- 9 hours ago
Seven Moons Later I Became Another Alpha S Luna Rejected Luna Alpha Romance - All Episodes
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00:00Mist Ridge Pack had an old rule.
00:02If an outside alpha wanted to take a Mist Ridge Weewolf into his pack,
00:05he had to complete seven mate trials with her within seven full moons.
00:09Public claiming at the ceremonial platform,
00:11council mate registration,
00:13the pack acceptance oath,
00:15the night hunt,
00:16the full moon run,
00:17the pack transfer ceremony,
00:19and finally,
00:21the mate vow before the marking.
00:23Only after all seven trials were complete could he register her as his mate,
00:26mark her under the full moon,
00:28and make her his Luna.
00:30I used to believe Ryder would do it.
00:33He was the young alpha of the ruling city pack,
00:36powerful and proud.
00:37The first time he stepped into Mist Ridge,
00:40his alpha authority was clear.
00:42Ryder had once told me he would take me away from Mist Ridge.
00:45You won't be trapped in these mountains forever.
00:47Once the seven trials are over,
00:49you'll become my Luna.
00:50So on every full moon,
00:52I put on my cleanest dress,
00:54forced down the restlessness of my wolf spirit.
00:56and walked alone along the mountain path
00:58to wait for him at the trial site.
01:00But seven times,
01:01he failed to stand beside me.
01:04The seventh full moon was the final mate vow before the marking.
01:09I stood before the Mist Ridge ceremonial platform from dusk
01:13until the moon climbed high above me.
01:15The wound on my ankle had not healed.
01:18The place where wolf spice had burned me throbbed with heat,
01:22and the pain nearly brought me to my knees.
01:25Elder Morin stood below the stone steps,
01:28leaning on his cane.
01:33Annie, this is the seventh time.
01:38I did not answer.
01:43Elder Morin sighed.
01:45Ryder went to the eastern border again.
01:48Catherine sent a distress call.
01:52She said rogue wolves crossed the line.
02:00My fingers tightened around the moonstone at my throat.
02:04Four years ago,
02:05Ryder placed it around my neck with his own hands and said to me,
02:08Annie, once I pass the seven trials,
02:11I will place the true Luna ring on your finger.
02:13This moonstone is merely a token.
02:15At the time, I truly believed he would use the Luna ring to replace it.
02:21But now, I've completely come to my senses.
02:28I called Ryder.
02:30He answered quickly, his voice full of impatience.
02:33Annie, something happened on Catherine's side.
02:36She was leading a patrol along the old Alliance border,
02:39and now she's trapped by rogue wolves.
02:41I have to go.
02:42I watched the elders leave the ceremonial ground one by one,
02:45and I knew this trial was about to end in failure again.
02:48Today is the seventh trial.
02:50Ryder went silent for a second.
02:52I know, but I'm the Alpha.
02:54If something happens at the border, I can't ignore it.
02:57Catherine's low sob came through the phone.
03:00Ryder, I think I smell Wolfbane.
03:03My leg hurts so much.
03:05Ryder's breathing changed at once.
03:07Annie, wait for me one last time.
03:09One last time.
03:11Again.
03:12For the first trial, he said Catherine had found strange tracks near the border.
03:16For the second trial, he said Catherine's wolf spirit had suddenly become restless.
03:20For the third trial, my oath document was contaminated with wolf's bale powder,
03:24and he went after the suspect Catherine claimed to have seen.
03:27For the fourth trial, I entered the forest alone and was bitten by a rogue wolf,
03:31while he saved Catherine on the other side of the territory.
03:34For the fifth trial, I completed the full moon run alone while Ryder stayed with Catherine
03:39and her fake wolf's bane poisoning report.
03:42For the sixth trial, Catherine reported to the council that my wolf spirit was unstable.
03:46Ryder told me to reflect on myself.
03:48And for the seventh trial, he still chose Catherine.
03:51Listening to his voice, I suddenly laughed.
03:54Ryder, don't come this time.
03:56What did you say?
03:57I took off the moonstone hanging at my throat and let it go.
04:00It hit the stone steps of the ceremonial platform and broke into pieces.
04:04On the other end of the phone, Ryder let out a muffled groan.
04:08The seven trials are over.
04:10I'm done waiting for you.
04:12Elder Morin was silent for a long time.
04:15Annie, are you sure?
04:17I looked up at the cold full moon above Mist Ridge.
04:19I'm sure.
04:20Three days from now, arrange the Luna ceremony according to the old alliance.
04:23Three days from now, I will accept Logan's mark and become the Luna of Black Pine Pack.
04:29Ryder returned the next morning.
04:31Catherine followed behind him.
04:33She wore a pale dress and a clean bandage around her leg.
04:36Her face looked weak.
04:37But the corners of her eyes lifted the moment she saw me.
04:41Ryder came up to me, and the first thing he said was not an apology.
04:45Why did you leave the ceremonial ground last night?
04:47I sat outside my wooden house, washing my ankle with herbal water.
04:50The wolf-bide burn had not faded.
04:52The flesh was red and swollen, and even the lightest touch hurt.
04:56I looked up at him.
04:58You didn't come.
05:00Ryder frowned.
05:01I explained.
05:02There was trouble at the border.
05:04Catherine was almost dragged away by rogue wolves.
05:06I looked at Catherine.
05:09There were so many patrol warriors there.
05:12Why did it have to be you?
05:14Ryder's face darkened.
05:15Because I'm the Alpha.
05:17The old alliance between Miss Ridge and the ruling city pack is my responsibility.
05:21If the border is in trouble, I can't stand by and do nothing.
05:23He sounded completely certain, just like every other time.
05:26I asked softly.
05:27Then what about me?
05:29Ryder paused.
05:30I looked into his eyes.
05:31The seventh trial was part of the old alliance, too.
05:33I stood before the ceremonial platform, waiting for you.
05:37Ryder, you stood by and ignored me, too.
05:39A flash of irritation crossed his face.
05:42Annie, don't mix things together.
05:43I never said I didn't want you.
05:44The trials can be arranged again.
05:47I lowered my head and gave a small laugh.
05:51The seven full moons are gone.
05:54I asked Catherine.
05:55Miss Ridge's rules shouldn't be this rigid anymore.
05:57You don't have to use them to force me to mark you now.
05:59That was when I finally understood.
06:01It was not that he did not know.
06:02He simply did not believe I would actually leave.
06:05Before I could speak, Catherine stepped forward and spoke softly in the Miss Ridge dialect.
06:09Annie, you're so pathetic.
06:11Ryder is the Alpha of the ruling city pack.
06:13Did you really think he would make a mountain she-wolf like you his Luna?
06:18You thought the seven trials were love?
06:21They were just promises he made while he was staying in Miss Ridge.
