- 49 minutes ago
The Alpha’s Baby Chose Me
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Short filmTranscript
00:00Inside the Moonspring Birthing House, a woman lay on a wooden bed, groaning in agony as she gave birth.
00:06The woman clenched her fists and pushed hard.
00:08A baby's cry rang out, the moment my sister gave birth gift to the pup.
00:12She shoved him into my arms and fled through a forbidden teleportation circle.
00:16My mother dropped to her knees and gripped my hand tightly.
00:19Ella, claim him! Please! Your sister's life will be ruined if this comes out!
00:24I lowered my head and looked at the baby in my arms.
00:26He was still covered in blood, tiny and fragile, like a little life freshly lifted from the snow.
00:31But on his forehead glowed a silver crescent moon.
00:34It wasn't the mark of an ordinary wolf pup.
00:37It was a blood mark belonging only to the Silvermoon Alpha Bloodsleen.
00:42A chill ran through me.
00:44Who's the father? My mother trembled as she cried.
00:47Koli Darkhan!
00:49I froze.
00:50Koli Darkhorn, Alpha of the Silvermoon Pack and the most powerful werewolf lord in the Northern Territory.
00:55Rumor had it he was cold-blooded and ruthless.
00:58He even hung traitor's bones in the snowy forest as a warning to others.
01:01Lowering her voice, my mother said,
01:03Your sister stole his bloodline.
01:05She used Moonheat Incense.
01:08Moonheat Incense.
01:09The werewolf's forbidden drug.
01:11For a short time, it could mimic the scent of a fated mate and drive an Alpha out of control.
01:16My mother's voice grew even softer.
01:19She thought having his pup would make her the Alpha's Luna.
01:22But when Cole woke up, he immediately started searching for the woman from that night.
01:27If Kyle finds out the truth, he'll kill her.
01:30I laughed.
01:31So she can't die.
01:33But I can spend my life raising her child?
01:36My mother shook her head.
01:38Ella, you've always been the one who could handle anything.
01:41You've never deceived Cole, but your sister can't survive his wrath.
01:45That line again.
01:49I could handle it.
01:52Which meant I was the one expected to be sacrificed.
01:57Holding the baby tighter, I turned and walked into the snowstorm.
02:01This child was too dangerous.
02:02He wouldn't just attract Cole, he would attract Cole's enemies as well.
02:06I couldn't afford to raise him, and I certainly couldn't protect him.
02:09Besides, I wasn't going to spend the rest of my life paying for Celia's sins.
02:14I would take him to the person who should be responsible for him.
02:17The next day, in Moon Howell Hall, wolf guards in black armor lined both sides of the grand staircase.
02:24Every eye in the hall was fixed on me.
02:26A low-ranked she-wolf from a remote border hunting village.
02:29Cole Dark Harp sat upon his throne.
02:31Short hair rests upon his black battle cloak, and his dark gold eyes were as cold as blaze.
02:37He glanced at me once.
02:38The crushing aura of a supreme alpha descended upon the hole.
02:41People dropped to their knees one after another.
02:43I didn't.
02:44At last, Cole raised his eyes.
02:46Who gave you permission to enter?
02:48I stepped forward and placed the baby on the black stone table before him.
02:51As if sensing something, the child suddenly opened his eyes.
02:54Dark gold eyes.
02:55Exactly the same as Cole's.
02:57Silence engulfed the entire hall.
02:59I pushed the blood oath stone in front of him.
03:02Cecily ran.
03:02This is the pup she gave birth to.
03:04He bears the silver moon blood mark on his forehead, and his eyes are dark gold.
03:08I stared at him and spoke each word clearly.
03:10Silver moon alpha, leave your blood mark.
03:13Your pup, take him back.
03:15Cole didn't move.
03:17Beside him, the high priestess, Melina, turned pale.
03:21My lord, the silver moon blood mark cannot be forged.
03:25If the pup truly carries the Darkon bloodline, he must be entered into the blood registry.
03:30Cole cut his fingertip, and a drop of blood fell onto the blood oath stone.
03:34Silver light exploded outward.
03:36A line of text appeared wean on the stone.
03:39Leo dark hole, silver moon bloodline.
03:41The entire hall dropped to its knees.
03:45I picked the child back up and turned to leave.
03:48Cole's voice rang out, cold and commanding.
03:51Stop.
03:53I looked back.
03:56I've returned your child.
03:57I'm going back to the border hunting village.
04:00The pup stays.
04:01His gaze settled on me.
04:05So do you.
04:07I laughed.
04:10Why?
04:11Cole's eyes shifted to Leo's hand.
04:13I lowered my head and realized that the baby who had been crying moments ago had somehow gone quiet.
04:18His tiny hand was clenched tightly around my collar.
04:20His forehead rests against my chest, and the silver moon blood mark was gradually warming.
04:24Because he only recognizes you.
04:28I was confined to the coldest side chamber in Silvermoon Castle.
04:32They called it a side chamber, but it was larger than the elder's house back in the hunting village.
04:36Silver wolf pelts hung from the stone walls, blue moon fire burned in the hearth,
04:41and four wolf guards stood watch outside the door.
04:43I sat on the edge of the bed with Leo in my arms.
04:47He had finally fallen asleep.
04:48I, however, hadn't closed my eyes all night.
04:52Not because I was afraid of Cole.
04:55Because I knew what came after dawn would be even harder.
04:59Sure enough, as soon as the morning bell rang,
05:02Melina entered with two attendants carrying a silver basin and a bloodmark needle.
05:07Miss Ella, the Alpha has ordered me to test Leo's bloodline.
05:12The Blood Oath Stone already confirmed it last night.
05:14The Blood Oath Stone confirms bloodlines, not birth mothers.
05:18We need to determine whether Leo has been harmed by forbidden magic.
05:23I let out a cold laugh.
05:25You don't dare go after Cecily.
05:28So you're going to stick a needle into a newborn instead?
05:31A bloodline test won't require a needle.
05:34He stepped inside.
05:35Snow still clung to his black cloak.
05:38His silver hair was tied back,
05:40and his expression was colder than the ice beyond the window.
05:43We'll use the Moonspring Blood Reflection.
05:46Melina stiffened.
05:48My lord, my lord, the Moonspring Blood Reflection is a ritual.
05:51Used only by those of the Silver Moon Bloodline.
05:54Cole looked at the child.
05:57Isn't he Silver Moon Blood?
06:05At the Moonspring, Cole let a drop of blood fall into the water.
06:10The spring instantly turned dark gold.
06:14The Silver Moon Blood Mark on Leo's forehead flared brightly,
06:18and every priest in attendance dropped to their knees.
06:21Melina's voice trembled.
06:23Blessed by the Moon Goddess.
06:25He truly carries the Silver Moon Bloodline.
06:28Before I could breathe a sigh of relief,
06:31a black raven suddenly slammed into a stone pillar beside the spring.
06:36The raven burst into a cloud of blood mist, revealing Cecily's image.
06:41She wore a red cloak, showing none of the weakness of a woman who had just given birth.
06:46She smiled at me.
06:49Ella, you really did bring him to Cole.
