- 6 hours ago
Rebirth From Betrayal
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:07My father's eyes blazed with a terrifying golden light as he barked the command.
00:13The Alpha Command crushed down on my knees, driving me hard into the mud.
00:18My mother gazed down at me.
00:21Selina is an Omega.
00:22If her wolf enters Silvermoon prison, the Silver will torture her to death.
00:27Lyra, you're the older sister. You go.
00:32My adopted younger sister, an Omega, drove drunk and killed a human.
00:37Yet, my parents wanted me to take the fall.
00:41You killed a human. You must go to prison.
00:45My biological father pinned every ounce of guilt onto me.
00:51I couldn't hold back the tears.
00:52No, I won't. I didn't kill anyone.
00:57Why should I go to prison? I'm your real daughter.
01:00My father's fury erupted.
01:02You don't have a choice!
01:08The pure silver shackles locked tight around my wrists.
01:12My skin sizzled and burned where the metal touched it, searing pain drilling straight into the bones.
01:21Desperately, I looked Kaelin.
01:23He was the strongest Alpha in the pack.
01:25The top-ranked dominant and my fated mate.
01:29He only stared down at me with a cold gaze.
01:37Lyra, go.
01:38When you come out, we'll complete the mate bond.
01:41He reached out and stroked my face.
01:43These seven years, just bear it.
01:47Just this once.
01:51I collapsed into despair, screaming.
01:54No!
02:04Seven years later.
02:06Lyra, now that you're leaving Silvermoon Prison, keep your wolf under control.
02:10Don't look back.
02:15Dragging my ruined leg, I limped out through the iron gate.
02:19A car was waiting just beyond the territory boundary.
02:23The window rolled down, and Kaelin's face emerged.
02:28Lyra.
02:30Seven years, and he hadn't changed at all.
02:33I dragged my crippled leg into the car.
02:37In the rear-view mirror, I saw my face.
02:40A map of scars seared into the skin by silver.
02:44You've suffered these seven years.
02:45I'll keep my promise.
02:47At the next full moon, I'll mark you formally.
02:51You'll become my Luna.
02:53Kaelin reached over and laid his hand over my rough, scarred knuckles.
02:58I looked into his gold-green eyes and slowly pulled my hand away.
03:04The wolf inside me couldn't even summon a whimper.
03:09Seven years in Silvermoon Prison had shown me exactly who Kaelin was.
03:17Who my family was.
03:19You don't have a choice!
03:22They had never loved me.
03:25And I no longer had any desire to be his mate.
03:29Sensing my indifference, Kaelin grew irritated.
03:32Selina knew you were coming back today.
03:34Her stress disorder flared up again.
03:36Your whole family is at the Territory Hospital, soothing her.
03:40I closed my eyes.
03:42The SUV drove into the heart of the Crescent Moon Pax territory.
03:47An hour later, we arrived at my home.
03:50Only a Beta housekeeper and a few Omega servants were in the main house.
03:53They caught the inferior scent clinging to me.
03:56And didn't bother to hide their disgust.
03:59The Beta housekeeper offered Kaelin a respectful salute before finally turning to me.
04:05Miss Lyra, the Lunar says that now you're back, you're to stay inside your own scent circle.
04:10Don't wander around.
04:11Don't bring shame to the pack.
04:13Shame.
04:13I'd endured seven years of Silver burning my flesh in Selina's place.
04:18And somehow I was the shame?
04:21But I'd stopped expecting anything from them seven years ago, on that night of thunder and rain.
04:27Understood.
04:29I turned toward the side door.
04:32Kaelin received a mind link.
04:33His pupils snapped vertically.
04:35Lyra, Selina's vital signs are weak.
04:37She needs me.
04:38I'll go check on her.
04:39Get some rest.
04:42With that, he turned and disappeared into the room.
04:50Tonight later, I went back to my assigned space.
04:53A storage closet.
04:55And curled up on the narrow wooden cot.
05:00Late at night, drifting between sleep and waking.
05:03I heard Chloe, the Beta's younger sister, speaking downstairs.
05:08Alpha father, Luna mother, Selina's mental state is terrible.
05:12Why don't we move Lyra out of the main house?
05:14Otherwise, Selina will have an episode every time she catches Lyra's scent.
05:17My father sighed, but said nothing.
05:20My mother said,
05:22She carries our blood.
05:24If we throw her out the moment she's released from prison, what will the other packs say?
05:29Then what do we do?
05:30Chloe paced anxiously.
05:35My father spoke.
05:37When Selina comes back, order Lyra to suppress all her scent signatures.
05:42She's forbidden from appearing in front of Selina.
05:44She's not allowed to take a single step out of her room.
05:47My eyes were closed, but a searing acidic burn spread deep in their sockets.
05:53Just then, my specialized communicator vibrated.
05:57An encrypted email.
05:58Ms. Lyra, congratulations.
06:01You have passed the assessment for the Institute of Paranormal Confidential Research.
06:06Upon acceptance of the contract, you will depart for the sacred grounds of Domica Island
06:10under a new identity on the night of the full moon, seven days from now.
06:15Your PAC identity will be permanently erased.
06:18No contact with the outside world for five years.
06:22Without a flicker of hesitation, I signed my name.
06:25Lyra.
06:26I had passed the Institute's assessment seven years ago, right before I was thrown into prison
06:31instead of joining.
06:32As my release approached, I'd applied again.
06:34I'd passed again, without surprise.
06:38Seven days.
06:39I only had to endure seven more days.
06:41Then I would sever the PAC bond completely and leave forever.
06:48The next morning, I walked into the living room.
06:51A thick, clying sweetness hit me.
06:54Omega scent, heavy and dense.
06:56Selena was back.
06:58She sat at the center of the sofa in a pure white dress.
07:01Everyone crowded around her.
07:03The beta housekeeper brought out a cake.
07:06The family spoke in practiced unison.
07:09Happy birthday, Selena.
07:12Selena smiled and thanked everyone, lifting her chin.
07:15I just left the hospital.
07:17Do you have anything special for me?
07:19My parents and sister stepped forward one by one, offering expensive treasures.
07:25Kaelin was about to present his gift, when he caught sight of me standing in the shadows.
07:30Lyra, you're awake.
07:32Come, celebrate Selene's birthday with us.
07:35Selena turned to me.
