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Short filmTranscript
00:00In my past life, Lyra, the lowborn daughter of a noble pack family, fell into the lake.
00:09My brother Caden pulled her out.
00:12She accused him of assaulting her in the water, demanded he take her as his mate, said she'd
00:18drag the whole thing before the Alpha King and Luna Queen and have him punished if he
00:22refused.
00:23It was the worst possible time.
00:26Caden was right in the middle of his succession process for the Northmark Alpha title.
00:29I was terrified it would derail everything, so I pushed T into it.
00:35He took her as his mate.
00:39Seven months later, she gave birth to twins.
00:42Caden endured the humiliation, raised her two sons, fought rogue wolves on the border until
00:47he came home crippled.
00:49Then she and her sons poisoned him.
00:51He bled from every wound and died in his own filth.
00:54I tried to report it.
00:55My fiancé, Dorian, looped his belt around my throat.
01:00If you report them, Lyra and my two sons die for it.
01:07I opened my eyes.
01:09I was back at the summer gathering.
01:12I saw Lyra fall into the lake.
01:15Sis!
01:16Someone's drowning!
01:17We have to go help!
01:18Don't you dare move!
01:19This was a second chance.
01:21There was no version of this life where I let him walk into that trap.
01:24Sis, why are you crying?
01:26I'm fine.
01:27Wind got to me.
01:30Sis, let go of me!
01:31Someone's life is at stake!
01:32I said, don't move!
01:35Are you serious right now?
01:37Someone's drowning!
01:39Someone will save her, just not you.
01:43I turned to the squat, pockmarked stable hand standing nearby.
01:47Bram, you want to mate or not?
01:49Bram worked the stables at Northmark Manor.
01:52He was built like a barrel, face cratered with old scars, teeth the color of old bone.
01:57Lazy as the day was long.
02:00Spent his wages at gambling dens and pleasure houses.
02:03Any other servant, I'd have thrown him out years ago.
02:05But Bram had one thing going for him.
02:08His father.
02:09Old Wreck had carried my father's body off the battlefield with his own back, out of
02:13a pile of the dead.
02:14That kind of loyalty didn't expire.
02:17So Bram, for all his uselessness, had a kind of untouchable status in the manor.
02:24Even Caden and I gave him a little room.
02:26We didn't send him on errands lightly.
02:29Today was only because our other two stable hands had fallen sick, so Bram was driving
02:33us to the summer gathering.
02:35Of course I want one, my lady.
02:41Bram, today I'm handing you an opportunity.
02:44Go pull that girl out of the water.
02:47But after you get her out, hide in the reeds.
02:50Don't let anyone see you.
02:52Wait until I call for you.
02:55I promise by the end of today, you'll have yourself a highborn mate for free.
03:00Whatever you say, my lady.
03:04Then go.
03:06Bram hit the water with a splash.
03:08The delay had cost Lyra.
03:10She'd swallowed a lot of water by then, and was barely conscious.
03:13Everyone follow me, quickly.
03:15My lady fell in the water.
03:17Hide.
03:18Now.
03:18I'll call you when it's time.
03:20Yes, my lady.
03:21Lyra's personal attendant arrived with a whole group behind her.
03:24At the front, my fiancé, Dorian, son of the pack elder.
03:29Caden saved her, didn't he?
03:30Lyra coughed up water and came around.
03:35She looked at the crowd.
03:37Then she pointed straight at Caden and burst into tears.
03:41Screaming that he'd assaulted her in the water.
03:43The crowd erupted.
03:46They call Beta Caden a young hero.
03:49Fearless against rogues on the border.
03:50And yet here he is, preying on a helpless girl.
03:52You really can't judge a wolf by his fur.
03:55Exactly.
03:56Attacking a defenseless woman.
03:58What kind of hero does that?
04:00Northmark Pack has always stood for loyalty and honor.
04:02How did they raise someone like this?
04:04I can't believe this is the Caden we all respected.
04:07He's dragged his whole bloodline through the mud.
04:12That's not what happened.
04:13I didn't touch her.
04:14You didn't touch me?
04:16You had your hands all over me in that water.
04:18You did this to me and now you're gonna stand there and deny it?