06:55A chill swept through me.
06:57She hadn't been running for her life.
06:59This had all been intentional.
07:00Cecily's voice drifted from the blood mist.
07:03Take good care of him for me.
07:05When I return, I'll personally come for my son.
07:08The blood mist dissipated.
07:10Leo burst into tears.
07:14Cole seized my wrist, his eyes dark with a frightening intensity.
07:18What exactly is your sister planning?
07:21I stared at the shattered remains of the raven.
07:24Only one thought filled my mind.
07:26Cecily had never intended to abandon her child.
07:29She had only dumped him on me temporarily.
07:31Once Cole acknowledged Leo's bloodline,
07:34she'd come back and take him.
07:36After we returned to the side chamber,
07:38Leo cried so hard that no one could calm him.
07:41An attendant brought a silver feeding horn filled with milk,
07:45but he refused it.
07:46They switched him to a softer blanket,
07:48but he cried even harder.
07:51Melina was so anxious that sweat beaded across her forehead.
07:54Cole endured it for a moment before saying in a low voice,
07:58Make him quiet.
08:00I'd had enough.
08:02I took Leo back into my arms,
08:04patted his back,
08:05and whispered,
08:08It's okay.
08:10I'm here.
08:11The crying immediately softened.
08:14Three more gentle paths,
08:16and he let out a little hiccup.
08:17Then he buried his face in the kirk of my neck,
08:20and stopped crying altogether.
08:22Everyone in the room stared at me.
08:24Cole's gaze settled on my hands.
08:27How did you do that?
08:29By holding a baby,
08:30not interrogating a prisoner.
08:32He looked at me coldly.
08:33I met his eyes without flinching.
08:36A pup that young doesn't understand orders.
08:38You can't intimidate him.
08:40You'll only scare him into crying.
08:42Outside the door,
08:44even the wolf guards seemed to stop breathing.
08:47I knew that sentence could have gotten me killed.
08:49But Cole didn't get angry.
08:51He only looked at the child in my arms
08:53and remained silent for a long time.
08:58From today on,
08:59you'll take care of him for the time being.
09:02I almost laughed.
09:04For the time being?
09:05How long?
09:06Until a suitable wet mather is found.
09:08And once you find one,
09:09I can leave?
09:10If the child no longer needs you.
09:12The words pierced my chest like a thorn.
09:15Of course I wanted to leave.
09:17But I looked down at Leo,
09:19who had finally fallen asleep in my arms.
09:21He knew nothing.
09:22He didn't know his birth mother
09:24had treated him like a bargaining chip.
09:26He didn't know his father
09:28had nearly handed him over to rules and protocol
09:30just moments ago.
09:31He only knew that I had held him.
09:33I closed my eyes briefly.
09:36Fine.
09:38But I have conditions.
09:40Cole said,
09:42Speak.
09:43First,
09:43I'm not a servant.
09:44Your people aren't allowed to order me to kneel.
09:47Second,
09:47when it comes to feeding him,
09:48putting him to sleep,
09:49or changing his cloths,
09:50I make the decisions.
09:51Third,
09:52Ceasley is the one who ran.
09:53Go find her.
09:54Don't put all her debts on me.
09:55Cole stared at me for a long moment.
09:58Are you telling me how to do my job?
10:00I'm reminding you not to be stupid.
10:02This time,
10:03even Milena lowered her head.
10:05Cole stepped closer.
10:06His scent carried the cold,
10:08metallic edge of a snowy night.
10:10Ella,
10:11didn't anyone in that border hunting village
10:14teach you to lower your head
10:15when speaking to the Silver Moon Alpha?
10:19Holding Leo in my arms,
10:20I didn't retreat even a single step.
10:24They did.
10:25Then why don't you?
10:28Because if I lower my head,
10:30no one will be left to protect him.
10:33For a brief moment,
10:34something in Cole's eyes deepened.
10:36That night,
10:38Leo developed a fever.
10:39Not an ordinary fever.
10:41The moon mark on his forehead
10:43burned as if it had been set on fire.
10:45His tiny body curled up beneath the blanket,
10:48soft whimpers escaping his throat
10:50like a distressed wolf pup.
10:51I carried him to the door.
10:54Get a priest!
10:56The wolf guard standing watch hesitated.
10:58The Alpha ordered that no one is to leave
11:00without permission.
11:01I slammed my foot against the door.
11:04If he doesn't get here now,
11:05the child will die!
11:07Half a quarter hour later,
11:09Cole and Melina arrived at the same time.
11:13Melina took one look at Leo,
11:15and all color drained from her face.
11:18His moon mark awakened too early.
11:22Cole's expression hardened.
11:25What does that mean?
11:26The silver moon bloodline inside him is too powerful.
11:29He's too young to withstand it.
11:31He needs someone with the same bloodline to stabilize him.
11:35Cole reached out to take the child.
11:37The moment Leo touched his fingertips,
11:40silver light exploded.
11:41His cries turned sharp and piercing,
11:44as though he were being torn apart.
11:46Terrified, I snatched Leo back into my arms.
11:48Don't touch him!
11:50Combe's hand froze in midair.
11:52Melina spoke urgently.
11:53My lord, your bloodline is too powerful.
11:56It's overwhelming him.
11:57We need someone he trusts to act as a buffer.
12:00Cole looked at me.
12:01My heart sank.
12:02Me?
12:03Leo recognizes your scent.
12:05Hold him while I channel the bloodline power into you.
12:08Then you'll pass it on to soothe him.
12:09I knew it was going to hurt.
12:11But Leo's cries had already grown weak from exhaustion,
12:15and his tiny hand still clung to me.
12:17I gritted my teeth.
12:18Do it.
12:19Cole took my hand.
12:20The next instant, an icy, dominating force surged into my palm
12:24and raced through my veins.
12:26It shot up my arm and into my shoulder,
12:29like countless tiny blades scraping against my bones.
12:32Pain darkened my vision,
12:34but I held Leo tightly
12:35and kept soothing him over and over.
12:38Leo, it's okay.
12:39I'm here.
12:41At last, the silver light gradually receded.
12:45The crying stopped.
12:47Then a sudden burning sensation flared at the back of my neck.
12:51Melina gasped.
12:52Her moon mark!
12:54I dropped to my knees.
12:55The taste of blood rose in my throat.
12:57Melina examined the back of my neck,
12:59her voice trembling.
13:01This isn't a low-grade moon mark.
13:03There's a bloodline seal on her.
13:06Cole's eyes instantly turned cold.
13:08Who placed it?
13:09Of course I knew.
13:11My mother, ever since I was little,
13:13she had told me that my moon mark was weak,
13:15that I would never become a powerful wolf.
13:18She told me not to compete,
13:20not to fight,
13:21not to stand out.
13:23So I hadn't been born weak.
13:25I'd been sealed.
13:29Cole ordered his guards
13:30to bring my mother to the side chamber.
13:33She knelt there,
13:34not dare to meet my eyes.
13:35I asked,
13:37Was it you who placed the bloodline seal on me?
13:40Tears streamed down my mother's face.
13:42Ella, I did it for your own good.
