- 16 hours ago
His SilverCoin Bride - FULL EPISODE
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Short filmTranscript
00:00My wounds seeped.
00:02I was burning with fever when they tossed me onto a cart.
00:05This slave is done for.
00:07Royal court rot.
00:10Eighteen years of my life flashed by.
00:13Sold to the Lycan court at eight.
00:15The queen's slave.
00:17I learned to cook.
00:19Stupid enough to think I might earn my freedom.
00:22Then the queen gave me to Prince Rylan as a bed warmer.
00:25Plain and safe, she said.
00:31His mate had me beaten for looking at her.
00:33Sell her far away.
00:37Still, I knelt and thanked her like the good slave I was.
00:44They took all my coins.
00:49I almost died.
00:51But I was eighteen and had never lived for myself.
00:56So when I heard footsteps, I reached out.
01:00Help me.
01:02Hey kid, you want her?
01:03A slave?
01:05Barely alive, but she can still work.
01:07You won't lose out.
01:09I don't have any money.
01:11No money?
01:12Then get lost.
01:13I held onto his pant leg with everything I had.
01:16It would have been so easy for him to shake me off.
01:18I felt him hesitate.
01:20Struggle with himself.
01:22How much?
01:23Two silver coins.
01:26That's too much.
01:27I can't afford that.
01:28They haggled back and forth.
01:30In the end, the price was one silver coin.
01:33And that coin, the wolf buying me had to borrow it from his alpha.
01:37You're buying a half-dead slave?
01:40Cole, I don't know what to say.
01:42That's more than a year's wages.
01:44You're going to throw it all away on a female who might not even live.
01:48Alpha, I know what I'm doing.
01:52One silver coin.
01:54Cole bought me.
01:57Then he carried me on his back to Doc Simmons and begged him to treat me.
02:03She's in bad shape, and you waited too long to bring her in.
02:06Listen, Cole, if you want a mate, I can find you one.
02:09Saving her is throwing good money after bad.
02:11Doc, please treat her.
02:12Whether she makes it or not, I'll accept it.
02:14Doc Simmons had a soft heart.
02:16He saved me.
02:17When I woke up, every part of me hurt.
02:20Someone pushed the door open and saw I was awake.
02:22He smiled.
02:23You're up.
02:23Are you thirsty?
02:24Do you want some water?
02:25I made a small sound.
02:26He spooned water into my mouth, clumsy and nervous, spilling half of it down my neck.
02:30Clearly, he'd never taken care of anyone before.
02:35Sorry.
02:36I think he blushed.
02:38It was hard to tell.
02:39His face was so sunburned from patrolling the territory border that it was almost black.
02:44He couldn't look at me.
02:46Kept his eyes somewhere else.
02:48Doc says if you woke up, you'll live.
02:49Don't worry.
02:50I can make enough to take care of you.
02:51Take care of me?
02:52He made 28 copper coins a month.
02:54He'd already borrowed a whole silver coin and run up a debt for medicine.
02:57Adding another mouth to feed wouldn't just stretch him thin.
03:00It might break him.
03:01So I held on.
03:02But refusing him would be ungrateful.
03:06Certain death.
03:10I learned his name was Cole, 21, not mated.
03:15He worked as a laborer at Silver Creek Territory.
03:1928 copper coins a month.
03:20Room and board included.
03:22Four sets of clothes a year.
03:24Before he bought me, he sent every coin he earned back to his birth pack.
03:29Now he'd borrowed a silver coin and gone into debt for medicine.
03:33Two years of work.
03:34Gone.
03:35Gone.
03:36And that was before we added the cost of feeding me.
03:39His mother had already come to Silver Creek to find him.
03:43Why have you not sent money home?
03:45Demanded to know why he hadn't sent money home.
03:47When she found out he'd spent two years' wages to save me, she slapped him across the
03:51face.
03:52Called him an omega-loving fool.
03:55Cole didn't tell me any of this himself.
03:57He was too ashamed to even let me see his swollen face.
04:00It was Molly, Doc Simmons' daughter, who told me.
