- 11 minutes ago
New🔥🌸Reborn Luna’s Vengeance
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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
00:19indecent
00:20shameless
00:22Alice swept off her jacket and draped it over my shoulders
00:26everyone praised her
00:27The 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
00:57On purpose
00:58Then I was reborn
00:59Mother smiled and reached for my sash
01:02Let me tighten this
01:05We can't have you embarrassing yourself
01:07Her fingers slipped toward her sleeve a blade that blade. I knew it the one that ruined my life the
01:13first 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
01:39Let my knees buckle threw 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
02:04Mother
02:06Are you all right? I'm so sorry. I slipped
02:09hissing through her teeth
02:11Clumsy girl
02:11We'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
02:21She 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
02:32Father stood in the doorway hands clasped behind his back. He checked the hourglass
02:36Crowned
02:37Enough do 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
02:44You 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
03:07She never got around to my sash instead. She reached for a velvet box
03:10Alice
03:11This is the hail 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
03:26Mother seemed to remember I existed
03:27She rummaged through a corner drawer and pulled out a fistful of hair prints old ones
03:32Most of them the gold paint was already flaking off
03:34Here Eva put these on
03:36Don't go saying I play favorites
03:38Your dress is so plain anyway
03:39These 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 air bloom suits her
03:54Eva spent years in the farming pack
03:57Putting something fine on her would just look out of place
03:59I squeezed those cheap pins as my fist until the metal bit into my palm
04:03The farming pack?
04:04Why was I even there?
04:05Because when my parents were running from their enemies
04:07I was dead weight
04:08So they left me behind
04:10They only brought me back
04:11Because the alpha came calling
04:14His 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 and 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 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
05:28The 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
05:47Zoe 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
05:57Zoe
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
06:08Alice had done the same thing
06:09Talked the whole ride over
06:11Loud and relentless
06:12But she'd gotten lucky
06:14By the time we arrived
06:16Mrs. Walker's migraines had cleared up
06:18And Alice had been ready
06:19She'd stolen my remedy formula
06:21My mom's earlier
06:22Passed it off as her own
06:23Mrs. Walker loved me to go ahead
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 the 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
07:25Heatstroke 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
07:55And 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
08:39The best part of any trap is the waiting
08:40The banquet began
08:43Alice moved straight to the harp and played for Mrs. Walker
08:46She was good
08:47And she knew it
08:48Mrs. Walker gave a small, measured 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 smiled
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 onto 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 slid straight down
09:33All 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
09:43She felt the cold air first
09:46Then she looked down
09:48And screamed
09:49Chaos erupted
09:50Women screamed
09:52But above it all, I felt it
09:53A gaze
09:54Heavy, cold from the shadow of the second floor balcony
09:57He was watching
10:06Alice 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
10:15Faces turned away
10:16Mrs. Walker's expression went stone cold
10:18What exactly does the Hal family teach their daughters?
10:21I was already moving
10:22I picked up an outer jacket and draped it around Alice's shoulders before she could catch her breath
10:27Oh, sweetheart, how did this happen?
10:29I sighed
10:30The kind that says I love you, but I told you so
10:31I 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, pure venom
10:44You did this
10:45I know it was you
10:46I blinked
10:47Spread 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
10:56And 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
11:07The room dissolved into chaos
11:09Maid swarmed Alice and rushed her off to change
11:12The commotion had done exactly what I expected
11:14Mrs. Walker's migraine had returned
11:16She sat with two fingers pressed to her temple
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
11:33Alice 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
11:43But 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
11:51It 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 custom crafted just for you
12:14The artisans worked through the night for an entire month
12:17Mrs. Walker stared at it
12:19You had craftsmen lose sleep for a month over something completely useless?
12:24What a waste of people
12:25Alice's confidence collapsed
12:26She 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
12:35I 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
12:46Something 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, delicate, cool herbal, Mrs. Walker drew a breath
12:59The pain didn't vanish, but it pulled back enough to breathe enough to relax the furrow between her brows
13:03That's lovely
13:04What is it?
13:05I heard you've suffered with headaches for years
13:08I brought this back from the farm
13:10It's what I always used
13:11Nothing fancy, but it works
13:13Mrs. Walker nodded slowly
13:15The way she looked at me had changed
13:16You're a thoughtful girl
13:18Out of the corner of my eye
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, Mrs. Walker had my hand in hers
13:39Asking about my life, my interests, what I like to eat
13:42She was already looking at Maliki, a daughter-in-law
13:45She called over a maid to bring me a better pour of wine
13:47The maid crossed the room and stumbled, just slightly
13:50Just enough to slosh wine across my sleeve
13:52My sincerest apologies, Miss Eva
13:55Clumsy fool! Get out of my sight!
