A powerful full drama movie filled with love, secrets, and unexpected twists.
Follow a powerful story where relationships are tested, hidden truths are revealed, and lives change forever. From romantic moments to shocking surprises, this drama keeps you engaged from beginning to end.
Featuring stories about CEO, billionaire lifestyles, family connections, and life-changing decisions, this movie delivers strong emotions and unforgettable scenes.
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#drama #fullmovie #lovestory #dramatic #billionaire #ceo #family #relationships #movie #story
Follow a powerful story where relationships are tested, hidden truths are revealed, and lives change forever. From romantic moments to shocking surprises, this drama keeps you engaged from beginning to end.
Featuring stories about CEO, billionaire lifestyles, family connections, and life-changing decisions, this movie delivers strong emotions and unforgettable scenes.
Watch the full movie and discover what happens in the end.
New full drama movies uploaded regularly. Stay tuned for more captivating and trending stories.
#drama #fullmovie #lovestory #dramatic #billionaire #ceo #family #relationships #movie #story
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AmusantTranscription
00:30Marrying Mama to him was the same as sending her to die
00:33Three years later, word came that father was dead
00:37Grandma and the village elders collected 20 silver coins from Vance
00:41They sold Mama off
00:43The news arrived on the day Mama was washing clothes by the river
00:46Deep winter, the water was thick with floating ice
00:50Cold enough to cut bone
00:52Grandma wouldn't allow her to use hot water
00:54She said firewood was precious, not for a worthless brat who couldn't produce sons
01:02I'd haul extra firewood down from the mountain
01:05But it always went straight to Uncle Dale's fire pit
01:08If Mama or I used so much as one extra stick
01:12Grandma beat us and cursed us for three days straight
01:17I tried to help with the washing
01:19Mama waved me off
01:21The river's cold, little one
01:23Go play over there where the sun hits
01:25It's warmer
01:26In the dead of winter
01:27Midday sun was the only warmth we ever had
01:31When the laundry was done
01:33And we walked home
01:34Grandma and the village elders were already waiting
01:37They'd been in such a rush
01:38But not enough to walk down to the river and find us
01:41You take this long
01:43Wandering off who knows where
01:45Worthless brat
01:47Roy's barely gone and already your heart's drifting
01:55The soldiers sent word
01:56Roy's dead
01:57You killed him
01:59Every bit of bad luck he had started when he married you
02:02He's gone now so hurry up and remarry
02:04Don't stay here dragging our family down
02:06The bundle was small
02:07Two of Mama's worn out dresses
02:09Grandma didn't look like she was grieving her own son
02:12She looked the same as always
02:14Like someone had told me the village dog had died
02:17Mama said nothing
02:18She just held my hand tighter
02:21Grandma
02:23Can I bring my daughter with me?
02:25Mama wasn't crying much
02:27She was only worried about me
02:29See if the huntsman's willing to pay for her
02:33A girl this size
02:35Sell her to a broker and you'd get ten silver easy
02:38Mama's grip went tighter around my hand
02:41We both knew
02:42The moment she left
02:43Grandma would sell me
02:45She wouldn't keep me a single day longer than she had to
02:50Mama shouldered her bundle and held my hand
02:52Grandma and the village elders herded us to Vance's house
02:55He was inside sharpening a blade
02:57The scraping sound never stopped
02:59His bad leg jutted stiffly to one side
03:02It couldn't bend
03:03A scar ran from below his left eye
03:05All the way to the right corner of his mouth
03:07Like something had tried to split his face in half
03:10I stepped behind Mama
03:12Vance looked us over
03:14You people forced this woman on me
03:17Twenty silver is already too much
03:20Don't push it further
03:21He clearly hadn't wanted to take Mama
03:23Let alone me
03:24Dead weight she dragged along
03:26My Roy saved your life once
03:28Now he's dead
03:29And we're delivering this woman straight to your door
03:31You should be on your knees thanking us
03:33She wants to bring the girl along as your daughter
03:35You get a wife and a child all at once
03:38I'm not asking for much
03:39Another ten silver and we're done
03:41Most families earned two or three silver in a year
03:44Ten silver could buy a full acre of good farmland
03:48I was not worth that much
03:52People in the village said he was a silent man
03:54But when he opened his eyes and looked at you
03:57Really looked
03:58It could stop your heart cold
04:00Grandma shoved Mama hard
04:02Mama's thin frame nearly went down
04:04Mr. Hart
04:06My daughter eats very little
04:08She can work
04:09Please
04:10Could you give us somewhere to go?
04:12Vance finally looked at me
04:13A long, unreadable frown
04:15Mama tugged at my hand
04:17I dropped to my knees beside her with a thumb
04:21Call him something
04:22I stared up at Vance
04:24At the scar
04:25My lips shook
04:27Papa
04:27Vance went still
04:29The scar looked even more ferocious
04:32When his face froze like that
04:33Grandma's foot came deep with my back
04:36Your real father's barely cold
04:38And you're already calling some stranger Papa
04:40Worthless brat
04:42Just like your harlot mother
04:44Heart already belongs to someone else
04:46She kept kicking
04:47I lay flat
04:49And didn't move
04:50Didn't make a sound
04:51That was how it worked
04:53Stay still
04:54Let her finish
04:55And she'd stop
04:56Mama tried to crawl to me
04:58One of the village elders kicked her back
05:00It was always like this in Roy's household
05:02Mama couldn't save me
05:04She couldn't save herself
05:06Enough
05:07Vance stood
05:08He went inside
05:09He came back and threw ten silver coins onto the ground
05:13This girl is my child now
05:17I looked up at Vance
05:19Mama hadn't caught what he said
05:21I had
05:22Grandma grabbed the silver and turned to leave
05:24Vance blocked her
05:26He demanded a written contract
05:28Grandma refused
05:29Vance snatched the silver right back
05:32No contract
05:33No silver
05:35In the end
05:36With the village elders
05:37And the village head as witnesses
05:39The contract was signed
05:41Both Mama and I became part of Vance's household
05:44Mama put down her bundle and started working immediately
05:47If she stayed busy enough, maybe Vance would let me eat more
05:51Maybe he wouldn't hit me
05:53Vance's house was plain
05:55Three main rooms
05:56A hall in the center
05:57A bedroom on each side
05:59Only one bedroom had a bed
06:01The other was empty
06:02Mama led me to the woodshed
06:04The firewood was stacked clean
06:06The floor was tidy
06:08Mama shifted some wood
06:10And found a board
06:10She built me a rough bed out of it
06:14Don't be afraid, little one
06:21Mama, I'm not afraid
06:23At Roy's house, it had always been the same
06:26When father was home, he'd say I was in the way
06:29Always getting between him and Mama when they were trying for a son
06:32He'd chase me to the woodshed
06:34Roy's woodshed was filthier than this
06:36Rats, snakes
06:38Frozen solid in winter
06:40A furnace in summer
06:42I'd survived all of it
06:43Mama held me against her chest
06:45Maybe, once I give him a son, things will ease up
06:49I said nothing
06:50I'd long suspected father's cruelty toward Mama had nothing to do with sons
06:56Mama, why did father want you to remarry Vance?
