A powerful full drama movie filled with love, secrets, and unexpected twists.
Follow a powerful story where relationships are tested, hidden truths are revealed, and lives change forever. From romantic moments to shocking surprises, this drama keeps you engaged from beginning to end.
Featuring stories about CEO, billionaire lifestyles, family connections, and life-changing decisions, this movie delivers strong emotions and unforgettable scenes.
Watch the full movie and discover what happens in the end.
New full drama movies uploaded regularly. Stay tuned for more captivating and trending stories.
#drama #fullmovie #lovestory #dramatic #billionaire #ceo #family #relationships #movie #story
Follow a powerful story where relationships are tested, hidden truths are revealed, and lives change forever. From romantic moments to shocking surprises, this drama keeps you engaged from beginning to end.
Featuring stories about CEO, billionaire lifestyles, family connections, and life-changing decisions, this movie delivers strong emotions and unforgettable scenes.
Watch the full movie and discover what happens in the end.
New full drama movies uploaded regularly. Stay tuned for more captivating and trending stories.
#drama #fullmovie #lovestory #dramatic #billionaire #ceo #family #relationships #movie #story
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PersonnesTranscription
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, swore 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.
00:55On 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.
01:10The 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.
01:31The 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.
01:48Ailey stood nearby, waiting for the show.
01:49She wore a gown of shimmering silk custom made by Mother.
01:52Her sash tied perfectly.
01:54Before 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.
02:07Hissing 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.
02:33He 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.
02:55I 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.
03:08Alice.
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.
03:17Thank you, Mother.
03:17I'll wear it with honor.
03:19I stood to the side.
03:20Empty-handed.
03:21Nothing around my waist but a plain white ribbon.
03:23Mother seemed to remember I existed.
03:25She rummaged through a corner drawer and pulled out a fistful of hairpins.
03:28Old ones.
03:29Most 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.
03:47She has refinement.
03:48Grace.
03:49The heirloom suits her.
03:51Eva spent years in the farming pack.
03:54Putting something fine on her would just look out of place.
03:57I squeezed those cheap pins as my fist until the metal bit into my palm.
04:00The farming pack?
04:01Why was I even there?
04:03Because when my parents were running from their enemies, I was dead weight.
04:06So they left me behind.
04:07They only brought me back because the Alpha came calling.
04:11His family had an old betrothal agreement.
04:13The firstborn Hale daughter, Elise, was beloved.
04:16But on paper, she was adopted.
04:18They 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, two guards stood nearby talking.
04:28They didn't know I could still hear them.
04:30Hale is cold-blooded.
04:31Leaving his own flesh and blood here to die, all 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.
04:45So 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.
05:08Mother.
05:09We 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.
05:25I 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.
05:30Threats 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.
05:38She kept touching the necklace.
05:40Turning the crystals in the light.
05:41Admiring her own reflection.
05:43The Alpha's head steward, Zoe, was riding with us.
05:45Officially, she was there to attend to us.
05:47In reality, she was watching.
05:49Taking stock of who we were.
05:51Alice didn't seem to notice.
05:52Or care.
05:54Zoe.
05:54What 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.
06:03In my last life, Alice had done the same thing.
06:06Talked the whole ride over.
06:08Loud and relentless.
06:09But she'd gotten lucky.
06:10By the time we arrived,
06:12Mrs. Walker's migraines had cleared up.
06:15And Alice had been ready.
06:16She'd stolen my remedy formula months earlier.
06:18Passed it off as her own.
06:19Mrs. Walker loved her for it.
06:21This time, Alice wasn't getting that chance.
06:27I 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.
06:37You don't look well.
06:38These are cooling relief pellets.
06:40My own formula.
06:41Let one dissolve under your tongue.
06:43It should help.
06:44Alice's head snapped toward me.
06:46Excuse me?
06:47What is that supposed to be?
06:49You'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.
07:01A faint drift of mint and aged wood had already begun to fill the carriage cutting through the
07:05stuffy heat.
07:05She took the pellets.
07:07Placed one under her tongue.
07:09Within moments, the tension left her face.
07:12She exhaled.
07:14Long and slow.
07:15Color 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.
07:24Nothing impressive, I'm afraid.
07:26Zoe smiled.
07:27If this is nothing impressive, our pack healer back at the estate should be embarrassed.
