- 2 hours ago
Reborn Luna’s Vengeance - Full
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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.
00:32Swore it wasn't intentional.
00:33They didn't believe me, Father scoffed.
00:35You pulled that stunt for attention.
00:38You disgraced this family.
00:40And now you want to blame someone else?
00:42Mother sighed.
00:43You lost a bond, that's all.
00:45Don't be so dramatic.
00:46Alice married the Alpha in glory.
00:48I was exiled to the Frost border.
00:50And I died there, frozen.
00:52Before I took my last breath,
00:53I found out Mother hadn't pulled that thread.
00:56She had cut it.
00:57On 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.
01:19All 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 alright?
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 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.
02:25Don't be too hard on her mother.
02:26She 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!
02:37Do you have any idea what it means to keep the Alpha waiting?
02:41He 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.
03:11This is the Hale family heirloom.
03:14Priceless.
03:14She lifted out a necklace, crystals catching the light, and clasped it around Alice's neck
03:19herself.
03:20Thank 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.
03:31Old 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.
03:56Putting 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.
04:09So they left me behind.
04:10They only brought me back.
04:12Because the Alpha came calling.
04:14His family had an old betrothal agreement.
04:16The firstborn Hale daughter.
04:18Elise 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.
04:29Two 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.
04:39His actual blood.
04:41His wife found out years ago and she brought the girl home.
04:43Called 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.
05:43Turning the crystals in the light.
05:44Admiring her own reflection.
05:46The Alpha's head steward, Zoe, was riding with us.
05:49Officially, she was there to attend to us.
05:50In reality, she was watching, taking 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, loud 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 necklace earlier.
06:22Passed it off as her own.
06:23Mrs. Walker loved me to go out to sleep.
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.
06:47It 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 stuffy heat.
07:10She took the pellets.
07:11Placed one under her tongue.
07:13Within moments,
07:14The 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,
07:33our pack healer back at the estate should be embarrassed.
07:36Alice twisted her handkerchief in her lap.
07:38My semi-searing nest.
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 worded 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.
08:35I 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.
09:01Come 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, and the sash I had loosened back
09:26at the house, the one she never noticed, finally gave way.
09:30That 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.
09:42Alice froze.
09:44She felt the cold air first.
09:46Then she looked down, and screamed.
09:49Chaos erupted.
09:50Women screamed.
09:52But above it all, I felt it.
09:54A gaze.
09:55Heavy, cold 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, fans raised, faces turned away, Mrs. Walker's expression
10:17went 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?
10:28Then, I 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.
11:15Mrs. Walker's migraine had returned.
11:16She sat with two fingers pressed to her temple.
11:19Face drained of color.
11:20That is when Lady Allen appeared.
11:22A 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.
11:55They assumed everyone else did too.
11:57What they didn't understand about Mrs. Walker,
11:59a 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,
12:11custom 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.
13:17You're a thoughtful girl.
13:18Out of the corner of my eye,
13:19a tall figure had stopped at the moon gate at the edge of the garden,
13:22still 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,
13:32who 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,
13:38Mrs. Walker had my hand in hers,
13:39asking about my life,
13:41my interests,
13:41what 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,
13:50just slightly,
13:50just enough to plosh wine across my sleeve.
13:53My sincerest apologies, Miss Eva.
13:55Clumsy fool!
13:56Get out of my sight!
13:57The maid scurried off, head bowed,
13:59and 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!
14:09Where 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,
14:37perhaps 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,
14:48I put myself above my own sister.
14:51A flicker of satisfaction crossed Alice's face.
14:53She nodded to the maid,
14:54the same one who had spilled the wine,
14:56to come forward and search me.
14:57The maid ran her hands along my sides,
14:59patted down my sleeves,
15:00then 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,
15:07embroidered with cloud patterns.
15:08The room erupted.
15:09Alice 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?
15:18A man's hand to catch.
15:19His most personal item.
15:21If father finds out,
15:22you'll hang for this.
15:24Eva,
15:26I would not have expected this of you.
15:28The ladies around me
15:29had already begun to whisper,
15:30eyes sharp,
15:31heads 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
15:42the full moon rises.
15:45She looked up at me,
15:46triumphant,
15:46waiting for me to crumble,
15:47to drop to my knees
15:48and to beg.
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
16:01the gift of prophecy, Alice?
16:02She went.
16:03What?
16:04I don't know what you're talking about.
16:06The handkerchief was folded.
16:07The writing was on the inside.
16:09Completely hidden.
