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Short filmTranscript
00:00When I bowed before the Alpha, my sash snapped, my undergarments, my chest exposed, in front of everyone.
00:06My birth parents had just found me, brought me home to compete with my adopted sister Alice for the Alpha's
00:11bond.
00:12Before we left, Mother fixed my collar, then quietly pulled a thread from my sash.
00:17Indecent! Shameless!
00:20Alice swept off her jacket and draped it over my shoulders.
00:24Everyone praised her.
00:25The Alpha chose her.
00:27I knelt before my parents when we got home.
00:30Swore it wasn't intentional.
00:31They didn't believe me, Father scoffed.
00:33You pulled that stunt for attention.
00:36You disgraced this family, and now you want to blame someone else?
00:40Mother sighed.
00:41You lost a bond, that's all. Don't be so dramatic.
00:44Alice married the Alpha in glory.
00:46I was exiled to the Frost border, and I died there, frozen.
00:50Before I took my last breath, I found out Mother hadn't pulled that thread.
00:54She had cut it. On purpose.
00:56Then I was reborn.
00:58Mother smiled and reached for my sash.
01:01Let me tighten this.
01:03We can't have you embarrassing yourself.
01:06Her fingers slipped toward her sleeve.
01:08A blade that blade.
01:09I knew it.
01:09The one that ruined my life the first time.
01:12I could still feel the Frost border kneeling in the snow, freezing Alice standing over me in her fur coat.
01:17Eva, all I told Mother was I was afraid you'd outrank me.
01:22I never imagined she'd go that far.
01:25The cold never left me.
01:26I stared at her soft, well-kept hands.
01:28My heart hammered.
01:29She was still smiling.
01:30The blade already out, moving toward my sash.
01:36I let my knees buckle, threw myself forward, straight into her.
01:40She didn't see it coming.
01:41Her hand jerked.
01:42The blade cut through the air and caught the back of her own hand.
01:46The blade clattered to the floor.
01:47Ailey stood nearby, waiting for the show.
01:49She wore a gown of shimmering silk custom made by Mother.
01:52Her sash tied perfectly.
01:53Before she could react, my fingers found her sash one quick pull.
01:56It came loose.
01:57I straightened up fast and put on my most panicked face.
02:02Mother!
02:03Are you alright?
02:04I'm so sorry I slipped.
02:06Hissing through her teeth.
02:08Clumsy girl!
02:09We're about to walk into the Alpha's estate and you can't even stand on your own two feet!
02:16Alice stepped forward with a handkerchief and dabbed at the wound.
02:19She shot me a look of pure contempt, then turned on the sympathy.
02:23Don't be too hard on her mother.
02:24She was raised in a backwater farming pack.
02:27She's just not used to all this.
02:29Father stood in the doorway, hands clasped behind his back.
02:32He checked the hourglass, frowned.
02:34Enough!
02:35Do you have any idea what it means to keep the Alpha waiting?
02:38He didn't glance at me once.
02:40His eyes went straight to Alice.
02:41Soft.
02:42You look beautiful today, Alice.
02:45Dignified.
02:46Keep an eye on your sister when we arrive.
02:48Don't let her embarrass this family.
02:50Of course, Father.
02:51I'll take good care of her.
02:53She lifted her chin like she'd already won.
02:54I kept my eyes down and smiled.
02:59Mother's hand was still bleeding.
03:01The handkerchief had soaked through.
03:02But we were running out of time and she never got around to my sash.
03:05Instead, she reached for a velvet box.
03:07Alice.
03:08This is the Hale family heirloom.
03:11Priceless.
03:12She lifted out a necklace, crystals catching the light, and clasped it around Alice's neck herself.
03:16Thank you, Mother.
03:17I'll wear it with honor.
03:18I stood to the side, empty-handed.
03:21Nothing around my waist but a plain white ribbon.
03:23Mother seemed to remember I existed.
03:24She rummaged through a corner drawer and pulled out a fistful of hairpins.
03:27Old ones.
03:28Most of them.
03:29The gold paint was already flaking off.
03:31Here, Eva.
03:32Put these on.
03:33Don't go saying I play favorites.
03:35Your dress is so plain anyway.
03:37These will match just fine.
03:38She dropped them into my hand without even checking if they'd work.
03:41Father watched from across the room.
03:43Not a word of objection.
03:44He nodded.
03:45Alice was raised with us.
03:46She has refinement.
03:48Grace.
03:49The air bloom suits her.
03:51Eva spent years in the farming pack.
03:53Putting something fine on her would just look out of place.
03:56I squeezed those cheap pins as my fist until the metal bit into my palm.
04:00The farming pack?
04:01Why was I even there?
04:02Because when my parents were running from their enemies, I was dead weight.
04:05So they left me behind.
04:07They only brought me back.
04:09Because the Alpha came calling.