06:26Nothing more.
06:30The Miss Ridge dialect was old.
06:32Ryder did not understand it.
06:34Catherine came from a neighboring pack and knew the language,
06:37so she dared dared to insult me right in front of him.
06:40I answered in the same dialect.
06:42So you were the one who deliberately sabotaged it every time?
06:45A flicker of coldness crossed Catherine's eyes.
06:48A second later, she switched back to the common language, and her eyes reddened.
06:52Annie, I was only trying to explain.
06:54Last night was truly dangerous.
06:56Why did you curse at me in that dialect?
06:58Annie.
06:58Ryder immediately turned to me.
07:00There was warning in his tone.
07:02I looked at him.
07:04Did you hear me curse at her?
07:07Ryder frowned.
07:08I don't understand the Miss Ridge dialect,
07:10but Catherine wouldn't cry for no reason.
07:12The words hurt.
07:13She would not cry for no reason, so every time she cried, I was wrong.
07:16I stood up, forced myself through the pain in my ankle,
07:20and walked step by step to the broken pieces of Moonstone.
07:24Only then did they see them.
07:26His face changed.
07:28You broke it?
07:30Yes.
07:31I bent down and picked up one sharp piece.
07:34It cut into my palm and blood welled up.
07:36Werewolves healed quickly, but the wolf-bide burns still lingered.
07:39My wound closed slowly.
07:40I placed the broken piece into his hand.
07:44Your promise.
07:45I'm giving it back.
07:47Ryder's breath caught.
07:48Annie, don't do this.
07:49I looked up.
07:51I'm not doing anything.
07:52In three days, I will become Logan's Luna.
07:54Ryder's eyes went completely cold.
07:56You're using Logan to provoke me?
07:57I suddenly felt exhausted.
07:59Think whatever you want.
08:01Ryder, we're over.
08:03After saying that, I left without looking back.
08:06I had not planned to deal with Catherine anymore.
08:08But that night, when I went to the healing house for herbs, I heard her voice from inside.
08:13The dose doesn't need to be strong.
08:15Just enough to make my wolf spirit restless for a while.
08:18The healer lowered his voice.
08:20Miss Catherine, misusing wolf-bice potion can damage your wolf spirit.
08:24Catherine sneered.
08:25My wolf spirit is perfectly stable.
08:28As long as Ryder senses it stirring, he'll stay with me.
08:31I stood outside the door, cold all over.
08:34So the so-called loss of control during the second trial had been fake.
08:38The so-called wolf-faith poisoning during the fifth trial had been fake, too.
08:41I pushed the door open.
08:43Catherine turned around sharply, her face paining for a second.
08:46The healer hurried to his feet.
08:48Miss Annie.
08:49I looked at the wolf-bate potion and wolf-bate powder on the table.
08:52So this is how you've been sabotaging the trials all these years?
08:56Catherine quickly calmed down.
08:57She smiled and spoke in the Mistridge dialect.
09:00So what if you know?
09:01Ryder believes me, not you.
09:04I stepped forward and reached for the bottle on the table.
09:07Catherine suddenly knocked it over.
09:08A sharp, bitter smelt burst through the room.
09:12Then she grabbed a pinch of wolf-bate powder and smeared it onto the back of her own hand.
09:17Her skin reddened instantly.
09:19A second later, she screamed.
09:21Annie!
09:22Why are you hurting me?
09:23The door was shoved open.
09:26Ryder rushed in.
09:27He smelled the sharp wolf-bate scent first.
09:30Then he saw the red burn on the back of Catherine's hand.
09:39His eyes fell on me.
09:43What did you do?
09:46I was still holding half of the broken bottle.
09:49The healer lowered his head in fear and said nothing.
09:52Catherine trembled as she cried.
09:54Ryder, I only came to change my bandage.
09:57Annie suddenly rushed in.
09:58She said I stole you from her.
10:00And then she threw wolf's ache at me.
10:02Ryder's gaze darkened bit by bit.
10:04Annie, you know wolf-blind hurts werewolves.
10:07How could you attack her in the healing house?
10:09I looked at him.
10:10You won't even ask me one question?
10:13Ryder's voice was tight with anger.
10:15I only believe what I saw.
10:17I suddenly laughed.
10:19Then did you ever see me, me waiting for you seven times?
10:23He froze.
10:24I walked toward him, step by step.
10:27Did you see me wait at the ceremonial platform until I fainted during the first trial?
10:32Did you see me get chased by a rogue wolf during the fourth night hunt and fall down the mountain
10:37slope?
10:38Did you see me shift alone during the fifth full moon run, cross moonshadow forest forest by myself,
10:44and almost get driven into a ravine by rogue wolves?
10:47Ryder's face changed.
10:49Catherine cried louder.
10:50Ryder, it hurts.
10:51Almost by instinct, he turned to look at her.
10:54That one glance killed the last soft part of me.
10:57I said to the healer,
10:59The council will investigate what happened tonight.
11:02Then I turned and left.
11:04Ryder chased after me.
11:07Annie!
11:09He grabbed my wrist.
11:12You're becoming less and less like the girl you used to be.
11:15I stopped.
11:17The girl I used to be endured everything,
11:19waited, and made excuses for him.
11:22I slowly pulled my hand free.
11:25Ryder,
11:26the Annie you remember died on the seventh full moon.
11:33When I returned to the wooden house,
11:35Grandma Otta was waiting for me.
11:38Child,
11:39Logan will come tomorrow.
11:42Good.
11:45Grandma banded my wounds.
11:47Are you afraid?
11:48I stayed silent for a long time.
11:52Yes.
11:53I was afraid of being marked by an alpha I barely knew.
11:55But I was even more afraid of waiting for Ryder.
11:58Tomorrow,
11:58Logan would arrive.
11:59And Ryder would finally learn that this time I was not waiting.
12:04The next day,
12:05Blackpink Pack arrived in Mist Ridge.
12:08There was no noise.
12:09No display of power.
12:11Logan wore a black robe with a wolf-patterned cloak over his shoulders.
12:15Behind him stood his Beta,
12:17Warriors,
12:18and Alliance witnesses.
12:19He stopped outside my house instead of walking straight in.
12:23Annie,
12:25May I come in?
12:27That simple question made me pause.
12:29Ryder never asked.
12:30He always thought that if he wanted to see me,
12:33I should already be waiting for him.
12:35You may.
12:36Logan entered the wooden house.
12:38His eyes stopped on my ankle for a second,
12:40but he did not ask anything that would embarrass me.
12:42He only placed a thick cloak over the back of a chair.
12:46The mountain wind is cold.
12:48Wear this on the way to the ceremony.
12:49Elder Morin sat at the wooden table
12:51and unfolded the Alliance document sent by Blackpink Pack.
