's safety
18:20And with her
18:21Lucian had finally been free
18:23She seemed to care for him
18:24Or so the rumors said
18:25Lucian cared for someone else entirely
18:27And treated her accordingly
18:29What happened after that
18:30I didn't know
18:32Because by that point
18:34I was already dead
18:35Given Lucian's erratic temperament
18:38Approaching him directly
18:39And asking for Lyra
18:41Would be met with a flat refusal
18:43No matter how I framed it
18:45The better path
18:45Was to go around him
18:47Reach Lyra herself
18:49Silas must have sensed my hesitation
18:51Because some of the heat
18:52Faded from his expression
18:55Mistress doesn't need to worry
18:57I'm fine as I am
18:58That word
19:00Mistress
19:00Spoken aloud on a public street
19:03Turned heads up and down the block
19:05A flush crept up the back of my neck
19:07I cleared my throat twice
19:10In public
19:11You don't have to use that
19:13Just call me by my name
19:14Silas adapted without hesitation
19:17Alright, Alara
19:18When I got home
19:19I sent Talia's father
19:20An anonymous letter
19:22A quiet, detailed account
19:24Of exactly how much
19:25She had spent on kale
19:26At the black market
19:27I didn't want Talia
19:29To become what I had been
19:30It took less than two days
19:32Before the news reached me
19:33Miss Alara, the news is here
19:33Talia had been confined
19:35To the house
19:36But the money was already spent
19:37And her father was too proud
19:39To return kale to the black market
19:41Which meant he would find ways
19:43To extract that investment
19:44From kale's skin
19:45The Talia household
19:47Would be its own kind of hell
19:48I was still turning that over
19:50When a servant came running
19:51Miss Alara, something's wrong
19:53Silas, Simus, and Raven are fighting
19:56Raven was Seraphina's beast man
19:58I was on my feet
19:59Before the sentence finished
20:00I followed the servant
20:02To the garden outside the mirror
20:03Where Silas had been pinned
20:05Beneath the flowering hawthorn tree
20:07And Raven's massive fists
20:09Were falling on him
20:10Again and again
20:11Each blow landing like a hammer
20:14Miss Alara, please
20:15You have to help him
20:16He'll be beaten to death
20:18The servant pulled at my arm
20:20I raised a hand
20:21Silence
20:21My eyes stayed fixed on Silas
20:24After days of recovery
20:25His body was mostly healed
20:27And this was the Silas who
20:29In his last life
20:30Had survived the fighting pit
20:32On a broken frame
20:33Which meant there was
20:34No possible world
20:35In which he was simply
20:36Being dominated by Raven right now
20:38He was hiding what he could do
20:40Because he didn't trust me
20:42So I wouldn't save him
20:43I had no use for a beast man
20:45Who might drive a blade
20:46Into my back
20:47This first step towards trust
20:49He would have to be
20:50The one to take it
20:51Silas still didn't move
20:52Arms folded over his head
20:54The crack of breaking bone
20:55Cutting through the garden
20:57Like a gunshot
20:57He turned his head
20:59Spat blood onto the flagstones
21:01And through the gap
21:02In the flowering branches
21:03Saw me
21:04Disbelief in his eyes
21:05Hurt
21:06A silent furious question
21:08Why aren't you coming?
21:09My hand clenched at my side
21:11And my jaw locked
21:12Raven
21:13Scenting blood
21:14Found the animal in himself
21:16Rising to the surface
21:17Both ears pushing through his hair
21:19Every muscle lit up
21:21With predatory excitement
21:22Barely a step from the edge
21:24Of a full, feral shift
21:25I held my breath
21:26My entire body strung tight as a wire
21:29And stared at Silas
21:31Just take this one step towards me
21:33And I swear I will never stop protecting you
21:35Silas' pupils elongated
21:38The calm human iris
21:39Collapsing into serpent slit
21:41In the moment before Raven
21:42Lunged to bite him
21:44Silas moved
21:45His legs dissolved
21:47Into a white serpent tail
21:48That coiled around Raven's body
21:50In one fluid motion
21:51And then his fangs
21:53Long and curved
21:54And appearing from nowhere
21:55Drove into the side of Raven's neck
21:57Without hesitation
21:58Raven screamed and thrashed
22:00Every muscle in his body convulsing
22:03Silas' tail contracted
22:04Like a closing vice
22:06I watched Raven's face shift
22:07From red to violet
22:09In the span of seconds
22:10And understood instantly
22:11Silas' fangs were venomous
22:13So he's a viper
22:14I thought
22:15Serafina arrived then
22:17Late and unhurried
22:18And when she saw what was happening
22:20Simus
22:21You dare kill him
22:23I stepped forward without hesitation
22:26What if he does?
22:28Serafina's fierce expression
22:30Shifted through several versions of itself
22:33When she saw me
22:34She drew a breath
22:35Studied herself
22:36Alara
22:37Tell Silas to stop
22:39Raven will die
22:40I smiled
22:41My brother keeps his head
22:43Don't worry Serafina
22:44I glanced at Raven's
22:45Stillening body with meaning
22:47I won't let my sister
22:48Become a widow this early
22:49Alara
22:50Serafina finally snapped
22:52One finger leveled at me
22:54Aren't you afraid
22:55Father will punish you for this?