07:00Before he left, father had kept Mama on a tight leash
07:03Wouldn't let her leave the village
07:05Wouldn't let her look up when she passed a man
07:08Grandma would curse her for it too
07:10Said she was out there tempting people
07:12Mama's bitter laugh stayed locked in her throat
07:18Because Vance was the only one who could pay that much
07:23She didn't finish
07:24She didn't need to
07:26Father had sent Mama here to die
07:30Father had been planning to sell Mama even before he left
07:33He knew he wasn't coming back
07:35He made sure Mama would have nowhere left to go
07:38I'd worked this out some time ago
07:40Not because I was clever
07:41They'd been obvious about it
07:43The whole village talked
07:45Not long after we arrived
07:46Vance came back carrying armfuls of thick wooden boards
07:50He disappeared into the empty west bedroom
07:52Steady hammering rang out
07:54One blow after another
07:56Mama stood outside the door
07:58She wanted to ask where the food stores were
08:00So she could start dinner
08:01But she didn't dare
08:03After a while, Vance came back out
08:05He saw us both still standing there
08:07He frowned
08:09Something you need?
08:10His voice was rough
08:11I flinched and nearly stepped back
08:14But we were alone here
08:15Mama and me
08:16If I stepped back
08:18She'd be standing by herself
08:19I held my ground
08:21I took Mama's hand
08:22And stood beside her
08:23Vance noticed
08:24Something shifted in his brow
08:26Mama asked carefully
08:28I want to ask
08:30It's nearly dinner time
08:31If you get the grain out, I can cook
08:34You've worked hard all day
08:35You should eat
08:36Vance frowned harder
08:38He looked us up and down like we'd said something strange
08:40Then he pointed at the kitchen
08:42In there
08:47The key
08:49Vance's frown deepened
08:50He walked over and kicked the kitchen door open
08:53He looked back at us
08:55I had the feeling he was asking with his eyes whether we were simple
08:59No lock, no key
09:02Roy's kitchen was always locked
09:03The grain, the oil, the salt, the eggs
09:06Everything in locked cabinets
09:08Grandma would measure out exactly what was needed for each meal
09:11Set it on the counter
09:13Then stand there watching Mama cook
09:15Drop a single grain of rice
09:17Get a lecture that lasted half a day
09:19She called us starving ghosts
09:21Said we never worked, only ate
09:23She was afraid we'd steal food
09:25Mama and I stepped into the kitchen
09:27Grain, oil, salt
09:29All of it just sitting out in the open
09:32Mama stood there for a long moment
09:34She glanced toward Vance
09:35He'd already gone back out
09:37She was almost afraid to touch anything
09:39She was afraid she'd cook it long
09:41And he'd come back angry
09:43Beat her, like Grandma
09:45She was afraid of being accused of stealing
09:49Eventually, Mama cooked
09:51The food sat on the table
09:52The two of us stood in the courtyard
09:54Neither of us moved toward it
09:56Vance came back carrying two large wicker baskets
09:59He saw the food on the table
10:01He saw us standing there
10:02His frown deepened
10:04He washed his hands
10:05Sat down
10:06Saw us still standing
10:07He told us gruffly to sit
10:09He scooped himself less than half a bowl of rice
10:13Not enough food
10:14Cook more tomorrow
10:16He ate fast
10:17Loud and efficient
10:19Finished in minutes
10:20But barely ate half of what was there
10:23Done, he sat sharpening his wood cutting knife
10:26Watching us eat
10:27Mama hesitantly filled my bowl
10:29We ate
10:29Both keeping our eyes on him
10:31I noticed it quickly
10:32When I ate fast, he looked away
10:34When I slowed down and tried to set my chopsticks down
10:37He frowned
10:38He was telling me to keep eating
10:40Mama and I finished every last bite
10:42Then we sat waiting
10:44To be scolded
10:45Or hit
10:46Vance put the knife down
10:47Wash up and get some sleep
10:49You've worked enough today
10:53Mama hurried to heat the water
10:54She waited for Vance to finish washing
10:57Then, after a moment
10:59Washed her own face and hands and feet
11:01It's the first day
11:04If I'm clean, he'll find less to resent
11:07She muttered it while she scrubbed
11:08Eyes dim
11:09I used her leftover warm water
11:12The heat spread up through my hands and feet
11:14All at once
11:15So this was what it felt like
11:17To wash with hot water
11:18No wonder Grandma and Uncle Dale
11:20Always demanded extra buckets in winter
11:22I went to the woodshed for the night
11:24Mama stopped me at the door
11:26Cover your ears
11:28No matter what you hear tonight
11:30Don't come out
11:31Pretend you heard nothing, you understand?
11:34I nodded hard
11:36I knew
11:36Once, when father was hurting Mama
11:39I'd run in crying and begged him to stop
11:41He'd kicked me so hard I ached for half a year
11:45This time I wouldn't make a sound
11:46We both had to survive
11:48Stay alive
11:49And there was still hope
11:50Even if I didn't yet know what that hope looked like
11:55Then the woodshed door was kicked open
11:57Vance stood in the doorway holding a lantern
11:59Staring at me where I lay in the straw
12:02I shrank back
12:04Cold sweat poured down my neck
12:06Once, father had come home half drunk in the middle of the night
12:09And walked into the woodshed
12:11He beat me nearly to death
12:12He said I was a burden
12:14My fault he had no son
12:16My fault he lost money gambling
12:17That night, Mama grabbed the woodcutting knife
12:20And told him she'd take his life
12:22That was the only thing that saved me
12:24Vance was stronger
12:26Could he put me down in three kicks?
