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
Catégorie
🦄
Art et designTranscription
00:00Le night before my wedding, my hair was gone.
00:02The silver hair passed down through generations of the Warwick Bloodline,
00:05the symbol of our lineage that could summon wolf packs under the full moon
00:08and make even the most feral beasts submit by instinct,
00:10had been shaved off while I passed out.
00:13I lay there with my bare scalp exposed,
00:15and I saw Zoe standing beside the bed.
00:16She wore a black tactical vest.
00:18She was fiddling with a bone blade in her hand.
00:20The blade had been coated with wolf bone extract.
00:22She grinned at Liam.
00:23She hasn't even completed her first transformation.
00:26What gives her the right to stand beside an alpha?
00:28Liam's inner circle howled along with her.
00:30Zoe, that's not really fair.
00:31One of them chummed in.
00:32That sleep sashage was a gift from the alpha himself.
00:34Wolf bait mixed with moonflower, enough to knock out a bear.
00:36The marking ceremony's tomorrow.
00:37Zoe waved a hand to dismissal-y.
00:39Not that it matters anyway.
00:40Once she's in our pack, her status was always up for re-evaluation.
00:42Looking like this, she's perfect for starting from the lowest rung.
00:45Amid the roaring laughter filling the room, Liam glanced at me.
00:48Just one glance, then he looked away.
00:50They're all brothers who fought alongside me in the north.
00:52He said,
00:52Just a joke. Don't take it seriously.
00:53Just wrap a veil around your head tomorrow. No one will notice.
00:55He paused. His tone suddenly softened.
00:57And you're still the woman I'm going to mark.
00:59My Luna.
01:00I shifted my body slightly.
01:02The drug hadn't worn off yet.
01:03My limbs felt like they were filled with lead.
01:05He didn't wait for my response.
01:06He turned around and walked out of the bedroom with his men.
01:08The door closed.
01:09The room was left with just me and that herbal sashage,
01:12still swaying slightly above the headboard.
01:13The way he looked at me was cold.
01:15Cold as if he was staring at a stranger.
01:17He was my chosen mate.
01:18The mate I chose.
01:19Not the one the moon goddess chose for me.
01:21I thought choosing for myself meant I was guaranteed to be right.
01:24I spent six years proving one thing.
01:26I was wrong.
01:29Got it from the Scottish Highlands.
01:31Added some moonflower from the border.
01:33Best thing for sleep.
01:35Rest well.
01:36Be my most beautiful bride tomorrow.
01:40Natalie, don't be mad.
01:42Zoe's always had a big mouth.
01:45We drove all night.
01:47Crossed three states.
01:48We thought it was a surprise.
01:54I looked at the hair scattered across the carpet.
01:56It was dead.
01:56Living silver hair flowed with moonlight.
01:58When my grandmother died,
01:59her hair was silver to the very last strand.
02:00My mother broke a leg,
02:01and her hair still fell silver to her waist.
02:03That was the power of the Warwick She-Wolves bloodline.
02:05Not decoration, but a vessel of strength.
02:07The root of sensing beasts calling upon moonlight
02:09and shielding the pack.
02:10Now it lay like snipped dead electrical wires,
02:12blanketing the floor in a dark mass.
02:14The moment it left my scalp, the luster died.
02:16I tried to extend my senses, reaching toward the window.
02:18Nothing.
02:18That sensory domain, once as clear as flowing water,
02:21felt like it had been filled with cement overnight.
02:22As if something, at some point, had already died.
02:25And I didn't even know when that moment had started.
02:30I was just curious.
02:31What kind of woman is worthy of Alpha Liam's mark?
02:35Now I see.
02:37Unworthy.
02:40Every wolf in that room understood exactly what she meant.
02:43Chosen mate.
02:44Pledged mate.
02:45I chose him.
02:46He chose me.
02:47I thought that was love.
02:48It wasn't until tonight that I realized
02:50this so-called choice was nothing but a handout
02:52he could snatch back whenever he felt like it.
02:54Natalie.
02:55Zoe meant no harm.
02:59She's been like this since we were kids.
03:01Never thinks before she speaks.
03:03Don't hold it against her.
03:05Whether I think you're worthy or not,
03:07Liam's still gonna mark you.
03:09So what are you still upset about?
03:13Just drape a long veil over your head tomorrow?
03:16Who's going notice?
03:17I said nothing.
03:19I didn't cry either.
03:20From the moment I woke up until now,
03:22not a single tear had fallen.
03:24Liam sighed and reached for my hand.
03:26I pulled away.
03:28He froze.
03:29He probably never imagined I would pull away.
03:31After they left, I sat there,
03:33pressing my palms against my temples.
03:35That pain was back.
03:36Not the stinging from having my hair shaved off,
03:38but something deeper.
03:39A burning sensation,
03:41like something was struggling desperately
03:42to break out from within.
03:43This feeling had actually been following me
03:45for six years now.
03:47Zoe is my second in command.
03:49She has no filter, but she means well.
03:52Let's leave it at that, okay?
03:53His voice softened.
03:55His calming scent washed over me.
03:57Natalie, I gave you the Sanch.
03:59If I knew Zoe would use it
04:01to pull something like this, I...
04:02He didn't finish.
04:04I looked at his face.
04:06A face I had looked at for so many years.
04:09Twelve years old,
04:10a bunch of young wolves were bullying me.
04:12Liam shattered one of their jaws.
04:14He got suspended for a month.
04:17He said it was worth it.
04:19Fifteen.
04:20My first awakening.
04:22But it wasn't a full wolf form,
04:24just the senses.
04:26He showed up at my father's estate gore
04:28the very next morning.
04:29He didn't wait a single day.
04:31That very day,
04:32something deep within my scalp
04:34trembled lightly,
04:35like the tip of a thread
04:36quietly pulling taut in a certain direction.
04:39I paid it no attention.
04:41All I saw was Liam standing in the morning light,
04:44his eyes red-rimmed.
04:45Eighteen.
04:46Before he was deployed to the north,
04:48he gripped my hand at the airport.
04:50eyes reddening,
04:51and said he'd come back.
04:53And hold the marking ceremony with me.
04:55He spent three years out there.
04:57I spent three years waiting for him
05:00in my apartment in New York.
05:02Every full moon,
05:03that thread buried deep in my soul
05:05would burn hot once.
05:07I thought it was longing.
05:09And now,
05:10that satchad was still hanging above the headboard,
05:12making me sick.
05:14I didn't press him for more answers.
05:16The answers no longer mattered.
05:18Did he know about Zoe's plan?
05:20Did it make a difference?
05:22He indulged her.
05:24Like he always did.
05:26That wasn't the first time
05:28he'd indulged her at my expense.
05:30Last year,
05:31I practically begged my father for permission
05:33to visit him in the Northern Territory.
05:34I stood outside his tactical tent for three hours.
05:37I had someone announced my arrival three times.
05:40Zoe had posted a sign outside the tent,
05:42no entry,
05:42authorized personnel only,
05:44including Natalie.
05:45He walked out and looked at me.
05:47His face was cold.
05:48Blame yourself.
05:50I should have known back then.
05:51That was the first time I truly felt it.
