- 5 minutes ago
Reborn Luna’s Vengeance ASM
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Short filmTranscript
00:00Garments my chest exposed in front of everyone the alpha my sash snapped my undergarments my chest exposed in front
00:07of everyone
00:08My birth parents had just found me brought me home to compete with my adopted sister
00:12Alice for the alpha's bond before we left mother fixed my collar then 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 the alpha chose her I knelt before my parents when we got home swore it wasn't intentional
00:33They didn't believe me father scoffed you pulled that stunt for attention
00:38You disgraced this family and now you want to blame someone else mother sighed
00:43You lost a bond. That's all don't be so dramatic
00:46Alice married the alpha in glory. I was exiled to the frost border and I died there frozen
00:51Before I took my last breath. I found out mother hadn't pulled that thread. She had cut it on purpose
00:58Then I was reborn
01:00Mother smiled and reached for my sash. Let me tighten this
01:05We can't have you embarrassing yourself
01:07Her fingers slipped toward her sleeve a blade that blade
01:11I knew it the one that ruined my life the first time
01:13I could still feel the frost border kneeling in the snow freezing 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 the cold never left me
01:28I stared at her soft well-kept hands my heart hammered. She was still smiling the blade already out moving
01:34toward my sash
01:38I let my knees buckle through myself forward straight into her
01:42She didn't see it coming her hand jerked the blade cut through the air and caught the back of her
01:46own 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 her sash tied perfectly before she could react my
01:57fingers found her sash one quick pull
01:59It came loose. I straightened up fast and put on my most panicked face
02:05Mother are you all right? I'm so sorry. I slipped
02:09Hissing through the teeth clumsy girl. We're about to walk into the alpha's estate and you can't even stand on
02:15your own two feet
02:19Alice stepped forward with a handkerchief and dabbed at the wound
02:21She shot me a look of pure contempt then turned on the sympathy. Don'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 father stood in the doorway hands clasped behind his back
02:35He checked the hourglass crowned enough
02:37Do you have any idea what it means to keep the alpha waiting?
02:41He didn't glance at me once his eyes went straight to Alice soft
02:45You look beautiful today Alice
02:47Dignified
02:48Keep an eye on your sister when we arrive. Don't let her embarrass the family
02:52Of course father. I'll take good care of her. She lifted her chin like she'd already won. I kept my
02:58eyes down and smiled
03:02Mother's hand was still bleeding the handkerchief had soaked through but we were running out of time and she never
03:07got 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 and clasped it around Alice's neck herself
03:19Thank you mother. I'll wear it with honor
03:22I stood to the side empty-handed nothing around my waist but a plain white ribbon mother seemed to remember
03:27I existed
03:27She rummaged through a corner drawer and pulled out a purse full of hair prints old ones
03:31Most of them the gold paint was already flaking off here Eva put these on don't go saying I play
03:37favorites your dress is so plain
03:39Anyway, these will match just fine. She dropped them into my hand without even checking if they'd work father watched
03:45from across the room
03:46Not a word of objection. He nodded
03:48Alice was raised with us
03:49She has refinement
03:51Grace the air bloom 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?
04:06Because when my parents were running from their enemies
04:07I was dead weight
04:08So they left me behind
04:10They only brought me back
04:11Because the alpha came calling
04:13His family had an old betrothal agreement
04:16The firstborn Hale daughter
04:17Elise 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
04:25How 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
04:36All for some adopted girl
04:38That's his mistress's daughter
04:39His actual blood
04:40His wife found out years ago
04:42And she brought the girl home
04:43Called her adopted
04:44Then spent every year since
04:45Grinding 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
05:20Keep your mouth shut
05:21Watch Alice
05:22Follow her lead
05:24If you ruin this
05:25I will have you sent to the frost border myself
05:28I said nothing
05:28The frost border
05:29I'd already been there
05:30Already knelt in that snow until I couldn't feel my legs
05:33Threats lose their edge the second time around
05:35The carriage rolled toward the alpha's estate
05:37It was not a quiet ride
05:39Alice had taken the best seat
05:41She kept touching the necklace
05:42Turning the crystals in the light
05:44Admiring her own reflection
05:46The alpha's head steward Zoe was riding with us
05:48Officially she was there to attend to us
05:50In reality she was watching
05:52Taking stock of who we were
05:54Alice didn't seem to notice
05:55Or care
05:56Zoe
05:57What 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
06:13By the time we arrived
06:16Mrs. Walker's migraines had cleared up
06:18And Alice had been ready
06:19She'd stolen my remedy formula
06:21On the fence earlier
06:22Passed it off as her own
06:23Mrs. Walker loved and quit
06:25This time Alice wasn't getting that chance
06:31I reached into my sleeve
06:33And pulled out a small lacquered box
06:34Inside were a few dark brown pellets
06:37A remedy I'd learned from an old farmer
06:39Back in the farming pack
06:40I held them out to Zoe
06:41You don't look well
06:42These are cooling relief pellets
06:44My 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
06:55You cooked up in a barn?
