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π¬Click ReelShort site link to see FULL HD Episodes πhttps://www.reelshort.com/full-episodes/emerald-eyed-luna-6a72d8b5becaa7e3c600345e
π’Notice: ReelShort Romance Shorts is an officially authorized publisher of ReelShort content.
Emerald Eyed Luna is one of the most emotionally layered werewolf romances I've seen on ReelShort.
On her eighteenth birthday, the Beta's daughter loses everything. Her childhood sweetheart is fated to her best friend. Her pack is destroyed. Her parents are killed. And when she goes to say goodbye to the Alpha heir, she catches him with her traitorous best friend.
β¨ What actually worked for me:
- The betrayal is brutal but it sets up the glow-up perfectly
- Her journey from rogue to royal is earned, not rushed
- The power awakening ties directly into her hidden heritage
- The mission to destroy a human trafficking ring raises the stakes beyond just revenge
- Her fated mate appears when she least expects it, on the road to reclaiming her throne
If you love underdog stories, werewolf romance, and heroines who rebuild themselves from the ashes, this one's for you. She doesn't just survive. She becomes the Luna she was always meant to be.
Would you turn your back on your pack and start over? She did. And it changed everything. π
β RSR, your go-to for the good stuff β¨
π¬Click ReelShort site link to see FULL HD Episodes πhttps://www.reelshort.com/full-episodes/emerald-eyed-luna-6a72d8b5becaa7e3c600345e
π’Notice: ReelShort Romance Shorts is an officially authorized publisher of ReelShort content.
Emerald Eyed Luna is one of the most emotionally layered werewolf romances I've seen on ReelShort.
On her eighteenth birthday, the Beta's daughter loses everything. Her childhood sweetheart is fated to her best friend. Her pack is destroyed. Her parents are killed. And when she goes to say goodbye to the Alpha heir, she catches him with her traitorous best friend.
β¨ What actually worked for me:
- The betrayal is brutal but it sets up the glow-up perfectly
- Her journey from rogue to royal is earned, not rushed
- The power awakening ties directly into her hidden heritage
- The mission to destroy a human trafficking ring raises the stakes beyond just revenge
- Her fated mate appears when she least expects it, on the road to reclaiming her throne
If you love underdog stories, werewolf romance, and heroines who rebuild themselves from the ashes, this one's for you. She doesn't just survive. She becomes the Luna she was always meant to be.
Would you turn your back on your pack and start over? She did. And it changed everything. π
β RSR, your go-to for the good stuff β¨
Category
π₯
Short filmTranscript
00:00:04At the funeral, the bodies of 27 warriors are swallowed by the flames, turning to ash that will feed the
00:00:11earth.
00:00:1327 lives have gone to ash in a single night.
00:00:16I take the ruby necklace from around my mother's neck, which was the gift I gave my parents for their
00:00:2225th wedding anniversary.
00:00:24I thread my parents' wedding rings onto it and fasten it around my own throat.
00:00:29I drift through that day in a daze.
00:00:32Zach comes over to cook for me, but I can't get a single bite down.
00:00:40The next day, I make my way to the pack house.
00:00:43I think I need to talk to Damien.
00:00:45After everything that's happened, I have to understand what he's really thinking.
00:00:48Can I truly ask him to reject his mate for me?
00:00:51Could I reject my own mate for him?
00:00:53It's all so wrong, but I owe it to myself to hear him out.
00:00:56The pain in his eyes have been so plain, and if I could take even a little comfort from it,
00:01:01maybe I could begin to make my peace with all of this.
00:01:04Just as I reach for the door, it bursts open with a bang.
00:01:07Polly rushes out.
00:01:09Fucking mate bond.
00:01:10Cursing the mate bond under her breath.
00:01:13She doesn't see me and hurries away.
00:01:15I frown, and the moment I step inside it hits me.
00:01:18Polly's scent, tangled together with Damien's.
00:01:20Two scents only ever blend like that after mating.
00:01:23I go still, for a heartbeat, my mind is blank, and then fury and grief come crashing in.
00:01:28Damien stares at me, dazed and lost.
00:01:31He clearly never expected me to come, and that's when I see the fresh mark on his neck.
00:01:35So all these years, to him, I was light as dust.
00:01:38He cast me aside as fast as you'd gross out a piece of trash.
00:01:43I only came to tell you a while.
00:01:46Within the week of the fall, I firmly renounce the major position I was born to.
00:01:51After Damien.
00:01:52The moment the words are out, I turn and leave, giving him no chance to get out a single word.
00:01:57Then Damien reaches for me through the mind link.
00:01:59I'm sorry, Nina.
00:02:00I was wrong.
00:02:01Please forgive me.
00:02:02I'll love you forever.
00:02:03My heart gives one violent lurch, and then, with my own hand, I sever the link.
00:02:08I will not look back.
00:02:16In our werewolf world, rank is everything.
00:02:27But more decisive than bloodline is the mate, the bond the moon goddess ties with her own hands.
00:02:33The day a wolf turns 18, a single cent tells you who is meant to be your place.