05:54My place in his heart
05:55didn't even weigh as much as a prank
05:57from his second-in-command.
05:58Natalie, do you have to be this petty?
06:00Liam's voice was trembling.
06:02Zoe is my second-in-command.
06:04Do you know how many times
06:04she saved my life up north?
06:06She bled for three years
06:07in the Northern Territory,
06:08gave way more than a sheltered princess like you
06:10who hides in your safe apartment,
06:12moping about how lonely you are.
06:13You see every other woman
06:15as a rival in your head.
06:16Zoe's vision is far bigger than yours.
06:18What fills her heart
06:19is the safety of the entire pack.
06:21And you?
06:23You can't even see beyond
06:24the four walls of this apartment.
06:26Zoe tugged at his sleeve.
06:28Liam, that's enough.
06:30She's still the mate you're going to mark.
06:33So what?
06:34Liam shook off her hand.
06:35She's been living in her comfort zone for too long.
06:38Her world is this small.
06:40Zoe just wanted to test your alertness
06:42as a werewolf.
06:43It's the most basic prank in any pack.
06:45Why can't you just let it go?
06:47I sat on the bed
06:47and listened to every single word he said.
06:50That burning thread pulled tighter
06:52than ever before.
06:53Like something in a distant direction
06:55was trembling with fury.
06:56Not for Liam, but for me.
06:59I pressed my hand to my chest.
07:01I wanted to tell myself to let go of Liam.
07:03I thought I already had,
07:04but there was a dull ache in my chest.
07:07I looked at the hair on the carpet.
07:09My hair.
07:11And then I knew.
07:12I hated him.
07:13Once hatred takes root,
07:14there's no going back.
07:16The sky was growing light.
07:17The sound of a delivery truck
07:18came from the street below.
07:19Liam's expression shifted.
07:21He immediately took those inner circle members
07:22and slipped out through the fire escape.
07:24My mother, Sarah, pushed the door open.
07:25She was holding a cup black coffee.
07:26She glanced at the hair all over the floor.
07:28The cup wobbled in her hand,
07:29coffee spilling onto the carpet.
07:31Natalie, who did this?
07:33I heard Zoe's soft laugh from the alley below.
07:36Mom, look at me.
07:37I need you to do something for me.
07:38Right now.
07:39I didn't dig through the ventry drawer.
07:40I didn't take out any ancient tokens.
07:42I closed my eyes and pressed down on my own chest.
07:45There was a thread there.
07:46It had been faintly present
07:47since the day I awakened at 15,
07:48like a strand of silver spider thread
07:49buried deep within my wolf nature.
07:51I didn't choose that thread.
07:52It appeared without my permission
07:52the year I turned 15.
07:53It was the fated mate bond.
07:54True mate.
07:55Destined by fate itself.
07:56I had deliberately ignored it for six years
07:58because I thought the person I chose
07:59was the right one.
07:59Now I understood.
08:00The moon goddess never chooses wrong.
08:02I took a deep breath
08:03and gathered all my despair and rage
08:05into a silent howl,
08:06pushing it out along that bond.
08:08It wasn't a cry for help.
08:09It was the first time in six years
08:11that I actively said,
08:12I'm here.
08:13That force was ancient,
08:14more primal than my family's blood.
08:15Like a current of silver electricity,
08:17it pierced through the steel and concrete of Manhattan,
08:19through the morning light,
08:20shooting towards a specific direction.
08:21Upper East Side.
08:22On the other end of my soul,
08:23someone was waiting.
08:24That end,
08:25almost in the same instant,
08:26without a moment's hesitation,
08:27responded.
08:28Meanwhile,
08:29Upper East Side, New York,
08:30the ancient estate
08:31that was never open to outsiders.
08:32Nicholas stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows.
08:34He was holding an old pocket watch in his hand.
08:36It was too old.
08:37The gilded edges worn down to the brass beneath.
08:39A photo was embedded inside the watch cover.
08:40The profile of a 15-year-old girl
08:42at her awakening ceremony.
08:43That silver hair cascading over her shoulders
08:45like a waterfall.
08:46Six years ago,
08:47he first sensed that bond
08:48at the awakening ceremony.
08:49That scent belonging to her
08:51rushed into his soul,
08:52like a flame locked into his very bones.
08:54But she said she had chosen Leon,
08:56so he sealed that bond
08:57deep within his soul
08:58and waited for her.
09:00Waited for six years.
09:01In those six years,
09:03that bond was like a piece of shrapnel
09:04buried in his marrow.
09:06He felt it every single day,
09:07and every single day
09:08he had to actively suppress it.
09:10There were a few times
09:11he nearly lost control.
09:12His second-in-command
09:14found him more than once
09:15in the early morning.
09:16Half the walls of his study
09:17smashed apart by his bare hands.
09:20He never explained.
09:21He just cleaned it up,
09:23kept waiting.
09:23His second-in-command
09:25appeared at the door
09:26and bowed his head.
09:27Alpha,
09:27our people in the city
09:28detected a mate bond
09:29activation signal.
09:30Source,
09:31Miss Natalie Warwick.
09:32Target locked on you.
09:33The second-in-command paused,
09:35a cautious surprise in his voice.
09:37We didn't have time to react.
09:38You had already accepted it.
09:39Nicholas snacked
09:40the watch cover shut.
09:41In those golden wolf eyes
09:42was a killing intent,
09:43suppressed for far too long,
09:45that had finally found
09:46a righteous outlet.
09:47His fingers squeezed
09:48the watch case
09:48until the metal
09:49let out a faint groan.
09:50Send a reply to Miss Warwick.
09:52The ceremony proceeds as planned.
09:53Leave the rest to me.
09:54The second-in-command
09:55was about to withdraw,
09:56but was called back.
09:57One more thing.
09:58Bring out my mother's
09:59coronation crown.
10:00Notify Paris to dispatch
10:01a team of jewelists overnight.
10:02Adjust the measurements
10:03to Miss Warwick's file
10:04I wanted in New York
10:05before sunrise tomorrow.
10:06Also,
10:06pull the application documents
10:07from the alliance.
10:08Joint confirmation
10:09from the three founding families.
10:11I submitted it three weeks ago.
10:12Understood.
10:13The final arbitration
10:14only requires notifying
10:15the three alphas to seal.
10:16Complete it tonight.
10:17The second-in-command
10:17left to carry out the orders.
10:19Nicholas placed the pocket watch
10:20back into his chest pocket,
10:22right against his heart.
10:24Then,
10:25to the empty room,
10:26he said six words,
10:27very softly.
10:28Not waiting anymore.
10:30Not this time.
10:31By evening,
10:32the reply arrived.
10:33Just one line.
10:34The ceremony proceeds as planned.
10:36Leave the rest to me.
10:37Along with the letter
10:37came a high-end carrying case.
10:39Opened,
10:40a homemade lace wig,
10:41so finely crafted
10:42that even my wolf eyes
10:43couldn't tell it was fake.
10:44A full set of custom
10:45diamond crown and jewelry.
10:46I couldn't sleep at all
10:47that night.
10:48I sat by the window,
10:49fingers tracing
10:50the pure white wedding dress.
10:51For the first time
10:52in all these years,
10:53it wasn't Liam on my mind.