07:32Alice twisted her handkerchief in her lap.
07:34My sinless searing lust.
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.
07:43That shut Alice up.
07:44Zoe lured 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.
07:55She 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.
08:31I looked like her handmaid.
08:32I wasn't worried.
08:33The best part of any trap is the waiting.
08:36The banquet began.
08:38Alice moved straight to the harp and played for Mrs. Walker.
08:41She was good, and she knew it.
08:43Mrs. Walker gave a small, measured nod.
08:46That 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, stop hiding in the corner.
08:57Come 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, Sammy smiled.
09:11Sammy two steps away.
09:12Oh, Eva, watch out!
09:14She lurched toward me.
09:15I stepped aside.
09:16She 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.
09:26That beautiful shimmering skirt slid straight down, all the way to her ankles beneath it.
09:30A pair of pink underwear embroidered with little devil motifs, in plain view.
09:34Of everyone, the entire room went silent.
09:37Alice froze.
09:39She felt the cold air first.
09:41Then she looked down.
09:43And screamed.
09:44Chaos erupted.
09:45Women screamed.
09:47But above it all, I felt it.
09:49A gaze.
09:50Heavy.
09:50Cold from the shadow of the second floor balcony.
09:53He was watching.
10:00Alice scrambled to grab her skirt.
10:04Wine splashed up across her underwear.
10:06If it could have gotten worse, it just did.
10:08The ladies around her recoiled, fans raised.
10:10Faces turned away.
10:11Mrs. Walker's expression went stone cold.
10:13What 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.
10:33But you wanted the silhouette.
10:35And now look.
10:36Alice looked up at me, pure venom.
10:39You did this.
10:40I know it was you.
10:41I blinked, spread my hands wide.
10:43Alice, I was across the room.
10:44Everyone saw you walk over.
10:46Everyone saw you fall.
10:47The women around us were already nodding.
10:49She 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.
10:56She covered her face and wept.
11:02The room dissolved into chaos.
11:04Maid swarmed Alice and rushed her off to change.
11:06The commotion had done exactly what I expected.
11:09Mrs. Walker's migraine had returned.
11:11She 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.
11:23Please 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?
11:35As an apology?
11:36Alice came back red-eyed, but she straightened up at that.
11:39She snapped her fingers and a maid brought out the gift box.
11:42I already knew what was inside.
11:43I knew this family too well.
11:45Whatever it was, it would be extravagant and entirely wrong.
11:48They measured worth in gold and gemstones.
11:50They assumed everyone else did too.
11:51What they didn't understand about Mrs. Walker.
11:53A 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?
12:18What a waste of people.
12:19Alice's confidence collapsed.
12:21She sank to her knees, trembling.
12:23Mrs. Walker pressed her hand harder to her temple and said nothing.
12:27I only wanted to show you how much...
12:29The silence stretched.
12:30I stepped forward quietly.
12:31Mrs. Walker, if you'll allow me, I may be able to help with the headache.
12:36She looked at me skeptical.
12:38You practice medicine?
12:39Just some calming herbs.
12:41Something I picked up along the way.
12:45I lit one end of the incense powder and set it on the table beside her.
12:49The scent unfurled slowly.
12:50Delicate, cool herbal.
12:51Mrs. Walker drew a breath.
12:53The pain didn't vanish, but it pulled back.
12:55Enough to breathe.
12:55Enough to relax the furrow between her brows.
12:57That's lovely.
12:58What is it?
12:59I heard you've suffered with headaches for years.
13:02I brought this back from the farm.
13:04It's what I always used.
13:05Nothing fancy, but it works.
13:07Mrs. Walker nodded slowly.
13:09The way she looked at me had changed.
13:10You're a thoughtful girl.
13:12Out of the corner of my eye,
13:13a tall figure had stopped at the moon gate at the edge of the garden,
13:16still 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.
13:24Lady Allen whispered something to Mrs. Walker,
13:26who 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,
13:33asking about my life, my interests,
13:35what I liked to eat.
13:36She was already looking at Maliki, a daughter-in-law.
13:39She 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 splash wine across my sleeve.
13:46My sincerest apologies, Miss Eva.
13:49Clumsy fool!
13:50Get out of my sight!
13:51The maid scurried off, head bowed,
13:52and as she passed Alice,
13:53their eyes met, quick, deliberate.
13:55The next second...
13:56My necklace!
