- 16 minutes ago
Reborn Luna’s Vengeance : New 🔝
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Short filmTranscript
00:00When I bowed before the Alpha, my sash snapped, my undergarments, my chest exposed, in front of
00:05everyone. My birth parents had just found me, brought me home to compete with my adopted
00:10sister Alice for the Alpha's bond. Before we left, Mother fixed my collar, then quietly pulled a
00:15thread from my sash. Alice swept off her jacket and draped it over my shoulders. Everyone praised
00:24her. The Alpha chose her. I knelt before my parents when we got home, swore it wasn't
00:30intentional. They didn't believe me, Father scoffed. You pulled that stunt for attention.
00:36You disgraced this family, and now you want to blame someone else? Mother sighed. You lost a
00:42bond, that's all. Don't be so dramatic. Alice married the Alpha in glory. I was exiled to the
00:47frost border, and I died there frozen. Before I took my last breath, I found out Mother hadn't
00:53pulled that thread. She had cut it. On purpose. Then I was reborn. Mother smiled and reached
01:00for my sash. Let me tighten this. We can't have you embarrassing yourself. Her fingers slipped
01:06toward her sleeve. A blade that blade. I knew it. The one that ruined my life the first time.
01:11I could still feel the frost border kneeling in the snow, freezing Alice standing over me
01:16in her fur coat. Eva, all I told Mother was I was afraid you'd outrank me. I never imagined
01:23she'd go that far. The cold never left me. I stared at her soft, well-kept hands. My heart
01:29hammered. She was still smiling. The blade already out, moving toward my sash.
01:36I let my knees buckle, threw myself forward, straight into her. She didn't see it coming.
01:41Her hand jerked. The blade cut through the air, and caught the back of her own hand.
01:46The blade clattered to the floor. Ailey stood nearby, waiting for the show. She wore a gown
01:50of shimmering silk custom made by Mother. Her sash tied perfectly. Before she could react,
01:54my fingers found her sash. One quick pull. It came loose. I straightened up fast and put
01:59on my most panicked face. Mother! Are you all right? I'm so sorry I slipped.
02:06Kissing through her teeth. Clumsy girl! We're about to walk into the Alpha's estate,
02:11and you can't even stand on your own two feet!
02:16Alice stepped forward with a handkerchief and dabbed at the wound. She shot me a look of pure
02:20contempt, then turned on the sympathy. Don't be too hard on her mother. She was raised in a
02:25backwater farming pack. She's just not used to all this. Father stood in the doorway,
02:31hands clasped behind his back. He checked the hourglass, frowned.
02:34Enough! Do you have any idea what it means to keep the Alpha waiting?
02:38He didn't glance at me once. His eyes went straight to Alice, soft.
02:42You look beautiful today, Alice. Dignified. Keep an eye on your sister when we arrive. Don't
02:48let her embarrass this family. Of course, father. I'll take good care of her. She lifted her chin
02:53like she'd already won. I kept my eyes down and smiled. Mother's hand was still bleeding. The
03:01handkerchief had soaked through, but we were running out of time and she never got around to
03:04my sash. Instead, she reached for a velvet box. Alice, this is the Hale family heirloom. Priceless.
03:12She lifted out a necklace, crystals catching the light, and clasped it around Alice's neck herself.
03:16Thank you, mother. I'll wear it with honor. I stood to the side, empty-handed. Nothing around
03:21my waist but a plain white ribbon. Mother seemed to remember I existed. She rummaged through a
03:25corner drawer and pulled out a fistful of hair prints. Old ones. Most of them, the gold paint
03:30was already flaking off. Here, Eva. Put these on. Don't go saying I play favorites. Your dress
03:35is so plain anyway. These will match just fine. She dropped them into my hand without even checking
03:40if they'd work. Father watched from across the room. Not a word of objection. He nodded. Alice
03:45was raised with us. She has refinement. Grace. The air bloom suits her. Eva spent years in the
03:52farming pack. Putting something fine on her would just look out of place. I squeezed those cheap
03:58pins as my fist until the metal bit into my palm. The farming pack? Why was I even there? Because
04:03when
04:03my parents were running from their enemies, I was dead weight. So they left me behind. They only
04:08brought me back. Because the Alpha came calling. His family had an old betrothal agreement. The
04:13firstborn Hale daughter. Elise was beloved. But on paper, she was adopted. They needed me just long
04:18enough to put Alice in the Alpha's bed. I never understood, in my last life, how my own parents
04:23could do this to me. Not until the very end. Dying at the frost border, two guards stood nearby talking.
