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عودة أروى لسحق الخونة
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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.
00:24I want him.
00:26You don't want me anymore?
00:28I had returned back to the day of the choosing, vendors shouting in the black market, voices clashing with the
00:34snarls of caged beastmen.
00:36The truth is clear, I had returned to the day father had brought us to the black market to choose.
00:40Pax unspoken blood lot.
00:42Every young man and woman, three years before coming of age, personally select an equally young beastman as their future
00:50mate.
00:51Bonded for life, no betrayal, no abandonment.
00:54Beastmen matured much quicker than humans.
00:57A puppet's love was to prevent a bonded beastman from growing into a resentful predator.
01:01But I had never fully understood why.
01:04Beastmen ranked beneath humans, caged and passive, waiting to be claimed like livestock.
01:09So why would our bloodline insist on binding us to them?
01:13Weren't they afraid of us being betrayed?
01:16Suddenly, I locked with Kale's eyes, still young and naive.
01:19Memory of my past life resurfaced.
01:21The stinging pains of my throat being slipped are so vivid, I bit it back and steadied myself with a
01:28fist, pressed hard against the pain of my chest, and looked around.
01:31The massive holding cage ahead contained no fewer than 20 beastmen.
01:36Unsurprisingly, every one of them bore fresh wounds.
01:39My gaze locked instantly on Kale, hunched in the corner, arm torn by bite marks, his fox ears and tail
01:45no longer able to stay hidden.
01:47He caught my gaze, and something lit in his eyes.
01:50Then he moved toward me.
01:51Alara, which one do you like?
01:53Serafina appeared at my shoulder, her smile perfectly gentle.
01:57She was father's daughter from his first wife, a woman who had bled out in labor and never held her
02:03child.
02:03Father had remarried, and my brother and I came after.
02:06For years, Serafina had maintained a flawless image, gracious and elegant to the outside world, warm and devoted sister within
02:14the walls.
02:15In truth, she burned with rabid jealousy, convinced that my brother and I had stolen father's attention and her birthright.
02:22So she had delayed her own choosing.
02:24Father, I'd like to wait a bit before choosing an orc. I want to go with my sister.
02:31Laying a trap she'd been tightening for years.
02:34Watching Serafina now, poised as a flower, I understood perfectly.
02:38This was the moment Kale had first set his sights on her.
02:41Serafina spotted Kale too, and murmured,
02:44You've always had a taste for pretty things. That fox suits you.
02:48Pretty, and nothing else.
02:50The color drained from Kale's face.
02:53In my last life, those words had fallen from Serafina's lips, and they had shattered him on the spot.
02:59This time was no different.
03:01He stared at me, ashen, his eyes flooding with disbelief.
03:05A question stirred in my gut.
03:06Serafina gave a small smile, drifted away, and began her own careful selection.
03:11Just as in my last life, she chose the powerfully built Shadow Wolf.
03:16Now I was the only one who hasn't chosen.
03:18Few beastmen remained in the cage.
03:21A quick sweep found Kale watching me with naked hope.
03:24My gaze moved past him and settled on the beastman behind, half-human, half-serpent.
03:29Toiled and utterly still.
03:31If memory served, no one had chosen him in my last life.
03:34But a beastman had risen in this city after that.
03:37A name that made even hardened predators go still.
03:40Silas, single-handedly, he had dismantled the black market, led a mass exodus of captive beastmen,
03:46and years later stood across a negotiating table from the humans and won equal rights for every last one of
03:53his kind.
03:53I had crossed paths with Silas once, and that white serpent tail was burned into my memory.
03:58Right now, Silas could barely hold his human form, every inch of him fragility.
04:03Made up your mind?
04:04Father's voice cut through the noise.
04:06Yes.
04:10I want him.
04:11Kale's expression cracked.
04:13He spun around to stare at the frail serpent in disbelief.
04:17You're not choosing me?
04:18I didn't acknowledge Kale.
04:20Behind him, Silas cracked open his eyes.
04:22A pair of serpent-slip pupils fixing on me without a flicker of warmth.
04:26I held that gaze, my voice steady with conviction.
04:29Come with me, and I'll heal you.
04:30Silas pressed a palm to the floor, crawled toward me.
04:33He stopped at my feet.
04:35I crouched down and pressed a palm to his cheek.
04:37I'm taking you with me.
04:39Kale lunged forward and seized my wrist.
04:41Choose me.
04:42You're supposed to choose me.
04:44He's half-dead already.
04:46Why would you pick him?
04:47That settled it.
04:48Kale had been reborn, too.
04:50Before I could react, Silas's brow furrowed,
04:53and the blood-streaked serpent tail uncoiled and snapped around Kale like a whip.
04:57Kale hit the wall hard enough to rattle the iron bars.
05:01Silas's eyes were cold-slit.
05:03Come closer again, and I'll kill you.
05:06Watching Kale clutch his ribs, I felt something close to joy rise in my chest,
05:10and I rewarded Silas with an approving pinch of his cheek.
05:13That was impressive.
05:15Silas's lashes trembled.
05:16He dropped his gaze fast.
05:18After Father paid and sent us home with our chosen beastmen,
05:21Kale's voice chased me out of the black market,
05:24shouting my name with a fury that echoed off the iron.
05:27I glanced sideways at the bodyguard beside me,
05:30and, as if deeply inconvenienced,
05:32He's so irritating.
05:34Understood.
05:36I let the corner of my mouth curl.
05:38In the black market,
05:39every unchosen beastman was sent to the fighting pit,
05:42a place where survival was measured in blood and screaming iron.
05:45I was very much looking forward to that.
05:47The good mood carried me all the way home.
05:50Father spared no resources on beastmen care.
05:53Manuals, medicinal compounds,
05:54and supply crates flowed into my room like a tide.
05:57Silas's wounds weren't deep,
05:59but a congenital defect in his body slowed his recovery to a crawl.
06:03It made me only more curious.
06:05How had he survived the fighting pit in his last life,
06:08dragging that broken body through it all?
06:10My stare must have been too obvious,
06:12because a slow flush crept up Silas's neck.
06:14Mistress?
06:17Do you need something?
06:19In my last life,
06:20Kale had never once called me anything but my name,
06:23saving reverence for Serafina.
06:25Being called Mistress had a strange, particular weight to it.
06:28I tossed the medicine kit onto his lap.
06:32Dress your own wounds.
06:33Silas caught it and nodded,
06:34docile as still water.
06:36A few days of rest,
06:37and Silas had reclaimed his fully human form,
06:40taller too,
06:41his frame filling out overnight like a plant after rain.
06:45Beastmen really did grow at an inhuman pace.
06:48That morning,
06:49Father tracked me down.
06:50A beastmen healer had come to the city.
06:52He said,
06:53a merkin named Mira.
06:54She could treat both beastmen and humans.
06:57Father wanted me to take Silas to see her.
07:00The merkin carried innate healing gifts from birth,
07:03the strength of which scaled with individual talent.
07:06Even the weakest among them could mend their own bodies,
07:08but the most gifted could restore life to the near dead.
07:12Father turned to leave.
07:13I stopped him with a question that had been sitting in my chest for days.
07:16His status over beastmen is absolute.
07:20So why does the PAC law bind us to them as mates?
07:23He paused,
07:25let out a long breath.
07:26Alara,
07:26remember this.
07:27A beastman's loyalty is something no human being can replicate.
07:31Whether you earn that loyalty,
07:33that depends entirely on you.
07:35He waved the conversation closed and walked away.
07:38I knew as well as anyone how rare a beastman's loyalty was,
07:42but in the mess I'd inherited from my last life,
07:45rare felt like a polite word for impossible.
07:48Wasn't this just gambling with our lives?
07:50I watched father go,
07:52then turned back and called Silas from his room,
07:54leading him out into the city for the first time.
07:57Mistress,
07:58what's that?
07:59Ice cream.
08:00He cataloged everything.
08:02Stall signs,
08:03storefronts,
08:04passing vehicles,
08:05with wide,
08:06hungry eyes.
08:07Mistress,
08:08what's that?
08:09An amusement park.
08:10Mistress.
08:11When we get back,
08:12I'll teach you to read,
08:13then you'll figure it out yourself.
08:16Okay.
08:16Silas beamed,
08:18falling into step just behind my shoulder.
08:20Out of the corner of my eye,
08:22I caught him eating the ice cream with total indifference.
