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Destroy My Silver Wolf Bloodline？I'll Marry a Top Alpha Then engsub watchfull🧲🍿🍿
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00:00The night before my wedding, my hair was gone.
00:02The silver hair passed down through generations of the Warwick Bloodline,
00:05the symbol of our lineage that could summon wolf packs under the full moon
00:08and make even the most feral beasts submit by instinct,
00:10had been shaved off while I passed out.
00:13I lay there with my bare scalp exposed, and I saw Zoe standing beside the bed.
00:16She wore a black tactical vest.
00:18She was fiddling with a bone blade in her hand.
00:20The blade had been coated with wolf bone extract.
00:21She grinned at Liam.
00:23She hasn't even completed her first transformation.
00:26What gives her the right to stand beside an alpha?
00:28Liam's inner circle howled along with her.
00:30Zoe, that's not really fair.
00:31One of them chummed in.
00:32That sleep sashage was a gift from the alpha himself.
00:34Wolf bait mixed with moonflower, enough to knock out a bear.
00:36The marking ceremony's tomorrow.
00:37Zoe waved a hand to dismissively.
00:39Not that it matters anyway.
00:40Once she's in our pack, her status was always up for re-evaluation.
00:42Looking like this, she's perfect for starting from the lowest rung.
00:45Amid the roaring laughter filling the room, Liam glanced at me.
00:48Just one glance, then he looked away.
00:50They're all brothers who fought alongside me in the north.
00:52He said.
00:52Just a joke. Don't take it seriously.
00:53Just wrap a veil around your head tomorrow. No one will notice.
00:55He paused. His tone suddenly softened.
00:57And you're still the woman I'm going to mark.
00:59My Luna.
01:00I shifted my body slightly.
01:02The drug hadn't worn off yet.
01:03My limbs felt like they were filled with lead.
01:05He didn't wait for my response.
01:06He turned around and walked out of the bedroom with his men.
01:08The door closed.
01:09The room was left with just me and that herbal sashage,
01:12still swaying slightly above the headboard.
01:13The way he looked at me was cold.
01:15Cold as if he was staring at a stranger.
01:17He was my chosen mate.
01:18The mate I chose.
01:19Not the one the moon goddess chose for me.
01:21I thought choosing for myself meant I was guaranteed to be right.
01:24I spent six years proving one thing.
01:26I was wrong.
01:29Got it from the Scottish Highlands.
01:31Added some moonflower from the border.
01:33Best thing for sleep.
01:35Rest well.
01:36Be my most beautiful bride tomorrow.
01:40Natalie, don't be mad.
01:42Zoe's always had a big mouth.
01:44We drove all night.
01:47Crossed three states.
01:48We thought it was a surprise.
01:54I looked at the hair scattered across the carpet.
01:56It was dead.
01:56Living silver hair flowed with moonlight.
01:58When my grandmother died, her hair was silver to the very last strand.
02:00My mother broke a leg and her hair still fell silver to her waist.
02:03That was the power of the Warwick She-Wolves bloodline.
02:05Not decoration, but a vessel of strength.
02:07The root of sensing beasts calling upon moonlight and shielding the pack.
02:10Now it lay like snipped dead electrical wires.
02:12Blanketing the floor in a dark mass.
02:14The moment it left my scalp, the luster died.
02:16I tried to extend my senses, reaching toward the window.
02:18Nothing.
02:18That sensory domain, once as clear as flowing water, felt like it had been filled with cement overnight.
02:22As if something, at some point, had already died.
02:25And I didn't even know when that moment had started.
02:30I was just curious.
02:31What kind of woman is worthy of Alpha Liam's mark?
02:35Now I see.
02:37Unworthy.
02:40Every wolf in that room understood exactly what she meant.
02:43Chosen mate.
02:44Pledged mate.
02:45I chose him.
02:46He chose me.
02:47I thought that was love.
02:48It wasn't until tonight that I realized.
02:50This so-called choice was nothing but a handout he could snatch back whenever he felt like it.
02:54Natalie.
02:55Zoe meant no harm.
02:59She's been like this since we were kids.
03:01Never thinks before she speaks.
03:03Don't hold it against her.
03:05Whether I think you're worthy or not, Liam's still gonna mark you.
03:09So what are you still upset about?
03:13Just drape a long veil over your head tomorrow?
03:16Who's going notice?
03:17I said nothing.
03:19I didn't cry either.
03:20From the moment I woke up until now, not a single tear had fallen.
03:24Liam sighed and reached for my hand.
03:26I pulled away.
03:28He froze.
03:29He probably never imagined I would pull away.
03:32After they left, I sat there, pressing my palms against my temples.
03:35That pain was back.
03:36Not the stinging from having my hair shaved off, but something deeper.
03:39A burning sensation, like something was struggling desperately to break out from within.
03:43This feeling had actually been following me for six years now.
03:47Zoe is my second in command.
03:49She has no filter, but she means well.
03:52Let's leave it at that, okay?
03:54His voice softened.
03:55His calming scent washed over me.
03:57Natalie, I gave you the Sanch.
03:59If I knew Zoe would use it to pull something like this, I...
04:02He didn't finish.
04:04I looked at his face.
04:06A face I had looked at for so many years.
04:09Twelve years old, a bunch of young wolves were bullying me.
04:12Liam shattered one of their jaws.
04:15He got suspended for a month.
04:17He said it was worth it.
04:19Fifteen.
04:20My first awakening.
04:22But it wasn't a full wolf form, just the senses.
04:26He showed up at my father's estate gore the very next morning.
04:29He didn't wait a single day.
04:31That very day, something deep within my scalp trembled lightly,
04:35like the tip of a thread quietly pulling taut in a certain direction.
04:39I paid it no attention.
04:41All I saw was Liam standing in the morning light.
04:44His eyes red-rimmed.
04:45Eighteen.
04:46Before he was deployed to the north, he gripped my hand at the airport,
04:50eyes reddening, and said he'd come back.
04:53And hold the marking ceremony with me.
04:55He spent three years out there.
04:57I spent three years waiting for him in my apartment in New York.
05:02Every full moon, that thread buried deep in my soul would burn hot once.
05:07I thought it was longing.
05:09And now, that satchad was still hanging above the headboard, making me sick.
05:13I didn't press him for more answers.
05:16The answers no longer mattered.
05:19Did he know about Zoe's plan?
05:20Did it make a difference?
05:22He indulged her.
05:24Like he always did.
05:26That wasn't the first time he'd indulged her at my expense.
05:30Last year, I practically begged my father for permission to visit him in the Northern Territory.
05:34I stood outside his tactical tent for three hours.
05:37I had someone announced my arrival three times.
05:40Zoe had posted a sign outside the tent.
05:42No entry.
05:43Authorized personnel only, including Natalie.
05:45He walked out and looked at me.
05:47His face was cold.
05:48Blame yourself.