04:11His family had an old betrothal agreement.
04:13The firstborn Hale daughter.
04:15Alice was beloved.
04:15But on paper, she was adopted.
04:17They needed me just long enough to put Alice in the Alpha's bed.
04:20I never understood in my last life how my own parents could do this to me.
04:24Not until the very end.
04:25Dying at the frost border.
04:26Two guards stood nearby talking.
04:28They didn't know I could still hear them.
04:29Hale is cold-blooded.
04:31Leaving his own flesh and blood here to die.
04:33All for some adopted girl.
04:35That's his mistress's daughter.
04:36His actual blood.
04:38His wife found out years ago and she brought the girl home.
04:40Called her adopted.
04:41Then spent every year since grinding the real daughter into the dirt.
04:44So that was the truth.
04:50Mother sacrificed her own child to keep her husband.
04:53Father looked at me and saw nothing worth keeping.
04:55I crushed those pins in my hand and let them bend.
04:58Right in front of me, Alice on Mother's arm.
05:00Father looking on with nothing but warmth.
05:02A perfect, happy family.
05:04And then there was me.
05:07Father, Mother, we should go.
05:10Father's eyes cut to me.
05:11Nobody asked you to hurry us along.
05:13Have some manners.
05:15When you're in front of the Alpha, keep your mouth shut.
05:18Watch Alice.
05:19Follow her lead.
05:21If you ruin this, I will have you sent to the frost border myself.
05:24I said nothing.
05:25The frost border.
05:26I'd already been there.
05:27Already knelt in that snow until I couldn't feel my legs.
05:29Threats lose their edge the second time around.
05:32The carriage rolled toward the Alpha's estate.
05:34It was not a quiet ride.
05:36Alice had taken the best seat.
05:37She kept touching the necklace.
05:39Turning the crystals in the light.
05:41Admiring her own reflection.
05:42The Alpha's head steward, Zoe, was riding with us.
05:45Officially, she was there to attend to us.
05:47In reality, she was watching, taking stock of who we were.
05:51Alice didn't seem to notice or care.
05:53Zoe, what do you think of the necklace?
05:56Mother had it set aside just for me.
05:58Zoe said nothing.
05:59She was pale.
06:00An unhand pressed to her temple jaw tight.
06:02I recognized it immediately.
06:04In my last life, Alice had done the same thing.
06:06Talked the whole ride over, loud and relentless.
06:09But she'd gotten lucky.
06:10By the time we arrived, Mrs. Walker's migraines had cleared up.
06:14And Alice had been ready.
06:15She'd stolen my remedy formula months earlier.
06:18Passed it off as her own.
06:19Mrs. Walker loved and planned to see.
06:21This time, Alice wasn't getting that chance.
06:26I reached into my sleeve and pulled out a small lacquered box.
06:30Inside were a few dark brown pellets.
06:32A remedy I'd learned from an old farmer back in the farming pack.
06:35I held them out to Zoe.
06:36You don't look well.
06:38These are cooling relief pellets, my own formula.
06:41Let one dissolve under your tongue.
06:43It should help.
06:44Alice's head snapped toward me.
06:46Excuse me?
06:46What 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.
06:54That shriek nearly pushed her over.
06:56She shot Alice one withering look.
06:58Then turned back to me.
06:59Her nose twitched.
07:00A faint drift of mint and aged wood had already begun to fill the carriage cutting through the
07:04stuffy heat.
07:05She took the pellets.
07:07Placed one under her tongue.
07:08Within moments,
07:09The tension left her face.
07:12She exhaled.
07:13Long and slow.
07:14Color crept back into her cheeks.
07:17Where did you learn that, Eva?
07:18From a healer?
07:19I shook my head.
07:20Heat stroke was common on the farm.
07:22You learn what works.
07:23Nothing impressive, I'm afraid.
07:25Zoe smiled.
07:26If this is nothing impressive,
07:28our pack healer back at the estate should be embarrassed.
07:31Alice twisted her handkerchief in her lap.
07:33My seamless searing nest.
07:36She just got lucky.
07:38Zoe didn't even look at her.
07:39Mrs. Walker values silence.
07:41She has no patience for noise.
07:42That shut Alice up.
07:43Zoe lowered her voice and turned to me.
07:45Today, the Alpha will also be present.
07:47He runs cold.
07:48He has no interest in women who perform for attention.
07:51And Mrs. Walker, she judges character above everything else.
07:54She has no respect for women who use their looks as currency.
07:58I'll keep that in mind.
07:59Thank you, Zoe.
08:00The carriage slowed.
08:01We had arrived.
08:12The moment Alice stepped out, every head turned.
08:15That shimmering silk caught the sunlight like it was made for exactly this moment.
08:19Is that Alice Hale?
08:20She's stunning.
08:21The whispers rippled through the crowd.