00:02:40Tomorrow night is the moment.
00:02:56Tomorrow night is the ball.
00:02:57My 18th birthday.
00:02:59My whole heart is set on one thing.
00:03:01But my mate is Damien.
00:03:04My father.
00:03:05My name is Damien.
00:03:06The Vedas with my daughter, Travis Potts, who is a warrior, trains him from the sky.
00:03:12My father wants me to take Vedas's scent, and he retires on one condition.
00:03:16That I stop causing trouble.
00:03:20In our fights, what made we want a wild war-breaking girl, and what Alpha would ever want you inside?
00:03:26I just smiled, because I grew up alongside Damien, from a future Alpha.
00:03:31He's my best friend.
00:03:43We've kissed, for now and then, but I saved my first time for my mate, and I hoped, more than
00:03:50anything, that it was him.
00:03:52Today, Damien and the others are going dress shopping.
00:03:54I'm still doing my makeup when the horns start blaring outside, and a fist pound-tounds on my door.
00:04:01Nina!
00:04:02If you don't get down here, I'm taking the door off, it cleanses!
00:04:09I bolt downstairs, grab my bag, and swipe into the shotgun seat of Damien's car like it's mine.
00:04:20That seat's mine, long legs. Faster reaction time in an emergency.
00:04:24Oh? Is that so?
00:04:27Want to go around with me again and find out?
00:04:29Then he cracks up.
00:04:31Damien lets out a low growl from his chest.
00:04:36And Zack clamps his mouth shut.
00:04:38Polly is my best friend, the gang's daughter.
00:04:42Her brother Trevor is Damien's right hand.
00:04:44And Zack is a warrior's son.
00:04:47That shotgun seat, I've ridden in it for years.
00:04:51Everyone treats me as Damien's girl.
00:04:53I've always known I catch Damien's eye.
00:04:55His temper is as unwamed as his bad boy looks, but with me, he's always been gentle.
00:05:01In the fitting room, I slip into a deep red gown, slip high up the thigh and step out.
00:05:06My friend goes still.
00:05:08I know exactly how beautiful I am, and exactly how to make a room look.
00:05:13Damien growls, and every head turns away at once.
00:05:17Polly steps out in a short blue dress that shows off the flawless figure.
00:05:21Oh my god, Nina, that dress was made for you.
00:05:25Thank you, you look gorgeous too.
00:05:28Then Damien's voice slides into my head.
00:05:30Kitten, don't get too attached to that dress.
00:05:33Because tomorrow night, I'm peeling it right off.
00:05:35I fire back through the mind cleaner.
00:05:37Who says I'll let you get that far?
00:05:39But my cheeks are burning, and some traitor has thought it was looking forward to it.
00:05:43That night, Polly sleeps over, so we can go to the ball together.
00:05:47I toss it to her, and a bad fear after she dies.
00:05:51Finally, I tell her,
00:05:54What if I'm not Damien's mate?
00:05:56What if he finds someone else?
00:05:58That won't happen.
00:05:59You two were born for each other.
00:06:01And even if his mate turned out to be someone else, he'd reject her for you.
00:06:06I'd bet on it.
00:06:07I hoped she was right.
00:06:08But if it wasn't me, I would never let him reject his mate.
00:06:11It wouldn't be right, because we're taught from birth that mates are bound by the moon goddess herself.
00:06:17I couldn't stand in the way of that, even if it broke my heart.
00:06:20The night of the ball, Holly and I walk in together.
00:06:23I'm scanning the crowd for my date, Damien.
00:06:26When Holly suddenly lifts her head, breathes in, and starts running, I chase after her.
00:06:32She's staring dead ahead, and I follow her gaze to Damien.
00:06:37And then I hear her say it.
00:06:40Hate.
00:06:41My heart drops in the glory.
00:06:43No, this can't be.
00:06:45He's supposed to be my mate.
00:06:47Not Holly's!
00:06:49She's!
00:06:50And I'm standing, staring at Damien.
00:06:51It's the whole world to be turned around.
00:06:54For that one world, I am Holly's mother, which is her shit.
00:06:57That's it.
00:06:58Damien looks at me.
00:07:00And then Holly, between the rocks, severing his act like I'm imagining herself.
00:07:04Shocked with Holly, but I'll resist.
00:07:10Holly's stamina's not knowing what to say or do.
00:07:13Everyone is waiting to see how I'll react.
00:07:15Damien takes a step towards me.
00:07:16And suddenly we all hear a low growl.
00:07:19And it stops.
00:07:21I turn my head.
00:07:22Holly has clapped a hand over the mouth.
00:07:24His face full of shock.
00:07:26She's the one who growled.
00:07:27I once told her edges when I felt the Damien.
00:07:29She knows exactly how much I love you.
00:07:31There's no way our friendship survives this.
00:07:34Holly's possessiveness over Damien is already fierce.
00:07:37She must be terrified they reject her.
00:07:39And my heart breaks for her too.
00:07:40She knows her own mate has fallen for another girl.
00:07:43And that girl is her best friend.