10:55I truly hated him.
10:56In just a few more hours,
10:58I would be wearing
10:58this wedding dress
10:59standing before another alpha.
11:01Nicholas,
11:02whom I had seen
11:02a few times
11:03at alliance meetings
11:04but had barely
11:04exchanged words with,
11:06and he sent a wig
11:07and a crown.
11:08Like it was nothing.
11:09I held the crown
11:10in my hands.
11:11Moonlight struck
11:12the diamond facets,
11:13scattering fine silver light
11:15looking exactly like
11:16the strands of my hair
11:17that had died
11:17on that carpet.
11:18The thread in my chest
11:19lay warm and quiet.
11:21Not burning,
11:22just warmth.
11:23The bedroom door
11:24was suddenly shoved open.
11:26Liam,
11:26behind him,
11:27Zoe.
11:28This time,
11:28he didn't bring anyone else.
11:30He saw me sitting there
11:31holding the crown
11:32in my hands.
11:33The crest engraved
11:34on that crown
11:34was the wolf head emblem
11:35of the Lycan family.
11:36His face drained of color
11:38in an instant.
11:39Now we're even.
11:45I looked at those marks.
11:47A wave of nausea
11:48chrumped into my stomach.
11:50That's Satche.
11:51You inhaled it
11:52and fell unconscious.
11:53She shrugged.
11:53The curve of her lips
11:54carried no guilt whatsoever.
11:55But for an alpha male
11:56to smell it,
11:57the reaction is
11:57completely different.
11:58Wolf bowed.
11:59Not some sleep serb.
12:00A full dose
12:00knocks a she-wolf out cold,
12:02but the same amount
12:02pushes a male alpha
12:03into a rut.
12:04This,
12:04I knew from the start.
12:05My hand froze.
12:06You knew.
12:07I looked into her eyes.
12:09You knew from
12:10the very beginning.
12:11Zoe met my gaze.
12:12She neither denied
12:13nor explained.
12:13In her eyes
12:14was only a raw,
12:15primal satisfaction
12:16of being marked by Liam.
12:17I was prepping your gear.
12:18Probably got some residue
12:19on my skin.
12:20Liam caught the scent.
12:21He lost control
12:21in front of me
12:22and went into a frenzy.
12:23Didn't even give me
12:24time to run.
12:25She recited the excuse
12:26word for word
12:27like a script
12:28she had memorized.
12:28So there it is.
12:29You lost your hair.
12:30I paid with my body.
12:32We're even.
12:32I understood.
12:33She knew about
12:34the dual effect of wolf fails
12:35from the start.
12:36That night was her design.
12:37Shave my hair
12:38then use the residual herb
12:39to trigger Liam.
12:40Two birds with one stone.
12:41Strip away my bloodline marker
12:42then use the mark
12:43to bind Liam to her for good.
12:44It wasn't an accident.
12:48Natalie.
12:49Given what happened
12:49I need to give the pack
12:50an explanation.
12:53Tomorrow's marking ceremony.
12:54Let's postpone it for now.
12:56Postpone.
12:57Postpone again.
12:59I was 15 when he proposed.
13:01I was 15 when he proposed.
13:02Now I'm 21.
13:03Six whole years.
13:05I had no more time
13:06to give him.
13:09I'm not postponing the ceremony.
13:11Natalie,
13:12do you have to be
13:13this impossible
13:14to reason with?
13:15Whether I'm easy
13:16to reason with or not,
13:19I'm putting on
13:20this wedding dress tomorrow.
13:21He stared at me
13:22for a long time.
13:23His gaze shifted
13:24from the wedding dress
13:25to the lion crown
13:26in my hands
13:27then to my bare scalp.
13:28Fine.
13:29Since you have no intention
13:30of being considerate
13:31towards Zoe
13:31all for a Luna title.
13:33He stopped at the door.
13:34Don't regret this.
13:35The door slammed shut
13:36behind him.
13:37I faced the mirror
13:38and put that wig on
13:40securing the crown
13:41piece by piece.
13:42The woman in the mirror
13:44wore the crown
13:44of the lion family
13:45and a pure
13:46white wedding grass.
13:49She was nobody's
13:50second choice.
13:51Early the next morning,
13:52I stood before the mirror
13:54and put on that wig.
13:55I secured the diamond crown
13:56piece by piece.
13:58The pure white wedding dress
13:59was elegant
14:00and magnificent.
14:02It was time.
14:03My mother held my arm
14:04as we walked out.
14:05The apartment building's
14:06front door swung open
14:07and I saw Liam.
14:08He was wearing
14:09an old leather jacket.
14:10Behind him were two
14:11mud-splashed pickup trucks
14:12idling by the curb.
14:13No Stretch Lincoln,
14:14no wedding convoy.
14:15A few of his men
14:16slouched in the truck beds
14:17looking hungover.
14:18There wasn't even a single
14:19decorative white rose
14:20on the vehicles.
14:22Natalie.
14:24My mom said
14:25the ceremony was cancelled.
14:26The whole drive here,
14:27I kept thinking
14:28you really weren't
14:29going to stay with me anymore.
14:30But now,
14:31seeing you dressed like this
14:32and coming out,
14:33I knew you changed your mind.
14:34I looked at those
14:35two beat-up pickup trucks.
14:37Is this how an Alpha
14:38comes to claim his Luna?
14:39You're the one who insisted
14:40on holding the ceremony today.
14:41Considering Zoe's situation,
14:43I had to follow the protocol
14:44for accepting an unranked stray
14:45into the pack
14:46to pick you up.
14:47We'll hold a proper
14:47formal ceremony later
14:49once things settle down.
14:50Unranked stray.
14:51Handmade lace trail,
14:52the Lycan family crown,
14:54six generations of
14:55Warwick She-Wolf
14:55bloodline flowing through me.
14:57And he said,
14:58unranked stray.
15:00The last half inch
15:01of warmth in my heart
15:02went completely cold.
15:03I am Natalie Wark
15:05and I am nobody's
15:06backup plan.
15:10Look closely
15:11at what I'm wearing.
15:13I'm not going anywhere
15:14to be someone's
15:15sideshow.
15:17I told you yesterday,
15:19I have to give
15:20Zoe an explanation.
15:21She holds the real power.
15:22You hold the title.
15:23It's perfectly reasonable.
15:25You didn't have time
15:26to prepare.
15:28I let out a cold laugh.
15:31Liam,
15:32you proposed to me
15:34when I was 15.
15:36Six years.
15:37Six whole years.
15:39Who exactly came...
15:40You're still holding
15:40on to that?
15:43Can you just try
15:44for once to see
15:45the bigger picture?
15:46Zoe just came down
15:46from the territory.
15:47The situation is complicated.
15:48Come with me
15:48that you'll get
15:49everything you're owed.
15:49Do you really have
15:50to fight me
15:50on saving face right now?
15:51Liam instinctively
15:52turned sideways
15:52and reached for his gun.
15:53Heavy armored via back
15:54had just pick up
15:54truck gile
15:55and reached the
15:55scraping all.
15:55Tire screened
15:56against the asphalt.
15:57He snapped his head up.
15:58Those car doors
15:58slowly opened.