08:24He didn't like it at all.
08:26While his gaze moved in quick,
08:28methodical sweeps across the street around us,
08:30the carefully performed helplessness had cracked.
08:33Just for a second.
08:34He didn't trust me,
08:35not even close,
08:37and beneath the docile surface,
08:38he was calculating.
08:39Of course he is,
08:41I thought.
08:41We arrived at the address father had given me.
08:44I had expected something imposing,
08:46a high-rise,
08:47gilded signage,
08:48because a beast-man healer of rare power commanded human respect as much as fear.
08:53Instead,
08:54I found the most unremarkable courtyard I'd ever seen,
08:57identifiable only because it was packed shoulder to shoulder with people waiting.
09:01Inside,
09:02I spotted Kale.
09:03He was slumped against a girl's shoulder,
09:06barely breathing,
09:07more absent than present.
09:08As if he sensed me,
09:10Kale opened his eyes,
09:11and found mine instantly.
09:13That one look was packed with a lifetime of grievances.
09:16He pushed himself upright from the girl's arms,
09:19eyes red-rimmed,
09:20and fixed me with an expression that begged without words.
09:24Then a hand closed over my eyes.
09:26Don't look at him.
09:27Glamour rat.
09:29I laughed and pulled his hand down.
09:32Get in line.
09:34Of course I could feel Kale's fox allure threading through the air,
09:38but it couldn't touch me now,
09:39not with only hatred and wariness where softness used to live,
09:43and not when his glamour was still this juvenile.
09:48Silas gave me one more uncertain look,
09:50then moved to join the queue.
09:52What was Kale even doing here?
09:53But I wasn't the only one questioning it.
09:56A fox and an heiress whose family treats beasts like dirt?
09:59The pair drew everyone's attention.
10:02Someone gossiped among the crowd.
10:03On Kale's first day in the fighting pit,
10:06he had weaved his fox allure around a girl named Talia,
10:09making her desperate to buy him.
10:11Her father was a business partner of fathers,
10:13and when the black market saw how badly she wanted Kale,
10:16they drove the price up.
10:18Talia didn't have enough,
10:19went home to scrape together the rest,
10:21and spent several days doing it.
10:23During those days,
10:25on the bodyguard's quiet instruction,
10:27every beast man Kale faced in the pit
10:29was as brutal as they came.
10:31Talia had come back just in time
10:33to pull him out at death's door.
10:35I understood now.
10:36Kale was wounded badly enough
10:38that Talia had brought him here.
10:39I took a proper look at Talia.
10:41Peach bloom skin,
10:42wide eyes,
10:44all open sincerity,
10:45not a calculating bone in her body
10:47by the look of it.
10:48No wonder Kale had reeled her in so easily.
10:51He never does change.
10:52Suddenly,
10:53Kale tore free of Talia's grip
10:55and lurched toward me.
10:56Hey, where are you going?
10:58Talia reached for him,
10:59and he shoved her hand away viciously.
11:01Don't touch me!
11:03He glared at her with an expression
11:05I knew by heart.
11:07Revulsion.
11:08The specific kind reserved for things
11:10that had already served their purpose.
11:12He was certain Talia couldn't live without him,
11:14so he treated her with careless cruelty.
11:17Something sour moved through me,
11:18and I set my jaw.
11:20Silas' brow creased,
11:22his weight shifted,
11:23I stopped him with a look.
11:24Kale staggered to me in a few short steps,
11:27those steps costing him everything.
11:29His legs gave,
11:30he dropped to one knee,
11:32barely catching himself
11:33before he hit the ground entirely.
11:35He forced his chin up,
11:36and his eyes were sincere
11:38in a way that made my skin crawl.
11:40I'm sorry.
11:42I know what I did.
11:43He reached out,
11:44small and careful.
11:46Can you forgive me?
11:47So,
11:47he'd guessed I'd been reborn too.
11:49I didn't move,
11:50and a flicker of relief
11:52crossed his face.
11:53He was almost close enough
11:54to take my hand.
11:55I looked past him
11:56at Talia instead.
11:57Let me show you
11:58how to handle a beastman
11:59who won't behave.
12:00The next second,
12:01I drove my boot
12:02into the center of Kale's chest
12:04with every bit of force I had.
12:06He flew back and crashed
12:08through a low stone table
12:09in the courtroom.
12:10A choked sound,
12:11then a mouthful of blood
12:13hit the flagstones.
12:14Kale sat in the wreckage,
12:16white-faced,
12:17hand pressed to his chest.
12:19Talia sprinted over
12:20and rounded on me.
12:21What do you think you're doing?
12:22He's my beastman!
12:23Even if he's mishaving
12:24that's between us!
12:25Who gave you the right?
12:27I tilted my head.
12:28You can't control him.
12:30And I don't like
12:31Fox Beastmen
12:32getting too close to me.
12:33They carry a certain...
12:34musk.
12:36Kale coughed up
12:36another mouthful of blood
12:38and stared at me
12:39with the expression
12:40of someone
12:40whose world
12:41had just inverted.
12:42Talia flushed Scarlet.
12:44There's no...
12:44There's no musk!
12:45You're making that up!
12:46That's beastman discrimination!
12:48Careful.
12:49Statements like that
12:50tend to offend my beastman.
12:52Silas looked at Talia,
12:53then let his gaze drop
12:55to the barely breathing Kale.
12:56You should be grateful
12:57it was my mistress
12:58who hit him.
12:59He said,
13:00his voice carrying
13:01the disinterest
13:01of someone announcing
13:03a weather forecast.
13:04Otherwise I would have
13:05killed him.
13:06The undisguised kill intent
13:07sat in the air
13:08like a blade.
13:10You...
13:10Talia sputtered at him,
13:11then whipped around
13:12to stare at me.
13:13At last,
13:14she made a disgusted sound,
13:16hoisted Kale up
13:17with visible effort,
13:18and marched straight
13:19for the door.
13:23Out of the way!
13:24Can't you see
13:25he's dying?
13:26Everyone in the queue
13:27had been waiting
13:28far longer
13:28and had no interest
13:30in being cut.
13:31Talia ended up
13:32wedged at the entrance,
13:33Kale sagging against her.
13:35She raised her voice
13:36in desperation.
13:37Miss Mira,
13:38please,
13:39I'm begging you,
13:39save him!
13:40He really is!
13:41From inside the room
13:42came a voice,
13:43smooth as river water.
13:47He won't die.
13:48Wait your turn.
13:49I raised an eyebrow.
13:51I liked this Mira already.
13:53Talia had no choice
13:54but to stand there,
13:55seething.
13:56Kale was losing his grip
13:57on his human form.
13:59The fox ears and tail
14:00slipped free,
14:01trembling.
14:02She glared daggers at me.
14:04This isn't over!
14:05I looked at her.
14:06Does your father know
14:07how much you paid
14:08for that beastman?
14:09The Talia family and mine
14:10were nothing alike.
14:12Our bloodline maintained
14:13some measure of regard
14:14for beastmen.
14:16The Talias treated them
14:17like livestock.
14:18If her father found out
14:19she'd spent a small fortune
14:21on a useless fox,
14:22the fallout would be spectacular.
14:24Talia blinked.
14:25Do you know my father?
14:26Then her eyes went wide.
14:28You're threatening me!
14:29I just smiled.
14:30Talia's lip trembled.
14:32Tears spilled down her face
14:33and she cried openly,
14:35chest heaving.
14:35I hadn't expected
14:36the waterworks.
14:37A headache bloomed
14:38behind my eyes.
14:40Stop crying.
14:41Your beastman isn't worth it.
14:43I won't let you say
14:43that about him.
14:44He's weak.
14:45Yes, but to me
14:46he's worth a thousand times more.
14:47Right.
14:48I had nothing left
14:49to say to that.
14:51The queue crawled forward
14:52for several more hours
14:54before it was finally,
14:55mercifully,
14:56Kale's turn.
14:57I had arrived later
14:58and stood behind them.
14:59By the time Talia
15:01helped Kale out
15:01of the treatment room,
15:03an hour had passed
15:04and his color
15:05had returned.
15:05He looked at me
15:06and the wounded helplessness
15:08was gone,
15:09replaced by something
15:10close to resentment.
15:11You're heartless,
15:12Alaksa.
15:12I made a dry sound.
15:14I can't compete with you.
15:15Stop wasting breath on her.
15:17Let's go.