13:58My necklace is gone!
14:00The family heirloom!
14:02Mother's necklace!
14:04Where is it?
14:07Every head in the room turned.
14:09Mrs. Walker's expression soured.
14:12Stop shrieking!
14:14If it's lost, have someone look for it!
14:16Alice turned to me, tears already forming.
14:19Just now, Eva was the closest one to me.
14:22Could it be that she...
14:24She let the sentence hang.
14:25Lady Alan stepped in, right on cue.
14:28If something valuable has gone missing,
14:30perhaps we should search everyone present.
14:33It would clear Eva's name,
14:35if nothing else.
14:36I held out both arms.
14:37By all means,
14:38search me.
14:40I won't have anyone saying,
14:42I put myself above my own sister.
14:44A flicker of satisfaction crossed Alice's face.
14:47She nodded to the maid,
14:48the 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.
15:02Alice pressed a hand to her mouth.
15:04Eva!
15:05Do you have a secret lover?
15:07Our family holds a bedrothal with the Alpha.
15:09Do you understand what this means?
15:11A man's hand to catch.
15:13His 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,
15:24eyes sharp,
15:24heads shaking.
15:25Ailey snatched the handkerchief.
15:26Wait!
15:27There's writing on it!
15:29She snapped it open and read aloud.
15:32I want to be tangled with you
15:34on every night
15:36the full moon rises.
15:38She looked up at me,
15:39triumphant,
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.
15:53Since when do you have
15:54the gift of prophecy, Alice?
15:55She went.
15:56What?
15:57I 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?
16:07Did you write them yourself?
16:09Or did you prepare
16:10this whole thing in advance?
16:12Alice's face went rigid.
16:13Her pupils shrank.
16:14A bead of sweat
16:15traced down her temple.
16:17I...
16:17I...
16:18Nothing came out.
16:19And you?
16:20We both know you slipped
16:21that handkerchief
16:22into my sleeve yourself.
16:23So let's skip the act.
16:25Who do you belong to?
16:26Where did you get it?
16:27Who told you to plant it?
16:29She had already
16:29collapsed to the floor.
16:31She looked up,
16:31and her eyes
16:32went straight to Alice.
16:33Alice's composure shattered.
16:35Don't look at me!
16:36Your hands are dirty,
16:37not mine!
16:38Then a voice cut through
16:39the room from the doorway low,
16:41unhurried, absolute.
16:42Something went missing
16:43from my stables
16:44a few days ago.
16:45So that's where it ended up.
16:47The entire room turned.
16:49Nathan walked in
16:49like the air itself
16:50had decided to move
16:51out of his way.
16:52He stopped beside me,
16:53reading...
16:54My words,
16:55embroidered in my hand.
16:57Tell me, Miss Alice,
16:58how exactly did you come
16:59to recognize them?
17:03Alice's knees gave out.
17:04She caught herself
17:05on the edge of a chair.
17:06You bribed a servant
17:07in my own estate.
17:08You stole my personal propriety,
17:10and you used it
17:11to frame my guest.
17:12Nathan said it quietly.
17:13That made it worse.
17:14Alice opened her mouth,
17:16closed it.
17:16There was nothing to say.
17:18Mrs. Walker rose from her seat,
17:19her whole body shaking,
17:21and slammed her palm
17:22on the table.
17:23She ran her schemes
17:24all the way up
17:24to the alpha himself.
17:26The audacity!
17:27Someone deal with her!
17:28But two older women
17:29moved in fast.
17:30They grabbed Alice
17:31by the shoulders
17:32and didn't hold back.
17:33The sound of it
17:34echoed through the hall.
17:35By the third strike,
17:36Alice's face had begun
17:37to swell blood
17:38at the corner of her mouth.
17:39Hair coming undone.
17:40She was sobbing,
17:41gasping,
17:42calling for her parents.
17:43Help me!
17:43I watched without moving.
17:45For the first time,
17:46it felt satisfying.
17:47Nathan glanced sideways
17:48at me just for a moment.
17:49I inclined my head.
17:51My respects, Alpha.
17:53Thank you for clearing my name.
17:55What had started
17:55as a proper banquet
17:56had been reduced to rubble.
17:57When it was finally over,
17:59Mrs. Walker took my hand
18:00in both of hers
18:01and walked me
18:01to the entrance herself,
18:03apologizing the whole way,
18:04making sure everyone saw.