15:59Elite members
16:00in full tactical gear,
16:01wolf emblems
16:02of the Lycan pack
16:03engraved on their chest plates
16:04sealed off the entire street.
16:06The luxury car boy
16:07trailing behind
16:07stretched for several blocks.
16:09Helicopters
16:10hovered overhead.
16:11The whole street
16:12went quiet.
16:13An alpha scent
16:14carrying the raw edge
16:15of cedar and gunpowder
16:16brutally crushed
16:17its way through
16:18the entire street.
16:19It wasn't meant to soothe.
16:20It was pure
16:21physiological domination.
16:22Liam's wolf
16:23let out a whimper
16:23deep in his soul.
16:24At the very front
16:25of the convoy
16:26the door opened.
16:27Nicholas stepped
16:28out of the car.
16:28Tailored pure black suit.
16:30Golden eyes that held
16:31no warmth whatsoever
16:32in the morning light.
16:33He looked at Liam
16:33looking down on him.
16:35Only one sentence.
16:36My true mate.
16:38You think someone
16:39like you can treat her
16:39with such disrespect?
16:41His voice wasn't loud
16:42like a razor blade
16:43slicing through the air.
16:44Do you have a death wish
16:46Liam?
16:47Liam's face went
16:48utterly white.
16:49One spoke of an engagement.
16:50The other spoke
16:51of a faded bond.
16:52Even the words
16:53were different.
16:54For the first time
16:54in six years
16:55I realized
16:56some things
16:57the moon goddess
16:58had chosen for me
16:59from the very beginning.
17:00I had only pretended
17:01not to hear.
17:02And now
17:02someone had come
17:03to settle the score
17:04on my behalf.
17:05Every last debt
17:06collected one by one.
17:07Liam stood there
17:09looking at me
17:09then at Nicholas
17:10who was radiating
17:11terrifying pressure.
17:14Natalie
17:15what is going on here?
17:16Why is Nicholas
17:17saying you're his true mate?
17:19Because today
17:19is my bonding ceremony
17:20with him.
17:22I didn't look back.
17:23Liam
17:23stop wasting my time.
17:25Footsteps chased
17:25after me from behind.
17:26Liam rushed forward
17:27trying to grab my hand.
17:28An elite member's palm
17:29slammed into his chest
17:30shoving him back.
17:31Liam's voice panicked.
17:32What did you say?
17:33You have a mate
17:33vow with me first.
17:34The one you bond
17:35with can only me.
17:36How could you?
17:37I am Natalie Warwick
17:38and I am nobody's
17:39backup plan.
17:40I turned around.
17:41Six years.
17:42Liam
17:42I gave you six years
17:43to choose.
17:44Every single time
17:45you chose to make me wait.
17:47I'm done.
17:48With that
17:49I turned and sat
17:50in the back seat
17:50of the myhach.
17:51The moment the car door
17:52closed
17:52I saw Liam still
17:53frozen in place.
17:54Frozen.
17:54Lost.
17:55Nicholas stood beside
17:55the car
17:56looking down at him.
17:57Liam
17:57I'm genuinely curious.
17:58He pulled out
17:59a piece of heavy
17:59textured letter paper.
18:00What made you think
18:01the Silver Wolf bloodline
18:02of the Warwick family
18:03my liking family's
18:04true mate
18:04would be willing
18:04to go to your pack
18:05and be an empty trophy?
18:06He unfolded the document.
18:08On the bottom left
18:08were pressed
18:09three bloodline signatures
18:10that could not be forged.
18:11The three founding families
18:12holding the highest seats
18:13in the North American
18:14Werewolf Alliance.
18:14Alliance ruling.
18:15Three weeks ago
18:16I already submitted
18:16the application.
18:17This morning
18:18the final arbitration
18:18was signed and filed
18:19across all of North America.
18:20Before sunset
18:21this would be written
18:21into every single
18:22pack registry.
18:23In other words
18:23the entire continent's
18:25wolf packs now know.
18:26You attempted to go against
18:27on the Alliance
18:28resolution of the
18:30three founding families.
18:31He withdrew the document
18:32his eyes so cold
18:34they seemed to want
18:34to nail Liam to the floor.
18:36Rather Liam
18:37you should be at
18:38the Northern Border
18:39Defense guarding
18:39your post right now.
18:41What are you doing
18:42in Manhattan?
18:45He paused.
18:48No wonder you never
18:49received that emergency
18:51mate contract
18:51termination notice
18:52sent to the front lines.
18:56Natalie was planning
18:57to tell you in person
18:58yesterday
18:58that she was dissolving
19:00the chosen mate contract
19:01and you hung a sleeping
19:02sashay over her bed
19:03and left
19:04without even giving her
19:05the chance to open
19:06her mouth.
19:07Abandoning your post
19:08without leave
19:10sneaking back
19:11into the core city
19:13right under
19:14the Alliance's nose.
19:16Nicholas tilted
19:17his head slightly.
19:18What do you think
19:19the Joint Alphas
19:20would make of this news?
19:22A misunderstanding
19:23or an insurrection
19:27requiring a purge?
19:29He turned
19:30and sat in the car
19:31giving orders
19:32into the comms unit.
19:33His voice was cold
19:34as ice.
19:35Convoy move out.
19:36Going home.
19:38By the time
19:38the ceremony ended
19:39the sky was already dark.
19:41The private estate
19:42was brilliantly lit.
19:44Wolfpack leaders
19:44and guests from all sides
19:46had gradually disperred.
19:47The master bedroom door
19:48was pushed open.
19:52In the mirror
19:52the corner of his mouth
19:53curved into an arc
19:54gentler than any expression
19:56I had ever seen
19:57on his face.
19:58Liam is outside.
19:59He wants to see you.
20:01I looked at him
20:02through the mirror.
20:03I don't want to see him.
20:04Nicholas flashed me
20:05a tactical hand signal.
20:06Short.
20:07Sharp.
20:08The curve of his lips
20:09didn't fade.
20:10Do you want to see him now?
20:11He asked.
20:13I slowly nodded.
20:14Now I can see him.
20:16The basement.
20:17A reinforced room.
20:18Guards posted outside the door.
20:19When I walked in
20:20there was a group of people
20:21standing in the room.
20:21Liam in the center.
20:22Those few interduccal members
20:24were there too.
20:24Zoe was there too.
20:25The moment that group saw me.
20:27The most submissive posture
20:29would a werewolf assume
20:30to show surrender.
20:31Luna!
20:32Please give Alpha Liam
20:33another chance.
20:34Luna!
20:35Alpha Liam does care about you.
20:37He talked about you
20:38every day in the territory.
20:39Said he'd come back
20:40and marry you
20:40as soon as the war was over.
20:41Said it for three years.
20:43Luna!
20:44You and Alpha Liam
20:45grew up together.
20:45All those years of history.
20:46You can't just...
20:47They scrambled over each other
20:48listing all the ways
20:49Liam had been good to me.
20:51My heart felt nothing at all.
20:54Enough!
20:55Zoe suddenly spoke up.
20:56The only one among them
20:57who hasn't lowered her head.
20:59She stood there,
21:00chin held high.
21:01What are you begging for?
21:02What's so special about her?
21:04Zoe looked at me.