04:21Caden, you're a Beta warrior.
04:22How could you do something like this?
04:24Dorian, I didn't.
04:25I swear I didn't.
04:26You have to believe me.
04:27Then why would Lyra say this?
04:28She's a daughter of a noble Pack family.
04:30What would she gain by lying?
04:31Why did you humiliate me like this, Caden?
04:34Does a woman's honor mean nothing to you?
04:36Do you think I'd destroy my own reputation just to frame you?
04:44Beta Caden used a rescuer's cover to assault an innocent girl.
04:47And now he won't even own it.
04:50Shameless.
04:54You ride your rogue fighting reputation and come back
04:57thinking you can do whatever you want to pack women in the capital?
05:01He ruined her honor.
05:03He has to take responsibility.
05:05If this gets out, how is she ever supposed to find a mate?
05:07And she's lowborn on top of everything.
05:10Caden, if you're any kind of wolf,
05:12stand up in front of everyone right now and come making this right.
05:16Take Lyra as your mate.
05:19I'm telling you, I didn't do anything to her.
05:21Why won't any of you listen?
05:23Caden, even now you're gonna dig in?
05:26I pulled Caden behind me and shook my head.
05:29This was Dorian and Lyra's trap.
05:31Every piece of it was designed.
05:33He could talk until he was hoarse.
05:35No one here was going to believe him.
05:37Vera, Northman Pack is your responsibility.
05:39This is Caden's fault.
05:41Set a date, go to the family with a formal mating request,
05:43and bring Lyra home to the manor properly.
05:45We're not yet mated, Vera.
05:46We're one unit.
05:47My family and yours are bound together.
05:49Everything I'm saying is for Caden's sake and Northman's sake.
05:52If this escalates, it damages Caden and Northman Pack's name.
05:55He's right in the middle of his Alpha title succession.
05:57If someone brings this before the Alpha King and it creates complications, that's a problem.
06:01The Luna Queen and Alpha Prince's Luna are arriving soon.
06:04If this blows up and ruins the summer gathering, the Luna Queen won't be pleased.
06:08Better to handle this quietly.
06:09Everyone walks away happy.
06:11Everyone walks away happy.
06:12He meant him and Lyra walk away happy.
06:15I looked at Dorian with his polished speech and his fake concern and felt sick to my stomach.
06:21Last life, I'd been fooled by that act.
06:24I'd made Caden carry the weight of it.
06:27And it had destroyed us both.
06:30This life, Caden and I could die right here before I let him mate Lyra.
06:34Dorian, hold on.
06:36Let me ask Lyra something first.
06:40I stepped forward.
06:42Lyra, are you absolutely certain the one who assaulted you in the water was my brother Caden?
06:46I saw him clearly.
06:47It was Caden.
06:49You're saying Caden assaulted you in the water.
06:51Then why is every inch of him completely dry?
06:54The crowd looked at Caden.
06:56Not a drop of water on him.
06:58Confusion spread across their faces.
07:01He probably changed clothes after he pulled me out.
07:04I blacked out when I got to the bank.
07:06I don't know what happened after that.
07:07But in the water, I saw him clearly.
07:09Dorian's eyes went sharp.
07:11Vera, your brother did something wrong.
07:14Instead of making him admit it, you're interrogating Lyra.
07:16What is your problem?
07:17Is Northmark Pac trying to bully their way out of this?
07:23Just because they have Pac's strength and the Alpha King's favor doesn't mean there are no rules.
07:28We will get justice for Lyra today.
07:31The crowd followed.
07:34Caden has to take responsibility.
07:36Dorian looked around, confident with the crowd at his back.
07:42Vera, admit it right now and send a formal mating request to her family.
07:46I looked at Dorian, handsome on the outside and rotten to the core,
07:50and thought of the look on his face when he tightened that belt around my throat in the last
07:55life. My stomach turned.
07:59Dorian, did you personally see Caden assault Lyra?
08:03He opened his mouth. Nothing came out.
08:07What are you saying? That Lyra destroyed her own honor just to frame your brother?
08:15I thought I knew you. I was wrong.
08:18Duchess Marin pointed at me.
08:19How long does Northmark Pac plan to keep bullying people?
08:22You're covering for your brother even now.