07:38Sister, I'm sorry.
07:39My stress disorder flared up yesterday.
07:42I couldn't go pick you up.
07:43You're not angry, are you?
07:45Before I could open my mouth, Kaelin answered for me.
07:49Lyra isn't that petty.
07:51She won't hold it against you.
07:53Selena took that as permission.
07:55Boldly, she looped her arm throughs and looked straight at me.
07:59Sister, give me a gift too.
08:02I want Kaelin as my mate.
08:05Mate stealing was taboo among the wolves.
08:07Yet she declared it openly, and not a single wolf in the room spoke a word against it.
08:13Rage boiled in my blood.
08:15I clenched my fists.
08:17And if I refuse?
08:22Selena's expression stiffened.
08:24She switched to the old wolf tongue, reserved for pure-blood aristocrats.
08:29I was only joking.
08:30I didn't expect my sister's wolf to be so savage.
08:33My luna mother responded in the same old tongue, her tone soothing.
08:37Don't be afraid, Selena.
08:38Lyra has been wandering outside too long.
08:40Her bloodline is degraded.
08:41My Atva father released a calming pinewood scent.
08:44Blood ties don't matter.
08:45Your mother and I only recognize you as our daughter.
08:48Right, Selena.
08:49You're my only sister.
08:50I forced the bitterness down and pretended I couldn't understand a word of the old tongue.
08:54I turned to Kaelin.
08:56What are they saying?
08:57Kaelin's throat bobbed.
08:59Selena said it was just a joke.
09:01Everyone's telling you not to be so sensitive.
09:03The air reeked of lies.
09:05They had no idea.
09:07I understood every single word.
09:09My mother came from a noble, pure-blood line.
09:13My father ruled over this entire territory.
09:16From the moment they brought me back from the orphanage,
09:19they despised me for carrying too much of the stray's wildness.
09:23Every resource, every drop of love,
09:26they poured it all into its Selena.
09:27Ten years ago, Selena awakened a rare healing-type omega gift.
09:34The entire pack howled at the moon in ecstasy.
09:38What they didn't know was that I'd already passed the blood moon trial by then
09:43and had taught myself the most obscure dialect of the old wolf tongue.
09:47But none of that mattered anymore.
09:50Soon, very soon, I would escape this territory for good.
09:54I just got out of Silvermoon prison.
09:55I want to go beyond the territory boundary, get some air.
09:58You all carry on.
10:00Under their contemptuous stares,
10:01I dragged my ruined leg towards the door.
10:05Their mockery trailed behind me.
10:08Today was my birthday, too.
10:14Beyond the territory,
10:16I suppressed my wolf's scent signature
10:17and took a bus to the lower district of Seattle.
10:20Because of my Silvermoon prison record,
10:22the pack had erased all my files.
10:24Combined with my crippled leg,
10:26the only work I could find was washing dishes
10:28in a run-down roadside diner.
10:29Just enough to survive the next ten days.
10:32At half-past eleven at night,
10:33I finished scrubbing the last plate.
10:35As I stepped out of the diner,
10:37a man climbed out of his car and strode toward me.
10:42Lyra,
10:43why have you been away from the territory so long?
10:46He grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward the vehicle.
10:48The door opened.
10:49And on the back seat sat a cake.
10:52Lyra,
10:53happy birthday.
10:55Kalen's pack and mine shared a tight border.
10:59He and I,
11:00the top-ranked Alpha and I,
11:02had been bound by a mate contract since we were pups.
11:06I still remembered the first moment I saw him
11:09after returning to the territory.
11:11He stood in the sunlight,
11:13radiating brilliance.
11:14In that hostile territory,
11:17Kalen was the only one who never scorned my wild scent.
11:21He would release his Alpha dominance to shield me.
11:25He brought me gifts on holidays.
11:27He was the only soul in that entire forest who was good to me.
11:32And in the end,
11:33he was the one who personally sent me to Silvermoon Prison.
11:40Lyra?
11:41What's wrong?
11:42Did you think I forgot your birthday?
11:43Kalen's voice pulled me back.
11:45I answered evenly.
11:48He produced another box.
11:49I lifted the lid.
11:51Inside lay a red dress.
11:53Remember when you were little?
11:55You said you wanted to wear a red dress when we completed the mate bond.
11:58I had it made in advance.
12:00Do you like it?
12:04Alpha,
12:05you're remembering wrong.
12:07I hate red.
12:08When I was lost as a child,
12:10I'd been wearing a red dress.
12:13Ever since I could form memories,
12:14every full moon night,
12:15I put on red,
12:16hoping my pack could track my visual scent and bring me home.
12:20Kalen's pupils contracted.
12:21He ruffled my hair.
12:25I'm sorry.
12:27I remembered wrong.
12:28Come on,
12:29I'll take you to a restaurant to celebrate.
12:31On the drive back,
12:32Kalen gripped my hand tightly.
12:36Lyra,
12:37why is your scent so faint?
12:40Why are you thinner than you were seven years ago?
12:42And your leg...
12:43Before he could finish,
12:45the phone rang.
12:46The screen flashed a single word.
12:48Selena.
12:52Kalen answered.
12:54His voice dropped into a frantic grail.
12:56Turn around!
12:56Back to the territory!
13:01The whole way,
13:02he soothed Selena through the communicator.
13:04By the time we burst back into the main house,
13:07I looked up.
13:08Selena stood on the roof's edge of the villa,
13:11still in her white dress.
13:12She looked at us.
13:14Sister's back.
13:16It's time for a defective Omega like me to step aside.
13:20Goodbye.
13:21Without another word,
13:23she jumped.
13:23The drop from roof to ground was maybe 10 meters.
13:26But when Selena fell,
13:27every single one of my family lunged forward on pure instinct.
13:32That night,
13:33ambulance sirens wailed over the territory.
13:38They all went to the hospital.
13:39I went back to my storage closet,
13:41collapsed onto the hard plank bed,
13:43and checked my communicator.
13:4612.20 a.m.
13:48The top-ranked alpha had broken his promise.
13:50He hadn't stayed to celebrate my birthday.
13:53But my wolf didn't howl in pain.
13:55All I felt was a vast, barren emptiness.
13:59I closed my eyes and sank into sleep.
14:02The next five days,
14:03I worked at the diner.