12:54Alpha Logan,
12:55are you certain you want to accept Annie as your Luna?
12:58She was once Alpha Ryder's intended mate.
13:00Only after seven failed trials
13:02did Mist Ridge arrange her mate status according to the old rules.
13:05Logan looked at the Elder.
13:06I know.
13:07Elder Morin continued.
13:09You are not accepting her for the sake of Alliance benefits?
13:12Logan's answer was steady.
13:15No.
13:16The first time I saw Annie was after the fourth night hunt.
13:20I froze.
13:22After the fourth trial,
13:24I had crawled out of the forest covered in blood.
13:27I thought no one had seen me that day.
13:31Logan said quietly,
13:33She had been bitten by a rogue wolf,
13:37but she still brought an injured pup back to the patrol.
13:41That was when I knew she was better suited to be a Luma
13:44than many werewolves who call themselves strong.
13:49The room fell quiet.
13:51My throat tightened.
13:52Someone had seen me.
13:53Not because I had cried loudly enough to be noticed,
13:56but because even at my worst,
13:57someone remembered my courage.
13:59Logan turned to me.
14:00Annie, I won't force you.
14:02If you don't want this,
14:03today's Alliance can be cancelled.
14:05Grandma looked at me nervously.
14:06Elder Morin did not rush me either.
14:08I looked at Logan.
14:09His eyes were calm.
14:10There was no pity,
14:11no impatience,
14:12and no sense that he was taking what Ryder had left behind.
14:14I accept.
14:16Then, as Alpha of Black Pine Pack,
14:18I ask the Council of Miss Ridge for Annie's hand.
14:20I will give her Luna status,
14:21Luna rights,
14:22and the respect owed to a mate.
14:23If one day she no longer wishes to stay in Black Pine,
14:26I will not use my mark to trap her.
14:28My eyes lifted sharply.
14:29Logan looked at me,
14:30his voice low and steady.
14:32A mark is not a chain,
14:33at least not with me.
14:36The Luna ceremony was set for that night.
14:39When Ryder arrived at the Elder's Hall,
14:41the Alliance had already been signed.
14:43He saw the Black Pined blood seal on the table,
14:46and his expression turned dark.
14:50Annie, are you really going to marry him?
14:52Yes.
14:54Ryder stared at me in disbelief.
14:56You would rather choose an Alpha you barely know
14:58than wait three more days for me?
15:00I waited for you for seven full moons,
15:02not three days.
15:06The Luna ceremony was held at the highest point
15:09beneath the full moon.
15:10Before the ceremonial platform,
15:12Black Pine warriors stood in two lines.
15:15Logan held my hand and led me up the stone steps.
15:17My ankle still hurt.
15:19Every step pulled at the wound.
15:21Logan noticed.
15:22Can you walk?
15:23He stopped and asked quietly.
15:25I nodded.
15:26Yes.
15:27There's no rush.
15:29Black Pine can wait for its Luna to walk steadily.
15:31My eyes stang.
15:32Ryder had only ever made me wait.
15:35Now, someone was willing to wait for me.
15:37The Elder recited the vow to the moon goddess.
15:39Logan cut his palm and let his blood fall onto the oath stone.
15:43I, Logan, Alpha of Black Pine, accept Annie as my Luna.
15:47I will respect her, protect her, hear her voice, and honor her choices.
15:51He looked at me.
15:52Annie.
15:53Do you accept my mark?
15:55I closed my eyes for a moment.
15:57Ryder had never asked whether I wanted his mark.
16:00He only kept saying he would give it to me later.
16:02But the one standing before me now was Logan.
16:05I accept.
16:06When pain touched the side of my neck,
16:08my wolf spirit trembled softly inside my mind.
16:11It was not fear.
16:12It was relief.
16:13I no longer had to hold myself up alone.
16:16After the mark was complete,
16:17Black Pine's mind link opened to me.
16:19Luna.
16:20Welcome home.
16:23At the same time,
16:25Black Pine Pack sent an official notice
16:26to every allied pack and every alpha in the alliance.
16:30Official notice.
16:31Alpha Logan of Black Pine Pack
16:33has marked Annie of Mist Ridge Pack
16:35under the full moon
16:36and accepted her as his official Luna.
16:38When the notice went out,
16:40Ryder was still at the eastern border
16:41dealing with the conflict-licked Catherine had created.
16:44I heard later what happened
16:46when the notice reached him.
16:49Ryder dropped to his knees on the spot.
16:51Not because he was injured.
16:53Because the last trace of the mate pull inside him
16:56had been severed by Logan's mark.
16:59A werewolf could feel a strong pull and still miss it.
17:04But once the other person was officially marked,
17:06the unfinished pull would naturally break.
17:09Ryder had finally lost me.
17:11By the time he reached Black Pine territory,
17:14the ceremony was already over.
17:15I stood beneath the platform
17:17with a fresh Luna mark on my neck.
17:21Logan's hand rested behind my back.
17:23Close enough to protect me,
17:25but not close enough to pressure me.
17:27Ryder stopped outside the border.
17:29Black Pine's territorial scent covered the pines,
17:31clearly warning every outside werewolf not to cross.
17:34He looked at me,
17:36his eyes slowly turning red.
17:38Annie.
17:42I turned to him.
17:44His voice was horsey.
17:46You really let him mark you?
17:49Yes.
17:50I was only a little late.
17:55I looked at him.
17:57No.
17:58You missed seven chances.
18:04Ryder clenched his fists.
18:06I can make it up to you.
18:08The trials can be repeated.
18:10The vows can be said again.
18:12Logan stepped forward.
18:14She is already my Luna.
18:17Ryder's gaze turned cold at once.
18:20What happened between Annie and me
18:22is none of your business.
18:23Logan released his alpha authority,
18:25his voice steady.
18:27You are standing at Black Pine's border,
18:29speaking to Black Pine's Luna like that.
18:32Ryder,
18:32are you challenging me,
18:35or are you challenging all of Black Pack?
18:38Ryder froze.
18:39I looked at him and felt nothing familiar.
18:42He used to be the future I believed in.
18:44Now he belonged to a past I had left behind.
18:47Ryder refused to leave.
18:48He stood outside Black Pine's border,
18:51staring at the mark on my neck.
18:52Annie, I don't believe you truly wanted this.
18:55You promised you would be my Luna.
18:57Do you even remember the seven trials?
19:00Ryder's breath caught.
19:02The Black Pine members,
19:03Miss Ridge elders,
19:04and Alliance witnesses all went silent.
19:06I did not cry.
19:07I did not raise my voice.
19:08In front of everyone,
19:09I laid out those seven full moons,
19:11one by one.
19:12The first time was the public claiming
19:14at the ceremonial platform.
