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Soulbound: The Lion and The Rabbit 20eps HD 1080p ASM
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Short filmTranscript
00:00Cormac dumped my body in the woods. Funeral, no grave, just crows. That was the second time I died for
00:05him.
00:06In my world, blindness is a curse. But having no beast soul, you're less than nothing.
00:10I'm a rabbit shifter at the absolute bottom. No power, no beast, no healing ability.
00:16Stab a normal shifter, they heal in minutes. Scratch me and I bleed for days.
00:20But I hide one secret. Don't see faces, I see souls. Jealousy, it's a toxic green.
00:25Hatred? A deep oily black. In my past life, I used this gift to build a king.
00:31Cormac, the forgotten fifth son of the Black Tiger Beast King. I chose him, forged him, and crowned him.
00:36But the day my sister Malifera died, his grip snapped my jaw. He shoved pure snake venom down my throat.
00:43You blind freak. I never wanted you. Malifera was supposed to be mine.
00:49Because of you, she ended up with Kaylin. They tortured her to death. This is your fault!
00:54I died in agony. He threw a grand funeral for Malifera, and dumped me in the woods.
01:00But death couldn't hold me. My sheer hatred for him dragged me right back from the dark.
01:05I opened my eyes. Seventeen again.
01:08The night of the bond ceremony, Cormac blew right past me, snatching Malifera's hand like it was stolen gold.
01:14The bastard regressed too. He retained every memory, terrified I'd claim him again.
01:18Honestly, I couldn't care less. My true sight swept the room. And there, in a sea of rotting souls, I
01:24saw it.
01:24A single soul blazing like molten white gold. The man in the wheelchair. That was the true Beast King.
01:31I choose Malifera as my mate.
01:35Cormac's voice cut through the hall like a whip.
01:37She is my one and only fated mate.
01:39He strode toward her. The tenderness in his eyes was all an act. Dead silence. The whispers hit me like
01:45a wall.
01:45Who would be stupid enough to pick her?
01:47A blind, beastless rabbit?
01:49Absolute joke. Why is she even here?
01:51Trash belongs underground. Not at the bond ceremony.
01:55I was the daughter of the Moongrass Beast King, born blind.
01:58My beast soul never awakened.
02:00In a predator's world, that's not just a weakness. It's a death sentence.
02:05Malifera, my sister, was the golden child, gifted with the siren's voice.
02:09One note could tame the most feral beasts.
02:11My family worshipped her as a goddess. And me? I was a mistake.
02:16Cormac dropped to one knee in front of her.
02:18Mate with me. I'll make you the most powerful woman in the world.
02:22He shot a glance back at me. Not an apology. A warning.
02:26He actually believed he could seize the Beast King's throne alone.
02:29Saw me as dead weight. The idiot had zero clue what he just trashed.
02:32When I came of age, I didn't awaken a beast's soul.
02:35I awakened something far more dangerous. True sight.
02:38Jealousy is a toxic green. Hatred is pitch black. Globe is a pink flame.
02:43The deeper the bond, the fiercer it burns.
02:44In my past life, his power saved him.
02:46I spotted assassins before they even moved.
02:49I told him who to trust and who to slaughter.
02:51This time, I'm giving him exactly what he wants, then I'll sit back.
02:54Watch reality crush him.
02:56But without me, he is nothing.
02:58You'd better not fall back begging.
02:59My mercy well dried up last lifetime.
03:03Every eye in the room snapped to me.
03:05I'm just a blind rabbit.
03:07Unworthy of a male like Cormac.
03:09Malifera is his perfect mate.
03:11Cormac stepped closer, sneering.
03:13At least you know your place.
03:14A beastless bottom feeder?
03:16I wouldn't pick you if you were the last female breathing.
03:20Not even if you crawl to my feet.
03:22Beside me, my mother, Elaria gasped.
03:24Stepping up, I squeezed her hand.
03:26She quieted down.
03:27I slammed the room with true sight.
03:29Kaelin?
03:29Dark charcoal.