13:44I had heard those words for 24 years,
13:47and every single time they were followed by a demand
13:49that I sacrifice something.
13:52Holdingly, I pushed myself to my feet,
13:54my body still trembling.
13:55For my own good?
13:57So you sealed my moon mark?
13:59My mother shook her head.
14:01You awakened when you were little.
14:03You were too powerful.
14:05You almost hurt Cecily.
14:07I was afraid people would see you as a monster,
14:10and I was afraid your sister would come to hate you.
14:14I laughed.
14:15So to protect her,
14:17you turned me into a cripple?
14:19My mother cried too hard to answer.
14:21Coley's voice turned cold.
14:23Did Cecia know about this?
14:25My mother froze.
14:26Her silence was answer enough.
14:29At last, I understood.
14:31Cecily hadn't left the child with me
14:33just because I had a soft heart.
14:34She knew my blood could soothe Leo.
14:37She had calculated that I would take the child into my arms,
14:40and she had calculated that the child
14:42would become dependent on me.
14:44I looked at my mother and asked one word at a time.
14:48You believed everything she told you?
14:51When she said I should claim the child,
14:53you believed her.
14:54When she said Cole was someone we couldn't afford to offend,
14:57you believed her too.
15:00Mother,
15:02was there ever a single time you believed in me?
15:05My mother opened her mouth,
15:07but no words came out.
15:09An urgent report suddenly arrived from outside the hall.
15:12My lord!
15:14A black raven message.
15:15Cecily has appeared at the Dark Moon camp.
15:17The rebel leader, Varro, is with her.
15:20Coley took the message.
15:22There was only one sentence written on it.
15:24Before the next full moon,
15:26I will come for my son.
15:30I tightened my hold on Leo.
15:32My hands and feet turned ice cold.
15:35She was coming back.
15:39From that night on,
15:40I no longer stayed in the side chamber.
15:42Cole moved Leo and me into the Silver Wolf Tower.
15:45The entire Silver Moon territory was talking about it.
15:48A low-ranked she-wolf from the Borderlands
15:50had somehow moved into the Alpha's inner tower
15:52with a child of the Silver Moon bloodline.
15:54Trouble arrived on the very first day.
15:56The visitor was Lydia of the White Feather Pack.
15:59She was the Alliance bride the Elders had chosen for Cole.
16:02Dressed in a snow-white gown
16:04and followed by six attendants,
16:06she walked in without sparing me so much as a glance.
16:09I heard the child is wary of strangers.
16:12She looked toward Leo's cradle.
16:13I came to see him.
16:15I stepped in front of the cradle.
16:16He just fell asleep.
16:17Lydia smiled gently,
16:18but her words were sharp as needles.
16:20Miss Ella,
16:21you're only looking after Leo temporarily.
16:23Don't forget your place.
16:25I remember my place perfectly well.
16:27I said,
16:28his mother dumped him on me,
16:30his father won't let me leave,
16:31and now you're here reminding me
16:33not to think too highly of myself.
16:34One of the attendants snapped.
16:35How dare you?
16:37Miss Lydia will be the future Luna
16:38of the Silvermoon Territory.
16:39I nodded.
16:40Then she can start giving me orders
16:41when she actually becomes one.
16:43For a moment,
16:44Lydia's composure cracked.
16:46She walked to the cradle
16:47and reached down to pick up Leo.
16:49I didn't stop her.
16:50The instant her fingertips
16:51brushed the swaddling cloth,
16:53Leo's eyes flew open.
16:55A low growl,
16:56startlingly wolfish for an infant,
16:58rumbled from his throat.
16:59In the next second,
17:00a burst of silver light
17:01threw Lydia backward.
17:02She staggered three-step.
17:06A crescent-shaped burn
17:08appearing across the back of her hand.
17:10The attendants cried out in alarm.
17:12Miss Lydia!
17:13Leo turned his head toward me instead.
17:15His little mouth trembled,
17:17and he began to cry miserably.
17:19I quickly scooped him up.
17:21The moment he settled into my arms,
17:24he quieted down.
17:25Footsteps sounded from the doorway.
17:27Cole had arrived.
17:28Lydia's eyes immediately reddened.
17:30Cole, Leo rejects me
17:31because this woman taught him to.
17:33Cole glanced at her injured hand.
17:35Leo isn't even seven days old.
17:36He can't understand a single word.
17:38Lydia's expression darkened.
17:39Then Cole added,
17:40Without my permission,
17:41don't touch him again.
17:47I'm your alliance bride.
17:49That was the final blow
17:50to her composure.
17:51That was only the Elder's proposal.
17:54The White Feather Pack
17:55has already prepared
17:56the betrothal gifts!
17:57Then send them back.
17:58At last,
18:00resentment surfed openly
18:01in Lydia's eyes.
18:02As she passed by me,
18:04she lowered her voice and said,
18:06Ella,
18:06you can't protect him.
18:08Cecil has already sold the information
18:10to the Dark Moon Rebels.
18:12The entire Northern Territory
18:14knows now
18:15that the Silver Moon Alpha
18:16has an heir.
18:17I held Leo in my arms,
18:19my heart sinking.
18:20That alone was enough.
18:22There was no need
18:22for some ancient temple
18:23or a complicated prophecy.
18:25Leo was just a newborn child,
18:27but because he was Cole's son,
18:29people already wanted
18:30to take him,
18:31use him,
18:32or kill him.
18:33That night,
18:34Cole convened a council
18:35of his commanders.
18:36Originally,
18:37I wasn't allowed to attend.
18:38I stood at the doorway
18:40with Leo in my arms.
18:41You're discussing his life.
18:43Why shouldn't I be allowed
18:44to hear it?
18:45Cole glanced at me.
18:47Come in.
18:48Inside the council chamber
18:49sat seven Wolfgard commanders,
18:51three priests,
18:52and several elders.
18:53One of them frowned.
18:56My lord,
18:57this is a military council.
19:00Cole replied calmly.
19:01She stays.
19:03The Dark Moon Rebels
19:04were gathering along
19:05the Northern border,
19:06and Sicily was traveling
19:08with Varro.
19:10One elder proposed
19:11sending Leo
19:12to the Sanctuary
19:13of the Sacred Spring,
19:15where the priests
19:16could take custody of him.
19:17I asked coldly,
19:18custody or confinement?
19:21Every eye in the room
19:22turned toward me.
19:24I continued.
19:24The moment you move him
19:25out of the Silver Wolf Tower,
19:27you'll be tossing meat
19:27into a pack of starving wolves.
19:29An elder from the
19:30White Feather Pack frowned.
19:32Your words are too harsh.
19:35I looked at him.
19:36What you're proposing
19:38is even uglier.
19:39He slammed a hand
19:40onto the table.
19:41Your borderland girl.
19:42Leo suddenly started crying.
19:45The moon mark
19:45on his forehead
19:46flared to life.
19:48Frost instantly spread
19:49across the entire
19:50council table.
19:52The White Feather Elder's hand
19:54froze solid
19:55against the tabletop.
19:57Cole made no move
19:58to help him.
19:59He merely looked down
20:00at Leo,
20:01his voice noticeably softer.
