- 6 hours ago
The Luna and Her Shadow - Hot engsub fullepisode
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00:00My sister was perfect, everyone said so. Our parents. My mate, my brother. Me. I was the one they forgot
00:08at my own mating ceremony. But Sarah's perfection was a lie. Her alpha credentials. Bought her. Illness. Faked to drain
00:15our parents dry. And the night she finally went too far. She grabbed a blade and turned it on them.
00:21Today was supposed to be my mating ceremony. The day Tristan Vane would mark me as his Luna. In front
00:27of the whole Asheville pack.
00:28We'd trained together since we were pups. Everyone said we would be the perfect match. Future Alpha and future Luna.
00:36Balanced. Predictable.Safe. I smoothed down the front of my cloak for the hundredth time. Glanced toward the entrance again.
00:44Still no one. Not a single soul had shown up. Not my parents. Not my brother Rafe. Not even Tristan.
00:52Just me that standing alone in the silence. I pulled out my phone. Checked for the fifth time. No new
00:58messages.
00:58My thumb hovered over Tristan's name before I called again. It rang twice. Then went to voicemail. I stared at
01:06the screen. Unsure whether to laugh or throw it against the stone wall. Then the pack announcement flashed across it.
01:13Welcome home Sarah Thornheart. A video auto-played. And there they were my family all of them. Gathered at the
01:20arrival gates of the northern ridge. Where the sky crafts landed. My father beamed. My mother teared up.
01:26Rafe had lifted Sierra into a spinning hug. Even Tristan was there. Standing just behind her. Sierra's golden hair glinted
01:35under the lantern lights. Her arm curled tightly around Tristan's. Like she belonged there she always did.
01:42My chest burned.
01:46A moment later. My phone buzzed again. This time it was Tristan. Stop being dramatic Kira.
01:53His voice came through dry. Like I'd called to complain about the weather.
02:00We'll do the ceremony later. He didn't even try to hide it.
02:03Sarah just got back from Alpha training at Wolfsbane Academy.
02:07The line cut. I stared at the screen. My claws itching to come out.
02:13Around me.
02:14The ceremonial hall remained silent.
02:18Filled only with the soft rustle of moonflower petals falling to the floor.
02:22I looked down at the cloak I'd spent hours sewing silver threads into.
02:26It pooled around me now like shed fur.
02:28Like something I didn't deserve to wear.
02:30I slipped it off. Left it there.
02:35The Ashevale pack buzzed with noise when I returned.
02:39Someone had roasted meat on the back grill.
02:42Sierra's perfume floated through the halls.
02:44Rose and sweet leaf.
02:45Strong enough to push every other scent away.
02:48Laughter echoed from the main room.
02:50A celebration dot loud and thoughtless.
02:52No one noticed when I slipped inside through the kitchen door.
02:55I went straight to my room, sat on the edge of my bed.
02:59Stared at the list I'd written in my journal.
03:02A simple list.
03:03Every time I'd been forgotten, overlooked, passed over.
03:06I added another entry at the bottom.
03:09Mating ceremony no one came.
03:11A knock slammed against the door.
03:13It creaked open.
03:14Rafe stepped inside like he owned the place.
03:17His boots heavy on the floor.
03:19There you are.
03:20He looked me over.
03:21Took in the fur cloak now folded by my desk.
03:24The half-written letter to the council.
03:27Sarah wants your meatloaf.
03:29He said.
03:30Make it spicy.
03:31She says she missed the way you cook it.
03:33I stared at him.
03:35Hands resting on my lap.
03:36You missed my mating ceremony.
03:38Rafe blinked.
03:39Then shrugged like it didn't matter.
03:41It's just a ritual.
03:43He said.
03:44You and Tristan could next moon.
03:47Or the one after.
03:50Rafe picked up my journal from the desk.
03:52Flipped through it without asking.
03:55His eyes landed on the fresh page.
03:58You still writing this stuff down?
04:00At the top.
04:01In bold letters.
04:03Final warning.
04:04He snorted.
04:06What's that supposed to mean?
04:09You gonna run away?
04:11To be a rogue?
04:13He tossed the journal back onto the bed.
04:17Just make the meatloaf, Kira.
04:19I stood slowly, walked past him toward the kitchen.
04:22My hands stung as I pulled out the meat from the cold box.
04:25The new soap they'd brought back for me to use Sira's favorite brand.
04:29Had left red blotches on my skin.
04:32Rafe leaned against the wall behind me, watching too closely.
04:36Why are you so quiet?
04:38He asked.
04:39Planning to poison her or something?
04:41Before I could answer, her voice rang out from the main room.
04:45Rafe!
04:46The chestnuts!
04:47He rolled his eyes.
04:50Coming.
04:51He turned and left, without a second glance.
04:55I washed my hands under cold water.
04:59Watched the red fade into pale pink.
05:02My eyes drifted to the counter.
05:04There sat the ceremonial cake I'd ordered, still untouched.
05:08The bonding rings lay beside it, sealed in their velvet box.
05:12I didn't cry.
05:13I just stood there for a long time.
05:17Staring at all the things that were supposed to matter.
05:22My wolf had been quiet all day.
05:24But now her voice was sharp in my head.
05:27They've made their choice.
05:29So will we.
05:30Vela.
05:31My inner wolf growled low.
05:33I looked toward the window.
05:35Beyond it, the dark trees of the northern woods swayed gently.
05:39Sira was back.
05:40She had everything.
05:41And me.