12:28But he wasn't drunk
12:30He wasn't angry
12:31He reached down and grabbed me under the arms
12:33Like he was picking up a stray chick
12:35He carried me into the west bedroom
12:37Mama was already standing there quietly
12:39The empty room wasn't empty anymore
12:41A wide wooden bed stood against the wall
12:44Worn, but tidy
12:46Vance set me down
12:47He turned and walked back to his own east bedroom
12:50The door closed
12:51Within minutes, his snoring came through the wall
12:54Mama and I stared at each other
12:58That night we slept restlessly
13:00But we slept warm
13:01I burrowed into the quilt and said quietly
13:04Mama, it's so warm
13:06I had never been this warm in winter
13:08Not once
13:09And I'd eaten dinner
13:10My stomach was full
13:11This, I thought, was what being alive
13:14Was actually supposed to feel like
13:15Mama stroked my hair
13:17Little one
13:19You called him Papa today
13:20Do it again tomorrow
13:22Keep calling him that
13:24Okay
13:25Vance was already a better father than Roy had ever been
13:29The meals got bigger after that
13:31And slowly
13:31Mama didn't dare increase the amount all at once
13:34She added a little each day
13:36Until she finally understood his appetite
13:39He ate a great deal
13:40Roughly as much as Mama and I put together
13:42But he never once stopped us from eating
13:44If we ate too little, he'd frown
13:47He hunted
13:47Large catches he sold
13:49Sometimes he'd bring back a rabbit or a wild chicken
13:52And he'd have Mama stew it
13:54He ate half
13:55The rest went to us
13:57I had eaten meat three times in my life before that
14:00This was the fourth
14:01It was so good
14:02No wonder Grandma and Uncle Dale had always been so desperate for it
14:06Mama saved the extra pieces for me
14:08I ate without thinking
14:10Too happy to pace myself
14:11That night, I woke in the dark
14:13With my stomach seizing up in cramps
14:15I rolled across the bed in pain
14:18Mama rubbed my belly
14:19It didn't help
14:21She ran outside
14:22And scraped ash from the bottom of the cooking pot
14:24Stirred it into water
14:26And brought it to me
14:27I took one sip
14:28And vomited everything up
14:32Vance burst through the door
14:33One look at me
14:34He wrapped me in the quilt
14:35Hoisted me onto his shoulder
14:36And ran
14:37Mama stumbled after him
14:38She didn't say a word
14:40He ran all the way to the village doctor's house
14:42At the edge of the road
14:43And kicked the door in
14:43The whole household lurched awake
14:45They started to complain
14:46Then they saw his face
14:48And went quiet
14:49The doctor checked my pulse
14:51Then asked what I'd been eating
14:52What did she eat?
14:54Ova-aid
14:55Indigestion
14:55Nell's been underfed all her life
14:57Eat this much meat at once
14:59And her stomach can't manage it
15:00She'll be fine
15:01I'll give her something to bring it up
15:03Keep her warm
15:04Light food for a few days
15:05She'll recover
15:06She gave me something
15:07I vomited
15:08Loudly
15:09And at length
15:10The smell filled the whole room
15:12The doctor's husband muttered from the corner
15:14Never had good food her whole life
15:16Body can't handle it
15:17When she finally does
15:18Vance looked at him
15:19One hard stare
15:21He retreated to the back room
15:22I was humiliated
15:24Getting sick from eating too much meat
15:26Just like grandma had always said
15:28I was a bottomless pit
15:30With no sense
15:33Vance carried me home
15:34Over his shoulder
15:35On the way back
15:36He said gruffly
15:37You've really never had meat before?
15:40I thought he was scolding me
15:42This was only the fourth time
15:44Before
15:46We only ever got a piece or two
15:48Grandma had never let us have
15:50Even the broth
15:51He made a low sound
15:52Eat more often enough
15:54And this stops happening
15:56I was wrapped too tight in the quilt
15:57And didn't quite catch it
15:59The next few days
16:00I could only drink porridge
16:02Vance brought back millet
16:04He brought back brown sugar
16:06Millet and brown sugar
16:07Were things only new mothers got
16:09After childbirth
16:10A bowl or two
16:11A little sweetness stirred in
16:13I was getting a full bowl
16:15At every single meal
16:17I was eating better than mama had
16:19After giving birth to me
16:21Vance watched me eat every morning
16:23Until the color came back to my face
16:25When it did
16:26Something in his own expression
16:28Finally loosened
16:31He fixed the village doctor's front gate
16:33As payment for the house call
16:34Then he pulled the doctor back
16:36To check my pulse again
16:38Only when she said
16:39I was fully recovered
16:40Did he walk her out
16:42He said he was going up the mountain
16:43To track a big animal
16:45Might be gone several days
16:46He told mama to bake a stack
16:48Of flatbreads for the road
16:50Mama kneaded the dough
16:51With lard
16:52And mixed in brown sugar
16:53The flatbreads came out
16:55Golden and fragrant
16:56She pressed into his hands
16:58The thick insoles
16:59And padded cap
17:00She'd sewn over the past few days
17:01Vance took the flatbreads
17:03He looked at the insoles
17:04And the cap
17:05He looked up at mama
17:06Something in his eyes went soft
17:08New year's coming
17:09When I sell what I catch
17:11We'll go buy supplies
17:12Think about what you want
17:14Mama held my hand
17:15As we stood at the door
17:16To see him off
17:17His figure moved away from us
17:19Uneven but steady
17:21I couldn't help shouting after him
17:23Papa!
17:25Come home soon!
17:26Vance stopped
17:27He didn't look back
17:28He lifted a hand in our direction
17:31Go inside
17:31It's cold
17:34We waited five days
17:35He didn't come back
17:37The cold deepened
17:38On the fifth day
17:40Snow began to fall
17:41Mama watched the sky go dark
17:43She looked at me
17:44She pointed to the food stores
17:46And told me to mind myself
17:48Cook my own meals
17:49If I got hungry
17:50Mama's going to find him
17:52I'll be back soon
17:54Take care of yourself
17:56She changed her clothes
17:57And strapped the wood cutting knife
17:59To her body
17:59She found the oil lamp
18:01I tucked a small sickle
18:03Under my clothes
18:03And followed her out
18:05Wherever you go
18:06I go
18:07We'll bring Papa home together
18:09Vance was my Papa now
18:11He was a better Papa
18:12Than Roy had ever been
18:13I was never going to have
18:15A different one
18:16Mama let out a long breath
18:18If something goes wrong out there
18:19You standing alone in this house
18:21Isn't any safer
18:23Alright?
18:24Together
18:24We held hands
18:26And went up the mountain
18:27We'd only ever been to the edges
18:29Gathering firewood
18:30We almost never went deeper in
18:33Wolves in there
18:34Wild boars
18:35Tigers
18:35Though with Mama beside me
18:37And the thought of Papa
18:38Waiting somewhere in that cold
18:40I wasn't afraid
18:42The snow came down harder
18:44It was barely past midday
18:46But the sky had gone dark
18:47Moving through the forest
18:49Was difficult
18:49Every step was uncertain
18:51We'd break through a soft patch
18:53And sink to the knee
18:54Mama pulled me out each time
18:56And prodded the ground ahead
18:58With a stick
18:58We hadn't gone far
19:00When we heard heavy footsteps
19:01In the trees
19:01Mama raised the wood cutting knife
19:03I raised the sickle
19:05We stared into the dark ahead
19:06Both terrified
19:07If we were going to die out here
19:09At least we'd die together
19:11The footsteps came closer
19:12A large figure emerged
19:14From between the trees
19:15A tall man
19:16With a stiff
19:17Lopsided gait
19:18Dragging something massive
19:19Behind him
19:20A tiger
19:21We stared
19:22He stared back
19:23I let go of Mama's hand
19:25And ran
19:25Papa
19:27I threw my arms around his leg
19:29And looked up
19:30The tiger dropped from his grip
19:31And hit the snow
19:32He looked down at me
19:34Then up at Mama
19:35What are the two of you doing up here?