14:05My family stayed at the hospital,
14:08wrapping at Selena in thick layers of protective scent.
14:11Not one of them set foot back in the territory.
14:15Until that day.
14:16The restaurant TV broadcast the news.
14:19Alpha Kaelin and Selena of the Crescent Moon Pack
14:22announced their binding ceremony.
14:24My pupils snapped into vertical slits.
14:28That night,
14:29I pushed open the wooden door
14:31and walked back into the territory.
14:33They were all there.
14:35At Kaelin's scent,
14:36saturated the living room.
14:38My Luna mother caught the smell of earth on me
14:40and opened her mouth to scold me.
14:43My alpha father silenced her with a look.
14:46Lyra, you're finally back.
14:49Selene's Omega Depression is getting worse.
14:51So we've already made the decision for you.
14:54We're transferring your mate bond to Selene.
14:56You have no objections, I trust?
14:59They'd already used their authority to sever my bond.
15:03Now they stood there asking for my opinion
15:05as if it meant something.
15:07Alpha,
15:09you agreed to this too?
15:14Kaelin crossed the room in a few strides
15:16and seized my cold hand.
15:17Selene's only obsession right now
15:19is completing the binding ceremony with me.
15:21Don't worry, little wolf.
15:22I won't betray you.
15:24I'm just playing along,
15:25going through the motions.
15:27He was about to mark another she-wolf
15:29and he expected me to believe he wouldn't betray me?
15:31I wrenched my hand from his grip.
15:34Fine.
15:37Do whatever you want.
15:39Something tightened in At-Kaelin's chest.
15:42He reached for me again.
15:45Out Selene suddenly released
15:47a dense wave of sorrowful pheromones.
15:52Sister, if you're not willing, then forget it.
15:55Through her sobs,
15:56she dug her nails into the back of her own hand.
15:59Chloe rushed to stop the self-harm,
16:01then spun around and bared her fangs at me with a snarl.
16:05Lyra!
16:05Can't you smell how sick she is?
16:09Do you need the whole family to kneel before you
16:11before you'll give in?
16:14My blood sister.
16:18Brainwashed completely by this twisted pack.
16:24Her roar dragged me back to the early days
16:26after I'd returned to the territory.
16:28At first,
16:29they forced me to give Selene the best den.
16:32Then,
16:33seven years ago,
16:34Selene broke the iron law.
16:35The memories ignited my rage past the breaking point.
16:39I met at Chloe's hostile glares
16:41and let out a cold laugh.
16:42Fine.
16:43If all of you kneel and submit to me,
16:45I'll agree to hand over my mate bond to Selene.
16:48The living room fell silent.
16:50None of them had expected such rebellion from me.
16:53I retreated to my cramped den.
16:56Late at night,
16:57my communicator buzzed.
16:59Kalen.
16:59Lyra, Selene once saved my life.
17:02She gave me her kidney,
17:03the primal vitality of her wolf.
17:05That's why I have to complete this binding ceremony with her.
17:09Alpha,
17:09when you were gravely wounded,
17:12it was me who saved you.
17:13I'm the one who gave you my kidney.
17:16Silence on the other end.
17:18Then,
17:19Kalen's cold laugh.
17:20Lyra,
17:21since when did you learn to lie?
17:22Selene was the one who saved me.
17:24Your own parents can swear it on the pack's name.
17:26You've disappointed me deeply.
17:28I lay on the freezing count,
17:29unable to speak.
17:30Eight years ago,
17:32Kalen was ambushed and critically injured.
17:34I didn't hesitate.
17:35I went through the matching.
17:37I cut away a piece of myself and gave it to him.
17:39Now my sacrifice had been stolen by that Omega,
17:42and I wasn't even allowed to prove it was mine.
17:45After a long silence,
17:47I whispered,
17:47If you don't believe me, forget it.
17:49I'd already decided to abandon you completely anyway.
17:52I cut the connection,
17:53closed my eyes,
17:55slept.
17:58The second to last day.
18:00After my final shift,
18:01I stepped out of the diner.
18:03That familiar car was parked outside the shopping center.
18:07Above Shibon Commercial Street,
18:09fireworks suddenly burst across the sky.
18:11Alpha Kalen loves Lyra forever.
18:14I tilted my head back,
18:15staring at the night sky,
18:17lost for a long moment.
18:19Kalen trod toward me,
18:21his voice low and soft.
18:23Yesterday was my fault,
18:24but you have to believe me.
18:26The one I truly love is you,
18:28so you don't have to lie.
18:31How did he do it?
18:33How did he join forces with my family again and again,
18:37tear into me while pinning to the ground,
18:39and still say he loved me with a straight face?
18:42He pinched my hollow cheek.
18:44You really are too thin.
18:46Why aren't you eating properly?
18:47I snapped my gaze up.
18:49I spent seven years surviving Silvermoon Prison,
18:52a place saturated with silver.
18:54My wolf fought just to stay alive.
18:57Did you think I'd have the luxury of growing a full, healthy coat?
19:01A violent shover ran through Kalen's massive frame.
19:05Maybe, just in that second, it hit him.
19:07He was the one who had personally sent me into that hell.
19:10He opened his mouth to speak.
19:12The car door swung open.
19:13Selina's voice drifted out.
19:15Alpha Kalen,
19:23The last trace of warmth inside me died.
19:26Kalen explained.
19:28Selina followed our scent to come see you.
19:30She says she wants to thank you for your generosity,
19:33for being willing to step aside.
19:35He bundled me into the car.
19:37In the enclosed space,
19:39Selina's gaze fell on my grease-stained thread-bake uniform.
19:43Sister,
19:45don't mother and father have the stewards send you supplies every month?
19:49Why are you still doing menial labor in a human diner?
19:52It damages the pack's dignity.
19:54She slipped a gemstone bracelet off her wrist
19:56and held it out to me.
20:00If you're short on survival resources,
20:03this bracelet is worth three million dollars.
20:06It should buy you a few good meals.
20:11Three million dollars.
20:12A random toy thrust to an Omega was worth three million dollars.
20:16I still remembered when I'd first returned to the territory
20:18and wanted to attend a human high school.
20:20The tuition was only three thousand dollars.
20:22I begged my Luna mother.
20:24Lyra, do I owe you something?
20:26I gave you life.
20:28You should be grateful.
20:30Why are you always so ungrateful?