08:23Alice soaked up every word.
08:24She glanced back at me, slow, deliberate.
08:27A smirk, I was wearing a simple white dress, standing next to her.
08:30I looked like her handmaid.
08:32I wasn't worried.
08:33The best part of any trap is the waiting.
08:35The banquet began.
08:37Alice moved straight to the harp and played for Mrs. Walker.
08:40She was good.
08:41And she knew it.
08:43Mrs. Walker gave a small, measured nod.
08:45That was enough for Alice.
08:47She floated off the stage, spotted me at the edge of the room, and made her way over,
08:51wine glass in hand.
08:52Eva.
08:54Stop hiding in the corner.
08:56Come toast the ladies with me.
08:58I knew exactly what she was about to do.
09:01Last time she had stumbled right here, or pretended to, she'd thrown wine all over me.
09:06Dragged me down with her, and my sash had snapped on the way down.
09:09Sammy sat up.
09:09Sammy smiled.
09:10Sammy two steps away.
09:12Oh, Eva, watch out!
09:13She lurched toward me.
09:15I stepped aside.
09:15She caught nothing but air.
09:17The momentum took her straight down hard onto both knees.
09:19And the sash I had loosened back at the house, the one she never noticed, finally gave way.
09:25That beautiful shimmering skirt slid straight down, all the way to her ankles beneath it.
09:29A pair of pink underwear embroidered with little devil motifs in plain view.
09:34Of everyone, the entire room went silent.
09:37Alice froze.
09:38She felt the cold air first.
09:41Then she looked down.
09:42And screamed.
09:44Chaos erupted.
09:45Women screamed.
09:47But above it all, I felt it.
09:48A gaze.
09:49Heavy.
09:50Cold from the shadow of the second floor balcony.
09:53He was watching.
10:00Alice scrambled to grab her skirt.
10:03Wine splashed up across her underwear.
10:05If it could have gotten worse, it just did.
10:07The ladies around her recoiled.
10:08Fans raised.
10:09Faces turned away.
10:10Mrs. Walker's expression went stone cold.
10:12What exactly does the HAL family teach their daughters?
10:16I was already moving.
10:17I picked up an outer jacket and draped it around Alice's shoulders before she could catch her breath.
10:21Oh, sweetheart, how did this happen?
10:23I sighed.
10:24The kind that says I love you, but I told you so.
10:26I warned you about this dress.
10:28The fit was too tight.
10:30I said it would give way.
10:32But you wanted the silhouette.
10:34And now look.
10:36Alice looked up at me, pure venom.
10:38You did this.
10:40I know it was you.
10:41I blinked, spread my hands wide.
10:42Alice, I was across the room.
10:44Everyone saw you walk over.
10:45Everyone saw you fall.
10:47The women around us were already nodding.
10:48She made a spectacle of herself for attention, and now she wants to pin it on her sister.
10:53Lovely upbringing.
10:54Alice had nothing left to say.
10:55She covered her face and wept.
11:01The room dissolved into chaos.
11:03Maid swarmed Alice and rushed her off to change.
11:06The commotion had done exactly what I expected.
11:08Mrs. Walker's migraine had returned.
11:10She sat with two fingers pressed to her temple, face drained of color.
11:14That 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.
11:25I'm sure the dress was simply ill-fitted.
11:28Alice actually brought a gift for you today.
11:32Why don't we have her present it now?
11:34As an apology?
11:36Alice came back red-eyed, but she straightened up at that.
11:38She snapped her fingers and a maid brought out the gift box.
11:41I already knew what was inside.
11:43I knew this family too well.
11:44Whatever it was, it would be extravagant and entirely wrong.
11:47They measured worth in gold and gemstones.
11:49They assumed everyone else did too.
11:51What they didn't understand about Mrs. Walker, a woman who had lived in wealth her entire life,
11:56was that nothing irritated her more than excess for the sake of it.
11:59Alice lifted the lid with a flourish.
12:02Mrs. Walker, this is a ruby crystal crown, custom-crafted just for you.
12:08The artisans worked through the night for an entire month.
12:11Mrs. Walker stared at it.
12:13You had craftsmen lose sleep for a month over something completely useless?
12:17What a waste of people.
12:19Alice's confidence collapsed.
12:20She sank to her knees, trembling.
12:23Mrs. Walker pressed her hand harder to her temple and said nothing.
12:26I only wanted to show you how much...
12:28The silence stretched.
12:29I stepped forward quietly.
12:31Mrs. Walker, if you'll allow me, I may be able to help with the headache.
12:35She looked at me, skeptical.
12:37You practice medicine?
12:39Just some calming herbs.
12:40Something I picked up along the way.
12:45I lit one end of the incense powder and set it on the table beside her.
12:48The scent unfurled slowly.
12:50Delicate, cool herbal.