05:42I was done waiting.
05:46I set the meatloaf down on the long oak dining table.
05:49The scent wafted through the air.
05:51Like a forgotten promise.
05:53Laughter echoed from the living room.
05:55Father sat comfortably.
05:57Usually buried in Alpha Council meetings and Ashevale pack logistics.
06:01Today, he listened intently as Sira gushed about her time away.
06:05She said her eyes shining.
06:08We practiced under the pack elder Grayfing.
06:11He said I had the instincts of a born Alpha.
06:16Strong enough to lead any pack.
06:19Mother clutched Sira's hand, eyes shimmering with emotion.
06:23My sweet girl.
06:25She sniffled.
06:26You've lost weight, haven't you?
06:28You need more rest.
06:29Too much time and training will weaken your wolf.
06:32To all your senses.
06:33Rafe sat beside them.
06:35Still dutifully peeling chestnuts.
06:37Like some beta servant.
06:39I stood quietly at the threshold.
06:41Between the kitchen and the living room.
06:43Watching that never invited.
06:45That room was warm.
06:46Bright dark.
06:47Full of voices and attention.
06:49This room mine was quiet.
06:51Dim.
06:52Forgotten.
06:53Sira's voice rose with performative sweetness.
06:56Her head tilted.
06:58Sira's voice.
06:59Kira.
07:00Why are you just standing there?
07:03Still mad at me for ruining your ceremony?
07:05The conversation screeched to a halt.
07:07Three pairs of eyes turned toward me.
07:09Like I was a problem that had just come back.
07:12Father's brow furrowed.
07:14Kira, come here.
07:16Mother gave me that impatient look.
07:18The one that always followed whenever Sira cried.
07:21Don't sulk.
07:23You're the one who picked that unfortunate date.
07:26Sira had just landed.
07:28We were all exhausted from the airport run.
07:30You know that, don't you?
07:33Then came the dagger.
07:35If you're going to be petty with your sister, she said.
07:39Then you're no daughter of mine.
07:42Sira gasped why Dash I'd full of faux concern.
07:45Mom.
07:46Don't be so harsh.
07:49Kira will feel hurt.
07:50But her smirk said otherwise.
07:52She knew my ceremony date.
07:54I told her a week in advance.
07:56She'd even replied.
07:58Can't wait.
07:59Got a surprise planned for you.
08:02Surprise, indeed, since we were pups.
08:05Sira had always managed to turn every situation into a test.
08:08One where the pack had to choose.
08:10They always picked her.
08:11Even my mate chose her.
08:13I should have felt something.
08:15Anger.
08:15Betrayal.
08:16Sadness.
08:17But there was only stillness.
08:19I'm not angry.
08:20Those three words sliced through the tension.
08:23Like claws through bark.
08:24Everyone stared.
08:26Father blinked.
08:27Mother narrowed her eyes.
08:29Sira tilted her head with a mock-confused pout.
08:32They'd expected a tantrum, not serenity.
08:34Which meant they knew what they did would hurt me.
08:37They just didn't care enough to stop.
08:39Father exhaled.
08:40Good.
08:41That's good.
08:42We're a pack.
08:43We don't hold grudges.
08:45Of course.
08:46I said it nodding with perfect obedience.
08:48It was the same voice I used during full moon rituals.
08:53When addressing the elder wolves, the relief in their eyes was instant.
08:58They turned their attention back to Sira.
09:01Dinner began.
09:02The maid had added several dishes besides my meatloaf.
09:05Crab legs.
09:06Lemon garlic scallops.
09:08All Sira's favorites.
09:10Father murmured, piling food onto her plate.
09:13You're too thin.
09:14Eat more.
09:16You'll need your strength before the orchestral trial.
09:19Mother dabbed at her eyes again.
09:22Rafe chimed in with a grin.
09:25Don't worry.
09:26If any of those city wolves give you trouble.
09:29He cracked his knuckles.
09:31I'll rip their throats out.
09:33Sira laughed.
09:36No need.
09:37I've got this.
09:39They all chuckled.
09:41I ate in silence.
09:42The warmth of the meatloaf doing little to thaw the cold within me.
09:45Then, for the first time that evening, Mother glanced at me.
09:50She hesitated.
09:51Picked up a spoonful of meatloaf.
09:53Placed it on my plate.
09:55Try it.
09:57Don't think we don't care about you just because we fuss over Sira.
10:01I care about you too.
10:03The words felt, rehearsed, like a line from a script she'd used to often.
10:08I looked down at the food.
10:09It slowly set my utensils down.
10:12No.
10:12I'm full.
10:14What's wrong with you lately?
10:16Her expression shifted.
10:18Startled, then irritated.
10:19She started to say more.
10:23But Sira suddenly clutched her throat, eyes wide.
10:28Mom.
10:29I...
10:30I can't breathe.
10:31Her voice cracked, breath rasping.
10:33She staggered backward, knocking over her chair.
10:36Panic erupted instantly.
10:39Mother screamed.
10:41Father stood so fast the table shook.
10:44What's happening?
10:45Rafe was already at her side.
10:47Sniffing her neck and face for signs of poison.
10:50His beta instincts flaring.
10:55Her sense spiking.
10:57Something's wrong.
10:58My heart thudded in my chest, not from fear.
11:00From the quiet, twisted irony of it all.
11:03In the chaos, no one noticed me standing completely still.
11:07Just watching.
11:08Baylor's voice stirred faintly in my mind.