04:04She was the one taking care of me.
04:06Cole's face is all puffed up.
04:08Looks terrifying.
04:10Even so, he never reduced my meals.
04:13And the medicine kept coming.
04:15He even brought me two sets of old clothes to wear.
04:21He'd done more for me than anyone ever had.
04:25He didn't talk about it, so I didn't ask.
04:30Once I got better, I'd find a way to repay him.
04:34Miss, you never told me your name.
04:38Ten-year-old Molly had the innocent sweetness of a pup who'd never known hardship.
04:42Moonlight deep, floating clouds like dreams.
04:48That was what I wanted.
04:49A new name.
04:50A new life.
04:50I told her.
04:54My name is Faye.
04:56I told her.
04:57My birth pack's name died at the Lycan court.
05:00I never went back.
05:01They sold me at eight.
05:03Not my sister.
05:03Not my brother.
05:04Me.
05:05They took the silver.
05:06That was it.
05:06So I stayed away.
05:07The next time Cole came, he brought me a basket of wild blackberries.
05:12Dark and ripe and glistening.
05:15I went with the border patrol and picked these.
05:18The Luna let me have this basket.
05:19I brought them for you.
05:21Cole was tall and lean.
05:23Big eyes.
05:23Dark brows.
05:25His face was so sunburned from working outside that it was almost black.
05:29He still had some swelling from his mother's slaps.
05:31He couldn't look at me.
05:33His ears were bright red.
05:34Have you tasted them?
05:37I don't really like sweet things.
05:39I didn't call him out on the lie.
05:43I put a blackberry in my mouth.
05:48Sweet and tart, the juice bursting on my tongue.
05:50Seven.
05:52This whole basket was for me.
05:55No one to fight over it with.
05:58No one to take it away.
06:00Good.
06:02I smiled at him.
06:03Picked up one and held it to his mouth.
06:06Try it.
06:08I pushed it between his lips.
06:12Good.
06:13Cole nodded quickly.
06:15His ears turned a deeper shade of red.
06:17His eyes darted everywhere but at me.
06:19I'd seen so much scheming.
06:23I'd seen so much scheming.
06:25So much betrayal.
06:26In that court where no wolf's life mattered, everyone wore a mask.
06:31True hearts were the hardest thing to find.
06:33When I tried to feed him a second one, he backed away on guard.
06:37He pulled two silver coins from his pocket and handed them to me.
06:40The Luna gave them to me.
06:43The Luna gave them to me.
06:43For me?
06:45Cole nodded.
06:47You're...
06:48You're my...
06:51He couldn't get the words out.
06:54The mate you bought?
06:59Then he snuck a glance at me to see if I was angry or rejecting him.
07:05I should say yes.
07:07I said slowly.
07:08But...
07:09Do you know what I've been through?
07:10What I am?
07:13Cole, thank you for saving me.
07:16I'll repay you however I can.
07:18If you want me to be your mate, I'm willing.
07:20But you need to be sure you know what you're getting into.
07:22What kind of wolf I am, I stopped.
07:25Anymore and it would sound like I was pushing him away.
07:27I'm not trying to make you say no, I said.
07:29I just want you to understand who you'd be spending your life with.
07:32Cole didn't answer.
07:33He just looked at me.
07:35I sighed.
07:37I was Prince Rieland's bed slave.
07:39That's what I am.
07:41I said.
07:42I waited for the disgust, the rejection.
07:45The way every wolf looked at me when they knew.
07:47I don't care about any of that.
07:49Cole's voice was urgent, desperate to explain.
07:51If you don't want to, I'll accept that.
07:52Just get better.
07:54Rest.
07:55I'll come see you in a few days.
07:56Then he left.
07:57Two silver coins on the table, a basket of wild blackberries.
08:00I'd wounded him with my caution.
08:02I shared some blackberries with Molly.
08:05Her eyes lit up.
08:07Faye!
08:07These are so expensive!
08:09We could never afford them!
08:12Cole is so good to you!
08:14Really?
08:15Molly nodded enthusiastically.
