**Soulbound: The Lion and The Rabbit is a captivating fantasy romance where an unlikely bond unites the proud Lion King and a gentle Rabbit Girl. As ancient rivalries, royal conspiracies, and forbidden love threaten to tear them apart, they must fight against destiny itself to protect their soulmate bond. Filled with beastman romance, emotional twists, powerful kingdoms, and unforgettable adventures, this fantasy short drama delivers an exciting journey from beginning to end. Watch the full episode with English subtitles.
#SoulboundTheLionAndTheRabbit #BeastmanRomance #LionKing #RabbitGirl #FatedMates #FantasyRomance #ENGSUB #FullEpisode #ShortDrama #DramaSeries
#SoulboundTheLionAndTheRabbit #BeastmanRomance #LionKing #RabbitGirl #FatedMates #FantasyRomance #ENGSUB #FullEpisode #ShortDrama #DramaSeries
Category
🎥
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 Boost 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 witness. 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.
02:25A warning. He 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 and I'll sit back.
02:54Watch reality crush him.
02:56But without me, he is nothing.
02:58You 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.
03:15A 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? Dark charcoal.
03:31Masking 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.
03:41The 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.
03:49Malathira floated over, faking a sweet smile.
03:53Aw, don't pout.
03:54Go ahead, pick whoever you want.
03:56I'll let you have him.
03:58Her 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.
04:06Malathira 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, Vane.
04:17The sound of wheels against stone.
04:18The whispers died instantly.
04:20The whole room seemed to tremble.
04:22Cassius 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.
04:31My breath caught white gold.
04:33Pure, blinding and burning like molten starlight.
04:35The mark of the ancient lion, the real beast came.
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.
04:45And everyone paid the price.
04:46Not this time, I 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.
04:57And then it erupted.
04:58Bladder exploded from every corner.
05:00The 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.
05:23Pick again.
05:23If 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.
06:00It 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.
06:08I had no beast soul.
06:09I wasn't supposed to be able to feel beast 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.
06:22I 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.
06:32Can 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.
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 the 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.
07:23Malifera 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 grey 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.
08:27A 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.
08:45The 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 fake tears.
09:08Just please.
09:09Don't blame her.
09:10She's just bitter.
09:13Cormac, 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 bottomly 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.
09:51But 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?
10:09You dare curse and beast King Eyre?
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.
10:39Nothing 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?
10:56The 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.
11:11He took my hand and wrapped it in his broad room, and completely steady.
11:16Sorry I'm late, Vera.
11:18Then he looked up.
11:19His 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.
11:30No 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.
11:40I 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 pathetic.
12:18He actually believed he was the chosen one.
12:20He thought the throne was already his.
12:22And 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 brown.
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.
12:41The amber liquid burning slowly in my chest.
12:45I 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?
12:58Do me a favor first.
12:59I've never seen this room.
13:01Describe it to me.
13:03He 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, how 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, from a wheelchair.
13:28He wouldn't even be able to see the top of that book.
13:31There was absolutely no way he could know the cover was faded.
13:34I didn't say a word.
13:35I 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.
13:53For 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 instant.
14:02It was the exact answer I was looking for.
14:04I didn't say anything.
14:06Instead, I walked slowly toward him.
14:07There 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, searing my skin like a brand.
14:19My heart was pounding against my ribs, but I ignored it.
14:22I 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 and pressed his palm flat against my chest.
15:01That 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't.
16:04I'm the one who put your hand there.
16:06He looked at me for a long time.
16:08Then he laughed.
16:09A real laugh.
16:10Like 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.
16:25Whiskey between us.
16:26And 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.
16:38Invisible.
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.
17:00A tearing pain exploded behind my temples like an axe-splitting bone.
17:05I 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.
17:29Way faster than it naturally should have.
17:31There was something else about him.
17:33Something hidden.
17:34I filed that realization away for later.
17:37I 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.
17:44His 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.
17:56Through 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, I felt completely safe.
18:10Meanwhile, 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.
18:38No 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, but 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, Malifera appeared at the main gates.
19:10She looked like she hadn't slept in days.
19:12Puffy eyes, tangled hair.
19:14She threw herself at the carriage window, hammering her fists against the glass.
19:17Vera, you poisoned him.
19:20Give me the antidote right now.
19:22Even 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?
19:37I don't have one.
19:38Whatever happened to Cormac has absolutely nothing to do with me.
19:42Liar!
19:43Then answer 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 Caelan 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.
20:11Malifera stood there, her mouth open.
20:13But 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.
20:33I 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 ten thousand times the man Cormac would ever be.
20:42I laughed.
20:44What's so funny?
20:45She snapped.
20:46I stopped laughing.
20:47I looked right at her, close enough to it.
20:49I'm laughing at how incredibly blind you are.
20:51Cormac is dying.
20:53And when he goes down, he's taking you with him.
20:56If you want to survive the storm that's coming, cut your ties with him right now, while you still have
21:01the chance.
21:02For her, this was where the road ended.
21:04She swung at my face.
21:06It was a massive, sloppy slap.
21:08I 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 dirt.
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, no pity, just respect.
21:40He 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 Cormac'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.
22:08I leaned in close to Cassius's ear.
22:10Who is that man?
22:11Vaughn.
22:12He's been with me since I was 15.
22:13Saved my life twice.
22:15I pulled back and looked at him.
22:16Cassius.
22:18Do 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 port.
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.
22:56Or we can start right now.
22:58By the next morning, Vaughn was gone.
22:59At breakfast, Cassius sat next to me, quietly and meticulously cutting my steak into small pieces.
23:04You were right.
23:05He 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.
23:20Silver and pink intertwining perfectly.
23:21No suspicion.
23:22No fear.
23:23Lucky guess.
23:24I 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.
23:42Pain melted away.
23:43He had stopped asking why it happened.
23:45He just made sure he was always there when it did.
23:47Missed Fort Cassius' territory, barren land.
23:50Scarce resources.
23:51The Beast Court wouldn't look at it twice.
23:52But it smelled like freedom.
23:54The shifters here were loyal to Cassius.
23:56Real, bone-deep loyalty.
23:58When 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
24:11the 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?
24:24Nothing.