- 9 hours ago
Reborn Luna’s Vengeance
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Short filmTranscript
00:00When I bowed before the Alpha, my sash snapped, my undergarments, my chest exposed, in front of everyone.
00:06My birth parents had just found me, brought me home to compete with my adopted sister Alice for the Alpha's
00:11bond.
00:12Before we left, Mother fixed my collar, then quietly pulled a thread from my sash.
00:17Indecent! Shameless!
00:20Alice swept off her jacket and draped it over my shoulders.
00:24Everyone praised her.
00:25The Alpha chose her.
00:27I knelt before my parents when we got home.
00:30Swore it wasn't intentional.
00:31They didn't believe me, Father scoffed.
00:33You pulled that stunt for attention.
00:36You disgraced this family, and now you want to blame someone else?
00:40Mother sighed.
00:41You lost a bond, that's all. Don't be so dramatic.
00:44Alice married the Alpha in glory.
00:46I was exiled to the Frost border, and I died there frozen.
00:50Before I took my last breath, I found out Mother hadn't pulled that thread.
00:54She had cut it. On purpose.
00:56Then I was reborn.
00:58Mother smiled and reached for my sash.
01:01Let me tighten this.
01:03We can't have you embarrassing yourself.
01:06Her fingers slipped toward her sleeve.
01:08A blade that blade.
01:09I knew it.
01:10The one that ruined my life the first time.
01:11I could still feel the Frost border kneeling in the snow, freezing Alice standing over me in her fur coat.
01:17Eva.
01:17All I told Mother was I was afraid you'd outrank me.
01:22I never imagined she'd go that far.
01:25The cold never left me.
01:26I stared at her soft, well-kept hands.
01:28My heart hammered.
01:29She was still smiling.
01:30The blade already out, moving toward my sash.
01:36I let my knees buckle, threw myself forward, straight into her.
01:40She didn't see it coming.
01:41Her hand jerked.
01:42The blade cut through the air and caught the back of her own hand.
01:46The blade clattered to the floor.
01:48Ailey stood nearby, waiting for the show.
01:49She wore a gown of shimmering silk custom made by Mother.
01:52Her sash tied perfectly.
01:53Before she could react, my fingers found her sash one quick pull.
01:56It came loose.
01:57I straightened up fast and put on my most panicked face.
02:02Mother!
02:03Are you alright?
02:04I'm so sorry I slipped.
02:06Hissing through her teeth.
02:08Clumsy girl!
02:09We're about to walk into the Alpha's estate and you can't even stand on your own two feet!
02:16Alice stepped forward with a handkerchief and dabbed at the wound.
02:19She shot me a look of pure contempt, then turned on the sympathy.
02:23Don't be too hard on her mother.
02:24She was raised in a backwater farming pack.
02:27She's just not used to all this.
02:30Father stood in the doorway, hands clasped behind his back.
02:33He checked the hourglass, frowned.
02:34Enough!
02:35Do you have any idea what it means to keep the Alpha waiting?
02:38He didn't glance at me once.
02:40His eyes went straight to Alice.
02:41Soft.
02:42You look beautiful today, Alice.
02:45Dignified.
02:46Keep an eye on your sister when we arrive.
02:48Don't let her embarrass this family.
02:50Of course, Father.
02:51I'll take good care of her.
02:53She lifted her chin like she'd already won.
02:55I kept my eyes down and smiled.
02:59Mother's hand was still bleeding.
03:01The handkerchief had soaked through.
03:02But we were running out of time and she never got around to my sash.
03:05Instead, she reached for a velvet box.
03:07Alice.
03:08This is the Hale family heirloom.
03:11Priceless.
03:12She lifted out a necklace, crystals catching the light, and clasped it around Alice's neck herself.
03:17Thank you, Mother.
03:18I'll wear it with honor.
03:19I stood to the side, empty-handed.
03:21Nothing around my waist but a plain white ribbon.
03:23Mother seemed to remember I existed.
03:24She rummaged through a corner drawer and pulled out a fistful of hairpins.
03:28Old ones.
03:29Most of them.
03:29The gold paint was already flaking off.
03:31Here, Eva.
03:32Put these on.
03:33Don't go saying I play favorites.
03:35Your dress is so plain anyway.
03:37These will match just fine.
03:38She dropped them into my hand without even checking if they'd work.
03:41Father watched from across the room.