15:19Steering Kale away
15:20with a huff in my direction.
15:22Behind me,
15:23Silas spoke quietly.
15:24You know them?
15:27I pointed toward
15:28the treatment room door.
15:30Your turn.
15:32Silas pressed his lips together,
15:34said nothing,
15:35and stepped inside.
15:36I followed and watched
15:37Mira work.
15:38The Merkin were extraordinary.
15:40No instruments,
15:41no diagnostic tools,
15:43only a touch,
15:44and she already knew.
15:45I said it without thinking.
15:47That's remarkable.
15:48Mira looked at me
15:49with a faint smile.
15:50Nothing special.
15:52There are dozens
15:52in my bloodline
15:53more gifted than I am,
15:55and the greatest
15:56among them is...
15:56Her expression dimmed.
15:58A shadow of grief
15:59crossed her face,
16:00and she let the sentence die.
16:02His body has
16:02a congenital gap.
16:05It's why he appears
16:06far weaker than other beastmen,
16:08and it will shorten
16:09his lifespan.
16:09The hand resting
16:10at Silas' side
16:11closed into a fist,
16:13and his voice
16:14came out tight.
16:15Please, help me.
16:16Then he turned to me,
16:17and the look in his eyes
16:18said everything.
16:20Money is no obstacle.
16:22But Mira shook her head,
16:24her smile faint and tired.
16:26A congenital gap
16:27is beyond my reach.
16:29I can't mend
16:30what was never formed.
16:32Silas' face fell in a way
16:33that was visible
16:34to the naked eye.
16:35Thank you anyway.
16:37He turned to leave,
16:38and Mira looked at me.
16:40If you happen to know
16:41Lucian, Miss Alara,
16:43there may still be a chance.
16:44I was caught off guard,
16:45not only because
16:46Mira had recognized me,
16:48but because of the name itself.
16:50Lucian was the most gifted
16:51and most ungovernable
16:53of the Vos bloodline,
16:54the family's golden heir,
16:56known to everyone
16:57as their little crown prince.
16:59We had attended
16:59the same school once.
17:01I knew him after a fashion,
17:03but his health had declined,
17:04and he'd withdrawn
17:05from classes years ago.
17:06We hadn't spoken since.
17:08Does Lucian keep
17:09someone gifted near him?
17:11The Merkin are born
17:12with healing in our blood.
17:13It's simply a matter of degree.
17:15Even the least gifted of us
17:17can mend our own bodies
17:18through instinct alone.
17:19But the rarest among us,
17:21the ones born with song,
17:23they can restore the dead to life.
17:25I stared at her.
17:26That sounds impossible.
17:28I've never heard
17:28of anything like it.
17:29It isn't surprising.
17:31Our bloodline hasn't produced
17:32that level of gift in centuries.
17:33Then her voice shifted,
17:35quiet, deliberate.
17:36But in the past 20 years,
17:38one Merican was born
17:39carrying that gift
17:40from her very first breath.
17:42Something clicked into place
17:43at the back of my mind.
17:45What is her name?
17:47Lyra.
17:48Of course.
17:50I understand.
17:51Thank you, Mira.
17:52I set a payment card
17:53on the table
17:54and left with Silas.
17:55The moment we were outside,
17:57he asked,
17:58barely containing himself.
18:00Are we going to find Lyra?
18:01His eyes were bright
18:03with something
18:03almost desperate.
18:05If it's possible,
18:06I'll take you to her.
18:06I had heard Lyra's name once
18:08in my last life.
18:10Lyra.
18:11She had been offered
18:12to the Vos bloodline
18:13by the Merican
18:13as a gesture of protection.
18:15Her extraordinary healing talent,
18:17the price of her bloodline's safety.
18:20And with her,
18:21Lucien had finally been free.
18:23She seemed to care for him,
18:24or so the rumors said.
18:25Lucien cared for someone else entirely
18:27and treated her accordingly.
18:29What happened after that?
18:30I didn't know.
18:33Because by that point,
18:34I was already dead.
18:36Given Lucien's erratic temperament,
18:38approaching him directly
18:39and asking for Lyra
18:41would be met with a flat refusal,
18:43no matter how I framed it.
18:45The better path
18:46was to go around him,
18:47reach Lyra herself.
18:49Silas must have sensed my hesitation,
18:51because some of the heat
18:52faded from his expression.
18:55Mistress doesn't need to worry.
18:57I'm fine as I am.
18:59That word,
19:00mistress,
19:01spoken aloud on a public street,
19:03turned heads up and down the block.
19:05A flush crept up the back of my neck.
19:08I cleared my throat twice.
19:10In public?
19:11You don't have to use that.
19:13Just call me by my name.
19:14Silas adapted without hesitation.
19:17All right, Lyra.
19:18When I got home,
19:19I sent Talia's father
19:21an anonymous letter,
19:22a quiet, detailed account
19:24of exactly how much
19:25she had spent on kale
19:26at the black market.
19:28I didn't want Talia
19:29to become what I had been.
19:30It took less than two days
19:32before the news reached me.
19:34Talia had been confined
19:35to the house,
19:36but the money was already spent,
19:37and her father was too proud
19:39to return kale
19:40to the black market,
19:41which meant he would find ways
19:43to extract that investment
19:44from kale's skin.
19:45The Talia household
19:47would be its own kind of hell.
19:48I was still turning that over
19:50when a servant came running.
19:51Miss Alora, something's wrong.
19:53Silas, Simus, and Raven are fighting.
19:56Raven was Seraphina's beast man.
19:58I was on my feet
19:59before the sentence finished.
20:01I followed the servant
20:02to the garden outside the moor,
20:04where Silas had been pinned
20:05beneath the flowering hawthorn tree,
20:07and Raven's massive fists
20:09were falling on him
20:10again and again,
20:12each blow landing like a hammer.
20:14Miss Alora, please.
20:15You have to help him.
20:16He'll be beaten to death.
20:18The servant pulled at my arm.
20:20I raised a hand.
20:21Silence.
20:22My eyes stayed fixed on Silas.
20:24After days of recovery,
20:26his body was mostly healed,
20:27and this was the Silas who,
20:29in his last life,
20:30had survived the fighting pit
20:32on a broken frame,
20:33which meant there was
20:34no possible world
20:35in which he was simply
20:36being dominated
20:37by Raven right now.
20:38He was hiding what he could do,
20:40because he didn't trust me.
20:42So I wouldn't save him.
20:43I had no use for a beast man
20:45who might drive a blade
20:46into my back.
20:47This first step towards trust,
20:49he would have to be
20:50the one to take it.
20:51Silas still didn't move.
20:52Arms folded over his head,
20:54the crack of breaking bone
20:56cutting through the garden
20:57like a gunshot.
20:58He turned his head,
20:59spat blood onto the flagstones,
21:01and through the gap
21:02in the flowering branches,
21:03saw me.
21:04Disbelief in his eyes,
21:05hurt.
21:06A silent, furious question,
21:08why aren't you coming?
21:09My hand clenched at my side,
21:11and my jaw locked.
21:13Raven, scenting blood,
21:14found the animal in himself
21:16rising to the surface,
21:18both ears pushing through his hair,
21:20every muscle lit up
21:21with predatory excitement,
21:22barely a step from the edge
21:24of a full, feral shift.
21:25I held my breath,
21:27my entire body strung tight
21:28as a wire,
21:29and stared at Silas.
21:31Just take this one step towards me,
21:33and I swear I will never
21:34stop protecting you.
21:36Silas's pupils elongated,
21:38the calm human iris
21:39collapsing into serpent slit.
21:41In the moment before
21:42Raven lunged to bite him,
21:44Silas moved,
21:46his legs dissolved
21:47into a white serpent tail
21:48that coiled around Raven's body
21:50in one fluid motion,
21:52and then his fangs,
21:53long and curved
21:54and appearing from nowhere,
21:55drove into the side
21:57of Raven's neck
21:57without hesitation.
21:59Raven screamed and thrashed,
22:01every muscle in his body convulsing.
22:03Silas's tail contracted
22:04like a closing vice.
22:06I watched Raven's face shift
22:07from red to violet
22:09in the span of seconds,
22:10and understood instantly
22:12Silas's fangs were venomous.
22:14So he's a viper,
22:15I thought.
22:16Serafina arrived then,
22:17late and unhurried,
22:18and when she saw
22:19what was happening,
22:20Simus,
22:22you dare kill him.