16:11So how did you know
16:11there were words on it
16:12before anyone unfolded it?
16:14Did you write them yourself?
16:16Or did you prepare
16:17this whole thing in advance?
16:19Alice's face went rigid.
16:20Her pupils shrank.
16:21A bead of sweat
16:22traced down her temple.
16:24I...
16:24I...
16:25Nothing came out.
16:26And you?
16:27We both know
16:28you slipped that handkerchief
16:29into 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
16:36collapsed to the floor.
16:38She looked up
16:38and her eyes
16:39went straight to Alice.
16:40Alice's composure shattered.
16:42Don't look at me!
16:43Your hands are dirty,
16:44not mine!
16:45Then a voice cut through
16:46the room from the doorway low,
16:48unhurried, absolute.
16:49Something went missing
16:50from my stables
16:51a few days ago.
16:53So that's where
16:53it ended up.
16:54The entire room turned.
16:55Nathan walked in
16:57like the air itself
16:57had decided to move
16:58out of his way.
16:59He stopped beside me,
17:00reading...
17:01My words,
17:02embroidered in my hand.
17:04Tell me, Miss Alice,
17:05how exactly did you
17:06come to recognize them?
17:10Alice's knees gave out.
17:12She caught herself
17:12on the edge of a chair.
17:13You bribed a servant
17:14in my own estate.
17:15You stole my personal propriety
17:17and you used it
17:18to 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
17:26from her seat,
17:27her whole body shaking,
17:28and slammed her palm
17:29on the table.
17:30She ran her schemes
17:31all the way up
17:32to the alpha himself.
17:33The audacity.
17:35Someone deal with her.
17:36But two older women
17:37moved in fast.
17:38They grabbed Alice
17:39by the shoulders
17:39and didn't hold back.
17:40The sound of it
17:41echoed through the hall.
17:42By the third strike,
17:43Alice's face had begun
17:44to swell blood
17:45at the corner of her mouth.
17:47Hair coming undone.
17:48She was sobbing,
17:49gasping,
17:49calling for her parents.
17:51I watched without moving.
17:52For the first time,
17:53it felt satisfying.
17:54Nathan glanced sideways
17:55at 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
18:03as a proper banquet
18:03had been reduced to rubble.
18:05When it was finally over,
18:06Mrs. Walker took my hand
18:08in both of hers
18:08and walked me
18:09to the entrance herself,
18:10apologizing the whole way,
18:11making sure everyone saw.
18:13The message was unmistakable.
18:14We're now circling back,
18:16all warmth and flattery.
18:17Funny how quickly
18:18the room turns
18:18when the alpha's mother
18:19is holding your hand.
18:23I settled into the carriage
18:25and glanced at Alice.
18:26Her face was swollen
18:27on both sides.
18:28She glared at me
18:28from her corner.
18:29One hand pressed to her cheek.
18:31Somehow,
18:32my parents had already heard.
18:33They were both in the carriage.
18:34Father sat with his chest heaving,
18:36jaw set,
18:36saying nothing.
18:37Mother was dabbing ointment
18:38on Alice's face,
18:39tears streaming down her own.
18:42You're a curse on this family.
18:44Wasn't it enough?
18:45Did you have to destroy
18:45your own sister?
18:46You knew what she was doing.
18:47Why didn't you say
18:48something earlier
18:49instead of letting
18:49the whole family be humiliated?
18:51I leaned back
18:52against the carriage wall
18:53and closed my eyes.
18:54That's interesting, mother.
18:56When Alice was planting
18:57stolen evidence on me,
18:59did she stop to think
19:00of me as family?
19:01If that accusation had stuck,
19:02it would have been
19:02the hall name
19:03dragged through the dirt,
19:04not just mine.
19:05Father's hand shut up.
19:06I turned my head.
19:08His palm cut through empty air.
19:09He held it there for a moment,
19:10suspended,
19:11then dropped it
19:11and looked away.
19:13We'll deal with you at home.
19:15The carriage.
19:16Then it started moving along,
19:17the road had narrowed.
19:18The turns were sharper.
19:20We were climbing cliffs
19:21on one side,
19:21a sheer drop on the other.
19:23The horses screamed.
19:24Something had spooked them,
19:25or worse,
19:25and suddenly they were building.
19:27Full sprint.
19:28No control.
19:29What's happening?
19:30Stop the carriage!
19:31Someone stop it!
19:32Alice was thrown sideways,
19:33tumbling across the carriage floor,
19:35screaming.