13:57The maid scurried off, head bowed
13:58And as she passed Alice, their eyes met
14:00Quick, deliberate
14:01My necklace! My necklace is gone!
14:07The family heirloom! Mother's necklace! Where is it?
14:14Every head in the room turned, Mrs. 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
14:33If something valuable has gone missing
14:37Perhaps we should search everyone present
14:39It would clear Eva's name, if nothing else
14:43I held out both arms
14:44By all means, search me
14:46I 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, the same one who had spilled the wine
14:56To come forward and search me
14:57The maid ran her hands along my sides, patted 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, embroidered with cloud patterns
15:08The room erupted
15:09Alice pressed a hand to her mouth
15:11Eva! Do 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, you'll hang for this
15:24Eva! I would not have expected this of you
15:28The ladies around me had already begun to whisper
15:30Eyes sharp, heads shaking
15:31Ailey snatched the handkerchief
15:33Wait! There's writing on it!
15:35She snapped it open and read aloud
15:38I want to be tangled with you
15:41On every night the full moon rises
15:44She looked up at me, triumphant
15:46Waiting for me to crumble, to 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
16:23I, I
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, unhurried, 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!
17:35Someone 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
17:45Blood at the corner of her mouth
17:46Hair coming undone
17:48She was sobbing, gasping, calling for her parents
17:50Help me!
17:51I watched without moving
17:52For the first time, it felt satisfying
17:54Nathan glanced sideways at me just for a moment
17:56I inclined my head
17:59My respects, alpha
18:01Thank you for clearing my name
18:02What had started as a proper banquet had been reduced to rubble
18:05When it was finally over, Mrs. Walker took my hand in both of hers
18:08And 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
18:18When 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
18:58Did 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 shut up
19:06I turned my head
19:07His palm cut through empty air
19:09He held it there for a moment
19:10Suspended, then dropped it and looked away
19:13We'll deal with you at home
19:14Then 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 screwed them
19:25Or worse
19:25And suddenly they were bolting
19:27The whole 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 stage 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 with it
20:22The plan was to throw me out and walk away from the ground
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
20:43Hanging 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
21:00The 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
21:15The horse would have been dead within 10 miles
21:17I stood and watched my parents check themselves over
21:20With 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 friend
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
21:45The 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
21:55This 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
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 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 Alpha's estate is found to be lazy
23:06Dishonest, or worse, disloyal 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 look 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, Miss 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 to the Alpha himself
23:48If they break faith, they go
23:50No exceptions
23:52How can you be so ruthless?
23:55These are the Alpha's own people
23:58That's exactly what Mrs. Walker wanted to hear
24:00That's the kind of Luna this pack needs
24:04Mrs. Walker's exact words
24:05The second daughter of the Hale family is never to set foot inside the Alpha's mistake
24:09Not once
24:11Not ever
24:12And just like that, I walked into the Alpha's estate as the one and only Luna Dot
24:17Alice's hatred could have set the house on fire
24:19That night, she 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, isn't he?
24:41Send Alice
24:43I heard about this later
24:45Mr. Allen was not simply an older man with a preference for young women
24:48He was past 70 violent by nature
24:51At least three women in his household had died under his roof
24:55What I couldn't understand, even knowing everything I knew about about my father
24:58Was why he would throw his beloved an elder at a place like that
25:01There was something he wasn't telling anyone
25:04Not yet
25:08The day of our bonding ceremony, the Alpha's estate was lit up with every window
25:12It was exactly grand and auto draw every eye in the region
25:15And cover what was happening at the girl house at the same time
25:18A plane carriage slipped out the back while no one was watching
25:20Alice was inside Dot, bound
25:22Gagged with a silencing tonic
25:24Father had made sure she couldn't make a sound
25:26The official story she'd been sent to the Moon Temple for reflection
25:29The truth she was delivered to the old Duke through his back entrance like something being returned
25:34In my last life, I was the one in that carriage
25:37I had sat in that dark, jolting the claw hands under the moon
25:39So it was Alice
25:47Turned I thought of the way she had stood over me in the snow
25:49And I felt nothing but cold satisfaction
25:51Your own fears give to you
25:53Alice
25:53I hope you receive it well
25:55The estate gates opened
25:56Nathan stood in full ceremonial armor torches lining the path behind him
26:00He was always severe, that face, those eyes dot
26:03But in the amber light of the altar something in him soffered, just at the edges
26:06We completed the bonding ceremony
26:11Dot afterward
26:12I sat on the edge of the bed gripping the sheets my heart louder than I wanted it to be
26:17I had clawed my way back to this moment reclaimed everything they had taken from me
26:21Dot but this part I had no memory to draw from
26:24No experience
26:25No, Nathan looked at me
26:28Eva
26:29From tonight
26:31If the sky falls, I'll be the one holding it up
26:34You are my only Luna
26:36He tipped his head back and drained his cup
26:38I watched his throat move
26:41Why did you help me?