03:43Not a word of objection.
03:44He nodded.
03:45Alice was raised with us.
03:46She has refinement.
03:48Grace.
03:49The air bloom suits her.
03:51Eva spent years in the farming pack.
03:54Putting something fine on her would just look out of place.
03:56I squeezed those cheap pins as my fist until the metal bit into my palm.
04:00The farming pack?
04:01Why was I even there?
04:02Because when my parents were running from their enemies, I was dead weight.
04:05So they left me behind.
04:07They only brought me back.
04:09Because the Alpha came calling.
04:11His family had an old betrothal agreement.
04:13The firstborn Hale daughter.
04:15Alice was beloved.
04:16But on paper, she was adopted.
04:18They needed me just long enough to put Alice in the Alpha's bed.
04:20I never understood, in my last life, how my own parents could do this to me.
04:24Not until the very end.
04:25Dying at the frost border.
04:26Two guards stood nearby, talking.
04:28They didn't know I could still hear them.
04:29Hale is cold-blooded.
04:31Leaving his own flesh and blood here to die, all for some adopted girl?
04:35That's his mistress's daughter.
04:36His actual blood.
04:38His wife found out years ago and she brought the girl home.
04:40Called her adopted.
04:41Then spent every year since, grinding the real daughter into the dirt.
04:44So that was the truth.
04:50Mother sacrificed her own child to keep her husband.
04:53Father looked at me and saw nothing worth keeping.
04:55I crushed those pins in my hand and let them bend.
04:58Right in front of me, Alice on Mother's arm.
05:00Father looking on with nothing but warmth.
05:02A perfect, happy family.
05:04And then there was me.
05:07Father, Mother, we should go.
05:10Father's eyes cut to me.
05:11Nobody asked you to hurry us along.
05:13Have some manners.
05:15When you're in front of the Alpha, keep your mouth shut.
05:18Watch Alice.
05:19Follow her lead.
05:21If you ruin this, I will have you sent to the Frostborder myself.
05:24I said nothing.
05:25The Frostborder.
05:26I'd already been there.
05:27Already knelt in that snow until I couldn't feel my legs.
05:30Threats lose their edge the second time around.
05:32The carriage rolled toward the Alpha's estate.
05:34It was not a quiet ride.
05:36Alice had taken the best seat.
05:37She kept touching the necklace.
05:39Turning the crystals in the light.
05:41Admiring her own reflection.
05:42The Alpha's head steward, Zoe, was riding with us.
05:45Officially, she was there to attend to us.
05:47In reality, she was watching, taking stock of who we were.
05:51Alice didn't seem to notice or care.
05:53Zoe, what do you think of the necklace?
05:56Mother had it set aside just for me.
05:58Zoe said nothing.
05:59She was pale.
06:00An unhand pressed to her temple jaw tight.
06:02I recognized it immediately.
06:04In my last life, Alice had done the same thing.
06:06Talked the whole ride over, loud and relentless.
06:09But she'd gotten lucky.
06:10By the time we arrived, Mrs. Walker's migraines had flared up.
06:14And Alice had been ready.
06:15She'd stolen my remedy formula months earlier.
06:18Passed it off as her own.
06:19Mrs. Walker loved me.
06:21This time, Alice wasn't getting that chance.
06:26I reached into my sleeve and pulled out a small lacquered box.
06:30Inside were a few dark brown pellets.
06:32A remedy I'd learned from an old farmer back in the farming pack.
06:35I held them out to Zoe.
06:37You don't look well.
06:38These are cooling relief pellets, my own formula.
06:41Let one dissolve under your tongue.
06:43It should help.
06:44Alice's head snapped toward me.
06:46Excuse me?
06:47What is that supposed to be?
06:48You're gonna feed her some backwater remedy you cooked up in a barn?
06:52Zoe had been on the edge of nausea the whole ride.
06:54That shriek nearly pushed her over.
06:56She shot Alice one withering look.
06:58Then turned back to me.
06:59Her nose twitched.
07:01A faint drift of mint and aged wood had already begun to fill the carriage cutting through the
07:05stuffy heat.
07:05She took the pellets, placed one under her tongue.
07:08Within moments, the tension left her face.
07:12She exhaled.
07:13Long and slow.
07:15Color crept back into her cheeks.
07:17Where did you learn that, Eva?
07:18From a healer?
07:19I shook my head.
07:20Heat stroke was common on the farm.