19:16I stood there from dusk until dawn,
19:19until the elders left one after another.
19:22You said Catherine had found tracks near the border,
19:26and that you had to check them yourself.
19:28That day,
19:29every member of Miss Ridge saw me
19:31standing alone on the platform.
19:33I became a joke.
19:38Ryder's face slowly turned pale.
19:41The second time was the councilmate registration.
19:45I wore the white dress my grandmother gave me
19:48and waited in the registration hall.
19:50Catherine used a wolf band potion
19:51to stir her own wolf spirit,
19:53and you said she was about to lose control.
19:55You said she needed you.
19:56The elder asked me whether the alpha
19:58of the ruling city pack had changed his mind.
20:00I explained for you.
20:03I said you would come.
20:04The third time was the pack acceptance oath.
20:07My document was contaminated with wolf bane.
20:10My fingers were burned.
20:11You did not investigate who had touched it.
20:14You only chased the suspect
20:16Catherine claimed to have seen.
20:19The fourth time was the night hunt.
20:21I entered the forest alone
20:23and was almost bitten through the throat
20:24by a rogue wolf.
20:25You were on the other side saving Catherine.
20:31Logan's eyes fell on me
20:32and his fingers tightened slightly.
20:34I paused for a moment,
20:36then continued.
20:37The fifth time was the full moon run.
20:40It was a full moon trial
20:42meant for young mates.
20:43Both partners had to complete the route together.
20:46But I shifted alone
20:47and crossed Moonshadow Forest in wolf form.
20:50I almost got driven into a ravine by rogue wolves.
20:54You were at the healing house
20:55saying Catherine had wolf bag poisoning.
20:58The sixth time was the pack transfer ceremony.
21:01Catherine reported that my wolf spirit was unstable
21:04and that I should not be allowed to leave Mist Ridge.
21:06You did not speak for me.
21:08You told me to reflect on myself.
21:11The seventh time was the mate vow.
21:15I stood before the ceremonial monial platform
21:18with a wolf space burn on my ankle.
21:21You left to handle the border conflict Catherine created.
21:24Ryder, I did give you chances.
21:27I gave you seven full moons.
21:31Every time you chose someone else.
21:38Ryder went still.
21:40For a long time, he could not speak at Catherine stood outside the crowd.
21:43Her face ugly.
21:44Suddenly, she cried out.
21:46Annie, how can you say that?
21:48Ryder is the alpha.
21:50What is wrong with him handling border and pack matters?
21:52I turned to her.
21:53There was nothing wrong with him handling pack matters.
21:57The problem is that every time
22:00something happened to you at exactly the right moment.
22:04And the problem is that every time
22:06he chose to believe you,
22:08he never chose to believe me.
22:11Ryder finally spoke,
22:12his voice rough.
22:15I didn't know.
22:17I smiled faintly.
22:19Of course you didn't.
22:20You never looked back at me.
22:22The mark on my neck warmed faintly.
22:25It was not a chain.
22:27It was a reminder that I no longer had to stand in place
22:30and explain my pain.
22:31I turned to Logan.
22:33Let's go back.
22:35Logan nodded.
22:37All right.
22:37Ryder tried to follow,
22:39but Blackpink warriors blocked him.
22:41Outside Alpha, stop here.
22:43He could only stand outside the border
22:45and watch me walk into Blackpink territory.
22:48This time, I did not look back.
22:52I thought everything would end after the mark was complete,
22:55but not everyone in Blackpink welcomed me.
22:57At the elders' meeting the next day,
22:59several Blackpink elders sat on both sides of the stone hall,
23:02their gazes cold.
23:03One elder in a black robe spoke first.
23:05Alpha Logan, we respect your choice.
23:08But Annie was once the candidate mate of the Alpha
23:11from the ruling city pack.
23:13She waited for Ryder seven times.
23:16Blackpink cannot accept a she-wolf repeatedly abandoned
23:19by another Alpha as its Luna.
23:21Another elder added,
23:23A Luna represents the pack's dignity.
23:25Her past will make other packs talk about Blackspine.
23:27I sat beside Logan, my fingers tightening.
23:30I had heard these words before.
23:32In Mist Ridge, they said I had only tried to climb up
23:34through a city Alpha because I wanted to leave the mountains.
23:37At Ryder's side, they said I was petty
23:38and could not tolerate Catherine.
23:40Now in Blackpink, they said my past would shame the pack.
23:43I was about to speak, but Logan had already risen.
23:45He did not slam the table.
23:47He did not shout.
23:48He simply walked to the pack oath stone,
23:50drew a short blade, and cut his palm.
23:52Blood fell onto the stone.
23:53It seeped into the lines carved across its surface.
23:55The entire hall fell silent.
23:57Logan's voice was low,
23:58but it carried enough authority to make every head lower.
24:01With my blood as Alpha of Blackpink,
24:02I confirm that Annie is not my compromise.
24:04She is the Luna I chose myself.
24:07Her past is not a disgrace.
24:09Being betrayed is not a disgrace.
24:13The one who should be questioned
24:16is the one who broke his vows.
24:20No one in the hall dared to speak.
24:22One by one, Blackpink members lowered their heads
24:24and exposed their necks.
24:26It was not fear.
24:27It was acceptance of the Alpha's blood oath.
24:30From today on,
24:31questioning Annie's status as Luna
24:33is the same as questioning my authority as Alpha.
24:35Anyone who objects can leave Blackpink now.
24:39No one made a sound.
24:40I looked at the blood on Logan's palm,
24:43my throat tight.
24:44Ryder had always said he would protect me,
24:46but the one who truly stood between me
24:48and the rumors had never been him.
24:50After the meeting,
24:52Logan wrapped his hand carelessly with a cloth.
24:54I caught his wrist.
24:56You should see a healer.
24:58Logan glanced at me.
25:01This wound is nothing.
25:02It is something.
25:04I lowered my head and re-wrapped the cloth for him.
25:08I don't want anyone to get hurt for me
25:10and then say it doesn't matter.
25:12Logan was quiet for a moment.
25:14Then he smiled faintly.
25:17All right.
25:18From now on, it matters.
25:20That night,
25:21he checked the wound on my ankle.
25:23The wolf bite burn was deeper than I had realized.
25:27Logan's frown grew tighter.
25:29These didn't come from a single incident.
25:32I froze.
25:33He looked up at me.
25:35During the seven trials,
25:36you were exposed to wolf bait at least three times.
25:39Someone has been slowly your healing all along.
25:41I had always thought I was too weak,
25:43too slow,
25:44not strong enough.
25:45It turned out someone had been planting blades under my feet.
25:51Logan stood.
25:52I will demand a public investigation into the seven trials.
25:56Ryder won't want that.