19:37He reached down
19:38And grabbed me under the arms
19:39Trying to lift me
19:40His hands had nothing left
19:42He couldn't manage it
19:44I held onto his leg
19:45He came to find you
19:46I've been gone five days
19:48The snow started
19:50I was afraid
19:53The last time she'd gone out
19:55Searching for a man
19:56Who hadn't come home
19:57She'd told Roy
19:58She was worried he'd been hurt
19:59He'd slapped her across the face
20:01Said she was cursing him
20:03Said her worrying was the reason
20:04All his bad luck found him
20:06After that
20:06She stopped saying
20:07She worried about Roy
20:08She stopped worrying
20:09About Roy at all
20:11Vance looked at her
20:12The corner of his mouth moved
20:13He wanted to smile
20:15Years of not smiling
20:16Seemed to have made him forget how
20:18But he explained
20:19This one was big
20:20It took longer than I thought
20:22Get the fire going
20:24Start dinner
20:25A tiger that size
20:27He must have been dragging it for hours
20:29He was running on empty
20:31But he didn't ask for help
20:32He would get it home himself
20:34Mama stood watching him torn
20:36She didn't dare disobey
20:37But she wanted to help
20:39I ran forward and grabbed
20:40One of the tiger's hind legs
20:43Papa
20:44We'll all go back together
20:46I wasn't very strong
20:48And touching that leg
20:50Even a dead leg
20:51Sent a chill through me
20:52That had nothing to do with the snow
20:54The tiger was enormous
20:56Dead as it was
20:57It still looked vicious
20:58Mama hesitated
21:00Then she stepped up
21:01Together
21:03Vance's mouth twitched
21:05He agreed
21:08The three of us dragged the tiger back home
21:11By the time we reached the village
21:13The snow lay thick on the ground
21:15The whole village was dark
21:17The lanes empty
21:18We made it inside at last
21:20The tiger lay in the yard
21:22Half buried in white
21:23Still looking dangerous
21:25I wasn't afraid of it anymore
21:27I circled it a few times just to prove it
21:29Then ran back and pressed myself against Papa's leg
21:32Papa's so strong
21:34He killed a tiger all by himself
21:37Vance was too exhausted to move
21:39But he reached down and rested his hand on top of my head
21:44His hand was huge and rough and heavy
21:46But when it rested on my head
21:48It was light
21:49It was warm
21:50Roy had large hands too
21:53They'd never been rough
21:54He rarely did anything that required effort
21:57He wasn't very strong either
21:59Every time he'd picked a fight
22:01And come out worse
22:02He'd curled up on the ground
22:04And hadn't even tried to fight back
22:05But when he hit Mama and me
22:07He hit hard
22:08In this village
22:10Most men were like that
22:11Hands that fell hard on their wives and children
22:14I had always thought all fathers were the same
22:16Turns out some of them were different
22:22The next morning before dawn
22:24Vance fetched an ox cart
22:25He woke us up
22:27And we rode into town together to sell the tiger
22:29In the county seat
22:31He went straight to a large estate he clearly knew well
22:33He called someone out
22:35Fletcher
22:35Fletcher came to the door
22:37His face lit up when he saw Vance
22:39The two men grabbed each other by the shoulders
22:42Talking like old friends
22:43So Papa could be like this
22:45Animated
22:46Warm
22:46Full of words
22:48Mama and I hung back
22:50Staring at the tall heavy doors
22:52The high threshold
22:53The stone lions flanking the gate
22:55We didn't dare step forward
22:57Vance looked back at us
22:58And said something to Fletcher
23:00Fletcher studied us
23:01Then reached into his coat
23:02And pulled out a small cloth pouch
23:04Here child
23:06Take it
23:07I didn't dare
23:08He pressed it into my hands
23:10Papa nodded
23:11I took it
23:15Thank you Uncle Fletcher
23:45Inside the pouch was a small piece of silver
23:49The tiger had sold for a good sum
23:51Vance walked us through the market
23:53First a wonton stall for breakfast
23:55A big bowl each
23:57Thin wrappers, fat filling
23:58Floating in rich broth that steamed in the cold air
24:01Mama was afraid to eat
24:03But Vance had already paid
24:04Wasting it was worse
24:06She tried to give me her bowl
24:07Vance stopped her
24:08Children who overeat end up with stomach aches
24:11Mama thought of my illness immediately
24:13She stopped
24:14After the wontons, her face had some color in it
24:17Vance took us to buy pork, grain, flour, oil, dried spices for cooking
24:22Then to the cloth shop
24:24New quilts and padded coats
24:26Mama waved her hands
24:27The ones we have are perfectly fine
24:29I said the same
24:30When we'd first arrived
24:32The quilts and padded clothes Vance gave us
24:34Had been second hand
24:36But they were clean and warm
24:37That was already more than I'd ever had
24:40Before, I had no silver
24:43I bought used
24:44Now I have silver
24:46We buy new
24:48In the end, they didn't buy ready made
24:50They bought fabric and cotton batting
24:52Mama still didn't want to spend too freely
24:54I can sew
24:55My hands are fast
24:56Done before new year, I promise
24:58She found a length of dark blue cloth
25:00And held it up beside Vance
25:02This one suits you
25:04It was the closest they'd ever stood
25:06I was almost sure I saw Vance's face go red
25:12His face went red and he looked happier
25:14He lifted me up and set me on his shoulders
25:16So I could see all the way down the market road
25:19I laughed so hard I could barely breathe
25:21It was the highest I'd ever been
25:23I could see everything
25:25Mama walked carefully beside us
25:27Glancing again and again at his leg
25:29Afraid he'd tire himself out
25:31Further along, Vance bought sesame candy and sugar figurines
25:35He bought hair ribbons and flowers for Mama and me both
25:39The stall woman smiled at them
25:41Your wife and daughter are lovely
25:43These flowers suit them perfectly
25:45City made, you know
25:46Vance and Mama both went red at exactly the same moment
25:49On the way home, I sat in the ox cart
25:51Holding my sugar figurine and refused to eat it
25:54It was a general in full armor
25:56Fierce looking, just like Papa
25:58We passed Roy's old house on the road through the village
26:02Grandma was in the yard washing clothes
26:04In hot water
26:05So she'd always known about hot water
26:07Uncle Dale sat slumped under the eaves doing nothing
26:10They'd sold Mama and me for 30 silver
26:13Dale still hadn't found himself a wife with that money
26:16He just sat around and called it waiting for a good match
26:19Grandma looked up
26:21Uncle Dale looked up
26:22They stared at us, slack-jawed
26:24Then their faces turned ugly
26:27Worthless brat
26:29Haral it
26:32The curse had barely left Grandma's mouth
26:34When a rock hit Uncle Dale square on the head
26:36Who threw?