00:07:44In my head Raven throws back her muzzle and howls.
00:07:48As if she's giving voice to the pieces of my shattered heart.
00:07:51I spin on my heel and run.
00:07:52Mid stride I shift into my wolf.
00:07:54Curling every shout behind me into the wind.
00:07:57I crawl into a cave.
00:07:59Wall off my mind.
00:08:01Shut out every mind link.
00:08:02And cry myself to sleep.
00:08:04For the best friend and the love I lost in a single night.
00:08:08Then Raven jolts awake and shakes me out of sleep.
00:08:11Wake up.
00:08:12Something's wrong.
00:08:13In the distance, snarls and the sounds of killing.
00:08:17The heavy stench of blood floods my nose.
00:08:19I race home through the night.
00:08:22On the other end of the mind room, my father's voice is almost a scream.
00:08:25Nina!
00:08:26We're under attack!
00:08:27Get to the safe room now!
00:08:29I scramble into the bunker beneath our kitchen and collapse onto the mattress.
00:08:33Outside, the packed roars and death cries never stop.
00:08:37I hug my knees in the dark and wait.
00:08:39My heart in my throat.
00:08:41Then something inside me tears loose.
00:08:43A pain in my chest.
00:08:45I tear both hands over my heart and scream.
00:08:47My mother is dead.
00:08:49From far off, my father's anguished power reaches me.
00:08:55I know no wolf survives the death of their mate.
00:08:58My father won't make it either.
00:08:59And then a second tear rips through my heart.
00:09:01In a single night, I've become an orphan.
00:09:03I've lost everything.
00:09:05I cry until I black out.
00:09:09At dawn, I stare blankly at the family photos lining the wall.
00:09:13And then I snap.
00:09:16I smash everything in my chest.
00:09:18A pair of orange locks around my family.
00:09:21Holding it tight.
00:09:22You hear me.
00:09:23I'll take better care of you.
00:09:25Zach.
00:09:25Thank the goddess.
00:09:26Not Holly.
00:09:27Not Damien.
00:09:28I'm not ready to face either of them.
00:09:30At the funeral, the bodies of 27 warriors were swallowed by flames.
00:09:34Turning to ash that were couldn't be killed.
00:09:3827 lives have gone to ash in a single night.
00:09:41I take the ruby necklace from around my mother's neck.
00:09:45Which was the gift I gave my parents for their daughter.
00:09:48The thread ahead of her screen.
00:09:49Thread my parents' wedding lights onto it.
00:09:52And fasten it around my own throat.
00:09:54I drift through that day in a daze.
00:09:57Zach comes over to cook for me.
00:10:00But I can't get a single bite down.
00:10:05The next day, I make my way to the pack house.
00:10:08I think I need to talk to Damien.
00:10:10After everything that's happened, I have to understand what he's really thinking.
00:10:14Can I truly ask him to reject his mate for me?
00:10:16Could I reject my own mate for him?
00:10:18It's all so wrong.
00:10:19But I owe it to myself to hear him out.
00:10:21The pain in his eyes had been so plain.
00:10:24And if I could take even a little comfort from it.
00:10:27Maybe I could begin to make my peace with all of this.
00:10:29Just as I reach for the door.
00:10:31It bursts open with a bang.
00:10:33Holly rushes out.
00:10:34Fucking mate-bond.
00:10:36Cursing for mate-bond in every breath.
00:10:38And she doesn't see me.
00:10:39And there's a boy from my ground.
00:10:41And the moment I step in his eye, I'm able to see Holly's sight.
00:10:44Tangled together in pain.
00:10:45There's lots of sense only to ever blend like that.
00:10:49I go still.
00:10:49For a heartache, the mind is blank.
00:10:52And then purely in pain and compassion.
00:10:54Damien stares at me, dazed and lost.
00:10:56He clearly never expected anything.
00:10:58And that's when I see a fresh heart loss.
00:11:00So all these words, to him, I mean his life is dust.
00:11:04And he has come aside as fast as we close our business life.
00:11:09I only came to tell you.
00:11:11I've been the evil evil.
00:11:13He formally renounced the fatal position I was born to.
00:11:16Alfred Damien.
00:11:17The moment the words are out, he turned in me, giving him no chance to get out of silver.
00:11:22Then Damien reaches for me, reminding me.
00:11:25I'm sorry, Nina.
00:11:26I was wrong.
00:11:27Please forgive me.
00:11:28I'll love you forever.
00:11:29My heart gives one violent urge.
00:11:31And then, with my own hand, I severed him.
00:11:33I will not look back.
00:11:36At dawn, Zack loads the luggage into the trunk.
00:11:40This past week has been quiet.
00:11:42He's decided to leave with me.
00:11:44He won't let me go alone.
00:11:46And he says he needs a change of scenery, too.
00:11:49I understand.
00:11:50He used to be in love with Holly.
00:11:52We planned to pack today and set out at first light tomorrow.
00:11:55I've heard the Luna ceremony is a month or two off.
00:11:58And I know Damien and Holly are already mated.