04:28They didn't know I could still hear them. Hale is cold-blooded. Leaving his own flesh and blood
04:32here to die, all for some adopted girl? That's his mistress's daughter. His actual blood.
04:37His wife found out years ago and she brought the girl home. Called her adopted. Then spent every
04:42year since grinding the real daughter into the dirt. So that was the truth.
04:50Mother sacrificed her own child to keep her husband. Father looked at me and saw nothing
04:54worth keeping. I crushed those pins in my hand and let them bend. Right in front of me,
04:59Alice on Mother's arm. Father looking on with nothing but warmth. A perfect, happy family.
05:03And then there was me. Father. Mother. We should go. Father's eyes cut to me.
05:11Nobody asked you to hurry us along. Have some manners. When you're in front of the Alpha,
05:16keep your mouth shut. Watch Alice. Follow her lead. If you ruin this, I will have you sent
05:23to the frost border myself. I said nothing. The frost border. I'd already been there. Already knelt in that
05:28snow until I couldn't feel my legs. Threats lose their edge the second time around. The carriage
05:32rolled toward the Alpha's estate. It was not a quiet ride. Alice had taken the best seat.
05:37She kept touching the necklace. Turning the crystals in the light. Admiring her own reflection.
05:42The Alpha's head steward, Zoe, was riding with us. Officially, she was there to attend to us.
05:47In reality, she was watching. Taking stock of who we were. Alice didn't seem to notice. Or care.
05:53Zoe, what do you think of the necklace? Mother had it set aside just for me.
05:58Zoe said nothing. She was pale. An unhand pressed to her temple, jaw tight. I recognized it immediately.
06:04In my last life, Alice had done the same thing. Talked the whole ride over. Loud and relentless.
06:08But she'd gotten lucky. By the time we arrived, Mrs. Walker's migraines had cleared up. And Alice
06:15had been ready. She'd stolen my remedy formula months earlier. Passed it off as her own.
06:19Mrs. Walker loved who went. This time, Alice wasn't getting that chance.
06:26I reached into my sleeve and pulled out a small lacquered box. Inside were a few dark brown
06:31pellets. A remedy I'd learned from an old farmer back in the farming pack. I held them out to Zoe.
06:36You don't look well. These are cooling relief pellets. My own formula. Let one dissolve under
06:42your tongue. It should help. Alice's head snapped toward me. Excuse me? What is that supposed to be?
06:48You're gonna feed her some backwater remedy you cooked up in a barn?
06:52Zoe had been on the edge of nausea the whole ride. That shriek nearly pushed her over.
06:56She shot Alice one withering look. Then turned back to me. Her nose twitched. A faint drift of
07:01mint and aged wood had already begun to fill the carriage cutting through the stuffy heat.
07:05She took the pellets. Placed one under her tongue. Within moments, the tension left her face.
07:12She exhaled. Long and slow. Color crept back into her cheeks.
07:17Where did you learn that, Eva? From a healer?
07:19I shook my head. Heat stroke was common on the farm. You learn what works. Nothing impressive,
07:24I'm afraid. Zoe smiled. If this is nothing impressive, our pack healer back at the estate
07:30should be embarrassed. Alice twisted her handkerchief in her lap.
07:33My sinless searing nest. She just got lucky.