08:17She sucked the juice from each berry carefully, not wanting to waste a single drop.
08:20She even tried to swallow the seeds.
08:22I told her to keep the seeds, rinse them, and put them out to dry in the sun.
08:25You're going to plant blackberries?
08:27I don't know if they'll grow, but if they do, we'll have blackberries every year.
08:32That would be amazing!
08:33A pup's joy was simple.
08:35She didn't realize that if the seeds grew, I could sell the seedlings, get more land,
08:39plant more blackberries.
08:41But that was for another day.
08:42For now, I needed to heal.
08:44I didn't want permanent damage.
08:46Cole didn't visit me after that day.
08:47But he sent two meals, once with slow-cooked pork, tender and rich, once with a roasted
08:51chicken leg.
08:52I split both meals with Molly.
08:54She kept talking about how kind Cole was.
08:56I stayed at the Healers for more than three weeks, then another two.
08:59Finally, Doc Simmons said I was well enough to leave.
09:02Staying longer would just burn through money I didn't have.
09:04I said goodbye to Doc and Molly, and went to find Cole carrying a small bag of belongings.
09:09I had nowhere else to go.
09:11No pack mark.
09:12Nothing but two copper coins in my pocket.
09:14I couldn't even afford a place to sleep.
09:17I thought about finding work in a kitchen somewhere, but I needed credentials.
09:21A way to make myself legitimate in a poor, backwater place like Silver Creek.
09:25My luck was bad.
09:27Cole wasn't at the pack house.
09:28They said he was out on a job.
09:30Do you work here?
09:32The gatekeeper said something to the steward, then told me to wait by the side gate.
09:38Eventually, an older wolf came and looked me up and down.
09:43You're the slave Cole bought for a silver doyne?
09:47I dropped my eyes and said yes.
09:50Follow me.
09:53She put me in a room and told me to wait.
09:58Wolves peeked in at me and laughed.
10:00She's not bad looking.
10:02They said.
10:03Cole got his money's worth.
10:05At noon, the woman brought me a bowl of beans and rice with pickled vegetables and collard greens.
10:13Eat.
10:17I'm just the one carrying the bowl.
10:18Cole will be back this afternoon.
10:20What are you going to do?
10:20I was quiet.
10:21What was I going to do?
10:22I needed a place to stay.
10:24I knew how to cook, but I couldn't sell my recipes yet.
10:27No one here had the right ingredients.
10:28I had to be careful.
10:29I couldn't risk anyone finding out who I really was.
10:32I know some kitchen work.
10:33And I can bake.
10:35Do you think the luna would take a look?
10:36The alpha of Silver Creek was Mr. Delaney.
10:39His mate was Madam Delaney, the luna of the pack.
10:41Molly had told me all this.
10:43The older wolf looked at me carefully.
10:45You used to work in a big house?
10:48Yes.
10:49I was a slave in the Lyman court.
10:51She didn't ask anything more.
10:53We both knew how it worked.
10:55Alphas didn't need reasons to punish slaves.
10:57If you want to stay here, you'll have to sign a slave contract.
11:01No, I wouldn't.
11:02I'd just escape from one master.
11:03I wasn't jumping into another cage.
11:05Is Cole a slave?
11:06He's a laborer.
11:07No slave contract.
11:08Then I could do the same.
11:09Work for two years as a free wolf.
11:11Save up.
11:11Open a cart somewhere outside the territory.
11:13I was getting ahead of myself.
11:14One step at a time.
11:15Lucky for me, Luna Delaney was hosting a party in two days.
11:19Her usual kitchen wolves had run out of ideas.
11:22When the older wolf mentioned that I could bake, the luna told me to go to the kitchen and show
11:26them what I could do.
11:27If my pastries were good, they'd keep me.
11:29The pay would come later.
11:30But the tips, the luna's bonuses, they were the real prize.
11:34In service, everyone knew your salary was fixed.
11:37But the luna's generosity wasn't.
11:39A few coins dropped from her fingers could make a servant's whole moon cycle.