08:25The crowd's mood turned. They looked ready to spit on me.
08:28We are upsetting Lyra at the Nund. Northmark Pac has gone too far. We all see it now.
08:34We always respected them. What a mistake that was.
08:38I looked over the crowd.
08:40Has anyone here personally seen my brother assault Lyra?
08:43Silence. They looked at each other. Nobody spoke.
08:46You're absolutely certain it was Caden. You say he ruined your honor. What's your proof?
08:53I have proof.
08:54She reached into her clothing and pulled out a jade pendant.
08:56This! When I was fighting in the water, I tore it off the person who attacked me!
09:05The crowd saw it and the verdict was sealed.
09:08Still have something to say?
09:10That's not mine.
09:15No one believed him.
09:17If it's not Caden's, whose is it?
09:18That's a fine piece of jade. But there's no Northmark mark on it.
09:22Lyra says it's my brother's. Does that make it his?
09:24When we got here, you and Caden were the only two at the scene.
09:26Who else could it belong of?
09:27Duchess Marin. Lyra says with nothing but her own word that this belongs to my brother.
09:31I could just as easily say it belongs to your mate.
09:34Don't you dare drag my mate into this!
09:39Lyra's voice cracked into a wail.
09:42I am a proper born wolf of good standing. I have never stepped outside the bounds of what's right.
09:48I am not shameless. I don't degrade myself. My honor is gone. Now you'll humiliate me on top of it.
09:55I'd rather draw than die!
09:56She broke free from the crowd and ran toward the water. Everyone gasped and grabbed for her.
10:01Dorian went white with fury, pulled back his hand and slapped me hard across the face.
10:05I didn't think you were capable of this, Vera.
10:08He went to strike again. Caden caught his arm and locked it.
10:11Dorian, touch my sister one more time and see what I do to your hand.
10:16I said I didn't assault Lyra. I didn't ruin her honor. A wolf's word is his bond.
10:21Why is not one of you willing to take me at mine?
10:24If anyone else insult my sister, don't expect me to stay quiet.
10:28The crowd's anger spiked higher.
10:30Caden! You did something disgusting and you're standing here smug about it!
10:34Do you think PAC law doesn't apply to you?
10:36If you won't admit it, we'll take this to the Luna Queen herself and let her judge you!
10:41I pressed my hand to my stinging cheek.
10:43Beneath the pain, something warm spread through my chest from Caden's words.
10:47This life, whatever it cost me, I was going to protect him.
10:52I looked at Lyra.
10:53Seems like you've already decided to pour this bucket on my brother no matter what.
10:59But hear me clearly, Lyra. You want Caden as your mate?
11:03You're dreaming. We'd both die before that happens.
11:07She hesitated. Then something dark crossed her eyes.
11:09You're only standing firm because no one was there to witness it.
11:12No one can prove your version either.
11:14She turned and threw herself headfirst into a tree.
11:17The crowd lurched to stop her. Too slow.
11:20She split her forehead open. Blood ran down her face.
11:23The crowd's fury hit its peak.
11:27Northmark PAC is killing her!
11:30Her brother did wrong, and she's forcing an innocent girl to die for it.
11:35What kind of people are they?
11:37Lyra, this isn't your fault. Northmark PAC is wrong here.
11:41We'll have our mates bring this before the PAC council tomorrow.
11:44If Northmark keeps refusing, write!
11:47Northmark PAC, Vera, you won't stop until she's dead, will you?
11:51I see who you really are now, Vera. I can't mate a woman with a heart like this.
11:55If Northmark PAC won't answer for Lyra today, then our mate-bond agreement is void.
11:59I'm calling it off. A woman who can't tell right from wrong,
12:03mate her and your PAC will never have peace! Better to break it off now!
12:08Dorian was certain I wouldn't let him do it. In this world, a woman whose mate-bond was broken
12:13was done. The gossip alone would drown her. But he didn't know I'd spent this entire time
12:18setting up for exactly this moment. You said it, Dorian, son of the PAC elder.
12:22A wolf's word is his bond. I'm releasing our mate-bond agreement. Right now.
12:28Someone bring paper and something to write with. I want Dorian to put the dissolution in writing.