20:03Let go.
20:08Leo, of course,
20:09couldn't understand him.
20:12He only cried harder.
20:14I sighed.
20:17You can't comfort a baby
20:18with the same voice
20:19you used to interrogate prisoners.
20:21Gore fell silent.
20:22I lifted Leo
20:23and gently patted his back.
20:24There, there.
20:26I know.
20:27You don't like him.
20:28The Frost gradually retreated.
20:30The White Feather Elder
20:31awkwardly yanked
20:32his hand free.
20:34Cole swept his gaze
20:35across the room.
20:36From this day forward,
20:38no one is permitted
20:39to approach Leo
20:40under the pretense
20:41of caring for him.
20:44Anyone who disobeys
20:46will be treated
20:47as a traitor.
20:48This time,
20:49no one dared object.
20:50In the middle of the night,
20:51Leo started crying again.
20:53The wet nurse
20:54couldn't soothe him.
20:55The priests
20:56couldn't soothe him.
20:58Even I couldn't soothe him
20:59while holding him.
21:00After examining him,
21:02Melina turned to Cole
21:03with a complicated expression.
21:05Leo needs comfort
21:06from a matching wolf form.
21:08Cole frowned.
21:08Explain.
21:12He needs to sleep
21:13against your wolf form.
21:15The room fell silent.
21:16I looked at Cole.
21:18Cole looked at me.
21:19After a long pause,
21:21I fought back a smile.
21:22My lord,
21:24maybe you should shift.
21:25Of course,
21:26Cole refused.
21:27He was the Silver Moon Alpha,
21:29the most powerful werewolf ruler
21:31in the Northern Territory.
21:33Asking him to turn into
21:35a giant wolf
21:35so a baby could use him
21:37as a mattress
21:38was harder than asking him
21:40to admit defeat in public.
21:42In the end,
21:43Cole walked to the center
21:44of the thick rug
21:44with a dark expression.
21:46A flash of silver light
21:47filled the room.
21:47A massive black and silver wolf
21:49appeared before me.
21:50His shoulders were as high
21:51as a small hill,
21:52silver fur cascading to the floor,
21:54while dark gold wolf eyes
21:55stared at me coldly.
21:56I carried Leo over.
21:58The moment Leo caught his scent,
21:59he stopped crying.
22:01His tiny hand even reached up
22:02and grabbed the tip
22:03of the giant wolf's ear.
22:05Cole's entire body went rigid.
22:07I bit back a laugh.
22:08Don't move.
22:09He just calmed down.
22:11The giant wolf glared at me.
22:12I gently laid O
22:13between his front paws.
22:15Curled against the warm fur,
22:17the little one quickly fell asleep.
22:19That night became the most peaceful sleep
22:21Leo had had since the day he was born.
22:25The next morning,
22:26Leo woke up clutching
22:28a small tuft of silver fur.
22:29I glanced at the patch
22:30near Kaur Temple,
22:31which seemed noticeably thinner.
22:34You shed.
22:34Core expression darkened.
22:36Be quiet.
22:37I tucked the tuft of fur
22:39into a small cloth pouch.
22:41If he cries when you're not around,
22:42maybe this will work.
22:43After a brief silence,
22:44Kaur said,
22:45He's not a puppy.
22:47But you looked a lot
22:48like one last night.
22:49Outside the door,
22:50the wolf guard suddenly erupted
22:52into a fit of coughing.
22:53Those peaceful days
22:54didn't last long.
22:55On the day of the
22:56Moonspring Blessing Ceremony,
22:58the elders demanded
22:59that Leo publicly receive
23:00the Bloodline Blessing
23:02to prove he was the future heir
23:03of the Silver Moon Pack.
23:05Cole originally intended to refuse.
23:07I said instead,
23:08We're going.
23:09He looked at me.
23:10Do you realize
23:10how many eyes will be on him?
23:12I do.
23:12Holding Leo in my arms,
23:14I continued.
23:15But he can't stay hidden
23:16in the tower forever.
23:20The people who want to hurt him
23:22will reveal themselves
23:23sooner or later.
23:24So we brought Leo
23:25to the Moonspring High Platform.
23:27A fierce snowstorm
23:28swept across the ceremony
23:29that day.
23:30The banners of the various wolf packs
23:32snapped loudly in the wind.
23:34I stood beside Cole
23:35with Leo in my arms.
23:37Countless eyes settled on me.
23:39Some were filled with contempt.
23:41Some with scrutiny.
23:43Some with jealousy.
23:44And some with naked greed.
23:47Leo's Bloodline is noble,
23:49but his mother's background
23:50remains uncertain.
23:52If Cecily returns,
23:53then according to the ancient laws,
23:54she has the right
23:55to reclaim her child.
23:56She abandoned him
23:56the moment she gave birth.
23:57What right does she have
23:58to take him back?
23:59She is still his birth mother.
24:01At that moment,
24:03the sky suddenly darkened.
24:05A black raven fell onto
24:06the center of the High Platform
24:08and burst into a pool of blood.
24:10A figure emerged
24:11from the swirling blood mist.
24:13It was Cecily.
24:14Her gaze settled on Leo
24:15in my arms,
24:16and she smiled gently.
24:18Sister, give me back my child.
24:21The entire platform
24:23erupted into chaos.
24:24Wolf guards drew their blaves.
24:26The priests formed
24:28protective circles.
24:29People hurriedly backed away.
24:31Only I remained where I was,
24:33holding Leo and staring
24:34at Selina's figure
24:35in the blood mist.
24:37She wore her red cloak,
24:38and her complexion
24:40looked even better
24:41than when she had left.
24:44She didn't look like
24:46a mother on the run.
24:48She looked like a hunter
24:49returning to claim her prize.
24:52I asked.
24:56You still remember
24:57he's your child?
24:58Cecily's eyes locked onto Leo,
25:00shining with an unsettling intensity.
25:03Of course.
25:04I gave birth to him.
25:05You abandoned him
25:06the moment he was born
25:07and dumped him on me.
25:08Ella, I didn't have a choice.
25:10You've always been stronger than me.
25:12You could handle it.
25:14That phrase again.
25:16You could handle it.
25:18Which was why
25:19everyone handed me the knife
25:20and expected me
25:21to drive it into my own heart.
25:22My voice turned cold.
25:24I'm not your shield.
25:25Cecily looked toward Cole.
25:27Her tone softening.
25:30Cor, I know you hate me
25:31for deceiving you.
25:33But Leo is our child.
25:34Are you really going to let
25:36an outsider hold him
25:37while standing between us?
25:39You don't deserve
25:40to say his name.
25:41The smile on Cecily's face
25:42stiffened.
25:43Whatever mistakes
25:44that Cecile made,
25:45she is still the birth mother.
25:47According to the ancient laws,
25:49she has the right
25:49to petition the Moonspring
25:51for a recognition rile.
25:53Then I understood.
25:54This so-called blessing ceremony
25:56had been paving the way
25:57for Cecile all along.
25:59You don't have to accept.
26:00The white feather elder scoffed.
26:02Is the silver moon Alpha afraid?