03:30Masking pure cruelty just beneath the surface.
03:33The other airs?
03:34Murky pools of greed and lust.
03:36Last time, I chose Cormac because his soul looked purer than all the rest.
03:39But it was just a mask.
03:40The day he killed me, I finally saw the rotting purple black underneath.
03:44He didn't hate my mistakes.
03:46He hated me.
03:47Last time, I was blind to too many things.
03:49Never again.
03:50Malifera floated over, faking a sweet smile.
03:52Aw, don't pout.
03:54Go ahead.
03:55Pick whoever you want.
03:56I'll let you have him.
03:57Her soul was churning in toxic green.
04:00Pure jealousy spilling over.
04:01No one wants you anyway.
04:03But you can beg me for a job.
04:06Malifera needs a maid.
04:07A mateless, bottom-tier female.
04:10Only fit for scrubbing boots.
04:12I didn't even blink.
04:14I couldn't even bother to care.
04:15They weren't worth my energy, though.
04:17The sound of wheels against stone.
04:18The whispers died instantly.
04:20The whole room seemed to tremble.
04:21Cassius Stormborn.
04:23Uninvited.
04:24Unannounced.
04:25He sat in a wheelchair, his face stone-cold, reeking of resting apex predator.
04:29And then, I saw his soul.
04:31Wreck caught white gold.
04:32Pure, blinding, and burning like molten starlight.
04:35The mark of the ancient lion, the real Beast King.
04:37I clenched my fists until my nails drew blood.
04:40Last time, I picked the wrong mate.
04:42I defied the Beast God and crowned an arrogant black tiger, and everyone paid the price.
04:46Not this time.
04:47I stood up.
04:48Ignoring Cormac entirely, I glided past.
04:50Past every bloated Beast King air in the room.
04:53I stopped at Cassius' wheelchair.
04:54I choose him.
04:56Dead silence hit the hall.
04:57A minute erupted.
04:58Ladder exploded from every corner.
04:59The blind rabbit and the crippled lion.
05:03Neither of you even has a beast soul.
05:07What a perfect match.
05:09Vera, you can't see.
05:12You don't understand.
05:14He's a white lion who can't even hunt anymore.
05:17He's in a wheelchair.
05:18She paraded her gaze over the crowd, milking every single word.
05:21I'll pretend I didn't hear that.
05:22Pick again.
05:24If no Beast King bloodline wants you, you're welcome to join our pack.
05:29Serve Cormac and me.
05:31At least you won't starve.
05:33I am nobody's servant.
05:34And I am not your charity case.
05:37Through it all, Cassius didn't say a word.
05:39He simply wheeled forward until he faced me.
05:41He took my hand.
05:42His broad, rough palm engulfed mine heavy in blade calluses.
05:48He pinned my hand to his knee.
05:50No flinching.
05:51No excuses.
05:52He refused their pity.
05:53I left my hand exactly where it was.
05:55Even through the fabric, I could feel his body heat.
05:58Hot.
05:58Real, then a deep drum.
05:59It shot through my fingertips, raced at my arm, and slammed into my chest like a punch.
06:04This wasn't true sight.
06:05This was something else entirely.
06:06My blood boiled.
06:07I had no Beast's soul.
06:09I wasn't supposed to be able to feel Beast's resonance.
06:12But it was undeniable.
06:16Cassius froze completely.
06:17I looked deep into his soul.
06:18Warm pink weaving through gleaming silver.
06:20I leaned in and smiled.
06:21I can heal your leg.
06:23Cormac's face darkened.
06:24The bond ceremony isn't over.
06:26And you're making promises you can't keep.
06:28If you fail, the Beast Court will have your head.
06:31Can you really do it?
06:33I didn't answer right away.
06:34I let my fingers trace slowly up his tense thigh.
06:36I can't.
06:37But it requires a very specific kind of touch.
06:41He understood immediately.
06:42The tips of his ears turned red.
06:44He turned his head away.
06:45In the corner of my arm, Cormac's soul flared.