12:34Dorian had only meant it as leverage, forced me to push Caden into the mating. He hadn't actually
12:38wanted out. My answer caught him completely off guard. He went still. Dorian was sharp,
12:43calculating. He saw the leverage failing and softened fast.
12:46If you'll just let Caden take responsibility, we don't need to dissolve anything.
12:49My brother Caden is a true wolf who has done nothing wrong. Write the dissolution, Dorian. A servant
12:56brought paper and a writing tool. Dorian was cornered. He wrote the dissolution,
13:01then threw it at me like he was doing me a favor.
13:04Lady Thorn from the noble PAC family is here. Lyra flinched and drew in on herself.
13:09My stepmother came. She'll destroy me. Vera, please, just let this go.
13:14The PAC ladies pressed in around me. Vera, you're a woman too. You understand what honor means to us.
13:19If this spreads, how does Lyra ever find a mate? And she's lowborn. Besides,
13:23signs. Just say yes to this mating and give her a way to survive.
13:27They'd all been taken in by Lyra's helpless act. None of them had any idea what she was capable
13:32of behind closed doors. I gave a cold smile. You reap what you sow. Lyra,
13:37I'm not the one who can help you. I don't think anyone can help you today.
13:45Lady Thorn arrived and ran a flat look over Lyra, soaking wet.
13:48What happened? Everyone talked over each other to explain. Lady Thorn's brow tightened.
13:54Take the second daughter away. Stop making a scene. An elder PAC matron stepped forward and began
13:59dragging Lyra out. Vera, Caden, if you won't admit it, I won't survive this. Lady Thorn,
14:06today's events really can't be blamed on your daughter. You must speak up for her. Vera, voice flat.
14:11Northmark PAC may have more battlefield honors in the Alpha King's favor than our family,
14:15but we are not easy to push around. My daughter has called me mother for over a decade. I will
14:21get
14:21justice for her from Northmark PAC. I could see the key person had arrived. The ground was ready.
14:27Lady Thorn, you're Lyra's stepmother. You're the one who has authority over her mating arrangements.
14:33So let me ask you plainly, right here in front of everyone, is it your family's position that
14:37whoever pulled Lyra out of that water today is responsible for her and must take her as their mate?
14:41It is. I looked at Lyra. That's your position too, Lyra? Lyra bit her lip. Yes. No matter who it
14:47is,
14:48Lyra will mate with that person. Yes or no? Yes. And Dorian and everyone here agrees? Of course.
14:54A true wolf owns his actions. Yes. Yes. Everyone heard that. You're all witnesses.
15:00Lyra, don't you regret this? I turned toward the thick reeds on the bank and raised my voice.
15:05Bram, get out here. Lyra from the noble PAC family is desperate to be your mate.
15:13The crowd went quiet. The reeds rustled, a figure pushed through, short, stocky,
15:19face full of craters, yellow teeth. He grinned his ugliest grin.
15:23Coming, mate.
15:26Lyra went the color of ash. That's not who it was. It was Caden who pulled me out.
15:30Dorian's expression cracked too. What are you talking about? I'm the one who saved you.
15:34No, you're not. It was Caden. It was Caden. That's ridiculous. My master and my lady were
15:39standing together. Neither of them went near the water. How could they have saved you?
15:44When I pulled you out, you tore that necks right off my neck.
15:46That's a lie. Something like that couldn't belong to someone like you. Bram smiled wide and slow,
15:51every yellow tooth on display. The alpha prince gave that to me personally. About a month ago,
15:56I kept the alpha prince's young heir from getting hurt when he fell from a carriage. The alpha prince
16:01unclipped it himself and gave it to me as a reward. I saved you. That's the truth. Lyra's face went
16:07hollow. She kept shaking her head. It wasn't you. It wasn't you. It was Caden. The alpha prince's gift
16:13can be verified. It can't be faked. Bram serves Northmark Manor. He wouldn't lie about something
16:18this serious. But to be thorough, we should confirm it. We should check. The Luna Queen and the alpha
16:24princes Luna both expected around this time. We could wait for the Luna Queen to decide.