19:36I grabbed the window frame
19:37and 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,
19:43and not from the road,
19:44this hadn't happened in my last life.
19:45They were moving faster than I'd expected.
19:47I'd rattled them today,
19:49and 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.
20:04So did Mother.
20:05So did Alice.
20:06None of them would ride this carriage off a cliff
20:08unless they had a way out.
20:10Then I saw it.
20:11Father had already pulled Alice and Mother close.
20:14His hand reached beneath the bench,
20:15a hidden compartment,
20:16and 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
20:23and walk away from the grass.
20:25The carriage lurched.
20:26My grip slipped,
20:27and I went through the door.
20:29The fall never came.
20:30An arm caught me mid-air,
20:31iron solid,
20:32and pulled me hard against a chest.
20:33I 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
20:42and taken down the horses,
20:44playing with the sights,
20:45dropping them to their knees.
20:46I looked up.
20:47Nathan looked down.
20:48Those dark eyes held mine for a moment.
20:50Eva,
20:51it seems there are quite a few people
20:53with an interest in your life ending.
20:56He set me on my feet and stepped away.
20:59Not far from us,
21:01the three of them were crawling out of the wreckage,
21:03scraped,
21:04shaken alive.
21:05Nathan walked to the nearest horse,
21:07ran a finger along its mouth,
21:09and brought it to his nose.
21:12Stimulant poison
21:13drives them into a frenzy.
21:15The horse would have been dead within ten miles.
21:17I stood and watched my parents
21:19check 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
21:28had still wanted them to be my family.
21:29It went quiet.
21:30For good,
21:31Nathan came back to where I stood
21:32and held out his hand.
21:34Get in my carriage.
21:35I'll take you home.
21:41Maybe the carriage accident
21:42had simply been too terrible.
21:44Three days later,
21:45the Alpha's wedding gifts
21:46arrived at the Hale House.
21:47An entire procession
21:49through the front gate,
21:49boxes carried by uniformed attendants.
21:52The kind of display
21:52the whole street would remember.
21:54In my last life,
21:55this moment had belonged to Alice.
21:57Now,
21:58Zoe stood in the main hall
21:59and read from the gift register
22:01item by item.
22:02Unhurried,
22:03with every entry,
22:04Alice lost a little more color.
22:05Mother kept shifting in her seat,
22:07throwing father-pointed looks.
22:09He cleared his throat
22:10and cut Zoe off mid-sentence.
22:12Zoe,
22:13regarding this marriage arrangement,
22:15is there any room
22:16for 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
22:26carrying the role of Luna.
22:28Perhaps Alice
22:29could accompany Eva
22:30to the estate
22:32as a companion
22:33to the Alpha.
22:37She could support her sister
22:38from within the household.
22:41A companion,
22:42so Luna was off the table.
22:44Now they were angling
22:45for Mistress.
22:46Sammy goal,
22:46different door.
22:47Get Alice inside the estate,
22:49let her work her way up,
22:50and find a way
22:51to put me back at the bottom.
22:52Zoe closed the register.
22:53The look on her face
22:55made her opinion plain.
22:56If Mr. Hale truly wishes
22:58to put that forward,
22:59Alice will need to answer
23:00a question first.
23:01On behalf of Mrs. Walker,
23:03if a servant
23:04at the Alpha's estate
23:05is found to be lazy,
23:06dishonest,
23:07or worse,
23:07disloyal to their master,
23:09how should they be handled?
23:10This was her moment.
23:12Forgiveness, of course.
23:13Servants are people, too.
23:15The right approach
23:16is patience and reform.
23:18Casting them out
23:18would only make the Alpha
23:19look cold and unforgiving.
23:22She glanced at me
23:23when she finished,
23:24satisfied with herself.
23:28Father nodded along
23:29beside her.
23:30Zoe turned to me,
23:32Miss Eva.
23:33Your thoughts.
23:38Disloyalty is not a mistake.
23:39You forgive.
23:40Once a servant
23:41betrays their master,
23:42they are a liability,
23:43not a person
23:44to be reformed.
23:45It doesn't matter
23:46how close they are
23:47to the Alpha himself.
23:48If they break faith,
23:49they go.
23:50No exceptions.
23:52How can you be so ruthless?
23:55These are the Alpha's
23:56own people.
23:58That's exactly what
23:59Mrs. Walker wanted to hear.
24:00That's the kind of Luna
24:01this pack needs.
24:04Mrs. Walker's exact words.
24:06The second daughter
24:06of the Hale family
24:07is never to set foot
24:08inside the Alpha's estate.