26:05Whispers immediately spread
26:07through the crowd.
26:08I looked down at Leo.
26:09He was still too young
26:11to understand schemes
26:12and manipulation.
26:13But Cecily had given birth to him.
26:15The pull of blood
26:16could not simply be erased.
26:17I raised my head.
26:18Fine.
26:19Cole frowned.
26:21Ella.
26:22I didn't look at him.
26:23My eyes stayed fixed
26:25on Cecily.
26:26But I have one condition.
26:29If Leo doesn't recognize you,
26:32you'll admit before everyone
26:33that you willingly abandoned him.
26:36Cecily smiled.
26:37And if he does recognize me,
26:38I tightened my hold on Leo.
26:42I'll hand him over to you.
26:45Cole immediately grabbed my wrist.
26:47Lowering my voice,
26:48I said,
26:48I won't lose.
26:50What makes you so certain?
26:52I looked at Leo in my arms.
26:56Because she's never held him.
26:58The moonspring recognition reet began.
27:01The sacred spring transformed
27:03into a silver mirror.
27:04On the opposite side
27:06stood at Cecily's blood shadow.
27:08Her hand outstretched toward Leo.
27:10Come to mommy, sweetheart.
27:13Leo opened his dark gold eyes
27:15and looked at her quietly.
27:16The entire crowd held its breath.
27:20His tiny hand tritched.
27:22A victorious smile spread across Cecily's face.
27:26Then, in the very next instant,
27:28Leo turned away.
27:30He grabbed my collar with all his strength
27:32and buried his face against my chest.
27:34The mirrored surface of the sacred spring
27:36shattered with a thunderous crack.
27:39Melina's voice trembled with excitement.
27:41The moonspring has acknowledged the guardian bond
27:44between Miss Ella and Leo.
27:46Blood cannot be changed,
27:48but Leo has made his choice.
27:50Cecily's expression twisted.
27:51Impossible!
27:52I gave birth to him!
27:54I looked at her.
27:55But he's afraid of you.
27:56The words hit her like a slap across the face.
28:00Ella,
28:01do you think you've won?
28:03Cecily glared at me with naked hatred.
28:07I'll come back myself.
28:09And when I do,
28:10I'll take back my child,
28:11along with everything you owe me.
28:14The blood mist dispersed.
28:16The Whitefeather Elder
28:17tried to slip away amid the confusion.
28:19Cole lifted a hand.
28:21The Wolfguards immediately surrounded him.
28:24Cole's voice was as cold as falling snow.
28:27The Whitefeather Pack collude with Cecily.
28:29Detain him.
28:30The Whitefeather Elder shouted angrily.
28:32You have no proof!
28:34I bent down and picked up a lens of red thread
28:37left behind by the Black Raven.
28:39Stamped on the end of the thread
28:41was the feather sigil of the Whitefeather Pack.
28:45Now you do.
28:47Silence fell over the entire platform.
28:50But I felt no relief.
28:53Because I knew Cecily
28:54would never let this end here.
28:57She had already lost her child once.
28:59The next time,
29:01she wouldn't try to persuade him.
29:04She would come to take him by force.
29:08Cecily came back far sooner than anyone expected.
29:11There was no moon that night.
29:12I was changing Leo's swaddling cloth
29:14when a warhorn suddenly sounded in the distance.
29:17Firelight blazed beyond the Silver Wolf Tower
29:19and a maid came running in, screaming.
29:21The Darkmoon Rebels have breached the outer wall!
29:23I scooped at Leo into my arms
29:25and grabbed the short dagger Cole had given me.
29:27Where's Cole?
29:28The Alpha is fighting at the North Wall.
29:30My heart sank.
29:31The Rebels had chosen to attack the inner tower
29:33while he was occupied elsewhere.
29:35Their goal wasn't victory.
29:37It was at Leo.
29:38Melina rushed in
29:39and shoved a silver talism into my hand.
29:41Come with me.
29:42There's a secret passage beneath the tower.
29:44We had barely reached the staircase
29:45when the wall exploded inward.
29:47Three wolf soldiers in black armor
29:49charged through the breach,
29:50their eyes glowing blood red.
29:52I thrust Leo into the maid's arms
29:53and drew my dagger.
29:54I didn't know noble swordmanship.
29:56I only knew the survival tricks
29:58taught in a border hunting village.
30:00Avoid the throat.
30:01Get inside the ribs.
30:02Drive the blade where the flesh is soft.
30:04The first wolf soldier screamed
30:05and crashed into the stone wall.
30:07The second lunged toward the maid.
30:09Leo suddenly started crying.
30:12Silver light erupted.
30:14The wolf soldier was thrown backward
30:16as if struck by a battering ram.
30:20The third seized my hair
30:22and slammed me hard onto the floor.
30:24Planting a boot on my wrist,
30:25he grinned viciously.
30:26Cessie said you were pathetically weak.
30:27I grin at my teeth.
30:28Then she remembered wrong.
30:30I drove my knee into his grain,
30:31grabbed a shattered silver lamp
30:32and plunged it into his eye.
30:34Blood splattered across my face.
30:35Even a weak wolf from the borderlands knows this.
30:37The prey that talks too much dies first.
30:39The secret passage had already been blocked
30:41by falling rubble.
30:42Outside,
30:42the sound of approaching footsteps
30:43grew closer and closer.
30:44I strapped at Leo securely against my chest
30:46and prepared to jump from the tower window.
30:48Then I heard Cole's voice behind me.
30:49Ella.
30:52I turned around.
30:53Cole stood beside the shattered wall.
30:55His black battle armor was drenched in blood.
30:58None of it was his.
30:59His eyes had partially shifted,
31:01dark gold swirling with savage fury.
31:03When he saw the bruised finger marks around my neck,
31:05his expression turned utterly cold.
31:07In the next instant,
31:08a wolf's tower shattered the snow piled atop the tower.
31:11Cole shifted into a massive black and silver wolf
31:13and charged back into the battle.
31:14This wasn't the wolf form that comforted Leo.
31:17This was the silver moon alpha of the battlefield.
31:20Armor split beneath his claws.
31:22Throats shattered between his fangs.
31:26No one who approached the silver wolf tower
31:28walked away alive.
31:30By dawn,
31:31the dark moon rebels had retreated,
31:32but they had taken my mother with them.
31:34She had been imprisoned in the outer tower.
31:37Before withdrawing,
31:38the rebels abducted her
31:39and left behind only a black bone token.
31:42Carved into it were Cecily's words.
31:43Trade Ella for her.
31:45I stared at the message.
31:47Surprisingly,
31:47it didn't hurt as much as I thought it would.
31:49My mother had sacrificed me for Cecily.
31:51And now Cecily had taken her for herself.
31:54It felt like a circle of retribution finally closing.
31:57I'll send people to rescue her.
31:58I shook my head.
31:59They want me.
32:00They won't kill her easily.
32:02You want to go?
32:03I want to end this.
32:06No.
32:07You're staying here.
32:09Holding Leo,
32:10I looked at the scorched tower walls.
32:14They're after me.
32:16If I keep hiding behind you,
32:18more people will die in my place.