22:56I put on an expression
22:58Of perfect innocence
22:59Silas has always been
23:00Fragile and obedient
23:01He wouldn't provoke
23:02Raven without reason
23:03This was self-defense
23:05And you know it
23:06Why would father punish me?
23:08My voice cooled
23:09Shouldn't the punishment fall
23:10On the one who started it?
23:12You
23:12Enough
23:13Everyone stop
23:14Father's voice rolled through the garden
23:16From somewhere behind me
23:17Heavy with displeasure
23:19Before Serafina could arrange her face
23:21Into something pitiable
23:22I got there first
23:23And let tears spill down my own
23:25Father
23:26She started it
23:27And now she's turning it around on me
23:29Serafina went pale
23:30I didn't father
23:32Please
23:32Save Raven
23:33He'll die
23:34Father let out a cold sound
23:36Spared Serafina one flat look
23:38A lesson he needed to learn
23:40And you
23:41Don't think I don't know what you've been doing
23:43The handbook I gave you covers how to suppress a beastman's feral instincts
23:47What exactly have you been doing with it?
23:49Father's voice rose
23:51Serafina's chin dropped
23:52I was wrong father
23:53Serafina
23:54Raven is going to be your mate
23:56Your work isn't only to tame him
23:58It's to build him
23:59Otherwise
24:00His gaze cut across her
24:02Cold and quiet
24:03And said nothing more
24:04Serafina dropped to her knees
24:06Yes father
24:07As Raven finally went still
24:09The desperation broke through Serafina's composure
24:12And tears ran down her face
24:14Father
24:14Please
24:15Save him
24:16He's still going to be my husband one day
24:18Please
24:18Only then did father look at me
24:21I nodded at Silas
24:22Let him go
24:23Silas released the coil
24:25Raven's limp body hit the earth beside the hawthorn tree
24:28Scattering petals across the flagstones
24:31I moved quickly to catch Silas
24:33He had burned through everything he had
24:35The serpent tail refusing to retract
24:37His legs unable to carry him
24:39His full weight dropping into my arms
24:41Father made a sound of pure displeasure
24:44I bought you beastmen to bond with
24:45Not to put them against each other
24:47If it happens again
24:48You're both out of this bloodline
24:52Understood father
24:54Quick
24:55Carry Raven inside
25:01I looked at Raven's violet face and asked
25:04Will the venom kill him?
25:07I don't make problems for myself
25:09Look at him
25:10And found his face stripped of everything he usually wore around me
25:14The deference
25:14The careful performance
25:16All of it gone
25:17What remained was cold and still
25:19The slit pupils unmoved
25:21This is who he actually is
25:22Then Silas went boneless against my shoulder
25:25Head lolling
25:26As if the last of his strength had left him at once
25:28But I didn't believe it
25:30Then again
25:30A performance was only worth running to its end
25:33So I slid an arm around that ice cold tail
25:36Settled my other hand at his waist
25:38And lifted him
25:40Silas stared at me
25:41Startled into actual surprise
25:43A flush climbing fast up his neck
25:45Hold still
25:48I carried him back to his room
25:50Where the physician was already waiting
25:52The broken ribs were set
25:54Silas endured it with his face gone paper white
25:56The scales along his tail rippling open and closed
25:59With every wave of pain
26:01Until the sight made my own skin crawl
26:03I turned away and rubbed the goosebumps down my arms
26:06When the physician finished and left with a list of instructions
26:09I looked at the pale expanse of serpent tail
26:14Silas pressed his lips together
26:16And under my gaze
26:17Drew it back in
26:18The tail dissolving into human legs again
26:22Oddly fascinating
26:23And met those still unrecovered slit pupils
26:26Blinking at me without looking away
26:30He was asking why I'd stood there and watched
26:32I smiled
26:33Have you ever heard the saying
26:35Which one
26:36Real trust is earned in kind
26:38You didn't trust me
26:39So don't expect me to trust you first
26:41After I left Silas' room
26:43I did a quiet round of inquiries
26:45And pieced together what had happened
26:46Silas had developed a fondness
26:48For the hawthorn tree in the garden
26:50It was full bloom
26:51And he'd been spending idle hours beneath it
26:54He'd had the misfortune of crossing paths with Raven
26:57Who was wound tight
26:58And looking for something to hit
26:59Serafina's standard for a beast man was raw power
27:02And since a beast man who had learned to suppress
27:05Their feral instinct lost much of that
27:07She had never taught Raven to pull back from the edge
27:10Instead, she trained him to his limits
27:12And then patched him up herself with careful, gentle hands
27:15Two sessions of that
27:17And Raven was completely devoted to her
27:19If I hadn't been blinded by Kale's fox allure in my last life
27:23Heart given over to him
27:24Every alarm in me silenced
27:26I wouldn't have died so stupidly
27:28Speaking of which
27:29I wonder how Kale is doing in the Talia household
27:32I asked
27:33And promptly had to swallow a laugh
27:35The Talia patriarch had been putting Kale's fox allure to work
27:39Entertaining guests with it
27:40Men and women alike
27:41Sparing no categories
27:43Kale had always been beautiful
27:45With his glamour on top of that
27:47More than a few people had wanted him in my last life
27:50To protect him
27:51I had taken on damage I never should have absorbed
27:53And every time
27:54He had one thing to say
27:56That's what you're here for
27:58That's what I'm here for
27:59As if I were furniture
28:00A plan began to form in the back of my mind
28:03I was humming to myself on the way back to my room
28:06When I heard voices inside Silas's
28:08And pressed myself quietly to the wall
28:10Serafina's voice
28:12All warmth and remorse
28:13Silas
28:14I'm so sorry
28:15I should have kept Raven under control
28:17You're hurt so badly
28:19Can I help you with your bandages?