06:48Sickly green.
06:49Jealousy.
06:49I almost laughed.
06:50What exactly are you jealous of, Cormac?
06:52You were the one who forced poison down my throat.
06:54The second I stepped out of the hall, the world tilted.
06:57Burning pain stabbed behind my eyes like a chisel driving into my skull.
07:01That was the price.
07:02Using true sight and so many people at once always came with a cost.
07:05I pressed my freezing fingers to my temples.
07:07The bone-chilling cold always followed.
07:09After the bond ceremony, Cormac made his move.
07:12Just like me, he remembered everything from our past life.
07:14He knew exactly what flowers Malifera loved, where she hid, and what she desperately wanted
07:19to hear.
07:19He used every single detail to play her perfectly, and it worked.
07:22Malifera dumped Caelan and chose Cormac.
07:25That same day, a marriage pact written on heavy ancient parchment arrived at my door.
07:29I accept you as my mate.
07:30I will guard and protect you in this life and the next.
07:32Not even death will part us.
07:34The handwriting was bold, unhesitating.
07:36It felt exactly like him.
07:38Both weddings were set for the exact same morning.
07:40The night before, Malifera waltzed into my room like she owned the place.
07:43She didn't even knock.
07:44Her maid threw something at my feet.
07:46A ragged gray shawl.
07:47The kind worn by the absolute lowest tier females.
07:50A mark of total submission.
07:52You're a blind freak, Vera.
07:55A true Beast King bloodline will never accept you.
07:59Cormac and I are being generous.
08:01We're keeping you on as a servant.
08:03But tomorrow, you don't get a carriage.
08:06Put this on.
08:08Walk behind the procession through the servant's entrance.
08:11And try not to embarrass us.
08:13Morning came.
08:14I left the shawl exactly where it fell.
08:16I put on the dress Cassius had sent white silk.
08:18Thousands of diamonds stitched into it.
08:20It looked like I was wearing starlight.
08:21At the manor gates, two carriages waited.
08:23One was pure luxury, encrusted with pearls the size of my thumb.
08:26A throne on wheels.
08:27The other was pitiful.
08:28Plain wood.
08:29Completely unremarkable.
08:31Malifera didn't hesitate for a second.
08:32She marched straight to the pearl carriage and climbed inside.
08:35The captain of the guard turned to her, his face deadpanned.
08:38You're in the wrong carriage.
08:40Beast King Cassius ordered this for his mate.
08:42Not you.
08:43He didn't give her time to argue.
08:44The guards grabbed her arms and hauled her out.
08:46Her heel caught on her dress and she crashed face first into the mud.
08:50Cormac arrived just in time to see it.
08:51Malifera scrambled up and threw herself into his arms, already sobbing.
08:59It's Vera.
09:00She did this on purpose.
09:02She can't stand that I'm about to become his mate.
09:05She turned to the gathering crowd, her eyes shining with big tears.
09:08Please.
09:09Don't blame her.
09:10She's just bitter.
09:12Cormac, I know you love me.
09:15But please, don't hurt her.
09:19I begged you to let her stay as a servant, so she wouldn't starve on the streets.
09:24She's just a blind rabbit.
09:25She should be grateful anyone took her in.
09:28Pulling a stunt like this at her sister's wedding?
09:30Pathetic.
09:31Crowds are always cruel.
09:32The second they smell weakness, they attack.
09:34I watched Cormac's soul sink into a thick, suffocating black, like ink.
09:38He pulled Malifera to his chest and turned to me.
09:40You're a bottom-leer rabbit, Vera.
09:42You don't have the right to wear white.
09:45Take that dress off right now, or I'll rip it off your back myself.
09:49Malifera buried her face in his chest, but I could see her soul.
09:52She was smirking.
09:52I didn't move an inch.
09:53Cormac, I'm not here to protect you anymore.
09:57Tonight won't be a wedding for you.
10:00It will be a funeral.
10:02Malifera flinched.
10:05How could you curse him like that?