16:27Dorian's expression went tight. He could feel the situation slipping past him,
16:32and there was nothing he could do about it. The Luna Queen has arrived. The alpha prince's
16:37Luna has arrived. Everyone dropped to their knees. Luna Seraphine told them to rise, smiling.
16:42Why is everyone gathered here instead of in the garden? Lady Thorne knelt and presented the whole
16:48situation to the Luna Queen, begging her to decide. The Luna Queen's expression grew serious.
16:54Vera, if Caden has feelings for Lyra, I can petition the alpha king for a royal mate decree.
17:00Luna Queen, today is the first time he's ever laid eyes on Lyra. There are no feelings to speak of.
17:06Caden would never do something this dishonorable. The one who entered the water and pulled Lyra
17:10out was our stable hand, Bram. We have physical evidence. The Luna Queen had the pendant brought
17:16forward. She looked at it and said, This is indeed the alpha prince's piece. About a month ago,
17:21our young Kian nearly fell from the carriage. One of Northmark Manor's stable hand caught him in
17:25time. The alpha prince gave that pendant to the stable hand on the spot as a reward. The one who
17:29entered the water today is also a stable hand from Northmark. I imagine it's the same person.
17:33Luna Queen, it is the same person. That pendant proves Lyra was rescued by Bram,
17:38not Caden. But Lyra refuses to admit it and keeps insisting it was my brother.
17:45I respectfully ask the Luna Queen to investigate this thoroughly and restore Caden's name.
17:52The Luna Queen called Bram forward. Bram, is there any other evidence?
17:58Yes, Luna Queen. When I pulled Lyra out of the water, I saw a red crescent birthmark on her chest.
18:05If Lyra
18:06keeps denying it and keeps accusing my master, you can verify it. If the mark isn't there,
18:10I'll accept whatever punishment is given to me. The crowd erupted. Lyra was shaking. Her eyes
18:15were hollow. Dorian had gone white. A birthmark can't be faked. I'm going to get to the bottom
18:21of this. Take Lyra inside and have her examined. Lyra inside and have her examined. One of the Luna
18:26Queen's elder pack matrons stepped forward with two attendants. Lyra, come with us. Lyra's legs gave out.
18:32She fainted from sheer terror. The matron signaled the attendants. They carried Lyra inside. The Luna
18:38Queen turned to Duchess Meryn. Go with a few of the pack ladies. Be witnesses.
18:44The matron opened Lyra's wet clothing in front of them. Between her collarbones, clear as anything.
18:50A red crescent birthmark. It's real. A mark like that, seen by a man in water. She'd have to be
18:56his
18:56mate whether she wanted it or not. The matron went further. She examined Lyra for proof of her claim.
19:03The group came back out quickly. Duchess Meryn's face was cycling through shades of green and white.
19:08I already knew what they'd found. Lyra does have the red crescent birthmark on her chest. And when
19:13we examined her further, she... she has not been untouched for some time. She is also carrying a
19:18secret pregnancy. The crowd went silent. Then it exploded. The tide turned completely. What a scheme.
19:24She played all of us. She was sneaking a secret lover in while pretending to be honorable. Shameless.
19:30And then tried to frame Caden for it. Disgusting. Lady Thorne went stone faced. She slapped Lyra across
19:36the face. Then again... You have shamed this family. I have never been more disgusted. Lyra was completely
19:43broken. She slid down to the ground like water. And didn't react at all. Dorian shrank into the
19:49background and kept his mouth shut. Lady Thorne dropped to her knees before the Luna Queen.
19:55I failed in raising her. I accept whatever punishment you give. Failed in raising her.
20:00Is that what we're calling it? Lyra made her own mess, got herself with Childe in secret,
20:05and then tried to use Caden as a way out. If Vera hadn't fought back, Northrink
20:09pack's only heir would have been buried alive by this. Take Lyra to the pack tribunitional cells and
20:16interrogate her. I want the name of the secret lover. The matrons dragged Lyra into the back room.