07:37Zoe didn't even look at her. Mrs. Walker values silence. She has no patience for noise.
07:42That shut Alice up. Zoe lured her voice and turned to me.
07:45Today, the alpha will also be present. He runs cold. He has no interest in women who perform for
07:50attention. And Mrs. Walker, she judges character above everything else. She has no respect for
07:55women who use their looks as currency. I'll keep that in mind. Thank you, Zoe.
08:00The carriage slowed. We had arrived.
08:12The moment Alice stepped out, every head turned. That shimmering silk caught the sunlight like it
08:17was made for exactly this moment. Is that Alice Hale? She's stunning.
08:21The whispers rippled through the crowd. Alice soaked up every word. She glanced back at me,
08:26slow, deliberate. A smirk, I was wearing a simple white dress, standing next to her. I looked like
08:31her handmaid. I wasn't worried. The best part of any trap is the waiting. The banquet began.
08:37Alice moved straight to the harp and played for Mrs. Walker. She was good, and she knew it.
08:43Mrs. Walker gave a small, measured nod. That was enough for Alice. She floated off the stage,
08:48spotted me at the edge of the room, and made her way over, wine glass in hand.
08:52Eva, stop hiding in the corner. Come toast the ladies with me. I knew exactly what she was about
09:00to do. Last time she had stumbled right here, or pretended to, she'd thrown wine all over me,
09:05dragged me down with her, and my sash had snapped on the way down. Sammy sat up, Sammy smiled. Sammy
09:11two steps away. Oh, Eva, watch out! She lurched toward me. I stepped aside. She caught nothing
09:16but air. The momentum took her straight down hard onto both knees, and the sash I had loosened back
09:21at the house, the one she never noticed, finally gave way. That beautiful shimmering skirt slid
09:27straight down, all the way to her ankles beneath it. A pair of pink underwear embroidered with little
09:32devil motifs in plain view. Of everyone, the entire room went silent.
09:37Alice froze. She felt the cold air first. Then she looked down, and screamed. Chaos erupted.
09:45Women screamed. But above it all, I felt it. A gaze. Heavy, cold from the shadow of the second
09:51floor balcony. He was watching. Alice scrambled to grab her skirt. Wine splashed up across her
10:05underwear. If it could have gotten worse, it just did. The ladies around her recoiled, fans
10:09raised. Faces turned away. Mrs. Walker's expression went stone cold. What exactly does the Hal family
10:14teach their daughters? I was already moving. I picked up an outer jacket and draped it around
10:19Alice's shoulders before she could catch her breath. Oh, sweetheart, how did this happen?
10:23I sighed. The kind that says I love you, but I told you so. I warned you about this dress.
10:28The fit was too tight. I said it would give way. But you wanted the silhouette. And now look.
10:36Alice looked up at me, pure venom. You did this. I know it was you. I blinked, spread my hands
10:42wide.
10:42Alice, I was across the room. Everyone saw you walk over. Everyone saw you fall. The women around
10:47us were already nodding. She made a spectacle of herself for attention and now she wants to pin
10:51it on her sister. Lovely upbringing. Alice had nothing left to say. She covered her face and wept.
11:01The room dissolved into chaos. Maid swarmed Alice and rushed her off to change. The commotion had
11:07done exactly what I expected. Mrs. Walker's migraine had returned. She sat with two fingers pressed to her
11:12temple. Face drained of color. That is when Lady Allen appeared. A family friend of the Hales.
11:18Father had personally asked her to smooth things over for Alice today.
11:22Please don't be upset, Mrs. Walker. I'm sure the dress was simply ill-fitted.
11:28Alice actually brought a gift for you today. Why don't we have her present it now? As an apology?
11:35Alice came back red-eyed, but she straightened up at that.