11:42I asked what pastries they had already tried, then made my decision.
11:46I made moonberry jelly and honey oat cakes.
11:49The jelly needed to be translucent.
11:51Cornstarch was the key.
11:52The berry pulp had to be filtered and settled multiple times.
11:55The starch at the bottom of the bucket, that was the secret.
11:58To keep it pure, I had to wash the sediment over and over again.
12:01I didn't try to hide the process.
12:03The older wolf was so happy she sent her daughter to assist me.
12:10By the time Cole came back from his errand, my pastries weren't finished.
12:14He rushed over, opened his mouth, closed it.
12:17Cole.
12:17Yes?
12:18I'm making pastries.
12:19If the luna likes them, I can stay.
12:22Good.
12:23Back in the kitchen, the pack house kitchen, there were several cooks, both male and female
12:28wolves all quietly sabotaging each other.
12:30If not for the older wolf and her daughter, I wouldn't have gotten the moonberry jelly and
12:34honey oat cakes out in one piece.
12:37When the oven opened, the scent filled the room.
12:41Something smells good.
12:42She tried a spoonful of the jelly.
12:44Then she smiled.
12:46Come with me.
12:46Don't look around too much when we enter the luna's chambers.
12:49Yes, ma'am.
12:50I'd seen the greatest wealth in the world.
12:51I knew what it cost.
12:53In the luna's chambers, Ivy presented the pastries.
12:56Luna Delaney was skeptical.
12:57She laughed and teased her maid for exaggerating.
13:00You're making these sound like the most wonderful thing in the world.
13:03Let me taste one.
13:04She took a bite.
13:05Then she paused.
13:06She ate two more.
13:07I had met the Lion King himself, a wolf who could order executions with a smiley and didn't
13:10frighten me.
13:11Besides these pastries, what else can you cook?
13:13Some things, ma'am.
13:14Do you know how to make hunter's stew?
13:16I smiled.
13:16Did I know?
13:17Of course I knew.
13:18Should I show off?
13:19Be a simple cook or aim higher?
13:21I thought for a moment.
13:22Then I said,
13:23Yes.
13:24The luna sat up.
13:25Her gaze sharpened.
13:26I heard Cole bought you for a silver coin.
13:28Yes, ma'am.
13:29They say a good mate follows her mail.
13:31Cole is a laborer here and you're his mate.
13:33I won't force a slave contract on you.
13:35You'll work in my private kitchen.
13:36The pay?
13:37Let's make it 30 copperboins a month.
13:39If you do well, there will be bonuses.
13:41You and Cole should share a den.
13:43Are there any empty servants' quarters?
13:45There's a small house with three rooms empty.
13:47Give it to them.
13:48Take things from the storeroom to set them up.
13:50Consider it a wedding gift from me.
13:52Yes, ma'am.
13:53Thank you for your generosities, ma'am.
13:55I'm Faye.
13:56Faye?
13:57Luna Delaney repeated the name.
13:59That's a pretty name.
14:00Come back tomorrow to start.
14:02Is your health strong enough?
14:03Yes, ma'am.
14:04Good.
14:05I'll assign assistance for you.
14:07Thank you, ma'am.
14:08The luna gave me a contract to sign.
14:09She noticed me reading it.
14:10She noticed me reading it.
14:12You can read?
14:13A little.
14:15Not many wolves can read these days.
14:18Cole found a little treasure.
14:20I wasn't sure about that, but I could tell Luna Delaney was no fool.
14:23The contract said I was employed not by the pack, but by her personally, and only for one year.
14:29If I caused any trouble, she could get rid of me at any time.
14:32That was fine.
14:33A year was enough to save some coins and finish healing.
14:37Cole was waiting for me at the gate.
14:39What did the luna say?
14:41She's keeping me.
14:42Thirty copper doins a month.
14:44Plus room and board, four sets of clothes a year.
14:47That's wonderful.
14:48When we found out we were getting a whole house, he was ecstatic.
14:51He was ecstatic.
14:52The older wolf walked us to our new den.
14:54She opened the door to the courtyard.
