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