32:19Cole's jaw tightened.
32:21You've never been trained for war.
32:22I survived 24 years on the border.
32:25I looked directly at him.
32:26Cole,
32:27I'm not your weakness.
32:28I'm someone who can stand beside you
32:30and tear out an enemy's throat.
32:35He stared at me for a long time without speaking.
32:38That evening,
32:39as the sun set,
32:40Cole personally taught me how to hold a blade.
32:41Not the elegant techniques favored by nobles.
32:44The shortest,
32:45fastest,
32:46most ruthless ways to kill.
32:47He stood behind me.
32:49One hand wrapped around my wrist.
32:50His voice low,
32:51beside my ear.
32:53Don't watch the blade.
32:54Watch the enemy's shoulders.
32:56The moment the shoulders move,
32:57you'll already know where the strike is coming from.
32:59I followed his instruction.
33:02One slice opened the wooden target's throat.
33:06Good.
33:08Leo,
33:08lying in the cradle nearby,
33:10suddenly made a small sound.
33:13Cole immediately released me,
33:14as if he'd been caught doing something.
33:16I noticed the brief stiffness
33:17that flashed across his face
33:19and couldn't help laughing.
33:22My lord,
33:23are you afraid of him?
33:24He should be asleep.
33:26He's only a few days old.
33:27Even a few days old,
33:28he shouldn't be looking around at everything.
33:30I went anyway.
33:32Just not alone.
33:34Cole brought twelve of his most elite wolfguards,
33:37while Melina inscribed concealment runes on me
33:40to hide my scent.
33:41Leo remained in the silver wolf tower
33:43under the protection of three squads of wolfguards
33:46and a circle of priests.
33:48The dark moon camp was hidden beneath a cliff
33:50in a forest of black pines.
33:52At the center of the camp stood a black altar.
33:54My mother was bound to a wooden post,
33:57her face pale and lifeless.
33:59Cecele stood before her.
34:01Hidden in the shadows,
34:03I heard my mother ask through tears,
34:06Cecele,
34:07what are you trying to do?
34:11That's your child.
34:12A child.
34:14Do you still think I gave birth to him
34:16because I wanted to be a mother?
34:20Cecele ran her fingers over the wolf bones
34:22arranged on the altar.
34:24I got pregnant because I wanted to become
34:26the mistress of the Silver Moon Territory.
34:30But Cole never intended to marry me.
34:33If he found out I deceived him,
34:34he would have killed me.
34:36So I needed Ella.
34:40My fingernails dug into my palms.
34:43Cecele continued,
34:45She's always been stupid.
34:47You told her to give things up.
34:49And she gave them up.
34:50You told her to endure.
34:51And she endured.
34:53She's the easiest person in the world to use.
34:56My mother wept.
34:57She's your sister.
34:58Cecele slapped her across the face.
35:00Sister?
35:01What gives her the right to be my sister?
35:04How could someone who never fought for anything
35:06always have people protecting her?
35:08My mother broke down completely.
35:10I was wrong.
35:11I never should have made her give everything up for you.
35:14Cecele snurred.
35:15It's a little late for that now.
35:17She drew a pale bone knife.
35:20Call her.
35:21My mother shook her head through her tears.
35:23I already sent a letter telling her not to come.
35:26Cecele's expression turned cold in an instant.
35:29And you're useless.
35:31The bone knife rose.
35:33I couldn't hold back any longer.
35:36Cecele!
35:37I charged out of hiding.
35:38She looked at me without the slightest surprise.
35:41You really came.
35:43At that same instant,
35:45blood-red formations ignited
35:46throughout the black pine forest.
35:49Cole and the wolf guards were cut off outside the barrier.
35:51Cecele had never wanted my mother.
35:53She wanted me.
35:55Dark markings of the blood formation coiled around my ankles.
35:58Cecele walked toward me.
36:00Madness blazing in her eyes.
36:02Do you know what I've always hated most about you?
36:05I looked at her coldly.
36:07That I didn't die cleaning up one of the disasters you created?
36:10Her expression twisted.
36:13I hate that you always act so clear-headed.
36:16What gives you the right to be the sane one?
36:18You should have kept taking responsibility for me,
36:21just like you always did!
36:22I drove my blade toward her,
36:24but she dodged.
36:26Her bone knife missed across my arm.
36:28Blood dripped onto the formation,
36:30and the silver light suddenly flared.
36:33Cecele's eyes lit up with manic joy.
36:36Just as I thought.
36:38Your blood can still stabilize the Silver Moon bloodline.
36:42As long as I have you,
36:45Leo will obey me.
36:48Outside the barrier,
36:50Cole shifted into his wolf form
36:51and slammed violently against the seal.
36:53Cecele glanced at him,
36:54smiling even more triumphantly.
36:56Cole, you're getting anxious too?
36:58I thought you were supposed to be cold-blooded.
37:00Cole's voice came out like it was being ground.
37:03If you touch her,
37:04I'll wipe your entire bloodline off this world.
37:06No graves, no remnants.
37:07Cecele grabbed my wrist
37:09and tried to force my blood onto the altar.
37:11At that moment,
37:12my mother suddenly threw herself forward
37:14and knocked Cecele aside.
37:16The bone knife stabbed into my mother's abdomen.
37:19My mind went blank.
37:20Mother!
37:21She collapsed into my arms,
37:23blood quickly soaking through her clothes.
37:25Trembling, she reached into her chest
37:27and pulled out a frost-colored bone pendant,
37:29pressing it into my paw.
37:31Your father left this for you.
37:32I never should have hidden it.
37:34Ella, you're not weak.
37:36It was your mother who was wrong.
37:37Give me the pendant!
37:38Cecele screamed and lunged.
37:40I clenched it tightly in my hand.
37:42The next instant,
37:43a self-assive fire had erupted at the back of my neck.
37:45The seal that had bound me for 24 years shattered.
37:47Silver-white frost pattern spread from the neck
37:49down to my wrist
37:50and the blood formation backfired violently,
37:52blasting Ceceus backward.
37:53Coal broke through the barrier
37:54and rushed to my side.
37:55My mother raised a trembling hand,
37:57trying to touch my face,
37:58but she couldn't reach it.
37:59Don't live for anyone else anymore.
38:01Her hand fell.
38:03Cecele crawled up from the ground,
38:04hair disheveled, laughing.
38:06Good.
38:07She deserved to die a long time ago.
38:09I rose to my feet,
38:10gripping the short blade.
38:11Frost light gathered along the blade,
38:14shimmering silver.
38:15For the first time,
38:16Cecele's face showed fear.
38:17Ella?
38:18What are you going to do?
38:19Step by step,
38:20I walked toward her.
38:21You said I was useful,
38:23didn't you?
38:23I lifted the blade,
38:25but I'm not useful anymore.
38:28I didn't kill Cecele.
38:30Not because I softened.
38:32Because Coal stopped me.
38:34His hand closed around the blade,
38:36blood dripping down the silver runes
38:38etched along his skin.
38:40She can't die yet.
38:41Let go!
38:43The Darkmoon Rebels are still out there.