26:38Vance threw a second rock
26:39It landed straight in Grandma's washtub
26:41And sent water splashing in all directions
26:43These are my wife and daughter
26:44Open your mouths against them again
26:46And you've got me to answer to
26:48He stood at the gate in the fading light
26:50Even with the bad leg, he was a wall
26:52Grandma and Uncle Dale
26:54Bullies who ran at the first sign of real resistance
26:57Went completely silent
26:58Mama's hand found mine
27:00Her eyes had gone red
27:02We rode on
27:03When I looked back, I could still see the venom in their faces
27:06Then I found my nerve
27:08I raised my sugar figurines at them
27:10And made the ugliest face I could manage
27:12I had a real Papa now
27:14They couldn't touch us anymore
27:18I lost my sugar figurine
27:20And my new hair ribbon
27:22I was too ashamed to go home
27:24I hovered near our gate
27:26Going back and forth
27:28Not able to make myself walk in
27:30Papa came down from the mountain
27:32He saw me
27:33Coat torn
27:34Face bleeding
27:36Covered in mud
27:37He dropped his firewood
27:39Dropped the wild chickens he'd been carrying
27:41Who did this?
27:42I'd never seen him this frightened
27:45It scared me more than the beating
27:47I started shaking
27:48I'm sorry
27:49I'm sorry
27:51He crouched down
27:52He wiped the mud off my face with his rough hands
27:55His hands weren't steady
27:56Tell Papa
27:58Who did it?
28:00His voice steadied me
28:01I told him everything
28:03Halting
28:04Stumbling over the words
28:05With every sentence
28:06His expression darkened
28:08He took me inside
28:09And handed me to Mama
28:10Then he picked up his walking stick
28:12And walked back out
28:13Mama grabbed his arm
28:15She shook her head
28:16Papa thought about it
28:17He picked up the thick wooden post
28:20That braced the door shut
28:21That afternoon
28:22The fathers of every boy who'd hit me
28:24Got beaten
28:25I won't hit a child
28:26I'll hit you
28:27One more incident
28:28And I'll break your legs
28:32Every one of them
28:33Was a grown
28:34Able-bodied man
28:35Papa had one good leg
28:37He chased them
28:38Through the village anyway
28:39One methodical blow
28:41At a time
28:42Then Papa went to
28:43Roy's old house
28:44And beat Uncle Dale
28:46In front of the whole street
28:47You people forced Ivy
28:48And this girl on me
28:49I painted the silver
28:50I signed the contract
28:51They're mine
28:51If I hear any more talk
28:53From your side of the village
28:53Dale should stop
28:54Walking alone after dark
28:55Uncle Dale howled
28:57And promised over and over
28:59That it would never happen again
29:01Anyone with something to say
29:03Say it to me directly
29:05Not one person stepped forward
29:08Several hurried to point out
29:09That Grandma's family
29:10Had always treated Ivy and me badly
29:13It's true
29:14Ivy and little Nell
29:15Are well off with you old Vanch
29:17You know how to take care of people
29:18Those two are lucky
29:19They ended up with you
29:20Papa walked home
29:21Carrying the door post
29:22He stopped in front of me
29:24And rested his hand on my head
29:25He held my hand
29:27And walked me inside
29:28In the lane
29:29He said quietly
29:30Who gave you that name anyway?
29:33Nell
29:33It was Grandma's choice
29:35Half the girls in the village
29:37Had names like it
29:38Nell
29:38For invite a brother
29:39Hope
29:40For wish for a son
29:41Bless
29:42For pray he comes
29:43Papa didn't like it
29:45How about Clara from now on?
29:46Bright as the sun and moon
29:48That's what Clara means
29:49A name for someone
29:50With a future ahead of her
29:53I was six years old
29:55And had my first real name
29:56Clara
29:56Clara Hart
29:59A heart now?
30:00I told Mama grinning
30:02She laughed through red eyes
30:03Pressing the tears back
30:05Papa said it twice
30:06Softly to himself
30:07Clara Hart
30:08Clara Hart
30:09That night
30:10Mama finished sewing the new quilts
30:12She came to me with them
30:13Folded in her arms
30:16Clara
30:17You're a big girl now
30:18Time to sleep in your own room
30:21Alright?
30:22Her own room
30:23If I moved out
30:24Where would Mama sleep?
30:25I thought about it for one second
30:26Yes
30:27Mama
30:28You and Papa should hurry up
30:29And have a little brother
30:30Or sister for me
30:32I'll take care of them
30:33I meant it
30:35A little brother or sister
30:36Who had Papa
30:37They'd be wonderful
30:38I already wanted to meet them
30:39The next morning
30:41Papa woke me at dawn
30:42Clara
30:42Yesterday
30:43Was Papa impressive?
30:45Very impressive
30:46You can't rely on me your whole life
30:48You need to protect yourself
30:49Do you want to be as strong as Papa?
30:50Yes
30:53I wanted to be strong enough
30:55To protect Papa and Mama
30:56The future little ones
30:57To hunt on the mountain
30:59And earn enough silver
31:00To take care of all of them
31:01Papa was pleased
31:02He pointed at the yard
31:04Run 50 laps to start
31:0650 laps
31:07By the end
31:08I could barely stand
31:09He didn't let me stop
31:11Mama watched with pained eyes
31:13She said nothing
31:14After running
31:15Came stances
31:16And lifting the stone block
31:18Papa had brought back
31:19From the mountain
31:20It was just heavy enough
31:22That I could manage it
31:23On a good day
31:23By evening
31:24My hands and feet
31:26Were covered in blisters
31:27Train hard
31:28Your Papa means it
31:30For your good
31:30I know Mama
31:32I understood
31:32What Papa's care looked like
31:34That night
31:35Mama carried her new quilt
31:37Into Papa's bedroom
31:38They talked quietly
31:39For a while
31:40The lamp went out
31:41The night was noisy
31:42For a bit
31:43I slept soundly
31:44In my new quilts anyway
31:45The next day
31:47Papa woke up late
31:48I'd already run
31:4930 laps around the yard
31:50By the time he appeared
31:52At the door
31:52All day
31:53He and Mama
31:54Kept catching each other's eyes
31:55And looking away fast
31:57Both of them red-faced
31:58Both of them smiling at nothing
32:00If you want to look
32:02Just look
32:03Why the sneaking?