12:51Mrs. Walker drew a breath.
12:52The pain didn't vanish, but it pulled back enough to breathe,
12:55enough to relax the furrow between her brows.
12:57That's lovely.
12:57What is it?
12:59I heard you've suffered with headaches for years.
13:01I brought this back from the farm.
13:03It's what I always used.
13:04Nothing fancy, but it works.
13:07Mrs. Walker nodded slowly.
13:08The way she looked at me had changed.
13:10You're a thoughtful girl.
13:11Out of the corner of my eye,
13:12a tall figure had stopped at the moon gate at the edge of the garden,
13:15still watching.
13:17That had to be Nathan the Alpha, himself.
13:19Alice was still on her knees behind me,
13:21eyes fixed on my back like two burning coals.
13:23Lady Allen whispered something to Mrs. Walker,
13:25who finally waved a hand.
13:27Alice could get up.
13:28She was directed to a seat in the corner.
13:30By the middle of the banquet,
13:31Mrs. Walker had my hand in hers,
13:32asking about my life,
13:34my interests,
13:35what I like to eat.
13:36She was already looking at Maliki,
13:37a daughter-in-law.
13:38She called over a maid to bring me a better pour of wine.
13:41The maid crossed the room and stumbled,
13:43just slightly,
13:44just enough to plosh wine that's crossed my sleeve.
13:46My sincerest apologies, Miss Eva.
13:48Clumsy fool!
13:49Get out of my sight!
13:50The maid scurried off,
13:51head bowed,
13:52and as she passed Alice,
13:53their eyes met,
13:53quick, deliberate.
13:55The next second,
13:56My necklace!
13:58My necklace is gone!
14:00The family heirloom!
14:02Mother's necklace!
14:03Where is it?
14:07Every head in the room turned,
14:08Mrs. Walker's expression soured.
14:12Stop shrieking.
14:13If it's lost,
14:14have someone look for it.
14:15Alice turned to me,
14:16tears already forming.
14:18Just now,
14:19Eva was the closest one to me.
14:22Could it be that she...
14:23She let the sentence hang.
14:25Lady Allen stepped in,
14:26right on cue.
14:27If something valuable has gone missing,
14:30perhaps we should search everyone present.
14:32It would clear Eva's name,
14:34if nothing else.
14:35I held out both arms.
14:36By all means,
14:38search me.
14:39I won't have anyone saying,
14:41I put myself above my own sister.
14:43A flicker of satisfaction crossed Alice's face.
14:46She nodded to the maid,
14:47the same one who had spilled the wine,
14:49to come forward and search me.
14:50The maid ran her hands along my sides,
14:52patted down my sleeves,
14:53then reached into my inner sleeve pocket.
14:55She pulled something out.
14:56The room leaned in.
14:57It wasn't the necklace.
14:58It was a man's handkerchief.
14:59Deep blue silk,
15:00embroidered with cloud patterns.
15:01The room erupted.
15:02A lice pressed a hand to her mouth.
15:04Eva,
15:05do you have a secret lover?
15:06Our family holds a bedrothal with the alpha.
15:09Do you understand what this means?
15:11A man's hand to catch,
15:12his most personal item.
15:14If father finds out,
15:15you'll hang for this.
15:17Eva,
15:19I would not have expected this of you.
15:21The ladies around me
15:22had already begun to whisper,
15:23eyes sharp,
15:24heads shaking.
15:24Ailey snatched the handkerchief.
15:26Wait,
15:27there's writing on it.
15:28She snapped it open and read aloud.
15:31I want to be tangled with you
15:34on every night
15:35the full moon rises.
15:37She looked up at me,
15:38triumphant,
15:39waiting for me to crumble,
15:40to drop to my knees,
15:41and to beg.
15:42I stood exactly where I was,
15:43calm.
15:44That's quite a performance, Alice.
15:47But you've overplayed it.
15:51I turned to face her.
15:52Since when do you have
15:53the gift of prophecy, Alice?
15:55She went.
15:55What?
15:56I don't know what you're talking about.
15:58The handkerchief was folded.
16:00The writing was on the inside,
16:02completely hidden.
16:03So how did you know
16:04there were words on it
16:05before anyone unfolded it?
16:06Did you write them yourself?
16:08Or did you prepare
16:09this whole thing in advance?
16:11Alice's face went rigid.
16:13Her pupils shrank.
16:14A bead of sweat
16:15traced down her temple.
16:16I...
16:17I...
16:17Nothing came out.
16:18And you?
16:19We both know you slipped
16:21that handkerchief
16:21into my sleeve yourself.
16:23So let's skip the act.
16:24Who do you belong to?
16:25Where did you get it?
16:26Who told you to plant it?
16:28She had already collapsed
16:29to the floor.
16:30She looked up
16:31and her eyes
16:31went straight to Alice.