11:38She snapped her fingers and a maid brought out the gift box. I already knew what was inside. I knew
11:43this family too well. Whatever it was, it would be extravagant and entirely wrong. They measured
11:48worth in gold and gemstones. They assumed everyone else did too. What they didn't understand about
11:52Mrs. Walker, a woman who had lived in wealth her entire life, was that nothing irritated her more
11:57than excess for the sake of it. Alice lifted the lid with a flourish.
12:02Mrs. Walker, this is a ruby crystal crown, custom crafted just for you. The artisans worked through
12:09the night for an entire month. Mrs. Walker stared at it. You had craftsmen lose sleep for a month over
12:16something completely useless? What a waste of people. Alice's confidence collapsed. She sank to
12:21her knees, trembling. Mrs. Walker pressed her hand harder to her temple and said nothing. I only wanted
12:27to show you how much... The silence stretched. I stepped forward quietly. Mrs. Walker, if you'll
12:33allow me, I may be able to help with the headache. She looked at me skeptical. You practice medicine?
12:39Just some calming herbs. Something I picked up along the way.
12:44I lit one end of the incense powder and set it on the table beside her. The scent unfurled slowly.
12:50Delicate, cool herbal. Mrs. Walker drew a breath. The pain didn't vanish, but it pulled back enough to
12:54breathe enough to relax the furrow between her brows. That's lovely. What is it? I heard you've
12:59suffered with headaches for years. I brought this back from the farm. It's what I always used.
13:04Nothing fancy, but it works. Mrs. Walker nodded slowly. The way she looked at me had changed.
13:10You're a thoughtful girl. Out of the corner of my eye, a tall figure had stopped at the moon gate
13:14at the
13:15edge of the garden, still watching. That had to be Nathan the Alpha himself. Alice was still on her knees
13:20behind me, eyes fixed on my back like two burning coals. Lady Allen whispered something to Mrs. Walker,
13:25who finally waved a hand. Alice could get up. She was directed to a seat in the corner. By the
13:30middle
13:30of the banquet, Mrs. Walker had my hand in hers, asking about my life, my interests, what I like
13:35to eat. She was already looking at Maliki, a daughter-in-law. She called over a maid to bring
13:39me a better pour of wine. The maid crossed the room and stumbled, just slightly, just enough to
13:44splash wine that's crossed my sleeve. My sincerest apologies, Miss Eva. Clumsy fool! Get out
13:50of my sight! The maid scurried off, head bowed, and as she passed Alice, their eyes met, quick,
13:54deliberate. The next second... My necklace! My necklace is gone! The family heirloom! Mother's
14:02necklace! Where is it? Every head in the room turned, Mrs. Walker's expression soured.
14:12Stop shrieking. If it's lost, have someone look for it. Alice turned to me, tears already
14:16forming. Just now, Eva was the closest one to me. Could it be that she... She let the sentence
14:24hang. Lady Allen stepped in, right on cue. If something valuable has gone missing, perhaps
14:30we should search everyone present. It would clear Eva's name, if nothing else. I held out
14:36both arms. By all means, search me. I won't have anyone saying, I put myself above my own
14:43sister. A flicker of satisfaction crossed Alice's face. She nodded to the maid, the same one who
14:48had spilled the wine, to come forward and search me. The maid ran her hands along my sides, patted
14:52down my sleeves, then reached into my inner sleeve pocket. She pulled something out. The room
14:56leaned in. It wasn't the necklace. It was a man's handkerchief. Deep blue silk, embroidered
15:00with cloud patterns. The room erupted. Alice pressed a hand to her mouth. Eva, do you have
15:05a secret lover? Our family holds a bedrothal with the Alpha. Do you understand what this
15:10means? A man's hand to catch. His most personal item. If father finds out, you'll hang for this.
15:18Eva, I would not have expected this of you. The ladies around me had already begun to whisper,
15:23eyes sharp, heads shaking. Ailey snatched the handkerchief. Wait, there's writing on it. She
15:29snapped it open and read aloud. I want to be tangled with you on every night the full moon rises.