25:57That is his problem.
26:00Your wounds should not be buried.
26:04The council investigation came quickly.
26:07Elders from Mistridge,
26:09Black Pine,
26:09and the ruling city pack all arrived.
26:12Ryder came too.
26:14He looked more worn than he had that night.
26:17There were clear red lines in his eyes,
26:19and the authority that belonged to the ruling pack
26:22no longer felt steady around him.
26:24After the last trace of the mate pull had been strethered,
26:28his wolf spirit had been turning on him.
26:31Even so,
26:32he stood in the center of the judgment hall
26:34and forced himself to listen to every piece of evidence.
26:37Elder Morin brought out the records of the seven mate ceremonies.
26:40They were not ordinary paper scrolls.
26:43They were official records kept by the council for mate ceremonies.
26:46Every failed ceremony left behind the time,
26:49place,
26:49witness statements,
26:50and injury records.
26:51Elder Morin opened the records
26:53and read through the seven failures one by one.
26:55The first record is the public claiming ceremony.
26:58I saw my past self standing before the ceremonial platform,
27:02waiting until dawn,
27:03then collapsing from exhaustion.
27:06Ryder had not come.
27:08Catherine's name appeared in the border anomaly report.
27:12The second record is the councilmate registration.
27:17In the registration hall,
27:19I stood in my white dress under everyone's eyes.
27:23Ryder was absent.
27:25The healer's report showed that Catherine had used a wolf bath potion
27:28to agitate her wolf spirit.
27:32The third record is the pack acceptance oath.
27:35The oath document had been contaminated with wolf fath.
27:39My fingers had been burned.
27:41The source of the powder pointed to an opithary in a neighboring pack.
27:45Ryder's face turned paler with every record.
27:49He was no longer listening to my pain as a complaint.
27:52He was seeing it written in the council's own hand.
27:56Then Elder Morin opened the next record.
28:01Elder Morin continued.
28:05The fourth record is the night hunt.
28:07I was injured in the forest alone
28:09and carried an injured pup back to the patrol.
28:11At the same time,
28:13Catherine sent a false distress call through the mind link.
28:16The fifth record is the full moon run.
28:18I crossed Moonshadow Forest alone in wolf form,
28:20leaving blood and wolf hoseburn records along the route.
28:22Ryder had been in the healing house with Catherine
28:24and her forged wolfsbane poisoning report.
28:26The sixth record is the cancelled pack transfer ceremony.
28:30Catherine had reported that my wolf spirit was unstable.
28:33The record showed that the so-called evidence
28:35had come from altered healing files.
28:37The seventh record is the mate vow before the final marking.
28:41The eastern border conflict report was brought out.
28:43The rogue wolves who had caused the conflict
28:45confessed that Catherine had used a border pass
28:48to lure them near the line.
28:49The judgment hall fell silent.
28:51Ryder stood there, his face white.
28:53He saw me stand at the trial site seven times.
28:56He saw me be abandoned seven times.
28:58He saw Catherine sabotage the trials again and again.
29:01And he saw himself choose to believe her again and again.
29:04Catherine screamed.
29:05It's not true!
29:06Those records could have been altered!
29:08Elder Morin looked at her coldly.
29:10These records are kept by the council
29:14and signed by the elders of each pack.
29:18No one may alter them in private.
29:21Catherine, do you still deny it?
29:24Catherine turned to Ryder, tears rushing to her eyes.
29:27Ryder, I only loved you.
29:30I was just afraid she would take you from me.
29:34What is so good about her?
29:37Catherine's tears rushed down her face.
29:39She is quiet, boring, and only knows how to wait.
29:43I'm the one who understands you best!
29:46Ryder slowly lifted his eyes.
29:48He no longer felt any compassion, only disgust.
29:52So you ruined her seven trials.
29:55You hurt her.
29:56You made me misunderstand her again and again.
29:59She was useless!
30:01If she mattered that much,
30:02why did you come to me every time?
30:04Catherine shook her head, crying.
30:07Those words finally cut through every lie Ryder had told himself.
30:10He staggered back a step.
30:12Yes, I did go to you every time.
30:15So the one who hurt her was not only you.
30:17It was me too.
30:19I sat beside Logan, calmer than I had expected.
30:22I used to think that once the truth came out,
30:25I would cry, question them, and want Ryder to regret it.
30:29But now I only felt that it was all too late.
30:32I want them to repay, down to the very last penny,
30:36the harm they once inflicted on me.
30:38I did not want to hear anyone cry and explain anymore.
30:41The council's original ruling was supposed to be issued that day.
30:45Elder Morin announced the decision.
30:46Catherine deliberately sabotaged mate ceremonies,
30:49forged injury and wolf spirit disturbance reports,
30:51used wolf bee to harm a Mistridge she-wolf,
30:53and created a border conflict.
30:56She will be expelled from the territories of both Mistridge and Black Pine.
31:00She will be exiled to the neutral zone
31:02under the supervision of Alliance patrols.
31:05For ten years, she may not enter any pack territory.
31:09Catherine let out a small breath of relief.
31:12She thought ten years was long.
31:14But for a werewolf,
31:16ten years was not enough to repay seven full moons.
31:20I stood.
31:22Every elder turned to me.
31:26Logan did not stop me.
31:28He only stood quietly beside me,
31:30making sure everyone knew Black Pine would hear its Luna.
31:34I looked at Catherine.
31:36Not enough.
31:38Annie, you already stole Ryder!
31:40What else do you want?
31:41Catherine's face changed.
31:42I gave a small laugh.
31:44I don't want him.
31:46And I am not here to steal anything from you.
31:49I am here to take back what you owe me.
31:52I pushed the injury records from the seven mate chapels onto the council table.
31:56The first time, you faked a border anomaly
31:58and left me standing at the ceremonial platform until dawn.
32:01The second time, you used wolf paste potion to agitate your own wolf spirit
32:05and made Ryder miss the registration.
32:07The third time, you contaminated my document
32:09and burned me with wolf faith.
32:12The fourth time, you sent a false distress call through the mind link
32:16and left me to face rogue wolves alone.
32:19The fifth time, you forged a poisoning report
32:22and left me to bleed through the full moon run alone.
32:25The sixth time, you altered healing files
32:29and accused my wolf spirit of being unstable.
32:32The seventh time, you created a border conflict
32:35and made me be abandoned before the final vow.
32:39I finished every word.
32:41No one in the Judgment's house spoke.
32:45I turned to Elder Morin.
32:48This was not ordinary jealousy.
32:50She used her pack status, wolf feia, a border pass
32:53and the mate ceremonies to harm another she-wolf seven times.
32:57If ten years of exile is all she gets,
33:00everyone will learn that as long as they cry hard enough,
33:03there is always a way out after hurting someone.