26:43Because you're sharp
26:46And you don't flinch
26:49I don't need someone to stand behind me, Eva
26:51I need someone who can fight beside me
26:56That done
26:57Till dawn
26:58He did sapping down
27:07Next morning, Mrs. Walker took one look at the shadows under my eyes and beam
27:12She sat me down, lifted a crown from its box and placed it on my head herself
27:19This was mine once
27:21It suits you better
27:23I heard about Alice
27:24Apparently she's been causing chaos at the old Duke's estate
27:29Robert Allen
27:30Robert Allen
27:30That man is
27:32Well
27:33She'll survive
27:35Probably
27:36But
27:38But it won't be comfortable
27:41I had stopped wondering about Alice
27:43Whatever she was living through, it wasn't good
27:45That was enough
27:47Life inside the estate settled faster than I'd expected
27:50I moved through the household methodically
27:53One by one, I found the one skimming, betraying me and smiling to hide it
27:56I dealt with each of them cleanly dot
28:00After that, this graph ran like water downhill
28:02No one tested me twice
28:04But Nathan, I'd been off for several days running gray skies
28:08Steady rain, his steady light burned past midnight
28:10He came to meet me
28:11Or not at all
28:12His temper had a shorter fuse than usual
28:14When I brought food to his study one evening
28:16I found him with two fingers pressed to his temple
28:22Face
28:23Same look I'd seen seen on Mrs. Walker a hundred times dot
28:26So it ran in the family
28:28This headache that never quite left
28:30I went back to my room and opened my remedy books
28:33I adjusted the formula
28:34Added a measure of Sacred Head packed spring water
28:36And spent the better part of the night
28:38Stitching a small sleep pillow by hand
28:39Packing the herbs inside myself
28:41The next afternoon
28:42While Nathan was out
28:44I slipped into his room and swapped his pillow for mine
28:47That night, Nathan came home late
28:49I was already in bed
28:50Pretending to sleep
28:51Half conscious
28:52I felt the mattress sink beside me
29:01When I woke the next morning, his side of the bed was already empty
29:05From the outer room, I heard Zoe, surprised
29:09Alpha, you slept in today?
29:11Nathan's voice was unhurried
29:13Slept deeply
29:15No headache
29:16I smiled to myself
29:17The pillow worked
29:19At dinner, he reached over and placed a piece of fish in my bowl
29:21The 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 of his mouth lifted
29:32The stitching is a bit rough
29:33But the scent, I like it
29:35The stitching was fine
29:36He just wouldn't say what he actually meant
29:39After that, the pillow was his alone
29:41No one was permitted to touch it
29:43He stopped walking around with that permanent scowl
29:45Some evenings he'd call me into the study and teach me calligraphy
29:50My characters had always been crooked
29:52I grew up on a farm, not in a classroom
29:56He'd wrap his hand around the mean guide each stroke his chest against my back
30:00One evening I knocked over the ink
30:01He moved without thinking sleeve down to catch it and the cuff soaked through black
30:05I grabbed a cloth and dabbed at it, it spread worse
30:11Leave it, it's just a robe
30:13I took it back to my room anyway and stayed up embroidering a cluster of valyrian grass over the stain
30:18Nathan saw it and scoffed
30:21How childish
30:22Then wore that robe every single day
30:28I wasn't looking for news about the Hale family
30:31It kept arriving anyway
30:33Alice was miserable at the Duke's estate
30:36Robert had particular tastes
30:38The smallest inconvenience earned a lashing
30:41Alice was covered in marks but she was alive
30:44Running entirely on hatred
30:46All of it pointed at me
30:48She had found her pudding though
30:50She gave the Duke a tonic called it a stimulant
30:52Something rare
30:53It worked well enough that he became very attached to her after that
30:57I laughed when I heard what it actually was
31:00It was the same compound used on the forced day of the carriage
31:04The frenzy drug just watered down
31:06Enough to make an old man feel young for an hour
31:09He was devoted to her after that
31:11But my informant sent different news
31:14Alice's people had been quietly buying Cinnabar and liquid mercury
31:17Separately
31:18Both medicinal dot combined
31:20A lethal poison
31:22She wouldn't use it on Robert
31:23He was her only shield
31:25Which left one other target
31:27I set the letter down and tapped the table
31:30Nathan's birthday was the 8th of next month
31:33So that was her move
31:35If she wanted to come for me I'd make it very easy for her
31:39I called my trusted mate over and spoke quietly in her ear
31:43She nodded once and left
31:45Yes
31:46That's all
31:47The
31:47The
31:47You
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