32:04Adults were very strange
32:09After New Year
32:10Papa bought several acres
32:11Of good farmland
32:13With the tiger money
32:14He farmed in the busy seasons
32:16And hunted in the quiet ones
32:17He teaching me how to track animals
32:20How to read droppings
32:21And prints
32:22Which sounds meant danger
32:23Taught me the knife and the bow
32:25How to put a person down
32:26Using as little force as possible
32:28My strength was still limited
32:30Progress was slow
32:31The village gossiped
32:33Most of it came from
32:34Roy's old household
32:36That cripple got a wife
32:37And a daughter handed to him
32:38For nothing
32:39It doesn't matter
32:40How smug Ivy acts
32:41She still ended up
32:43With a cripple
32:43Roy was twice as handsome
32:45Roy had been handsome
32:47Much good it had done anyone
32:49He couldn't carry a load
32:50Or plant a field
32:51He was a farmer
32:52Who refused to farm
32:53His greatest skill
32:54Was hitting the people
32:55Who lived in his house
32:59I glanced at Papa's leg
33:00He noticed
33:01He adjusted his gait
33:03And walked more carefully
33:04Than before
33:05Mama caught me looking
33:06She smacked the back of my head
33:08The moment we were alone
33:09Your Papa has been nothing but good to us Clara
33:12Don't you dare look at him
33:13The way this village does
33:14Don't you dare
33:15Mama
33:16I want to study medicine
33:17If I'm good enough someday
33:19Maybe I can fix Papa's leg
33:21I didn't care about the limp
33:22I didn't care about the scar
33:24I just didn't want him to hurt
33:25On rainy days
33:26I didn't want him working through the pain
33:28And never saying a word about it
33:30Mama's expression shifted
33:31She worried
33:32Female apprentices were hard to place
33:35Most healers wouldn't take them
33:36But Papa had been standing
33:38Just outside the door
33:39He went quiet for two days
33:41Then he took me back into town
33:43To Fletcher
33:44At the large estate
33:45Fletcher looked me over
33:46For a long moment
33:47Medicine is hard work, Clara
33:49An apprentice life is harder
33:51Can you take it?
33:52I can
33:52And when I've learned enough
33:53I'll fix Papa's leg
33:55Then I'll earn enough silver
33:56To take care of all of them
33:57Papa and Mama
33:58And my little brothers and sisters
34:00Brothers and sisters?
34:01Is there news already?
34:03Papa went scarlet
34:04And said it was far too early for that
34:05Far too early
34:08I moved into the county seat
34:10And began my apprenticeship
34:11At the clinic
34:13I only asked to bring
34:14One thing from home
34:15My stone lifting block
34:17For training
34:17Mama couldn't make herself leave
34:20She stood at the clinic door
34:21And wouldn't move
34:22I waved her off
34:24Mama
34:26Come back when I've made
34:27Something of myself
34:28She laughed
34:29Despite herself
34:31Alright
34:32Mama's waiting
34:33The clinic's doctor
34:35Was warm and patient
34:36With patience
34:37With her apprentices
34:38She was merciless
34:39Too slow to learn
34:41She scolded you
34:42Made an error
34:43She scolded you
34:45Sometimes she hit
34:46Some of the younger apprentices
34:48Cried and went home
34:49Within weeks
34:50I wasn't troubled
34:51By any of it
34:52She only ever struck
34:53The padded parts of the body
34:54The force was calibrated
34:56Sharp on impact
34:57No lasting harm
34:58Compared to Roy's household
35:00This was nothing
35:01And when the doctor
35:02Scolded us
35:03I recognized that look
35:04It wasn't hatred
35:05It was impatience
35:06Born from caring
35:07She also made sure
35:09We ate
35:09Every meal
35:10Every day
35:11Without exception
35:12She never once
35:13Stinted on food or clothing
35:16I could tell the difference
35:18Between people
35:19Who meant you harm
35:20And people who were
35:21Hard on you
35:21For a reason
35:22I kept lifting
35:24My stone block
35:25I kept practicing
35:26The fighting forms
35:27Papa had taught me
35:28My grip got stronger
35:29When I started learning
35:31Massage and manipulation
35:32From the doctor
35:33I was already ahead
35:34Of the others
35:35I could feel exactly
35:36Where the tension
35:37Sat under the skin
35:38I worked on her shoulders
35:40When she'd had a long day
35:41She started looking
35:42Less grim
35:43Every two weeks
35:44I went home
35:45First thing
35:46Papa's bad leg
35:47He refused at first
35:49Twisted around in his seat
35:50Like I'd suggested
35:51Something embarrassing
35:52A few minutes in
35:53His eyes went red
35:54When he stood up afterward
35:56He walked without catching himself
35:58On the door frame
35:59Clara's gotten good
36:01Learning fast
36:02Mama asked me to teach her
36:03When you're in the city
36:04I can work on it for him
36:05He pushes himself too hard
36:07I walked them both
36:08Through it side by side
36:10When I'm not here
36:11You can do it for each other
36:12They both turned red
36:14At exactly the same time
36:15Adults
36:16Truly inexplicable
36:18Are you?
36:46Nothing
36:47No
36:47Nothing
36:47Another
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45:45I had laughed and pushed his hand away.
45:48Dad, you're being dramatic.
45:50Dominic treats me so well.
45:52I'm his mate.
45:53The moon goddess chose him for me.
45:55How could he ever hurt me?
45:57My father had been silent for a long time.
45:59Then he only said one thing.
46:01The moon goddess binds the souls, Selina.
46:03But she doesn't bind the heart.
46:05I was such a fool.
46:07Blood welled on my fingertip.
46:08I let it fall on the rune.
46:1230 minutes.
46:13I looked at the blood pooling beneath me.
46:15My baby's heartbeat was still there.
46:17Hold on.
46:18Please hold on.
46:19The wolf's bane suppression broke.
46:20Every contraction that had been held back for hours hit at once.
46:23Like a downed collapsing wave.
46:25After wave.
46:26Faster.
46:27Harder.
46:27I screamed.
46:28The sound ricocheted off stone walls.
46:30An omega attendant rushed in, checked me, and went white.
46:34Fully dilated.
46:35The head's crowning.
46:36Hemorrhage.
46:36We need moonstone crystals.
46:37Healing rooms.
46:38Anything.
46:38Cassandra didn't even step into the room.
46:41Then let them die.
46:42It's just a girl.
46:49She turned and walked away.
46:53The attendant tried.
46:54But I had no blood left.
46:55No strength.
46:56No wolf.
46:56My muscles wouldn't obey me.
46:58The baby was stuck in the birth canal.
47:00I could feel her heartbeat getting weaker.
47:02Slower fading.
47:03My vision went black.
47:04I am sorry baby.
47:05Mommy tried.
47:06A deafening wolf howl tore through the night.
47:09The entire Blackwood territory shook.
47:11The protective wards flared violently across the walls.
47:14Then shattered.
47:15A booming blast rocked the building.
47:18Centuries of Blackwood enchantments.
47:19Destroyed in seconds.
47:21Moonlight flooded the room.
47:23In that silver light stood a massive man in tactical combat gear.
47:29He ripped off his helmet.
47:30Battle scarred face.
47:32Cold silver eyes.
47:33Eyes that had witnessed countless massacres and never flinched.
47:36But the moment they found me, they turned bloodshot.
47:39Garrett.
47:40My father's head better.
47:41The man who caught me every time I fell learning to walk.
47:44Who shifted into wolf form and slept beside my bed when I was afraid of the dark.