28:21I raised an eyebrow and leaned closer
28:23Silas's voice came back flat as a locked door
28:26Get out
28:27Where's Alara?
28:28Didn't she stay with you?
28:29With injuries this serious
28:31Isn't this your future husband's work?
28:33Silas said
28:34And the chill in his voice could have frosted glass
28:36I bit down on a laugh hard enough to hurt
28:39Serafina had clearly caught a glimpse of what Silas was capable of
28:42And immediately wanted to pull him into her orbit
28:45When it didn't work
28:46She said a few perfunctory words of concern
28:48And prepared to leave
28:50I moved quickly back to my own room
28:52But the next second
28:53There was a knock on my door
28:54And Silas was standing in the frame
28:56Eyes dark and steady
28:58Looking at me
28:59I was genuinely surprised
29:00He'd looked critically wounded moments ago
29:03And he was already on his feet
29:05Beastman healing was fast
29:07But not that fast
29:08Something you need?
29:10You said you'd teach me to read
29:11I'd completely forgotten about that
29:13Sorry
29:14We can start now
29:15Silas pressed his lips together and stepped inside
29:18I started from the very beginning
29:20The phonetic alphabet
29:21And we sat across from each other until he looked up and said
29:24Am I what you expected?
29:26I blinked
29:27Hmm
29:27Silas raised his eyes
29:29Earlier
29:29Was it worth watching?
29:31He meant
29:31Why didn't you come in?
29:33I smiled
29:34Honestly
29:34It was
29:35Silas's brow drew together immediately
29:37He looked genuinely displeased
29:40The question in his voice coming out sharper than he probably intended
29:43You have history with her
29:45He'd picked up on the tension between Serafina and me
29:48Of course he had
29:49I let my lashes fall
29:50Yes
29:51That history
29:52He was quiet for a moment
29:53I can
29:54That one I genuinely hadn't seen coming
29:57And then my father kills you in return?
29:59Silas's gaze didn't waver
30:01You said it yourself
30:02Real trust is earned in kind
30:03For the first time I saw it
30:06Actual sincerity in his eyes
30:08But still
30:09Why?
30:10Trust for trust was one thing
30:11But I hadn't done anything to earn it yet
30:14A flicker of tension moved through his expression
30:16I want Lyra to treat me
30:18If I had a body that worked the way it should
30:22I wouldn't have had to spend today looking as pathetic as I did
30:24I softened my voice
30:26You are anything but pathetic today
30:28In your last life you survived the fighting pit using exactly that
30:32Fain weakness let them close in
30:34Then coil and bite through their throats
30:37Thinking that
30:38I reached up without meaning to
30:40And touched my own neck
30:41Learn what you need to learn first
30:44Lyra
30:45I'll find a way
30:46Okay
30:47For the first time
30:48The usually cold boy let a genuine smile break across his face
30:52A few days later
30:54Word came that the Voss family's grandmother was turning 80
30:58And the Voss household had sent a formal invitation to ours
31:01Because of the garden incident
31:03Father took only me
31:05And left Serafina behind
31:06Beast men were barred from formal events
31:09So I left Silas at home
31:11In the banquet hall I found Talia
31:13Beaming at guests with practiced ease
31:15Until she caught sight of me
31:17And her expression went flat as stone
31:19I fell and stepped beside her after the gift presentation
31:24Where's Kale?
31:25You have a nerve asking
31:26This is all your fault you know
31:29Talia
31:30Do we have a problem?
31:34I don't know
31:35You're the one who's had it out to me from the start
31:37I've never had a problem with you
31:39Only with Kale
31:41If you don't believe me
31:46I don't believe he'd do that to me
31:50Then test him
31:52While the crowd was distracted
31:53Talia guided me quietly toward the cellar below the manor
31:58Go in
31:59And remember
32:01Don't look directly at his eyes
32:03Talia wrinkled her nose
32:05Gripped her composure
32:06And clicked into the cellar on high heels
32:09I slipped in behind her
32:10It took a while before the light reached Kale's cage
32:13He was chained at the neck like livestock
32:15Locked behind bars
32:17Filthy and broken looking
32:19A picture of wreckage
32:20I stayed back around the corner
32:22Out of sight
32:23Kale had his eyes closed
32:25The fox ears flat and still
32:27If his chest hadn't been faintly moving
32:29He could have passed for dead
32:32Kale
32:35Kale
32:35Talia's voice barely reached a whisper
32:38He opened his eyes slowly
32:39And when he saw her
32:41Something electric came back into his face
32:44The chain snapped and rang at his sudden movement
32:49You came to get me out?
