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