06:57Zoe had been on the edge of nausea
06:58The whole ride
06:59That shriek nearly pushed her over
07:00She shot Alice one withering look
07:02Then turned back to me
07:04Her nose twitched
07:05A faint drift of mint and aged wood
07:07Had already begun to fill the carriage
07:09Cutting 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
07:26You 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
07:35Should 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
07:45She 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
08:03Thank you, Zoe
08:04The carriage slowed
08:05We had arrived
08:17The moment Alice stepped out
08:19Every head turned
08:20That shimmering silk caught the sunlight
08:22Like 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
08:31Slow, deliberate
08:32A smirk I was wearing a simple white dress
08:34Standing next to her
08:35I looked like her handmaid
08:37I wasn't worried
08:38The best part of any trap is the waiting
08:40The banquet began
08:42Alice moved straight to the harp
08:44And played for Mrs. Walker
08:45She was good
08:47And she knew it
08:48Mrs. Walker gave a small
08:50Measured nod
08:51That was enough for Alice
08:52She floated off the stage
08:54Spotted me at the edge of the room
08:55And made her way over
08:56Wine glass in hand
08:57Eva
09:00Stop 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
09:08Or pretended to
09:09She'd thrown wine all over me
09:11Dragged me down with her
09:12And my sash had snapped on the way down
09:14Sammy sat up
09:15Sammy smile
09:15Sammy 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
09:24Onto both knees
09:24And the sash I had loosened back at the house
09:27The one she never noticed
09:29Finally gave way
09:30That beautiful shimmering skirt
09:32Slid straight down
09:33All the way to her ankles beneath it
09:35A pair of pink underwear
09:36Embroidered with little devil motifs
09:38In plain view
09:39Of everyone
09:40The entire room went silent
09:42Alice froze
09:43She felt the cold air first
09:46Then she looked down
09:47And screamed
09:49Chaos erupted
09:50Women screamed
09:52But above it all I felt it
09:53A gaze
09:54Heavy
09:55Cold from the shadow
09:56Of 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
10:12It 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
10:20Teach their daughters?
10:21I was already moving
10:22I picked up an outer jacket
10:24And draped it around Alice's shoulders
10:25Before she could catch her breath
10:26Oh sweetheart
10:27How did this happen?
10:29I sighed
10:30The kind that says I love you
10:31But I told you so
10:31I warned you about this dress
10:33The 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
10:42Pure venom
10:44You did this
10:45I know it was you
10:46I blinked
10:47Spread my hands wide
10:48Alice
10:48I was across the room
10:50Everyone saw you walk over
10:51Everyone saw you fall
10:52The women around us
10:53Were already nodding
10:54She made a spectacle of herself
10:55For attention
10:56And now she wants to pin it
10:57On her sister
10:58Lovely upbringing
10:59Alice had nothing left to say
11:01She covered her face
11:02And wept
11:08The room dissolved into chaos
11:09Maids swarmed Alice
11:11And rushed her off to change
11:12The commotion had done
11:13Exactly what I expected
11:14Mrs. Walker's migraine had returned
11:16She sat with two fingers
11:18Pressed 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
11:26To smooth things over
11:26For Alice today
11:29Please don't be upset
11:30Mrs. Walker
11:31I'm sure the dress
11:32Was simply ill-fitted
11:33Alice actually brought
11:36A gift for you today
11:38Why don't we have her
11:39Present it now
11:40As an apology
11:42Alice came back red-eyed
11:43But she straightened up at that
11:44She snapped her fingers
11:46And a maid brought out
11:46The gift box
11:47I already knew
11:48What was inside
11:49I knew this family too well
11:50Whatever it was
11:51It would be extravagant
11:52And entirely wrong
11:53They measured worth
11:54In gold and gemstones
11:55They assumed everyone else did too
11:57What they didn't understand
11:58About Mrs. Walker
11:59A woman who had lived
12:00In wealth her entire life
12:02Was that nothing irritated
12:03Her more than excess
12:04For the sake of it
12:05Alice lifted the lid
12:06With a flourish
12:08Mrs. Walker
12:09This is a ruby crystal crown
12:11Custom crafted
12:12Just for you
12:13The artisans worked
12:15Through the night
12:16For an entire month
12:17Mrs. Walker stared at it
12:19You had craftsmen
12:20Lose sleep for a month
12:22Over something
12:22Completely useless
12:23What a waste of people
12:25Alice's confidence collapsed
12:26She sank to her knees
12:28Trembling
12:29Mrs. Walker pressed her hand
12:31Harder to her temple
12:31And said nothing
12:32I only wanted to show you
12:34How much
12:34The silence stretched
12:35I stepped forward quietly
12:37Mrs. Walker
12:38If you'll allow me
12:39I may be able to help
12:41With the headache
12:41She looked at me
12:43Skeptical
12:43You practice medicine?