16:33Alice's composure shattered.
16:34Don't look at me!
16:35Your hands are dirty,
16:37not mine!
16:38Then a voice cut through the room
16:39from the doorway low,
16:40unhurried, absolute.
16:42Something went missing
16:42from my stables
16:43a few days ago.
16:45So that's where it ended up.
16:47The entire room turned.
16:48Nathan walked in
16:49like the air itself
16:50had decided
16:50to move out of his way.
16:52He stopped beside me,
16:53read...
16:53My words,
16:55embroidered in my hand.
16:56Tell me, Miss Alice,
16:57how exactly did you
16:58come to recognize them?
17:02Alice's knees gave out.
17:04She caught herself
17:04on the edge of a chair.
17:05You bribed a servant
17:06in my own estate.
17:07You stole my personal propriety
17:09and you used it
17:10to frame my guest.
17:11Nathan said it quietly.
17:13That made it worse.
17:14Alice opened her mouth,
17:15closed it.
17:16There was nothing to say.
17:17Mrs. Walker rose from her seat,
17:19her whole body shaking,
17:20and slammed her palm
17:21on the table.
17:22She ran her schemes
17:23all the way up
17:24to the alpha himself.
17:25The audacity.
17:27Someone deal with her.
17:28But two older women
17:29moved in fast.
17:30They grabbed Alice
17:30by the shoulders
17:31and didn't hold back.
17:32The sound of it
17:33echoed through the hall.
17:34By the third strike,
17:35Alice's face had begun
17:36to swell blood
17:37at the corner of her mouth.
17:39Hair coming undone.
17:40She was sobbing,
17:41gasping,
17:41calling for her parents.
17:43Help me!
17:43I watched without moving.
17:44For the first time,
17:45it felt satisfying.
17:46Nathan glanced sideways
17:47at me just for a moment.
17:48I inclined my head.
17:51My respects,
17:52Alpha.
17:53Thank you for clearing my name.
17:54What had started
17:55as a proper banquet
17:55had been reduced to rubble.
17:57When it was finally over,
17:58Mrs. Walker took my hand
18:00in both of hers
18:00and walked me
18:01to the entrance herself,
18:02apologizing the whole way,
18:03making sure everyone saw.
18:05The message was unmistakable.
18:06We're now circling back,
18:08all warmth and flattery.
18:09Funny how quickly
18:10the room turns
18:10when the Alpha's mother
18:11is holding your hand.
18:15I settled into the carriage
18:16and glanced at Alice.
18:17Her face was swollen
18:18on both sides.
18:19She glared at me
18:20from her corner.
18:21One hand pressed
18:22to her cheek.
18:23Somehow,
18:23my parents had already heard.
18:25They were both in the carriage.
18:26Father sat with his chest heaving,
18:27jaw set,
18:28saying nothing.
18:29Mother was dabbing ointment
18:30on Alice's face,
18:31tears streaming down her own.
18:33You're a curse on this family.
18:35Wasn't it enough?
18:36Did you have to destroy
18:37your own sister?
18:38You knew what she was doing.
18:39Why didn't you say
18:39something earlier
18:40instead of letting
18:41the whole family
18:42be humiliated?
18:43I leaned back
18:43against the carriage wall
18:44and closed my eyes.
18:46That's interesting, Mother.
18:47When Alice was planting
18:49stolen evidence on me,
18:50did she stop to think
18:51of me as family?
18:52If that accusation had stuck,
18:54it would have been
18:54the hall name
18:55dragged through the dirt,
18:56not just mine.
18:57Father's hand shut up.
18:58I turned my head.
18:59His palm cut through empty air.
19:01He held it there for a moment,
19:02suspended,
19:03then dropped it
19:03and looked away.
19:05We'll deal with you at home.
19:06The carriage cut.
19:08Then it started moving
19:09long,
19:09the road had narrowed.
19:10The turns were sharper.
19:11We were climbing cliffs
19:12on one side,
19:13a sheer drop on the other.
19:14The horses screamed.
19:15Something had screwed them,
19:16or worse,
19:17and suddenly they were bolting.
19:19Full sprint.
19:19No control.
19:20What's happening?
19:21Stop the carriage!
19:22Someone stop it!
19:24Alice was thrown sideways,
19:25tumbling across
19:26the carriage floor,
19:27screaming.
19:27I grabbed the window frame
19:28and held on.
19:29The driver was gone,
19:30jumped,
19:31or thrown either way.
19:32No one was at the reins.
19:34My stomach dropped,
19:34and not from the road.
19:35This hadn't happened
19:36in my last life.
19:37They were moving faster
19:38than I'd expected.
19:39I'd rattled them today,
19:40and they were improvising.
19:44The horse had been drugged.
19:46I was certain of it.
19:47A staged accident.