20:32After that,
20:33I never asked this territory for a single scrap of meat again.
20:36The so-called steward supplies were nothing but a lie.
20:39They tilted their hearts to the extreme long ago.
20:42Look at your glossy, perfect coat.
20:44Now look at me,
20:45covered in scars.
20:46I smacked the Offerford bracelet away.
20:50Reign in your Omega pheromones.
20:52Stop putting on an act in front of me.
20:54I'm not that naive 15-year-old pup anymore.
20:57At 15,
20:58I'd yearned desperately for a pack bond with Aunt Selina.
21:02She framed me instead.
21:03Every cruel thing she did,
21:05she pinned on me.
21:06By the time I realized what was happening,
21:08the entire pack had branded me an outsider.
21:11My rebuke sent tears rolling down Selina's cheeks.
21:14The air filled with a heartbreaking, pleading scent.
21:18The moment Aunt Kaelin smelled it,
21:20he pulled Selina under the shelter of his chest
21:22and snared at me.
21:24Lyra!
21:25Selina meant well.
21:26It's fine if you don't want the bracelet.
21:28There's no need to say something so vicious.
21:30Right.
21:31This was the male who claimed he loved me
21:34from the deepest part of his soul.
21:36The moment there was any friction between Aunt Selina,
21:39he always took her side.
21:40Every single time.
21:42Alpha,
21:42if someone throws a piece of rotting meat
21:44at a starving wolf as charity,
21:46must the wolf swallow it and wag its bay in gratitude?
21:48Even crushed beneath your feet,
21:51my wolf has pride worth dying for.
21:53Kaelin was struck silence.
21:56Beside him, Selina's breathing suddenly grew rapid and shallow.
21:59She let out a fragile whimmer.
22:02I'm sorry.
22:03It's my fault.
22:05Don't blame sister.
22:06Kaelin barked at the driver.
22:08Quick!
22:08Turn around.
22:09Get to the territory hospital.
22:11Lyra, your wolf showed too much savagery just now.
22:14You can walk back on your own.
22:16The car door shut in my face.
22:19I was left discarded on the freezing street.
22:22I watched the taillights vanish,
22:23and my heart felt nothing.
22:25No pain of being abandoned by my mate.
22:27Nothing at all.
22:30I dragged my ruined leg back to the territory main house.
22:34The villa was unusually lively.
22:37My luna mother laughed.
22:41The night after tomorrow's full moon,
22:44Selina's binding ceremony.
22:45I looked at them.
22:47Sorrow welled up from deep inside me.
22:49They had truly given every scrap of love to that Omega.
22:52Tomorrow night at 9 o'clock,
22:54the extraction vehicle would arrive.
22:56After that,
22:56I'd have no need for any blood plines ever again.
22:59The night after tomorrow was Selina and Kaelin's binding day.
23:02Chloe threw them a wild pre-celebration party.
23:05The next morning,
23:06since my storage closet had no water source,
23:08I had to drag my leg out to wash up.
23:10Passing the living room,
23:12I saw the young wolves playing a game.
23:14Selina and Kaelin sat in the center of it all.
23:17Alpha, you lost!
23:18Truth or dare?
23:19Kaelin leaned back lazily.
23:21Dare.
23:22Kiss Selina in front of everyone one full minute!
23:25The young alpha suddenly caught sight of me at the edge of the room.
23:29His grin widened.
23:31How about this?
23:31Pick any she-wolf in this room and kiss her for one minute.
23:35Lyra!
23:35Weren't you the one who was most obsessed with the alpha?
23:38He's about to mark someone else.
23:41Why not share one last kiss with him?
23:43One last desperate memory to cling to?
23:46Kaelin stood up.
23:47Step by step, he walked toward me.
23:49Kaelin!
23:50There are too many people here.
23:52I'm about to make Selina my Luna.
23:54I can't humiliate her.
23:55You understand, don't you?
23:57I made a quiet sound of assent and turned toward the washroom.
24:00Behind me, I heard the wet sounds of Kaelin and Selina's mouths meeting,
24:04and the wolves' excited howls.
24:06In this game where I was always the option to be discarded,
24:10I truly had to thank him for finally letting me go.
24:15Night fell.
24:16Kaelin lit up the entire territory sky with fireworks for Selina.
24:20He tracked my scent and called me into the shadows.
24:25Lyra, once the full moon comes tomorrow and Selina and I finish the false binding ceremony,
24:29we can finally be together properly.
24:33I opened my dry throat.
24:37I'm sorry.
24:38I won't.
24:40Before I could finish, At Chloe came running, howling.
24:43Kaelin!
24:44Come quick!
24:45Game time!
24:47Kaelin called back an acknowledgement, then turned to me.
24:50What were you saying?
24:51You want what?
24:53I gave a bitter smile.
24:56Nothing.
24:58Go.
24:59Revel with your pack.
25:02Kaelin squeezed my ice-cold fingers.
25:04Once tomorrow's ceremony is over, all of this will be over.
25:09He turned and strode back toward the clamorous light.
25:12I watched his back in silence.
25:15Yes.
25:16All ties were over.
25:20All the wolves flocked to Selina's lavish room.
25:23Alone, I slipped into the shadows of the main house and checked my communicator.
25:287.15pm.
25:30One hour and 45 minutes left.
25:33I washed my body with cold water, scrubbing every last trace of the territory's scent from my fur.
25:40The mirror reflected a body mapped with burned scars and whip marks from Silver Moon Prison.
25:45I put on the cleanest clothes I'd managed to keep all these years.
25:49Then I waited.
25:50The last hour.
25:52I looked around the den that had trapped me for so many years.
25:55A few ragged clothes.
25:57One thin blanket.
26:01A diary and a photo frame on the desk.
26:03I threw away every old belonging.
26:06I picked up the photo frame.
26:09Inside was a group portrait of two families, taken 12 years ago, just after I'd returned to the territory.
26:16That photo had once held every desperate hope I'd had for this pack.
26:21Now I tore it to pieces and dropped it in the trash.
26:25Finally, I opened the diary.
26:28December 6, 2016.
26:30Sunny.
26:31I returned to the territory today.
26:34I met my Alpha and Luna.
26:36I have a home now.
26:37I'm not a stray anymore.
26:40April 1, 2017.
26:43Overcast.