22:24I stepped forward
22:25without hesitation.
22:27What if he does?
22:28Serafina's fierce expression
22:30shifted through
22:31several versions of itself
22:33when she saw me.
22:34She drew a breath,
22:35steadied herself.
22:37Alara,
22:37tell Silas to stop.
22:39Raven will die.
22:40I smiled.
22:41My brother keeps his head.
22:43Don't worry,
22:43Serafina.
22:44I glanced at Raven's
22:45stillening body with meaning.
22:47I won't let my sister
22:48become a widow this early.
22:50Alara!
22:51Serafina finally snapped.
22:52One finger leveled at me.
22:54Aren't you afraid
22:55father will punish you for this?
22:56I put on an expression
22:58of perfect innocence.
22:59Silas has always been
23:00fragile and obedient.
23:02He wouldn't provoke
23:02Raven without reason.
23:04This was self-defense
23:05and you know it.
23:06Why would father punish me?
23:08My voice cooled.
23:09Shouldn't the punishment
23:10fall on the one
23:11who started it?
23:12You.
23:12Enough.
23:13Everyone stop.
23:14Father's voice
23:15rolled through the garden
23:16from somewhere behind me,
23:18heavy with displeasure.
23:19Before Serafina
23:20could arrange her face
23:21into something pitiable,
23:22I got there first,
23:23and let tears spill down my own.
23:26Father.
23:26She started it
23:27and now she's turning
23:28it around on me.
23:29Serafina went pale.
23:31I didn't father.
23:32Please.
23:33Save Raven.
23:34He'll die.
23:35Father let out a cold sound.
23:36Spared Serafina
23:37one flat look.
23:39A lesson he needed to learn.
23:40And you.
23:41Don't think I don't know
23:42what you've been doing.
23:43The handbook I gave you
23:44covers how to suppress
23:45a beast man's feral instincts.
23:47What exactly have you
23:48been doing with it?
23:49Father's voice rose.
23:51Serafina's chin dropped.
23:52I was wrong father.
23:53Serafina.
23:54Raven is going to be your mate.
23:56Your work isn't only to tame him.
23:58It's to build him.
24:00Otherwise,
24:00his gaze cut across her,
24:02cold and quiet,
24:03and said nothing more.
24:04Serafina dropped to her knees.
24:06Yes father.
24:07As Raven finally went still,
24:09the desperation broke
24:10through Serafina's composure,
24:12and tears ran down her face.
24:14Father.
24:14Please.
24:15Save him.
24:16He's still going to be
24:17my husband one day.
24:18Please.
24:19Only then did father look at me.
24:21I nodded at Silas.
24:22Let him go.
24:23Silas released the coil.
24:25Raven's limp body
24:26hit the earth
24:27beside the hawthorn tree,
24:28scattering petals
24:29across the flagstones.
24:31I moved quickly
24:32to catch Silas.
24:33He had burned
24:34through everything he had,
24:35the serpent tail
24:36refusing to retract,
24:38his legs unable
24:38to carry him,
24:39his full weight
24:40dropping into my arms.
24:42Father made a sound
24:43sound of pure displeasure.
24:44I bought you beastmen
24:45to bond with,
24:46not to put them
24:46against each other.
24:47If it happens again,
24:48you're both out
24:49of this bloodline.
24:52Understood father.
24:55Quick,
24:56carry Raven inside.
25:01I looked at Raven's violet face
25:03and asked,
25:04will the venom kill him?
25:07I don't make problems
25:08for myself.
25:09Look at him
25:10and found his face
25:11stripped of everything
25:12he usually wore around me.
25:14The deference,
25:15the careful performance,
25:16all of it gone.
25:17What remained
25:17was cold and still,
25:19the slit pupils unmoved.
25:21This is who he actually is.
25:22Then Silas went boneless
25:24against my shoulder,
25:25head lolling,
25:26as if the last of his strength
25:27had left him at once.
25:29But I didn't believe it.
25:30Then again,
25:31a performance was only
25:32worth running to its end.
25:33So I slid an arm
25:34around that ice cold tail,
25:36settled my other hand
25:37at his waist,
25:38and lifted him.
25:40Silas stared at me,
25:41startled into actual surprise,
25:43a flush climbing
25:44fast up his neck.
25:45Hold still.
25:48I carried him back
25:49to his room,
25:50where the physician
25:51was already waiting.
25:52The broken ribs were set.
25:54Silas endured it
25:55with his face
25:55gone paper white,
25:56the scales along his tail
25:58rippling open and closed
25:59with every wave of pain,
26:01until the sight
26:02made my own skin crawl.
26:03I turned away
26:04and rubbed the goosebumps
26:05down my arms.
26:06When the physician finished
26:07and left with a list
26:08of instructions,
26:10I looked at the pale expanse
26:11of serpent tail.
26:14Silas pressed his lips together,
26:16and under my gaze,
26:17drew it back in,
26:18the tail dissolving
26:19into human legs again.
26:22Oddly fascinating,
26:23and met those still
26:25unrecovered slit pupils,
26:27blinking at me
26:27without looking away.
26:30He was asking
26:31why I'd stood there
26:32and watched.
26:33I smiled.
26:34Have you ever heard
26:34the saying,
26:35which one?
26:36Real trust is earned
26:37in kind.
26:38You didn't trust me,
26:39so don't expect me
26:40to trust you first.
26:41After I left Silas' room,
26:43I did a quiet round
26:44of inquiries
26:45and pieced together
26:46what had happened.
26:47Silas had developed
26:48a fondness
26:48for the hawthorn tree
26:49in the garden.
26:50It was full bloom,
26:51and he'd been spending
26:52idle hours beneath it.
26:54He'd had the misfortune
26:55of crossing paths
26:56with Raven,
26:57who was wound tight
26:58and looking for something
26:59to hit.
27:00Serafina's standard
27:01for a beast man
27:02was raw power,
27:03and since a beast man
27:04who had learned
27:04to suppress their
27:05feral instinct
27:06lost much of that,
27:07she had never taught Raven
27:08to pull back from the edge.
27:10Instead,
27:11she trained him
27:11to his limits,
27:12and then patched him up
27:13herself with careful,
27:15gentle hands.
27:16Two sessions of that,
27:17and Raven was
27:18completely devoted to her.
27:19If I hadn't been blinded
27:21by Kale's fox allure
27:22in my last life,
27:23heart given over to him,
27:25every alarm in me silenced,
27:27I wouldn't have died
27:27so stupidly.
27:28Speaking of which,
27:30I wonder how Kale
27:31is doing in the Talia household.
27:32I asked,
27:33and promptly had
27:34to swallow a laugh.
27:35The Talia patriarch
27:36had been putting
27:37Kale's fox allure
27:38to work,
27:39entertaining guests with it,
27:41men and women alike,
27:42sparing no categories.
27:43Kale had always
27:44been beautiful,
27:45with his glamour
27:46on top of that,
27:47more than a few people
27:48had wanted him
27:49in my last life.
27:50To protect him,
27:51I had taken on damage
27:52I never should have absorbed,
27:53and every time,
27:55he had one thing to say,
27:56that's what you're here for,
27:58that's what I'm here for.
27:59As if I were furniture,
28:01a plan began to form
28:02in the back of my mind.
28:03I was humming to myself
28:04on the way back to my room,
28:06when I heard voices
28:07inside Silas's,
28:08and pressed myself
28:09quietly to the wall.
28:11Serafina's voice,
28:12all warmth and remorse.
28:13Silas,
28:14I'm so sorry,
28:16I should have kept
28:16Raven under control.
28:18You're hurt so badly,
28:19can I help you
28:20with your bandages?
28:21I raised an eyebrow
28:22and leaned closer.
28:23Silas's voice came back
28:25flat as a locked door.
28:26Get out.
28:27Where's Alara?
28:28Didn't she stay with you?
28:29With injuries this serious,
28:31isn't this your future
28:32husband's work?
28:33Silas said,
28:34and the chill in his voice
28:35could have frosted glass.
28:36I bit down on a laugh
28:38hard enough to hurt.
28:39Serafina had clearly
28:40caught a glimpse
28:41of what Silas was capable of,
28:43and immediately wanted
28:43to pull him into her orbit.
28:45When it didn't work,
28:46she said a few perfunctory
28:47words of concern,
28:49and prepared to leave.
28:50I moved quickly
28:51back to my own room.