18:05The message was
18:06unmistakable
18:07when now circling back,
18:08all warmth and flattery.
18:09Funny how quickly
18:10the room turns
18:11when the Alpha's mother
18:12is holding your hand.
18:16I settled into the carriage
18:17and glanced at Alice.
18:18Her face was swollen
18:19on both sides.
18:20She glared at me
18:21from her corner.
18:22One hand pressed
18:22to her cheek.
18:23Somehow,
18:24my parents had already heard.
18:25They were both in the carriage.
18:26Father sat with his chest heaving,
18:28jaw set,
18:29saying nothing.
18:29Mother was dabbing
18:30an ointment on Alice's face,
18:32tears streaming down her own.
18:34You're a curse
18:35on this family.
18:36Wasn't it enough?
18:37Did you have to destroy
18:38your own sister?
18:38You knew what she was doing.
18:40Why didn't you say
18:40something earlier
18:41instead of letting
18:42the whole family
18:42be humiliated?
18:43I leaned back
18:44against the carriage wall
18:45and closed my eyes.
18:46That's interesting, Mother.
18:48When Alice was planting
18:49stolen evidence on me,
18:51did she stop
18:52to think of me as family?
18:53If that accusation had stuck,
18:54it would have been
18:55the hall name
18:55dragged through the dirt,
18:56not just mine.
18:58Father's hand shut up.
18:59I turned my head.
19:00His palm cut through empty air.
19:01He held it there for a moment,
19:03suspended,
19:03then dropped it
19:04and looked away.
19:05We'll deal with you at home.
19:07The carriage
19:08Then it started moving along,
19:10the road had narrowed.
19:11The turns were sharper.
19:12We were climbing cliffs
19:13on one side,
19:14a sheer drop on the other.
19:15The horses screamed.
19:16Something had screwed up,
19:17or worse,
19:18and suddenly they were bolting.
19:19Full sprint.
19:20No control.
19:21What's happening?
19:22Stop the carriage!
19:23Someone stop it!
19:24Alice was thrown sideways,
19:26tumbling across the carriage floor,
19:27screaming.
19:28I grabbed the window frame
19:29and held on.
19:30The driver was gone,
19:31jumped,
19:32or thrown either way.
19:33No one was at the reins.
19:34My stomach dropped,
19:35and not from the road.
19:36This hadn't happened
19:37in my last life.
19:38They were moving faster
19:39than I'd expected.
19:40I'd rattled them today,
19:41and they were improvising.
19:45The horse had been drugged.
19:47I was certain of it.
19:48A stage accident.
19:49A body at the bottom of a cliff.
19:51But something didn't add up.
19:53Father valued his own life
19:54above everything.
19:55So did Mother.
19:56So did Alice.
19:58Known of them would ride
19:59this carriage off a cliff
20:00unless they had a way out.
20:02Then I saw it.
20:03Father had already pulled Alice
20:04and Mother close.
20:05His hand reached beneath the bench,
20:07a hidden compartment,
20:08and came out with thick,
20:09padded cushions.
20:11They came prepared.
20:12The plan wasn't to die with it.
20:14The plan was to throw me out
20:15and walk away from the ground.
20:17The carriage lurched.
20:18My grip slipped,
20:19and I went through the door.
20:21The fall never came.
20:22An arm caught me mid-air,
20:23iron solid,
20:24and pulled me hard against a chest.
20:26I knew that scent
20:26before I saw his face.
20:28The Alpha.
20:29The carriage had ground
20:31to a halt behind us.
20:32A wolf had come out
20:33of the tree line
20:34and taken down the horses.
20:35Clean,
20:36precise,
20:37dropping them to their knees.
20:38I looked up.
20:39Nathan looked down.
20:40Those dark eyes
20:41held mine for a moment.
20:42Eva,
20:43it seems there are
20:44quite a few people
20:45with an interest
20:45in your life ending.
20:48He set me on my feet
20:49and stepped away.
20:51Not far from us,
20:52the three of them
20:53were crawling out of the wreckage,
20:55scraped,
20:55shaken, alive.
20:57Nathan walked
20:58to the nearest horse,
20:59ran a finger along its mouth,
21:01and brought it to his nose.
21:04Stimulant poison
21:04drives them into a frenzy.
