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