26:44No food or money was allocated to me.
26:47I have to hunt for myself.
26:50July 7, Twaineed, 2018.
26:53Sunny.
26:54I traded my prey for a necklace.
26:57My little sister didn't like it.
26:59I need to earn more.
27:01Buy her something better next time.
27:04I turned to the last entry.
27:06Written the night before I was sent to prison.
27:09Only one line.
27:10This pack doesn't love me.
27:12Not at all.
27:16A long forgotten burn rose behind my eyes.
27:20I picked up a pen and, using the old wolf tongue,
27:25wrote my final words.
27:27I'm leaving Alpha.
27:29Luna.
27:32Before I go,
27:33my wolf truly cannot understand.
27:36If you despised my so much,
27:38why did you search for me in the forest all those years ago?
27:43When other strays find their birth parents,
27:46they're met with endless acceptance and love.
27:48But for me,
27:50the moment you found me
27:52was the moment you found me
27:54wasn't I truly lost my parents.
27:56Chloe,
27:58you said you only
27:59recognize Selima as your sister.
28:02Today,
28:03I grant you that wish.
28:06Kaylin,
28:07you said after the false binding ceremony
28:10we could be together again.
28:11I'm sorry.
28:13My wolf is already dead.
28:16I won't wait for you anymore.
28:18May your bond prove unbreakable.
28:20I am abandoning this territory forever.
28:23Through I-grease Perowse-Mensley,
28:25we will never see each other again.
28:28I finished writing,
28:30laid the diary flat on the desk,
28:32and pulled the prison medical records from my bag.
28:38I set them down on top of the diary.
28:41The scan image was unmistakable.
28:44My body contained only one kidney.
28:46The clock struck nine.
28:49I grabbed my canvas bag
28:51and limped out of the territory.
28:53Behind me,
28:55lights blazed
28:56and the pack's revelry shook the ground.
28:58Ahead of me,
29:00several matte black military armored vehicles
29:02crouched silently in the dark.
29:05Without a flicker of hesitation,
29:07I stepped across the territory boundary
29:09and walked towards my new life.
29:14Engines roared to light.
29:16The convoy pulled away swiftly,
29:19swallowing me into the boundless night.
29:24The next day,
29:25to the sound of long,
29:26drawn-out wolf howls,
29:31Selina and Kaylin's mating ceremony
29:32officially began.
29:37My Luna mother swept her gaze around
29:39and couldn't pick up Lyra's scent.
29:41She frowned and growled.
29:43Chloe, where is Lyra?
29:45If she's absent,
29:46the other packs will talk.
29:47Go!
29:48Drag Lyra out here.
29:51I'll get her.
29:53Which den is she sleeping in?
29:56The storage closet.
29:58Every dominant wolf present went still.
30:01My alpha father's brown
30:03frontaled in confusion.
30:04Why would Lyra sleep in a storage closet?
30:08The servant shook.
30:10When Miss Lyra was first brought back,
30:13there was no suitable den.
30:15The Luna said she would stay
30:17in the storage closet temporarily.
30:19That temporarily had lasted 12 years.
30:23An ugly flush rose on my Luna mother's face.
30:26She masked her guilt with a surge of dominance.
30:31Selina, dressed in pure white silk ceremonial robes,
30:35released a clining wave of pheromones.
30:37Our storage closet is still better than fighting wild dogs for scraps in the forest,
30:41like she used to.
30:43Sister shouldn't feel too wronged, should she?
30:45A thread of dissonance flickered through at Chloe's heart.
30:51Frowning, she walked toward the renected corner at the end of the corridor.
30:57The heavy wooden door creaked open.
31:00No warm scent of packmates.
31:04Only dust and mildew.
31:07Lyra's bed was pushed against a row of rusted shelving.
31:10Beside it sat an abandoned water tank,
31:13topped with a battered desk lamp,
31:17a yellowed diary,
31:18and a stack of medical documents.
31:25Lyra wasn't there.
31:28Chloe's heart began to pound.
31:30She walked to the water tank.
31:32With trembling hands,
31:33she picked up the diary and the medical reports.
31:38Alpha Father!
31:40Luna Mother!
31:42Sister isn't in the territory,
31:44but she left these behind!
31:47Alpha Father moved to investigate,
31:49but the sound of an SUV engine
31:51and the crushing weight of a top plea Alpha's dominance
31:54rolled in from outside.
31:58Kaylin had arrived.
32:00My Luna Mother spoke first.
32:02She's probably just throwing a tantrum
32:05and ran off to the boundary.
32:08Chloe,
32:09put those things down
32:11and come out.
32:13The Alpha is here for Selina.
32:17Alpha Father hesitated,
32:19then suppressed his unease
32:21and turned to go out.
32:24The main hall.
32:26At Kaylin stood in the center,
32:28holding a bouquet.
32:29His face showed no trace of joy.
32:32His optory senses were filtering the air
32:34with frantic intensity.
32:36Nothing.
32:37No trace of Lyra's scent.
32:39His brow furled hard.
32:43Where is Lyra?
32:46Jealousy flashed through Lina's eyes.
32:48Kaylin,
32:49sister probably couldn't handle the stimulation.
32:52She ran out of the territory.
32:55My Luna Mother echoed her.
32:56Alpha,
32:57we failed to domesticate Lyra's wildness.
33:01Forgive us.
33:02Kaylin's wolf growled in agitation.
33:04He pulled out his communicator
33:06and messaged Lyra.
33:08Why is your wolf still so childish?
33:10Where the hell did you run off to?
33:13No response.
33:14Not through Mindlink.
33:16Not through the communicator.
33:18Chloe emerged,
33:19clutching the diary
33:20and the medical reports.
33:22She'd only glanced at the report,
33:24but what she saw
33:25made her blood run cold.
33:27Why was Lyra's body in such terrible condition?
33:30Why did she only have one kidney?
33:35She had already ordered her deputy
33:37to launch a full investigation
33:39into Lyra's seven years in Silvermoon Prison.
33:44Selina broke the silence,
33:46looping her arm through Kaylin's.
33:48Alpha,
33:48our mating ceremony is about to start.
33:51Sister left.
33:52So she left.
33:54Chloe and Alpha father both frowned
33:56Selina didn't care in the slightest
33:57whether Lyra lived or died.