32:51I can't get you out yet
32:52My father is still angry
32:54He's still angry
32:58Then she rushed to add it
33:00But I promise
33:03I'll come back for you
33:05I will
33:05Talia look at me
33:06Just look at me
33:08I'm begging you
33:10I'm get me out
33:11The way you did
33:12In the fighting pit
33:16You were everything to me then
33:17You were the only light
33:19Please just look at me
33:20Talia kept her chin down
33:22Listening
33:22Kale ran out of patience fast
33:25Talia
33:27Get me out
33:28Now
33:30Why not?
33:31Why can't you?
33:32You did it fine at the fighting pit
33:34You were falling over yourself to help me then
33:37Why is now any different?
33:39You're blaming me
33:40When you were the one begging me to save you?
33:43Who even gave you permission to be that gullible?
33:46You were practically throwing yourself at me
33:48Just like Alara
33:51Alara
33:54You've done this to her too?
34:01Do you see it now?
34:03He barely had to try
34:04And you couldn't hand yourself over fast enough
34:07Talia turned to look at me
34:08And you
34:09Ended up being the one blamed for it
34:11I rested a hand on her shoulder
34:13Go wait outside
34:15She glanced back at Kale
34:17Uncertain
34:20But
34:22You'll be fine
34:23Talia looked over her shoulder
34:25Three times on the way out
34:26And then the cellar was just the two of us
34:28Kale watched me
34:29Something testing in his voice
34:31What do you want?
34:34I'm curious
34:36How were you reborn?
34:37Let me guess
34:39After I died in our last life
34:40You went to Serafina
34:41But your foxalore never worked on her, did it?
34:44She kept her guard up
34:45She knew what you were
34:46And what you were capable of
34:48So she was always watching
34:49But your gift was too valuable to waste
34:52So she put it to use
34:53Until the very end
34:54When you'd served your purpose completely
34:56And her shadow wolf finished you
34:58The same way he finished me
34:59That's not true
35:00She cared about me
35:01She cared about me
35:02You don't know anything
35:04Then why were you hoping
35:05I'd choose you in the black market?
35:08Alara
35:09Alara
35:11You have to take me back
35:13Why won't you choose me?
35:14Why?
35:15I stepped back
35:16Just out of reach
35:17The chain snapped taut around his neck
35:21I'll give you something
35:25One chance
35:27To take back what was done to me
35:32When I came up from the cellar
35:34Talia was still outside
35:36Eyes raw
35:37I almost sighed
35:39I told you he wasn't worth it
35:41I told you he wasn't worth it
35:42Why are you this upset?
35:44Sorry
35:44For what?
35:48I was so stupid before
35:52I thought it was destiny
35:58I thought we'd be this epic
36:00Human and beast man love story
36:03She broke into full shuddering sobs
36:06I rubbed a spot on my temple
36:08Even if you wanted an epic love story
36:10You'd need your father's blessing first
36:14Come on, let's go
36:16She wept
36:17Okay
36:18After managing Talia
36:20Back to some level of composure
36:21I asked
36:22Is Lucian on the guest list?
36:24That was the second reason
36:26I'd come tonight
36:29Did he bring anyone with him?
36:32I didn't pay attention
36:33He sent a gift and went to rest
36:34His health isn't great
36:36Where is he resting?
36:37I'll take you
36:38Talia led me to the VIP lounge
36:40And before we'd even reached the door
36:42We both heard it
36:43A melody
36:44Rising and falling
36:46Like water over stone
36:47The music moved through the air
36:49And straight into my chest
36:53I feel like someone just told me
36:55It's going to be okay
36:57I could go back in there
36:58And stab him about 15 times right now
36:59I turned to look at her
37:01Surprised
37:02It had that effect too
37:04Then this was Lyra
37:05It had to be
37:07Walking up to Lucian directly
37:09And asking for her
37:11Was out of the question
37:12He was far too volatile
37:14For a frontal approach
37:15Better to reach Lyra herself
37:17I sent Talia off
37:19Opened the door directly
37:21Across from Lucian's suite
37:22Sat down in the frame
37:24And listened
37:25The melody flowed without pause
37:28And something in my bones
37:29Began to unknot
37:30The grief of a whole past life
37:33Starting to quiet
37:34I yawned
37:35Fighting it
37:36I kept my eyes open
37:38By force
37:39And waited
37:39What I hadn't counted on
37:41Waiting the entire night
37:43Lyra's voice never stopped once
37:46When I realized how angry I was on her behalf
37:48The feeling surprised me
37:50The morning meal arrived for delivery
37:53I opened the door at the right moment
37:55Lyra was stepping out of Lucian's suite
37:58Waving off the breakfast tray
38:00I raised a hand
38:02Hi
38:02Lyra turned at the sound of my voice
38:05And smiled
38:06She was genuinely beautiful
38:08Skin that caught the light like satin
38:10Eyes clear and bright
38:11But what stayed with you
38:13Was something underneath the beauty
38:15Something that made you want to draw closer
38:17And stay
38:18Her voice came out sand rough
38:20That made the next part awkward
38:22She seemed to read the awkwardness on my face
38:25And gave a small, tired smile
38:27Do you need something for me?