10:07Just because he didn't pick you?
10:10You dare curse and beast King heir?
10:13Guards!
10:14Seize her!
10:15The soldiers surged forward.
10:18Think carefully.
10:19I didn't take a single step back.
10:21You are about to touch Beast King Cassius' mate.
10:25Are you prepared for the consequences?
10:28Cormac let out a harsh, grating laugh.
10:30Cassius?
10:31The crippled lion isn't even here.
10:34He's probably hiding in his den, too ashamed to show his face.
10:37He's just using you as a toy, Vera.
10:40Nothing more.
10:41He stepped forward, blocking my path.
10:44On your knees.
10:46Beg for Malifera's forgiveness.
10:48And maybe, just maybe, I'll find a use for you.
10:52Then a voice cut through everything.
10:54Who is threatening my mate?
10:55The crowd split.
10:57Cassius rolled through them, but they didn't even exist.
11:00A perfectly tailored black suit, even sitting down.
11:02His aura was suffocating.
11:04The second he appeared, the street went dead silent.
11:07Next to him, Cormac looked like a boy playing dress-up.
11:10Cassius came straight to me.
11:12He took my hand and wrapped it in his broad wound.
11:14I'm completely steady.
11:16Sorry I'm late, Vera.
11:18Then he looked up.
11:18His gaze locked onto Cormac like a blade finding its mark.
11:22Now let's try that again.
11:24Who told my mate to get on her knees?
11:27The temperature in the street seemed to drop.
11:29No one moved.
11:31No one breathed.
11:32Cassius didn't shout.
11:33He didn't signal his guards.
11:35He just stared at Cormac like a predator eyeing prey he'd deal with later.
11:39Then he spoke three words.
11:41I remember you.
11:42Cormac's voice came out slightly worse.
11:44I'm an alpha heir just like you.
11:46Who the hell do you think you are?
11:48Cassius gave a short, quiet laugh.
11:50A fifth son your own father barely remembers.
11:53Barking orders at my mate.
11:55You are out of your depth, Cormac.
11:57Cormac's face went completely pale.
11:59This isn't over.
12:00Both of you are going to regret tonight.
12:02He turned to me one last time, his eyes full of pure malice.
12:06I gave you a chance, Vera.
12:08You will regret this.
12:10And when you come crawling back, don't expect any mercy.
12:14I glanced at his soul.
12:16Murky green, small and authentic.
12:17He actually believed he was the chosen one.
12:20He thought the throne was already his, and that I was just holding him back.
12:24He had no idea what was coming for him.
12:26Without me clearing his path, he wouldn't even survive the season.
12:30It would be an absolute miracle if we lived to see the leaves turn around.
12:34Our first night as mates was quiet.
12:36Just the two of us, a fire crackling softly between us.
12:39We had shared a whiskey on the ride down, the amber liquid burning slowly in my chest.
12:44I could feel his gaze on my skin heavy and warm.
12:48My heartbeat wouldn't settle.
12:50Even sitting across from me, he filled the hole.
12:53He leaned forward.
12:54You said you could heal my legs.
12:56How?
12:57Do me a favor first.
12:59I've never seen this room.
13:01Describe it to me.
13:02He let out a low rumble of a laugh and began.
13:05He talked about the glow of the fire.
13:07The oil paintings on the walls.
13:09Not just the subjects, but the texture of the paint.
13:12The direction of the brush strokes.
13:13He described the velvet curtains.
13:16How heavy and thick they were.
13:18Then he paused.
13:19On the shelf above the nightstand, there's an old book.
13:22The cover is faded.
13:23My hand froze on my glass.
13:25That shelf was near the ceiling.
13:27From a wheelchair.
13:28He wouldn't even be able to see the top of that book.
13:30There was absolutely no way he could know the cover was faded.
13:34I didn't say a word.
13:36I just took a sip of my drink and filed that little detail away.
13:39I stood up, holding my glass and intentionally let it slip from my fingers.
13:43It hit the rug with a soft thud and rolled toward the sofa.