47:48Who stood at the very back of my wedding, silent, jaw locked, eyes red.
47:53Because he already knew.
47:54He crossed the room in one stride and dropped to one knee.
47:57The stone floor cracked under the impact.
47:59Princess.
48:01I am late.
48:03Behind him stood 12 heavily armored warriors.
48:05Silver eyes.
48:06Weapons drawn.
48:07The elite shadow fanguard.
48:09Blackwood guards lay unconscious in the hall.
48:11The Omega attendants screamed.
48:13This is Blackwood territory!
48:15Who are you?
48:16How did you get in-
48:16Garrett didn't look at her.
48:17He was already lifting me off the cot, one arm beneath my knees.
48:21The other cradling my head, as gently as if I were made of glass.
48:24Blackwood?
48:27Soon, there won't be a Blackwood.
48:29The shadow fang warriors moved with terrifying efficiency.
48:32From the moment the captain picked me up to the second,
48:34I was loaded into an armored pack ambulance waiting just outside the borders.
48:38Barely four minutes had passed.
48:40Four minutes, I had bled in that dungeon for hours, begging for help and no one came.
48:44Shadow fang shattered the territory's defenses
48:46and extracted me in four minutes.
48:49Inside the medical transport, emergency moonstone arrays flared to life, bathing my body in pure silver light.
48:55Blood pressure critically low.
48:56Blood loss exceeds the lethal threshold by three times.
48:59Fetal distress is severe.
49:01Heart rate is under 60 and dropping.
49:03We must perform an emergency C-section right now, but her vitals can't handle surgery.
49:07Do it!
49:08The captain's roar rattled the walls of the ambulance.
49:11Every medic flinched.
49:12He gripped my hand, his knuckles white, veins bulging up his forearms.
49:17I'll take full responsibility.
49:18Cut her open!
49:19I squeezed his fingers back, using the absolute last shred of my strength.
49:24Garrett.
49:26Garrett.
49:27Save the baby.
49:29Save the baby first.
49:30Garrett, my father's headbeater.
49:32The man who had guarded me since the day I was born.
49:35When I was learning to walk and fell, he was the one who picked me up.
49:38When I was terrified of the dark, he shifted into his wolf form and slept beside my bed the entire
49:42night.
49:43On the day I got married, he stood at the very back of the crowd.
49:45Completely silent, his eyes red.
49:47Now he was kneeling beside my stretcher, his combat armor stained with blackwood blood,
49:52his silver eyes completely bloodshot.
49:54Princess, don't speak.
49:56Save your strength.
49:57His voice trembled, but he gritted out every word like a blood oath.
50:01The Alpha is on his way.
50:02He'll be here soon.
50:04You and the pup will be fine.
50:05I swear it on my life.
50:07Before he could finish, the moonstone array above the operating table violently flickered.
50:11The vital sign monitors erupted into a shrill, piercing, uninterrupted,
50:15scream.
50:17Cardiac arrest.
50:19The Luna's heart has stopped.
50:21Push the moonlight essence.
50:22Start the recitation, Ronins.
50:24Fetal heart rate is plummeting.
50:2670, 50, 30.
50:28Scalpel, now.
50:30The medics shoved Garrett out of the way.
50:32He stumbled back into the corner of the ambulance, clenching his fists so hard his claws tore through
50:37his own palms, blood dripping onto the metal floor.
50:39The surgeon sliced open my abdomen with a rune-carved scalpel.
50:42Silver energy flooded the incision, forcibly cauterizing the bleeding.
50:46They were draining the absolute limits of their healing stones just to keep my soul tethered
50:50to my body.
50:51Essence injected.
50:52Heartbeat is faint but back.
50:54Where's the pup?
50:55Found her!
50:56Extract!
50:57Pull her out!
50:58The umbilical cape is wrapped around her neck.
51:00Damn it!
51:01The wolfsbane choked off her oxygen in the womb for too long.
51:03She's out!
51:04She's out!
51:05They pulled a baby from my womb, but she didn't cry.
51:08In the final second, before the darkness swallowed me entirely, I forced my eyes open.
51:13My vision was a massive blur of blinding silver light, but I saw it.
51:18Through the haze, the doctor held a tiny blood-covered infant in his hands.
51:22She wasn't moving.
51:23She wasn't breathing.
51:24She didn't cry.
51:25The voices faded.
51:26Faded into an abyss of static.
51:27The last thing I heard was Garrett, a battle-hardened warrior in his 40s, covered in 37 scars, a man
51:34who had ripped the throats out of hundreds of rogues, collapsing into the corner of the
51:38ambulance, and silently weeping.
51:39I woke up to the harsh smell of medical bleach, mixed with the crisp, ozone scent of moonstone
51:44crystals.
51:45The princess is awake!
51:47Someone shouted in relief.
51:49Several faces crowded my vision.
51:51Familiar faces.
51:53My father's personal elite guards.
51:55Uncles who had watched me grow up.
51:57Garrett stood closest to the bed.
51:59His jaw was clenched so tight a muscle ticked in his cheek.
52:02His eyes rimmed with red.
52:03Seeing me open my eyes, his lips parted, but no words came out.
52:07He just gave me one stiff, trembling nod.
52:10Where is she?
52:12A figure standing at the foot of my bed slowly turned around.
52:15My father.
52:16My father, the current alpha of the Shadowfang Pack, the absolute ruler of the oldest,
52:20most lethal werewolf bloodline on the North American continent.
52:23In the entire werewolf world, his name alone made other alphas bow their heads in submission.
52:29He was 54, his posture as straight as a spear.
52:32I had never seen him slouch.
52:34But right now, his hair was completely white.
52:36Overnight, he had gone totally grey.
52:38He walked over and sat on the edge of my bed.
52:40He took my hand in his.
52:42His hands were massive, calloused, scarred from decades of war.
52:45These hands had snapped the necks of his enemies and signed treaties that dictated the
52:49fates of millions of wolves.
52:51Right now, they were shaking.
52:53Selina.
52:53He choked on my name.
52:55He bowed his head.
52:56In my entire life, I had never seen this man bow his head.
52:59Not when facing the interrogations of the Seven Alpha Council.
53:03Not when executing traitors with his bare hands.
53:05Not even when he stood before my mother's grave for an entire night.
53:09But now, looking at me, he bowed his head.
53:12She's gone, isn't she?
53:15I looked at him, and I knew the answer.
53:17My father nodded.
53:19A single, scalding tear fell from his face onto the back of my hand.
53:24The hemorrhage, placental abtruction, the wolf bait in her bloodstream.
53:28She was deprived of oxygen for too long.
53:30The doctors did everything.
53:32The moonlight essence, the healing stones, the ancient bloodline resurrection rituals.
53:37We couldn't bring her back.
53:38The room fell dead silent.
53:40The only sound was the low, steady hum of the medical crystals.
53:43I closed my eyes.
