Seven Full Moons Later, I Became Another Alpha's Luna is a captivating short drama that blends werewolf romance, destiny, heartbreak, and redemption. After enduring betrayal from the Alpha she once trusted, a young Luna discovers that fate has prepared a far greater future. As powerful Alphas clash and long-hidden secrets unfold beneath the full moon, she must choose between the past that hurt her and the future that promises true love. If you enjoy romantic drama, drama series, short film, short movie, and supernatural Alpha romance, this Full Episode is not to be missed.
#SevenFullMoonsLaterIBecameAnotherAlphasLuna #ShortDrama #WerewolfRomance #Alpha #Luna #FatedMate #DramaSeries #ShortFilm #ShortMovie #FullEpisode #ENGSUB #FantasyRomance #WolfShifter
#SevenFullMoonsLaterIBecameAnotherAlphasLuna #ShortDrama #WerewolfRomance #Alpha #Luna #FatedMate #DramaSeries #ShortFilm #ShortMovie #FullEpisode #ENGSUB #FantasyRomance #WolfShifter
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Short filmTranscript
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,
00:27mark her under the full moon,
00:29and 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.
00:38The 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.
00:51So on every full moon,
00:52I put on my cleanest dress,
00:54forced down the restlessness of my wolf spirit,
00:57and walked alone along the mountain path
00:58to wait for him at the trial site.
01:00But seven times,
01:02he 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,
02:09Annie, once I pass the seven trials,
02:11I will place the true Luna ring on your finger.
02:13This moonstone is merely a token.
02:16At 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.
03:08Annie, 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 and her fake wolf's
03:40bane 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.
03:55Ryder, 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.
04:09The 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.
04:24Three 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, but 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?
04:48I sat outside my wooden house, washing my ankle with herbal water.
04:51The wolf-bide burn had not faded.
04:53The 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.
05:07I looked at Catherine.
05:09There were so many patrol warriors there.
05:12Why did it have to be you?
05:14Ryder's face darkened.
05:16Because I'm the Alpha.
05:17The old alliance between Mist 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.
05:28Then 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.
05:40A 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.
05:52The seven full moons are gone.
05:53I asked Catherine.
05:55Mist Ridge's rules shouldn't be this rigid anymore.
05:57You don't have to use them to force me to mark you now.
06:00That was when I finally understood.
06:01It was not that he did not know.
06:03He simply did not believe I would actually leave.
06:05Before I could speak, Catherine stepped forward and spoke softly in the Mist 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 Mist Ridge.
06:26Nothing more.
06:30The Mist 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.
06:59Ryder 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 Mist Ridge dialect, but Catherine wouldn't cry for no reason.
07:12The words hurt.
07:13She would not cry for no reason.
07:15So every time she cried, I was wrong.
07:16I stood up, forced myself through the pain in my ankle, and walked step by step to the
07:21broken 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 wolfbide burn still lingered.
07:39My wound closed slowly.
07:41I placed the broken piece into his hand.
07:44Your promise.
07:45I'm giving it back.
07:47Ryder's breath caught.
07:49Annie, don't do this.
07:50I 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.
08:00Ryder, 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.
08:14The 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 wolfbide 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.
08:42I 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.
08:48I looked at the wolf faith potion and wolf faith 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.
08:59So what if you know?
09:01Ryder believes me.
09:03Not 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 faith 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?
09:24The door was shoved open.
09:26Ryder rushed in.
09:28He smelled the sharp wolf bait 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?
09:47I 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 sake at me.
10:02Ryder's gaze darkened bit by bit.
10:05Annie, 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, and almost
10:45get 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.
11:16I stopped.
11:17The girl I used to be endured everything, waited, 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?
11:49I 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,
12:06Blackpink 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.
12:43He 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.
12:50Elder 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 did Mistridge 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?
13:13Logan'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
13:45than 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.
14:15I accept.
14:16Then, as Alpha of Black Pine Pack,
14:18I asked 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,
14:24she no longer wishes to stay in Black Pine,
14:26I will not use my mark to trap her.
14:28My eyes lifted sharply.