38:29I stepped aside and gestured
38:30Would you mind coming in for a moment?
38:32Lyra nodded and walked in
38:34I poured her a glass of warm water first
38:37Let her settle
38:38Then said
38:39I have a beastman
38:40He was born with a congenital gap
38:42I took him to see Mira
38:44She can't mend it
38:45But she directed me to you
38:46Lyra listened and nodded
38:48Mira is my aunt
38:49I blinked
38:50Mira looked barely older than Lyra
38:53Lyra checked the time
38:55I have about two hours
38:56You can bring your beastman to a nearby hotel
38:59The fee for a congenital repair is two million
39:03She said it with her lashes lowered
39:05The expression beneath them hidden
39:07What I was thinking about was her voice
39:09Right now?
39:10Your throat
39:12It doesn't matter
39:14Every day is like this
39:16If you're waiting for it to recover
39:18You'll be waiting forever
39:19Something dropped in my chest
39:21Every day is like this
39:25Is Lucien that ill?
39:27I said
39:28He isn't
39:29Then why?
39:30Lyra's smile went pale at the edges
39:33Cruelty mostly
39:34I thought of the rumors I'd heard once
39:36In another life
39:37You don't have to stay devoted to one tree
39:40You're overthinking it
39:41Get the hotel sorted
39:42If Lucien wakes and finds me gone
39:44There won't be another chance
39:45I booked the nearest suite fast
39:47Then contacted Silas
39:49After I hung up
39:50I turned back to Lyra
39:51She was working through breakfast
39:53In small, unhurried bites
39:55Every movement
39:56Neat and somehow restful to watch
39:59But there was something about that narrow back
40:01That made the chest ache for no clear reason
40:04I sat down across from her
40:05Words rising and dying on my tongue
40:08In the end, I said nothing
40:10Silas arrived minutes later
40:11He had clearly run the whole way
40:13Sweat still at his temple
40:15Lyra extended her hand
40:16He glanced at me first
40:18And only after I nodded
40:20Did he approach with any care
40:21Lyra laid her palm over his
40:23And her brow began to draw together
40:25I felt the tension move up
40:27Through my own spine
40:28I was desperate to intervene
40:30But I forced myself to stay back
40:34Lyra wasn't faring any better than Silas
40:37Every note she sang
40:39Seemed to tear something loose in her throat
40:42Slowly, blood appeared at the corner of her mouth
40:46I started forward
40:47She stopped me with a look
40:49And a small shake of her head
40:52An hour later
40:53The singing stopped
40:56Silas and Lyra folded to the floor
40:58At the same moment
40:59I moved fast to catch Lyra
41:02Wiped the blood from her mouth
41:04Sorry
41:04I didn't know it would be like this
41:06Are you alright?
41:07She was breathing hard
41:08You paid
41:09I gave what was asked
41:14There's nothing to apologize for
41:17Let me take you back
41:18Lyra looked at Silas
41:20Still on the floor
41:21Catching his breath
41:24One moment
41:27The gap is sealed
41:28But he'll need a course of medicine to follow
41:33And
41:33Because the deficiency
41:35Has held his body back
41:36He's been presenting as a juvenile
41:39But he's actually
41:40An adult beastman
41:42Grown beastmen
41:43Enter a heat cycle
41:44Be careful
41:46Don't let him hurt you
41:47I understand
41:48Rest for a moment
41:50I nodded fast
41:52Mmm
41:54Lyra let her eyes close
41:55And went quiet
41:57I arranged transport
41:59And personally saw her back
42:00To the Talia estate
42:02My plan had been to slip her back
42:04To her suite unnoticed
42:10But standing at the front entrance
42:12When we arrived
42:13Was Lucien
42:14Jaw set
42:15An expression like incoming weather
42:17Behind him
42:18Talia
42:19Red-eyed
42:20And
42:23We'd been found out
42:24I moved to step out of the car
42:26With Lyra
42:27She stopped me with a hand on my arm
42:29Go home
42:30I shook my head
42:32I broke
42:34I went to school with Lucien
42:36He should give me at least a little room
42:40Lyra smiled
42:41If he were the type to give you room
42:43He wouldn't have had to come to me directly
42:46I'm alright
42:47He still needs me
42:49Go
42:50Trust me
42:52I gritted my teeth
42:54In the end
42:55I pressed the payment card into her hand
42:57She gave it back
42:59Give it to my aunt
43:01She'll know what to do with it
43:04I can't use it
43:05There's nowhere it would go
43:09She pushed the door open
43:11The moment Lucien's eyes found her
43:13His face darkened in a way that was visible from a distance
43:18On the drive back to the hotel
43:20I couldn't settle
43:21What had happened?