07:22You learn what works.
07:24Nothing impressive, I'm afraid.
07:26Zoe smiled.
07:26If this is nothing impressive, our pack healer back at the estate should be embarrassed.
07:32Alice twisted her handkerchief in her lap.
07:34My sinless searing must.
07:36She just got lucky.
07:38Zoe didn't even look at her.
07:39Mrs. Walker values silence.
07:41She has no patience for noise.
07:43That shut Alice up.
07:44Zoe lowered her voice and turned to me.
07:45Today, the Alpha will also be present.
07:47He runs cold.
07:48He has no interest in women who perform for attention.
07:51And Mrs. Walker, she judges character above everything else.
07:54She has no respect for women who use their looks as currency.
07:58I'll keep that in mind.
07:59Thank you, Zoe.
08:00The carriage slowed.
08:01We had arrived.
08:12The moment Alice stepped out, every head turned.
08:15That shimmering silk caught the sunlight like it was made for exactly this moment.
08:19Is that Alice Hale?
08:20She's stunning.
08:21The whispers rippled through the crowd.
08:23Alice soaked up every word.
08:24She glanced back at me, slow, deliberate.
08:27A smirk, I was wearing a simple white dress, standing next to her.
08:31I looked like her handmaid.
08:32I wasn't worried.
08:33The best part of any trap is the waiting.
08:36The banquet began.
08:38Alice moved straight to the harp and played for Mrs. Walker.
08:41She was good, and she knew it.
08:43Mrs. Walker gave a small, measured nod.
08:46That was enough for Alice.
08:47She floated off the stage, spotted me at the edge of the room,
08:50and made her way over, wine glass in hand.
08:52Eva, stop hiding in the corner.
08:57Come toast the ladies with me.
08:58I knew exactly what she was about to do.
09:01Last time she had stumbled right here, or pretended to, she'd thrown wine all over me.
09:06Dragged me down with her, and my sash had snapped on the way down.
09:09Sammy sat up.
09:10Sammy smiled.
09:10Sammy two steps away.
09:12Oh, Eva!
09:13Watch out!
09:14She lurched toward me.
09:15I stepped aside.
09:16She caught nothing but air.
09:17The momentum took her straight down hard onto both knees.
09:20And the sash I had loosened back at the house, the one she never noticed, finally gave way.
09:25That beautiful shimmering skirt slid straight down, all the way to her ankles beneath it.
09:30A pair of pink underwear embroidered with little devil motifs in plain view.
09:34Of everyone, the entire room went silent.
09:37Alice froze.
09:39She felt the cold air first.
09:41Then she looked down.
09:42And screamed.
09:44Chaos erupted.
09:45Women screamed.
09:47But above it all, I felt it.
09:49A gaze.
09:50Heavy.
09:50Cold from the shadow of the second floor balcony.
09:53He was watching.
09:57Ah!
10:00Alice scrambled to grab her skirt.
10:04Wine splashed up across her underwear.
10:05If it could have gotten worse, it just did.
10:07The ladies around her recoiled.
10:09Fans raised.
10:10Faces turned away.
10:11Mrs. Walker's expression went stone cold.
10:13What exactly does the Hal family teach their daughters?
10:16I was already moving.
10:17I picked up an outer jacket and draped it around Alice's shoulders before she could catch her breath.
10:21Oh, sweetheart, how did this happen?
10:23I sighed.
10:24The kind that says I love you, but I told you so.
10:26I warned you about this dress.
10:28The fit was too tight.
10:30I said it would give way.
10:33But you wanted the silhouette.
10:35And now look.
10:36Alice looked up at me, pure venom.
10:39You did this.
10:40I know it was you.
10:41I blinked.
10:42Spread my hands wide.
10:43Alice, I was across the room.
10:44Everyone saw you walk over.
10:46Everyone saw you fall.
10:47The women around us were already nodding.
10:49She made a spectacle of herself for attention, and now she wants to pin it on her sister.
10:53Lovely upbringing.
10:54Alice had nothing left to say.
10:55She covered her face and wept.
11:02The room dissolved into chaos.
11:04Maid swarmed Alice and rushed her off to change.
11:06The commotion had done exactly what I expected.
11:09Mrs. Walker's migraine had returned.
11:10She sat with two fingers pressed to her temple.
11:13Face drained of color.
11:14That is when Lady Allen appeared.