00:12:01I can't wait to leave the old life behind.
00:12:04And I'm certain my own mate isn't in this pack.
00:12:07Otherwise, I'd have caught his scent by now.
00:12:09I want to go out and find him.
00:12:14Wake up, Nina!
00:12:15Damien just mind-linked me that he and Holly want to come talk to us at 9.
00:12:20So if you don't want to see him, we've got 30 minutes to get out.
00:12:22I shoot up out of bed, grab my packed bags, and Zack and I hit the road in my mother's
00:12:27old black charger.
00:12:30We've barely cleared the pack border when Zack's face tightens and his voice drops.
00:12:39Drive faster.
00:12:40He's mind-linking, asking where we are.
00:12:42Zack's phone lights up.
00:12:44Damien's name on the screen.
00:12:45I snatch it up.
00:12:47He can command Zack.
00:12:48He has never once been able to command me.
00:12:50What do you want, Damien?
00:12:52We're a little busy living our own lives.
00:12:55Why didn't you wait for us?
00:12:56Why did you just leave like that?
00:12:58Save it.
00:12:59You can't command me.
00:13:00Zack's out of range of your voice.
00:13:02Frankly, I don't want to talk to either of you.
00:13:04I'll send warriors to drag you both back, Nina!
00:13:07Don't think you can leave me!
00:13:09Even if you're not my mate, no one else gets to have you!
00:13:14You'll be my second.
00:13:15And you'll serve me.
00:13:17Let her go!
00:13:18I'm the one!
00:13:18And if you dare touch another male, I'll come for you myself and throw you in a cell.
00:13:22Do you understand me?
00:13:23I can hear Holly screaming in the background, telling him to let me go, insisting she's the one who matters.
00:13:29There's venom in her voice.
00:13:31Then Damien says,
00:13:33Sweetheart, you're going to be mine.
00:13:34I even bought you a red gown just like the one from the mall.
00:13:38And then, to Holly, he snarls,
00:13:40She's the love of my life!
00:13:41You're at my side to keep up appearances, but she'll be my mistress, and you won't stop me!
00:13:46The line goes dead when you click.
00:13:49I sit frozen and hurt you.
00:13:52Zack shifts me over to the passenger seat, jumps behind the wheel, and flits it.
00:13:57My head is a storm.
00:13:59He wants to lock me up as his mistress, keep me as a sex slave, take me by force.
00:14:05You okay?
00:14:07I'm fine.
00:14:08I will never obey him.
00:14:09I'd sooner die fighting than set foot in that pack again.
00:14:13In my head, Raven bears her teeth.
00:14:16Let him lay one finger on us, and I'll bite off his manhood and feed it to him and watch
00:14:22him bleed out.
00:14:23That's my wolf.
00:14:25Far away, in the Smoky Mountain pack, their future's heir Wyatt gets an urgent report from the border.
00:14:31Rogue activity has spiked lately.
00:14:33The young alpha-to-be frowns.
00:14:35He doesn't yet know that those restless boys have all been drawn by a single scent, and yet the owner
00:14:40of that scent goes, at this very moment, driving straight towards me.
00:14:44The drive to Smoky Mountain Park is close to 13 hours.
00:14:48Halfway there, we pull over to let our wolves stretch.
00:14:51We slip into the trees and shed.
00:14:54Raven and Zack's wolf, Max, break into a run.
00:14:57Wind pours through my fur.
00:14:59The smell of pine washes over me.
00:15:01And for a moment...
00:15:02I really believe it.
00:15:05Then a dry branch snaps.
00:15:08Raven and Max's ears shoot up.
00:15:10A rotten, swampy stench slides into my nose.
00:15:13And I know it.
00:15:14Even though I've never smelled it before.
00:15:16I just know.
00:15:17Three of them.
00:15:18On the right.
00:15:19Three rogues burst on brush.
00:15:21Teeth bared.
00:15:22They didn't come to talk.
00:15:24I drop low.
00:15:26And Raven's growl of cupcakes as we brace to fight.
00:15:29The first one launches.
00:15:32I catch its jaw in mid-air and work my head.
00:15:35Tearing flesh and sinew team away.
00:15:37The second circles short Max.
00:15:39I grab it by the hind leg and slam it into a tree bronch.
00:15:42A sharp crack.
00:15:43Its neck breaks.
00:15:44By the time I turn back, he's already ripped out the third one's throat.
00:15:47I've trained to fight since I was five.
00:15:49Three rogues are nothing Raven can't handle.
00:15:52Then three warriors and a woman step out of the shadows of the trees, wary and searching.
00:15:57What's going on here?
00:15:58Zack and I edge back half a step, covering each other.
00:16:01Easy.
00:16:02Shift back.
00:16:03I'm Alex, Alpha of the Redwood Pack.
00:16:06I mean you no harm.
00:16:07Zack and I trade a glance.
00:16:09No malice from him, but no real warmth either.
00:16:11And the way they're looking at me.
00:16:13It isn't the way you look at a stranger who killed three rogues.