24:10Not once.
24:11Not ever.
24:12And just like that,
24:13I walked into the Alpha's
24:14estate as the one
24:15and only Luna Dot.
24:17Alice's hatred
24:18could have set
24:18the house on fire.
24:20That night,
24:20she broke everything
24:21she could get her hands
24:21on Dot bases.
24:22Ceramic jars,
24:23decorative cakes,
24:24screaming and screaming
24:25and sobbing until her voice
24:26gave out between the crashes.
24:30Peasant.
24:32Worthless.
24:33Enough!
24:34Useless!
24:36Get a message
24:37to Mr. Allen.
24:38The old Duke
24:39is looking for a new mate,
24:40isn't he?
24:41Send Alice.
24:43I heard about this later.
24:45Mr. Allen
24:46was not simply
24:47an older man
24:47with a preference
24:48for young women.
24:49He was past 70
24:50violent by nature.
24:51At least three women
24:52in his household
24:53had died under his roof.
24:55What I couldn't understand
24:56even knowing
24:56everything I knew
24:57about my father
24:58was why he would
24:58throw his beloved
24:59around a place like that.
25:01There was something
25:02he wasn't telling anyone.
25:04Not yet.
25:08The day of our bonding ceremony,
25:10the Alpha's estate
25:10was lit up
25:11with every window.
25:12It was exactly
25:13grand and notto
25:14draw every eye
25:14in the region
25:15and cover what was
25:16happening at the
25:16whole house
25:17at the same time.
25:18A plane carriage
25:19slipped out the back
25:19while no one was watching.
25:21Alice was inside
25:22Dot, bound.
25:23Gagged with a silencing tonic.
25:24Father had made sure
25:25she couldn't make a sound.
25:26The official story
25:27she'd been sent
25:28to the Moon Temple
25:29for reflection.
25:30The truth
25:30she was delivered
25:31to the old Duke
25:31through his back entrance
25:32like something being returned.
25:34In my last life
25:35I was the one
25:35in that carriage.
25:36I had sat in that dark
25:38jolting before
25:38a hand-tonged
25:39of Moon Temple.
25:40Now it was Alice.
25:47Turned I thought
25:47of the way
25:48she had stood
25:48over me in the snow
25:49and I felt
25:50nothing but cold
25:50satisfaction.
25:51Your own
25:52fear's gift to you.
25:53Alice.
25:53I hope you receive it well.
25:55The estate gates opened.
25:57Nathan stood in full
25:57ceremonial armor torches
25:59lining the path
25:59behind him.
26:00He was always severe,
26:01that face,
26:02those eyes dot,
26:03but in the amber light
26:03of the altar
26:04something in him
26:05softened,
26:05just at the edges.
26:06We completed
26:07the bonding ceremony.
26:11Dot afterward,
26:12I sat on the edge
26:13of the bed
26:13gripping the sheets
26:14my heart louder
26:15than I wanted it to be.
26:17I had clawed my way
26:18back to this moment
26:19reclaimed everything
26:19they had taken from me.
26:21Dot,
26:22but this part
26:22I had no memory
26:23to draw from.
26:24No experience.
26:25No.
26:26Nathan looked at me.
26:28Eva.
26:29From tonight.
26:31If the sky falls,
26:32I'll be the one
26:33holding it up.
26:34You are my only Luna.
26:36He tipped his head back
26:37and drained his cup.
26:38I watched his throat move.
26:41Why did you help me?
26:43Because you're sharp.
26:45And you don't flinch.
26:49I don't need someone
26:50to stand behind me, Eva.
26:51I need someone
26:52who can fight beside me.
26:56That done.
26:57Till dawn.
26:58He didn't sapping down.
27:07Next morning,
27:08Mrs. Walker took one look
27:09at the shadows
27:10under my izan beam.
27:12She sat me down,
27:13lifted a crown from its box
27:14and 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
27:25causing chaos
27:26at the old Duke's estate.
27:29Robert Allen.
27:30That man is...
27:32Well,
27:33she'll survive.
27:35Probably.
27:37But...
27:37But it won't be comfortable.
27:41I had stopped wondering
27:42about Alice.
27:43Whatever she was living through,
27:44it wasn't good.
27:45That was enough.
27:47Life inside the estate
27:48settled faster
27:49than I'd expected.
27:50I moved through
27:51the household methodically.
27:53One by one,
27:54I found the one skimming,
27:55betraying me,
27:55and smiling to hide it.
27:56I dealt with each of them
27:57cleanly, Dot.