05:50I should have known back then.
05:51That was the first time I truly felt it.
05:54My place in his heart didn't even weigh as much as a prank from his second-in-command.
05:58Natalie, do you have to be this petty?
06:00Liam's voice was trembling.
06:02Zoe is my second-in-command!
06:04Do you know how many times she saved my life up north?
06:06She bled for three years in the Northern Territory.
06:08Gave way more than a sheltered princess like you who hides in your safe apartment.
06:12Moping about how lonely you are, you see every other woman as a rival in your head.
06:16Zoe's vision is far bigger than yours.
06:18What fills her heart is the safety of the entire pack.
06:21And you?
06:23You can't even see beyond the four walls of this apartment.
06:26Zoe tugged at his sleeve.
06:28Liam, that's enough.
06:30She's still the mate you're going to mark.
06:33So what?
06:34Liam shook off her hand.
06:35She's been living in her comfort zone for too long.
06:38Her world is this small.
06:40Zoe just wanted to test your alertness as a werewolf.
06:43It's the most basic prank in any pack.
06:45Why can't you just let it go?
06:46I sat on the bed and listened to every single word he said.
06:50That burning thread pulled tighter than ever before.
06:53Like something in a distant direction was trembling with fury.
06:56Not for Liam, but for me.
06:59I pressed my hand to my chest.
07:01I wanted to tell myself to let go of Liam.
07:03I thought I already had, but there was a dull ache in my chest.
07:07I looked at the hair on the carpet.
07:09My hair.
07:11And then I knew.
07:12I hated him.
07:13Once hatred takes root, there's no going back.
07:16The sky was growing light.
07:17The sound of a delivery truck came from the street below.
07:19Liam's expression shifted.
07:21He immediately took those inner circle members and slipped out through the fire escape.
07:24My mother, Sarah, pushed the door open.
07:25She was holding a cup black coffee.
07:26She glanced at the hair all over the floor.
07:28The cup wobbled in her hand.
07:29Coffee spilling onto the carpet.
07:31Natalie, who did this?
07:33I heard Zoe's soft laugh from the alley below.
07:36Mom, look at me.
07:37I need you to do something for me.
07:38Right now.
07:39I didn't dig through the ventry drawer.
07:40I didn't take out any ancient tokens.
07:42I closed my eyes and pressed down on my own chest.
07:45There was a thread there.
07:46It had been faintly present since the day I awakened at 15.
07:48Like a strand of silver spider thread buried deep within my wolf nature.
07:51I didn't choose that thread.
07:52It appeared without my permission the year I turned 15.
07:53It was the fated mate bond.
07:54True mate.
07:55Destined by fate itself.
07:56I had deliberately ignored it for six years because I thought the person I chose was the right one.
07:59Now I understood.
08:00The moon goddess never chooses wrong.
08:02I took a deep breath and gathered all my despair and rage into a silent howl.
08:06Pushing it out along that bond.
08:08It wasn't a cry for help.
08:09It was the first time in six years that I actively said, I'm here.
08:13That force was ancient.
08:14More primal than my family's blood oath.
08:16Like a current of silver electricity.
08:17It pierced through the steel and concrete of Manhattan.
08:19Through the morning light shooting towards a specific direction.
08:21Upper East Side.
08:22On the other end of my soul someone was waiting.
08:24That end, almost in the same instant, without a moment's hesitation, responded.
08:28Meanwhile, Upper East Side, New York.
08:30The ancient estate that was never open to outsiders.
08:32Nicholas stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows.
08:34He was holding an old pocket watch in his hand.
08:36It was too old.
08:37The gilded edges worn down to the brass beneath.
08:39A photo was embedded inside the watch cover.
08:40The profile of a 15-year-old girl at her awakening ceremony.
08:43That silver hair cascading over her shoulders like a waterfall.
08:45Six years ago, he first sensed that bond at the awakening ceremony.
08:49That scent belonging to her rushed into his soul, like a flame locked into his very bones.
08:54But she said she had chosen Lian.
08:56So he sealed that bond deep within his soul and waited for her.
09:00Waited for six years.
09:01In those six years, that bond was like a piece of shrapnel buried in his marrow.
09:06He felt it every single day.
09:07And every single day, he had to actively suppress it.
09:10There were a few times he nearly lost control.
09:12His second-in-command found him more than once in the early morning.
09:16Half the walls of his study smashed apart by his bare hands.
09:19He never explained.
09:21He just cleaned it up.
09:23Kept waiting.
09:24His second-in-command appeared at the door and bowed his head.
09:27Alpha, our people in the city detected a mate bond activation signal.
09:30Source, Miss Natalie Warwick.
09:32Target locked on you.
09:33The second-in-command paused, a cautious surprise in his voice.
09:36We didn't have time to react.
09:38You had already accepted it.
09:39Nicholas snacked the watch cover shut.
09:41In those golden wolf eyes was a killing intent, suppressed for far too long, that had finally
09:45found a righteous outlet.
09:47His fingers squeezed the watch case until the metal let out a faint groan.
09:50Send a reply to Miss Warwick.
09:52The ceremony proceeds as planned.
09:53Leave the rest to me.
09:54The second-in-command was about to withdraw, but was called back.
09:57One more thing.
09:58Bring out my mother's coronation crown.
10:00Notify Paris to dispatch a team of jewelists overnight.
10:02Adjust the measurements to Miss Warwick's file I wanted in New York before sunrise tomorrow.
10:06Also, pull the application documents from the Alliance.
10:08Joint confirmation from the three founding families.
10:11I submitted it three weeks ago.
10:12Understood.
10:13The final arbitration only requires notifying the three alphas to seal.
10:16Complete it tonight.
10:17The second-in-command left to carry out the orders.
10:19Nicholas placed the pocket watch back into his chest pocket, right against his heart.
10:24Then, to the empty room, he said six words, very softly.
10:28Not waiting anymore.
10:30Not this time.
10:31By evening, the reply arrived.
10:33Just one line.
10:34The ceremony proceeds as planned.
10:36Leave the rest to me.
10:37Along with the letter came a high-end carrying case.
10:39Opened, a homemade lace wig, so finely crafted that even my wolf eyes couldn't tell it was fake.
10:44A full set of custom diamond crown and jewelry.
10:46I couldn't sleep at all that night.
10:48I sat by the window, fingers tracing the pure white wedding dress.
10:51For the first time in all these years, it wasn't Liam on my mind.
10:55I truly hated him.
10:56In just a few more hours, I would be wearing this wedding dress, standing before another alpha.
11:01Nicholas, whom I had seen a few times at alliance meetings but had barely exchanged words with,
11:06and he sent a wig and a crown.
11:08Like it was nothing.
11:09I held the crown in my hands.
11:11Moonlight struck the diamond facets, scattering fine silver light looking exactly like the strands of my hair that had dyed
11:17on that carpet.