34:01A false binding ceremony
34:03doesn't need to go that far.
34:05You just wanted to wear the wedding dress
34:07and walk into the Moon Temple.
34:09Kaylin's voice was cold.
34:10Let's go.
34:11Get it done.
34:13He pulled his arm free
34:15and strode out of the main house,
34:16carrying a freezing area with him.
34:22Because it was a false ceremony,
34:24Kaylin had invited no guests.
34:26The temple stood empty
34:29except for the Alpha family
34:30and an elder to officiate.
34:32Selina finally shattered.
34:38This is what I wanted at all!
34:45Lyra left, so what?
34:47You still have me!
34:50Am I so inferior
34:52to that stray wild wolf?
34:54She's been to prison!
34:55How could she possibly
34:56be worthy of you?
34:58Selina,
35:00you threatened to kill yourself.
35:02You jumped off the roof!
35:04That's the only reason
35:05I agreed to this sham
35:06of a ceremony.
35:08Now we've done what you asked,
35:10I'm going to find Lyra.
35:17He fixed his eyes on her hard.
35:20And don't you forget,
35:22Lyra went to Silvermoon Prison
35:23in your place.
35:25Every wolf present
35:26turned to stone.
35:28Selina let out
35:29a piercing shriek.
35:31From somewhere on her person,
35:33she drew a silver-coated blade
35:35and pressed it
35:35to her own throat.
35:38I don't care!
35:40What makes Lyra better than me?
35:42When you were dying
35:43from your wounds
35:44all those years ago,
35:46I was the one
35:47who gave you my kidney!
35:52My Luna mother
35:53lunged to grab the knife.
35:55Selina,
35:56don't do anything reckless.
35:58Stay back!
36:01Kaylin is the only mate I want.
36:04Why can't I have him?
36:05It's all Lyra's fault.
36:08She deserves to die!
36:10Her hysterical curses
36:12echoed through the temple.
36:13The scene spiraled
36:14completely out of control.
36:21It ended with an ambulance.
36:23His palm was severely burned
36:25from wrestling the blade
36:26from her grip barehanded.
36:28He sat in the ambulance,
36:30calling and messaging Lyra
36:32like a man possessed.
36:33Lyra,
36:34the false binding ceremony
36:35is over.
36:36Where are you?
36:36Don't let anger cloud your reason.
36:38Let me come find you,
36:39alright?
36:40But Lyra's message interface
36:41remained dead silent.
36:44Territory Hospital.
36:46Outside the operating room,
36:47ignoring the blood
36:48still seeping
36:49from her own wound,
36:50my Luna mother
36:51anxiously instructed the healer,
36:52My daughter is a fragile omega.
36:54She has depression.
36:56She's missing a kidney.
36:57Be gentle
36:58when you stitch her wound.
36:59Ma'am,
37:00we've done a full body scan.
37:02Her body is perfectly healthy.
37:05She is not missing a kidney.
37:07What did you say?
37:13My Alpha father unleashed
37:15a crushing wave of dominance.
37:17The nurse,
37:18pinned by the pressure,
37:19repeated every word.
37:21Both Alpha and Luna
37:22stared,
37:23stunned,
37:24and disbelieving.
37:25At that moment,
37:27Chloe was staring at the data
37:28her deputy had sent,
37:30medical records
37:31matching the ones
37:32Lyra had left behind,
37:33along with two segments
37:34of blurry surveillance footage.
37:37The first clip,
37:38Lyra and Kaelin
37:39wheeled side-by-side
37:41into the operating room,
37:42an organ transplant.
37:43The second clip,
37:44the dim interior
37:45of Silvermoon Prison,
37:47Lyra being servidually torn into,
37:49beaten and tormented
37:50by a group of powerful she-wolves.
37:52How dare they do this
37:54to the blood daughter
37:54of the Alpha!
37:57Alpha father gave orders!
37:59Kaelin sent supplies!
38:00How could this have happened?
38:07The mastermind behind it all
38:09was Selene.
38:13She couldn't hold it in any longer,
38:14but her parents
38:15had already vanished from sight.
38:17Gripping the diary,
38:18she ran frantically
38:19through the hospital.
38:20She found Selene's room
38:20and shoved the door open.
38:22Alpha father,
38:22Luna mother,
38:23please,
38:24read what your eldest daughter
38:25left behind first.
38:26She flipped to the final pages.
38:28Lyra has always understood
38:29the old wolf tongue.
38:30Every word we used
38:30to exclude her,
38:31she heard and understood
38:32every single one.
38:33The blood in both Alpha,
38:34and Luna seemed
38:35to freeze solid.
38:37Alpha father
38:38snatched the diary.
38:40He read it,
38:41word by word,
38:43his breathing growing
38:43heavier and more ragged.
38:46Chloe turned a cold stare
38:48on Selene.
38:48Selene,
38:49the person who gave Kaelin
38:50her kidney all those years ago?
38:52It was never you,
38:53was it?
38:54Selene went sorged.
38:56The guilt that flinked
38:57across her face
38:57made the last shred of hope
38:59in E. Chloe's heart
38:59collapse into rubble.
39:01Why did you cut off
39:02the survival supplies
39:03mother and father sent
39:04to Lyra?
39:06Why did you bribe
39:07the prison guards
39:08to torture her
39:09inside the prison?
39:10Selene released
39:11a weak pulse of pheromones,
39:13fending bewilderment.
39:14What are you talking about?
39:16The two Alpha and Luna,
39:18having finished the ginery,
39:19walked over.
39:20Chloe gave the order
39:21to her deputy.
39:22Bring them in.
39:27Five minutes later,
39:29the deputy entered
39:29with the prison guard,
39:31a financial official,
39:32and a heavyset,
39:33brutal-looking
39:34she-wolf convict.
39:44At the same moment,
39:46he stepped into the room,
39:47radiating a frigid,
39:49sharp,
39:49fear-forest scent.
39:51His face was a frozen
39:53mask of slaughter.
39:55His piercing gaze
39:57pinned her pale face
39:58in place.
40:00As Lyra's mate,
40:01I also have the absolute
40:02right to scent out
40:03the truth behind all of this.
40:05Selene turned ghost white.
40:08Kaelin,
40:10what truth?
40:11I don't understand
40:12a single thing
40:13you're all saying.
40:14Selene,
40:15you're still trying
40:16to deceive us,
40:17even now?