00:16:16It's the way you look at something that was never supposed to surface again.
00:16:28The funeral, the bodies of 27 warriors were swallowed by the flames, turning to ash that would feed the earth.
00:16:3727 lives gone to ash in a single night.
00:16:40I take the roomie necklace from around my mother's neck, which was the gift I gave my parents for their
00:16:4625th wedding anniversary.
00:16:48I thread my parents' wedding rings onto it and fasten it around my own throat.
00:16:53I drift through that day in a daze.
00:16:56Zack comes over to cook for me, but I can't get a single bite down.
00:17:04The next day, I make my way to the pack house.
00:17:07I think I need to talk to Damien.
00:17:09After everything that's happened, I have to understand what he's really thinking.
00:17:12Can I truly ask him to reject his mate for me?
00:17:15Could I reject my own mate for him?
00:17:17It's all so wrong, but I owe it to myself to hear him out.
00:17:20The pain in his eyes had been so plain, and if I could take even a little comfort from it,
00:17:25maybe I could begin to make my peace with all of this.
00:17:28Just as I reach for the door, it bursts open with a bang.
00:17:31Polly rushes out.
00:17:33Fucking mate bond.
00:17:35Cursing the mate bond under the rug.
00:17:37She doesn't see me, but he worries away.
00:17:39I frown.
00:17:40And the moment I step inside, it hits me.
00:17:42Polly's scent, tangled together with Damien's.
00:17:45Two scents only ever blend like that after me.
00:17:47I go still, for a heartbeat.
00:17:49My mind is blank, and then fury and grief come crashing in.
00:17:53Damien stares at me, dazed and lost.
00:17:55He clearly never expected me to come, and that's when I see the fresh mark on his neck.
00:17:59So all these years, to him, I was light as dust.
00:18:02He cast me aside as fast as you'd throws out a piece of trash.
00:18:08I only came to tell you, within the week I'll be gone.
00:18:12I formally renounce the beta position I was born to, Alpha Damien.
00:18:16The moment the words are out, I turn and leave, giving him no chance to get out a single word.
00:18:21Then Damien reaches for me through the mind link.
00:18:23I'm sorry, Nina. I was wrong. Please forgive me. I'll love you forever.
00:18:27My heart gives one violent lurch, and then, with my own hand, I sever the link.
00:18:32I will not look back.
00:18:40In our werewolf world, rank is everything.
00:18:51In our werewolf world, rank is everything.
00:18:58The day a werewolf turns 18, a single cent tells you who is meant to be yours.
00:19:04In the graduation ball is the night every only an 18-year-old mate hath,
00:19:08gathers in one home, looking to find the other cat.
00:19:20Tomorrow night is the ball, and my 18th birthday.
00:19:23My whole heart is set on one thing, that my mate is Damien.
00:19:29My name is Nina, the beta's only daughter, the PAX top champion warrior, trained since I was five.
00:19:36My father wants me to take a beta seat, and he retires on one condition, that I stop causing trouble.
00:19:44Nina, no more fights. What made me want a wild rule-breaking girl, and what Alpha would ever want you
00:19:50at his side.
00:19:50I just smiled, because I grew up alongside Damien, our future Alpha. He's my best friend.
00:20:08We've kissed, now and then. But I saved my first time for my mate.
00:20:13And I hoped, more than anything, that it was him.
00:20:16Today, Damien and the others are going dress shopping.
00:20:19I'm still doing my makeup, and the horns start blaring outside.
00:20:23And a fist pounded elms on my door.
00:20:26Nina, if you don't get down here, I'm taking the door off of crazy.
00:20:33I bolt downstairs, grab my bag, and slice into the shotgun seat of Damien's car like it's mine.
00:20:44I see it's mine, long legs. Faster reaction time than an emergency.
00:20:48Oh? Is that so?
00:20:51Want to go around with me again and find out?
00:20:53The ankle cracks up.
00:20:55Damien lets out a low growl from his chest.
00:21:00And Zack clamps his mouth shut.
00:21:03Holly is my best friend, the Gamma's daughter.
00:21:06Her brother Trevor is Damien's right hand.
00:21:09And Zack is a warrior's son.
00:21:12That shotgun seat, I've ridden in it for years.
00:21:15Everyone treats me as Damien's girl.
00:21:17I've always known I catch Damien's eye.
00:21:20His temper is as unwavered as his bad boy looks.
00:21:22But with me, he's always urgent.
00:21:24In the fitting room, I slip into a deep red gown, slit high up the thigh, and step out.
00:21:30My friend goes still.
00:21:32I know exactly how beautiful I am, and exactly how to make a new look.
00:21:37Damien growls, and every head turns away at once.
00:21:41Holly steps out in a short blue dress that shows off the flawless figure.
00:21:45Oh my god, Nina, that dress was made for you!
00:21:49Thank you, you look gorgeous too.
00:21:52Then Damien's voice slides into my head.
00:21:55Kitten, don't get too attached to that dress.
00:21:57Because tomorrow night, I'm peeling it right off you.
00:22:00I fire back through the mind link.