43:23I asked Talia and she told me
43:25Lucien had woken 30 minutes ago
43:27Couldn't find Lyra anywhere
43:29And had made a scene
43:30Everyone knew how much Lyra mattered to him
43:34So they'd all started searching too
43:36Eventually someone reviewed the security footage
43:38And traced it to me
43:40Under pressure from Lucien's people
43:42Talia had been forced to give up the whole story
43:44Of how I'd spent the night waiting outside his door
43:47And caught a thorough dressing down for it
43:51I had a feeling I was out to receive one too
43:53But my worry about that was smaller than my worry about Lyra
43:56I gripped the payment card in my hand
43:58And pushed into the hotel room
44:00Ready to call Silas and head home
44:02When he launched himself at me the second the door opened
44:05His usual cold was gone
44:07He was burning
44:08And he was bigger
44:09Taller
44:10Broader
44:10The change in him unmistakable
44:12Then Lyra's warning came back to me in a rush
44:15Grown beastmen enter a heat cycle
44:17Be careful
44:19Don't let him hurt you
44:21Heat cycle
44:22Not this fast
44:23Surely not this fast
44:26Simus
44:26It's me
44:27Look at me
44:28Look at me
44:29I pushed against his chest
44:31His scorching hands closed around my waist
44:33His forehead pressed down to mine
44:35Mistress
44:36Mistress
44:37That word in a voice dropped three registers
44:39A fully adult male's voice
44:41I had vastly underestimated Lyra
44:45Let go of me
44:46You can't do this
44:47It isn't right
44:48Silas tilted his head just slightly
44:50And the tip of his nose grazed my cheekbone
44:53The heat off his breath
44:54Landed against my face in waves
44:56I threw every bit of strength into pushing him away
44:59He didn't move an inch
45:00That hurts
45:01The grip at my waist drawing tighter
45:03My waist was flesh, not iron
45:05Silas buried his face at my shoulder
45:08And his breath came out ragged
45:09Help me
45:10Please
45:11I had absolutely no idea how to help with this
45:14Alright, okay
45:15I'll help
45:16Just let go of me first
45:18Silas loosened his hold by a fraction
45:20The next second
45:21I spun for the door
45:22My fingers were almost on the handle
45:24When a serpent tail coiled around my waist
45:26And reeled me back
45:28I turned
45:28The slit pupils had bled fully through
45:31And faint scales had begun appearing along his cheekbones
45:34Full shift starting
45:36That was a catastrophically bad sign
45:40Help me
45:41The vertical pupils went deep and still
45:43You promised
45:45Okay
45:45Okay, okay
45:47I'll help
45:47In my last life
45:49Cale had gone through heat
45:50And made it very clear he wanted nothing from me
45:53He was saving himself for Serafina
45:55So this particular experience was new territory
45:58My hand, trapped in Silas' grip
46:01Had lost all sensation
46:02By the time we made it back to the estate
46:05Night had fallen
46:07I felt deeply
46:09And specifically guilty about several things
46:11Father was in the main hall
46:14Waiting
46:14I walked in
46:16Dropped to my knees on reflex
46:18And grabbed Silas down with me
46:20His voice shook the walls
46:24Elara
46:27Have I been too lenient with you?
46:29Is that why you act like there are no rules?
46:32If you wanted Lyra to treat Silas
46:34You could have come to me
46:35Instead you took her without permission
46:39Did it ever occur to you
46:41What would happen if Lucian collapsed while she was gone?
46:45If that had ended badly
46:46How would I face the Vos bloodline?
46:49Father's chest heaved with every word
46:52I bent my head lower
46:54I was wrong, Father
46:56Please don't stress yourself over it
47:02If your brother were here
47:03I wouldn't have to
47:05Be more like your sister
47:06She's composed, well-mannered
47:09And makes no trouble
47:10I kept my head down
47:12And let the rest of it wash over me
47:15Then Silas tapped my hand twice
47:18I looked up
47:20Serafina was coming in from outside
47:22With Kale behind her
47:23Looking considerably less like something dragged through gutters
47:27So, Kale had made his move
47:30I couldn't stop one corner of my mouth
47:32You think this is funny?
47:35I flattened my expression instantly
47:40No, Father
47:41Serafina came to Father's side
47:43And made all the right soothing gestures
47:45Alara, what did you do this time to upset him this badly?