20:21From inside came screaming. But Lyra had a hard core. No matter what they did, she refused to give
20:28up the name. Dorian was her only hope. The Luna Queen had no choice. She had Lyra move to the
20:34pack
20:34tribunal cells. That same day, the matter reached the Alpha King. He issued a decree ordering Lyra's
20:40noble pack family to answer for it. The family patriarch had spent his whole career being
20:46careful, staying low, keeping his head down, undone by a lowborn daughter who'd dreamed of climbing
20:51beyond her station. Though, if you traced it back far enough, it was Lady Thorn's iron-fisted control
20:56of the household that had left Lyra with no path but the one her own mother had taken. Use your
21:01face
21:01and your body and hope it gets you somewhere. That was how she'd ended up tangled with Dorian in the
21:05first place. The Alpha King also sent a rebuke to Duchess Marin for her role in inflaming things,
21:10ordering her to keep her mouth shut going forward. Duchess Marin never showed her face at another pack
21:14gathering in the capital for the rest of her life. Lyra held out in the tribunal cells. Three days
21:19later, two pack matrons came from her family. They forced a draft of medicine down her throat.
21:24An hour later, she miscarried. Twins, Lyra wouldn't stop bleeding. No one from the tribunal
21:28had been told to send a healer. The attitude was, live or die? That's on her. She lived anyway. Half
21:34a month later, the Luna Queen came to Northmark Manor herself to check on Caden and me. She took my
21:38hand,
21:38sat down, made small talk for a bit. That girl is tough, as hasn't said a word in the tribunal
21:43cells.
21:44I was thinking of sending her off with a cup of poison. Let Lyra die that easily? That was letting
21:49her off too light. I stood and bowed. Luna Queen, I have a request. She smiled. Vera, just say it.
21:57Luna Queen, the Alpha Queen Mother's birthday is next month. In her honor, spare Lyra's life. That day,
22:02Lyra said herself that whoever saved her would become her mate. Lady Thorne agreed to it in front of
22:05everyone. She was pulled out by our stable hand, Bram. So perhaps- The Luna Queen tilted her head.
22:09Vera, even if you want to give Lyra a way out, your stable hand might not want to take her.
22:14What I was giving Lyra wasn't a way out. It was a life worse than death. Why don't I bring
22:18Bram in
22:19and ask him in person? If he's willing, it's a fair arrangement. Bram gambled and chased women.
22:23Every coin he earned either vanished at the gambling den or got spent at the pleasure house.
22:27Lyra was stunning. Skin like cream, face like a spring blossom. One of the most striking women
22:32among all the high-born pack women in the capital. A woman like that on any ordinary day. Bram wouldn't
22:37even be allowed to look at her twice. She was used goods now, sure. But if this moment passed,
22:42a wolf like Bram would never get another shot at someone like her. I was betting he'd say yes.
22:47A servant brought Bram to the doorway of the main hall. Bram, are you still willing to take Lyra as
22:52your mate? Bram paused, worked through it, and decided fast. Yes, my lady. I turned to the Luna Queen.
22:57Since that settled, Luna Queen, bring them together. The Luna Queen smiled. You asked
23:02Vera. How could I say no? The night Lyra walked out of the tribunal cells, a carriage from her
23:07family dropped her at Bram's door. No ceremony. No ceremony talk. No anything. They were done with
23:12her, dropping off a problem they wanted gone. A month later, the Alpha King's punishment came
23:19down. Lyra's father was stripped of his rank and sent to a backwater post. A nobody position,
23:23in a nobody place, never permitted to return to the capital. The day the decree came, he threw Lady
23:27Thorne out of the household. As for Lyra, her worst days were just beginning. Bram was rough and crude,
23:33nothing like Dorian, who had at least known how to handle a woman. The first night, he worked her
23:37until she couldn't get out of bed. After that, he did whatever suited him, whenever it suited him.
23:41Bram's household was poor, no servants. Lyra cooked and washed and waited on him. If she didn't do it
23:46right, she got hit or screamed at. Lyra suffered in silence. It was barely living, but she refused to die.
23:51She'd already survived the tribunal cells. She was young. She was still beautiful. As long as
23:56she was breathing, she believed she could find a way back. Six months later, Dorian decided things
24:01had quieted down enough and came back from the southern territories. Lyra heard the news and
24:05immediately got word to his personal attendant. Dorian, for his part, had long since stopped
24:09thinking about her. He wanted nothing more than to put distance between them, but she had something
24:13on him. He didn't have a choice. He planned to see her once, say what needed to be said, give
24:20her some
24:20coin and be done with it. Then Lyra showed up in white, threw herself against him, and told him
24:25about the twins, crying with her whole body. She wasn't the bright, bold girl he remembered.