28:00After that,
28:01this graph ran like water
28:01downhill.
28:02No one tested me twice.
28:04But Nathan,
28:06been off for several days
28:07running gray skies,
28:08steady rain,
28:08his steady light
28:09burned past midnight.
28:10He came to meet me,
28:11or not at all.
28:12His temper had a shorter
28:13fuse than usual.
28:14When I brought food
28:15to his study one evening,
28:16I found him with two fingers
28:17pressed to his temple.
28:22The same look I'd seen
28:24seen on Mrs. Walker
28:25a hundred times,
28:26Dot,
28:26so it ran in the family.
28:28This headache
28:28that never quite left.
28:30I went back to my room
28:31and opened my remedy books.
28:33I adjusted the formula,
28:34added a measure
28:35of sacred pack spring water,
28:36and spent the better part
28:37of the night
28:38stitching a small sleep pillow
28:39by hand packing
28:40the herbs inside myself.
28:41The next afternoon,
28:43while Nathan was out,
28:44I slipped into his room
28:45and swapped his pillow
28:46for mine.
28:47That night,
28:47Nathan came home late.
28:48I was already in bed,
28:50pretending to sleep.
28:51Half conscious,
28:52I felt the mattress
28:52sink beside me.
29:01When I woke the next morning,
29:03his side of the bed
29:03was already empty.
29:05From the outer room,
29:06I 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.
29:18At dinner,
29:19he reached over
29:20and placed a piece of fish
29:21in my bowl.
29:22The pillow.
29:23You made it?
29:24I nodded.
29:26He looked at me for a moment,
29:27something unreadable in his eyes,
29:29and then the corner
29:29of his mouth lifted.
29:32The stitching is a bit rough,
29:34but the scent,
29:34I like it.
29:35The stitching was fine.
29:37He just wouldn't say
29:38what he actually meant.
29:39After that,
29:40the pillow was his alone.
29:41No one was permitted
29:42to touch it.
29:43He stopped walking around
29:44with that permanent scowl.
29:45Some evenings,
29:46he'd call me into the study
29:47and teach me calligraphy.
29:50My characters
29:51had always been crooked.
29:53I grew up on a farm,
29:54not in a classroom.
29:56He'd wrap his hand
29:57around Manim Guide,
29:58each stroke his chest
29:59against my back.
30:00One evening,
30:01I knocked over the ink.
30:02He moved without thinking
30:03sleeve down to catch it,
30:04and the cuff soaked through black.
30:05I grabbed a cloth
30:06and dabbed at it.
30:07It spread worse.
30:11Leave it.
30:12It's just a robe.
30:13I took it back
30:14to my room anyway
30:15and stayed up
30:15embroidering a cluster
30:16of valyrian grass
30:17over the stain.
30:18Nathan saw it and scoffed.
30:21How childish.
30:22Then wore that robe
30:23every single day.
30:28I wasn't looking for news
30:30about the Hale family.
30:31It kept arriving anyway.
30:33Alice was miserable
30:34at the Duke's estate.
30:36Robert had particular tastes,
30:38The smallest inconvenience
30:40earned a lashing.
30:41Alice was covered in marks
30:43but she was alive,
30:44running entirely on hatred.
30:46All of it pointed at me.
30:48She had found her pudding, though.
30:50She gave the Duke
30:51a tonic called it a stimulant,
30:53something rare.
30:54It worked well enough
30:55that he became
30:56very attached to her
30:57after that.
30:58I laughed when I heard
30:59what it actually was.
31:01It was the same compound
31:02used on the first day
31:03of the carriage.
31:04The frenzy drug
31:05just watered down.
31:06Enough to make an old man
31:07feel young for an hour.
31:09He was devoted to her
31:10after that.
31:11But my informant
31:12sent different news.
31:14Alice's people
31:15had been quietly buying
31:16cinnabar and liquid mercury,
31:18separately.
31:19Both medicinal dot combined,
31:21a lethal poison.
31:22She wouldn't use it on Robert.
31:24He was her only shield,
31:25which left one other target.
31:27I set the letter down
31:29and tapped the table.
31:30Nathan's birthday
31:31was the 8th of next month.
31:33So that was her move.
31:35If she wanted to come for me,
31:37I'd make it very easy for her.
31:39I called my trusted mate over
31:41and spoke quietly in her ear.
31:43She nodded once and left.
31:45She nodded once and left.
31:47She nodded once and left.
31:48She nodded once and left.
31:49I moved out toolare her.
31:49But my ochre
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