47:50So, Father ran through all of it again
47:52From the beginning
47:54Thanks for that, Serafina
47:55In the retelling, she managed to look concerned
47:57While adding fuel to every sentence
47:59The verdict
47:59One month's house confinement
48:02When you're done, go back to your room
48:03Don't leave without permission
48:04Yes, Father
48:05Alara
48:05When Father finally released me and I turned to go
48:09Serafina said
48:14I looked back
48:16Silas was nearly the same height as me now
48:19His features sharpened and settled into something older
48:22The boyishness almost entirely gone
48:26Yesterday he had still looked like a boy of 12
48:29But that whole development was connected to the heat cycle
48:32And I was not going to explain the heat cycle to anyone in this room
48:37Enough
48:38I know
48:40Go
48:41Yes
48:44I turned and walked
48:45Quickly
48:46Back to my room
48:47Naturally, I did not miss the flash of jealous hatred in Serafina's eyes as I left
48:52Back in my room
48:59I crooked a finger at Silas
49:01More?
49:03The look on his face was
49:05Entirely too knowing
49:06Silas
49:07He laughed then
49:08Easy
49:09Unbothered
49:10What does mistress require?
49:14I took a breath
49:15Steadied myself
49:17All of this was exactly what you planned, wasn't it?
49:21The body that looked like a boy's had hidden a mind that had never been a boy's at all
49:27Which meant from the beginning, I had been played
49:31No
49:33You choosing me, that was the thing I didn't plan for
49:41He looked at me and his eyes were level and serious
49:45So everything else he had
49:48I can't even be surprised
49:49The beast man who dismantled the black market and negotiated equal rights for his entire species
49:55Of course he was always three moves ahead
49:57I was gnashing my teeth
49:59Silas smiled just slightly
50:01You came out ahead, didn't you mistress?
50:04He drew that last word out deliberately
50:06I turned away
50:07Please leave my room
50:10I could take the loss
50:11But I wasn't staying in the same space as his satisfaction
50:14The month of confinement passed
50:16I had the bodyguard route the payment card to Mira with a note
50:20She would know what to do with it
50:21During that time, I searched every channel I could find for news of Lyra
50:25And found nothing
50:26Every thread dead
50:28The silence worried me
50:29Meanwhile, Silas had grown at a pace that defied any reasonable measurement
50:34Two days gone and he was noticeably taller
50:37The ease of a predator settling into his posture with every passing hour
50:41Father approved of the development in ways that visibly extended to me
50:45Since Serafina had brought Kale into the house
50:47Kale had been reporting to me daily
50:49Small details, careful observations
50:52While his fox allure went to work on Serafina
50:55Drop by patient drop
50:57Everything I had suffered in my last life
50:59I was going to make her feel every inch of
51:02Serafina had been resistant at first
51:05But with Raven diminished after his confrontation with Silas
51:08And with my own quiet efforts pulling her reputation apart from the seams
51:12Her composure was starting to fracture
51:14She was getting volatile
51:15Reaching for Kale's attention at any hour
51:18Storming when she didn't get it
51:20Kale was doing to her exactly what he had done to me
51:23And she was falling
51:24Piece by piece
51:25The ugly incidents mounted
51:27Scenes in public
51:28A shouting match that had left witnesses unsettled
51:31A round of self-pity so deep
51:33It had shaded into something worse
51:35The worst incident, she had nearly used a blade on her own wrist
51:39A servant had caught her in time and run for father
51:42Father arrived home from the office to find her
51:45And the fury on his face was something I had never seen before
51:49He slapped her, once open-handed
51:55For a beastman
51:56Have you lost your mind?
52:00Isn't this exactly what you wanted, father?
52:03You were the one who said we had to bond with beastmen
52:06One mate, one life, no betrayal
52:09So why is it wrong now?
52:12Father's fury and grief fought each other visibly
52:15Wake up!
52:19Serafina surfaced for a moment
52:21Blinking
52:22Father pressed his fingers hard into his temple
52:25I know you've resented me for a long time
52:28You think I failed you
52:31That I shouldn't have remarried
52:32That Alada and her brother took something from you
52:35That the bloodline's legacy belongs to you alone
52:38But Serafina
52:39Have I ever actually neglected you?
52:41He looked at her
52:42And something wet moved through his eyes
52:44You're older than Alira by a few years
52:46You know as well as I do
52:47Why this bloodline requires us to choose a beastman companion at 18
52:50It isn't cruelty
52:51It is what gives us the right to lead
52:53I spoke up from the side
52:54Genuinely confused
52:56What does that mean?
52:57Father looked at me
52:58And let out a long, slow breath
53:02It's the old law
53:03The founding rule
53:04To inherit and hold the family's work
53:07You must must be in true accord with a beastman
53:10Serafina
53:12You've always known the bloodline standard
53:14Leadership goes to the most capable
53:16Regardless of birth order or gender
53:18Three years ago was when you should have begun
53:21Chosen your beastman
53:23Prepared yourself
53:24Entered the business with intent
53:26Instead you waited
53:27And while you were waiting
53:29You were building a trap
53:33Don't dress it up, Father
53:35Answer me honestly
53:37Did you treat us the same?
53:39Ever?
53:40I was born with no mother
53:42You were busy
53:43You gave me to the nurses
53:45You gave me everything material I asked for
53:47Yes
53:48But how many hours did you spend with me?
53:51How many times did you hold me?
53:53Or come to quiet me when I was scared?