28:52But the next second,
28:53there was a knock on my door,
28:55and Silas was standing
28:56in the frame,
28:57eyes dark and steady,
28:58looking at me.
28:59I was genuinely surprised.
29:01He'd looked critically
29:02wounded moments ago,
29:03and he was already
29:04on his feet.
29:05Beastman healing was fast,
29:07but not that fast.
29:09Something you need?
29:10You said you'd teach me to read.
29:11I'd completely forgotten
29:13about that.
29:14Sorry, we can start now.
29:16Silas pressed his lips together
29:17and stepped inside.
29:18I started from the very beginning,
29:20the phonetic alphabet,
29:22and we sat across from each other
29:23until he looked up and said,
29:25Am I what you expected?
29:26I blinked.
29:27Hmm.
29:28Silas raised his eyes.
29:29Earlier, was it worth watching?
29:31He meant,
29:32Why didn't you come in?
29:33I smiled.
29:34Honestly, it was.
29:36Silas's brow drew together immediately.
29:38He looked genuinely displeased,
29:40the question in his voice
29:41coming out sharper
29:42than he probably intended.
29:44You have history with her.
29:45He'd picked up on the tension
29:46between Serafina and me.
29:48Of course he had.
29:49I let my lashes fall.
29:51Yes, that history.
29:52He was quiet for a moment.
29:54I can see that one
29:55I genuinely hadn't seen coming.
29:57And then my father
29:58kills you in return?
29:59Silas's gaze didn't waver.
30:01You said it yourself.
30:02Real trust is earned in kind.
30:04For the first time,
30:05I saw it.
30:06Actual sincerity in his eyes.
30:08But still,
30:09why?
30:10Trust for trust was one thing.
30:12But I hadn't done anything
30:13to earn it yet.
30:14A flicker of tension
30:15moved through his expression.
30:16I want Lyra to treat me.
30:18If I had a body that worked
30:20the way it should,
30:22I wouldn't have had to spend today
30:23looking as pathetic as I did.
30:25I softened my voice.
30:26You were anything
30:27but pathetic today.
30:28In your last life,
30:30you survived the fighting pit
30:31using exactly that.
30:33Feign weakness,
30:34let them close in,
30:35then coil and bite
30:36through their throats.
30:37Thinking that,
30:38I reached up without meaning to
30:40and touched my own neck.
30:41Learn what you need
30:42to learn first.
30:44Lyra,
30:45I'll find a way.
30:47Okay.
30:47For the first time,
30:48the usually cold boy
30:50let a genuine smile
30:51break across his face.
30:53A few days later,
30:54word came that the Voss family's
30:56grandmother was turning 80,
30:58and the Voss household
30:59had sent a formal invitation
31:01to ours.
31:01Because of the garden incident,
31:03Father took only me
31:05and left Serafina behind.
31:07Beastmen were barred
31:08from formal events,
31:09so I left Silas at home.
31:11In the banquet hall,
31:12I found Talia
31:13beaming at guests
31:14with practiced ease
31:16until she caught sight of me
31:17and her expression
31:18went flat as stone.
31:20I fell and stepped beside her
31:21after the gift presentation.
31:24Where's Kale?
31:25You have a nerve asking.
31:27This is all your fault,
31:28you know.
31:29Talia,
31:30do we have a problem?
31:34I don't know.
31:35You're the one
31:36who's had it out to me
31:36from the start.
31:37I've never had a problem
31:38with you,
31:39only with Kale.
31:41If you don't believe me.
31:46I don't believe
31:47he'd do that to me.
31:51Then test him.
31:52While the crowd
31:52was distracted,
31:54Talia guided me quietly
31:55toward the cellar
31:56below the manor.
31:58Go in.
31:59And remember,
32:01don't look directly
32:02at his eyes.
32:03Talia wrinkled her nose,
32:05gripped her composure,
32:06and clicked into the cellar
32:08on high heels.
32:09I slipped in behind her.
32:11It took a while
32:11before the light
32:12reached Kale's cage.
32:13He was chained
32:14at the neck like livestock,
32:16locked behind bars,
32:17filthy and broken-looking.
32:19A picture of wreckage.
32:20I stayed back around the corner,
32:22out of sight.
32:23Kale had his eyes closed,
32:25the fox ears flat and still.
32:27If his chest
32:28hadn't been faintly moving,
32:30he could have passed
32:31for dead.
32:32Kale.
32:35Kale.
32:35Talia's voice
32:36barely reached a whisper.
32:38He opened his eyes slowly,
32:39and when he saw her,
32:41something electric
32:42came back into his face.
32:44The chain snapped
32:46and rang
32:46at his sudden movement.
32:49You came to get me out?
32:51I can't get you out yet.
32:52My father is still angry.
32:54He's still angry.
32:58Then she rushed to add it.
33:00But I promise,
33:03I'll come back for you.
33:05I will.
33:06Talia, look at me.
33:07Just look at me.
33:09I'm begging you.
33:10I'm getting me out,
33:11the way you did,
33:12in the fighting pit.
33:16You were everything to me then.
33:17You were the only light.
33:19Please, just look at me.
33:20Talia kept her chin down,
33:22listening.
33:23Kale ran out of patience fast.
33:26Talia,
33:27get me out!
33:28Now!
33:30Why not?
33:31Why can't you?
33:32You did it fine
33:33at the fighting pit.
33:35You were falling over yourself
33:36to help me then.
33:37Why is now any different?
33:39You're blaming me
33:40when you were the one
33:41begging me to save you?
33:43Who even gave you permission
33:45to be that gullible?
33:46You were practically
33:47throwing yourself at me.
33:49Just like Alara.
33:51Alara.
33:54You've done this to her too?
34:01Do you see it now?
34:03He barely had to try
34:04and you couldn't hand yourself
34:06over fast enough.
34:07Talia turned to look at me
34:08and you ended up being
34:10the one blamed for it.
34:11I rested a hand
34:12on her shoulder.
34:13Go wait outside.
34:15She glanced back at Kale,
34:17uncertain.
34:20But
34:23you'll be fine.
34:24Talia looked over her shoulder
34:25three times on the way out
34:26and then the cellar
34:27was just the two of us.
34:28Kale watched me,
34:30something testing in his voice.
34:31What do you want?
34:34I'm curious.
34:36How were you reborn?
34:38Let me guess.
34:39After I died in our last life
34:41you went to Serafina
34:41but your fox allure
34:42never worked on her,
34:43did it?
34:44She kept her guard up.
34:45She knew what you were
34:46and what you were capable of
34:48so she was always watching.
34:49But your gift
34:49was too valuable to waste
34:52so she put it to use
34:53until the very end
34:55when you'd served
34:55your purpose completely
34:56and her shadow wolf
34:58finished you
34:58the same way he finished me.
34:59That's not true.
35:00She cared about me.
35:01She cared about me.
35:02You don't know anything.
35:04Then why were you hoping
35:05I'd choose you
35:06in the black market?
35:08Alara!
35:10Alara!
35:11You have to take me back.
35:13Why won't you choose me?
35:14Why?
35:15I stepped back
35:16just out of reach.
35:17The chain snapped
35:18taut around his neck.
35:21I'll give you something.
35:26One chance
35:27to take back
35:28what was done to me.
35:32When I came up
35:33from the cellar
35:34Talia was still outside
35:36eyes raw.
35:37I almost sighed.
35:39I told you
35:40he wasn't worth it.
35:42Why are you this upset?
35:44Sorry.
35:45For what?
35:48I was
35:48I was so stupid before.
35:52I thought it was destiny.
35:58I thought we'd be this epic
36:00human and beast man
36:02love story.
36:04She broke into full
36:05shuddering sobs.
36:06I rubbed a spot
36:07on my temple.
36:08Even if you wanted
36:09an epic love story
36:10you'd need your father's
36:12blessing first.
36:14Come on.
36:15Let's go.
36:16She wept.
36:18Okay.
36:18After managing Talia
36:20back to some level
36:21of composure
36:21I asked
36:22Is Lucien on the guest list?
36:24That was the second reason
36:26I'd come tonight.
36:29Did he bring anyone
36:30with him?
36:32I didn't pay attention.
36:33He sent a gift
36:34and went to rest.
36:35His health isn't great.
36:36Where is he resting?
36:37I'll take you.
36:38Talia led me
36:39to the VIP lounge
36:40and before we'd even
36:42reached the door
36:42we both heard it.