11:10She's not choking, Kira.
11:13She's shifting.
11:14Something inside her is waking.
11:18Sira's rash bloomed across her skin, like a warning from the moon goddess.
11:23Ostrils flaring, hovering over her convulsing form.
11:28Is this...
11:29an allergic reaction?
11:33Why would this happen now?
11:35Like a dagger drawn under moonlight, in the next heartbeat her palm collided with my cheek,
11:41sending me sprawling across the tiled floor.
11:43Kira!
11:47What did you put in the food?
11:48Have you forgotten your sister's triggers?
11:51My head rang.
11:53The room swam.
11:53I could feel Vela stir within me.
11:55A low growl rising in the depths of my chest.
11:58But I shoved her back.
12:00Swallowed the heat clawing at my throat.
12:02You were so quiet.
12:04So obedient.
12:05And now this?
12:06His voice heavy with disappointment.
12:08You meant to harm Sarah.
12:11How did I end up with a sister like you?
12:14Enough!
12:15Father slammed his fist on the table.
12:17The sound reverberated like thunder.
12:19Get her to the healer, now!
12:21The room cleared in a blur.
12:22My parents and Rafe carrying Sira out, frantic and breathless.
12:27Like she was the moon's own fragile vessel.
12:29I was left alone.
12:31Face throbbing.
12:32Heart hollow.
12:33It wasn't me.
12:35I whispered the words aloud.
12:36They echoed off the silence like lies.
12:38They wouldn't believe me.
12:40They never did not after everything.
12:44I felt something wet and hot on my palm.
12:47The maid had returned, her eyes wide as she caught sight of my hands.
12:51Lady Kira?
12:54Your hands...
12:57They're...
12:58Swollen.
12:59I looked down.
13:01Red lines bloomed across my skin, like fire veins.
13:05I'm fine.
13:06I lied, brushing past her.
13:08In my room, I reached for an old leather-bound notebook.
13:12As I opened its worn cover, the scent of old ink and pine dust rose.
13:17Memories not even the wolf in me wanted to recall.
13:20That winter, prey was scarce.
13:22Rogues pushed at our borders.
13:24The council demanded more from father than he could give.
13:27When resources thinned, when space and safety grew tight someone had to be sent away.
13:32I volunteered, the obedient daughter.
13:35The easy one to forget.
13:36The outpost clung to the cliffs beyond the pack's borders.
13:40A place carved for old warriors and outcasts, no pack song reached that far.
13:45Only wind and silence.
13:47There I learned everything.
13:48They visited once a year for solstice rites.
13:51Each time, they stayed less.
13:54Brought more gifts for Ceredot spoke less of me.
13:56When I finally returned, the Ashevale pack had grown stronger.
14:01Courts and galleries echoing with pride.
14:03My new quarters.
14:05A forgotten supply room near the rear exit, no windows.
14:08No warmth.
14:09Just a reminder.
14:11I wasn't part of the vision they'd built.
14:13I packed my things into a worn duffel.
14:16The wedding leave I'd once requested felt laughable now.
14:19I reached for my phone, ready to send a message to my superior at the outpost, requesting return.
14:27A name flashed on screen.
14:29Tristan, my mate, or at least the one fate had paired me with.
14:32What did you do to Cera?
14:34He demanded.
14:35Skipping any pretense of concern.
14:38She's in the healer's hall.
14:41You poisoned her?
14:43It was an allergic reaction.
14:46Don't lie to me.
14:48You've always been jealous.
14:50How could you hurt your own blood like that?
14:53His words were fire.
14:54Burning through any remaining illusion I had.
14:57Yes.
15:00I hurt her.
15:03I'll apologize when she recovers.
15:06Are we done?
15:07He fell silent for a second.
15:09Stunned by my calm.
15:11We'd argued about Cera before dozens of times.
15:14He used to flirt with her under the pretense of concern.
15:17Ordered her favorite foods during our dinners.
15:20Ignored my needs.
15:21My wants.
15:23She's your sister.
15:24He always said like that made everything acceptable.
15:27To my family, I was always the overreacting one.
15:31The unstable one.
15:32When Cera went to the Alpha training,
15:35I'd felt peace for the first time even Vela had been calmer.
15:38Now, the storm had returned.
15:41If anything happens to Cera again,
15:43Tristan warned.
15:45There will be no mating ceremony.
15:47Then the line went dead.
15:49I pictured him rushing into the healer's den,
15:52brushing hair from Cera's face,
15:54playing the hero to the girl he truly wanted.
15:56My claws threatened to unsheathe.
15:59Instead, I smirked.
16:00Hung up, called my mentor back at the outpost.
16:05Later that night,
16:06the front door creaked open.
16:08Mother and father returned.
16:10Exhaustion painted across their faces.
16:13Rafe followed.
16:14His head low.
16:15My duffel sat by the door.
16:17I was ready to leave.
16:19From upstairs,
16:20I heard them speaking in hushed tones,
16:22until the silence cracked open with betrayal.
16:24If only Tristan's family had better standing.
16:28Mother sighed.
16:29He's so good to Sarah.
16:32Sarah likes him.
16:33Father added.
16:35Had I known,
16:36I never would have paired him with Cera.
16:38Mother continued.
16:40Still, Tristan and Cera are more suited.
16:43Let Sarah chase her dreams.
16:45He can still chase care of her.
16:47Even as Cera's mate.
16:50The words sank like stones in my gut.