19:49A body at the bottom
19:50of a cliff.
19:51But something didn't add up.
19:52Father valued his own life
19:54above everything.
19:55So did Mother.
19:56So did Alice.
19:57None of them would ride
19:58this carriage off a cliff
19:59unless they had a way out.
20:01Then I saw it.
20:02Father had already
20:03pulled Alice and Mother close.
20:04His hand reached beneath
20:06the bench,
20:06a hidden compartment,
20:08and came out with thick
20:09padded cushions.
20:10They came prepared.
20:12The plan wasn't to die with it.
20:13The plan was to throw me out
20:15and walk away from death.
20:16The carriage lurched.
20:17My grip slipped,
20:18and I went through the door.
20:20The fall never came.
20:21An arm caught me mid-air,
20:22iron solid,
20:23and pulled me hard
20:24against a chest.
20:25I knew that scent
20:26before I saw his face.
20:27The Alpha.
20:29The carriage had ground
20:30to a halt behind us.
20:31A wolf had come out
20:33of the tree line
20:33and taken down the horses,
20:35hanging with the sights,
20:36dropping them to their knees.
20:37I looked up.
20:39Nathan looked down.
20:40Those dark eyes
20:40held mine for a moment.
20:42Eva,
20:42it seems there are
20:43quite a few people
20:44with an interest
20:45in your life ending.
20:47He set me on my feet
20:49and stepped away.
20:50Not far from us,
20:52the three of them
20:53were crawling out
20:53of the wreckage,
20:54scraped, shaken, alive.
20:56Nathan walked
20:57to the nearest horse,
20:59ran a finger
20:59along its mouth,
21:00and brought it
21:01to his nose.
21:03Stimulant poison
21:04drives them
21:05into a frenzy.
21:06The horse would have
21:07been dead
21:07within ten miles.
21:08I stood and watched
21:09my parents check themselves
21:10over with trembling hands,
21:12relieved to be breathing,
21:14relieved their plan
21:14had almost worked.
21:16Whatever had been left,
21:17whatever small,
21:18stubborn part of me
21:19had still wanted them
21:19to be my family.
21:21It went quiet.
21:21For good,
21:22Nathan came back
21:23to where I stood
21:24and held out his hand.
21:25Get in my carriage.
21:26I'll take you home.
21:32Maybe the carriage accident
21:33had simply been
21:34too terrifying.
21:35Three days later,
21:36the Alpha's wedding gifts
21:37arrived at the Hale House,
21:38an entire procession
21:39through the front gate,
21:40boxes carried
21:41by uniformed attendants,
21:42the kind of display
21:43the whole street
21:44would remember.
21:45In my last life,
21:46this moment had belonged
21:47to Alice.
21:48Now, it was mine.
21:49Zoe stood in the main hall
21:50and read from the gift
21:51register item by item.
21:53Unhurried,
21:53with every entry,
21:55Alice lost a little more color.
21:56Mother kept shifting
21:57in her seat,
21:58throwing father-pointed looks.
21:59He cleared his throat
22:01and cut Zoe off
22:02mid-sentence.
22:03Zoe,
22:03regarding this marriage arrangement,
22:05is there any room
22:06for the Alpha
22:07to reconsider?
22:08Alice made some mistakes,
22:10yes,
22:10but she's accomplished.
22:12Well-bred,
22:12Eva grew up in a
22:13backwart farming pack.
22:14She doesn't know our ways.
22:15It's a lot to ask of her,
22:17carrying the role of Luna.
22:19Perhaps Alice
22:20could accompany Eva
22:21to the estate
22:22as a companion
22:24to the Alpha.
22:27She could support her sister
22:29from within the household.
22:32A companion,
22:33so Luna was off the table.
22:34Now they were angling
22:35for Mistress.
22:36Sammy Gold,
22:37different door.
22:38Get Alice inside the estate,
22:40let her work her way up,
22:41and find a way
22:42to put me back at the bottom.
22:43Zoe closed the register.
22:44The look on her face
22:46made her opinion plain.
22:47If Mr. Hale truly wishes
22:49to put that forward,
22:50Alice will need to answer
22:51a question first.
22:52On behalf of Mrs. Walker,
22:54if a servant
22:54at the Alphas' estate
22:55is found to be lazy,
22:57dishonest,
22:58or worse,
22:58disloyal to their master,
23:00how should they be handled?
23:01This was her moment.
23:02Forgiveness, of course.
23:04Servants are people, too.
23:06The right approach
23:06is patience and reform.
23:08Casting them out
23:09would only make the Alpha
23:10look cold and unforgiving.
23:13She glanced at me
23:14when she finished,
23:15satisfied with herself.
23:19Father nodded
23:20along beside her.
23:21Zoe turned to me,
23:22Miss Eva.
23:24Your thoughts.
23:28Disloyalty is not a mistake.