11:18The thread in my chest lay warm and quiet.
11:21Not burning.
11:22Just warmth.
11:23The bedroom door was suddenly shoved open.
11:26Liam.
11:26Behind him.
11:27Zoe.
11:28This time, he didn't bring anyone else.
11:30He saw me sitting there, holding the crown in my hands.
11:33The crest engraved on that crown was the wolf head emblem of the Lycan family.
11:36His face drained of color in an instant.
11:39Now we're even.
11:45I looked at those marks.
11:47A wave of nausea's chrumped into my stomach.
11:50That's Satche.
11:51You inhaled it and fell unconscious.
11:52She shrugged.
11:53The curve of her lips carried no guilt whatsoever.
11:55But for an alpha male to smell it, the reaction is completely different.
11:58Wolf bowed.
11:59Not some sleep syrup.
12:00A full dose knocks the she-wolf out cold, but the same amount pushes a male alpha into a rut.
12:04This, I knew from the start.
12:05My hand froze.
12:06You knew.
12:07I looked into her eyes.
12:09You knew from the very beginning.
12:11Zoe met my gaze.
12:12She neither denied nor explained.
12:13In her eyes was only a raw, primal satisfaction of being marked by Liam.
12:17I was prepping your gear.
12:18Probably got some residue on my skin.
12:20Liam caught the scent.
12:21He lost control in front of me and went into a frenzy.
12:23Didn't even give me time to run.
12:24She recited the excuse, word for word, like a script she had memorized.
12:29So there it is.
12:29You lost your hair.
12:30I paid with my body.
12:31We're even.
12:32I understood.
12:33She knew about the dual effect of wolf fails from the start.
12:36That night was her design.
12:37Shave my hair, then use the residual herb to trigger Liam.
12:40Two birds with one stone.
12:41Strip away my bloodline marker, then use the mark to bind Liam to her for good.
12:44It wasn't an accident.
12:48Natalie, given what happened, I need to give the pack an explanation.
12:52Tomorrow's marking ceremony.
12:54Let's postpone it for now.
12:56Postpone.
12:57Postpone again.
12:59I was 15 when he proposed.
13:01Now I'm 21.
13:03Six whole years.
13:05I had no more time to give him.
13:09I'm not postponing the ceremony.
13:11Natalie, do you have to be this impossible to reason with?
13:15Whether I'm easy to reason with or not,
13:19I'm putting on this wedding dress tomorrow.
13:21He stared at me for a long time.
13:23His gaze shifted from the wedding dress to the lion crown in my hands,
13:27then to my bare scalp.
13:28Fine.
13:29Since you have no intention of being considerate towards Zoe,
13:31all for a Luna title.
13:32He stopped at the door.
13:33Don't regret this.
13:35The door slammed shut behind me.
13:37I faced the mirror and put that wig on,
13:40securing the crown piece by piece.
13:42The woman in the mirror wore the crown of the lion family and a pure white wedding grass.
13:49She was nobody's second choice.
13:51Early the next morning,
13:52I stood before the mirror and put on that wig.
13:55I secured the diamond crown piece by piece.
13:57The pure white wedding dress was elegant and magnificent.
14:01It was time.
14:03My mother held my arm as we walked out.
14:05The apartment building's front door swung open,
14:07and I saw Liam.
14:08He was wearing an old leather jacket.
14:10Behind him were two mud-splashed pickup trucks idling by the curb.
14:13No stretch Lincoln.
14:14No wedding convoy.
14:15A few of his men slouched in the truck beds, looking hungover.
14:18There wasn't even a single decorative white rose on the vehicles.
14:22Natalie.
14:24My mom said the ceremony was canceled.
14:26The whole drive here, I kept thinking,
14:28you really weren't going to stay with me anymore.
14:30But now, seeing you dressed like this and coming out,
14:33I knew you changed your mind.
14:34I looked at those two beat-up pickup trucks.
14:37Is this how an alpha comes to claim his Luna?
14:39You're the one who insisted on holding the ceremony today.
14:41Considering Zoe's situation,
14:43I had to follow the protocol for accepting an unranked stray
14:45into the pack to pick you up.
14:47We'll hold a proper formal ceremony later,
14:49once things settle down.
14:50Unranked stray.
14:51Handmade lace trail.
14:52The Lycan family crown.
14:54Six generations of Warwick she-wolf bloodline flowing through me.
14:57And he said,
14:58unranked stray.
15:00The last half inch of warmth in my heart went completely cold.
15:03I am Natalie Wark,
15:05and I am nobody's backup plant.
15:10Look closely at what I'm wearing.
15:13I'm not going anywhere to be someone's sideshow.
15:17I told you yesterday,
15:19I have to give Zoe an explanation.
15:21She holds the real power.
15:22You hold the title.
15:23It's perfectly reasonable.
15:25You didn't have time to prepare?
15:28I let out a cold laugh.
15:31Liam,
15:32you proposed to me when I was 15.
15:36Six years.
15:38Six whole years.
15:39Who exactly-
15:40You're still holding on to that?
15:44Can you just try for once to see the bigger picture?
15:46Zoe just came down from the territory.
15:47The situation is complicated.
15:48Come with me today,
15:48you'll get everything you're owed.
15:49Do you really have to fight me on saving face right now?
15:51Liam instinctively turned sideways and reached for his gun.
15:53Heavy armored via back had just pick up truck gile
15:55and reached the scraping wall.
15:55Tire screamed against the asphalt.
15:57He snapped his head up.
15:58Those car doors slowly opened.
15:59Elite members in full tactical gear,
16:01wolf emblems of the Lycan pack engraved on their chest plates,
16:04sealed off the entire street.
16:06The luxury car boy trailing behind stretched for several blocks.
16:09Helicopters hovered overhead.
16:11The whole street went quiet.
16:13An alpha scent,
16:14carrying the raw edge of cedar and gunpowder,
16:16brutally crushed its way through the entire street.
16:19It wasn't meant to soothe.
16:20It was pure physiological domination.
16:22Liam's wolf let out a whimper deep in his soul.
16:24At the very front of the convoy,
16:26the door opened.
16:27Nicholas stepped out of the car.
16:28Tailored pure black suit,
16:30golden eyes that held no warmth whatsoever in the morning light.
16:32He looked at Liam, looking down on him,
16:35only one sentence.
16:36My true mate.
16:38You think someone like you can treat her with such disrespect?
16:41His voice wasn't loud,
16:42like a razor blade slicing through the air.
16:44Do you have a death wish, Liam?
16:47Liam's face went utterly white.
16:49One spoke of an engagement.
16:50The other spoke of a faded bond.
16:52Even the words were different.
16:54For the first time in six years,
16:55I realized some things
16:57the moon goddess had chosen for me from the very beginning.
16:59I had only pretended not to hear.
17:01And now,
17:02someone had come to settle the score on my behalf.