16:52Even now,
16:53they plan to keep Cera close to my mate,
16:56to my mate.
16:57I descended the stairs,
16:58my presence sudden,
17:00cutting off their whispers.
17:01Mother flinched as she saw me.
17:04Kira.
17:07You...
17:09You're still here?
17:10I said nothing.
17:12Just grabbed my bag.
17:14Vela stirred again.
17:15We were never one of them, Kira.
17:19But we are not alone.
17:22About giving up my mate,
17:23as if I were merely a placeholder in Selene's shadow.
17:26When I walked past her.
17:28Calm but cold her face stiffened with fear.
17:31I'm returning to the outpost.
17:32I said flatly.
17:34Ignoring the faint ache in my chest.
17:36The burn of betrayal that still lingered.
17:39Mother exhaled sharply.
17:41Realizing I wasn't about to explode.
17:43Father gave a curt nod,
17:45his approval silent.
17:46Good.
17:47Less trouble for the pack.
17:49Rafe, however,
17:50stepped forward.
17:52You're taking your thing?
17:54Are you really running away
17:56because we're upset about what happened to Sarah?
17:59You think that little apology call makes it okay?
18:02Their guilt from earlier so fleeting
18:04had already been replaced by righteousness.
18:07It always shifted like that.
18:09A second of shame.
18:10Then back to their cold duty.
18:13Your sister was hospitalized, Kira.
18:15Father growled.
18:16And you haven't even properly apologized.
18:18The air thickened,
18:20like wolves closing in on their prey.
18:22I could feel Vela pacing within me,
18:24her forbristling,
18:25lips curling in warning.
18:27Call her.
18:28Vela urged.
18:29Let them hear her lies for themselves.
18:32I took out my phone.
18:35Sarah picked up quickly,
18:37her voice soft,
18:38as why are you PY laced with smugness
18:40like a wolf who thought she'd won?
18:41Kira?
18:43Oh,
18:44is it because you found out
18:46Tristan is here with me?
18:47Are you angry?
18:49The silence that followed was immediate.
18:51Even Rafe flinched.
18:52My parents exchanged a glance.
18:54The perfect image they had of Sarah
18:57beginning to crack.
18:58I didn't react.
18:59I didn't need to.
19:01It's good he's here.
19:02You'll need someone at your side.
19:05Sarah hesitated.
19:06Do you really mean that?
19:08Of course.
19:09I replied coolly.
19:11I don't know what caused your reaction.
19:14But I'm sorry.
19:16I apologize.
19:18A pause.
19:19Then I ended the call.
19:20My family stood still dot shocked.
19:22Perhaps because I'd apologized
19:24without resistance.
19:25Perhaps because I hadn't played
19:27the dramatic,
19:28jealous wolf they expected.
19:30Lifting my duffel.
19:33Now am I allowed to leave?
19:35Their silence was answer enough.
19:37I turned,
19:38my heart lighter for the first time in days.
19:40Walked out the door.
19:42No longer their dutiful Amiga.
19:44Let them sit with their doubts.
19:45Let Sarah play her little games.
19:47I was done begging for scraps of affection
19:50from a pack that never truly wanted me.
19:54This time,
19:55no one tried to stop me.
19:57Rafe's voice called out behind me.
19:59Faint and unsure.
20:01Why didn't you make a fuff this time?
20:03I didn't answer.
20:04There was nothing left to fight for.
20:06Back at the outpost.
20:08I shut everything out,
20:09phone on airplane mode.
20:10Focus locked on the border.
20:12For 13 days,
20:14I trained hard.
20:15Took extra shifts on patrol.
20:17Keeping my head down,
20:18my thoughts quiet.
20:19The work was brutal.
20:21Steady.
20:22By the end of it,
20:23something inside me had settled.
20:25The next day,
20:27I turned on my phone,
20:28it vibrated non-stop.
20:30Messages crashing in from the pack.
20:32From Tristan or from people
20:33I'd once thought of as friends.
20:35I opened my friends' messages first.
20:38Dozens of them,
20:39all furious.
20:40All aimed squarely at Sarah and Tristan.
20:44One photo that made my blood
20:46still a family photo.
20:47Everyone was there,
20:48my parents,
20:49Rafe,
20:50Sarah,
20:50and
20:51Tristan.
20:52He stood beside her,
20:54his expressions soft dot familiar.
20:56Like someone who'd finally found his place,
20:59like someone who'd always belonged at her side.
21:01The caption read,
21:02with my beloved family members.
21:05My friend had commented beneath it,
21:07unable to hold back.
21:09Your sister's not even in the photo,
21:11but her fiancée's doing a great job
21:13playing her brother and her mate.
21:14Huh?
21:15I replied to her briefly,
21:17told her not to waste her energy.
21:19Then I went through the rest of the messages.
21:21They all blamed me.
21:23For letting someone challenge Sarah,
21:25for making her look bad.
21:27For upsetting the image she'd carefully crafted.
21:29I responded to each with a polite,
21:32distant apology.
21:33Then I locked the screen.
21:36Kira!
21:38Rafe called,
21:39his voice tight with concern.
21:42Finally,
21:43what have you been doing?
21:45But in the background I heard Sarah laughing.
21:48Dad!
21:49Mom!
21:51Tristan!
21:52Their voices were light,
21:54carefree.
21:55This carousel is so cute!
21:58Like none of them had ever driven someone away.
22:01You were worried?
22:02I asked calmly.
22:03Silence.
22:04We couldn't reach you.