13:46His body moved before he could stop it.
13:49His chest jerked.
13:50The muscles in his thighs snapped taut like coiled iron.
13:52For a split second, he almost stood up from the wheelchair.
13:55Then he caught himself sinking back into the leather as if nothing had happened.
14:00But I felt it.
14:01That pure instinct.
14:02It was the exact answer I was looking for.
14:04I didn't say anything.
14:06Instead, I walked slowly toward him.
14:08There is one other way to be sure.
14:10I stepped close and straddled his lap.
14:12Cassius stopped breathing.
14:14The heat of his hands burned right through my silk dress.
14:17Searing my skin like a brand.
14:18My heart was pounding against my ribs, but I ignored it.
14:21I raised my hand, tracing my fingertips from his jawline down to his chest.
14:26The muscles under his shirt were rock hard.
14:28This was not the body of a man who hadn't used his legs in seven years.
14:32I looked into his soul.
14:34A storm was brewing inside him.
14:36Deep red and soft pink churning together.
14:39But cutting right through them was a sharp spike of dark green panic.
14:43He knew I was dangerously close to the truth.
14:45I leaned in.
14:46My lips lightly brushed the corner of his mouth.
14:49Not a kiss.
14:51A test.
14:52His breathing hitted.
14:54Then, I took his hand.
14:56And pressed his palm flat against my chest.
15:00That fleeting, barely-there touch.
15:04My face was burning.
15:05But in that exact moment, his body gave me the most honest answer he had.
15:11His body reacted before his mind could stop it.
15:14I felt his center of gravity shift.
15:16His thighs snapped taut, and he instinctively surged upward.
15:19A man who has been paralyzed for seven years doesn't react like that.
15:24Your legs are fine.
15:26That much I know.
15:28Cassius closed his eyes.
15:29His atom strike bobbed.
15:30And then, he stood up.
15:32One hand locked around my waist, the other still resting against my chest.
15:35He lifted me completely off the ground.
15:37And I finally felt just how strong he really was.
15:42Nearly six foot four of pure, solid muscle.
15:45Suddenly, my entire world narrowed down to him.
15:48How did you know?
15:50I just smiled and gave him an answer vague enough to pass.
15:53He set me down gently on the edge of the bed, then took a step back.
15:57The hand that had touched my chest was trembling.
16:00I'm sorry.
16:01I shouldn't have.
16:03Don.
16:04I'm the one who put your hand there.
16:06He looked at me for a long time.
16:08Then he laughed, a real laugh, like seven years of tension had finally cracked.
16:13Seven years.
16:13Seven whole years fooling everyone.
16:16Fooling the entire damn world.
16:17And my blind mate figures me out on the very first night.
16:20We didn't take things any further that night.
16:22We just sat on the rug by the fire, whiskey between us, and talked.
16:27He told me about the night his parents were murdered.
16:29They said a rogue wolf did it.
16:30But everyone knew the truth.
16:32The Beast King gave the order.
16:33At fifteen years old, standing at his parents' funeral, Cassius made a choice.
16:36He became a cripple, invisible.
16:38He completely erased himself from the Beast King's hit list.
16:41It was the only way to stay alive.
16:42I didn't choose you because I ran out of options.
16:45I chose you because you were the only one worth choosing.
16:49Through my true sight, I watched his soul shift.
16:53The silver slowly melting into a deep, brilliant pink.
16:57Late that night, the price of using true sight came to collect.
17:01A tearing pain exploded behind my temples like an axe-splitting bone.
17:04I tried to steady my hands, but they shook violently.
17:08Cassius stopped mid-sentence.
17:11Your head.
17:12Before I could pull away, his thumbs were pressing into my temples.
17:16The pressure was perfect.
17:18As if he knew exactly where the pain was before he even touched me.
17:22My mother used to get headaches like this.
17:25I've known how to do this since I was a kid.
17:27The pain didn't just ease.
17:28It vanished, way faster than it naturally should have.
17:31There was something else about him.
17:33Something hidden.