14:30Logan looked at me,
14:31his voice low and steady.
14:32A mark is not a chain.
14:34At least not with me.
14:37The 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?
14:59I waited for you for seven full moons,
15:02not three days.
15:07The Luna ceremony was held at the highest point
15:09beneath the full moon.
15:11Before the ceremonial platform,
15:13Black Pine warriors stood in two lines.
15:15Logan held my hand and led me up the stone steps.
15:17My ankles 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.
15:28Black Pine can wait for its Luna to walk steadily.
15:31My eyes stang.
15:33Ryder 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,
15:45accept Annie as my Luna.
15:47I will respect her, protect her,
15:49hear her voice, and honor her choices.
15:51He looked at me.
15:53Annie, do 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, welcome 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.
16:32Alpha 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
16:43that 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.
17:00A werewolf could feel a strong pull
17:02and 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,
17:13the 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,
17:32clearly warning every outside werewolf not to cross.
17:34He looked at me,
17:36his eyes slowly turning red.
17:38Annie.
17:39Annie.
17:43I 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.
18:05Ryder 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.
18:15She 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,
18:33are 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,
19:10I laid out those seven full moons,
19:11one by one.
19:12The first time was the public claiming
19:14at the ceremonial platform.
19:17I stood there from dusk until dawn,
19:19until the elders left one after another.
19:23You 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 standing 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
19:52to 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.
20:01I 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.
20:15You 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,
20:33and his fingers tightened slightly.
20:35I paused for a moment,
20:36then continued.
20:37The fifth time was the full moon run.
20:41It was a full moon trial
20:42meant for young mates.
20:44Both partners had to complete
20:45the route together,
20:46but I shifted alone
20:47and crossed Moonshadow Forest
20:49in wolf form.
20:50I almost got driven
20:52into a ravine by rogue wolves.
20:54You were at the healing house,
20:56saying Catherine had wolf bag poisoning.
20:58The sixth time was the pack transfer ceremony.
21:01Catherine reported that my wolf spirit
21:03was unstable
21:04and that I should not be allowed
21:05to leave Mist Ridge.
21:06You did not speak for me.
21:08You told me to reflect on myself.
21:12The seventh time was the mate vow.
21:15I stood before the ceremonial monial platform
21:18with a wolf's face burn on my ankle.
21:21You left to handle the border conflict
21:23Catherine created.
21:25Ryder,
21:25I did give you chances.
21:27I gave you seven full moons.
21:31Every time,
21:32you chose someone else.
21:38Ryder went still.
21:40For a long time,
21:41he could not speak at
21:42Catherine stood outside the crowd.
21:43Her face ugly.
21:45Suddenly,
21:45she cried out.
21:47Annie,
21:47how can you say that?
21:48Ryder is the alpha.
21:50What is wrong with him
21:51handling border and pack matters?
21:52I turned to her.
21:54There was nothing wrong
21:55with him handling pack matters.
21:57The problem is that
21:58every time
22:00something happened to you
22:02at exactly the right moment.
22:04And the problem is that
22:05every time
22:06he chose to believe you,
22:08he never chose to believe me.
22:11Ryder finally spoke,
22:13his 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
22:23warmed faintly.
22:25It was not a chain.
22:27It was a reminder
22:28that I no longer
22:29had to stand in place
22:30and explain my pain.
22:31I turned to Logan.
22:34Let's go back.
22:35Logan nodded.
22:37Alright.
22:37Ryder tried to follow,
22:39but Blackpink warriors
22:40blocked him.
22:41Outside alpha,
22:42stop here.
22:43He could only stand
22:45outside the border
22:46and watch me walk
22:46into Blackpink territory.
22:48This time,
22:49I did not look back.
22:52I thought everything
22:53would end after
22:54the mark was complete,
22:55but not everyone
22:56in Blackpink welcomed me.
22:57At the elders meeting
22:58the next day,
22:59several Blackpink elders
23:00sat on both sides
23:01of the stone hall,
23:02their gazes cold.
23:03One elder in a black robe
23:04spoke first.