22:07We wanted to invite you along,
22:09you know.
22:10It's not our fault.
22:11Your friend's comment really upset Sarah.
22:14She cried for hours.
22:16We had to take her out to cheer her up.
22:18But I already apologized.
22:20I said more silence,
22:22then a weak reply.
22:23It's for the best.
22:25I guess you've learned your lesson.
22:27Then Tristan took the phone.
22:28Kira,
22:29did you tell your friend to post that?
22:30You're disgusting.
22:32I've said it before,
22:33Sarah's your sister.
22:35I'm just taking care of her for you.
22:37That's what your family does too.
22:39But you,
22:40you're always jealous.
22:41Always playing the victim.
22:43Maybe you should think about
22:44why no one chooses you.
22:46The words were cold,
22:47delivered with purpose.
22:50The words didn't sting not anymore.
22:54Because 13 days ago,
22:57I'd heard the truth
22:58from the Alpha and Luna
22:59of our bloodline.
23:01Tristan had never wanted me.
23:03He was playing a part.
23:05Just like the rest of them.
23:07If I'd stayed quiet,
23:08he would have kept pretending.
23:10You were never the choice,
23:11Kira.
23:12Vela's voice murmured inside me.
23:16Only the placeholder.
23:18A few seconds passed.
23:22His voice softened.
23:24He realized,
23:25maybe that he'd gone too far.
23:28But I was already looking at the flight details
23:30my classmate had sent me.
23:32Tristan, we're done.
23:34What?
23:34I'm not your shield anymore.
23:39Or a substitute.
23:41The line went quiet after my words.
23:44Then came Tristan's low chuckle,
23:46confident in all the wrong ways.
23:48Kira,
23:49are you serious?
23:51After everything we planned
23:52for the mating ceremony?
23:54You're really ending it over a tantrum?
23:58I exhaled slowly.
24:01So you do remember
24:02how long this has been arranged?
24:04He still thought I was bluffing.
24:06Come on.
24:08You're just upset.
24:10I said I'd make it up to you.
24:15Acting cold won't change how I feel.
24:16I didn't need to explain anymore.
24:19When I heard Rafe arguing with him
24:20in the background I hung up.
24:22Then I blocked every number
24:23tied to the Ashevale pack,
24:25Tristan included.
24:26That night,
24:27I slept through the night
24:28for the first time in weeks.
24:30And I dreamed out in the dream.
24:32I saw a young girl curled on the floor
24:34of a cold outpost barrack.
24:35Her uniform was too big,
24:37her hands covered in healing scrapes.
24:39She scribbled something into a journal,
24:42half numbers.
24:43Half thoughts,
24:44never full sentences.
24:46A quiet record of everything
24:47she swallowed down.
24:48Today,
24:49I covered someone else's patrol again.
24:52No one said thanks,
24:53but I didn't want trouble.
24:55Today,
24:56I trained with a broken rib,
24:57no one noticed.
24:58Maybe they wouldn't care
25:00even if they had.
25:01Today,
25:02I was told to smile more,
25:03be softer.
25:04Don't make others
25:05uncomfortable with my silence.
25:07The journal wasn't a countdown,
25:09it was survival.
25:10Note she left herself
25:11to remember
25:12that it wasn't her fault.
25:13In the last entry,
25:15she wasn't wearing
25:16a wedding dress
25:17or anything dramatic.
25:18Just her worn boots,
25:20a cloak that smelled
25:21of the wild wind
25:22in her hair.
25:23Her shoulders lighter.
25:25I should have walked away sooner,
25:27she whispered.
25:28I stood beside her,
25:29older and unflinching.
25:32But you're walking now.
25:35I didn't leave the outpost.
25:39I stayed through the cold,
25:41through the silence.
25:42Through the rough edges
25:43of pack life on the border.
25:45No one held my hand,
25:47no one asked if I was okay,
25:48but that was fine.
25:50I didn't need them to.
25:51While others gathered around bonfires
25:53or joked during downtime,
25:55I trained harder.
25:58Took extra shifts,
26:00learned everything I could.
26:01Territory lines.
26:04Emergency signals.
26:06How to hold my ground
26:08when no one came to back me up.
26:10I became someone useful.
26:12Someone who didn't flinch
26:13when things got hard.
26:14Not the overlooked daughter.
26:16Not the broken bond.
26:20Just a wolf doing her job
26:22and doing it well.
26:26One night,
26:27during a rare chat
26:28with a friend back in the pack,
26:30she messaged with a grin
26:31I could almost feel
26:32through the screen.
26:33Kira,
26:34you won't believe this.
26:35The Asheville pack
26:36are losing it without you,
26:38even Tristan.
26:39Total meltdown.
26:40I blinked,
26:41then smiled faintly.
26:42Why would they care?
26:44No clue.
26:45But they're trying
26:46every trick to reach you.
26:47Guess they finally
26:48noticed the silence.
26:50A moment later,
26:51my phone buzzed
26:52with a call
26:52from an unknown number.
26:54I almost declined,
26:55but something told me
26:56to answer.
26:57My mother's voice
26:59came through,
26:59tight with forced warmth.
27:01Kira!
27:03Thank the moon goddess!
27:05We've been trying
27:06to reach you!
27:06Why did you block us?
27:08We thought something happened!
27:09We...
27:10We weren't fair to you.
27:12I know that now.
27:14Come home.
27:15We'll celebrate
27:16your birthday properly
27:17this time.