17:05Every last debt,
17:06collected one by one.
17:08Liam stood there,
17:09looking at me,
17:10then at Nicholas,
17:10who was radiating terrifying pressure.
17:14Natalie,
17:15what is going on here?
17:16Why is Nicholas saying you're his true mate?
17:19Because today is my bonding ceremony with him.
17:22I didn't look back.
17:23Liam,
17:23stop wasting my time.
17:25Footsteps chased after me from behind.
17:26Liam rushed forward,
17:27trying to grab my hand.
17:28An elite member's palm slammed into his chest,
17:31shoving him back.
17:31Liam's voice panicked.
17:32What did you say?
17:32You have a mate vow with me first.
17:34The one you bond with can only me.
17:35How could you-
17:36I am Natalie Warwick,
17:38and I am nobody's backup plan.
17:40I turned around.
17:41Six years,
17:42Liam.
17:42I gave you six years to choose.
17:44Every single time,
17:46you chose to make me wait.
17:47I'm done.
17:48With that,
17:49I turned and sat in the back seat of the Mayhach.
17:51The moment the car door closed,
17:52I saw Liam still frozen in place.
17:54Frozen.
17:54Lost.
17:55Nicholas stood beside the car,
17:56looking down at him.
17:57Liam,
17:57I'm genuinely curious.
17:58He pulled out a piece of heavy,
18:00textured letter paper.
18:00What made you think the Silver Wolf bloodline
18:02of the Warwick family,
18:03my life and family's true mate,
18:04would be willing to go to your pack
18:05and be an empty trophy?
18:07He unfolded the document.
18:08On the bottom left were pressed
18:09three bloodline signatures
18:10that could not be forged.
18:11The three founding families
18:12holding the highest seats
18:13in the North American Werewolf Alliance.
18:14Alliance ruling.
18:15Three weeks ago,
18:16I already submitted the application.
18:17This morning,
18:18the final arbitration was signed
18:19and filed across all of North America.
18:20Before sunset,
18:21this will be written
18:21into every single pack registry.
18:23In other words,
18:23the entire continent's wolf packs
18:25now know.
18:26You attempted to go against
18:27on the Alliance resolution
18:29of the three founding families.
18:31He withdrew the document,
18:33his eyes so cold
18:34they seemed to want to nail Liam
18:35to the floor.
18:36Brother Liam,
18:37you should be at the northern border defense
18:39guarding your post right now.
18:41What are you doing in Manhattan?
18:45He paused.
18:48No wonder you never received
18:50that emergency mate contract
18:51termination notice
18:52sent to the front lines.
18:56Natalie was planning to tell you
18:57in person yesterday
18:58that she was dissolving
19:00the chosen mate contract
19:01and you hung a sleeping sachet
19:03over her bed and left
19:04without even giving her
19:05the chance to open her mouth.
19:07Abandoning your post without leave.
19:11Sneaking back into the core city
19:13right under the Alliance's nose.
19:16Nicholas tilted his head slightly.
19:19What do you think the joint alphas
19:20would make of this news?
19:22A misunderstanding
19:23or an insurrection
19:27requiring a purge?
19:29He turned and sat in the car
19:31giving orders into the comms unit.
19:33His voice was cold as ice.
19:35Convoy, move out.
19:36Going home.
19:38By the time the ceremony ended,
19:40the sky was already dark.
19:41The private estate was brilliantly lit.
19:43Wolfpack leaders and guests
19:45from all sides
19:46had gradually disperred.
19:47The master bedroom door
19:48was pushed open.
19:51In the mirror,
19:53the corner of his mouth
19:53curved into an arc
19:54gentler than any expression
19:56I had ever seen on his face.
19:58Liam is outside.
19:59He wants to see you.
20:01I looked at him through the mirror.
20:03I don't want to see him.
20:04Nicholas flashed me
20:05a tactical hand signal.
20:06Short, sharp.
20:08The curve of his lips didn't fade.
20:10Do you want to see him now?
20:11He asked.
20:13I slowly nodded.
20:14Now I can see him.
20:16The basement.
20:17A reinforced room.
20:18Guards posted outside the door.
20:19When I walked in,
20:20there was a group of people
20:21standing in the room.
20:21Liam in the center.
20:22Those few interduckle members
20:24were there too.
20:24Zoe was there too.
20:25The moment that group saw me,
20:27the most submissive posture
20:29would a werewolf assume
20:30to show surrender.
20:31Luna!
20:32Please give Alpha Liam
20:33another chance!
20:34Luna, Alpha Liam
20:35does care about you.
20:37He talked about you
20:38every day in the territory,
20:39said he'd come back
20:40and marry you
20:40as soon as the war was over.
20:41Said it for three years!
20:43Luna,
20:44you and Alpha Liam
20:45grew up together.
20:45All those years of history,
20:46you can't just-
20:47They scrambled over each other
20:48listing all the ways
20:49Liam had been good to me.
20:51My heart felt nothing at all.
20:54Enough!
20:55Zoe suddenly spoke up.
20:56The only one among them
20:57who hasn't lowered her head.
20:59She stood there,
21:00chin held high.
21:01What are you begging for?
21:02What's so special about her?
21:04Zoe looked at me.
21:05A smirk pulled
21:05at the corner of her mouth.
21:07Natalie,
21:07I underestimated you.
21:09Yesterday you were here
21:10playing the victim
21:10and today you've lashed
21:11onto Nicholas.
21:12Playing the victim
21:13while grabbing benefits
21:14for yourself.
21:14I didn't think a sheltered flower
21:16like you would be so calculating.
21:18I said nothing.
21:20Liam spoke up.
21:23That voice was so,
21:24so harsh.
21:25I had never heard
21:26anything like it from him.
21:27Zoe!
21:28Shut your mouth!
21:30Zoe froze.
21:31She turned her head
21:32to look at Liam.
21:33What did you say?
21:34Liam stared her down
21:35with deadly intensity.
21:36His golden alpha eyes
21:38were bloodshot.
21:39I said shut your mouth.
21:41Bow your head.
21:42Zoe's face
21:43instantly flushed red.
21:44Liam,
21:44have you lost your mind?
21:46You're using alpha command on me?
21:48You're making me
21:49bow my head to her?
21:50Liam roared,
21:51releasing his dominance.
21:52Bow your head!
21:54Zoe's knees buckled.
21:55Her neck finally dropped.
21:56The expression on her face
21:57was anger
21:58and even more so defiance.
21:59Liam,
22:00you're yelling
22:01at me
22:02for her?
22:03Who am I?
22:04I'm your second in command.
22:05She turned around
22:05and bonded with Nicholas
22:06just like that
22:07and you're making me
22:08bow to her?
22:09Liam ignored her completely.
22:11He turned his head
22:11to look at me.
22:12His eyes were red.
22:13His voice was shaking.
22:14Nate,
22:15I was wrong.
22:16I didn't respond.