00:22:01Who says I'll let you get that far?
00:22:03But my cheeks are burning, and some traitorous part of me is looking forward to it.
00:22:08That night, Holly sleeps over, so we can go to the ball together.
00:22:11I toss and turn, and a bad feeling I can't shake.
00:22:15Finally, I tell her.
00:22:18What if I'm not Damien's mate?
00:22:20What if he finds someone else?
00:22:22That won't happen.
00:22:24You two were born for each other.
00:22:26And even if his mate turned out to be someone else, he'd reject her for you.
00:22:30I'd bet on it.
00:22:31I hoped she was right.
00:22:32But if it wasn't me, I would never let him reject his mate.
00:22:36It wouldn't be right.
00:22:37As we taught him to learn how the mates were found, or the moon goddess herself.
00:22:41It wouldn't escape the way.
00:22:43Even if it was my mate.
00:22:45Even if it was my mate.
00:22:45In the night of the bell, Holly and I walked into death.
00:22:48I'm standing outside behind Damien.
00:22:50And Holly suddenly lifts her head.
00:22:52And I feel that I start to run away.
00:22:55And she gets back.
00:22:56She's staring dead ahead.
00:22:58And I follow her gaze.
00:23:00To Damien.
00:23:02And then I hear her say it.
00:23:04Wait.
00:23:05And my heart drops before.
00:23:07No, this can't be.
00:23:09This is supposed to be my mate.
00:23:11Not Holly.
00:23:13I freeze where I stand, staring at Damien.
00:23:16And the whole world caves in a rammer.
00:23:18That one word out of Holly's mouth.
00:23:20Wait.
00:23:21Eterling is huge.
00:23:23Damien looks at me.
00:23:24Then at Holly.
00:23:25At a total loss.
00:23:26Trevor and Zach have gone ragged on the other side.
00:23:28Shock written all over their faces.
00:23:34Holly stammers not knowing what to say or do.
00:23:37Everyone is waiting to see how I'll react.
00:23:39Damien takes a step towards me.
00:23:41And suddenly we all hear a low growl.
00:23:44She stops.
00:23:45I turn my head.
00:23:46Holly has clapped a hand over her mouth.
00:23:48Her face full of shock.
00:23:50She's the one who griled.
00:23:51I once told her everything I felt for Damien.
00:23:54She knows exactly how much I love him.
00:23:56There's no way our friendship survives this.
00:23:58Holly's possessiveness over Damien is already fierce.
00:24:01She must be terrified he'll reject her.
00:24:03And my heart breaks for her too.
00:24:05She knows her own mate has fallen for another girl.
00:24:07And that girl is her best friend.
00:24:09In my head.
00:24:10Raven throws back her muzzle and howls.
00:24:12As if she's giving voice to the pieces of my shattered heart.
00:24:15I spin on my heel.
00:24:16And run.
00:24:17Mid stride I shift into my wolf.
00:24:19Hurling every shout behind me.
00:24:21Into the wind.
00:24:22I crawl into a cave.
00:24:24Wall off my mind.
00:24:25Shut out every mind link.
00:24:27And cry myself to sleep.
00:24:28For the best friend.
00:24:29And the love I lost in a single night.
00:24:32Then Raven drops awake.
00:24:33And shakes me out of sleep.
00:24:35Wake up.
00:24:36Something's wrong.
00:24:38In the distance.
00:24:39Snarls.
00:24:40And the sounds of killing.
00:24:41The heavy stench of blood floods my nose.
00:24:44I race home through the night.
00:24:46On the other end of the mind loop.
00:24:47My father's voice is almost a scream.
00:24:50Nina.
00:24:50You're under attack.
00:24:52Get to the safe room.
00:24:53Now.
00:24:53I scramble into the bunker beneath our kitchen.
00:24:56And collapse onto the mattress.
00:24:58Outside.
00:24:59The packed roars and death cries never stop.
00:25:01I hug my knees in the dark.
00:25:03And wait.
00:25:04My heart's in my throat.
00:25:05Then something inside me tears loose.
00:25:07A pain rips in my chest.
00:25:09I plant both hands over my heart and scream.
00:25:12My mother is dead.
00:25:13From far off.
00:25:14My father's anguished towel reaches me.
00:25:19I know no wolf survives the death of us yet.
00:25:22My father won't make it either.
00:25:23And then a second tear rips through my heart.
00:25:25In a single night.
00:25:27I've become an orphan.
00:25:28I've lost everyone.
00:25:29I cry until I black out.
00:25:34At dawn.
00:25:35I stare blankly at the family photos lining the wall.
00:25:38And then I snap.
00:25:40I smash everything else.
00:25:43A pair of arms locked around my head.
00:25:45Holding it tight.
00:25:47I took the answer to her.
00:25:49That.
00:25:50Thank the goddess.
00:25:51Not Holly.
00:25:51Not Damien.
00:25:52I'm not ready to face either of them.
00:25:54At the funeral.
00:25:55The bodies of 27 warriors are swallowed by the flames.
