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