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