14:56My name is Martha.
14:58Everyone calls me Martha.
14:59Three rooms.
15:00Plenty of space for two now and for pups later.
15:02There's a kitchen over there.
15:03You can cook your own meals if you want.
15:04Cole was grinning like an idiot.
15:06Faye, I brought you into this pack.
15:08I know talent when I see it.
15:09When the luna asks you to pick your assistance, pick my daughter.
15:13Martha slipped a pouch into my hand.
15:15This is for you.
15:15I tried to refuse, but she insisted.
15:17We barely know each other.
15:20Then we'll get to know each other.
15:22If the luna has other ideas, I won't blame you.
15:24Cole went to Fetchwater to clean the house.
15:26He's a good wolf.
15:27That's what we she-wolves need.
15:29A male who cares.
15:30Seven.
15:30The rogue who saved the slave.
15:32I'd remember that.
15:33Ivy brought me things.
15:34Mats.
15:35Pillows.
15:35Dishes.
15:36A mirror.
15:36A comb.
15:37Soap.
15:37Summer clothes.
15:38Even undergarmels.
15:40She asked for my shoe size and said she'd send a girl to bring some.
15:43Whatever you need beyond this, you'll have to provide yourselves.
15:47It's more than enough.
15:48The luna will let you pick your assistance.
15:51My sister is one of them.
15:52She'll be wearing a pink flower.
15:54Choose her.
15:54I'll make it worth your while.
15:56She gave me a pouch of silver coins.
15:59Later, I opened both pouches.
16:01Martha's and Ivy's.
16:03Each held two silver coins.
16:05Four silver coins before I'd even started.
16:08Where did all these come from?
16:11Martha and Ivy.
16:13He didn't understand why.
16:15Put it away.
16:17I'm going to clean.
16:18He was being careful around me.
16:20Trying to make me comfortable.
16:22Trying to make me comfortable.
16:24He was so nervous he nearly tripped over the door frame.
16:27I set up the bed and put the two pillows side by side.
16:31A young wolf brought me shoes.
16:36I gave her three copper coins.
16:38She was so happy, she couldn't stop smiling.
16:42Thirty copper panes a month, more than Cole made.
16:45Why?
16:47Because my cooking was that good?
16:50Or something else?
16:53I didn't know.
16:55I'd figure it out later.
16:56I lay down on the bed with my clothes still on.
16:59When Cole came in, I pretended to be asleep.
17:01He stood in the doorway for a moment.
17:03Then moved his things into the other room.
17:06The den was simple.
17:07A main room with two bed chambers on either side.
17:10The kitchen had basic pots and pans, but nothing else.
17:13Cole cleaned the kitchen.
17:14Then went back and forth from the well, filling the water barrel.
17:18Then I smelled food.
17:19He'd brought dinner.
17:21Oat porridge, smoked bacon, wilted greens, plus a chunk of mutton.
17:26Plus a chunk of mustn.
17:27The Alpha ordered extra for the packed kitchen today.
17:31You take it.
17:34Eat your own meat.
17:35I don't want it.
17:37I tried to give it back.
17:38He backed away.
17:39After today, I'll mostly be eating with the Luna.
17:42I know, but I want you to have it anyway.
17:44I didn't know what to say.
17:46We ate in silence.
17:47The meat ended up in my stomach.
17:48I split the rice with him.
17:52After the meal, Cole went out again and came back with two wooden tubs in a chamber pot.
17:56Small one for washing your face, larger one for your feet.
17:59I'll heat water for you.
18:01He kept moving, too busy to let me talk.
18:04After I washed up, he took away the water.
18:06Cole, let's talk.
18:09He sat down.
18:10I was sold to the Lycan court as a pup.
18:15I was a bad servant.
18:17I didn't choose it.
18:19I was ordered.
18:21I had no choice.
18:22They beat me almost to death and sold me.
18:25Not because I did anything wrong.
18:27Because the royals were fighting each other, and I was in the way.
18:30You saved me.
18:32I owe you everything.
18:34I hesitated.