36:44A melody
36:45rising and falling
36:46like water over stone.
36:48The music moved
36:49through the air
36:49and straight into my chest.
36:53I feel like someone
36:54just told me
36:55it's going to be okay.
36:57I could go back in there
36:58and stab him
36:58about 15 times right now.
37:00I turned to look at her
37:01surprised.
37:02It had that effect too?
37:04Then this was Lyra.
37:06It had to be.
37:07Walking up to Lucien
37:09directly and asking
37:10for her was out
37:11of the question.
37:12He was far too volatile
37:14for a frontal approach.
37:15Better to reach Lyra
37:17herself.
37:18I sent Talia off,
37:20opened the door
37:21directly across
37:21from Lucien's suite,
37:23sat down in the frame
37:24and listened.
37:26The melody flowed
37:27without pause
37:28and something in my bones
37:29began to unknot,
37:31the grief of a whole
37:32past life starting
37:33to quiet.
37:34I yawned,
37:36biting it.
37:37I kept my eyes open
37:38by force
37:39and waited.
37:40What I hadn't counted on,
37:42waiting the entire night.
37:44Lyra's voice
37:45never stopped once.
37:46When I realized
37:47how angry I was
37:48on her behalf,
37:49the feeling surprised me.
37:51The morning meal
37:52arrived for delivery.
37:53I opened the door
37:54at the right moment.
37:56Lyra was stepping out
37:57of Lucien's suite,
37:58waving off the breakfast tray.
38:00I raised a hand.
38:02Hi.
38:03Lyra turned
38:04at the sound
38:04of my voice
38:05and smiled.
38:06She was genuinely beautiful,
38:08skin that caught
38:09the light like satin,
38:10eyes clear and bright.
38:12But what stayed with you
38:13was something
38:14underneath the beauty,
38:15something that made you
38:16want to draw closer
38:17and stay.
38:19Her voice came out
38:20sand rough.
38:20That made the next part
38:22awkward.
38:22She seemed to read
38:24the awkwardness
38:24on my face
38:25and gave a small,
38:26tired smile.
38:28Do you need
38:28something for me?
38:29I stepped aside
38:30and gestured.
38:31Would you mind
38:31coming in for a moment?
38:33Lyra nodded
38:33and walked in.
38:34I poured her
38:35a glass of warm water
38:36first,
38:37let her settle,
38:38then said,
38:39I have a beastman.
38:40He was born
38:41with a congenital gap.
38:42I took him
38:43to see Mira.
38:44She can't mend it,
38:45but she directed me to you.
38:46Lyra listened
38:47and nodded.
38:48Mira is my aunt.
38:50I blinked.
38:51Mira looked barely
38:52older than Lyra.
38:53Lyra checked the time.
38:55I have about two hours.
38:57You can bring
38:58your beastman
38:58to a nearby hotel.
39:00The fee for a congenital
39:01repair is two million.
39:03She said it
39:04with her lashes lowered,
39:05the expression
39:06beneath them hidden.
39:07What I was thinking about
39:08was her voice.
39:09Right now?
39:10Your throat?
39:12It doesn't matter.
39:14Every day is like this.
39:16If you're waiting
39:17for it to recover,
39:18you'll be waiting forever.
39:19Something dropped
39:20in my chest.
39:21Every day
39:22is like this.
39:25Is Lucian
39:26that ill?
39:27I said.
39:28He isn't.
39:30Then why?
39:31Lyra's smile
39:31went pale
39:32at the edges.
39:33Cruelty, mostly.
39:34I thought of the rumors
39:35I'd heard once
39:36in another life.
39:38You don't have to
39:39stay devoted to one tree.
39:40You're overthinking it.
39:41Get the hotel sorted.
39:43If Lucian wakes
39:43and finds me gone,
39:44there won't be another chance.
39:45I booked the nearest suite
39:47fast,
39:48then contacted Silas.
39:49After I hung up,
39:50I turned back to Lyra.
39:52She was working through breakfast
39:53in small,
39:54unhurried bites.
39:56Every movement,
39:56neat and somehow restful
39:58to watch.
39:59But there was something
40:00about that narrow back
40:01that made the chest ache
40:03for no clear reason.
40:04I sat down across from her,
40:06words rising and dying
40:07on my tongue.
40:08In the end,
40:09I said nothing.
40:10Silas arrived minutes later.
40:12He had clearly run the whole way,
40:14sweat still at his temple.
40:15Lyra extended her hand.
40:17He glanced at me first
40:18and only after I nodded
40:20did he approach with any care.
40:22Lyra laid her palm over his
40:23and her brow began to draw together.
40:26I felt the tension move up
40:27through my own spine.
40:29I was desperate to intervene,
40:31but I forced myself to stay back.
40:34Lyra wasn't faring any better
40:36than Silas.
40:37Every note she sang
40:39seemed to tear something loose
40:41in her throat.
40:42Slowly,
40:43blood appeared
40:44at the corner of her mouth.
40:46I started forward.
40:48She stopped me with a look
40:49and a small shake of her head.
40:52An hour later,
40:54the singing stopped.
40:56Silas and Lyra folded to the floor
40:58at the same moment.
41:00I moved fast to catch Lyra,
41:02wiped the blood from her mouth.
41:04Sorry.
41:04I didn't know it would be like this.
41:06Are you all right?
41:07She was breathing hard.
41:08You paid.
41:09I gave what was asked.
41:14There's nothing to apologize for.
41:17Let me take you back.
41:19Lyra looked at Silas,
41:20still on the floor,
41:21catching his breath.
41:24One moment.
41:27The gap is sealed,
41:28but he'll need a course
41:29of medicine to follow.
41:33And because the deficiency
41:35has held his body back,
41:37he's been presenting
41:37as a juvenile.
41:39But he's actually
41:40an adult beastman.
41:42Grown beastmen
41:43enter a heat cycle.
41:44Be careful.
41:46Don't let him hurt you.
41:47I understand.
41:49Rest for a moment.
41:50I nodded fast.
41:53Mmm.
41:54Lyra let her eyes close
41:55and went quiet.
41:57I arranged transport
41:59and personally saw her back
42:00to the Talia estate.
42:02My plan had been
42:03to slip her back
42:04to her suite unnoticed.
42:10But standing at the front entrance
42:12when we arrived
42:13was Lucian,
42:14jaw set
42:15and expression
42:16like incoming weather.
42:17Behind him,
42:18Talia,
42:19red-eyed
42:21and...
42:23We'd been found out.
42:24I moved to step out
42:25of the car with Lyra.
42:27She stopped me
42:28with a hand on my arm.
42:29Go home.
42:30I shook my head.
42:32Lyra,
42:34I went to school
42:35with Lucian.
42:36He should give me
42:36at least a little room.
42:39Lyra smiled.
42:41If he were the type
42:42to give you room,
42:43he wouldn't have had
42:43to come to me directly.
42:46I'm all right.
42:47He still needs me.
42:49Go.
42:50Trust me.
42:52I gritted my teeth.
42:54In the end,
42:55I pressed the payment card
42:57into her hand.
42:58She gave it back.
42:59Give it to my aunt.
43:01She'll know what to do with it.
43:04I can't use it.
43:06There's nowhere it would go.
43:09She pushed the door open.
43:11The moment Lucian's eyes
43:13found her,
43:14his face darkened
43:15in a way that was visible
43:16from a distance.
43:19On the drive back
43:20to the hotel,
43:21I couldn't settle.
43:22What had happened?
43:23I asked Talia
43:24and she told me.
43:25Lucian had woken
43:2630 minutes ago,
43:28couldn't find Lyra anywhere
43:29and had made a scene.
43:30Everyone knew
43:31how much Lyra mattered to him.
43:34So they'd all started
43:35searching too.
43:36Eventually,
43:37someone reviewed
43:37the security footage
43:39and traced it to me.
43:40Under pressure
43:41from Lucian's people,
43:42Talia had been forced
43:43to give up
43:43the whole story
43:44of how I'd spent
43:45the night waiting
43:46outside his door
43:47and caught a thorough
43:48dressing down for it.
43:51I had a feeling
43:52I was out to receive one too.
43:53But my worry about that
43:54was smaller
43:55than my worry about Lyra.
43:57I gripped the payment card
43:58in my hand
43:58and pushed into
43:59the hotel room,
44:00ready to call Silas
44:02and head home
44:02when he launched himself
44:03at me
44:04the second the door opened.