11:16A family friend of the Hales.
11:18Father had personally asked her to smooth things over for Alice today.
11:23Please don't be upset, Mrs. Walker.
11:25I'm sure the dress was simply ill-fitted.
11:28Alice actually brought a gift for you today.
11:32Why don't we have her present it now?
11:35As an apology?
11:36Alice came back red-eyed, but she straightened up at that.
11:39She snapped her fingers and a maid brought out the gift box.
11:41I already knew what was inside.
11:43I knew this family too well.
11:45Whatever it was, it would be extravagant and entirely wrong.
11:48They measured worth in gold and gemstones.
11:50They assumed everyone else did too.
11:51What they didn't understand about Mrs. Walker, a woman who had lived in wealth her entire life,
11:56was that nothing irritated her more than excess for the sake of it.
11:59Alice lifted the lid with a flourish.
12:02Mrs. Walker, this is a ruby crystal crown, custom-crafted just for you.
12:08The artisans worked through the night for an entire month.
12:11Mrs. Walker stared at it.
12:13You had craftsmen lose sleep for a month over something completely useless?
12:18What a waste of people.
12:19Alice's confidence collapsed.
12:21She sank to her knees, trembling.
12:23Mrs. Walker pressed her hand harder to her temple and said nothing.
12:26I only wanted to show you how much...
12:28The silence stretched.
12:29I stepped forward quietly.
12:31Mrs. Walker, if you'll allow me, I may be able to help with the headache.
12:36She looked at me, skeptical.
12:37You practice medicine?
12:39Just some calming herbs.
12:41Something I picked up along the way.
12:45I lit one end of the incense powder and set it on the table beside her.
12:49The scent unfurled slowly.
12:50Delicate, cool herbal.
12:51Mrs. Walker drew a breath.
12:52The pain didn't vanish, but it pulled back, enough to breathe, enough to relax the furrow between her brows.
12:57That's lovely.
12:58What is it?
12:59I heard you've suffered with headaches for years.
13:02I brought this back from the farm.
13:03It's what I always used.
13:05Nothing fancy, but it works.
13:07Mrs. Walker nodded slowly.
13:08The way she looked at me had changed.
13:10You're a thoughtful girl.
13:12Out of the corner of my eye, a tall figure had stopped at the moon gate at the edge of
13:15the garden, still, watching.
13:17That had to be Nathan the Alpha, himself.
13:19Alice was still on her knees behind me, eyes fixed on my back like two burning coals.
13:23Lady Allen whispered something to Mrs. Walker, who finally waved a hand.
13:27Alice could get up.
13:28She was directed to a seat in the corner.
13:30By the middle of the banquet, Mrs. Walker had my hand in hers, asking about my life, my interests, what
13:35I like to eat.
13:36She was already looking at Maliki, a daughter-in-law.
13:39She called over a maid to bring me a better pour of wine.
13:41The maid crossed the room and stumbled, just slightly, just enough to flosh wine as crossed my sleeve.
13:46My sincerest apologies, Miss Eva.
13:49Clumsy fool!
13:50Get out of my sight!
13:50The maid scurried off, head bowed, and as she passed Alice, their eyes met, quick, deliberate.
13:55The next second...
13:56My necklace!
13:58My necklace is gone!
14:00The family heirloom!
14:02Mother's necklace!
14:03Where is it?
14:07Every head in the room turned, Mrs. Walker's expression soured.
14:12Stop shrieking.
14:13If it's lost, have someone look for it.
14:16Alice turned to me, tears already forming.
14:18Just now, Eva was the closest one to me.
14:22Could it be that she...
14:23She let the sentence hang.
14:25Lady Allen stepped in, right on cue.
14:27If something valuable has gone missing, perhaps we should search everyone present.
14:33It would clear Eva's name, if nothing else.
14:36I held out both arms.
14:37By all means, search me.
14:40I won't have anyone saying, I put myself above my own sister.
14:44A flicker of satisfaction crossed Alice's face.
14:46She nodded to the maid, the same one who had spilled the wine, to come forward and search me.
14:50The maid ran her hands along my sides, patted down my sleeves, then reached into my inner sleeve pocket.
14:55She pulled something out.
14:56The room leaned in.
14:57It wasn't the necklace.
14:58It was a man's handkerchief.
14:59Deep blue silk, embroidered with cloud patterns.
15:01The room erupted.