23:05Alpha Logan,
23:06we respect your choice.
23:08But Annie was once
23:09the candidate mate
23:10of the Alpha
23:11from the ruling city pack.
23:13She waited for Ryder
23:15seven times.
23:16Blackpink cannot accept
23:18a she-wolf repeatedly
23:19abandoned by another Alpha
23:20as its Luna.
23:21Another elder added,
23:23Aluna represents
23:24the pack's dignity.
23:25Her past will make
23:26other packs talk
23:26about Blackspine.
23:28I sat beside Logan,
23:29my fingers tightening.
23:30I had heard
23:31these words before.
23:32In Mist Ridge,
23:33they said I had only
23:34tried to climb up
23:34through a city alpha
23:35because I wanted
23:36to leave the mountains.
23:37At Ryder's side,
23:38they said I was petty
23:38and could not tolerate
23:39Catherine.
23:40Now in Black Pine,
23:41they said my past
23:42would shame the pack.
23:43I was about to speak,
23:44but Logan had already risen.
23:46He did not slam the table.
23:47He did not shout.
23:48He simply walked
23:49to the pack Oathstone,
23:50drew a short blade,
23:51and cut his palm.
23:52Blood fell onto the stone.
23:53It seeped into the lines
23:54carved across its surface.
23:56The entire hall
23:56fell silent.
23:57Logan's voice was low,
23:58but it carried enough
23:59authority to make
24:00every head lower.
24:01With my blood as Alpha
24:02of Black Pine,
24:02I confirm that
24:03Annie is not my compromise.
24:05She is the Luna
24:05I chose myself.
24:07Her past is not a disgrace.
24:09Being betrayed
24:10is not a disgrace.
24:13The one who should be questioned
24:16is the one who broke
24:18his vows.
24:20No one in the hall
24:21dared to speak.
24:22One by one,
24:23Black Pine members
24:23lowered their heads
24:24and exposed their necks.
24:26It was not fear.
24:27It was acceptance
24:28of the Alpha's blood oath.
24:30From today on,
24:31questioning Annie's status
24:32as Luna
24:33is the same as
24:34questioning my authority
24:35as Alpha.
24:35Anyone who objects
24:37can leave Black Pine now.
24:39No one made a sound.
24:40I looked at the blood
24:41on Logan's palm,
24:43my throat tight.
24:44Ryder had always said
24:45he would protect me,
24:46but the one who truly stood
24:48between me and the rumors
24:49had never been him.
24:51After the meeting,
24:52Logan wrapped his hand
24:53carelessly 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
25:06and re-wrapped the cloth
25:07for him.
25:08I don't want anyone
25:09to get hurt for me
25:10and then say
25:11it doesn't matter.
25:13Logan was quiet
25:14for a moment.
25:15Then he smiled faintly.
25:17Alright.
25:18From now on,
25:19it matters.
25:20That night,
25:21he checked the wound
25:22on my ankle.
25:23The wolf bite burn
25:25was deeper
25:25than I had realized.
25:27Logan's frown
25:28grew tighter.
25:29These didn't come
25:30from a single incident.
25:32I froze.
25:33He looked up at me.
25:35During the seven trials,
25:36you were exposed
25:37to wolf bait
25:37at least three times.
25:39Someone has been
25:40slowly your healing
25:41all along.
25:41I had always thought
25:42I was too weak,
25:44too slow,
25:44not strong enough.
25:45It turned out
25:46someone had been
25:47planting blades
25:48under my feet.
25:51Logan stood.
25:52I will demand
25:53a public investigation
25:54into the seven trials.
25:56Ryder won't want that.
25:57That is his problem.
26:00Your wounds
26:01should not be buried.
26:04The council investigation
26:06came quickly.
26:07Elders from Mistridge,
26:09Black Pine,
26:10and the ruling city pack
26:11all arrived.
26:12Ryder came too.
26:14He looked more worn
26:15than he had that night.
26:17There were clear red lines
26:18in his eyes,
26:19and the authority
26:20that belonged
26:21to the ruling pack
26:22no longer felt steady
26:23around him.