44:05His usual cold
44:06was gone.
44:07He was burning
44:08and he was bigger,
44:09taller,
44:10broader,
44:11the change in him
44:12unmistakable.
44:13Then Lyra's warning
44:14came back to me
44:15in a rush.
44:15Grown beastmen
44:16enter a heat cycle.
44:18Be careful.
44:19Don't let him hurt you.
44:21Heat cycle.
44:22Not this fast.
44:23Surely not this fast.
44:29I pushed against his chest.
44:31His scorching hands
44:32closed around my waist.
44:33His forehead
44:34pressed down to mine.
44:36Mistress.
44:37That word
44:38in a voice
44:38dropped three registers,
44:40a fully adult male's voice.
44:42I had vastly
44:43underestimated Lyra.
44:45Let go of me.
44:46You can't do this.
44:47It isn't right.
44:48Silas tilted his head
44:49just slightly
44:50and the tip of his nose
44:51grazed my cheekbone.
44:53The heat off his breath
44:54landed against my face
44:55in waves.
44:56I threw every bit of strength
44:58into pushing him away.
44:59He didn't move an inch.
45:00That hurts.
45:01The grip at my waist
45:02drawing tighter.
45:03My waist was flesh,
45:05not iron.
45:06Silas buried his face
45:07at my shoulder
45:08and his breath
45:08came out ragged.
45:09Help me.
45:10Please.
45:11I had absolutely
45:12no idea
45:13how to help with this.
45:14All right.
45:15Okay.
45:15I'll help.
45:16Just let go of me first.
45:18Silas loosened his hold
45:19by a fraction.
45:20The next second
45:21I spun for the door.
45:22My fingers were
45:23almost on the handle
45:24when a serpent tail
45:25coiled around my waist
45:26and reeled me back.
45:28I turned.
45:29The slit pupils
45:30had bled fully through
45:31and faint scales
45:32had begun appearing
45:33along his cheekbones.
45:35Full shift starting.
45:36That was a
45:37catastrophically bad sign.
45:40Help me.
45:41The vertical pupils
45:42went deep and still.
45:43You promised.
45:45Okay.
45:46Okay.
45:46Okay.
45:47I'll help.
45:48In my last life,
45:49Kale had gone through heat
45:50and made it very clear
45:52he wanted nothing from me.
45:53He was saving himself
45:54for Serafina.
45:55So this particular experience
45:57was new territory.
45:58My hand,
45:59trapped in Silas' grip,
46:01had lost all sensation.
46:03By the time we made it
46:05back to the estate,
46:06night had fallen.
46:07I felt deeply
46:09and specifically guilty
46:10about several things.
46:11Father was in the main hall,
46:14waiting.
46:15I walked in,
46:17dropped to my knees
46:18on reflex,
46:19and grabbed Silas
46:20down with me.
46:21His voice shook the walls.
46:24Elara,
46:27have I been too lenient with you?
46:29Is that why you act
46:30like there are no rules?
46:32If you wanted Lyra
46:33to treat Silas,
46:34you could have come to me.
46:36Instead,
46:37you took her
46:37without permission.
46:39Did it ever occur to you
46:41what would happen
46:42if Lucian collapsed
46:43while she was gone?
46:45If that had ended badly,
46:46how would I face
46:48the Vos bloodline?
46:49Father's chest heaved
46:51with every word.
46:52I bent my head lower.
46:54I was wrong,
46:55Father.
46:56Please don't stress
46:57yourself over it.
47:02If your brother were here,
47:04I wouldn't have to
47:05be more like your sister.
47:07She's composed,
47:08well-mannered,
47:09and makes no trouble.
47:10I kept my head down
47:12and let the rest of it
47:13wash over me.
47:15Then Silas tapped
47:16my hand twice.
47:18I looked up.
47:20Serafina was coming
47:21in from outside,
47:22with Kale behind her,
47:24looking considerably less
47:25like something
47:26dragged through gutters.
47:27So,
47:28Kale had made his move.
47:30I couldn't stop
47:31one corner of my mouth.
47:32You think this is funny?
47:35I flattened
47:36my expression instantly.
47:41No, Father.
47:42Serafina came to Father's side
47:43and made all the right
47:44soothing gestures.
47:45Alara,
47:46what did you do this time
47:47to upset him this badly?
47:50So,
47:50Father ran through
47:51all of it again
47:52from the beginning.
47:54Thanks for that,
47:55Serafina.
47:55In the retelling,
47:56she managed to look concerned
47:57while adding fuel
47:58to every sentence.
47:59The verdict,
48:00one month's house confinement.
48:02When you're done,
48:02go back to your room.
48:03Don't leave without permission.
48:04Yes, Father.
48:05Alara!
48:05When Father finally released me
48:07and I turned to go,
48:09Serafina said,
48:14I looked back.
48:16Silas was nearly
48:17the same height as me now.
48:19His features sharpened
48:21and settled
48:21into something older.
48:23The boyishness
48:24almost entirely gone.
48:26Yesterday,
48:27he had still looked
48:28like a boy of 12.
48:29But that whole development
48:30was connected
48:31to the heat cycle.
48:32And I was not going
48:34to explain the heat cycle
48:35to anyone in this room.
48:44I turned and walked,
48:46quickly,
48:47back to my room.
48:48Naturally,
48:48I did not miss
48:49the flash of jealous hatred
48:51in Serafina's eyes
48:52as I left.
48:53Back in my room,
49:00I crooked a finger
49:01at Silas.
49:02More?
49:03The look on his face
49:04was entirely too knowing.
49:06Silas!
49:07He laughed then,
49:09easy,
49:09unbothered.
49:10What does mistress require?
49:14I took a breath,
49:16steadied myself.
49:17All of this was exactly
49:19what you planned,
49:20wasn't it?
49:21The body that looked
49:23like a boy's
49:23had hidden a mind
49:24that had never been
49:25a boy's at all.
49:27Which meant from the beginning,
49:28I had been played.
49:31No.
49:33You choosing me,
49:34that was the thing
49:35I didn't plan for.
49:41He looked at me
49:42and his eyes
49:43were level
49:44and serious.
49:46So everything else
49:47he had,
49:48I can't even be surprised.
49:50The beast man
49:50who dismantled
49:51the black market
49:52and negotiated
49:53equal rights
49:54for his entire species,
49:55of course he was always
49:56three moves ahead.
49:58I was gnashing my teeth.
49:59Silas smiled,
50:00just slightly.
50:01You came out ahead,
50:02didn't you,
50:03mistress?
50:04He drew that last word
50:05out deliberately.
50:06I turned away.
50:08Please leave my room.
50:10I could take the loss,
50:11but I wasn't staying
50:12in the same space
50:13as his satisfaction.
50:15The month of confinement
50:16passed.
50:17I had the bodyguard
50:18route the payment card
50:19to Mira with a note.
50:20She would know
50:20what to do with it.
50:21During that time,
50:22I searched every channel
50:24I could find
50:24for news of Lyra
50:25and found nothing,
50:27every thread dead.
50:28The silence worried me.
50:30Meanwhile,
50:30Silas had grown
50:31at a pace
50:32that defied
50:32any reasonable measurement.
50:34Two days gone
50:35and he was
50:36noticeably taller.
50:37The ease of a predator
50:38settling into his posture
50:40with every passing hour.
50:41Father approved
50:42of the development
50:43in ways that
50:44visibly extended to me.
50:45Since Serafina
50:46had brought Kale
50:47into the house,
50:48Kale had been
50:48reporting to me daily.
50:50Small details,
50:51careful observations,
50:52while his fox allure
50:53went to work
50:54on Serafina.
50:55Drop by patient drop.
50:57Everything I had suffered
50:58in my last life,
50:59I was going to make her
51:01feel every inch of.
51:03Serafina had been
51:03resistant at first,
51:05but with Raven diminished
51:06after his confrontation
51:07with Silas
51:08and with my own
51:09quiet efforts
51:10pulling her reputation
51:11apart from the seams,
51:12her composure
51:13was starting to fracture.
51:14She was getting volatile,
51:16reaching for Kale's attention
51:17at any hour,
51:18storming when she didn't get it.
51:20Kale was doing to her
51:21exactly what he had done to me
51:23and she was falling,
51:25piece by piece.