23:30You forgive.
23:31Once a servant
23:31betrays their master,
23:32they are a liability,
23:34not a person to be reformed.
23:36It doesn't matter
23:37how close they are
23:37to the Alpha himself.
23:38If they break faith,
23:40they go.
23:40No exceptions.
23:43How can you be so ruthless?
23:45These are the Alpha's own people.
23:49That's exactly what
23:50Mrs. Walker wanted to hear.
23:51That's the kind of Luna
23:52this pack needs.
23:54Mrs. Walker's exact words.
23:56The second daughter
23:57of the Hale family
23:58is never to set foot
23:59inside the Alpha's estate.
24:00Not once.
24:01Not ever.
24:02And just like that,
24:03I walked into the Alpha's estate
24:05lady as the one
24:05and only Luna Dot.
24:07Alice's hatred
24:08could have set the house
24:09on fire.
24:10That night,
24:10she broke everything
24:11she could get her hands
24:12on Dot vases.
24:13Ceramic jars,
24:14decorative plates,
24:15screaming and screaming
24:15and sobbing until her voice
24:16gave out between the crashes.
24:20Peasant.
24:22Worthless.
24:23Enough!
24:25Useless.
24:27Get a message to Mr. Allen.
24:29The old Duke is looking
24:30for a new mate,
24:31isn't he?
24:32Send Alice.
24:34I heard about this later.
24:36Mr. Allen was not simply
24:37an older man
24:37with a preference
24:38for young women.
24:39He was past 70
24:40violent by nature.
24:42At least three women
24:43in his household
24:43had died under his roof.
24:45What I couldn't understand
24:46even knowing everything
24:47I knew about
24:47about my father
24:48was why he would
24:49throw his beloved
24:49an older
24:50at a place like that.
24:51There was something
24:52he wasn't telling anyone.
24:54Not yet.
24:58The day of our bonding ceremony,
25:00the Alpha's estate
25:00was lit up
25:01for every window.
25:02It was exactly grand
25:03and notto
25:04draw every eye
25:04in the region
25:05and cover what was happening
25:06at the girlhouse
25:07at the same time.
25:08A plane carriage
25:09slipped out the back
25:09while no one was watching.
25:11Alice was inside Dot,
25:12found.
25:13Gagged with a silencing tonic.
25:14Father had made sure
25:15she couldn't make a sound.
25:16The official story
25:17she'd been sent
25:18to the Moon Temple
25:19for reflection.
25:20The truth
25:20she was delivered
25:21to the old duke
25:21through her back entrance
25:22like something being returned.
25:24In my last life
25:25I was the one
25:25in that carriage.
25:26I had sat in that dark
25:28jolting the paw
25:28hand-punched
25:29of moon
25:29for a first time.
25:30Now it was Alice.
25:37Turned I thought
25:37of the way
25:38she had stood over me
25:39in the snow
25:39and I felt nothing
25:40but cold satisfaction.
25:41Your own fears
25:42give to you,
25:43Alice.
25:43I hope you receive it well.
25:45The estate gates opened.
25:47Nathan stood in full
25:47ceremonial armor torches
25:49lining the path behind him.
25:50He was always severe,
25:51that face,
25:52those eyes Dot
25:53but in the amber light
25:53of the altar
25:54something in him softened,
25:55just at the edges.
25:56We completed
25:57the bonding ceremony.
26:01Dot afterward.
26:02I sat on the edge
26:03of the bed
26:03gripping the sheets
26:04my heart louder
26:05than I wanted it to be.
26:07I had clawed
26:08my way back
26:08to this moment
26:09and reclaimed
26:09everything they had
26:10taken from me.
26:11Dot but this part
26:12I had no memory
26:13to draw from.
26:14No experience.
26:16No.
26:16Nathan looked at me.
26:18Eva,
26:19from tonight,
26:21if the sky falls,
26:22I'll be the one
26:23holding it up.
26:24You are my only Luna.
26:26He tipped his head back
26:27and 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.
26:39I don't need someone
26:40to stand behind me, Eva.
26:41I need someone
26:42who can fight beside me.
26:45That done.
26:47Till dawn.
26:48He did sapping down.
26:57Next morning,
26:58Mrs. Walker took one look
26:59at the shadows
26:59under my eyes and beam.
27:01She sat me down,
27:02lifted a crown from its box
27:04and placed it
27:04on my head herself.
27:08This was mine once.
27:10It suits you better.
27:12I heard about Alice.
27:14Apparently she's been
27:15causing chaos
27:16at the old Duke's estate.
27:18Robert Allen.
27:20That man is...
27:22Well...
27:23She'll survive.
27:24Probably.
27:26But...
27:27But it won't be comfortable.
27:30I had stopped wondering
27:31about Alice.
27:32Whatever she was living through,
27:34it wasn't good.