26:25After the last trace
26:26of the mate pull
26:27had been strethered,
26:28his wolf spirit
26:30had been turning on him.
26:31Even so,
26:32he stood in the center
26:33of the judgment hall
26:34and forced himself
26:35to listen to every
26:36piece of evidence.
26:37Elder Morin brought out
26:38the records
26:39of the seven mate ceremonies.
26:41They were not
26:41ordinary paper scrolls.
26:43They were official records
26:44kept by the council
26:45for mate ceremonies.
26:46Every failed ceremony
26:47left behind the time,
26:49place,
26:49witness statements,
26:50and injury records.
26:51Elder Morin opened
26:52the records and read
26:53through the seven failures
26:54one by one.
26:55The first record
26:56is the public
26:57claiming ceremony.
26:59I saw my past self
27:00standing before
27:01the ceremonial platform,
27:02waiting until dawn,
27:03then collapsing
27:04from exhaustion.
27:06Ryder had not come.
27:08Catherine's name
27:08appeared in the
27:09border anomaly report.
27:12The second record
27:13is the councilmate
27:14registration.
27:17In the registration hall,
27:19I stood in my white dress
27:21under everyone's eyes.
27:23Ryder was absent.
27:25The healer's report
27:26showed that Catherine
27:27had used a wolf-bath potion
27:29to agitate her wolf spirit.
27:32The third record
27:33is the pack acceptance oath.
27:35The oath document
27:36had been contaminated
27:37with wolf-fath.
27:39My fingers had been burned.
27:41The source of the powder
27:43pointed to an opithary
27:44in a neighboring pack.
27:45Ryder's face turned paler
27:47with every record.
27:49He was no longer
27:50listening to my pain
27:51as a complaint.
27:53He was seeing it
27:54written in the council's
27:55own hand.
27:56Then Elder Morin
27:58opened the next record.
28:01Elder Morin continued.
28:05The fourth record
28:06is the night hunt.
28:07I was injured
28:08in the forest alone
28:09and carried an injured pup
28:10back to the patrol.
28:12At the same time,
28:13Catherine sent a false
28:14distress call
28:14through the mind link.
28:16The fifth record
28:17is the full moon run.
28:18I crossed Moonshadow Forest
28:19alone in wolf form,
28:20leaving blood
28:21and wolf-fosburn records
28:22along the route.
28:23Ryder had been
28:23in the healing house
28:24with Catherine
28:24and her forged wolf-bane
28:25poisoning report.
28:26The sixth record
28:27is the cancelled
28:28pack transfer ceremony.
28:30Catherine had reported
28:31that my wolf spirit
28:32was unstable.
28:33The record showed
28:34that the so-called evidence
28:35had come from
28:36altered healing files.
28:37The seventh record
28:38is the mate vow
28:39before the final marking.
28:41The eastern border
28:42conflict report
28:43was brought out.
28:44The rogue wolves
28:44who had caused
28:45the conflict confessed
28:46that Catherine
28:47had used a border pass
28:48to lure them
28:49near the line.
28:50The judgment hall
28:50fell silent.
28:51Ryder stood there,
28:52his face white.
28:53He saw me stand
28:54at the trial site
28:55seven times.
28:56He saw me be
28:57abandoned seven times.
28:58He saw Catherine
28:59sabotage the trials
29:00again and again.
29:01And he saw himself
29:02choose to believe her
29:03again and again.
29:04Catherine screamed.
29:05It's not true!
29:06Those records
29:07could have been altered!
29:09Elder Morin
29:09looked at her coldly.
29:10These records
29:12are kept
29:13by the council
29:14and signed
29:16by the elders
29:17of each pack.
29:18No one may alter
29:20them in private.
29:22Catherine,
29:22do you still deny it?
29:24Catherine turned
29:25to Ryder,
29:26tears rushing
29:26to her eyes.
29:27Ryder,
29:28I only loved you.
29:30I was just afraid
29:31she would take you
29:32from me.
29:34What is so good
29:36about her?
29:37Catherine's tears
29:38rushed down her face.