15:02Alice pressed a hand to her mouth.
15:05Eva, do you have a secret lover?
15:07Our family holds a bedrothal with the Alpha.
15:09Do you understand what this means?
15:11A man's hand to catch.
15:12His most personal item.
15:14If father finds out, you'll hang for this.
15:19Eva, I would not have expected this of you.
15:21The ladies around me had already begun to whisper, eyes sharp, heads shaking.
15:25Ailey snatched the handkerchief.
15:26Wait, there's writing on it.
15:29She snapped it open and read aloud.
15:32I want to be tangled with you on every night the full moon rises.
15:38She looked up at me, triumphant, waiting for me to crumble, to drop to my knees, and to beg.
15:42I stood exactly where I was.
15:43Calm.
15:44That's quite a performance, Alice.
15:47But you've overplayed it.
15:51I turned to face her.
15:53Since when do you have the gift of prophecy, Alice?
15:55She went.
15:56What?
15:57I don't know what you're talking about.
15:58The handkerchief was folded.
16:00The writing was on the inside.
16:02Completely hidden.
16:03So how did you know there were words on it before anyone unfolded it?
16:07Did you write them yourself?
16:09Or did you prepare this whole thing in advance?
16:12Alice's face went rigid.
16:13Her pupils shrank.
16:14A bead of sweat traced down her temple.
16:17I... I...
16:18Nothing came out.
16:19And you.
16:20We both know you slipped that handkerchief into my sleeve yourself.
16:23So let's skip the act.
16:24Who do you belong to?
16:26Where did you get it?
16:27Who told you to plant it?
16:28She had already collapsed to the floor.
16:30She looked up, and her eyes went straight to Alice.
16:33Alice's composure shattered.
16:34Don't look at me!
16:36Your hands are dirty, not mine!
16:38Then a voice cut through the room from the doorway low.
16:41Unhurried, absolute.
16:42Something went missing from my stables a few days ago.
16:45So that's where it ended up.
16:47The entire room turned.
16:49Nathan walked in like the air itself had decided to move out of his way.
16:52He stopped beside me, reading...
16:54My words, embroidered in my hand.
16:56Tell me, Miss Alice, how exactly did you come to recognize them?
17:03Alice's knees gave out.
17:04She caught herself on the edge of a chair.
17:06You bribed a servant in my own estate.
17:08You stole my personal propriety.
17:10And you used it to frame my guest.
17:12Nathan said it quietly.
17:13That made it worse.
17:14Alice opened her mouth.
17:16Closed it.
17:16There was nothing to say.
17:18Mrs. Walker rose from her seat.
17:19Her whole body shaking.
17:21And slammed her palm on the table.
17:22She ran her schemes all the way up to the alpha himself.
17:25The audacity.
17:27Someone deal with her.
17:28Two older women moved in fast.
17:30They grabbed Alice by the shoulders and didn't hold back.
17:33The sound of it echoed through the hall.
17:35By the third strike, Alice's face had begun to swell blood at the corner of her mouth.
17:39Hair coming undone.
17:40She was sobbing, gasping, calling for her parents.
17:43Help me!
17:43I watched without moving.
17:45For the first time, it felt satisfying.
17:47Nathan glanced sideways at me just for a moment.
17:49I inclined my head.
17:51My respects, alpha.
17:53Thank you for clearing my name.
17:54What had started as a proper banquet had been reduced to rubble.
17:57When it was finally over,
17:59Mrs. Walker took my hand in both of hers and walked me to the entrance herself.
18:03Apologizing the whole way, making sure everyone saw.
18:05The message was unmistakable when now circling back, all warmth and flattery.
18:09Funny how quickly the room turns when the alpha's mother is holding your hand.
18:16I settled into the carriage and glanced at Alice.
18:18Her face was swollen on both sides.
18:20She glared at me from her corner.
18:21One hand pressed to her cheek.
18:23Somehow, my parents had already heard.
18:25They were both in the carriage.
18:26Father sat with his chest heaving, jaw set, saying nothing.
18:29Mother was dabbing ointment on Alice's face, tears streaming down her own.
18:34You're a curse on this family.
18:36Wasn't it enough?
18:37Did you have to destroy your own sister?
18:38You knew what she was doing.
18:39Why didn't you say something earlier, instead of letting the whole family be humiliated?
18:43I leaned back against the carriage wall and closed my eyes.