24:29There was something different about her now. Fragile. Quietly devastating. Dorian hesitated.
24:34He didn't leave right away. Ever since Dorian came back to the capital, I'd had people watching
24:38both of them. When word came that they were meeting that day, I'd already had the drugs slipped into
24:43both of their drinks. It took hold. They ended up tangled together. I had someone quietly tip off Bram and
24:48bring him there to catch them. Dorian and Lyra were caught bare, in the middle of it,
24:51a set of antlers that size. Bram wasn't going to swallow it quietly. He went at Dorian with
24:56everything he had. In the brawl, someone landed two hard kicks right between Dorian's legs.
25:01Dorian screamed and blacked out on the spot. Pack healers cycled through, one after another.
25:06They all came out shaking their heads. Nothing they could do. Dorian would never have pups.
25:10Pack elder Dorian Sr. had only one son. His bloodline was finished. The pack elder was furious. He wanted
25:16the person who'd done it quietly dealt with. But when he pressed Dorian's attendant for details,
25:20he found out about Lyra. Found out Dorian had been behind the whole scheme at the gathering. Found
25:24out the twins Lyra lost in the tribunal cells were Dorian's cold sweat. The pack elder buried the
25:32story and brought in private healers from all over the capital. What he didn't know, the one who'd
25:36thrown those kicks had been training for 30 years and had put everything behind them. No healer in the
25:41world was fixing that. Word spread across the capital that the pack elder's son, the great Dorian,
25:46couldn't perform. Northmark Manor helped that word travel, of course. Dorian, who had always been
25:51sharp and polished and insufferably sure of himself, was eaten alive by it. Every person he'd ever outshone
25:57lined up to get their shots in. One day, Dorian broke. He set a fire in his room and burned
26:01himself to
26:02death inside it. On the other side of the city, Bram dragged Lyra home after catching her and beat her
26:07until she couldn't leave her bed for two weeks. His crowd set up gambling games, the kind he never
26:11knew how to walk away from. After one session, Bram lost Lyra to a thug named Wade. Wade had his
26:17fun
26:17with her for two months. When the novelty wore off, he put a price on it. Lyra refused with everything
26:21she had. Wade just smiled and put a compulsion drug in her food. When it took hold, Lyra was the
26:26one begging. After that, Wade's place had a steady rotation of men coming and going every day,
26:31sometimes one or two, sometimes five or six. Lyra sank lower than the
26:35lowest back-alley wolf in the capital. My brother Caden ran into Princess Calla at a
26:39tavern, dressed as a man, sharp-eyed and full of fire. He took her for a fellow young wolf.
26:44Without knowing who she was, he went out with her more than once. They fell for each other.
26:48When he found out the truth, he petitioned the Alpha King to take her as his mate. He brought Calla
26:53back to the northern border with him, said they were going to see the wide sky and the open land
26:57together. As for me, the Alpha Prince's Luna had noticed me the day of the summer gathering.
27:02A year later, the Alpha Prince took the throne. His Luna was crowned Luna Queen.
27:06She personally asked on behalf of her full-blooded brother, the new royal consort Arryn,
27:11to take me as his mate. Arryn was brilliant and trained, and striking in a way that made
27:16it hard to look at him directly. At last month's mid-autumn night gathering, he'd reached up and
27:21broken off a sprig of sweet Osmanthus and handed it to me. When he passed it over, our eyes met.
27:26I stood there for a second, completely still. I still go red, thinking about it. But I said yes.
27:31The new Luna Queen smiled and leaned in close and called me,
27:34Sister. Not long after, the pack council went through a full sweep.
27:37Pack Elder Dorian Sr. was found guilty of corruption and embezzlement of pack resources.
27:42He was stripped of his title, and the whole family was banished to the far southern borderlands.
27:46Northmark Pack's star was rising. Our name carried more weight than it ever had.
27:50Everyone who had crushed us in the last life had fallen into the mud. This life, the next,
27:54they were never getting back up.
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