27:20I went still.
27:21They found it
27:22not the notebook,
27:23but what it meant.
27:24The record of everything
27:25I never said out loud,
27:27all the moments
27:27they ignored.
27:28All the wounds
27:29they couldn't see
27:30or didn't want to too late.
27:32I don't like birthdays.
27:34There was a long pause
27:35on the other end,
27:36a silence that sounded
27:37more like guilt than love.
27:39She asked again.
27:40At least...
27:41come home.
27:43I looked around
27:44my small dorm room.
27:46The scent of coffee
27:47clung to my worn blanket.
27:51My boots were muddy
27:52from the last field run.
27:56A door-geared book
27:57rested beside my pillow.
27:59All mine.
28:00This was peace.
28:01This was mine.
28:03I am home.
28:06I said
28:07and hung up.
28:10I made my rejection clear,
28:12but it didn't matter.
28:14They came anyway.
28:15I returned from patrol
28:16to boots still caked
28:17in dust and ash.
28:19Only to find them
28:20waiting outside
28:20the outpost gates.
28:22For shadows
28:23I had no use for anymore.
28:24My father,
28:26my mother Dot Rafe
28:27and Tristan,
28:28the Ashevale Pax Corps.
28:29They lit up
28:30like they'd found
28:31something they'd lost.
28:34Kira!
28:36You're back!
28:38Before Rafe could block him.
28:40He looked wrecked,
28:41bloodshot eyes.
28:42Shaky hands.
28:45Long time
28:46no see.
28:47He said softly,
28:48the kind of desperation
28:49that used to stir
28:50something in me now.
28:51It just made me tired.
28:53We're over.
28:55I said flatly.
28:57Why are you here?
28:59His mouth twitched,
29:00trying to hold something in.
29:02I didn't agree to that.
29:04I don't need your permission
29:05to leave.
29:06It was just a fight.
29:07I didn't raise my voice.
29:09The truth was enough.
29:10When I looked past him
29:11to the others
29:12I saw them flinch,
29:13small reactions.
29:14But they were there.
29:16I heard what you said
29:17that day,
29:18I added.
29:20My mother looked away,
29:21my father's jaw clenched,
29:22even Rafe
29:23didn't meet my eyes.
29:25Tristan was never meant for me.
29:26He loved Sarah
29:27from the start.
29:29But his bloodline
29:30wasn't good enough for her.
29:32So you gave him me instead.
29:34I was a placeholder.
29:36A distraction.
29:38A Luna decoy.
29:42That's not-
29:43My mother tried,
29:44but even she didn't sound convinced.
29:47We didn't know.
29:48Rafe muttered.
29:49I didn't need to hear the rest.
29:51Yes,
29:52I liked Sarah before,
29:54but that changed.
29:56Tristan's voice cracked next.
30:00We were bonded.
30:02Of course I cared for you.
30:04I nodded once,
30:06and his eyes lit up,
30:07until I said,
30:09But you didn't show up
30:10for our mating ceremony.
30:13That was your last chance.
30:15There won't be another.
30:16There can be another.
30:18He blurted.
30:19I already ordered
30:20your new bonding robes.
30:22Same maker.
30:24Your favorite fabric.
30:26The ceremony can be redone.
30:30It can be better.
30:32Please, Kira.
30:34I never stopped caring.
30:36He reached for me,
30:37hands desperate.
30:38I just...
30:39didn't think you'd really leave.
30:42I was stupid.
30:45I was scared.
30:47Once,
30:47I would have leaned into it now.
30:49It only reminded me
30:50how much colder
30:51he'd made me feel.
30:52You say you love me,
30:54but love doesn't use someone
30:55to patch up a broken past.
30:57Love isn't guilt.
30:58It's not obligation.
31:00You leaned on my loyalty
31:01like it owed you something.
31:02You knew what I wanted.
31:04I wanted to be chosen.
31:05I wanted someone
31:06who would choose me,
31:07even if no one else did.
31:09His hands dropped.
31:10His body curled inward,
31:11like I'd taken something vital.
31:14I didn't reach out.
31:15He wasn't my mate anymore.
31:17And I wasn't his shield.
31:18I turned to go.
31:19Only to be blocked
31:20by the rest of them.
31:21Right.
31:22The rest of the story.
31:25I crossed my arms.
31:27He came here for redemption.
31:30What about you three?
31:32My father cleared his throat,
31:34looked down at the cracked earth.
31:36After reading your journal...
31:38He started.
31:39We realized the pain
31:40you went through.
31:41He tried to explain
31:43about Sarah's childhood illness.
31:45About how they'd poured
31:46all their care into her.
31:47Out of fear,
31:48he said they didn't know
31:49how to love me once I came back.
31:51Said they hadn't seen
31:52what Sarah was doing.
31:54My mother spoke next,
31:55barely above a whisper.
31:57The allergic reaction
31:58wasn't your fault.
31:59It was the peanuts.
32:02I accused you.
32:04I hit you.
32:07I'm sorry.
32:09Did it hurt?
32:14Once,
32:14I would have dreamed of this,
32:16them admitting it.
32:17Seeing me,
32:18saying the things
32:18I needed to hear.
32:19But now,
32:20it was too late.
32:22I wasn't that girl anymore.
32:24Not the one waiting
32:25by the door
32:26for someone to pick her.
32:28Their faces fell
32:29when I didn't answer.
32:31My mother looked like
32:32she might cry.
32:33My father tried again.