29:39She is quiet,
29:40boring,
29:41and only knows
29:42how to wait.
29:43I'm the one
29:44who understands
29:44you best!
29:46Ryder slowly
29:47lifted his eyes.
29:48He no longer
29:49felt any compassion,
29:50only disgust.
29:52So you ruined
29:53her seven trials.
29:55You hurt her.
29:57You made me
29:57misunderstand her
29:58again and again.
30:00She was useless!
30:01If she mattered
30:02that much,
30:03why did you come
30:03to me every time?
30:05Catherine shook
30:05her head,
30:06crying.
30:07Those words
30:08finally cut through
30:09every lie Ryder
30:09had told himself.
30:10He staggered
30:11back a step.
30:12Yes,
30:12I did go to you
30:13every time.
30:15So the one
30:15who hurt her
30:16was not only you,
30:17it was me too.
30:19I sat beside Logan,
30:21calmer than I had expected.
30:22I used to think
30:23that once the truth
30:24came out,
30:25I would cry,
30:27question them
30:27and want Ryder
30:28to regret it.
30:29But now I only felt
30:30that it was all too late.
30:32I want them to repay,
30:34down to the very last penny,
30:36the harm they once
30:37inflicted on me.
30:38I did not want to hear
30:40anyone cry
30:40and explain anymore.
30:42The council's original ruling
30:43was supposed to be issued
30:44that day.
30:45Elder Morin announced
30:46the decision.
30:46Catherine deliberately
30:47sabotaged mate ceremonies,
30:49forged injury
30:50and wolf spirit
30:50disturbance reports,
30:51used wolf bee
30:52to harm a Mistridge
30:53she-wolf
30:53and created a border conflict.
30:56She will be expelled
30:57from the territories
30:58of both Mistridge
30:59and Black Pine.
31:00She will be exiled
31:01to the neutral zone
31:02under the supervision
31:03of Alliance patrols.
31:05For ten years,
31:06she may not enter
31:07any pack territory.
31:09Catherine let out
31:10a small breath of relief.
31:12She thought ten years
31:13was long.
31:15But for a werewolf,
31:17ten years was not enough
31:18to 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
31:32Black Pine would hear
31:33its 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.
31:43I gave a small laugh.
31:44I don't want him.
31:46And I am not here
31:47to steal anything from you.
31:49I am here to take back
31:51what you owe me.
31:52I pushed the injury records
31:53from the seven mate chapels
31:55onto the council table.
31:56The first time,
31:57you faked a border anomaly
31:58and left me standing
31:59at the ceremonial platform
32:00until dawn.
32:01The second time,
32:03you used wolf paste potion
32:04to agitate your own wolf spirit
32:05and made Ryder miss the registration.
32:07The third time,
32:08you contaminated my document
32:10and burned me with wolf faith.
32:12The fourth time,
32:14you sent a false distress call
32:16through the mind link
32:16and left me to face
32:18rogue wolves alone.
32:19The fifth time,
32:20you forged a poisoning report
32:22and left me to bleed
32:23through the full moon run alone.
32:26The sixth time,
32:27you altered healing files
32:29and accused my wolf spirit
32:30of being unstable.
32:32The seventh time,
32:34you created a border conflict
32:36and made me be abandoned
32:37before the final vow.
32:38I finished every word.
32:41No one in the judgment's house spoke.
32:45I turned to Eldamoran.
32:47This was not ordinary jealousy.
32:50She used her pack status,
32:51wolf feia,
32:52a border pass
32:53and the mate ceremonies
32:54to harm another she-wolf
32:55seven times.
32:57If ten years of exile
32:59is all she gets,
33:00everyone will learn
33:01that as long as they cry hard enough,
33:04there is always a way out
33:05after hurting someone.
33:08Catherine finally panicked.
33:10Ryder!
33:13Catherine lunged toward Ryder
33:15and tried to grab his sleeve.
33:16Ryder stepped back.
33:18I looked at her.
33:19I did not feel wild joy.
33:20I only felt cold,
33:22delayed clarity.