15:37She
15:38looked up at me, triumphant, waiting for me to crumble, to drop to my knees, and to beg. I stood
15:42exactly where I was, calm. That's quite a performance, Alice, but you've overplayed it.
15:51I turned to face her. Since when do you have the gift of prophecy, Alice? She went. What? I don't
15:57know what you're talking about. The handkerchief was folded. The writing was on the inside, completely
16:02hidden. So how did you know there were words on it before anyone unfolded it? Did you write
16:07them yourself? Or did you prepare this whole thing in advance? Alice's face went rigid. Her pupils shrank,
16:14a bead of sweat traced down her temple. I... I... Nothing came out. And you? We both know you slipped
16:21that handkerchief into my sleeve yourself. So let's skip the act. Who do you belong to? Where did you
16:26get it? Who told you to plant it? She had already collapsed to the floor. She looked up, and her
16:31eyes
16:31went straight to Alice. Alice's composure shattered. Don't look at me! Your hands are dirty, not mine!
16:37Then a voice cut through the room from the doorway low, unhurried, absolute. Something went missing from my
16:43stables a few days ago. So that's where it ended up. The entire room turned. Nathan walked in like
16:49the air itself had decided to move out of his way. He stopped beside me, read... My words,
16:55embroidered in my hand. Tell me, Miss Alice, how exactly did you come to recognize them?
17:02Alice's knees gave out. She caught herself on the edge of a chair. You bribed a servant in my own
17:07estate. You stole my personal propriety, and you used it to frame my guest. Nathan said it quietly.
17:13That made it worse. Alice opened her mouth, closed it. There was nothing to say. Mrs. Walker rose from
17:18her seat, her whole body shaking, and slammed her palm on the table. She ran her schemes all the way
17:23up to the alpha himself. The audacity. Someone deal with her. But two older women moved in fast. They
17:30grabbed Alice by the shoulders and didn't hold back. The sound of it echoed through the hall. By the third
17:34strike, Alice's face had begun to swell blood at the corner of her mouth. Hair coming undone.
17:40She was sobbing, gasping, calling for her parents. I watched without moving. For the first time,
17:45it felt satisfying. Nathan glanced sideways at me just for a moment. I inclined my head.
17:51My respects, Alpha. Thank you for clearing my name. What had started as a proper banquet had been
17:56reduced to rubble. When it was finally over, Mrs. Walker took my hand in both of hers and walked me
18:01to
18:01the entrance herself. Apologizing the whole way, making sure everyone saw. The message was
18:06unmistakable. We're now circling back, all warmth and flattery. Funny how quickly the room turns when
18:10the Alpha's mother is holding your hand. I settled into the carriage and glanced at Alice. Her face
18:18was swollen on both sides. She glared at me from her corner. One hand pressed to her cheek. Somehow,
18:23my parents had already heard. They were both in the carriage. Father sat with his chest heaving,
18:27jaw set, saying nothing. Mother was dabbing ointment on Alice's face, tears streaming down
18:32her own. You're a curse on this family. Wasn't it enough? Did you have to destroy your own sister?
18:38You knew what she was doing. Why did you say something earlier instead of letting the whole
18:41family be humiliated? I leaned back against the carriage wall and closed my eyes. That's
18:46interesting, Mother. When Alice was planting stolen evidence on me, did she stop to think of me as
18:52family? If that accusation had stuck, it would have been the hall name dragged through the dirt,
18:55not just mine. Father's hand shut up. I turned my head. His palm cut through empty air. He held
19:01it there for a moment, descended, then dropped it and looked away. We'll deal with you at home.
19:06The carriage. Then it started moving along, the road had narrowed. The turns were sharper.
19:11We were climbing cliffs on one side, a sheer drop on the other. The horses screamed. Something
19:16had screwed up, or worse. And suddenly they were bolting. Full sprint. No control.