18:35If you want me to be your mate, I'm willing.
18:38I can't have pups right away.
18:40My body isn't ready.
18:43That's my past.
18:45If you can accept it, I'll spend the rest of my life with you.
18:48Of my own free will.
18:49Not because I have to.
18:51Because I want to.
18:52Cole nodded firmly.
18:53Then it's settled.
18:54A lifetime.
18:56Yes.
18:57A lifetime.
18:59Cole didn't push to share the den with me.
19:01He wanted to introduce me to his birth pack first.
19:03Have a proper ceremony.
19:04He couldn't afford a big mating ceremony, but he wanted to give me something.
19:08He told me he'd split his future wages into three parts.
19:11One for his birth pack, two for me.
19:12My own wages would be mine.
19:14Will your pack agree?
19:15He went quiet.
19:16He understood.
19:17They'd never loved him.
19:18They'd already beaten him for spending money on me.
19:20They'd just lost two years of his income.
19:22Did he really think they'd agree to give up more?
19:26I'll try.
19:28If they won't, I'll save up.
19:30I don't care about ceremony.
19:32I was practical.
19:33A mating ceremony wouldn't put food on the table.
19:36I wanted a pack mark.
19:38Freedom.
19:39A chance to own land.
19:40Cole didn't understand that.
19:42He was a male.
19:43He'd never had his freedom taken away.
19:45Sleep.
19:46Big day tomorrow.
19:48I lay down.
19:49I was so tired.
19:53In the morning, Cole already had hot water ready.
19:56He'd brought breakfast, biscuits, and collard green stew.
19:59Not great, but filling.
20:02When we have more money, we'll make our own breakfast.
20:04Whatever you want.
20:05We get an allowance if we cook at home?
20:07One copper coin per wolf per day.
20:09Some wolves get eight or nine.
20:11It adds up.
20:12I thought about it.
20:13My birth pack had sold me for a few silver coins.
20:15Eight copper coins a day was a lot.
20:17Okay.
20:18I'll help.
20:19You won't be doing it alone.
20:20I looked at him.
20:22I'm not good enough for you.
20:23I'm not good enough for you.
20:25We're both wolves.
20:28Let's not talk about who's good enough for who.
20:31After breakfast, Cole went to work.
20:33I gave him ten copper coins and a little pouch.
20:36I don't need money.
20:37He said, backing away.
20:38Take it.
20:40It's hot out there.
20:41Buy lemonade if you're thirsty.
20:42One copper coin gets you two cups.
20:44Buy a meat pie if you're hungry.
20:46That's two or three copper coins.
20:47Be smart.
20:48Spend a little on yourself.
20:50He hesitated.
20:50Then took the pouch with red eyes.
20:53I went to the Luna's chambers.
20:56Ivy led me to the pantry.
20:59The Luna says to pick ingredients for Hunter's stew.
21:02Start with enough for 80 to 100 portions.
21:05The guests will want it.
21:06And the pack too.
21:08If there were leftovers, Ivy and the other maids would get some.
21:10Maybe I would too.
21:12I didn't say anything.
21:14I picked out meat and dried herbs.
21:16The Luna knows you're recovering.
21:18She doesn't expect you to do everything yourself.
21:21Just show the younger wolves how.
21:23Rest up for the party.
21:26I understood.
21:27This was a test.
21:28And a chance to steal my recipes.
21:31But recipes weren't magic.
21:33The same ingredients in different hands made different food.
21:36I went to the kitchen.
21:38Martha's daughter June helped me.
21:40Ivy's sister Lily was there too.
21:41And another she-wolf I picked, Hattie.
21:43They all called me Miss.
21:45The head cook of the small kitchen was Margaret.
21:48Maggie for short.
21:50She was friendly.
21:52But I stayed cautious.
21:54Show me the Hunter's stew.
21:55You're a hired wolf.
21:57You can move on if things don't work out.
21:59I'm bound to this pack by blood contract.
22:01I need to stay useful.
22:02She pressed a silver coin into my hands.
22:05I took the money.
22:06I wasn't proud.