33:23You wanted to be a Luna
33:25more than anything.
33:26Then the council
33:26will permanently strip you
33:27of Luna Candacity.
33:28You loved using your status
33:30as an elder's daughter
33:31to crush others.
33:32Then your pack
33:33will publicly remove your name
33:34and no longer recognize you
33:35as one of its members.
33:37You used Wolfbane to hurt me.
33:39Then you will be sent
33:40to the Wolfbane contaminated zone
33:42in the Northern Neutral Territory.
33:44I am not asking them to kill you.
33:46I am asking them to make you clear
33:47the same poison you used
33:49to hurt others
33:49under Alliance Patrol supervision.
33:52Catherine's face
33:53went completely white.
33:54The Wolfbane contaminated zone
33:56belonged to no pack.
33:57It was cold and barren.
33:59The patrols would deliver medicine
34:00and food on schedule,
34:01but they would not give her dignity
34:02or listen to her cry.
34:04Elder Morin was silent
34:05for a long time.
34:06The great elder
34:07of the ruling city pack
34:08turned to Ryder.
34:09Alpha Ryder,
34:10you enabled her sabotage
34:11of the trials.
34:12Do you object to this ruling?
34:14Ryder looked at Catherine.
34:15Her eyes were full
34:16of desperate hope,
34:17but he only said one word.
34:19No.
34:20You can't do this to me!
34:23I walked up to her.
34:26You once said Ryder
34:27believed you and not me.
34:29Now look closely.
34:30He finally doesn't believe you.
34:33The final ruling
34:34was revised
34:35and issued again.
34:37Catherine was stripped
34:38of her original pack status,
34:40permanently disqualified
34:42as a Luna candidate,
34:43and placed on the Alliance blacklist.
34:45She was exiled
34:47to the Wolf's Bape
34:48Contaminated Zone
34:49in the Northern Neutral Territory
34:50under the supervision
34:51of Alliance patrols.
34:53For 50 years,
34:54she could not enter
34:55any pack territory
34:56or request a mate ceremony
34:58with any Alpha.
34:59If she survived
35:00and returned after 50 years,
35:01she could only be reviewed again
35:03as a packless rogue wolf.
35:05When the patrols
35:06dragged her out
35:07of the Judgment Hall,
35:08she was still cryled.
35:10This time,
35:11no one followed her.
35:15As for Ryder,
35:16the council of the ruling city pack
35:17opened a formal inquiry
35:19into him on the spot.
35:20He was not a young heir
35:22waiting to take power.
35:23He was already the Alpha,
35:25so his punishment
35:26was heavier
35:27than an ordinary
35:27disciplinary ruling.
35:29The great elder
35:29of the ruling city pack
35:31stood,
35:31his voice called,
35:32Ryder,
35:33you violated the mate trial vows
35:35seven times.
35:36You enabled a she-wolf
35:38from another pack
35:38to sabotage
35:39the old Alliance
35:40with Miss Ridge
35:41and caused long-term harm
35:42to Annie of Miss Ridge.
35:44As Alpha,
35:45you failed to separate
35:46personal feelings,
35:47duty,
35:48and mate vows.
35:49The council has decided
35:51to suspend
35:52part of your Alpha authority.
35:54Daily affairs
35:55of the ruling pack
35:56will be handled
35:57by your beta for now.
35:58You are forbidden
35:59from sending Annie
36:00any mind-link requests.
36:02You are also forbidden
36:03from approaching
36:04Black Pine territory
36:05in your capacity
36:06as Alpha.
36:08Ryder closed his eyes.
36:09He did not argue.
36:14He only looked at me.
36:17Annie?
36:18I raised my head.
36:20His voice was horsey.
36:22I'm sorry.
36:24I had waited a long time
36:26for those words.
36:28After the first failed trial,
36:29I wanted to hear him.
36:31When my fingers were burned
36:32by 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
36:39from losing control,
36:41I wanted to hear him too.
36:42But he had never said them.
36:44Now he said them.
36:46And I no longer needed them.
36:53I heard your apology.
36:57But I don't accept it.