40:17How many times
40:19over the years
40:19have you slandered Lyra?
40:21Chloe's voice rose sharply.
40:23Do I need to sniff out
40:24every filthy thing
40:25you've done?
40:26Right here in front
40:27of the Alpha?
40:28Selene collapsed
40:29to the floor,
40:30eyes red.
40:32Chloe,
40:33I'm your real sister.
40:35How can you speak
40:36to me like this?
40:37Chloe's laugh was ice.
40:38Then have you forgotten?
40:40Lyra is the eldest sister
40:41who shares the same
40:42blood as me!
40:43Selene began
40:44to hyperhentilate,
40:46putting on the full
40:46performance of a
40:47stress-induced episode.
40:48My Luna mother's
40:50blind,
40:51protective instinct
40:52surge again.
40:53Enough!
40:54Are you trying
40:54to drive your sister
40:56to her death?
41:01Mom,
41:02you're still defending her?
41:04Do you even know
41:05who your real pup is
41:06anymore?
41:07But Chloe grabbed
41:08the medical records
41:09and records.
41:10Lyra has only one kidney
41:12inside her body.
41:13She's the one
41:14who truly saved
41:15Kaelin's life.
41:17Lyra's near-death
41:18reports from
41:19Silvermoon Prison,
41:20all of it
41:21was caused
41:22by deliberate,
41:23malicious assault.
41:26She lived in this
41:27territory for 12 years.
41:29We never gave her
41:30a drop of love.
41:31Instead,
41:32we despised her
41:33and exiled her
41:34because of Selene's lies.
41:37Selene's depression
41:38is a complete fabrication.
41:42She laid down
41:43the most damning
41:44evidence,
41:45the scan showing
41:46Selene's two
41:47perfectly healthy kidneys
41:48and a psychological
41:50report confirming
41:51she was mentally
41:52stable with
41:53antisocial
41:54personality tendencies.
41:56The silent
41:57Kaelin
41:57finally moved.
42:00He unleashed
42:01a terrifying
42:01wave
42:02of alpha
42:03dominance.
42:07Chloe,
42:08give me
42:09Lyra's reports.
42:11critical condition
42:12notices,
42:13x-rays,
42:14blood-stained
42:15medical photographs.
42:16He turned them
42:17over one by one
42:18when he reached
42:19the full-body
42:20injury chart.
42:21Her arms,
42:22her stomach,
42:23her back,
42:24her thighs,
42:25barely a patch
42:25of unbroken skin,
42:26every inch
42:27covered in bite marks
42:28and silver-burned scars.
42:30The top-the-earth
42:31held rationality set.
42:32He lunged at
42:33Atzelena,
42:34towering over her.
42:41Tell me,
42:42what did you do
42:43to my mate?
42:44Selina,
42:45how dare you
42:46torture her like this?
42:47With no more room
42:48to hide,
42:50Selina laughed,
42:52twisted.
42:55She looked at
42:56my Luna mother.
43:02Chloe threw herself
43:04in front of
43:04their mother.
43:05Stop your performance.
43:07For all these years,
43:08you used our sympathy.
43:10You used our mother's love
43:11and turned her into a blade,
43:13stabbing it over and over
43:14into her own
43:15biological daughter's heart.
43:17Selina,
43:17you're vicious
43:17beyond comprehension.
43:19Don't you understand?
43:21What you've done
43:22will leave this family
43:23drowning in irredeemable
43:25regret for the rest
43:26of our lives.
43:27Selina turned
43:28to Alpha Father.
43:30Daddy,
43:31you've always
43:32loved me the most.
43:34Alpha Father
43:34clutched the diary
43:35so hard it crumpled.
43:37In agony,
43:38he averted his eyes.
43:39In that moment,
43:40Selina lost
43:41every chip she had left.
43:43Her gaze went hollow.
43:45She breathed out
43:45the words,
43:46light as ash.
43:47I just wanted
43:48Lyra to die.
43:49that's all.
43:50Nothing more.
43:52Selina!
43:53Caelan's voice
43:54sounded like it was
43:55ripped from a torn throat.
43:58Confess
43:59every single one
44:01of your crimes.
44:02Every word.
44:04Now.
44:06Alpha Father spoke,
44:08his voice
44:09heavy with grief.
44:12Caelan,
44:15I will give you
44:16an accounting,
44:17but before that,
44:18you should read
44:19what Lyra left
44:20for you.
44:21What she wrote
44:21at the end.
44:23Numbly,
44:24Caelan took the diary.
44:25He turned
44:25to the last page,
44:27so,
44:27the day he kissed
44:29Selina in front
44:30of everyone,
44:31that was when
44:32Lyra had already
44:33given up completely.
44:35And he had
44:35arrogantly believed
44:37that after the
44:38false binding ceremony,
44:40he could still
44:41have her.
44:44Caelan pressed the diary
44:46hard against his chest.
44:47Under the eyes
44:48of everyone present,
44:49the coldest,
44:50most ruthless
44:51top-tier Alpha
44:52finally showed
44:53a face of utter
44:54devastation.
44:55A tear of remorse
44:57slipped silently
44:58from his eye.
44:59Selina was still crying.
45:02I didn't mean it.
45:03I was just scared
45:05of losing you.
45:06No.
45:06Caelan said,
45:07his eyes held
45:08no mercy,
45:09only deathly stillness.
45:12You didn't mean it?
45:13Then who did?
45:15Lyra,
45:16who you framed
45:17and sent to prison.
45:19Or me,
45:21who you played
45:22like a puppet
45:22in your palm.
45:25Selina,
45:26you had everything.
45:28The Alpha
45:28and Luna
45:29doted on you.
45:30The entire pack
45:31treated you
45:32like a treasure.
45:33Lyra's return
45:34never once shook
45:35your position.
45:36Then what about you?
45:37Selina tore off
45:39her mask completely.
45:40Did her existence
45:41never shake
45:42my place
45:43in your heart?
45:44The question
45:45made Caelan's breath
45:46stop cold.
45:50See?
45:53Your wolf
45:54already answered
45:55for you.
45:57Selina's lips
45:57curled in bitter mockery.
46:00After Lyra came back,
46:02you changed.
46:02The way you looked
46:03at her,
46:04it was pure
46:05possessiveness.