19:20What's happening? Stop the carriage. Someone stop it. Alice was thrown sideways, tumbling
19:25across the carriage floor, screaming. I grabbed the window frame and held on. The driver was
19:30gone, jumped, or thrown either way. No one was at the reins. My stomach dropped, and not
19:35from the road. This hadn't happened in my last life. They were moving faster than I'd expected.
19:39I'd rattled them today, and they were improvising.
19:44The horse had been drugged. I was certain of it. A staged accident. A body at the bottom of a
19:50cliff.
19:50But something didn't add up. Father valued his own life above everything. So did Mother. So did
19:56Alice. Known of them would ride this carriage off a cliff unless they had a way out. Then I saw
20:02it.
20:02Father had already pulled Alice and Mother close. His hand reached beneath the bench, a hidden
20:07compartment, and came out with thick padded cushions. They came prepared. The plan wasn't
20:13to die with it. The plan was to throw me out and walk alone. The carriage lurched. My grip
20:18slipped, and I went through the door. The fall leg. An arm caught me mid-air, iron solid, and
20:23pulled me hard against a chest. I knew that scent before I saw his face. The alpha. The carriage
20:29had ground to a halt behind us. A wolf had come out of the tree line and taken down the
20:34horses,
20:34clean, precise, dropping them to their knees. I looked up. Nathan looked down. Those dark eyes
20:40held mine for a moment. Eva, it seems there are quite a few people with an interest in your life
20:45ending. He set me on my feet and stepped away. Not far from us, the three of them were crawling
20:53out of the wreckage, scraped, shaken, alive. Nathan walked to the nearest horse, ran a finger along its
21:00mouth, and brought it to his nose. Stimulant poison drives them into a frenzy. The horse
21:06would have been dead within ten miles. I stood and watched my parents check themselves over
21:11with trembling hands. Relieved to be breathing. Relieved their plan had almost worked. Whatever
21:16had been left, whatever small, stubborn part of me had still wanted them to be my family.
21:21It went quiet. For good, Nathan came back to where I stood and held out his hand.
21:24Get in my carriage. I'll take you home.
21:32Maybe the carriage accident had simply been too terrible. Three days later, the Alpha's wedding
21:37gifts arrived at the Hale House. An entire procession through the front gate. Boxes carried
21:41by uniformed attendants. The kind of display the whole street would remember. In my last life,
21:46this moment had belonged to Alice. Now it was mine. Zoe stood in the main hall and read from the
21:51gift
21:51register item by item. Unhurried, with every entry, Alice lost a little more color. Mother kept shifting
21:57in her seat, throwing father-pointed looks. He cleared his throat and cut Zoe off mid-sentence.
22:03Zoe, regarding this marriage arrangement, is there any room for the Alpha to reconsider?
22:08Alice made some mistakes, yes, but she's accomplished. Well-bred. Eva grew up in a backwart
22:13farming pack. She doesn't know our ways. It's a lot to ask of her carrying the role of Luna.
22:19Perhaps Alice could accompany Eva to the estate, as a companion to the Alpha.
22:27She could support her sister from within the household.
22:32A companion, so Luna was off the table. Now they were angling for Mistress.
22:36Sammy Gold, different door. Get Alice inside the estate, let her work her way up, and find a way
22:42to put me back at the bottom. Zoe closed the register. The look on her face made her opinion plain.
22:47If Mr. Hale truly wishes to put that forward, Alice will need to answer a question first.
22:52On behalf of Mrs. Walker, if a servant at the Alphas' estate is found to be lazy, dishonest, or worse,
22:58disloyal to their master, how should they be handled? This was her moment. Forgiveness, of course.
23:04Servants are people, too. The right approach is patience and reform. Casting them out would only
23:09make the Alpha look cold and unforgiving. She glanced at me when she finished, satisfied with
23:16herself. Father nodded along beside her. Zoe turned to me, Miss Eva. Your thoughts.
23:28Disloyalty is not a mistake. You forgive. Once a servant betrays their master, they are
23:33a liability, not a person to be reformed. It doesn't matter how close they are to the
23:38Alpha himself. If they break faith, they go. No exceptions.