33:08Catherine finally panicked.
33:10Ryder!
33:13Catherine lunged toward Ryder and tried to grab his sleeve.
33:16Ryder stepped back.
33:17I looked at her.
33:18I did not feel wild joy.
33:20I only felt cold, delayed clarity.
33:23You wanted to be a Luna more than anything.
33:25Then the Council will permanently strip you of Luna Candacity.
33:28You loved using your status as an Elder's Daughter to crush others.
33:32Then your pack will publicly remove your name
33:34and no longer recognize you as one of its members.
33:37You used Wolfbane to hurt me.
33:39Then you will be sent to the Wolfbane Contaminated Zone
33:42in the Northern Neutral Territory.
33:43I am not asking them to kill you.
33:45I am asking them to make you clear the same poison you used to hurt others
33:49under Alliance Patrol supervision.
33:52Catherine's face went completely white.
33:54The Wolfbane Contaminated Zone belonged to no pack.
33:57It was cold and barren.
33:58The patrols would deliver medicine and food on schedule,
34:01but they would not give her dignity or listen to her cry.
34:04Elder Morin was silent for a long time.
34:06The Great Elder of the Ruling City Pack turned to Ryder.
34:09Alpha Ryder, you enabled her sabotage of the trials.
34:12Do you object to this ruling?
34:13Ryder looked at Catherine.
34:15Her eyes were full of desperate hope,
34:17but he only said one word.
34:19No.
34:20You can't do this to me!
34:22I walked up to her.
34:26You once said Ryder believed you and not me.
34:28Now look closely.
34:30He finally doesn't believe you.
34:32The final ruling was revised and issued again.
34:37Catherine was stripped of her original pack status,
34:40permanently disqualified as a Luna candidate,
34:43and placed on the Alliance Blacklist.
34:46She was exiled to the Wolfsbape Contaminated Zone
34:49in the Northern Neutral Territory
34:50under the supervision of Alliance patrols.
34:53For 50 years,
34:54she could not enter any pack territory
34:56or request a mate ceremony with any Alpha.
34:59If she survived and returned after 50 years,
35:01she could only be reviewed again as a packless rogue wolf.
35:05When the patrols dragged her out of the Judgment Hall,
35:08she was still cryoled.
35:10This time, no one followed her.
35:14As for Ryder,
35:16the Council of the Ruling City Pack
35:17opened a formal inquiry into him on the spot.
35:20He was not a young heir waiting to take power.
35:23He was already the Alpha,
35:25so his punishment was heavier
35:27than an ordinary disciplinary ruling.
35:29The Great Elder of the Ruling City Pack stood,
35:31his voice called,
35:32Ryder, you violated the mate trial vows seven times.
35:36You enabled a she-wolf from another pack
35:38to sabotage the old Alliance with Mist Ridge
35:40and cause long-term harm to Annie of Mist Ridge.
35:44As Alpha,
35:45you failed to separate personal feelings,
35:47duty, and mate vows.
35:49The Council has decided to suspend
35:52part of your Alpha authority.
35:54Daily affairs of the Ruling Pack
35:56will be handled by your beta for now.
35:58You are forbidden from sending Annie
36:00any mind-link requests.
36:02You are also forbidden from approaching
36:04Black Pine Territory in your capacity as Alpha.
36:08Ryder closed his eyes.
36:09He did not argue.
36:14He only looked at me.
36:16Annie?
36:17I raised my head.
36:19His voice was horsey.
36:22I'm sorry.
36:24I had waited a long time for those words.
36:28After the first failed trial,
36:29I wanted to hear him.
36:31When my fingers were burned by wolf fire
36:33during the third trial,
36:34I wanted to hear him.
36:36On the fifth full moon,
36:37when I bit into my own wrist
36:39to keep myself from losing control,
36:40I wanted to hear him too.
36:42But he had never said them.
36:44Now he said them.
36:45And I no longer needed them.
36:53I heard your apology.
36:57But I don't accept it.
36:59The light in his eyes went out.
37:02A tear slid down from his eye.
37:09After the judgment ended,
37:10Ryder did not leave right away.
37:12He stood outside Black Pine's border.
37:14Unable to leave a few days later,
37:16he asked Black Pine's beta to deliver a box.
37:18Logan placed it in front of me.
37:19You don't have to look.
37:21I opened it.
37:23Inside was a lunar ring.
37:25It was made of moon silver
37:26and set with the ruling pack's moonstone.
37:29It must have been the thing
37:30he once promised to give me
37:31after the seven trials.
37:33Now it had finally arrived.
37:35Ryder stood outside the door,
37:37his voice rough.
37:39Annie.
37:41I brought it.
37:42I was too slow before.
37:44This time,
37:45I won't make you wait.
37:47I looked at the ring.
37:49If it had been the old me,
37:51I might have cried
37:51and run into his arms.
37:53But now Logan's mark was on my neck
37:55and Black Pine's luna cloak
37:57rested on my shoulders.
37:59My life could no longer be changed
38:01by one late promise from him.
38:02We ended when the moonstone broke.
38:05I closed the box.
38:07Ryder's breath caught.
38:09I handed the box back.
38:11This luna ring came too late.
38:14My luna mark no longer needs your name.
38:16His eyes reddened in an instant.
38:20Do you really not love me at all anymore?
38:23I looked at him.
38:26Ryder,
38:27I don't love you anymore.
38:30I spoke about the past
38:31not because I couldn't let you go.
38:34I did it so the girl
38:35who waited seven full moons
38:37could finally say
38:38everything she needed to say.
38:41Ryder looked drained.
38:45If I had come the seventh time.
38:47But you didn't.
38:48Missed events can be written into records.
38:51Missed people do not stand
38:52before the ceremonial platform forever.
38:56After Ryder left Black Pine's border,
38:58the ruling pack sent him
38:59to the northern border.
39:00It was the coldest border
39:01in the werewolf alliance.
39:03Rogue wolves and enemy packs
39:04constantly tested the defenses there.
39:06He remains the tribe's alpha,
39:07but part of his authority
39:08had been suspended.
39:08And the ruling pack's daily affairs
39:10were handled by his beta.
39:11He could no longer mobilize
39:13the council at will.
39:14He could no longer pressure other packs.
39:16He could no longer approach
39:18Black Pine territory.
39:19For a proud werewolf,
39:20that was harder to bear than an injury.
39:22I heard about it
39:23while I was studying lunar duties
39:25in Black Pine's meeting hall.
39:27Logan pushed the herb inventory toward me.
39:32We don't have enough
39:33wolf-ice antidote for winter.
39:34More patrols are getting hurt
39:35near the northern border
39:36than last year.