18:46That's interesting, mother.
18:48When Alice was planting stolen evidence on me,
18:51did she stop to think of me as family?
18:53If that accusation had stuck, it would have been the hall name dragged through the dirt.
18:56Not just mine.
18:57Father's hand shut up.
18:59I turned my head.
19:00His palm cut through empty air.
19:01He held it there for a moment, suspended, then dropped it, and looked away.
19:05We'll deal with you at home.
19:07The carriage happened.
19:08Then it started moving wrong.
19:10The road had narrowed.
19:10The turns were sharper.
19:12We were climbing cliffs on one side.
19:14A sheer drop on the other.
19:15The horses screamed.
19:16Something had spooked them, or worse.
19:18And suddenly they were bolting.
19:19Full sprint.
19:20No control.
19:21What's happening?
19:22Stop the carriage!
19:23Someone stop it!
19:24Alice was thrown sideways, tumbling across the carriage floor, screaming.
19:28I grabbed the window frame and held on.
19:29The driver was gone, jumped, or thrown either way.
19:33No one was at the reins.
19:34My stomach dropped, and not from the road.
19:36This hadn't happened in my last life.
19:38They were moving faster than I'd expected.
19:40I'd rattled them today, and they were improvising.
19:45The horse had been drugged.
19:46I was certain of it.
19:48A staged accident.
19:49A body at the bottom of a cliff.
19:51But something didn't add up.
19:53Father valued his own life above everything.
19:55So did Mother.
19:56So did Alice.
19:58Known of them would ride this carriage off a cliff unless they had a way out.
20:02Then I saw it.
20:03Father had already pulled Alice and Mother close.
20:05His hand reached beneath the bench, a hidden compartment, and came out with thick padded cushions.
20:11They came prepared.
20:12The plan wasn't to die with it.
20:14The plan was to throw me out and walk away from the ground.
20:17The carriage lurched.
20:18My grip slipped, and I went through the door.
20:21The fall never came.
20:21An arm caught me mid-air, iron solid, and pulled me hard against a chest.
20:25I knew that scent before I saw his face.
20:28The alpha.
20:29The carriage had ground to a halt behind us.
20:32A wolf had come out of the tree line and taken down the horses.
20:35Clean, precise, dropping them to their knees.
20:38I looked up.
20:39Nathan looked down.
20:40Those dark eyes held mine for a moment.
20:42Eva, it seems there are quite a few people with an interest in your life ending.
20:48He set me on my feet and stepped away.
20:51Not far from us, the three of them were crawling out of the wreckage, scraped, shaken, alive.
20:57Nathan walked to the nearest horse, ran a finger along its mouth, and brought it to his nose.
21:03Stimulant poison drives them into a frenzy.
21:06The horse would have been dead within ten miles.
21:09I stood and watched my parents check themselves over with trembling hands.
21:13Relieved to be breathing.
21:14Relieved their plan had almost worked.
21:16Whatever had been left.
21:17Whatever small.
21:18Stubborn part of me had still wanted them to be my family.
21:21It went quiet.
21:22For good, Nathan came back to where I stood and held out his hand.
21:26Get in my carriage.
21:27I'll take you home.
21:32Maybe the carriage accident had simply been too terrifying.
21:35Three days later, the Alpha's wedding gifts arrived at the Hale House.
21:39An entire procession through the front gate.
21:41Boxes carried by uniformed attendants.
21:43The kind of display the whole street would remember.
21:45In my last life, this moment had belonged to Alice.
21:48Now it was mine.
21:49Zoe stood in the main hall and read from the gift register item by item.
21:53Unhurried, with every entry, Alice lost a little more color.
21:57Mother kept shifting in her seat, throwing father-pointed looks.
22:00He cleared his throat and cut Zoe off mid-sentence.
22:03Zoe, regarding this marriage arrangement, is there any room for the Alpha to reconsider?
22:09Alice made some mistakes, yes, but she's accomplished.
22:12Well-bred.
22:13Eva grew up in a backwart farming pack.
22:15She doesn't know our ways.
22:16It's a lot to ask of her, carrying the role of Luna.
22:20Perhaps Alice could accompany Eva to the estate as a companion to the Alpha.
22:28She could support her sister from within the household.
22:32A companion, so Luna was off the table.
22:35Now they were angling for mistress.
22:37Sammy goal, different door.