21:05A smirk pulled
21:05at the corner of her mouth.
21:07Natalie,
21:07I underestimated you.
21:09Yesterday you were here
21:10playing the victim
21:10and today you've lashed
21:11onto Nicholas.
21:12Playing the victim
21:13while grabbing benefits
21:14for yourself.
21:14I didn't think a sheltered flower
21:16like you would be
21:16so calculating.
21:18I said nothing.
21:20Liam spoke up.
21:23That voice was so,
21:24so harsh.
21:25I had never heard
21:26anything like it from him.
21:27Zoe!
21:28Shut your mouth!
21:30Zoe froze.
21:31She turned her head
21:32to look at Liam.
21:33What did you say?
21:34Liam stared her down
21:35with deadly intensity.
21:36His golden alpha eyes
21:38were bloodshot.
21:39I said shut your mouth.
21:41Bow your head.
21:42Zoe's face
21:43instantly flushed red.
21:44Liam,
21:45have you lost your mind?
21:46You're using alpha command on me?
21:48You're making me
21:49bow my head to her?
21:50Liam roared,
21:51releasing his dominance.
21:52Bow your head!
21:54Zoe's knees buckled.
21:55Her neck finally dropped.
21:56The expression on her face
21:57was anger
21:58and even more so,
21:59defiance.
22:00Liam,
22:00you're yelling
22:01at me
22:02for her?
22:03Who am I?
22:04I'm your second in command.
22:05She turned around
22:06and bonded with Nicholas
22:06just like that
22:07and you're making me
22:08bow to her?
22:09Liam ignored her completely.
22:10He turned his head
22:11to look at me.
22:12His eyes were red.
22:13His voice was shaking.
22:14Nate,
22:15I was wrong.
22:16I didn't respond.
22:17He moved closer,
22:18trying to touch me.
22:18I stepped back.
22:19I know I screwed up.
22:20The hair thing,
22:21those things I said,
22:22but Nate,
22:23Zoe did save my life.
22:25Up north,
22:26when I was nearly torn apart
22:27by feral wolves,
22:28Zoe dragged me out
22:28of the wreckage.
22:30She said she wanted
22:31to test your alertness
22:32and I just,
22:32I just didn't stop it.
22:34The inner circle members
22:35kept their heads down
22:36and chimed in.
22:38Luna,
22:39Zoe saved the Alpha.
22:40The Alpha owes her his life.
22:42He couldn't just slap her
22:42in the face.
22:43The Alpha has you
22:44in his heart.
22:45He just didn't know
22:45how to refuse Zoe.
22:46Liam spoke again.
22:47The pleading in his voice
22:48was almost overflowing.
22:57I pulled a small lockbox
23:00from my handbag,
23:01opened it.
23:01I tossed that herbal-scented
23:03Zacho at his feet.
23:04Then why did you do this to me?
23:05Liam looked down
23:06at the sashes.
23:07He couldn't say another word.
23:11The day before yesterday,
23:12you came to my apartment.
23:14I wanted to tell you in person.
23:15I was dissolving
23:17our chosen mate contract.
23:19Six years.
23:20I was done waiting.
23:21I paused.
23:22But you didn't let me finish.
23:24You just hung this sanshan
23:25over my bed,
23:26said something about it
23:27being the best thing for sleep,
23:29told me to rest well,
23:30then you left.
23:31You didn't even leave me
23:32the chance to open my mouth.
23:34Liam's face went pale.
23:35Nate,
23:36I really didn't know Zoe would-
23:38Didn't know.
23:38I cut him off.
23:39You knew exactly
23:40the kind of person Zoe is.
23:41You knew she was waiting
23:42in the hallway.
23:42You knew she turned your indulgence
23:44into her hunting ground.
23:44You just never asked.
23:45Because if you asked,
23:46you'd have to make a choice.
23:47and you were never willing
23:48to choose for me.
23:49I looked down at the satches
23:50at my feet.
23:51Liam,
23:52my voice was calm,
23:53like I was recounting
23:54in an old story
23:55from a long time ago.
23:56You told me it was moonflower
23:57from the Scottish Highlands
23:58inside there.
23:59The best thing for sleep.
24:00I raised my head
24:01and looked directly into his eyes.
24:03But it was wolf bone.
24:05You knew that.
24:06You hung it there yourself.
24:09Liam's lips moved.
24:10No sound came out.
24:12You said you didn't know
24:13what Zoe was going to do.
24:14But Liam,
24:15what was inside that sancho
24:17you knew perfectly well.
24:18You just chose not to ask
24:20what would happen next.
24:21Because if you asked,
24:23you'd have to stop her.
24:24And you never,
24:26ever intended to stop her.
24:27The basement went silent.
24:28Even the sound of breathing
24:29seemed to stop.
24:30Liam knelt on the floor.
24:31Sweat slid down
24:32the side of his face.
24:33His mouth opened.
24:34Those defensive words
24:35rolled around on his teeth.
24:36And in the end,
24:37they crumbled into a puff of air
24:38that was nothing at all.
24:39He didn't deny it.
24:40That was the final answer.
24:41Nicholas walked in.
24:43No suit jacket.
24:44The sleeves of his white dress shirt
24:45were rolled up to his forearms.
24:47His collar was open two buttons,
24:49revealing the edge
24:49of an old scar.
24:51Those golden eyes
24:52burned in the basement.
24:53He didn't look at anyone.
24:54He looked at me.
24:56In that single glance
24:57was no question,
24:58no hesitation,
24:59only the silent confirmation
25:01that exists between true mates.
25:03Are you okay?
25:04What else do you need me to do?
25:06Then he turned
25:07and faced the room
25:08full of people.
25:09He didn't say a single word.
25:11He simply released
25:13his alpha horror.
25:14That force rolled over
25:15every corner of the room
25:17like a black tidal wave.
25:18No one could raise their head.
25:20No one could breathe.
25:21The inner circle members
25:22lay sprawled on the floor
25:23like prey
25:24with their throats seized.
25:25Even their groans
25:26were crushed in their throats.
25:28Zoe's knees
25:28slammed heavily
25:29onto the stone floor,
25:31the crisp sound
25:31of bone hitting rock.
25:33Liam was still standing.
25:34Every muscle in his body
25:35was sphezzling.
25:36Veins bulged
25:37on his forehead.
25:38His jaw was clenched
25:40so tight,
25:40it creaked.
25:41He was resisting,
25:43using that third-rate
25:44alpha bloodline of his
25:45to resist Nicholas' dominance.
25:47Nicholas looked at him,
25:48like looking at a bug
25:49still twitching its legs.
25:53Neil.
25:55His voice was calm.
25:56No roar.
25:57No threat.
25:57Just two words.
25:58Alpha command,
25:59the most primal,
26:00most unbreakable
26:01physiological domination
26:02of a higher-ranking alpha
26:03over a lower-ranking werewolf.
26:05Liam's knees shattered.
26:06The bones of both legs
26:07dislocated under the weight
26:08of that command.
26:09A dull,
26:10muffled snap.
26:11Liam collapsed to his knees,
26:13like a puppet
26:13whose strings had been cut.
26:14His knees hit the stone.
26:16Blood seeped through
26:16his pant legs.