17:34I filed that realization away for later.
17:36I was too exhausted to dig into it tonight.
17:39I let myself lean into his hands and closed my eyes.
17:42We slept in the same bed.
17:43His arm was a heavy, warm weight draped over my waist.
17:47My head rested against his chest.
17:50I listened to his heartbeat.
17:52Steady.
17:52Grounding.
17:53Like a drum that had always been there.
17:55Through my true sight, I watched his soul settle.
17:59The silver softening.
18:00Deepening into a rich, quiet pink.
18:04For the first time in two lifetimes,
18:06I felt completely safe.
18:09Meanwhile, Cormac's wedding night was falling apart.
18:12In our past life, a maid tried to poison his drink.
18:14I caught her before she even got close.
18:16I saw the killing instate in her soul.
18:17Switched the cups and had her detained before Cormac took a sip.
18:20This time, I did absolutely nothing.
18:22Malifera wouldn't notice a thing.
18:23She wouldn't recognize a threat if it sat next to her and introduced herself.
18:27The next morning, Cassius and I arrived at the Beast King's manor.
18:37No sign of Cormac.
18:39No sign of Maliferna.
18:41Low, urgent whispers echoed through the hallways.
18:44The fifth heir of the Black Tiger Alpha was poisoned in his own room.
18:47He hasn't woken up.
18:48The healers said the dose was enough to take down a grizzly bear.
18:51I kept my face perfectly still.
18:54But underneath, I was smiling.
18:59Cormac's downfall had already begun.
19:03And this time, I wasn't going to stop it.
19:06Before our carriage even fully stopped,
19:09Malifera appeared at the main gates.
19:10She looked like she hadn't slept in days.
19:12Puffy eyes.
19:13Tangled hair.
19:14She threw herself at the carriage window, hammering her fists against the glass.
19:17Vera, you poisoned him.
19:19Give me the antidote right now.
19:21Even though Cassius hadn't moved a muscle beside me,
19:24I felt the temperature inside the carriage shift.
19:27I placed my hand on his arm.
19:29I'll handle this.
19:30I leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek.
19:33Then, I stepped out into the morning air.
19:36Antidote?
19:36I don't have one.
19:38Whatever happened to Cormac has absolutely nothing to do with me.
19:42Liar!
19:43Then ask to me!
19:46Then how did you know he would die on his wedding night?
19:49I tilted my head.
19:51That's a serious accusation.
19:54Where's your proof?
19:56Did you catch the killer?
19:58Did you find the poison?
19:59I already knew she hadn't.
20:01The spy Kaylin sent was a professional.
20:03Without my true sight, she was a ghost.
20:05No one would have even noticed her presence.
20:06By now, she was probably across the border.
20:09Completely untouchable.
20:10Malifera stood there, her mouth open, but no words came out.
20:14If you keep causing a scene on my territory, my warriors will throw you out.
20:20Her eyes dropped to my neck.
20:21She saw the red mark Cassius had left there.
20:24A flicker of irritation crossed her face.
20:26You actually slept with him?
20:28She scoffed.
20:29A blind rabbit and a crippled lion?
20:31I guess trash really does belong together.
20:34I thought back to last night.
20:35The fire, the whiskey, the sheer weight of him when he finally stood over me.
20:38Cassius was no cripple.
20:40He was 10,000 times the man Cormac would ever be.
20:42I laughed.
20:44What's so funny?
20:45She snapped.
20:46I stopped laughing.
20:46I looked right at her, close enough to it.
20:48I'm laughing at how incredibly blind you are.
20:51Cormac is dying.
20:53And when he goes down, he's taking you with him.
20:55If you want to survive the storm that's coming, cut your ties with him right now, while you
21:01still have the chance.
21:02For her, this was where the road ended.
21:04She swung at my face.
21:06It was a massive sloppy slap.
21:07I felt it coming from a mile away.
21:09I shifted my weight and stepped out of the way.
21:12She only hit empty air.