21:07The horse would have been dead
21:08within 10 miles.
21:09I stood and watched my parents
21:11check themselves over
21:12with trembling hands.
21:13Relieved to be breathing.
21:14Relieved their plan
21:15had almost worked.
21:16Whatever had been left,
21:17whatever small,
21:18stubborn part of me
21:19had still wanted them
21:20to be my family.
21:21It went quiet.
21:22For good,
21:23Nathan came back
21:24to where I stood
21:24and held out his hand.
21:26Get in my carriage.
21:27I'll take you home.
21:33Maybe the carriage accident
21:34had simply been too terrifying.
21:36Three days later,
21:37the Alpha's wedding gifts
21:38arrived at the Hale House.
21:39An entire procession
21:40through the front gate.
21:41Boxes carried by
21:42uniformed attendants.
21:43The kind of display
21:44the whole street would remember.
21:45In my last life,
21:47this moment had belonged to Alice.
21:48Now, it was mine.
21:50Zoe stood in the main hall
21:51and read from the gift
21:52register item by item.
21:53Unhurried,
21:54with every entry,
21:55Alice lost a little more color.
21:57Mother kept shifting in her seat,
21:59throwing father-pointed looks.
22:00He cleared his throat
22:02and cut Zoe off mid-sentence.
22:03Zoe,
22:04regarding this marriage arrangement,
22:06is there any room
22:07for the Alpha to reconsider?
22:09Alice made some mistakes, yes,
22:11but she's accomplished.
22:12Well-bred.
22:13Eva grew up in a backwart farming pack.
22:15She doesn't know our ways.
22:16It's a lot to ask of her
22:17carrying the role of Luna.
22:20Perhaps Alice
22:21could accompany Eva
22:22to the estate
22:23as a companion to the Alpha.
22:28She could support her sister
22:30from within the household.
22:33A companion,
22:34so Luna was off the table.
22:35Now they were angling for Mistress.
22:37Sammy Gold,
22:38different door.
22:39Get Alice inside the estate,
22:41let her work her way up,
22:42and find a way
22:42to put me back at the bottom.
22:44Zoe closed the register.
22:45The look on her face
22:46made her opinion plain.
22:48If Mr. Hale truly wishes
22:49to put that forward,
22:51Alice will need to answer
22:52a question first.
22:53On behalf of Mrs. Walker,
22:54if a servant at the Alpha's
22:56as a estate
22:56is found to be lazy,
22:58dishonest,
22:58or worse,
22:59disloyal to their master,
23:00how should they be handled?
23:02This was her moment.
23:03Forgiveness, of course.
23:05Servants are people, too.
23:06The right approach
23:07is patience and reform.
23:09Casting them out
23:10would only make the Alpha
23:11look cold and unforgiving.
23:14She glanced at me
23:15when she finished,
23:16satisfied with herself.
23:20Father nodded along
23:21beside her.
23:22Zoe turned to me,
23:23Miss Eva.
23:24Your thoughts.
23:29Disloyalty is not a mistake.
23:31You forgive.
23:31Once a servant
23:32betrays their master,
23:33they are a liability,
23:35not a person to be reformed.
23:37It doesn't matter
23:37how close they are
23:38to the Alpha himself.
23:39If they break faith,
23:41they go.
23:41No exceptions.
23:44How can you be so ruthless?
23:46These are the Alpha's own people.
23:49That's exactly what
23:50Mrs. Walker wanted to hear.
23:52That's the kind of Luna
23:53this pack needs.
23:55Mrs. Walker's exact words.
23:57The second daughter
23:57of the Hale family
23:58is never to set foot
23:59inside the Alpha's estate.
24:01Not once.
24:02Not ever.
24:03And just like that,
24:04I walked into the Alpha's estate
24:05as the one and only Luna dot.
24:08Alice's hatred
24:09could have set the house
24:10on fire.
24:11That night,
24:11she broke everything
24:12she could get her hands
24:13on dot vases,
24:14scrambling jars,
24:15decorative plates,
24:15screaming and screaming
24:16and sobbing until her voice
24:17gave out between the crashes.
24:21Peasant.
24:23Worthless.
24:24Enough!
24:25Useless!
24:28Get a message
24:29to Mr. Allen.
24:30The old Duke
24:30is looking for a new mate,
24:32isn't he?
24:32Send Alice.
