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