32:35Rafe hovered like
32:36he didn't know
32:36where to stand.
32:38But I was done
32:39carrying their shame
32:40for them.
32:41Are you done?
32:42I asked.
32:44Kira,
32:45don't be like this.
32:46Rafe started.
32:48Don't waste my time.
32:49I cut in.
32:51I've got better things
32:52to do than hand out
32:53forgiveness just because
32:54you feel guilty now.
32:55This isn't a waste
32:57of time.
32:58Rafe snapped.
32:59We came all this way
33:00to apologize.
33:01I looked at him,
33:02really looked Rafe.
33:03My golden-eyed brother,
33:05once my favorite person
33:06in the world.
33:09You wanna know
33:10why it's like this?
33:11I said,
33:12my voice stayed even.
33:13Because I used to love
33:14you all too much.
33:16Then I turned
33:16and walked away,
33:17they didn't follow.
33:19Maybe it was the finality
33:20in my voice
33:21that froze them.
33:22Or maybe they didn't
33:23know what to say
33:23when everything they
33:24thought they could rely
33:25on crumbled in front
33:26of them.
33:27They gave me space.
33:28For a while.
33:30But eventually,
33:31the attempt started again.
33:32Sometimes,
33:33I found packages
33:34outside my door.
33:35Venison stew,
33:36wild berries.
33:38Bundles of herbs
33:39wrapped with care.
33:40There were no notes,
33:41just their scent.
33:42I never took them.
33:43I passed the food
33:44to others in the den.
33:46Those who hadn't yet
33:47turned their backs
33:47on second chances.
33:49I didn't need
33:50to give them a chance.
33:51Not anymore.
33:54A few months passed.
33:56The attempt slowed,
33:57then stopped.
33:58I found my rhythm
33:59at the outpost,
34:00patrol shifts,
34:01training sessions,
34:03quiet meals
34:03in my dorm room.
34:05The young wolves
34:05there started
34:06to recognize me.
34:07Not as the alpha's
34:08forgotten daughter,
34:09but as the one
34:10who didn't complain.
34:11The one who showed up.
34:13The one who could
34:14handle anything.
34:15One evening,
34:16a package appeared
34:17outside my door
34:18different from the others.
34:19No venison.
34:20No berries,
34:21just a plain envelope.
34:23Inside a single photograph.
34:25It had fallen out
34:26of someone's wallet
34:27during the chaos
34:27of Cera's departure.
34:29I recognized
34:30the angle immediately.
34:31Someone at the
34:32Wolfsbane Academy
34:33had taken it.
34:34The time stomp
34:35on the corner told me,
34:36when the same week
34:37as my mating ceremony.
34:39In the photo,
34:40Cera,
34:41laughing on someone's
34:42lap,
34:42not Tristan's,
34:43someone else's.
34:45The note beneath
34:46was brief.
34:47She wasn't
34:48who you thought.
34:49Neither was her
34:50training, eh?
34:51I stared at the photograph
34:52for a long time,
34:53then I filed it away,
34:55evidence.
34:55For a storm I knew
34:56was coming.
34:59The rumors started
35:00subtly,
35:01first through
35:02pack communication
35:03channels.
35:04Whispers about
35:05the Wolfsbane Academy,
35:06an investigation
35:07had been launched.
35:08Something about
35:09falsified credentials.
35:11I didn't seek out
35:12the details.
35:13I didn't need to.
35:14My ally at the
35:15outpost kept me
35:16informed the reports
35:17came in fragments.
35:19Cera had returned
35:20to the Academy
35:21after leaving
35:21Ashvale.
35:22But her time there
35:23it hadn't been
35:24what she claimed.
35:25Those stories
35:26about the pack
35:26Elder Greyfang,
35:28her instincts
35:29of a born alpha,
35:30fabricated all of it.
35:32She'd bought
35:32her way through.
35:33Used charm,
35:34used favors.
35:36Used Tristan's name
35:37like a key to doors
35:38that should have
35:38stayed locked.
35:39When our parents
35:40sent money
35:41for her training
35:41expenses,
35:42she'd spent it
35:43on herself.
35:44On clothes,
35:45on parties.
35:46On the kind of life
35:47that left trails
35:48of damage
35:48no one could see yet.
35:50Then she'd come home,
35:51play the victim,
35:53the golden child,
35:54the one who could
35:54do no wrong.
35:55My parents believed
35:57every word.
35:58They emptied their
35:58savings for her.
36:00Again and again.
36:01Until the money ran out
36:02and Cera needed more.
36:05The breaking point
36:07came on a night
36:07when our parents
36:08finally traveled
36:09to Wolfsbane.
36:10Unannounced,
36:11worried they'd been
36:12sending money
36:12to an address
36:13that no longer existed.
36:15When they arrived
36:16at the Academy
36:16what they found
36:17was chaos.
36:18Empty dorm rooms,
36:20unpaid tuition bills.
36:21A trail of forged documents
36:23stretching back months.
36:24And Cera dash gone,
36:26no one knew where.
36:27It took three days
36:27to track her down.
36:29When they did,
36:30they walked into a scene
36:31that would haunt
36:32our bloodline forever.
36:33I got the report
36:34from an ally,
36:35read it in my dorm room,
36:37with Vela silent
36:38beside me.
36:39Even she had
36:40no words for this.
36:41The Ashevale pack
36:42had arrived
36:43at a cheap rental
36:44in the city.
36:45Found Cera surrounded
36:46by people
36:47I didn't recognize.