12:45Just some calming herbs
12:46Something I picked up
12:48Along the way
12:51I lit one end
12:52Of the incense powder
12:53And set it on the table
12:54Beside her
12:55The scent unfurled slowly
12:56Delicate cool herbal
12:57Mrs. Walker drew a breath
12:59The pain didn't vanish
13:00But it pulled back
13:01Enough to breathe
13:01Enough to relax
13:02The furrow between her brows
13:03That's lovely
13:04What is it?
13:05I heard you've suffered
13:06With headaches for years
13:08I brought this back
13:09From the farm
13:10It's what I always used
13:11Nothing fancy
13:12But it works
13:13Mrs. Walker nodded slowly
13:15The way she looked at me
13:16Had changed
13:16You're a thoughtful girl
13:17Out of the corner of my eye
13:19A tall figure had stopped
13:21At the moon gate
13:21At the edge of the garden
13:22Still watching
13:23That had to be
13:24Nathan the alpha
13:25Himself
13:25Alice was still on her knees
13:27Behind me
13:27Eyes fixed on my back
13:29Like two burning coals
13:30Lady Allen whispered
13:31Something to Mrs. Walker
13:32Who finally waved a hand
13:33Alice could get up
13:34She was directed
13:35To a seat in the corner
13:36By the middle of the banquet
13:37Mrs. Walker had my hand in hers
13:39Asking about my life
13:40My interests
13:41What I like to eat
13:42She was already looking at Maliki
13:44A daughter-in-law
13:45She called over a maid
13:46To bring me a better pour of wine
13:47The maid crossed the room
13:49And stumbled
13:49Just slightly
13:50Just enough to flosh wine
13:51Across my sleeve
13:52My sincerest apologies
13:54Miss Eva
13:54Clumsy fool
13:56Get out of my sight
13:57The maid scurried off
13:58Head bowed
13:58And as she passed Alice
14:00Their eyes met
14:00Quick, deliberate
14:01The next second
14:02My necklace
14:04My necklace is gone
14:06The family heirloom
14:08Mother'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
14:21Have someone look for it
14:22Alice turned to me
14:23Tears already forming
14:25Just now
14:26Eva was the closest one to me
14:29Could it be that she
14:30She let the sentence hang
14:32Lady Allen stepped in
14:33Right on cue
14:34If something valuable
14:36Has gone missing
14:37Perhaps we should search
14:38Everyone present
14:40It would clear Eva's name
14:41If nothing else
14:43I held out both arms
14:44By all means
14:44Search me
14:47I won't have anyone saying
14:48I put myself above my own sister
14:51A flicker of satisfaction
14:52Crossed 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
15:10Eva
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
15:31Ailey snatched the handkerchief
15:33Wait
15:34There's writing on it
15:35She snapped it open and read aloud
15:39I want to be tangled with you
15:41On every night
15:42The full moon rises
15:44She looked up at me
15:45Triumphant
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 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
16:31Who 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
16:38And her eyes went straight to Alice
16:40Alice's composure shattered
16:41Don't look at me!
16:43Your hands are dirty, not mine!
16:45Then a voice cut through the room from the doorway low
16:47Unhurried, 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
16:55Nathan 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
17:03Tell me, Miss Alice
17:05How exactly did you come to recognize them?
17:10Alice's knees gave out
17:11She 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
17:34Someone deal with her
17:36The 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
17:46Hair coming undone
17:48She was sobbing, gasping, calling for her parents
17:50I watched without moving
17:52For the first time, it felt satisfying
17:54Nathan glanced sideways at me just for a moment
17:56I inclined my head
17:59My respects, alpha
18:00Thank you for clearing my name
18:02What had started as a proper banquet had been reduced to rubble
18:05When it was finally over
18:06Mrs. Walker took my hand in both of hers and walked me to the entrance herself
18:10Apologizing the whole way
18:11Making sure everyone saw
18:12The message was unmistakable
18:14We're now circling back
18:15All 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
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 your own sister?
18:46You knew what she was doing
18:47Why didn't you say something earlier?