39:40I looked through the records,
39:42then cut the moonflower budget
39:44for the festival
39:44and use it for herb trades.
39:47One elder frowned.
39:49Luna, moonflowers are part
39:51of the winter festival's honor.
39:53Living warriors
39:54are Black Pine's honor.
39:56I looked up at him.
39:58The stone hall went quiet
40:00for a moment.
40:01Logan did not speak for me.
40:03He simply sat beside me
40:04and gave me the space
40:05to stand on my own.
40:07We will follow the Luna's decision.
40:09At last,
40:10the elder lowered his head.
40:11For the first time,
40:13I truly understood
40:14that Luna was not just a title
40:15placed to an alpha.
40:16It was responsibility.
40:18It was choice.
40:19It was a position
40:20I had to claim on my own.
40:22No one in that hole
40:23handed me power as charity.
40:25I had to take the seat,
40:27re-arrose,
40:29read the records,
40:30and make the decision.
40:32Then I found an old rule
40:34that had trapped
40:35more she-wolves than me.
40:39Over the next few months,
40:40I worked with healers
40:41to organize herbs,
40:43followed patrols
40:44to learn border routes,
40:46and reviewed old alliance cases
40:48with the council.
40:49At first,
40:50some Black Pine members
40:51still whispered about me.
40:53Then,
40:54during a border patrol,
40:56I recognized
40:57wolf-bake powder
40:58mixed into a trap
40:59because I had been hurt
41:00by wolf-bake before.
41:02I stopped at the edge
41:04of the trail
41:04and raised my hand.
41:07Don't step there!
41:10Luna?
41:10I crouched,
41:11brushed away
41:12a thin layer of snow,
41:13and saw the dull green powder
41:15caught between the roots.
41:17Wolf-bade,
41:18mixed under the frost.
41:19If you shift here,
41:21the powder will burn
41:22through the paws first.
41:23The warriors
41:23immediately pulled back.
41:25A hidden snare
41:26snapped shut
41:27where one of them
41:27had almost stepped.
41:28I saved three warriors.
41:30That night,
41:31voices came through
41:32Black Pine's mind link.
41:33Luna, thank you.
41:34Luna, you saved my mate.
41:36Luna, Black Pine accepts you.
41:38I stood at the edge
41:40of the pine forest,
41:41my eyes burning.
41:43Logan walked to my side.
41:46Crying?
41:47I shook my head.
41:52No.
41:53He did not expose the lie.
41:55He only draped his cloak
41:57over my shoulders.
41:59Annie, you don't have to rush
42:00to prove you're worthy.
42:04I know.
42:08I looked up at the moon
42:10in the distance.
42:12But I want to know it
42:13for myself.
42:15The warriors behind us
42:16lowered their heads.
42:18Not because Logan
42:19ordered them to,
42:20but because I had earned it
42:22with my own hands.
42:25Logan was quiet
42:26for a moment.
42:28Then he said softly,
42:30Then I'll stay with you.
42:33I turned to look at him.
42:34His gaze was steady,
42:36unlike Ryder,
42:37who always gave me
42:38a distant promise.
42:40What Logan gave me
42:41was ground I could stand on.
42:43That night,
42:44I reached for his hand first.
42:47He paused,
42:48then gently took my hand
42:49in his.
42:50Very gently.
42:51He was careful
42:52not to startle me.
42:54I smiled,
42:55so this was what
42:57respect felt like.
42:59No promises
43:00that never came.
43:02No mountain paths
43:03where I was left behind
43:04again and again.
43:06Only someone willing
43:07to slow down
43:08and walk home with me.
43:12Is this all right?
43:13Yes.
43:14He did not tighten
43:15his grip until I nodded.
43:17That simple
43:18restriction made
43:19my chest ache
43:20more than any vow.
43:21That night,
43:22I opened the old
43:23Alliance records
43:24kept by Black Pine.
43:26At first,
43:27I only wanted to
43:27understand the rule
43:28that had changed my life.
43:30But page after page,
43:31I saw familiar words.
43:34Failed trial.
43:35Absent alpha.
43:36Arranged mate.
43:38Unstable wolf spirit.
43:41I discovered that
43:42I was not the only
43:43she-wolf trapped
43:44by the seven mate trials.
43:46Logan noticed
43:47my expression.
43:50Annie,
43:50what is it?
43:52I placed one old record
43:54in front of him.
43:56I wasn't the first.
43:59And if the rule
44:00stayed the same,
44:01I would not be the last.
44:05One year later,
44:06I returned to Mistridge
44:07as the Luna of Black Pine.
44:09I came back
44:09for a new rule.
44:10The old seven mate trials
44:12of Mistridge
44:12had trapped
44:13too many she-wolves.
44:15They had once
44:15been meant as protection.
44:18They were meant
44:18to protect Mistridge women
44:20from being taken away
44:21too easily
44:21by outside alphas.
44:22But later,
44:23that protection
44:24became another rule
44:25used to trap them.
44:27If the seven trials failed,
44:29the she-wolf
44:30had to accept
44:30an arranged mate
44:31from her own pack
44:32or an allied pack.
44:34I had almost been
44:35crushed by that rule.
44:36So I came back.
44:38Black Pine
44:38and Mistridge
44:39called another council meeting.
44:40I stood before
44:41the ceremonial platform,
44:43my lunar mark
44:43clear on my neck.
44:45Elder Moran
44:45looked at me
44:46with a complicated expression.
44:47Annie,
44:48do you truly want
44:49to abolish
44:50the old rule?
44:51Not all of it.
44:52Only the unfair part.
44:54The trials can remain.
44:56But a she-wolf
44:57should not per
44:57an alpha's broken promises
44:58with her entire life.
45:00Below the platform,
45:01a few young she-wolves
45:02lifted their heads.
45:03There was fear
45:04in their eyes,
45:05but also hope.
45:06I continued.
45:07From now on,
45:08if an outside alpha
45:10fails the seven trials,
45:11the she-wolf
45:12has the right
45:13to reject him.
45:13She also has the right
45:15to choose another mate.
45:17She does not have
45:18to accept an arrangement
45:19from the council.
45:20Any alpha
45:21who wants to claim
45:22a misrid she-wolf
45:22must prove himself
45:24with an equal vow.
45:26Waiting does not
45:27prove loyalty.
45:29Respect does.
45:30The young she-wolves
45:31below the platform
45:32did not dare cheer,
45:33but their eyes
45:34had already changed.
45:37The council argued
45:38for the entire day.
45:40Some said I had forgotten
45:41where I came from.
45:42Some said Black Pine
45:44had changed me.
45:45Some said that
45:46without the old rule,
45:47I would never have been
45:48forced to choose Logan.
45:50Logan's eyes turned cold
45:51when he heard that.
45:52I held his hand.