27:35That was enough.
27:37Life inside the estate
27:38settle faster than I'd expected.
27:40I moved through
27:41the household methodically.
27:42One by one,
27:43I found the one skimming,
27:44betraying me,
27:45and smiling to hide it.
27:46I dealt with each of them
27:47cleanly, Dot.
27:49After that,
27:50this graph ran like water
27:51downhill.
27:52No one tested me twice,
27:54but Nathan
27:55had been off
27:56for several days
27:56running gray skies.
27:58Steady rain,
27:58his steady light
27:58burned past midnight.
27:59He came to meet me,
28:00or not at all.
28:02His temper had a shorter
28:03fuse than usual.
28:04When I brought food
28:05to his study one evening,
28:06I found him with two fingers
28:07pressed to his temple.
28:12Face.
28:13The same look I'd seen
28:14seen on Mrs. Walker
28:15100 times, Dot,
28:15so it ran in the family.
28:17This headache
28:18that never quite left.
28:19I went back to my room
28:21and opened my remedy books.
28:23I adjusted the formula,
28:24added a measure
28:24of sacred pack spring water,
28:26and spent the better part
28:27of the night
28:27stitching a small sleep pillow
28:28by hand packing
28:29the herbs inside myself.
28:31The next afternoon,
28:32while Nathan was out,
28:33I slipped into his room
28:34and swapped his pillow
28:35for mine.
28:36That night,
28:37Nathan came home late.
28:38I was already in bed,
28:39pretending to sleep.
28:41Half conscious,
28:41I felt the mattress
28:42sink beside me.
28:50When I woke the next morning,
28:52his side of the bed
28:52was already empty.
28:54From the outer room,
28:55I heard Zoe surprised.
28:58Alpha,
28:59you slept in today?
29:00Nathan's voice
29:01was unhurried.
29:02Slept deeply.
29:04No headache.
29:05I smiled to myself.
29:07The pillow worked.
29:08At dinner,
29:08he reached over
29:09and placed a piece
29:10of fish in my bowl.
29:11The pillow.
29:12You made it?
29:13I nodded.
29:15He looked at me
29:16for a moment,
29:17something unreadable
29:17in his eyes,
29:18and then the corner
29:19of his mouth lifted.
29:21The stitching is a bit rough.
29:23The scent,
29:24I like it.
29:25The stitching was fine.
29:26He just wouldn't say
29:27what he actually meant.
29:28After that,
29:29the pillow was his alone.
29:30No one was permitted
29:31to touch it.
29:32He stopped walking around
29:33with that permanent scowl.
29:34Some evenings,
29:35he'd call me into the study
29:36and teach me calligraphy.
29:39My characters had always
29:41been crooked.
29:42I grew up on a farm,
29:43not in a classroom.
29:45He'd wrap his hand
29:46around Manin Guide,
29:47each stroke his chest
29:48against my back.
29:49One evening,
29:50I knocked over the ink.
29:51He moved without thinking
29:52sleeve down to catch it
29:53and the cuff soaked
29:53through black.
29:54I grabbed a cloth
29:55and dabbed at it.
29:56It spread worse.
30:00Leave it.
30:01It's just a robe.
30:02I took it back
30:03to my room anyway
30:04and stayed up
30:04embroidering a cluster
30:05of valyrian grass
30:06over the stain.
30:07Nathan saw it
30:08and scoffed.
30:10How childish.
30:11Then wore that robe
30:12every single day.
30:17I wasn't looking for news
30:19about the Hale family.
30:20It kept arriving anyway.
30:22Alice was miserable
30:23at the Duke's estate.
30:25Robert had particular tastes.
30:27The smallest inconvenience
30:29earned a lashing.
30:30Alice was covered in marks
30:31but 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
30:44that he became
30:44very attached to her
30:45after that.
30:46I laughed when I heard
30:48what it actually was.
30:49It was the same compound
30:51used on the first day
30:52of the carriage.
30:53The frenzy drug
30:53just watered down.
30:55Enough to make an old man
30:56feel young for an hour.
30:58He was devoted to her
30:59after that.
31:00But my informant
31:01sent different news.
31:03Alice's people
31:04had been quietly
31:04buying Cinnabar
31:05and liquid mercury
31:06separately.
31:08Both medicinal dot
31:09combined
31:09a lethal poison.
31:11She wouldn't use it
31:12on Robert.
31:12He was her only shield
31:14which left
31:15one other target.
31:16I set the letter down
31:17and tapped the table.
31:19Nathan's birthday
31:20was the 8th of next month.
31:22So that was her move.
31:24If she wanted to come for me
31:25I'd make it very easy
31:26for her.
31:27I called my trusted mate
31:29over and spoke quietly
31:30in her ear.
31:32She nodded once
31:33and left.
31:34I said her to
31:37You