46:06How could I not
46:07be jealous?
46:08How could I not
46:09hate her
46:10to the marrow
46:10of my bones?
46:12So I had to
46:13make her disappear.
46:19I had to
46:20make her
46:21rot
46:22in that
46:23filthy
46:23prison
46:24until
46:25nothing
46:25was left!
46:28Caelan
46:29stared at
46:29this stranger
46:30wearing an
46:30Omega's face.
46:32All that
46:33remained in
46:33his eyes
46:34was despair.
46:36Selina laughed
46:37and sobbed
46:38in the same breath.
46:39It's all that
46:40bitch Lyra's
46:41fault anyway!
46:43Why did she
46:44have to
46:44come back?
46:48Her very
46:49existence
46:50kept reminding
46:51me
46:52I'm nothing
46:53but a cheap
46:54counterfeit!
46:57A violent
46:58slap
46:59exploded
47:00through the
47:00room.
47:01Selina
47:01clutched her
47:02swollen
47:02cheek,
47:03staring in
47:03disbelief at
47:04the Alpha
47:05Father who
47:05had once
47:06treasured her
47:06above all
47:07else.
47:08Alpha
47:09Father's
47:09face was
47:10dark.
47:10A tidal wave
47:11of regret
47:12crashed over
47:13him.
47:13Alpha
47:14Father!
47:16Selina
47:17tried to
47:17stir whatever
47:18pity
47:18remained.
47:19Father!
47:22You are
47:22no longer
47:23worthy of
47:23using that
47:24title to
47:25defile the
47:26honor of
47:27an Alpha.
47:28Alpha
47:28Father's
47:29eyes were
47:29rimmed red.
47:30What we
47:31owe Lyra,
47:31we will
47:32repay.
47:33What you
47:33owe her,
47:34you will
47:35repay in
47:36blood!
47:37Kaylin,
47:38I...
47:39Selina
47:39turned to
47:40him.
47:40Shut
47:41your mouth.
47:41You're
47:42not worthy
47:42of calling
47:42me that
47:43anymore.
47:44Is there
47:45truly no
47:46mercy left?
47:48You still
47:49think this
47:49is just
47:50a small
47:50matter?
47:51Kaylin's
47:51laugh was
47:52colder than
47:53death.
47:56Isn't
47:57it?
47:57Lyra only
47:58spent seven
47:59years in
47:59prison!
48:00She's not
48:01even dead!
48:02Selina
48:02shrieked.
48:08Her
48:09entire
48:09body is
48:11covered in
48:12scars from
48:12the wolves
48:13you paid
48:13to tear
48:14into her!
48:15Kaylin
48:15roared.
48:19So
48:19what?
48:20She
48:21deserved
48:21it!
48:27The
48:28sound of
48:28breaking
48:29bone was
48:29stark and
48:30piercing in
48:31the room.
48:32Kaylin's
48:33wolf claws
48:33closed around
48:34at Selina's
48:34wrist.
48:35With
48:36horrifying
48:36force,
48:37he crushed
48:37the bones.
48:43At the
48:43same
48:44moment,
48:44aboard a
48:45plane bound
48:45for Dominica.
48:46I stared
48:47blankly out
48:48the window
48:48into the
48:49pitch-black
48:49sky.
48:50Those
48:51grey
48:51myothams
48:52had all
48:52become the
48:53dust behind
48:53me.
48:59This
49:00aircraft is
49:00scheduled to
49:01arrive in
49:02Dominica in
49:02five minutes.
49:03minutes.
49:04The
49:05announcement
49:05echoed
49:06through the
49:06cabin.
49:08I cast
49:09the past
49:09away
49:09completely.
49:11Looking at
49:12the brightening
49:12coastline,
49:13the corner
49:14of my mouth
49:14curved into
49:15a wild,
49:16free arc.
49:22Dominica.
49:22I had
49:23arrived.
49:24I was about
49:25to meet my
49:26new life.
49:26Six years
49:27passed in the
49:28blink in an eye.
49:29Kaylin and the
49:30crescent moon
49:30pack still
49:31hadn't found
49:32a single trace
49:33of me.
49:35When a soul
49:36resolves to
49:36vanish from
49:37the territory,
49:38even the
49:39moon goddess
49:39herself struggles
49:40to track it.
49:43Kaylin had
49:43wasted away,
49:45visibly.
49:46The
49:47communicator on
49:48his desk
49:48buzzed.
49:51He rubbed
49:52his exhausted
49:52brow and
49:53answered.
49:59Alpha,
50:00Selina's
50:00mental state
50:01has collapsed
50:02completely.
50:03Every day she
50:04tears into
50:04herself like a
50:05rabid animal.
50:07Her wolf
50:08has gone
50:08feral.
50:09The doctors
50:09recommend
50:10transferring her
50:11to a psychiatric
50:12institution.
50:13This time,
50:14is it real
50:15or another
50:17performance?
50:19Kaylin's
50:19voice was
50:20frozen steel.
50:23It's real.
50:25Her wolf
50:25spirit has
50:26atrifiated
50:26from prolonged
50:27terror.
50:28Fine.
50:29I'll send
50:30the transport.
50:33Kaylin cut
50:34the call
50:34without mercy.
50:35Over these
50:36six years,
50:37he had
50:38arranged for
50:38Selina to
50:39receive special
50:40attention inside
50:41the prison.
50:42Every single
50:43agony I had
50:43endured in
50:44Silvermoon
50:45prison,
50:46she had
50:47tasted every
50:47one of them
50:48in full
50:48measure.
50:50The
50:51crescent
50:51moon
50:51pack had
50:52maintained a
50:52deathly
50:53silence about
50:53it.
50:54Kaylin dropped
50:55his gaze to
50:56the photo on
50:56his desk,
50:57the photo of
50:58me just after
50:58my release.
51:00Gone,
51:00skeletal,
51:02expressionless.
51:02Which forest
51:03are you hiding
51:04in, Lyra?
51:05He traced
51:06the brow and
51:07eyes in the
51:07photograph.
51:08Infinite
51:09regret soaked
51:09his voice.
51:10I know that
51:11making everyone
51:12who hurt you
51:12taste the same
51:13pain is the
51:13only true
51:14apology.
51:15But if you
51:16never come
51:16back, how do
51:18I return the
51:18soul I owe
51:19you?
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