22:07I needed every coin.
22:08We prepared the meat, venison, beef, game.
22:12We salted and seasoned it.
22:14Then stored it in the cellar to cure.
22:18Maggie let me taste her cooking.
22:20I didn't know what to say.
22:21It wasn't awful.
22:23But it wasn't good either.
22:25No wonder she needed help.
22:27She probed me about my past.
22:28I come from the most important place in the world.
22:31I didn't say it was the lion court.
22:33She could guess.
22:34If she asked outright, I wouldn't answer.
22:37Let her wonder.
22:38Let her imagine connections I didn't have.
22:40Better to be feared and respected than to be nothing.
22:43That night, Cole saw the good biscuits and meat on my plate and was amazed.
22:47The Luna must be so kind.
22:50Yes, she is.
22:53I wasn't going to bite the hand that fed me.
22:55Cole was happy for me.
22:56He talked about how the party would be important.
22:59I let him talk.
23:00I didn't argue.
23:02When I came out of the bath, he'd already washed my clothes.
23:06I sat on the porch drying my hair while Cole swept and carried water.
23:10I persuaded him to use hot water for his own bath.
23:13He'd used cold water before.
23:14It was cheaper, but it wasn't better.
23:16Cold water caused sickness.
23:18He was young.
23:20He'd learn.
23:20The day of the party, I only worked on the hunter's stew and the moonberry jelly.
23:25The rest of the food was someone else's problem.
23:27Ivy came back beaming.
23:29They loved it.
23:31All of it.
23:32After the guests left, Luna Delaney called me to her.
23:36Today was good.
23:38You deserve a bonus.
23:40She handed me a tray of gifts.
23:43When are you and Cole going to have your mating ceremony?
23:46I'll give you a few days off.
23:48Every mate needs to meet her in-laws.
23:50I said I'd talk to Cole.
23:51There's no shame in having your own opinion.
23:53Don't just agree with everything he says.
23:56Yes, ma'am.
23:57I left.
23:58Hattie came running to me.
24:00We got bonuses too.
24:03One silver coin each.
24:06I opened my own pouch later.
24:08Five silver coins.
24:10The Luna was generous.
24:11I thought about leaving now that I had money.
24:14But I wasn't ready.
24:15The Alpha wanted to taste my cooking.
24:18Maggie looked sick.
24:19He's a picky eater.
24:22You'll need to do your very best.
24:24I'd heard the rumors.
24:25The Alpha had many lovers.
24:27Many pups by different females.
24:29Of course Luna Delman wanted me to cook well.
24:31It kept the Alpha coming to her.
24:33I did my best.
24:35Spicy kidney.
24:37Pickled cucumber.
24:38The Alpha says he's coming back tomorrow night.
24:40He liked it.
24:42Maggie was overjoyed.
24:43She gave me food to take home.
24:47I met Cole at the back gate.
24:49He'd bought a melon.
24:51Two for one copper coin.
24:52We ate one.
24:53I saved this one for you.
24:56It's nice to be thought of.
24:58He smiled.
25:00A few days later, Cole asked if he could visit his birth pack alone first.
25:05I agreed.
25:08He came back with bruises on his face.
25:10He didn't say anything.
25:12Two days later, he finally told me.
25:15My pack won't pay for a mating ceremony.
25:18Then we'll have a small one.
25:20Or none at all.
25:21He went home again.
25:23Came back limping.
25:24Mum slapped me last time.
25:26Dad beat me this time.
25:29He'd gone to the pack elder.
25:31I sent all my wages home for years.
25:34They promised to use them for my mating.
25:37Now they're giving me nothing.
25:38He crouched down, started crying.
25:41He was so tall, but he looked so small.
25:44Did they give you anything?
25:46No.
25:47They said if I want money, I have to leave the pack.
25:50I almost smiled.
25:51Then leave.
25:52We'll live on our own.
25:54We'll pay them what we owe them.
25:56Just enough to keep the gossips quiet.
25:59But no more.
26:01Cole looked at me.
26:02I explained it to him.