18:49Instead 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
18:59Did she stop to think of me as family?
19:01If that accusation had stuck
19:02It would have been the hall name dragged through the dirt
19:04Not just mine
19:05Father's hand shot up
19:06I turned my head
19:07His palm cut through empty air
19:09He held it there for a moment
19:10Suscended, then dropped it and looked away
19:13We'll deal with you at home
19:14The carriage opened
19:16Then it started moving along
19:17The road had narrowed
19:18The turns were sharper
19:19We were climbing cliffs on one side
19:21A sheer drop on the other
19:23The horses screamed
19:23Something had spooked them
19:25Or worse
19:25And suddenly they were bolting
19:27The pull 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
19:35I 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
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
19:48And they were improvising
19:53The horse had been drugged
19:55I was certain of it
19:56A staged accident
19:57A 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
20:04So 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
20:13His hand reached beneath the bench
20:15A hidden compartment
20:16And came out with thick padded cushions
20:19They came prepared
20:20The plan wasn't to die right
20:22The plan was to throw me out and walk away from the house
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
20:43Plane, besides
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 with an interest in your life ending
20:56He set me on my feet and stepped away
20:59Not far from us
21:00The three of them were crawling out of the wreckage
21:03Scraped, shaken, 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
21:14The 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
21:22Relieved their plan had almost worked
21:24Whatever had been left
21:25Whatever small
21:26Stubborn part of me had 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
21:33Get 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
21:49Boxes carried by uniformed attendants
21:51The 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
22:05Mother 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
22:14Is there any room for the Alpha to reconsider?
22:18Alice made some mistakes, yes
22:19But she's accomplished
22:21Well-bred
22:21Eva grew up in a backwart farming pack
22:23She 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
22:31As a companion to the Alpha
22:37She could support her sister from within the household
22:41A companion, so Luna was off the table
22:43Now they were angling for Mistress
22:45Sammy Gold, different door
22:47Get Alice inside the estate
22:49Let her work her way up
22:50And find a way to put me back at the bottom
22:52Zoe closed the register
22:53The look on her face made her opinion plain
22:56If Mr. Hale truly wishes to put that forward
22:59Alice will need to answer a question first
23:01On behalf of Mrs. Walker
23:03If a servant at the Alphas' estate
23:05Is found to be lazy, dishonest, or 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 is patience and reform
23:17Casting them out would only make the Alpha
23:19Look cold and unforgiving
23:22She glanced at me when she finished
23:24Satisfied with herself
23:28Father nodded along beside her
23:30Zoe turned to me
23:31Miss Eva
23:33Your thoughts
23:38Disloyalty is not a mistake
23:39You forgive
23:40Once a servant betrays their master
23:42They are a liability
23:43Not a person to be reformed
23:45It doesn't matter how close they are
23:47To 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
24:05The second daughter of the Hale family
24:07Is never to set foot inside the Alpha's estate
24:09Not once
24:11Not ever
24:12And just like that
24:13I walked into the Alpha's estate
24:14As the one and only Luna Dot
24:17Alice's hatred could have set the house on fire
24:19That night
24:20She broke everything she could get her hands on Dot vases
24:22Ceramic jars
24:23Decadive faiths
24:24Screaming and screaming
24:25And sobbing until her voice gave out
24:26Between the crashes
24:30Peasant
24:32Worthless
24:33Enough
24:34Useless
24:37Get a message to Mr. Allen
24:38The old Duke is looking for a new mate
24:40Isn't he?