38:46If she's alive,
38:48we can force Varro to show himself.
38:50I don't care!
38:51I do!
38:54Coal looked at me,
38:55his gaze as deep and heavy
38:57as a dark sea at night.
38:59Ella,
39:00I won't let you trade Leo's life
39:02for a moment of satisfaction.
39:04Leo?
39:05That name made my hand hesitate.
39:07Cecele lay on the ground
39:08and suddenly laughed.
39:11Look at you, little sister.
39:13You're still tied down by a child.
39:16Coal stomped down on her wrist.
39:18A sharp crack of bone
39:19echoed through the hall.
39:21Cecele screamed.
39:23One more word,
39:24and I'll break the other hand.
39:27She finally went silent.
39:30We took her back to Moonhall Hall
39:32as a prisoner,
39:33along with my mother's body.
39:37That night,
39:38I stayed by Leo's side
39:40and by my mother's coffin.
39:43Before dawn,
39:44Coal entered and placed
39:45a white cloak in my hands.
39:47In the Northern Territory,
39:49funerals are held in white.
39:53He set an old record file
39:55in front of me.
39:57My father's name
39:58was written inside.
40:00He had been the strongest border guard
40:02in the Silver Moon Territory,
40:04killed by Dark Moon rebels
40:06while protecting pups.
40:07My mother had sealed my Moon mark
40:09because she feared
40:10I would be targeted after awakening,
40:11and she also feared Cecele's jealousy,
40:14so she raised us in hiding
40:16under false identities.
40:18I closed my eyes.
40:20Everything suddenly made sense.
40:22My mother favored Cecily
40:24because of guilt.
40:28She sealed my power
40:29because of fear.
40:32But no matter the reason,
40:35I was always the one sacrificed.
40:37After the funeral,
40:39Coal took me to the dungeon
40:40to see Cecily.
40:41She was bound in silver chains,
40:43pale-faced,
40:44but her eyes still refused to yield.
40:46I asked her,
40:48Did you ever,
40:49even once,
40:51think of Leo as your child?
40:54For a brief moment,
40:56her expression went blank.
40:58Then she laughed.
40:59What use is a child?
41:03Only the weak-used children
41:04to prove they're loved.
41:08I see.
41:11See what?
41:13That you don't deserve
41:15to hear him ask.
41:16When he grows up.
41:19Why his birth mother
41:20didn't want him.
41:22Cecily's expression
41:23finally changed.
41:25I turned to leave.
41:26Ella!
41:26You think Coal
41:28really loves you?
41:29He just needs you
41:30to stabilize the child!
41:31You and I are the same!
41:32We're both just tools!
41:34We're different.
41:35When I protect Leo,
41:37I at least know
41:37he can feel pain.
41:38You only know
41:39he's useful.
41:40When I left the dungeon,
41:42Coal was waiting outside.
41:44Do you need me
41:45because Leo needs me?
41:47He didn't answer
41:48right away.
41:49My heart went cold.
41:51At first, yes.
41:53Later, no.
41:54Then what is it now?
41:55Coal looked at me
41:56like he was facing
41:57a confession
41:57harder than any war.
41:59Later, I realized something.
42:00When you walk
42:01into the snowstorm,
42:02you never once think
42:03about who might come
42:04to save you.
42:04Ella, I want to be
42:05the one who comes.
42:08I froze.
42:09But you don't need saving.
42:12So I want to stand
42:13beside you instead.
42:14I didn't know
42:15how to respond.
42:16At that moment,
42:17urgent bells rang out
42:18from the direction
42:19of the Silver Wolf Tower.
42:21Melina rushed
42:21into the corridor,
42:22her face pale.
42:25The dungeon's
42:26been breached.
42:26Cecily has been rescued
42:27by the Dark Moon Rebels.
42:29And Leo is gone too.
42:31In that moment,
42:32I couldn't hear
42:33anything at all.
42:34All I saw was
42:35Coal's eyes
42:36shifting into beast form.
42:37The next second,
42:38he transformed
42:39into a massive wolf
42:40and charged out
42:40of Moonhall Hall.
42:41The Silver Wolf Tower
42:43was in ruins.
42:44Guards lay scattered
42:45across the floor.
42:46The priest's silver formation
42:47had been stained
42:48and shattered by blood.
42:50The cradle was empty.
42:51Only Leo's
42:53soft blanket remained.
42:54Torn at one corner,
42:55laying on the ground.
42:57It was Cecily.
42:58She used her own blood
43:00to bypass
43:01Leo's sensing bond.
43:05The Dark Moon Rebels
43:06are heading
43:07toward the Ice Lake.
43:13Ice Lake lay
43:14at the far edge
43:15of the Northern Territory.
43:16Beyond it was
43:17Dark Moon Wolf Territory.
43:18Coley didn't say a word.
43:20He lowered his head
43:21and sniffed the blanket.
43:22The next instant,
43:23the giant wolf
43:24burst into the snowstorm.
43:25I mounted a snow stab
43:27brought by the wolf guards
43:28and chased after him.
43:29At Ice Lake,
43:30the blizzard nearly
43:31erased all visibility.
43:32On a black altar
43:33in the distance,
43:34Cecily stood holding Leo,
43:36her hair disseveled
43:37like she had gone mad.
43:38Raro stood beside her
43:39with Dark Moon Wolf
43:40soldiers behind him.
43:42Leo's cries
43:42were already hoarse.
43:44It felt like my chest
43:44had been torn open.
43:46Cecily!
43:46She turned and saw me.
43:48Her smile twisted.
43:50You got here fast.
43:52I walked toward her
43:53step by step.
43:54Give me the child.
43:56Why would I?
43:57She clutched Leo tighter.
43:59He's my son.
44:00You gave birth to him,
44:02but you never loved him.
44:03Her expression
44:04changed instantly.
44:05Varo let out
44:06a cold laugh.
44:07Enough talk.
44:08Hand over the child.
44:09The Silver Moon Territory
44:10will fall into chaos.
44:12Without an heir,
44:13Coley's line ends
44:15and the North
44:15will eventually be mine.
44:17Only then did I understand.
44:19Cecily had never come here
44:20to be a mother.
44:21She was using Leo
44:22as a bargaining chip
44:23for her escape route.
44:24She looked at Coley,
44:26fear and hatred
44:27mixing in her eyes.
44:28I just want to live!
44:30Why are all of you
44:31forcing me?
44:32I said coldly,
44:33nobody forced you
44:34to abandon your child.
44:36Nobody forced you
44:37to hurt my mother.
44:38Nobody forced you
44:39to hand your own son
44:40over to Rebels.
44:42Cecily screamed.
44:43Shut up!
44:44Leo cried even harder,
44:46terrified by her voice.
44:47Cole stepped forward.
44:49Varo immediately pressed
44:50a blade against the edge
44:50of Leo's swaddling cloth.
44:52One more step
44:53and your son bleeds.
44:54Cole stopped.
44:55I saw his hand tremble.
44:57The Silver Moon Alpha,
44:58who had never once
44:59bowed his head,
44:59found his fatal weakness
45:01seized for the very first time.
45:05I slowly lowered
45:06my short blade.