23:43How can you be so ruthless? These are the Alpha's own people.
23:49That's exactly what Mrs. Walker wanted to hear. That's the kind of Luna this pack needs.
23:54Mrs. Walker's exact words. The second daughter of the Hale family is never to set foot inside
23:59the Alphas' estate. Not once. Not ever. And just like that, I walked into the Alphas' estate
24:05as the one and only Luna Dot. Alice's hatred could have set the house on fire. That night,
24:10she broke everything she could get her hands on Dot vases. Ceramic jars, decorative cakes, screaming
24:15and screaming and sobbing until her voice gave out between the crashes.
24:22Peasant. Worthless.
24:24Enough! Useless!
24:27Get a message to Mr. Allen. The old Duke is looking for a new mate, isn't he? Send Alice.
24:34I heard about this later. Mr. Allen was not simply an older man with a preference for young women.
24:39He was past 70 violent by nature. At least three women in his household had died under his roof.
24:45What I couldn't understand, even knowing everything I knew about about my father, was why he would throw his beloved
24:49an older at their place like that. There was something he wasn't telling anyone. Not yet.
24:58The day of our bonding ceremony, the Alphas' estate was lit up from every window.
25:02It was exactly grand and notto. Draw every eye in the region.
25:05And cover what was happening down the hill house at the same time.
25:08A plane carriage slipped out the back while no one was watching.
25:11Alice was inside Dot. Found.
25:13Gagged with a silencing tonic. Father had made sure she couldn't make a sound.
25:16The official story, she'd been sent to the Moon Temple for reflection.
25:20The truth, she was delivered to the old Duke through her back entrance like something being returned.
25:24In my last life, I was the one in that carriage.
25:26I had sat in that dark, jolting the claw hand under the moon door.
25:30Now it was Alice.
25:37Turned, I thought of the way she had stood over me in the snow, and I felt nothing but cold
25:40satisfaction.
25:41Your own fear is gift to you.
25:43Alice.
25:43I hope you receive it well.
25:45The estate gates opened.
25:47Nathan stood in full ceremonial armor torches lining the path behind him.
25:50He was always severe.
25:51That face, those eyes dot, but in the amber light of the altar something in him softened,
25:55just at the edges.
25:56We completed the bonding ceremony.
26:01Dot afterward.
26:02I sat on the edge of the bed, gripping the sheets, my heart louder than I wanted it to be.
26:07I had clawed my way back to this moment, reclaimed everything they had taken from me.
26:11Dot, but this part, I had no memory to draw from.
26:14No experience.
26:16No.
26:16Nathan looked at me.
26:18Eva.
26:19From tonight.
26:21If the sky falls, I'll be the one holding it up.
26:24You are my only Luna.
26:26He tipped his head back and drained his cup.
26:28I watched his throat move.
26:31Why did you help me?
26:33Because you're sharp.
26:35And you don't flinch.
26:38I don't need someone to stand behind me, Eva.
26:41I need someone who can fight beside me.
26:45That done.
26:47Till dawn.
26:48He did sapping down.
26:57Next morning, Mrs. Walker took one look at the shadows under my eyes and beam.
27:01She sat me down, lifted a crown from its box, and placed it on my head herself.
27:08This was mine once.
27:10It suits you better.
27:12I heard about Alice.
27:14Apparently she's been causing chaos at the old Duke's estate.
27:18Robert Allen.
27:20That man is...
27:21Well, she'll survive.
27:24Probably.
27:26But...
27:27But it won't be comfortable.
27:30I had stopped wondering about Alice.
27:32Whatever she was living through, it wasn't good.
27:34That was enough.
27:37Life inside the estate settled faster than I'd expected.
27:40I moved through the household methodically.
27:42One by one, I found the one skimming, betraying me, and smiling to hide it.
27:46I dealt with each of them cleanly, Dot.
27:49After that, this graph ran like water downhill.