26:17He let out
26:18a piercing wolf howl.
26:20It was no longer
26:22a human sound,
26:23it was the wimp
26:23of a beast being subdued.
26:25The people in the room
26:26trembled on the floor
26:27in a heap.
26:27Nicholas stood before them,
26:29one hand casually tucked
26:31into his pants pocket.
26:32All of you,
26:33raise your heads.
26:35The necks of those people
26:36were yanked up
26:36as if by invisible threads,
26:38forced to lift their faces.
26:39Their eyes were filled
26:40with pure terror.
26:41Take a good look
26:42at your handiwork.
26:43Look clearly at her face.
26:44Remember this face.
26:46Remember this basement.
26:47Remember what you did
26:48to a she-wolf.
26:49Because from today on,
26:50you won't have the chance
26:51to forget.
26:52Zoe knelt on the ground,
26:54trembling all over.
26:55Her lips quivered,
26:57trying to say something,
26:58but no sound came out.
27:00Nicholas's gaze
27:01landed on her.
27:02Without a single
27:02extra movement,
27:03he just precisely
27:04crushed his alpha aura
27:05down on her,
27:06like a giant palm
27:07pressing down
27:08on Zoe's spine.
27:09Zoe's entire body
27:10was sent flying sideways,
27:11smashing heavily
27:12against the cold stone wall.
27:18That sound was
27:18no longer arrogance,
27:20no longer provotion.
27:21It was the expression
27:22she had never worn
27:23on her lace before.
27:24Absolute fear.
27:27Zoe Miller.
27:28His voice was
27:29neither loud nor soft,
27:30like he was confirming
27:31a name on a file.
27:32Former second in command
27:33of the Northern 7th
27:34Defense Line,
27:35absent without leave.
27:35Deliberate use
27:36of wolf's pain.
27:37Pre-methitated assault
27:38and destruction
27:39of bloodline mark
27:40against the lunar
27:40of the Lycan family.
27:42I won't kill you.
27:43A pause.
27:43Not because your
27:44combat record
27:45deserves respect.
27:46It's because dying
27:46would be too easy
27:47for you.
27:48Zoe's pupils
27:49violently contracted.
27:50She opened her mouth
27:51wanting to say something.
27:52No sound came out.
27:54Her lips were trembling.
27:55Not from cold,
27:56not from pain,
27:56but from the primal terror
27:58of an apex predator
27:59finally catching up
28:00with her mind.
28:00The terror carved
28:01into the bones
28:02of every werewolf.
28:03Nicholas didn't
28:04look at her again.
28:04He turned to those
28:05few inner sunny members
28:06still spalled on the ground.
28:08As for the rest of you...
28:09Those people were
28:09completely terrified
28:10out of their minds.
28:11Alpha Spirit!
28:12Wails echoed
28:13through the basement.
28:13We were just
28:14following orders!
28:15We didn't know
28:16what Zoe was going
28:17to do to the Luna!
28:17We swear we didn't know!
28:20You laughed.
28:22His voice was light
28:23as a snowflake
28:24landing on a blade's edge.
28:25The night she was stripped
28:26of her bloodline marker
28:28in that apartment,
28:30after Zoe finished
28:31her speech,
28:32you laughed.
28:33Every single wolf laughed.
28:35Those people
28:36trembled violently.
28:37If someone humiliated
28:38your Luna
28:38right in front of you
28:39and you laughed,
28:42what do you think
28:43I should do with you?
28:44He didn't wait
28:45for their answer.
28:46The bonds
28:47severed simultaneously.
28:49A chorus of wails
28:51erupted in the basement.
28:52Some thrashed desperately.
28:54Some reached out
28:55trying to grab
28:56the hem of my dress.
28:57Some slammed
28:58plate their foreheads
28:59against the floor
29:00until they bled.
29:01It was useless.
29:02The speed of the bond's severance
29:03was as precise
29:04as a surgical procedure.
29:05One by one,
29:06they collapsed on the floor.
29:07Selding spawning mammoth.
29:08Golden pupils faded
29:09into murky gray.
29:11Elite warriors
29:11who had once followed
29:12Liam into battle
29:12on the northern battlefields
29:14now turned into
29:14a pack of strays
29:15sprawl on the ground.
29:16They didn't even have
29:17the strength to stand.
29:18The basement fell silent.
29:19Only the ragged breathing
29:20of Liam sprawled
29:21on the floor.
29:22The faint pulse of Zoe,
29:23still unconscious.
29:25But it wasn't over.
29:28Nicholas turned around
29:29and gave a single nod
29:30to the enforcers
29:31at the door.
29:33The branding iron.
29:35Two armored elites
29:36stepped inside.
29:37They were carrying
29:38a portable silver furnace.
29:40Inside the furnace
29:41burned the shorthand
29:42of a silver branding iron.
29:43The iron glowed
29:44white hot in the coals,
29:46emitting a blinding silver light
29:47in the dim basement.
29:49Silver was lethal
29:50to werewolves.
29:51Contact with skin
29:52caused burns
29:53that could never heal
29:54on their own.
29:55The scars would remain
29:56on the body forever.
29:58Like a shame
29:59that would never fade.
30:01The enforcers moved
30:02toward Zoe.
30:03She was already unconscious.
30:05But the moment
30:06the searing silver branding iron
30:08touched her neck,
30:09she still let out
30:10a piercing scream.
30:11That sound tore
30:12through the basement,
30:13tore through the estate,
30:14echoing long into the night.
30:16The iron was lifted.
30:17A palm-sized scar
30:18was left on her neck.
30:19A broken wolf head,
30:20the mark of a rogue.
30:21In the world of wolves,
30:23this means,
30:23this person has been
30:24expelled from all packs.
30:25Any werewolf who sees her
30:26has the right to attack her.
30:28Any werewolf who shelters her
30:29shares her crime.
30:30True fear finally appeared
30:32in Liam's eyes.
30:33He scrambled backward
30:34with his shattered legs.
30:35Broken sounds
30:36escaped his mouth.
30:38No, no, not that.
30:40The enforcers
30:41didn't look at him.
30:42They simply carried out
30:43the order.
30:44A second iron fell.
30:47Liam's howl shattered
30:48into sobs in his throat.
30:50Then the inner circle members,
30:52one by one,
30:52the iron fell.
30:53The stench of burning flesh
30:55permeated the entire basement.
30:56Wailing, pleading,
30:58the sizzle of silver searing skin
30:59all blended into one.
31:00It was over.
31:01I stood in the corner
31:02of the room
31:02and watched it all in silence.
31:04I didn't open my mouth
31:05to plead for anyone.
31:05They didn't deserve execution.
31:07That would be too easy.
31:08They should live.
31:10Live as the lowest form
31:11of existence.
31:12Waking up every morning
31:13and remembering
31:14in that silver scar
31:15that would never heal
31:16exactly who they were.
31:17A discarded wolf.
31:19The fringes of any pack
31:20would be their fate.
31:22Expulsion by any werewolf
31:24would be their daily life.
31:25Death was release.
31:27I didn't intend
31:28to give them release.
31:29Nicholas turned around
31:30and looked at me.