22:39Get Alice inside the estate, let her work her way up, and find a way to put me back at
22:43the bottom.
22:44Zoe closed the register.
22:45The look on her face made her opinion plain.
22:48If Mr. Hale truly wishes to put that forward, Alice will need to answer a question first.
22:53On behalf of Mrs. Walker, if a servant at the Alphas' estate is found to be lazy, dishonest, or worse,
22:59disloyal to their master, how should they be handled?
23:02This was her moment.
23:03Forgiveness, of course.
23:05Servants are people, too.
23:06The right approach is patience and reform.
23:09Casting them out would only make the Alpha look cold and unforgiving.
23:14She glanced at me when she finished, satisfied with herself.
23:19Father nodded along beside her.
23:22Zoe turned to me, Miss Eva.
23:24Your thoughts.
23:29Disloyalty is not a mistake.
23:31You forgive.
23:31Once a servant betrays their master, they are a liability, not a person to be reformed.
23:36It doesn't matter how close they are to the Alpha himself.
23:39If they break faith, they go.
23:41No exceptions.
23:43How can you be so ruthless?
23:46These are the Alpha's own people.
23:49That's exactly what Mrs. Walker wanted to hear.
23:52That's the kind of Luna this pack needs.
23:55Mrs. Walker's exact words.
23:57The second daughter of the Hale family is never to set foot inside the Alpha's estate.
24:01Not once.
24:02Not ever.
24:03And just like that, I walked into the Alpha's estate as the one and only Luna dot.
24:08Alice's hatred could have set the house on fire.
24:10That night, she broke everything she could get her hands on dot faces, ceramic jars, decorative faces, screaming and screaming
24:16and sobbing until her voice gave out between the crashes.
24:20Peasant.
24:22Peasant.
24:23Peasant.
24:23Worthless.
24:24Enough!
24:25Useless.
24:27Get a message to Mr. Allen.
24:29The old Duke is looking for a new mate, isn't he?
24:32Send Alice.
24:34I heard about this later.
24:36Mr. Allen was not simply an older man with a preference for young women.
24:40He was past 70 violent by nature.
24:42At least three women in his household had died under his roof.
24:46What I couldn't understand, even knowing everything I knew about about my father, was why he would throw his beloved
24:50an elder at a place like that.
24:52There was something he wasn't telling anyone.
24:55Not yet.
24:59The day of our bonding ceremony, the Alphas' estate was lit up through every window.
25:03It was exactly grand and notto, draw every eye in the region, and cover what was happening at the Hill
25:07House at the same time.
25:08A plane carriage slipped out the back while no one was watching.
25:11Alice was inside Dot, bound.
25:13Gagged with a silencing tonic.
25:15Father had made sure she couldn't make a sound.
25:17The official story, she'd been sent to the Moon Temple for reflection.
25:20The truth, she was delivered to the old duke through her back entrance like something being returned.
25:25In my last life, I was the one in that carriage.
25:27I had sat in that dark, jolting the paw hand-tunched of the Moon Temple.
25:31Now it was Alice.
25:38Turned, I thought of the way she had stood over me in the snow, and I felt nothing but cold
25:41satisfaction.
25:42Your own fair's gift to you, Alice.
25:44I hope you receive it well.
25:46The estate gates opened.
25:47Nathan stood in full ceremonial armor torches lining the path behind him.
25:51He was always severe, that face, those eyes Dot, but in the amber light of the altar something in him
25:55softened, just at the edges.
25:57We completed the bonding ceremony.
26:02Dot afterward.
26:03I sat on the edge of the bed, gripping the sheets, my heart louder than I wanted it to be.
26:08I had clawed my way back to this moment, reclaimed everything they had taken from me.
26:12Dot, but this part, I had no memory to draw from.
26:15No experience.
26:16No?
26:17Nathan looked at me.
26:19Eva.
26:20From tonight.
26:21If the sky falls, I'll be the one holding it up.
26:25You are my only Luna.
26:27He tipped his head back and drained his cup.
26:29I watched his throat move.
26:32Why did you help me?
26:34Because you're sharp.
26:36And you don't flinch.
26:39I don't need someone to stand behind me, Eva.
26:42I need someone who can fight beside me.
26:46That day, till dawn, he did sapping down.
26:57Next morning, Mrs. Mocker took one look at the shadows under my eyes and beam.
27:02She sat me down, lifted a crown from its box, and placed it on my head herself.