22:17He moved closer,
22:18trying to touch me.
22:18I stepped back.
22:19I know I screwed up.
22:20The hair thing,
22:21those things I said,
22:22but Nate,
22:23Zoe did save my life.
22:25Up north,
22:26when I was nearly torn apart
22:27by feral wolves,
22:28Zoe dragged me
22:28out of the wreckage.
22:30She said she wanted
22:31to test your alertness
22:32and I just,
22:32I just didn't stop her.
22:34The inner circle members
22:35kept their heads down
22:36and chimed in.
22:38Luna,
22:39Zoe saved the alpha.
22:40The alpha owes her his life.
22:41He couldn't just slap her
22:42in the face.
22:43The alpha has you
22:44in his heart.
22:45He just didn't know
22:45how to refuse Zoe.
22:46Liam spoke again.
22:47The pleading in his voice
22:48was almost overflowing.
22:49Nate,
22:50you can hit me,
22:52yell at me,
22:52anything.
22:53Just don't abandon me.
22:55I'm begging you.
22:56Please,
22:57don't leave.
22:58I pulled a small lockbox
23:00from my handbag,
23:01opened it.
23:01I tossed that herbal-scented
23:03Zacho at his feet.
23:04Then why did you do this to me?
23:05Liam looked down
23:06at the sashes.
23:07He couldn't say another word.
23:11The day before yesterday,
23:12you came to my apartment.
23:14I wanted to tell you in person.
23:15I was dissolving
23:16our chosen mate contract.
23:19Six years.
23:20I was done waiting.
23:21I paused,
23:22but you didn't let me finish.
23:24You just hung this Sanchon
23:25over my bed,
23:26said something about it
23:27being the best thing for sleep,
23:29told me to rest well.
23:30Then you left.
23:31You didn't even leave me
23:32the chance to open my mouth.
23:34Liam's face went pale.
23:35Nate,
23:36I really didn't know
23:37Zoe would-
23:37Didn't know.
23:38I cut him off.
23:39You knew exactly
23:40the kind of person Zoe is.
23:41You knew she was waiting
23:42in the hallway.
23:42You knew she turned
23:43your indulgence
23:44into her hunting ground.
23:44You just never asked,
23:45because if you asked,
23:46you'd have to make a choice,
23:47and you were never willing
23:48to choose from me.
23:49I looked down at the satches
23:50at my feet.
23:51Liam,
23:52my voice was calm,
23:53like I was recounting
23:54in an old story
23:55from a long time ago.
23:56You told me it was
23:57moonflower from the
23:58Scottish Highlands
23:58inside there.
23:59The best thing for sleep.
24:01I raised my head
24:01and looked directly
24:02into his eyes.
24:03But it was wolf bone.
24:05You knew that.
24:06You hung it there yourself.
24:09Liam's lips moved.
24:10No sound came out.
24:12You said you didn't know
24:13what Zoe was going to do.
24:14But Liam,
24:15what was inside that Sancho
24:17you knew perfectly well.
24:19You just chose not to ask
24:20what would happen next.
24:21Because if you asked,
24:23you'd have to stop her.
24:25And you never,
24:26ever intended to stop her.
24:27The basement went silent.
24:28Even the sound of breathing
24:29seemed to stop.
24:30Liam knelt on the floor.
24:31Sweat slid down
24:32the side of his face.
24:33His mouth opened.
24:34Those defensive words
24:35rolled around on his teeth.
24:36And in the end,
24:36they crumbled into a puff of air
24:38that was nothing at all.
24:39He didn't deny it.
24:40That was the final answer.
24:41Nicholas walked in.
24:43No suit jacket.
24:44The sleeves of his
24:45white dress shirt
24:45were rolled up to his forearms.
24:47His collar was open two buttons,
24:49revealing the edge
24:49of an old scar.
24:51Those golden eyes
24:52burned in the basement.
24:53He didn't look at anyone.
24:54He looked at me.
24:56In that single glance
24:57was no question,
24:58no hesitation,
24:59only the silent confirmation
25:01that exists between true mates.
25:03Are you okay?
25:04What else do you need me to do?
25:06Then he turned
25:07and faced the room
25:08full of people.
25:09He didn't say a single word.
25:11He simply released
25:13his alpha horror.
25:14That force rolled over
25:15every corner of the room
25:17like a black tidal wave.
25:18No one could raise their head.
25:20No one could breathe.
25:21The inner circle members
25:22lay sprawled on the floor
25:23like prey
25:24with their throats seized.
25:25Even their groans
25:26were crushed in their throats.
25:28Zoe's knees slammed heavily
25:29onto the stone floor,
25:31the crisp sound of bone
25:32hitting rock.
25:32Liam was still standing.
25:34Every muscle in his body
25:35was sphezzling.
25:36Veins bulged
25:37on his forehead.
25:38His jaw was clenched
25:40so tight,
25:40it creaked.
25:41He was resisting,
25:43using that third-rate
25:44alpha bloodline of his
25:45to resist Nicholas's dominance.
25:47Nicholas looked at him,
25:48like looking at a bug
25:49still twitching its legs.
25:53Neil.
25:54His voice was calm.
25:56No roar.
25:57No threat.
25:57Just two words.
25:58Alpha command,
25:59the most primal,
26:00most unbreakable
26:01physiological domination
26:02of a higher-ranking alpha
26:03over a lower-ranking werewolf.
26:05Liam's knees shattered.
26:06The bones of both legs
26:07dislocated under the weight
26:08of that command.
26:09A dull, muffled snap.
26:11Liam collapsed to his knees
26:12like a puppet
26:13whose strings had been cut.
26:14His knees hit the stone.
26:16Blood seeped
26:16through his pant legs.
26:17He let out
26:18a piercing wolf howl.
26:20It was no longer
26:22a human sound.
26:22It was the wimp
26:23of a beast being subdued.
26:25The people in the room
26:26trembled on the floor
26:27in a heap.
26:28Nicholas stood before them,
26:29one hand casually tucked
26:31into his pants pocket.
26:32All of you,
26:33raise your heads.
26:35The necks of those people
26:36were yanked up
26:36as if by invisible threads,
26:38forced to lift their faces.
26:39Their eyes were filled
26:40with pure terror.
26:41Take a good look
26:42at your handiwork.
26:43Look clearly at her face.
26:44Remember this face.
26:46Remember this basement.
26:47Remember what you did
26:48to a she-wolf.
26:49Because from today on,
26:50you won't have the chance
26:51to forget.
26:52Zoe knelt on the ground,
26:54trembling all over.
26:55Her lips quivered,
26:57trying to say something,
26:58but no sound came out.
27:00Nicholas's gaze
27:01landed on her.
27:02Without a single
27:02extra movement,
27:03he just precisely
27:04crushed his alpha aura
27:05down on her,
27:06like a giant palm
27:07pressing down on Zoe's spine.