27:52No one tested me twice.
27:54But Nathan had been off for several days running gray skies.
27:57Steady rain, his steady light burned past midnight.
27:59He came to meet me, or not at all.
28:01His temper had a shorter fuse than usual.
28:04When I brought food to his study one evening, I found him with two fingers pressed to his temple.
28:13The same look I'd seen seen on Mrs. Walker a hundred times, Dot.
28:15So it ran in the family.
28:17This headache that never quite left.
28:19I went back to my room and opened my remedy books.
28:23I adjusted the formula, added a measure of sacred head packed spring water,
28:26and spent the better part of the night stitching a small sleep pillow by hand packing the herbs inside myself.
28:31The next afternoon, while Nathan was out, I slipped into his room and swapped his pillow for mine.
28:36That night, Nathan came home late.
28:38I was already in bed, pretending to sleep.
28:41Half conscious, I felt the mattress sink beside me.
28:50When I woke the next morning, his side of the bed was already empty.
28:54From the outer room, I heard Zoe, surprised.
28:58Alpha!
28:59You slept in today?
29:00Nathan's voice was unhurried.
29:02Slept deeply.
29:04No headache.
29:05I smiled to myself.
29:06The pillow worked.
29:08At dinner, he reached over and placed a piece of fish in my bowl.
29:11The pillow.
29:12You made it?
29:13I nodded.
29:15He looked at me for a moment, something unreadable in his eyes, and then the corner of his mouth lifted.
29:21The stitching is a bit rough.
29:23But the scent, I like it.
29:25The stitching was fine.
29:26He just wouldn't say what he actually meant.
29:28After that, the pillow was his alone.
29:30No one was permitted to touch it.
29:32He stopped walking around with that permanent scowl.
29:34Some evenings, he'd call me into the study and teach me calligraphy.
29:39My characters had always been crooked.
29:42I grew up on a farm, not in a classroom.
29:45He'd wrap his hand around the mean guide each stroke his chest against my back.
29:49One evening, I knocked over the ink.
29:51He moved without thinking sleeve down to catch it, and the cuff soaked through black.
29:54I grabbed a cloth and dabbed at it.
29:56It spread worse.
30:00Leave it.
30:01It's just a robe.
30:02I took it back to my room anyway, and stayed up embroidering a cluster of valyrian grass over the stain.
30:07Nathan saw it and scoffed.
30:10How childish.
30:11Then wore that robe every single day.
30:17I wasn't looking for news about the Hale family.
30:20It kept arriving anyway.
30:22Alice was miserable at the Duke's estate.
30:25Robert had particular tastes.
30:27The smallest inconvenience earned a lashing.
30:29Alice was covered in marks, but she was alive.
30:33Running entirely on hatred.
30:35All of it pointed at me.
30:37She had found her pudding, though.
30:39She gave the Duke.
30:40A tonic called it a stimulant.
30:41Something rare.
30:42It worked well enough that he became very attached to her after that.
30:46I laughed when I heard what it actually was.
30:49It was the same compound used on the first day of the carriage.
30:53The frenzy drug just watered down.
30:55Enough to make an old man feel young for an hour.
30:57He was devoted to her after that.
31:00But my informant sent different news.
31:03Alice's people had been quietly buying cinnabar and liquid mercury.
31:07Separately.
31:07Both medicinal dot combined.
31:09A lethal poison.
31:11She wouldn't use it on Robert.
31:12He was her only shield.
31:14Which left one other target.
31:16I set the letter down and tapped the table.
31:19Nathan's birthday was the 8th of next month.
31:22So that was her move.
31:24If she wanted to come for me, I'd make it very easy for her.
31:27I called my trusted mate over and spoke quietly in her ear.
31:32She nodded once and left.
31:35She nodded once and went by.
31:37So when avoiding me, I was close, she could have even returned hearted with her.
31:37She was Animated.
31:37She probably went back now.
31:37she remembered her.
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