51:26The ugly incidents mounted,
51:27scenes in public,
51:28a shouting match
51:29that had left witnesses unsettled,
51:31a round of self-pity
51:32so deep
51:33it had shaded
51:34into something worse.
51:35The worst incident?
51:36She had nearly used
51:38a blade on her own wrist.
51:39A servant had caught her
51:41in time
51:41and run for father.
51:42Father arrived home
51:43from the office
51:44to find her
51:45and the fury
51:46on his face
51:47was something
51:47I had never seen before.
51:49He slapped her,
51:50once,
51:51open-handed.
51:55For a beastman,
51:57have you lost your mind?
52:00Isn't this exactly
52:01what you wanted, father?
52:03You were the one
52:04who said we had to bond
52:05with beastmen.
52:06One mate,
52:08one life,
52:08no betrayal.
52:09So why is it wrong now?
52:12Father's fury and grief
52:13fought each other visibly.
52:15Wake up!
52:19Serafina surfaced
52:20for a moment,
52:21blinking.
52:22Father pressed his fingers
52:24hard into his temple.
52:26I know you've resented me
52:27for a long time.
52:29You think I failed you.
52:31That I shouldn't have remarried.
52:33That Alada and her brother
52:34took something from you.
52:35That the bloodline's legacy
52:37belongs to you alone.
52:38But Serafina,
52:39have I ever actually
52:40neglected you?
52:41He looked at her
52:42and something wet
52:43moved through his eyes.
52:45You're older than Alira
52:46by a few years.
52:47You know as well as I do
52:47why this bloodline
52:48requires us to choose
52:49a beastman companion at 18.
52:50It isn't cruelty.
52:51It is what gives us
52:52the right to lead.
52:53I spoke up from the side,
52:54genuinely confused.
52:56What does that mean?
52:57Father looked at me
52:59and let out a long,
53:00slow breath.
53:01It's the old law.
53:03The founding rule.
53:05To inherit and hold
53:06the family's work
53:07you must must be
53:07in true accord
53:08with the beastman.
53:10Serafina,
53:11you've always known
53:13the bloodline standard.
53:14Leadership goes
53:15to the most capable,
53:16regardless of birth order
53:17or gender.
53:18Three years ago
53:19was when you should
53:20have begun.
53:21Chosen your beastman,
53:23prepared yourself,
53:24entered the business
53:25with intent.
53:26Instead,
53:27you waited
53:27and while you were waiting
53:29you were building a trap.
53:33Don't dress it up,
53:35Father.
53:36Answer me honestly.
53:37Did you treat us
53:38the same?
53:39Ever?
53:40I was born with no mother.
53:42You were busy.
53:43You gave me to the nurses.
53:45You gave me everything
53:46material I asked for,
53:47yes.
53:48But how many hours
53:49did you spend with me?
53:51How many times
53:52did you hold me
53:53or come to quiet me
53:54when I was scared?
53:56After you remarried,
53:58you held Elira.
53:59You came when Elira cried.
54:01You gave her the pair
54:02because she wanted the pair.
54:03You gave me
54:04what you thought
54:05I should want,
54:06not what I asked for.
54:09Every one of those
54:10small things
54:11you thought didn't matter,
54:12they were scars,
54:13Father.
54:14Every single one.
54:15This bowl
54:16was never level.
54:17You just couldn't see it.
54:18Serafina,
54:21I'm sorry.
54:22You were right
54:23to feel it.
54:24I failed you.
54:26Sorry doesn't fix it!
54:28I want Elira dead!
54:30I want all of them dead!
54:34She lunged for me,
54:36hands in my collar,
54:37and her face
54:38had gone somewhere
54:39I hadn't seen it go before.
54:41Alada,
54:42I had a dream.
54:43I dreamed you died.
54:46The fully shifted raven
54:48bit you
54:48right through the throat.
54:50You were dead!
54:53You were dead!
54:55The blood in my veins
54:56turned to ice water
54:57and stopped.
54:58It wasn't a dream,
54:59it happened.
55:00Father couldn't watch anymore.
55:01He had her removed
55:03and confined to her rooms.
55:06When Kyle came to me later,
55:08pleased with himself,
55:09I took him directly
55:10to Serafina's door.
55:12In the cellar
55:13of the Talia estate,
55:15I had made him
55:15a single offer,
55:17his freedom
55:17in exchange
55:18for his obedience.
55:20Seduce Serafina
55:21and do it
55:22until she broke.
55:23He'd agreed
55:23and she had broken.
55:25So now,
55:26it was his turn.
55:28Through the door,
55:28Serafina's voice
55:30rose and fell,
55:31cresting and breaking.
55:32Kale!
55:33Why aren't you answering me?
55:35Don't you love me anymore?
55:36You said I was the one person
55:38who mattered most to you.
55:40You said you'd never leave.
55:43You said you'd give me
55:44anything I wanted.
55:45Serafina,
55:46you've gone insane!
55:47Alara,
55:48open this door!
55:49Open it!
55:50I stood still
55:51and listened to what was happening
55:52on the other side,
55:53the frantic banging,
55:55and then gradually,
55:56silence.
55:57I went to father's room
55:58instead.
56:00I've sent for your brother.
56:01I should never have
56:02sent him away.
56:04Little Alara,
56:06everything she said
56:07it was true?
56:08Or you wouldn't have
56:09done what you did.
56:10That's on me.
56:11It's all on me.
56:12Father didn't punish me.
56:14He showed me
56:14the Bloodline's
56:15founding records.
56:17And without exception,
56:17every paired name
56:19on the page
56:19was a human
56:20and a beastman.
56:21Long ago,
56:23the family's
56:24founding grandmother
56:25had a beastman
56:26against all opposition,
56:28and the world
56:28had denied them both.
56:30A disaster came,
56:32and the beastman
56:33gave his life
56:34to save her.
56:34Out of grief
56:35and out of conviction,
56:36she had used
56:37her authority
56:38to set the law
56:39that had governed
56:39every generation since.
56:41So that one day,
56:42humans and beastmen
56:44might live in peace.
56:45When I came out
56:45of father's study,
56:46Silas was in the hallway,
56:48leaning against the wall.
56:49All of it handled?
56:50I nodded.
56:51He had been busy
56:53this past month.
56:54I'd barely seen him,
56:55and I was starting
56:56to recognize,
56:57in the way he moved
56:58and held a room,
56:59the shape of who
56:59he was going to become.
57:01Father had warmed to him
57:02in ways he hadn't
57:03bothered to hide.
57:04Since Kale had moved
57:05into the house
57:06as Serafina's beastman,
57:08he'd been reporting
57:08to me faithfully,
57:10while in the background,
57:11Serafina's image
57:12had been quietly
57:13and methodically demolished.
57:14She had done to herself
57:16everything Kale
57:17once did to me.
57:18Then father had stepped in.
57:19My brother came home,
57:21took over the business
57:22under father's guidance,
57:23and the household
57:24found its footing again.
57:25As for Silas,
57:26the heat cycles
57:27kept coming back,
57:28more and more frequently
57:29as it happened.
57:30Every deep night,
57:32a cold serpent tail
57:33would find its way
57:34around my ankle.
57:35Silas.
57:35Hmm?
57:38I have a knife.
57:39The tail withdrew.
57:40As I thought,
57:41he had been exaggerating
57:42all along.
57:43Silas,
57:44explain yourself.
57:46He leaned in
57:47and grazed his lips
57:48against the shell
57:49of my ear.
57:49Is it really so hard
57:50to understand?
57:51I turned on him.
57:53Plain words.
57:54He was quiet
57:55for a long moment.
57:56In my last life,
57:58you buried me.
57:59I jolted upright.
58:01You...
58:02you also...
58:04Silas sat up,
58:05unhurried.
58:06After that,
58:07my spirit wouldn't leave.
58:08I stayed.
58:10And I watched you
58:11grieve for Kale,
58:11suffer for Kale,
58:12and finally die for nothing.
58:13And then,
58:14with you,
58:16I came back.
58:18Remarkable.
58:19And then he spoke again.
58:20Alara,
58:22do you remember
58:23the bloodline's
58:23founding law?
58:26What?
58:27He smiled,
58:28and the look in his eyes
58:29held something
58:30that had been there
58:31for a long time.
58:32Choose a beastman to raise.
58:34Bond with them for life.
58:36No betrayal.
58:38No abandonment.
58:40His voice dropped low.
58:42You chose me.
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