36:48Bottles scattered
36:49across the table.
36:50her eyes wild,
36:52her hair tangled.
36:53She wasn't
36:54the golden child anymore.
36:55She was something broken,
36:57something dangerous.
36:59You always loved me!
37:01She'd shouted at them,
37:02her voice raw,
37:03cracking at the seams.
37:05Then she grabbed a blade.
37:06So why did you send
37:07all your money
37:08to that bitch,
37:09Kira?
37:11Everything happened
37:12fast after that,
37:13too fast for anyone
37:14to stop.
37:15The blade flashed.
37:17Rafe moved
37:18without thinking,
37:18trying to protect
37:19our parents,
37:20trying to protect everyone.
37:22Like he always had,
37:23the blade found his side.
37:24He crumpled.
37:25The healing that
37:26should have fixed him
37:27in moments didn't come.
37:29Or rather,
37:30it came wrong.
37:31Something about the wound.
37:32Something she'd put
37:33on that blade.
37:34His wolf form
37:35would never be the same.
37:36His strength
37:37dulled permanent.
37:39Cira ran,
37:40disappeared into the city.
37:42Left her brother
37:43bleeding on the floor,
37:44left our parents
37:45holding each other.
37:46Wondering how their
37:47golden child
37:47had become a stranger.
37:49Rafe survived barely.
37:51But the brother
37:52I'd known the one
37:52who peeled chestnuts
37:53and protected.
37:55Cira and forgot
37:56my birthday
37:56would never be whole again.
37:58That was when
37:59everything broke.
38:00Finally,
38:01our parents had to see her
38:02for who she really was.
38:03They cut her off.
38:05But Cira didn't disappear.
38:06She found someone
38:07new to feed off.
38:09Tristan.
38:10He took her in,
38:11despite everything.
38:12Despite what he'd promised me.
38:14Despite every warning
38:15I'd ever given him.
38:16But she never told him.
38:18What she'd caught
38:19during those nights
38:20at Wolfsbane.
38:21During all those
38:22reckless flings
38:23with whoever would have her.
38:24A disease that
38:25burned through the blood.
38:26Silent at first.
38:28Then not,
38:29she gave it to him.
38:30Without knowing,
38:31or maybe knowing.
38:32Not caring.
38:35In a fit of rage,
38:37when he discovered
38:37what she'd done
38:38when he realized
38:39she'd played him
38:39the same way
38:40she'd played everyone.
38:41Tristan killed her.
38:43Cira de Ra,
38:44once the darling
38:45of the Thornheart family,
38:47died in blood.
38:48By the hand of the man
38:49who should have been my mate.
38:51Rafe was left broken,
38:52his wolf slowed.
38:54His strength dulled.
38:55And Tristan,
38:56imprisoned for murder.
38:58I stared at the names
38:59in the report.
39:00But I felt nothing.
39:01I closed the file.
39:03Turned back to my work.
39:05I didn't return
39:06to the Ashevale pack.
39:07I stayed at the outpost.
39:09Where my strength
39:10was earned,
39:10not inherited,
39:11here,
39:12I wasn't just a shadow.
39:13I was Cira.
39:15The warrior they respected.
39:16The wolf who didn't need
39:18to rely on anyone else.
39:19They gave me space to grow,
39:21to rise as I always
39:22should have.
39:23They respected me.
39:24Not because of my bloodline,
39:26but because of what I could do.
39:30When my name appeared
39:31in the trade reports
39:32my family came to find me.
39:34They couldn't even
39:35get past the gates.
39:36The guards turned them away.
39:38An Alpha's daughter,
39:40a Beta's sister.
39:41The former mate
39:42of a convicted murderer.
39:43None of it mattered
39:44here at the outpost.
39:46You earned your place
39:47or you didn't enter.
39:48I watched from the watchtower
39:50as they argued with the guards.
39:51My father's voice
39:53carried in the wind,
39:54frustrated.
39:55Desperate,
39:55my mother was crying.
39:57Rafe stood apart.
39:58His posture wrong.
39:59His wolf struggling
40:00against a body
40:01that no longer moved
40:02the way it should.
40:03And Tristan wasn't there.
40:05Locked in a cell somewhere,
40:07knowing what he'd done.
40:08Knowing what he'd lost.
40:09They mourned.
40:10The daughter they had
40:11tried to silence.
40:12The sister who had once
40:14begged for their love.
40:15The wolf they thought
40:16they controlled.
40:17They would mourn me forever.
40:21The one who no longer
40:22needed their name to rise.
40:24Valor pressed close
40:25against my ribs.
40:26Warm,
40:27steady,
40:27fierce.
40:28We made our choice.
40:30She said the same words
40:31from that first night.
40:33But now they meant
40:34something different.
40:35Then not a surrender.
40:37A declaration.
40:38I looked out
40:39over the northern ridge.
40:41The moon hung full
40:42and bright above the tree line.
40:43Somewhere out there,
40:45a pack was falling apart.
40:47But here in this outpost
40:48on the edge of the world
40:49I had built something real.
40:50Something that belonged to me.
40:53Something no one
40:53could take away.
40:55Not their daughter.
40:56Not their mate.
40:58I said softly.
41:02Not their shadow.
41:04Valor's approval
41:05hummed through my bones.
41:06Their warrior.
41:07She said.
41:09Their alpha.
41:10Our own.
41:11The moon.
41:12The moon.
41:12The moon.
41:13The moon.
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