31:31In those golden pupils,
31:33that overwhelming
31:33killing inversed
31:34was slowly receding,
31:35replaced by a quiet inquiry
31:37meant only for a mate.
31:38He mouthed two words to me
31:39without making a sound,
31:41but I read them clearly.
31:42Enough?
31:42I nodded.
31:43He reached out,
31:44gently picked up the wig
31:45I had taken off
31:46and left lying on the table,
31:47and placed it back
31:48into my hands.
31:48His fingertips
31:49didn't touch my scalp.
31:50Let's go.
31:51Leave this to the enforcers
31:52to clean up.
31:53I didn't look back.
31:54Every step walking
31:55out of that basement
31:55with the stone steps
31:56beneath my feet
31:57ground the past six years
31:58into the powder,
31:59left behind,
32:00no longer belonged to me.
32:02By the time we returned
32:03to the main hall,
32:05Alexander's figure
32:06had already disappeared
32:07down the estate corridor.
32:09He really was here tonight.
32:11Nicholas had told me
32:12using tactical hand symbols
32:13in the car,
32:14he came as a witness,
32:15to bear witness
32:16to a high-ranking bonding
32:17registered with the Alliance.
32:18One of the three
32:19founding family heads
32:20of the North American Alliance,
32:22Alexander Koval.
32:23But in the end,
32:24Nicholas didn't let him
32:25enter that basement.
32:30This is my personal matter.
32:32I don't need anyone else
32:34to adjudicate for me.
32:35I looked at him.
32:37You could have let
32:37Alexander handle it for you.
32:40That would have been
32:41too clean.
32:42He pulled his cuffs down,
32:44covering that old scar.
32:45His tone was casual.
32:47Some debts,
32:49you need to settle
32:49with your own hands.
32:52He turned and walked
32:53into the night.
32:55I watched his back
32:56for a long,
32:57long time.
32:59Over the next few days,
33:01the estate gates
33:01remained tightly shut.
33:03Liam's family sent people
33:04to plead with me
33:05several times.
33:05I didn't see any of them.
33:06This day,
33:07I was on the terrace
33:07basking in the sun.
33:08The maid came to report
33:09that Liam's mother
33:10was waiting outside
33:11the estate's
33:11warrant iron gate
33:12and refused to leave.
33:13I got up and went
33:14to the gate.
33:15Liam's mother stood
33:16on the stone steps.
33:17Her hair was disheveled.
33:18Her eyes were red and swollen.
33:19Seeing me come out,
33:20she crawled forward
33:21on her hands and knees
33:22and prostrated herself
33:23at my feet.
33:23Luna, please.
33:25You grew up with him.
33:26You know his true nature.
33:28When you were kids,
33:28he always saved
33:29the best prey for you.
33:30That was real.
33:31You can't say
33:32none of that counted.
33:33I looked down at her.
33:34I haven't forgotten.
33:36But I also haven't forgotten
33:37he knew full well
33:39Zoe was waiting
33:39in the hallway
33:40and he still hung
33:41that sashy over my bed,
33:42closed the door,
33:43and left
33:44without leaving me
33:45a single word's worth
33:46of time.
33:47Liam's mother froze.
33:48I also haven't forgotten
33:49what he said
33:51when he told me
33:52I'd enter his family
33:52as an unranked stray.
33:54Her face turned ashen.
33:56Madam,
33:58we're done here.
33:59Tears poured
33:59from Liam's mother's eyes again.
34:01But Natalie,
34:02he does care about you.
34:03He was just blinded by Zoe.
34:05It was a judgment
34:05personally handed down
34:07by Nicholas.
34:07No one can change it.
34:08I took a step back,
34:09pulling the hem of my dress
34:10out of her grasp.
34:11Don't let the gate
34:12hit you on the way out.
34:13I turned and walked
34:14back into the estate.
34:15Liam's mother's cries
34:16came from behind me.
34:18I didn't care anymore.
34:19The estate's wart iron gate
34:21slowly closed behind me.
34:23Those cries would never
34:24reach inside again.
34:25That night,
34:26Nicholas came to my bedroom.
34:28He sat across from me,
34:30watching me remove
34:31the lace wig,
34:32revealing my scalp,
34:33now covered with a layer
34:34of short, dark stubble.
34:37You're quite unfazed.
34:38I touched my scalp,
34:40smiled a little.
34:42It'll grow back eventually.
34:44I've always been curious.
34:45Nicholas' tone carried
34:46a casual probing.
34:47How did you become
34:48completely dead set
34:49against Liam overnight?
34:50My hand paused.
34:52I thought I'd have to wait
34:54for you a lot longer.
34:55He continued.
34:56I turned around
34:56to look at him.
34:58Wait,
34:58what do you mean longer?
35:00There was no trace
35:01of a joke in his golden eyes.
35:03It means
35:04my wolf claimed you
35:06a long time ago.
35:08I couldn't speak.
35:10Do you remember
35:11your awakening ceremony
35:12when you were 15?
35:13I blinked.
35:14That day,
35:15your scent rushed
35:15into my senses.
35:17My wolf roared
35:18the same word
35:18over and over
35:19in my mind,
35:20mate.
35:20I knew.
35:22That was the soul bond
35:23the moon goddess
35:24personally tied for us.
35:26A self-dificated curve
35:27tugged at the corner
35:28of his mouth,
35:29but his golden pupils
35:30were startlingly dark.
35:33But the very next day,
35:34Liam proposed
35:35a chosen mate contract
35:36to you,
35:36and you said yes.
35:38True mate.
35:39Not chosen.
35:40Not pledged.
35:41Not a choice
35:42that could be taken back.
35:43A knot the moon goddess
35:45tied between his soul
35:46and mine
35:46with a thread
35:47I couldn't see.
35:48Tied tight
35:49since I was 15 years old.
35:51He knew.
35:53He had always known.
35:54And he waited
35:55six years.
35:57Not because he didn't want me.
36:00Because he respected
36:01my right
36:02to choose the wrong person
36:03for myself.
36:04You have no idea
36:05how much strength
36:06it took me
36:07to force down
36:07the wolf inside me
36:09that wanted to
36:10tear his throat out.
36:11You waited for him
36:12in New York
36:13for three years
36:14and then three more.
36:15As the alpha
36:16of the Lycan family,
36:17I could have leveled
36:17the Northern Territory
36:18and take you by force.
36:20But the one thing
36:20I could never trample on
36:21was the free will
36:22the moon goddess
36:23granted you.
36:25I thought you loved him.
36:26Until a few days ago,
36:28when Alexander relayed to me
36:29that you intended
36:30to dissolve the contract.
36:31Nicholas smiled,
36:32with a fervent
36:33that had been suppressed
36:34for six years,
36:35finally tearing
36:36through the disguise.
36:37In that moment,
36:38I knew.
36:39No need to wait
36:40any longer.
36:41The moon goddess
36:42returned my luna to me.
36:44The night I got the news,
36:46I shifted into wolf form
36:47in the forest ord
36:48and ran for an entire night.
36:49I opened my mouth.
36:51So if I had never seen clearly,
36:53if I had insisted
36:54on binding myself to Liam,
36:57wouldn't you have just
36:57waited for nothing?
37:00Then I would have just
37:01leveled his territory
37:01and taken you anyway.