00:25:58Turning to ash.
00:26:00That will feed the earth.
00:26:0227 lives.
00:26:04Gone to ash.
00:26:04In a single night.
00:26:06I take the ruby necklace from around my mother's neck.
00:26:09Which was the gift I gave my parents for their 25th wedding anniversary.
00:26:13I thread my parents wedding rings onto it.
00:26:16And fasten it around my own throat.
00:26:19I drift through that day in a daze.
00:26:22Zach comes over to cook for me.
00:26:24But I can't get a single bite down.
00:26:30The next day.
00:26:31I make my way to the pack house.
00:26:33I think I need to talk to Damien.
00:26:34After everything that's happened.
00:26:36I have to understand what is wrong with me.
00:26:38And I truly ask him to reject his maker.
00:26:41But I reject my own maker.
00:26:42It's all so wrong.
00:26:44But I owe it to myself to do enough.
00:26:46The pain in his eyes has been so clean.
00:26:48And if I could take him in a little comfort room.
00:26:51Maybe I could begin to make my face with all of us.
00:26:53Just as I reach for the door.
00:26:55The first open of the bag.
00:26:57Polly rushes out.
00:26:59Fucking main wand.
00:27:00Two persons and main wand under the blood.
00:27:02She doesn't see me.
00:27:03I'm almost there.
00:27:04I frown.
00:27:05From the moment I step inside the pain in me.
00:27:07Polly's set.
00:27:08Tangled together with diamonds.
00:27:10Two cents in the heavy blend goes back on the lady.
00:27:13I go still.
00:27:14For a heartbeat.
00:27:15My mind is blank.
00:27:16And then fury and creepily crashing in.
00:27:18Damien stares at me.
00:27:19Dazed and lost.
00:27:21He clearly never expected me to come.
00:27:22And that's when I see the fresh mark on his neck.
00:27:25So all these years.
00:27:26To him.
00:27:27I was light as dust.
00:27:28He cast me aside as fast as you'd throws out a piece of trash.
00:27:33I only came to tell you.
00:27:35Within the week I'll be gone.
00:27:37I formally renounced the beta position I was born to.
00:27:41Alpha Damien.
00:27:42The moment the words are out.
00:27:43I turn and leave.
00:27:44Giving him no chance to get out a single word.
00:27:46Then Damien reaches for me through the mind link.
00:27:49I'm sorry Nina.
00:27:50I was wrong.
00:27:51Please forgive me.
00:27:52I'll love you forever.
00:27:53My heart gives one violent lurch.
00:27:55And then.
00:27:56With my own hand I sever the link.
00:27:58I will not look back.
00:28:00At dawn.
00:28:02Zach loads the luggage into the trunk.
00:28:04This past week has been quiet.
00:28:06He's decided to leave with me.
00:28:09He won't let me go alone.
00:28:10And he says he needs a change of scenery too.
00:28:13I understand.
00:28:14He used to be in love with Holly.
00:28:16Finally.
00:28:16We plan to pack today and set out at first light tomorrow.
00:28:20I've heard the Luna ceremony is a month or two off.
00:28:22And I know Damien and Holly are already mated.
00:28:26I can't wait to leave the old life behind.
00:28:28And I'm certain my own mate isn't in this pack.
00:28:32Otherwise I'd have caught his scent by now.
00:28:34I want to go out and find him.
00:28:38Wake up Nina!
00:28:40Damon just mind linked me that he and Holly want to come talk to us at nine.
00:28:44So if you don't want to see him, we've got thirty minutes to get out.
00:28:46I shoot up out of bed, grab my packed bags, and Zach and I hit the road in my mother's
00:28:51old black charger.
00:28:54We've barely cleared the pack order when Zach's face tightens and his voice drops.
00:29:03Drive faster.
00:29:04He's mind linking, asking where we are.
00:29:07Zach's phone lights up.
00:29:08Damien's name on the screen.
00:29:10I snatch it up.
00:29:11He can command Zach.
00:29:12He has never once been able to command me.
00:29:14What do you want, Damien?
00:29:16We're a little busy living our own lives.
00:29:19Why didn't you wait for us?
00:29:20Why did you just leave like that?
00:29:22Save it.
00:29:23You can't command me.
00:29:24Zach's out of range of your voice.
00:29:26And frankly, I don't want to talk to either of you.
00:29:28I'll send warriors to drag you both back, Nina!
00:29:31Don't think you can leave me!
00:29:33Even if you're not my mate, no one else gets to have you!
00:29:38You'll be my second.
00:29:40And you'll serve me.
00:29:42And if you dare touch another male, I'll come for you myself and throw you in a cell.
00:29:46Do you understand me?
00:29:47I can hear Holly screaming in the background, telling her to let me go, insisting she's
00:29:52the one who matters.
00:29:53There's venom in her voice.
00:29:55Then Damien says,
00:29:57Sweetheart, you're going to be mine.
00:29:59I even bought you a red gown just like the one from the ball.
00:30:02And then, to Holly, he snarls,
00:30:04She's the love of my life!