27:09Zoe's entire body
27:10was sent flying sideways,
27:11smashing heavily
27:12against the cold stone wall.
27:18That sound was
27:18no longer arrogance,
27:20no longer promotion.
27:21It was the expression
27:22she had never worn
27:22on her lace before.
27:24Absolute fear.
27:27Zoe Miller.
27:28His voice was neither
27:29loud nor soft,
27:30like he was confirming
27:31a name on a file.
27:32Former second-in-command
27:33of the Northern 7th
27:34defense line,
27:35absent without leave.
27:35Deliberate use of
27:36wolf's pain,
27:37pre-mefitated assault
27:38and destruction
27:38of bloodline mark
27:40against the lunar
27:40of the Lycan family.
27:42I won't kill you.
27:43A pause.
27:43Not because your combat record
27:44deserves respect.
27:46It's because dying
27:46would be too easy for you.
27:48Zoe's pupils
27:49violently contracted.
27:50She opened her mouth
27:51wanting to say something.
27:52No sound came out.
27:54Her lips were trembling.
27:55Not from cold,
27:56not from pain,
27:56but from the primal terror
27:58of an apex predator
27:59finally catching up
28:00with her mind.
28:00The terror carved
28:01into the bones
28:02of every werewolf.
28:03Nicholas didn't
28:04look at her again.
28:05He turned to those
28:05few inner sunny members
28:06still spalled on the ground.
28:07As for the rest of you,
28:09those people were
28:09completely terrified
28:10out of their minds.
28:11Alpha,
28:12Spaniel!
28:12Whales echoed
28:12through the basement.
28:13We were just
28:14following orders.
28:15We didn't know
28:16what Zoe was going
28:17to do to the Luna.
28:17We swear we didn't know!
28:20You laughed.
28:22His voice was light
28:23as a snowflake
28:24landing on a blade's edge.
28:25The night she was
28:26stripped of her
28:27bloodline marker
28:28in that apartment,
28:29after Zoe finished
28:31her speech,
28:32you laughed.
28:33Every single wolf laughed.
28:35Those people
28:36trembled violently.
28:37If someone humiliated
28:38your Luna
28:38right in front of you
28:39and you laughed,
28:42what do you think
28:43I should do with you?
28:44He didn't wait
28:45for their answer.
28:46The bonds
28:47severed simultaneously.
28:49A chorus of whales
28:50erupted in the basement.
28:52Some thrashed desperately.
28:54Some reached out
28:55trying to grab
28:56the hem of my dress.
28:57Some slammed
28:58plate their foreheads
28:59against the floor
29:00until they bled.
29:01It was useless.
29:02The speed of the bond severance
29:03was as precise
29:04as a surgical procedure.
29:05One by one,
29:06they collapsed on the floor.
29:07Selding spawning mammoth.
29:08Golden pupils
29:09faded into murky gray.
29:10Elite warriors
29:11who had once followed
29:12Liam into battle
29:12on the northern battlefields
29:13now turned into
29:14a pack of strays
29:15sprawl on the ground.
29:16They didn't even have
29:17the strength to stand.
29:18The basement fell silent.
29:19Only the ragged breathing
29:20of Liam sprawled
29:21on the floor.
29:22The faint pulse of Zoe,
29:23still unconscious.
29:25But it wasn't over.
29:28Nicholas turned around
29:29and gave a single nod
29:30to the enforcers
29:31at the door.
29:33The branding iron.
29:34Two armored elites
29:36stepped inside.
29:37They were carrying
29:38a portable silver furnace.
29:39Inside the furnace
29:41burned the shorthand
29:42of a silver branding iron.
29:43The iron glowed
29:44white hot in the coals,
29:46emitting a blinding silver light
29:47in the dim basement.
29:49Silver was lethal
29:50to werewolves.
29:51Contact with skin
29:52caused burns
29:53that could never heal
29:54on their own.
29:55The scars would remain
29:56on the body forever.
29:58Like a shame
29:59that would never fade.
30:01The enforcers
30:02moved toward Zoe.
30:03She was already unconscious.
30:05But the moment
30:06the searing silver
30:07branding iron
30:08touched her neck,
30:08she still let out
30:10a piercing scream.
30:11That sound
30:12tore through the basement,
30:13tore through the estate,
30:14echoing long
30:15into the night.
30:16The iron was lifted.
30:17A palm-sized scar
30:18was left on her neck.
30:19A broken wolf head,
30:20the mark of a rogue.
30:21In the world of wolves,
30:23this means
30:23this person has been
30:24expelled from all packs.
30:25Any werewolf who sees her
30:26has the right to attack her.
30:28Any werewolf who shelters her
30:29shares her crime.
30:30True fear finally appeared
30:32in Liam's eyes.
30:33He scrambled backward
30:34with his shattered legs.
30:35Broken sounds
30:36escaped his mouth.
30:38No, no, not that.
30:40The enforcers
30:41didn't look at him.
30:42They simply carried out
30:43the order.
30:44A second iron fell.
30:47Liam's howl shattered
30:48into sobs in his throat.
30:50Then the inner circle members,
30:52one by one,
30:52the iron fell.
30:53The stench of burning flesh
30:55permeated the entire basement.
30:57Wailing, pleading,
30:58the sizzle of silver-searing skin
30:59all blended into one.
31:00It was over.
31:01I stood in the corner of the room
31:02and watched it all in silence.
31:04I didn't open my mouth
31:05to plead for anyone.
31:05They didn't deserve execution.
31:07That would be too easy.
31:08They should live.
31:10Live as the lowest form
31:11of existence.
31:12Waking up every morning
31:13and remembering
31:14in that silver scar
31:15that would never heal
31:16exactly who they were.
31:17A discarded wolf.
31:19The fringes of any pack
31:20would be their fate.
31:22Expulsion by any werewolf
31:24would be their daily life.
31:25Death was release.
31:27I didn't intend
31:28to give them release.
31:29Nicholas turned around
31:30and looked at me.
31:31In those golden pupils,
31:33that overwhelming killing
31:34inversed was slowly receding,
31:35replaced by a quiet inquiry
31:37meant only for a mate.
31:38He mouthed two words to me
31:39without making a sound,
31:41but I read them clearly.
31:42Enough?
31:42I nodded.
31:43He reached out,
31:44gently picked up the wig
31:45I had taken off
31:46and left lying on the table,
31:47and placed it back
31:48into my hands.
31:48His fingertips
31:49didn't touch my scalp.
31:50Let's go.
31:51Leave this to the enforcers
31:52to clean up.
31:53I didn't look back.
31:54Every step walking out
31:55of that basement
31:55with the stone steps
31:56beneath my feet
31:57ground the past six years
31:58into the powder.
31:59Left behind.
32:00No longer belonged to me.
32:02By the time we returned
32:03to the main hall,
32:05Alexander's figure
32:06had already disappeared
32:07down the estate corridor.