45:54I did not choose you
45:55because anyone forced me to.
45:56He looked at me.
45:58In front of every elder,
45:59I said clearly,
46:01I chose Logan
46:02because he respects me,
46:03not because Ryder
46:04didn't want me,
46:05and not because
46:06the council arranged it.
46:07The stone hall
46:08fell silent.
46:09At last,
46:10Elder Morin stood
46:11before the ceremonial platform.
46:13I agree to amend
46:14the old rule.
46:15One elder after another
46:16pressed a handprint
46:17into the new record.
46:19The council officially
46:20recorded the new rule.
46:21It was done.
46:22I could almost see
46:23the girl I had been
46:24a year ago,
46:25the one who stood there
46:26until dawn.
46:26She had been covered
46:27in dirt and blood,
46:28her ankle bleeding,
46:29the moonstone clenched
46:30in her hand.
46:31She had believed
46:32she could only wait
46:33for someone else
46:33to take her away.
46:34But now I stood here
46:36and changed the rule
46:36that had trapped her.
46:38Logan squeezed my hand once,
46:40quietly.
46:41You did it.
46:42I looked at the new record
46:43on the table.
46:44No.
46:45We changed the rule.
46:46They still have to choose
46:47for themselves.
46:48This time,
46:49the record did not write down
46:50a failed ceremony.
46:51It wrote down a choice.
46:54After the conference,
46:56a young she-wolf ran to me.
46:57Her eyes were red.
46:58Luna,
46:59can we really reject
46:59an alpha who breaks
47:00his promises now?
47:02Yes.
47:03If he makes you wait
47:05until something inside you
47:06dies,
47:06you have the right
47:07to turn away.
47:07She cried.
47:08I held her gently.
47:10At that moment,
47:11I finally understood.
47:13My pain had not
47:14been meaningless.
47:15It had not turned me
47:16into someone trapped
47:17in hatred.
47:18It had given me a chance
47:19to open a door
47:20for those who came
47:21after me.
47:22Another young she-wolf
47:23stepped forward,
47:24clutching the edge
47:25of her shoulder.
47:26What if the elders
47:27say we are selfish?
47:29I looked at her carefully.
47:31Then show them
47:31the new record.
47:32Your choice is now
47:34protected by Miss Ridge Law.
47:36Elder Morin heard it
47:37from nearby.
47:39For once,
47:40he did not correct me.
47:42He only lowered
47:43his head slightly.
47:46Luna Annie is right.
47:48The girls began
47:49to cry harder.
47:50They were not weak.
47:51They were only hearing,
47:53for the first time,
47:54that waiting was not
47:55their only fate.
47:57Logan walked to my side,
47:59but did not interrupt them.
48:01He let me be the one
48:02they looked at.
48:04He let this moment
48:05belong to me
48:06and to them.
48:08This time,
48:09the girls heard clearly
48:10that they could say no.
48:14Ryder was in Miss Ridge
48:15on the day the new rule passed.
48:16He had not come
48:17as the alpha
48:18of the ruling city pack.
48:19He was only
48:19the temporary commander
48:20of the Northern Border Guard,
48:22assigned to escort
48:22a batch of border case files.
48:24He stood far below
48:25the ceremonial platform.
48:27Snow-laden wind
48:27whipped his black cloak
48:28behind him.
48:29After a year,
48:30he looked much thinner.
48:31His eyes were no longer
48:32as sharp or proud
48:33as before.
48:35He moved one step.
48:36Then he stopped.
48:38Black Spine Warriors
48:39stood behind me.
48:40I knew he was watching me,
48:42but I did not turn around.
48:44Commander Ryder,
48:45should we deliver
48:46the case files now?
48:47One of the border guards
48:48side him lowered his voice.
48:50Ryder's throat moved.
48:51For a moment,
48:52he looked like he wanted
48:53to say my name.
48:55Wait.
48:56But the council's order
48:57still stood between us.
48:59That was all he said.
49:00He waited far below
49:02the platform,
49:03the way I had once
49:04waited for him.
49:05Meanwhile,
49:06Elder Morin read
49:07the new rule aloud.
49:09From this day on,
49:10we'll have to prove
49:11loyalty by waiting.
49:13Any alpha who wants
49:14to claim a Mistridge
49:15she-wolf must respect
49:17the trials,
49:18the vows,
49:19and her choice.
49:20A she-wolf has the right
49:21to reject someone
49:22who breaks his promises.
49:23She also has the right
49:24to choose another mate.
49:25The council recorder
49:26wrote the new rule
49:27into the pack ledger.
49:28Every member of Mistridge
49:29listened in silence.
49:30Behind me,
49:31I heard suppressed sobs.
49:32They were not sounds of grief.
49:33They were the sounds
49:34of many she-wolves
49:35finally breathing freely.
49:36Ryder listened quietly.
49:38His fingers gripped
49:39the border case file tightly.
49:42Then slowly relaxed.
49:47So this is what
49:48she came back for?
49:50No one answered him.
49:53Tired?
49:54After the ceremony,
49:55Logan walked to my side.
49:57I shook my head.
49:59No.
50:01He looked down at me,
50:02a faint smile in his eyes.
50:04Then let's go home.
50:09I looked into the distance.
50:13Ryder was still standing there.
50:19Our eyes met.
50:24In that moment,
50:25I remembered him
50:25standing at the entrance
50:26to Mistridge years ago,
50:28telling me he would
50:29take me away.
50:30Back then,
50:31I believed my future
50:32was in his hands.
50:33Later,
50:34I learned that no one
50:35gives you a future.
50:36You walk towards it yourself.
50:39A long while later,
50:40Ryder slowly lowered his head.
50:42He said nothing.
50:43Seven full moons,
50:45seven late arrivals,
50:46and seven broken promises
50:47stood between us.
50:49Logan did not urge me.
50:50He only stood beside me,
50:52waiting for my choice.
50:54Annie?
50:56I looked away from Ryder
50:57and held Logan's hand.
51:00Let's go home.
51:02Together,
51:02we walked down
51:02from the Mistridge
51:03ceremonial platform.
51:05Black Pine Warriors
51:05followed behind us.
51:07The young she-wolves
51:07of Mistridge
51:08stood along the stone steps
51:09and lowered their heads to me.
51:10They called me
51:11by my new title.
51:12Luna, Anna.
51:13I stopped for a moment
51:14and looked back
51:15at Mistridge.
51:16This mountain
51:17had once trapped me.
51:19It had seen me wait,
51:21lose hope,
51:22break the moonstone,
51:23and stand back up again.
51:26Now it no longer
51:27belonged only
51:28to the old rule.
51:32It also belonged
51:33to the she-wolves
51:34who could finally
51:36choose for themselves.
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