24:35I heard about this later.
24:36Mr. Allen was not simply
24:38an older man
24:38with a preference
24:39for young women.
24:40He was past 70 violent
24:41by nature.
24:42At least three women
24:43in his household
24:44had died under his roof.
24:46What I couldn't understand,
24:47even knowing everything
24:48I knew about my father
24:49was why he would throw
24:50his beloved
24:50an elder at a place like that.
24:52There was something
24:53he wasn't telling anyone.
24:55Not yet.
24:59The day of our bonding ceremony
25:00the Alphas' estate
25:01was lit up
25:02through every window
25:02and it was exactly
25:04grand and notto
25:04draw every eye
25:05in the region
25:06and cover what was happening
25:07at the hill house
25:08at the same time.
25:09A plane carriage
25:09slipped out the back
25:10while no one was watching.
25:12Alice was inside dot,
25:13bound.
25:13Gagged with a silencing tonic.
25:15Father had made sure
25:16she couldn't make a sound.
25:17The official story
25:18she'd been sent
25:19to the moon temple
25:19for reflection.
25:20The truth
25:21she was delivered
25:22to the old Duke
25:22through his back entrance
25:23like something being returned.
25:25in my last life
25:26I was the one
25:26in that carriage.
25:27I had sat in that dark
25:29jolting the pawn
25:29hand-tunced of me
25:30and now it was Alice.
25:38Turned I thought
25:38of the way
25:39she had stood over me
25:39in the snow
25:40and I felt nothing
25:41but cold satisfaction.
25:42Your own affairs
25:43give to you, Alice.
25:44I hope you receive it well.
25:46The estate gates opened.
25:47Nathan stood in full
25:48ceremonial armor torches
25:50lining the path behind him.
25:51He was always severe,
25:52that face,
25:53those eyes dot
25:53but in the amber light
25:54of the altar
25:55something in him softened,
25:56just at the edges.
25:57We completed
25:58the bonding ceremony.
26:02Dot afterward,
26:03I sat on the edge
26:04of the bed
26:04gripping the sheets
26:05my heart louder
26:06than I wanted it to be.
26:08I had clawed my way
26:09back to this moment
26:10reclaimed everything
26:10they had taken from me.
26:12Dot but this part,
26:13I had no memory
26:14to draw from.
26:15No experience.
26:16No.
26:17Nathan looked at me.
26:19Eva,
26:20from tonight.
26:22If the sky falls,
26:23I'll be the one
26:24holding it up.
26:25You are my only Luna.
26:27He tipped his head back
26:28and drained his cup.
26:29I watched his throat move.
26:32Why did you help me?
26:34Because you're sharp.
26:36And you don't flinch.
26:39I don't need someone
26:41to stand behind me, Eva.
26:42I need someone
26:43who can fight beside me.
26:46That done.
26:48Till dawn.
26:49He did sapping down.
26:57Next morning,
26:59Mrs. Mocker took one look
27:00at the shadows
27:00under my Zanbeam.
27:02She sat me down,
27:03lifted a crown from its box
27:05and placed it on my head herself.
27:09This was mine once.
27:11It suits you better.
27:13I heard about Alice.
27:15Apparently she's been
27:16causing chaos
27:16at the old Duke's estate.
27:19Robert Allen.
27:21That man is...
27:22Well,
27:24she'll survive.
27:25Probably.
27:27But...
27:28But it won't be comfortable.
27:31I had stopped
27:32wondering about Alice.
27:33Whatever she was living through,
27:34it wasn't good.
27:35That was enough.
27:37Life inside the estate
27:39settled faster
27:39than I'd expected.
27:41I moved through
27:41the household methodically.
27:43One by one,
27:44I found the one skimming,
27:45betraying me,
27:46and smiling to hide it.
27:47I dealt with each of them
27:48cleanly, Dot.
27:50After that,
27:51this draft ran like water downhill.
27:52No one tested me twice.
27:55But Nathan
27:56been offed for several days
27:57running gray skies.
27:58Steady rain,
27:59his study light
27:59burned past midnight.
28:00He came to meet me,
28:01or not at all.
28:02His temper had a shorter fuse
28:04than usual.
28:05When I brought food
28:06to his study one evening,
28:07I found him with two fingers
28:08pressed to his temple.
28:12Face.