32:09He really was here tonight.
32:11Nicholas had told me
32:12using tactical hand symbols
32:13in the car,
32:14he came as a witness,
32:15to bear witness
32:16to a high-ranking bonding
32:17registered with the Alliance.
32:18One of the three
32:19founding family heads
32:20of the North American Alliance,
32:22Alexander Koval.
32:23But in the end,
32:24Nicholas didn't let him
32:25enter that basement.
32:30This is my personal matter.
32:32I don't need anyone else
32:34to adjudicate for me.
32:35I looked at him.
32:37You could have let
32:37Alexander handle it for you.
32:40That would have been
32:41too clean.
32:42He pulled his cuffs down,
32:44covering that old scar.
32:46His tone was casual.
32:47Some debts,
32:49you need to settle
32:49with your own hands.
32:52He turned
32:53and walked into the night.
32:54I watched his back
32:56for a long,
32:57long time.
32:59Over the next few days,
33:01the estate gates
33:01remained tightly shut.
33:03Liam's family
33:03sent people to plead
33:04with me several times.
33:05I didn't see any of them.
33:06This day,
33:07I was on the terrace
33:07basking in the sun.
33:08The maid came to report
33:09that Liam's mother
33:10was waiting outside
33:11the estate's
33:11warrant iron gate
33:12and refused to leave.
33:13I got up
33:14and went to the gate.
33:15Liam's mother
33:16stood on the stone steps.
33:17Her hair was disheveled.
33:18Her eyes were red
33:19and swollen.
33:19Seeing me come out,
33:20she crawled forward
33:21on her hands and knees
33:22and prostrated herself
33:23at my feet.
33:24Luna, please.
33:25You grew up with him.
33:26You know his true nature.
33:27When you were kids,
33:28he always saved
33:29the best prey for you.
33:30That was real.
33:31You can't say
33:32none of that counted.
33:33I looked down at her.
33:34I haven't forgotten.
33:36But I also haven't forgotten.
33:37He knew full well
33:39Zoe was waiting
33:39in the hallway
33:40and he still hung
33:41that sashy over my bed,
33:42closed the door,
33:43and left
33:44without leaving me
33:45a single word's worth
33:46of time.
33:47Liam's mother froze.
33:48I also haven't forgotten
33:49what he said
33:50when he told me
33:51I'd enter his family
33:52as an unranked stray.
33:54Her face turned ashen.
33:56Madam,
33:58we're done here.
33:59The tears poured
33:59from Liam's mother's eyes again.
34:01But Natalie,
34:02he does care about you.
34:03He was just blinded by Zoe.
34:05It was a judgment
34:05personally handed down
34:07by Nicholas.
34:07No one can change it.
34:08I took a step back,
34:09pulling the hem of my dress
34:10out of her grasp.
34:11Don't let the gate
34:12hit you on the way out.
34:13I turned and walked
34:14back into the estate.
34:15Liam's mother's cries
34:16came from behind me.
34:18I didn't care anymore.
34:19The estate's wart iron gate
34:21slowly closed behind me.
34:23Those cries would never
34:24reach inside again.
34:25That night,
34:26Nicholas came to my bedroom.
34:28He sat across from me,
34:30watching me remove
34:31the lace wig
34:31revealing my scalp,
34:33now covered with a layer
34:34of short,
34:35dark stubble.
34:37You're quite unfazed.
34:38I touched my scalp,
34:40smiled a little.
34:42It'll grow back eventually.
34:44I've always been curious.
34:45Nicholas' tone
34:45carried a casual probing.
34:47How did you become
34:48completely dead set
34:49against Liam overnight?
34:50My hand paused.
34:52I thought I'd have to wait
34:54for you a lot longer.
34:55He continued.
34:56I turned around
34:56to look at him.
34:58Wait,
34:58what do you mean longer?
35:00There was no trace
35:01of a joke
35:01in his golden eyes.
35:03It means
35:04my wolf
35:05claimed you
35:06a long time ago.
35:08I couldn't speak.
35:10Do you remember
35:11your awakening ceremony
35:12when you were 15?
35:13I blinked.
35:14That day,
35:15your scent rushed
35:15into my senses.
35:17My wolf roared
35:18the same word
35:18over and over
35:19in my mind,
35:20mate.
35:20I knew.
35:22That was the soul bond
35:23the moon goddess
35:24personally tied for us.
35:26A self-dificated curve
35:27tugged at the corner
35:28of his mouth,
35:29but his golden pupils
35:30were startlingly dark.
35:33But the very next day,
35:34Liam proposed
35:35a chosen mate contract
35:36to you,
35:36and you said yes.
35:38True mate.
35:39Not chosen.
35:40Not pledged.
35:41Not a choice
35:42that could be taken back.
35:43A knot the moon goddess
35:45tied between his soul
35:46and mine
35:46with a thread
35:46I couldn't see.
35:48Tied tight
35:49since I was 15 years old.
35:51He knew.
35:53He had always known.
35:54And he waited
35:55six years.
35:57Not because
35:58he didn't want me.
36:00Because he respected
36:01my right
36:02to choose
36:02the wrong person
36:03for myself.
36:05You have no idea
36:05how much strength
36:06it took me
36:07to force down
36:07the wolf inside me
36:09that wanted
36:09to tear his throat out.
36:11You waited for him
36:12in New York
36:13for three years
36:13and then three more.
36:15As the alpha
36:16of the Lycan family,
36:17I could have leveled
36:17the Northern Territory
36:18and take you by force.
36:19But the one thing
36:20I could never trample on
36:21was the free will
36:22the moon goddess
36:23granted you.
36:25I thought you loved him
36:26until a few days ago
36:28when Alexander
36:28relayed to me
36:29that you intended
36:30to dissolve the contract.
36:31Nicholas smiled
36:32with a fervent
36:33that had been suppressed
36:34for six years
36:35finally tearing
36:36through the disguise.
36:37In that moment
36:38I knew
36:39no need to wait
36:40any longer.
36:41The moon goddess
36:42returned my luna to me.
36:44The night I got the news
36:46I shifted into wolf form
36:47in the forest or
36:48and ran for an entire night.
36:49I opened my mouth
36:50so if I had never
36:52seen clearly
36:53if I had insisted
36:54on binding myself
36:55to Liam
36:57wouldn't you have
36:57just waited for nothing?
37:00Then I would have
37:00just leveled his territory
37:01and taken you anyway.
37:02I choked on his words
37:03you're impossible.
37:04He laughed.
37:05His eyes crinkled
37:06with a wild grin.
37:07My pack strength
37:08is god knows
37:08how many times greater
37:09than his pathetic
37:09little territory.
37:10Stealing a mate?
37:11Was Alexander gonna blow
37:12my head off
37:12with a silver bullet?
37:13I shot him a helpless look.