24:41Send Alice
24:43I heard about this later
24:45Mr. Allen was not simply an older man
24:47The preference for young women
24:48He was past 70 violent by nature
24:51At least three women in his household
24:53Had died under his roof
24:54What I couldn't understand
24:56Even knowing everything I knew about
24:57About my father
24:58Was why he would throw his beloved
24:59Around a place like that
25:01There was something he wasn't telling anyone
25:04Not yet
25:08The day of our bonding ceremony
25:10The Alpha's estate was lit up
25:11With every window
25:12It was exactly grand and notto
25:14Draw every eye in the region
25:15And cover what was happening
25:16At the girl house at the same time
25:18A plane carriage slipped out the back
25:19While no one was watching
25:20Alice was inside Dot
25:22Bound
25:22Gagged 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 to the moon temple
25:29For reflection
25:29The truth
25:30She was delivered to the old Duke
25:31Through his back entrance
25:32Like something being returned
25:34In my last life
25:35I was the one in that carriage
25:37I had sat in that dark
25:38Jolting the paw
25:38Hand hundreds of moon
25:39For a second
25:40Now it was Alice
25:47Turned I thought of the way
25:48She had stood over me in the snow
25:49And I felt nothing but cold satisfaction
25:51Your own theirs gift to you
25:53Alice
25:53I hope you receive it well
25:55The estate gates opened
25:56Nathan stood in full ceremonial armor
25:58Torches lining the path behind him
26:00He was always severe
26:01That face
26:02Those eyes dot
26:03But in the amber light of the altar
26:04Something in him soffered
26:05Just at the edges
26:06We completed the bonding ceremony
26:11Dot afterward
26:12I sat on the edge of the bed
26:13Gripping the sheets
26:14My heart louder than I wanted it to be
26:17I had clawed my way back to this moment
26:19Reclaimed everything they had taken from me
26:21Dot but this part
26:22I had no memory to draw from
26:24No experience
26:25No
26:26Nathan looked at me
26:28Eva
26:30From tonight
26:31If the sky falls
26:33I'll be the one holding 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 to stand behind me Eva
26:51I need someone who can fight beside me
26:56That died
26:57Till dawn
26:58He didn't sapping down
27:07Next morning
27:08Mrs. Walker took one look at the shadows
27:10Under my eyes and 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 causing chaos
27:26At the old Duke's estate
27:29Robert Allen
27:30That man is
27:32Well
27:33She'll survive
27:34Probably
27:36But
27:38But it won't be comfortable
27:41I had stopped wondering about Alice
27:42Whatever she was living through
27:44It wasn't good
27:45That was enough
27:47Life inside the estate
27:48Settle faster than I'd expected
27:50I moved through the household
27:52Methodically
27:52One by one
27:54I found the one skimming
27:54Betraying me
27:55And smiling to hide it
27:56I dealt with each of them
27:57Cleanly dot
28:00After that
28:00This graph ran like water downhill
28:02No one tested me twice
28:04But Nathan
28:05Been 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 fuse
28:14Than usual
28:14When I brought food
28:15To his study
28:16One evening
28:16I found him with two fingers
28:17Pressed to his temple
28:22Face
28:23Same look I'd seen
28:24Seen on Mrs. Walker
28:25Hundred times dot
28:26So it ran in the family
28:28This headache that 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 of
28:35Sacred Head
28:36Pack spring water
28:36And spent the better part
28:37Of the night
28:38Stitching a small sleep pillow
28:39By hand
28:39Packing the herbs
28:40Inside myself
28:41The next afternoon
28:42While 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
29:02The next morning
29:03His side of the bed
29:03Was already empty
29:05From the outer room
29:06I heard Zoe
29:07Surprised
29:09Alpha
29:09You slept in today?
29:11Nathan's voice
29:11Was 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
29:21Of fish in my bowl
29:21The pillow
29:22You made it?
29:24I nodded
29:26He looked at me
29:27For a moment
29:27Something unreadable
29:28In his eyes
29:29And then the corner
29:29Of his mouth lifted
29:32The stitching is a bit rough
29:33But the scent
29:34I like it
29:35The stitching was fine
29:36He 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
29:52I grew up on a farm
29:54Not in a classroom
29:56He'd wrap his hand
29:57Around Manin Guide
29:58Each stroke his chest
29:59Against my back
30:00One evening
30:00I knocked over the ink
30:01He moved without thinking
30:03Sleeve down to catch it
30:04And the cuff
30:04Soaked through black
30:05I
30:05Grabbed 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 valerian grass
30:17Over the stain
30:18Nathan saw it
30:19And 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
30:49Though
30:49She gave the Duke
30:51A tonic called it a stimulant
30:52Something rare
30:53It worked well enough
30:55That he became
30:56Very attached to her
30:57After that
30:57I laughed
30:59When I heard
30:59What it actually was
31:00It was the same compound
31:02Used on the worst day
31:03Of the carriage
31:04The frenzy drug
31:05Just watered down
31:06Enough to make
31:07An old man feel young
31:08For an hour
31:09He was devoted to her
31:10After that
31:11But my informant
31:13Sent different news
31:14Alice's people
31:15Had been quietly
31:16Buying cinnabar
31:16And liquid mercury
31:17Separately
31:18Both medicinal dot
31:20Combined
31:21A lethal poison
31:22She wouldn't use it
31:23On Robert
31:23He was her only shield
31:25Which left
31:26One other target
31:27I set the letter down
31:29And tapped the table
31:31Nathan'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
31:38For her
31:38I called my trusted mate over
31:41And spoke quietly
31:42In her ear
31:43She nodded once
31:44And left
31:45And like
31:46I loved you
31:46I was lucky to have
31:48And explain it to me
31:49I was lucky to have
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