28:14The same look I'd seen
28:15seen on Mrs. Walker
28:15a hundred times dot,
28:16so it ran in the family.
28:18This headache
28:19that never quite left.
28:20I went back to my room
28:22and opened my remedy books.
28:23I adjusted the formula,
28:25added a measure of
28:25Sacrahead packed spring water,
28:27and spent the better part
28:28of the night
28:28stitching a small sleep pillow
28:29by hand,
28:30packing the herbs
28:31inside myself.
28:32The next afternoon,
28:33while Nathan was out,
28:34I slipped into his room
28:35and swapped his pillow
28:36for mine.
28:37That night,
28:38Nathan came home late.
28:39I was already in bed,
28:40pretending to sleep.
28:41Half conscious,
28:42I felt the mattress
28:43sink beside me.
28:51When I woke the next morning,
28:53his side of the bed
28:53was already empty.
28:55From the outer room,
28:56I heard Zoe surprised.
28:59Alpha,
29:00you slept in today?
29:01Nathan's voice
29:02was unhurried.
29:03Slept deeply.
29:05No headache.
29:06I smiled to myself.
29:07The pillow worked.
29:09At dinner,
29:09he reached over
29:10and placed a piece
29:11of fish in my bowl.
29:12The pillow.
29:13You made it?
29:14I nodded.
29:16He looked at me
29:17for a moment,
29:18something unreadable
29:18in his eyes,
29:19and then the corner
29:20of his mouth lifted.
29:22The stitching is a bit rough.
29:24The scent,
29:24I like it.
29:25The stitching was fine.
29:27He just wouldn't say
29:28what he actually meant.
29:29After that,
29:30the pillow was his alone.
29:31No one was permitted
29:32to touch it.
29:33He stopped walking around
29:34with that permanent scowl.
29:35Some evenings,
29:36he'd call me into the study
29:37and teach me calligraphy.
29:40My characters
29:41had always been crooked.
29:43I grew up on a farm,
29:44not in a classroom.
29:46He'd wrap his hand
29:47around Manin Guide,
29:48each stroke his chest
29:49against my back.
29:50One evening,
29:51I knocked over the ink.
29:52He moved without thinking
29:53sleeve down to catch it
29:54and puffs soaked through black.
29:55I grabbed a cloth
29:56and dabbed at it.
29:57It spread worse.
30:01Leave it.
30:02It's just a robe.
30:03I took it back
30:04to my room anyway
30:05and stayed up
30:05embroidering a cluster
30:06of valyrian grass
30:07over the stain.
30:08Nathan saw it
30:09and scoffed.
30:11How childish.
30:12Then wore that robe
30:13every single day.
30:18I wasn't looking for news
30:20about the Hale family.
30:21It kept arriving anyway.
30:23Alice was miserable
30:24at the Duke's estate.
30:26Robert had particular tastes.
30:28The smallest inconvenience
30:30earned a lashing.
30:31Alice was covered in marks
30:32but she was alive,
30:34running entirely on hatred.
30:35All of it pointed at me.
30:38She had found her pudding though.
30:40She gave the Duke
30:41a tonic called it a stimulant,
30:42something rare.
30:43It worked well enough
30:45that he became
30:45very attached to her
30:46after that.
30:47I laughed
30:48when I heard
30:49what it actually was.
30:50It was the same compound
30:52used on the first day
30:53of the carriage.
30:54The frenzy drug
30:54just watered down.
30:56Enough to make an old man
30:57feel young for an hour.
30:59He was devoted
31:00to her after that.
31:01But my informant
31:02sent different news.
31:04Alice's people
31:04had been quietly
31:05buying cinnabar
31:06and liquid mercury
31:07separately.
31:08Both medicinal dot combined,
31:10a lethal poison.
31:12She wouldn't use it on Robert.
31:13He was her only shield,
31:15which left one other target.
31:17I set the letter down
31:18and tapped the table.
31:20Nathan's birthday
31:21was the 8th of next month.
31:23So that was her move.
31:25If she wanted to come for me
31:26I'd make it very easy for her.
31:28I called my trusted mate over
31:30and spoke quietly in her ear.
31:33She nodded once and left.
31:36He selved to her.
31:36How did he do it?
31:38For the Sā долго
31:38I saw her
31:38I said upon her
31:38quality was
31:38that
31:38was
31:38the
31:38fact
31:38then
31:38the
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