37:15Nicholas put away his smile
37:16looked at me
37:16his gaze was steady.
37:18Natalie
37:18no one will ever
37:19make you wait again.
37:19He reached out
37:20and touched my short
37:21bristly hair
37:21with extreme gentleness.
37:23His fingertips
37:23carried the scorching heat
37:24unique to the lichen bloodline
37:26but the pressure
37:26on my scalp
37:27felt like touching
37:28a berry freshly picked
37:29from a branch
37:29still wrapped
37:30in morning dew.
37:31This is more proof
37:32of your strength
37:32than any silver hair
37:34could ever be.
37:35He pulled a bloodstained
37:36wolf fang
37:36from his pocket
37:37and gently placed it
37:37in my palm.
37:38The enamel of the fang
37:39was cold.
37:40The dried blood
37:40was a dark rusty color.
37:42This is the fang
37:42of the enemy leader
37:43who killed my uncle.
37:44I kept it to remind myself
37:45what hatred
37:46and strength are.
37:47His fingers lifted
37:47the back of my hand
37:48folding my curled nipples
37:49together
37:49wrapping the wolf hail
37:50inside my palm.
37:51Now I'm giving it to you.
37:52His golden pupils
37:53contracted slightly
37:54under the lamplight
37:55reflecting my bald head.
37:56Because you taught me
37:57what is more powerful
37:58than hatred.
37:59Outside the window
37:59the roses his mother
38:01had planted
38:01with her own hands
38:02swayed gently
38:03in the night breeze.
38:04I looked down
38:05at the wolf fang
38:06in my palm.
38:06The bloodstains
38:07touched my fingerprints.
38:09Those dried traces
38:11of blood
38:11had once been
38:12one person's hatred
38:14and now
38:15they had become
38:15another person's promise.
38:19I raised my head
38:20and looked at him.
38:21Nicholas stood before me
38:22his golden pupils
38:23reflecting the image
38:24of my bald head.
38:25The smile still
38:26languished at the corner
38:27of his mouth
38:28but the depths
38:28of his eyes
38:29were serious.
38:30He had long since
38:31grown into a forest
38:32within my heart
38:33one that could never
38:34be shaken again.
38:35From that night on
38:36every lamp in the estate
38:37was lit for me.
38:39A photo of me
38:40appeared on his study desk
38:41not the silver-haired girl
38:43from the awakening ceremony.
38:44It was a bold woman
38:46with calm eyes.
38:47He said that one
38:48was better.
38:50I asked him why.
38:52Because this one
38:53you chose for yourself.
38:56Some strength
38:57doesn't need long hair
38:58to prove it.
39:01I strung the wolf fang
39:03onto a chain
39:03and wore it
39:04close to my chest.
39:06Not as a warning
39:07as a token.
39:09The silver hair
39:10grew back slowly
39:11over the following months.
39:12Still a moonlit silver.
39:14Still flowing
39:15with the power
39:16of the Warwick bloodline.
39:17But this time
39:18when I extended
39:18my senses
39:19and reached out
39:20the window
39:20that sensory domain
39:21once sealed solid
39:22with cement
39:23was flowing again.
39:24Clearer than before.
39:25Reaching further.
39:26I could even sense
39:27the lost heartbeat
39:28of a stray pup
39:28crossing Central Park
39:29two blocks away.
39:30I was a little stunned.
39:31Nicholas walked
39:32into the study
39:33and saw me spacing out.
39:34What's wrong?
39:35He asked.
39:36I thought after
39:37it was shaved off
39:38even if it grew back
39:40the senses wouldn't return.
39:41He sat down
39:42beside me.
39:43The silver hair
39:44is a vessel
39:45but what fills
39:46that vessel
39:47is your own.
39:48Zoe shaved off
39:49your vessel
39:50but no one
39:51can shave away
39:52your power.
39:52It was always there
39:54it just temporarily
39:55couldn't find an outlet.
39:57I looked at him.
39:59You knew all along
40:01it would grow back.
40:02I've always known.
40:03He shrugged dismissively.
40:05That look on his face
40:06made me want to laugh.
40:07The Alliance
40:08sent several inquiries
40:09about the follow-up
40:10to the exile of Liam
40:11and his former subordinates.
40:12Nicholas replied
40:13with only one line
40:14handled per the code.
40:16He didn't say
40:16another word about it.
40:17Zoe was reportedly
40:18sighted by someone
40:19on the western border.
40:21The silver scar
40:21on her neck
40:22made it impossible
40:23for her to stay
40:24in any pack
40:24for more than three days.
40:26She never came
40:27looking for me.
40:28Probably knew
40:28it was useless.
40:29Liam's mother
40:30still occasionally
40:31had letters delivered.
40:32Each letter
40:33was shorter
40:34than the last.
40:35The final one
40:36had only one line.
40:37On the old
40:38northern battlefield
40:39he wowed it
40:39all night long alone.
40:41I folded the letter
40:42and placed it
40:43in the deepest part
40:44of a drawer.
40:46No reply.
40:48Some wounds
40:49no apology can heal.
40:51When winter came
40:52all the roses
40:52on the back hill
40:53of the estate bloomed.
40:54Nicholas said
40:55his mother planted them
40:56when she was alive.
40:57They hadn't bloomed
40:58in decades.
40:59This year
41:00for some unknown reason
41:01they all bloomed
41:02overnight.
41:02I stood among
41:03the flowers.
41:05My newly grown
41:06silver hair
41:06had it already
41:07reaches the waist.
41:08Moonlight spilled
41:09over it
41:10flowing with living silver.
41:12Nicholas walked up
41:12from behind
41:13and draped a wool shog
41:14over my shoulders.
41:16Cold?
41:16I shook my head.
41:17He rested his chin
41:18on the top of my head
41:19and stood there
41:20quietly for a long time.
41:22There's one thing
41:23I've never asked you.
41:24He suddenly spoke.
41:27What?
41:27That morning
41:29the moment you sent
41:30that signal
41:31along the true mate bond
41:32were you afraid?
41:34I thought about it.
41:37I was.
41:39Afraid you wouldn't respond.
41:41He turned me around
41:42and looked at me.
41:43His golden pupils
41:44were so gentle
41:45under the moonlight
41:45that they didn't belong
41:46to an alpha.
41:47I would never not respond.
41:49He said
41:49I waited six years.
41:52Wait another six.
41:52Wait another sixty.
41:54As long as you call
41:54I will always answer.
41:56I looked at him
41:57and smiled.
41:58The wind blew in
41:59from the back hill.
42:00The roses all across
42:01the garden
42:01swayed gently
42:02under the moonlight.
42:04Those flowers
42:04were white as snow.
42:06White as my silver hair.
42:07White as everything
42:08that starts over
42:09from the beginning.
42:10I placed my hand
42:11in his palm.
42:12Let's go home.
42:15He squeezed
42:16my hand tightly.
42:17Okay.
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