26:04How splitting the inheritance worked.
26:07How he could keep his share but leave it with his birth pack until they died.
26:11I had to explain it three times before he understood.
26:14He wasn't clever.
26:16But he was good.
26:20The Alpha had business out of town and took Cole with him.
26:24Luna Delmay gave me two days off.
26:26I went into town with Hattie.
26:27I bought cloth and thread.
26:29A galt to carry water.
26:31Dried mint.
26:32Lemon.
26:33Apple slices.
26:34Maple syrup.
26:34A small house in a bad neighborhood cost ten silver dollars.
26:38Maybe someday.
26:39Maybe.
26:40Cole came back in a wagon.
26:42He'd saved a pup from a rogue Alpha.
26:44The pup was someone important.
26:46The Alpha told the healer to do everything he could.
26:50Cole was unconscious.
26:51Bones shattered.
26:52The healer said to prepare for the worst.
26:56I went to Luna Delmoy.
26:58I need to send for his birth pack.
27:00If he's going to die, he should see them one last time.
27:03She agreed.
27:05Cole's family arrived fast.
27:07His mother.
27:08His father.
27:08His older brother and younger brother.
27:11They pretended to grieve.
27:12But all they wanted was money.
27:14If he's going to die anyway, let us take him home.
27:18Give us the compensation money.
27:20She'd put him in the ground the minute she got him there.
27:22I slapped her.
27:23Don't you dare.
27:25I pulled scissors from my sleeve.
27:28If Cole dies, I'll kill every one of you and follow him right after.
27:32She shut up.
27:34Luna Delmory came herself.
27:35She stared down Cole's mother.
27:37Faye is Cole's mate.
27:38The whole pack knows it.
27:39The union is legal.
27:40You can't force him to go anywhere.
27:42If you try, you'll face the council.
27:43The council will not hesitate to punish those who break the law.
27:46Cole's parents backed down.
27:48The Luna let them stay in the house.
27:49Let them watch over Cole that night.
27:51They went to dinner instead.
27:52They didn't care.
27:54I knew then.
27:55They wanted him dead.
27:56I stayed with him all night.
27:58Spummed him down with cool water.
28:00Fed him medicine.
28:03Cole lived.
28:05The sun came up.
28:06His fever broke.
28:08I did not fail.
28:10Cole's parents left.
28:12They cast him out of the pack.
28:15Good.
28:17Then we're free.
28:19Cole recovered slowly.
28:22One night, when I was fanning him in the stuffy room.
28:25Let's leave Silver Creek.
28:28Find somewhere else.
28:30Okay.
28:31He held my hand.
28:32We'll get pack marks.
28:34We'll be real wolves somewhere new.
28:36Yes.
28:37Faye.
28:38Yes, Cole?
28:39If you want to leave me, you can.
28:41But if you come with me, you'll never get rid of me.
28:43Then don't let go of my hand.
28:45I won't.
28:46The wolves Cole had saved, the Earl Whitfield's pack sent a reward.
28:50One hundred silver coins.
28:52Herbs, cloth, a gold bracelet.
28:54Cole handed everything to me.
28:56Keep it.
28:57We went to the Earl and thanked him.
28:59We went to the Alpha and told him we were leaving.
29:02Take everything in the house.
29:04Every stick of furniture.
29:06I'll give you a wagon.
29:08I'll send someone to get you pack marks at the courthouse.
29:10We loaded our belongings onto two wagons.
29:13Hattie came with us.
29:17We visited Doc Simmons and Molly.
29:20Molly cried when we left.
29:22Cole went back to his birth pack's land one last time.
29:28His mother tried to hit him again.
29:30He didn't give her any silver coins.
29:32We drove away.
29:34Nobody came to see us off.
29:36We'd said all our goodbyes.
29:38We were just ordinary wolves, looking for a simple life, peace, enough to eat.
29:43The world was wide.
29:44We'd find our place.
29:45We went to the cara ëłµ.
29:45Then we're looking forward to seeing...
29:45There was a couple of chapters.
29:46We'll be watching a picture.
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