45:08Cecily, what do you want?
45:09She stared at me.
45:10I want Cole
45:11to acknowledge me
45:11as Leo's mother.
45:13I want to become
45:14the mistress
45:14of the Silver Moon Territory.
45:16I want everyone
45:17to know I didn't lose to you.
45:18I looked at her.
45:19You never lost to me.
45:21She froze.
45:22I said,
45:23from the beginning,
45:24how much did I even
45:25keep from giving you?
45:27Clothes,
45:28food,
45:28mother,
45:29even my moon mark,
45:30I gave it all to you.
45:31But it was never enough.
45:33Because what you wanted
45:34was never what I had.
45:36What you wanted
45:37was someone else
45:38to take responsibility
45:39for your life.
45:41Cecily's face
45:41turned paler and paler.
45:43But this time,
45:44it doesn't work.
45:46I met her eyes.
45:48Leo isn't your escape route.
45:49He's a child
45:50who feels pain,
45:51who cries,
45:53who is afraid.
45:54Cecily's grip on Leo
45:55loosened slightly.
45:57In that instant,
45:58Leo suddenly reached out,
45:59crying and grabbing toward me.
46:01He couldn't speak.
46:03But I knew
46:04he was looking for me.
46:08I lunged forward.
46:10Varro reacted instantly,
46:12swinging his blade down.
46:13Coley transformed
46:14into a black and silver
46:15giant wolf
46:16and slammed into Vargo,
46:17knocking him away.
46:18The two wolves
46:19tore into each other
46:20across the ice,
46:21the frozen surface
46:22cracking and widening fractures.
46:24Cecily stumbled backward
46:25while holding Leo,
46:26slipping toward a widening
46:27crack in the ice.
46:28I threw myself forward
46:30and grabbed Leo's swiddling.
46:31Cecily clung tightly,
46:33refusing to let go.
46:34He's mine!
46:35You don't deserve him!
46:37The swaddle tore.
46:38Leo slipped from her arms.
46:40I caught him at once,
46:41but the force carried me
46:42toward the breaking ice.
46:45Co turned back and saw it.
46:47His beast pupils
46:48contracted sharply.
46:49Ella!
46:51He abandoned Varro
46:52and lunged forward,
46:53buying down on my cloak.
46:59The ice gave way completely.
47:01Cecily screamed as she fell,
47:04still reaching for Leo.
47:05I held the child tightly
47:07and kicked her hand away.
47:08This time,
47:09I won't let you take
47:11anything from me again.
47:17Cecily plunged
47:18into the black water.
47:22Varro tried to escape,
47:24but Cole crushed his throat
47:25with a single claw strike.
47:27The blizzard finally stopped.
47:30I knelt on the ice,
47:32holding Leo.
47:33My hands shaking so badly
47:35I could barely keep him
47:36in my arms.
47:37His face was red from crying.
47:40But the moment he was in my embrace,
47:42his cries slowly faded.
47:47Coal shifted back
47:48into human form.
47:49His arm was mangled
47:50and blooded
47:51from Varro's bite.
47:53Does it hurt?
47:56It's fine.
47:58Leo suddenly grabbed
47:59his injured finger.
48:00Coal stiffened,
48:02but forced himself
48:03not to pull away.
48:06I looked at him.
48:08You can say it hurts now.
48:10You don't have to be
48:11the Alpha with me.
48:12He stayed silent
48:14for a long time.
48:15It hurts.
48:17And then at Leo smiled.
48:19It was the first real smile
48:20since he was born.
48:22Light,
48:22soft,
48:23like the first beam
48:24of sunlight rising
48:25at the edge
48:26of a frozen world.
48:30Cecily didn't die.
48:31She was swept ashore
48:32by the icy undercurrent
48:33of the lake.
48:34By the time she was pulled out,
48:35her wolf mark had vanished.
48:36She could no longer shift.
48:37Cole didn't kill her.
48:38He exiled her
48:39to the northernmost frost cliffs.
48:41No teleportation arrayas.
48:42No one left
48:43to carry her burdens for her.
48:45The White Feather Wolf Clan
48:46was stripped of its border garrison
48:48for colluding with the rebels.
48:49The Dark Moon insurgents
48:51were expelled from the north.
48:53I returned to the border
48:54hunting village with Leo
48:55and carved my mother's name
48:57into a white stone grave myself.
48:59I didn't forgive
49:00everything she had done,
49:02but I accepted
49:03her final apology.
49:04After we returned
49:05to the Silver Moon territory,
49:07Cola started learning
49:08how to be a father.
49:09The first time
49:10he changed Leo's swaddle,
49:12he managed to shut
49:13both of the baby's legs
49:14into the same opening.
49:16I stared for a long moment.
49:17Are you swaddling a baby
49:19or binding a prisoner?
49:21He kept kicking.
49:22He's an infant,
49:23not an enemy soldier.
49:26Enemy soldiers
49:27are easier to handle
49:28than him.
49:31After that,
49:32everyone in the north
49:33came to know this.
49:34The Silver Moon Alpha
49:35could tear through
49:36Dark Moon rebels
49:37without mercy.
49:38But in a war council meeting,
49:40he could be immobilized
49:42by his own son
49:43grabbing his drawer,
49:44not daring to move an inch.
49:46On Leo's full moon celebration,
49:49Melina held a blessing ritual
49:50for him by the moonspring.
49:52By the water's edge,
49:54Coley stood beside me.
49:55Ella.
49:56Yeah?
49:57Stay in the Silver Moon territory.
50:02Wasn't I already staying?
50:03Not because of Leo.
50:05I turned to look at him.
50:07Under the moonlight,
50:08his gaze was far gentler
50:09than the first time
50:10I had ever seen him.
50:11Because of me?
50:13He held out his hand.
50:14In his palm
50:15was a black and silver ring.
50:17Carved into it
50:18were the Silver Moon
50:19and Wolf signals.
50:20I won't ask you
50:21to be my mate.
50:22I won't ask you
50:23to stand beside a throne.
50:25I only ask,
50:26will you stay?
50:28And help me turn this place
50:30into somewhere
50:30Leo can grow up safe.
50:32Leo stirred in my arms
50:34and slapped his tiny hand
50:35right onto the ring.
50:37As if making the decision for me.
50:39Your son already stamped it.
50:41How am I supposed to refuse?
50:42I took the ring
50:43and slipped it
50:44onto my finger myself.
50:47Coley Darkhorn,
50:49I'm not staying
50:50because I have nowhere else to go.
50:53I'm staying because
50:54I chose this place.
50:58I chose Leo.
51:02And I chose you.
51:06Much later,
51:08all the Northern Wolf clans
51:09knew this.
51:10The Silver Moon Alpha
51:12had two weaknesses.
51:13One was a pup
51:14born with the Silver Moon mark.
51:16The other was a Border Wolf woman
51:18who dared to walk into Moon Hall
51:19with a child in her arms
51:20and force him
51:22to acknowledge his blood bond.
51:24They also knew this.
51:25Those two weaknesses
51:26were never his downfall.
51:28They were the home
51:29he finally chose to defend.
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