36:59The light in his eyes
37:01went out.
37:02A tear slid down
37:04from his eye.
37:09After the judgment ended,
37:11Ryder did not leave right away.
37:12He stood outside
37:13Black Pine's border.
37:14Unable to leave
37:15a few days later,
37:16he asked Black Pine's beta
37:17to deliver a box.
37:18Logan placed it
37:19in front of me.
37:20You 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
37:27the ruling pack's moonstone.
37:29It must have been
37:30the thing he once promised
37:31to 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.
37:45This time,
37:46I 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
37:54was on my neck
37:55and Black Pine's
37:56Luna cloak
37:57rested on my shoulders.
37:59My life could no longer
38:00be changed
38:01by one late promise
38:02from him.
38:03We ended
38:03when the moonstone broke.
38:05I closed the box.
38:08Ryder's breath caught.
38:10I handed the box back.
38:12This lunar ring
38:13came too late.
38:14My lunar mark
38:15no longer needs your name.
38:16His eyes reddened
38:18in an instant.
38:20Do you really not love me
38:22at all anymore?
38:23I looked at him.
38:26Ryder,
38:28I don't love you anymore.
38:30I spoke about the past
38:31not because I couldn't
38:32let you go.
38:34I did it so the girl
38:36who waited seven full moons
38:37could finally say
38:39everything she needed to say.
38:41Ryder looked drained.
38:45If I had come
38:46the seventh time.
38:47But you didn't.
38:49Missed events
38:49can be written into records.
38:51Missed people
38:51do not stand
38:52before the ceremonial
38:53platform forever.
38:56After Ryder left
38:57Black Pine's border,
38:58the ruling pack
38:59sent him to the northern border.
39:00It was the coldest border
39:01in the werewolf alliance.
39:03Rogue wolves
39:03and enemy packs
39:04constantly tested
39:05the defenses there.
39:06He remains the tribe's alpha
39:07but part of his authority
39:08had been suspended.
39:09And the ruling pack's
39:10daily affairs
39:10were handled by his beta.
39:11He could no longer
39:12mobilize the council at will.
39:14He could no longer
39:15pressure other packs.
39:16He could no longer
39:17approach Black Pine territory.
39:19For a proud werewolf,
39:20that was harder to bear
39:21than an injury.
39:23I heard about it
39:24while I was studying
39:24lunar duties
39:25in Black Pine's meeting hall.
39:27Logan pushed
39:28the herb inventory
39:29toward me.
39:32We don't have enough
39:33wolf ice antidote
39:34for winter.
39:34More patrols are getting hurt
39:36near the northern border
39:36than last year.
39:40I looked through
39:41the records.
39:42Then cut the
39:43moonflower budget
39:44for the festival
39:44and use it
39:45for herb trades.
39:47One elder frowned.
39:49Luna,
39:50moonflowers 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
39:59went quiet for a moment.
40:01Logan did not speak for me.
40:03He simply sat beside me
40:04and gave me the space
40:06to stand on my own.
40:07We will follow
40:08the Luna's decision.
40:09At last,
40:10the elder lowered his head.
40:12For the first time,
40:13I truly understood
40:14that Luna was not just
40:15a title placed to an alpha.
40:17It was responsibility.
40:18It was choice.
40:19It was a position
40:20I had to claim on my own.
40:22No one in that hall
40:23handed me power
40:24as charity.
40:25I had to take the seat,
40:28re-arose,
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
40:42to 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 wolf-bake powder
40:58mixed into a trap
40:59because I had been hurt
41:00by wolf-bake before.
41:03I stopped at the edge
41:04of the trail
41:05and raised my hand.
41:07Don't step there!
41:10Luna?
41:11I crouched,
41:12brushed 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.
41:20If you shift here,
41:21the powder will burn
41:22through the paws first.
41:23The warriors
41:24immediately pulled back.
41:25A hidden snare
41:26snapped shut
41:27where one of them
41:27had almost stepped.
41:29I saved three warriors.
41:30That night,
41:31voices came through
41:32Black Pine's mind link.