37:02I choked on his words,
37:03you're impossible.
37:04He laughed.
37:05His eyes crinkled
37:06with a wild grin.
37:07My pack's strength
37:08is God knows
37:08how many times greater
37:09than his pathetic
37:09little territory.
37:10Stealing a mate?
37:11Was Alexander gonna blow
37:12my head off
37:12with a silver bullet?
37:13I shot him a helpless look.
37:15Nicholas put away his smile,
37:16looked at me.
37:16His gaze was steady.
37:18Natalie,
37:18no one will ever
37:19make you wait again.
37:20He reached out
37:20and touched my short,
37:21bristly hair
37:21with extreme gentleness.
37:23His fingertips carried
37:24the scorching heat
37:24unique to the lichen bloodline,
37:26but the pressure on my scalp
37:27felt like touching a berry
37:28freshly picked from a branch,
37:29still wrapped in morning dew.
37:31This is more proof
37:32of your strength
37:32than any silver hair
37:34could ever be.
37:35He pulled a blood-stained
37:36wolf fang from his pocket
37:37and gently placed it
37:37in my palm.
37:38The enamel of the fang
37:39was cold.
37:40The dried blood
37:40was a dark, rusty color.
37:42This is the fang
37:42of the enemy leader
37:43who killed my uncle.
37:44I kept it to remind myself
37:45what hatred and strength are.
37:47His fingers lifted
37:47the back of my hand,
37:48folding my curled nubbles together,
37:50wrapping the wolf hail
37:50inside my palm.
37:51Now I'm giving it to you.
37:52His golden pupils
37:53contracted slightly
37:54under the lamplight,
37:55reflecting my bald head.
37:56Because you taught me
37:57what is more powerful
37:58than hatred.
37:58Outside the window,
38:00the roses his mother
38:01had planted with her own hands
38:02swayed gently
38:03in the night breeze.
38:04I looked down
38:05at the wolf fang
38:06in my palm.
38:06The bloodstains
38:07touched my fingerprints.
38:09Those dried traces
38:11of blood
38:11had once been
38:12one person's hatred.
38:14And now,
38:15they had become
38:15another person's promise.
38:19I raised my head
38:20and looked at him.
38:21Nicholas stood before me,
38:22his golden pupils
38:23reflecting the image
38:24of my bald head.
38:25The smile still languered
38:26at the corner of his mouth,
38:28but the depths of his eyes
38:29were serious.
38:30He had long since grown
38:31into a forest within my heart,
38:33one that could never
38:34be shaken again.
38:35From that night on,
38:36every lamp in the estate
38:37was lit for me.
38:39A photo of me
38:40appeared on his study desk,
38:41not the silver-haired girl
38:43from the awakening ceremony.
38:44It was a bold woman
38:46with calm eyes.
38:47He said that one was better.
38:50I asked him why.
38:52Because this one,
38:53you chose for yourself.
38:56Some strength
38:57doesn't need long hair
38:58to prove it.
39:01I strung the wolf fang
39:03onto a chain
39:03and wore it close to my chest.
39:06Not as a warning,
39:08as a token.
39:09The silver hair
39:10grew back slowly
39:11over the following months.
39:12Still a moonlit silver,
39:14still flowing
39:15with the power
39:16of the Warwick bloodline.
39:17But this time,
39:18when I extended my senses
39:19and reached out the window,
39:20that sensory domain,
39:21once sealed solid with cement,
39:23was flowing again,
39:24clearer than before,
39:25reaching further.
39:26I could even sense
39:27the lost heartbeat
39:28of a stray pup
39:28crossing Central Park
39:29two blocks away.
39:30I was a little stunned.
39:31Nicholas walked into the study
39:33and saw me spacing out.
39:34What's wrong?
39:35He asked.
39:36I thought after it was shaved off,
39:38even if it grew back,
39:40the senses wouldn't return.
39:42He sat down beside me.
39:43The silver hair
39:44is a vessel,
39:45but what fills that vessel
39:47is your own.
39:48Zoe shaved off your vessel,
39:50but no one can shave away
39:52your power.
39:52It was always there,
39:54it just temporarily
39:55couldn't find an outlet.
39:57I looked at him.
40:00You knew all along
40:01it would grow back.
40:02I've always known.
40:03He shrugged dismissively.
40:05That look on his face
40:06made me want to laugh.
40:07The Alliance sent several inquiries
40:09about the follow-up
40:10to the exile of Liam
40:11and his former subordinates.
40:12Nicholas replied
40:13with only one line,
40:14handled per the code.
40:16He didn't say
40:16another word about it.
40:17Zoe was reportedly
40:18sighted by someone
40:19on the western border.
40:21The silver scar
40:21on her neck
40:22made it impossible
40:23for her to stay
40:24in any pack
40:24for more than three days.
40:26She never came
40:27looking for me.
40:28Probably knew
40:28it was useless.
40:29Liam's mother
40:30still occasionally
40:31had letters delivered.
40:33Each letter
40:33was shorter
40:34than the last.
40:35The final one
40:36had only one line.
40:37on the old northern battlefield
40:39he wowed it
40:39all night long alone.
40:41I folded the letter
40:42and placed it
40:43in the deepest part
40:44of a drawer.
40:46No reply.
40:48Some wounds
40:49no apology can heal.
40:51When winter came,
40:52all the roses
40:52on the back hill
40:53of the estate bloomed.
40:54Nicholas said
40:55his mother planted them
40:56when she was alive.
40:57They hadn't bloomed
40:58in decades.
40:59This year,
41:00for some unknown reason,
41:01they all bloomed overnight.
41:02I stood among the flowers.
41:05My newly grown silver hair
41:06had it already
41:07reaches the waist.
41:08Moonlight spilled over it,
41:10flowing with living silver.
41:11Nicholas walked up
41:13from behind
41:13and draped a wool shog
41:14over my shoulders.
41:15Cold?
41:16I shook my head.
41:17He rested his chin
41:18on the top of my head
41:19and stood there quietly
41:20for a long time.
41:22There's one thing
41:23I've never asked you.
41:24He suddenly spoke.
41:27What?
41:28That morning.
41:29The moment you sent
41:30that signal
41:31along the truemate bond.
41:32Were you afraid?
41:34I thought about it.
41:37I was.
41:39Afraid you wouldn't respond.
41:41He turned me around
41:42and looked at me.
41:43His golden pupils
41:44were so gentle
41:45under the moonlight
41:45that they didn't belong
41:46to an alpha.
41:47I would never not respond.
41:49He said,
41:50I waited six years.
41:52Wait another six,
41:52wait another sixty.
41:54As long as you call,
41:55I will always answer.
41:56I looked at him
41:57and smiled.
41:58The wind blew in
41:59from the back hill.
42:00The roses all across
42:01the garden swayed
42:02gently under the moonlight.
42:03Those flowers
42:04were white as snow.
42:06White as my silver hair.
42:07White as everything
42:08that starts over
42:09from the beginning.
42:10I placed my hand
42:11in his palm.
42:12Let's go home.
42:15He squeezed my hand tightly.
42:17Okay.
42:18Okay.
42:18Go away.
42:19Come away.
42:20Go.
Commentaires