21:13Her own momentum carried her forward, and she crashed hard onto her hands and knees in the
21:17dirt.
21:17I looked down at her.
21:18Remember this, I said coldly.
21:21Because the next time you raise a hand to me, I won't just step out of the way.
21:25She lay there in the dirt, looking up at me, trembling.
21:27For the first time in her life, she was genuinely afraid of me.
21:30The blind rabbit she used to push around was gone.
21:33When I got back to the carriage, Cassius was waiting for me.
21:36He just watched me with those gray eyes.
21:37No worry.
21:38No pity.
21:39Just respect.
21:39He trusted me to handle my own battles.
21:42That kind of respect meant more than any rescue ever could.
21:44He turned to the captain of his guard and lowered his voice.
21:47No one from Cormag's pack is ever allowed on my territory again.
21:51For any reason.
21:52Ever.
21:53After Malifera was escorted out, we began packing to leave.
21:56We were heading to Mistport.
21:57The courtyard was packed with people and supplies.
22:00A chaotic sort of order, but through the noise, my true sight locked onto a target.
22:04Guard named Vaughn.
22:06His soul was a murky, treacherous gray.
22:07I leaned in close to Cassius's ear.
22:10Who is that man?
22:11Vaughn.
22:12He's been with me since I was 15.
22:14Saved my life twice.
22:15I pulled back and looked at him.
22:16Cassius.
22:17Do you trust me?
22:19His soul flushed instantly.
22:20A deep, dark pink.
22:22You are my mate.
22:22Of course I do.
22:23He's a traitor, I told him.
22:25We change our route to Mistport.
22:27Tell no one.
22:28In my past life, this was where Cassius's story ended.
22:31An ambush on the way to the fort.
22:32A wound that never healed.
22:34He died defending the city walls.
22:35When I finished speaking, my lips lightly brushed his cheek.
22:38Instantly, Cassius's arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me flush against him.
22:42As we crossed the courtyard, I felt Vaughn watching us.
22:45He stared for a second, then quickly looked away.
22:48Cassius buried his face in the crook of my neck.
22:50His breath was warm against my skin.
22:52Are you trying to fix my legs again?
22:53He murmured.
22:54Because I'm happy to wait until tonight, or we can start right now.
22:58By the next morning, Vaughn was gone.
23:00At breakfast, Cassius sat next to me, quietly and meticulously cutting my steak into small pieces.
23:04You were right, he said.
23:07Vaughn was Kaylin's man.
23:08He hid it so well, I didn't suspect him once in seven years.
23:11He pushed a piece of meat around with his fork.
23:13It took some convincing to make him talk.
23:16He looked at me.
23:17How did you know, Zara?
23:18I looked into his soul, silver and pink intertwining perfectly.
23:21No suspicion, no fear.
23:23Lucky guess, I said.
23:24The second the words left my mouth, the pain hit.
23:27A blinding, white-hot agony exploding behind both my temples.
23:30My hands flew to my head before I even realized it.
23:33Cassius didn't say a single word.
23:35He pulled his chair flush against mine and kept cutting my food with one hand.
23:38His other hand slid to the back of my neck and held me there.
23:42The pain melted away.
23:43He had stopped asking why it happened.
23:45He just made sure he was always there when it did.
23:47Missed Port Cassius' territory, barren land.
23:50Scarce resources.
23:51The Beast Court wouldn't look at it twice.
23:53But it smelled like freedom.
23:54The shifters here were loyal to Cassius.
23:56Real, bone-deep loyalty.
23:57When I went to the market, they called me my lady and absolutely refused to take my coin.
24:02Every stall.
24:03Every vendor.
24:03I had to leave the money on the counter and walk away before they would even touch it.
24:07When I returned to the manor, slightly out of breath, a maid watched me walk through the door.
24:11My lady is blind, but she walks faster than any soldier I've ever trained.
24:17Cassius heard her.
24:18That night, his fingers lightly traced the corners of my eyes.
24:21Zara.
24:21He said softly.
24:22Is it really just nothing?
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