27:09This was mine once.
27:11It suits you better.
27:13I heard about Alice.
27:15Apparently she's been causing chaos at the old Duke's estate.
27:19Robert Allen, that man is, well, she'll survive, probably, but it won't be comfortable.
27:31I had stopped wondering about Alice.
27:33Whatever she was living through, it wasn't good.
27:35That was enough.
27:37Life inside the estate settled faster than I'd expected.
27:40I moved through the household methodically.
27:43One by one, I found the one skimming, betraying me, and smiling to hide it.
27:46I dealt with each of them cleanly, Dot.
27:50After that, this graph ran like water downhill.
27:52No one tested me twice.
27:55But Nathan had been off for several days running gray skies.
27:58Steady rain, his steady light burned past midnight.
28:00He came to meet me, or not at all.
28:02His temper had a shorter fuse than usual.
28:05When I brought food to his study one evening, I found him with two fingers pressed to his temple.
28:12The same look I'd seen seen on Mrs. Walker a hundred times, Dot, so it ran in the family.
28:18This headache that never quite left.
28:20I went back to my room and opened my remedy books.
28:23I adjusted the formula, added a measure of sacred head packed spring water,
28:27and spent the better part of the night stitching a small sleep pillow by hand packing the herbs inside myself.
28:32The next afternoon, while Nathan was out, I slipped into his room and swapped his pillow for mine.
28:37That night, Nathan came home late.
28:39I was already in bed, pretending to sleep.
28:41Half conscious, I felt the mattress sink beside me.
28:51When I woke the next morning, his side of the bed was already empty.
28:55From the outer room, I heard Zoe surprised.
28:59Alpha! You slept in today?
29:01Nathan's voice was unhurried.
29:03Slept deeply. No headache.
29:06I smiled to myself. The pillow worked.
29:08At dinner, he reached over and placed a piece of fish in my bowl.
29:12The pillow. You made it?
29:13I nodded.
29:16He looked at me for a moment, something unreadable in his eyes, and then the corner of his mouth lifted.
29:22The stitching is a bit rough, but the scent, I like it.
29:25The stitching was fine.
29:27He just wouldn't say what he actually meant.
29:29After that, the pillow was his alone.
29:31No one was permitted to touch it.
29:33He stopped walking around with that permanent scowl.
29:35Some evenings, he'd call me into the study and teach me calligraphy.
29:40My characters had always been crooked.
29:42I grew up on a farm, not in a classroom.
29:46He'd wrap his hand around Manin Guide, each stroke his chest against my back.
29:50One evening, I knocked over the ink.
29:52He moved without thinking sleeve down to catch it, and the cuff soaked through black.
29:55I grabbed a cloth and dabbed at it.
29:57It spread worse.
30:01Leave it.
30:02It's just a robe.
30:03I took it back to my room anyway, and stayed up embroidering a cluster of valyrian grass over the stain.
30:08Nathan saw it and scoffed.
30:10How childish.
30:12Then wore that robe every single day.
30:18I wasn't looking for news about the Hale family.
30:21It kept arriving anyway.
30:23Alice was miserable at the Duke's estate.
30:25Robert had particular tastes.
30:28The smallest inconvenience earned a lashing.
30:31Alice was covered in marks, but she was alive.
30:33Running entirely on hatred.
30:36All of it pointed at me.
30:37She had found her pudding, though.
30:39She gave the Duke a tonic called it a stimulant, something rare.
30:43It worked well enough that he became very attached to her after that.
30:47I laughed when I heard what it actually was.
30:50It was the same compound used on the forced day of the carriage.
30:54The frenzy drug just watered down.
30:56Enough to make an old man feel young for an hour.
30:58He was devoted to her after that.
31:01But my informant sent different news.
31:03Alice's people had been quietly buying cinnabar and liquid mercury.
31:07Separately.
31:08Both medicinal dot combined.
31:10A lethal poison.
31:11She wouldn't use it on Robert.
31:13He was her only shield.
31:15Which left one other target.
31:17I set the letter down and tapped the table.
31:20Nathan's birthday was the 8th of next month.
31:23So that was her move.
31:24If she wanted to come for me, I'd make it very easy for her.
31:28I called my trusted mate over and spoke quietly in her ear.
31:33She nodded once and left.
31:38moved.
31:38She nodded once and left.
31:38She doesn't serve her.
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