41:34Luna, thank you.
41:35Luna, 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 ordered them to,
42:20but because I had earned it
42:22with my own hands.
42:25Logan was quiet for a moment.
42:28Then he said softly,
42:31Then 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.
42:46He paused,
42:48then gently took my hand in his.
42:50very gently.
42:51He was careful
42:52not to startle me.
42:54I smiled,
42:56so 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 alright?
43:14Yes.
43:14He did not tighten his grip
43:16until I nodded.
43:17That simple
43:19restriction made
43:19my chest ache
43:20more than any vow.
43:22That 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,
43:32I saw familiar words.
43:34Failed trial.
43:35Absent alpha.
43:36Arranged mate.
43:38Unstable wolf spirit.
43:42I discovered
43:42that I was not
43:43the only she-wolf
43:44trapped by the
43:44seven mate trials.
43:46Logan noticed
43:47my expression.
43:50Annie,
43:51what is it?
43:52I placed one
43:53old 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.
44:11The old
44:11seven mate trials
44:12of Mistridge
44:12had trapped
44:13too many she-wolves.
44:14They had once
44:16been meant
44:16as protection.
44:18They were meant
44:19to protect
44:19Mistridge women
44:20from being taken
44:20away too easily
44:21by outside alphas.
44:23But later,
44:23that protection
44:24became another rule
44:25used to trap them.
44:27If the seven trials
44:28failed,
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
44:35been crushed
44:36by that rule.
44:36So I came back.
44:38Black Pine
44:38and Mistridge
44:39called another
44:40council meeting.
44:41I stood before
44:41the ceremonial platform,
44:42my lunar mark
44:44clear on my neck.
44:45Elder Moran
44:45looked at me
44:46with a complicated expression.
44:48Annie,
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 an alpha's
44:58broken promises
44:59with 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,
45:12the she-wolf
45:12has the right
45:13to reject him.
45:14She also has the right
45:15to choose another mate.
45:17She does not have
45:18to accept an arrangement
45:19from the council.
45:21Any alpha
45:21who wants to claim
45:22a misrid she-wolf
45:23must 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.
45:57He 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 me.
46:07The stone hall fell 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
46:17pressed a handprint
46:18into 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.
46:27She had been covered
46:27in dirt and blood,
46:29her ankle bleeding,
46:29the moonstone clenched
46:30in her hand.
46:31She had believed
46:32she could only wait
46:33for someone else
46:34to take her away.
46:34But now I stood here
46:36and changed the rule
46:37that had trapped her.
46:38Logan squeezed my hand
46:39once,
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
47:00an alpha who breaks
47:00his promises now?
47:02Yes.
47:03If he makes you wait
47:05until something inside you dies,
47:06you have the right
47:07to turn away.
47:08She 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
47:20to open a door
47:20for those who came after 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
47:32the new record.
47:33Your 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.
47:52They were only hearing
47:53for the first time
47:54that waiting
47:55was not their only fate.
47:57Logan walked to my side
47:59but did not interrupt them.
48:01He let me
48:02be 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
48:15the new rule passed.
48:16He had not come
48:17as the alpha
48:18of the ruling city pack.
48:19He was only
48:20the temporary commander
48:20of the Northern Border Guard,
48:22assigned to escort
48:23a 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
48:34as 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,
48:43but 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
48:58still stood between us.
48:59That was all he said.
49:01He waited far below
49:02the platform,
49:03the way I had once
49:04waited for him.
49:05Meanwhile,
49:06Elder Morin
49:07read the 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
49:16must respect the 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.
49:31Behind 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.
49:54Tired?
49:54After the ceremony,
49:56Logan walked to my side.
49:57I shook my head.
50:00No.
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
50:26standing 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.
50:34Later,
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
50:48stood 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
51:03from 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.
51:13I stopped for a moment
51:14and looked back at 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 belonged
51:28only to the old rule.
51:32It also belonged
51:33to the she-wolves
51:34who could finally choose
51:36for themselves.
51:37We'll see you on my own.
51:38Bye.
51:38Bye.
51:39Bye.
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