53:56After you remarried
53:57You held Elira
53:59You came when Elira cried
54:01You gave her the pair
54:02Because she wanted the pair
54:03You gave me what you thought I should want
54:05Not what I asked for
54:09Every one of those small things you thought didn't matter
54:12They were scars, Father
54:13Every single one
54:15This bowl was never level
54:16You just couldn't see it
54:18Serafina
54:21I'm sorry
54:22You were right to feel it
54:24I failed you
54:25Sorry doesn't fix it
54:27I want Elira dead
54:29I want all of them dead
54:34She lunged for me
54:36Hands in my collar
54:37And her face had gone somewhere
54:39I hadn't seen it go before
54:41Elada
54:42I had a dream
54:43I dreamed you died
54:45The fully shifted raven
54:47Bit you right through the throat
54:50You were dead
54:53You were dead
54:54The blood in my veins
54:56Turned to ice water
54:57And stopped
54:58It wasn't a dream
54:59It happened
55:00Father couldn't watch anymore
55:01He had her removed
55:03And confined to her rooms
55:06When Kyle came to me later
55:08Pleased with himself
55:09I took him directly to Serafina's door
55:12In the cellar of the Talia estate
55:14I had made him a single offer
55:16His freedom in exchange for his obedience
55:20Seduce Serafina
55:21And do it until she broke
55:23He'd agreed
55:23And she had broken
55:25So now
55:26It was his turn
55:27Through the door
55:28Serafina's voice rose and fell
55:31Cresting and breaking
55:32Kale
55:32Why aren't you answering me?
55:34Don't you love me anymore?
55:36You said I was the one person
55:38Who mattered most to you
55:40You said you'd never leave
55:42You said you'd give me anything I wanted
55:45Serafina
55:46You've gone insane
55:47Alara
55:47Open this door
55:49Open it
55:50I stood still
55:51And listened to what was happening
55:52On the other side
55:53The frantic banging
55:54And then gradually
55:56Silence
55:57I went to father's room instead
56:00I've sent for your brother
56:01I should never have sent him away
56:04Little Alara
56:06Everything she said it was true
56:08Or you wouldn't have done what you did
56:10That's on me
56:11It's all on me
56:12Father didn't punish me
56:14He showed me the bloodline's founding records
56:16And without exception
56:17Every paired name on the page
56:19Was a human
56:20And a beastman
56:21Long ago
56:22The family's founding grandmother
56:25Had a beastman
56:26Against all opposition
56:27And the world had denied them both
56:30A disaster came
56:31And the beastman gave his life
56:33To save her
56:34Out of grief
56:35And out of conviction
56:36She had used her authority
56:38To set the law
56:39That had governed
56:39Every generation since
56:41So that one day
56:42Humans and beastmen
56:43Might live in peace
56:44When I came out of father's study
56:46Silas was in the hallway
56:47Leaning against the wall
56:49All of it handled?
56:50I nodded
56:51He had been busy this past month
56:53I'd barely seen him
56:55And I was starting to recognize
56:56In the way he moved and held a room
56:58The shape of who he was going to become
57:01Father had warmed to him
57:02In ways he hadn't bothered to hide
57:04Since Kale had moved into the house
57:06As Serafina's beastman
57:07He'd been reporting to me faithfully
57:09While in the background
57:11Serafina's image
57:12Had been quietly
57:13And methodically demolished
57:14She had done to herself
57:16Everything Kale once did to me
57:18Then father had stepped in
57:19My brother came home
57:21Took over the business
57:22Under father's guidance
57:23And the household
57:24Found its footing again
57:25As for Silas
57:26The heat cycles kept coming back
57:28More and more frequently
57:29As it happened
57:30Every deep night
57:31A cold serpent tail
57:33Would find its way
57:34Around my ankle
57:34Silas
57:35I have a knife
57:39The tail withdrew
57:40As I thought
57:41He had been exaggerating
57:42All along
57:43Silas
57:44Explain yourself
57:46He leaned in
57:47And grazed his lips
57:48Against the shell of my ear
57:49Is it really so hard to understand?
57:51I turned on him
57:53Plain words
57:54He was quiet for a long moment
57:56In my last life
57:57You buried me
57:59I jolted upright
58:00You
58:02You also
58:03Silas sat up unhurried
58:05After that my spirit wouldn't leave
58:08I stayed
58:09And I watched you
58:11Grieve for Kale
58:11Suffer for Kale
58:12And finally die for nothing
58:13And then
58:14With you
58:15I came back
58:18Remarkable
58:19And then he spoke again
58:20Alara
58:22Do you remember
58:23The bloodline's
58:23Founding law?
58:26What?
58:27He smiled
58:28And the look in his eyes
58:29Held something
58:30That had been there
58:31For a long time
58:32Choose a beastman to raise
58:33Bond with them for life
58:36No betrayal
58:38No abandonment
58:39His voice dropped low
58:42You chose me
58:43I was just waiting for you
58:43I was just waiting for you
58:43To be continued
58:45And then
58:45I was just waiting for you
58:48To be continued
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