53:45That tiny life that had lived inside me for nine months.
53:48The pup that kicked my ribs.
53:50The pup that made me run to the bathroom three times a night.
53:53The little wolf who would instantly calm down the second.
53:55I rubbed my belly and whispered,
53:57Mommy's here.
53:58Gone.
53:59Where is Dominic?
54:00My father lifted his head and wiped his face.
54:03Who?
54:03At the Blackwood Pack.
54:04By Vivian's side.
54:05She gave birth.
54:06A boy.
54:07Pure Blood Alpha Lineage.
54:09The entire Blackwood Pack is throwing a massive celebration for their new heir.
54:13They held the Moonlight Recognition Ceremony.
54:15The old alpha hosted it himself, right before he died.
54:18Not a single person thought of you.
54:20Not a single person asked if you were dead or alive.
54:23I laughed.
54:24My chest heaved as a broken, hysterical laugh tore out of my throat.
54:28The mate bond was still pulsing faintly in my chest.
54:31I could feel Dominic's heartbeat.
54:34Steady.
54:34Joyful.
54:35Untroubled.
54:36He was smiling.
54:37He was celebrating.
54:38His fated mate had nearly bled to death in a dungeon.
54:41And his daughter was a corpse.
54:43And he was celebrating.
54:45Good.
54:46That's good.
54:47My father tightened his grip on my hand.
54:49Selena.
54:50Come home with me.
54:51Blackwood Pack doesn't deserve you.
54:56Dad.
54:57I need you to do something for me.
55:00Anything.
55:01Perform a soul-severing ritual on me.
55:04My father froze the soul-severing ritual.
55:06One of the darkest, most ancient forbidden arts of the Shadowfang bloodline.
55:10It artificially severed a mate bond, forcing the other party to experience the exact physical sensation of their mate dying.
55:16The stopping of the heart.
55:18The shredding of the soul.
55:19The permanent snapping of the bond.
55:21To the person on the receiving end, it felt exactly like their mate had perished.
55:26You want him to think you're dead?
55:27Yes.
55:28The soul-severing ritual took place on the obsidian altar, deep within the Shadowfang's ancestral lands.
55:34Midnight.
55:34A new moon.
55:35Pitch black.
55:36It was the only time we could deceive the moon goddess's gaze.
55:40I lay on the cold stone, surrounded by four of our oldest priests.
55:44Their chanting was deep, guttural, vibrating with the ancient, lost tongue of the first wolves.
55:49My chest pounded violently.
55:51It was Dominic's heart beat, eating inside me, clear across a thousand miles.
55:55The high priest pressed his palm against my sternum.
55:58The runes flared blinding white.
56:00And then, an invisible silver spike was viciously ripped out of my heart.
56:05The mate bond is a tether woven into the soul.
56:07Severing it felt like two deeply intertwined trees being violently ripped apart by their roots.
56:12I clamped my teeth together, refusing to scream.
56:14In my mind's eye, I saw glowing golden threads.
56:17The physical manifestation of our bonds snapping one by one, turning into ash.
56:21When the final thread broke.
56:23My chest went completely hollow.
56:24A terrifying, absolute emptiness.
56:27Like someone had reached into my ribcage and carved out my heart.
56:30Leaving nothing but a gaping void.
56:32The ritual was complete.
56:34From this second onward, in Dominic's mind and soul, I was dead.
56:37Meanwhile, a thousand miles away, in the heart of Blackwood Territory,
56:41Dominic stood proudly at the main altar, accepting the congratulatory toasts from his pack members.
56:47Without warning, it felt as if an invisible claw had just plunged into his chest and ripped it open.
56:52The bond snapped.
56:54The bond snapped.
56:54He crashed to his knees.
56:55His hands desperately clawed at his own chest, his nails digging so deep into his own flesh that blood poured
57:00out over his shirt.
57:02A primal, guttural roar of pure agony exploded from his throat.
57:06Cassandra shoved through the panicked crowd.
57:10Brother, what's wrong?
57:12Dominic convulsed on the marble floor, his claws scraping sickeningly against the stone.
57:16Selena, she's dead.
57:19The bond just broke.
57:21She's dead.
57:22Cassandra's face drained of color for a split second, but only a second.
57:26Brother, calm down.
57:27She was always going to-
57:31Dominic backhanded her so hard she went backward, crashing violently into the altar pillars.
57:35He scrambled to his feet, stumbling and sprinting wildly out of the temple.
57:40The dungeon was empty.
57:41There was nothing left but a massive coagulated pool of blood and a soaked pile of straw,
57:46and the rapidly fading scent of Selene lingering in the damp air.
57:49Dominic stood frozen in the center of the blood pool.
57:52He stood there for a very, very long time, long enough for Cassandra to finally creep
57:57into the room and gingerly touch his arm.
58:00Brother.
58:03You locked her in here?
58:06I just told her to wait.
58:09Wait for what?
58:11Wait to die?
58:12Those were two lives!
58:14My mate!
58:15My pup!
58:16Cassandra took a step back.
58:18But she was having a girl!
58:19She was useless to the pack!
58:22The sharp crack of flesh meeting flesh echoed through the dungeon.
58:26Cassandra's head whipped to the side, a bright red handprint instantly welling up on her cheek.
58:31She clutched her face, staring at Dominic in total disbelief.
58:34Dominic glared at her.
58:36If I had been by her side, she wouldn't have died!
58:39If you hadn't taken all the medical supplies, she wouldn't have died!
58:43If I hadn't ordered them to inject her with wolf bait...
58:47He couldn't finish the sentence.
58:48Because the subject of that sentence was pre-syndrome, from start to finish...
58:52He made every single decision.
58:54Cassandra was just the executioner.
58:56The person who murdered Selene and their child was him.
58:59I spent the next few weeks recovering in the Shadowfang Estate.
59:01My body healed agonizingly slowly.
59:04The wolf's vein residue severely crippled my cellular regeneration, and the pack doctor estimated it would take three months to
59:09completely purge it from my system.
59:11But I wasn't in a hurry.
59:12I had all the time in the world.
59:14My father ate with me and walked with me every day, treating me exactly like he did when I was
59:18a little girl.
59:19He never brought up the Blackwoods, but I knew his intelligence network never stopped spinning.
59:25Shadowfang's eyes and ears were buried in every major pack in North America.
59:28That was the terrifying power of an ancient bloodline.
59:32Every meeting, every decision.
59:34Every hushed conversation the Blackwoods had was transcribed and placed on my desk.
59:38Dominic had brought my corpse, a flawlessly forged illusion, created by the soul-severing ritual back to the Blackwood Manor.
59:45He didn't place the casket in the main hall.
59:47It was shoved into a side morning room.
59:49I made him laugh inتهap against it with a gas station, for a microbiome, so I didn't expect it around
59:49to him toh Phil.
59:49This book is a short one time 2019, he used to be transported and would support him put my Scholarship.
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