00:30:05You're at my side to keep up appearances, but she'll be my mistress and you won't stop me!
00:30:11The line goes dead with a click.
00:30:13I sit frozen, gripping the phone.
00:30:17Zach shifts me over to the passenger seat, jumps behind the wheel, and flits it.
00:30:22My head is a storm.
00:30:24He wants to lock me up as his mistress?
00:30:26Keep me as a sex slave? Take me by force?
00:30:29You okay?
00:30:31I'm fine.
00:30:32I will never obey him.
00:30:34I'd sooner die fighting than set foot in that pack again.
00:30:37In my head, a graven goer's return.
00:30:40Let him lay one finger on us, and I'll bite off his manhood and beat it to him and watch
00:30:46him bleed out.
00:30:47That's my wolf.
00:30:49Far away, in the Smoky Mountain pack then peaches air why it gets an urgent report from the border.
00:30:55Rogue acting to his fight for me.
00:30:57The young alpha to be crowns.
00:30:59He doesn't let me know that those vessels hold and all being drawn by a single scent, and that the
00:31:04owner of that scent is, at this very moment, driving us straight towards him.
00:31:09The drive to Smoky Mountain part is close to 13 hours.
00:31:12Halfway there, we pull over to let our wolves stretch.
00:31:16We slip into the trees and shift.
00:31:18Raven and Zack's wolf, Max, break into a run.
00:31:21Wind pours through my fur.
00:31:23The smell of pine washes over me.
00:31:25And for a moment, I really believe we're free.
00:31:30Then a dry branch snaps.
00:31:32Raven and Max's ears shoot up.
00:31:34A rotten, swampy stench slides into my nose, and I know it, even though I've never smelled it before.
00:31:40I just know.
00:31:41Three of them, on the right.
00:31:43Three rogues burst from the brush.
00:31:45Teeth bared.
00:31:47They didn't come to talk.
00:31:49I drop low, and Raven's growl ecleptates as we brace to fight.
00:31:53The first one launches.
00:31:56I catch its jaw in mid-air and wrink my head, tearing flesh and sinew clean away.
00:32:01The second circles toward Max.
00:32:03I grab it by the hind leg and slam it into a tree bronc.
00:32:06A sharp crack.
00:32:07Its neck breaks.
00:32:08By the time I turn, Max has already ripped out the third one's throat.
00:32:12I've trained to fight since I was five.
00:32:14Three rogues are nothing Ravens can't handle.
00:32:16Then three warriors and a woman step out of the shadows of the trees, wary and searching.
00:32:21What's going on here?
00:32:22Zack and I edge back half a step, covering each other.
00:32:26Easy.
00:32:27Shift back.
00:32:28I'm Alex, Alpha of the Redwood Pack.
00:32:30I mean you no harm.
00:32:31Zack and I trade a glance.
00:32:33No malice from him, but no real warmth either.
00:32:36And the way they're looking at me.
00:32:38It isn't the way you look at a stranger who killed three rogues.
00:32:41It's the way you look at something that was never supposed to surface again.
00:32:53The funeral, the bodies of 27 warriors were swallowed by the flames, turning to ash that were filled with earth.
00:33:0127 lives gone to ash in a single night.
00:33:04I take the ruby necklace from around my mother's neck, which was the gift I gave my parents for their
00:33:1025th wedding anniversary.
00:33:12I thread my parents' wedding rings onto it and fasten it around my own throat.
00:33:17I drift through that day in a daze.
00:33:20Zack comes over to cook for me, but I can't get a single bite down.
00:33:28The next day, I make my way to the pack house.
00:33:31I think I need to talk to Damien.
00:33:33After everything that's happened, I have to understand what he's really thinking.
00:33:37Can I truly ask him to reject his mate for me?
00:33:40Could I reject my own mate for him?
00:33:41It's all so wrong, but I owe it to myself to hear him out.
00:33:45The pain in his eyes is being so plain.
00:33:47And if I could take even a little comfort zone, maybe I could begin to make my peace with all
00:33:52of this.
00:33:52Just as I reach for the door, it bursts open with a bang.
00:33:56Holly rushes out.
00:33:57Fucking mate bond.
00:33:59Cursing the mate bond under her breath.
00:34:01She doesn't see me and hurries away.
00:34:03I frown, and the moment I step inside, it hits me.
00:34:06Holly's scent, tangled together with Damien's.
00:34:09Two scents only ever blend like that after mating.
00:34:12I go still. For a heartbeat, my mind is blank.
00:34:15And then fury and grief come crashing in.
00:34:17Damien stares at me, dazed and lost.
00:34:19He clearly never expected me to come.
00:34:21And that's when I see the fresh mark on his neck.
00:34:24So all these years, to him, I was light as dust.
00:34:27He cast me aside as fast as you'd throws out a piece of trash.
00:34:32I only came to tell you.
00:34:34Within a week I could call her.
00:34:36Before we renounce the mate to position his world to.
00:34:39Alpha, Damien.
00:34:41The moment the war is allowed to return to me.
00:34:43Giving him no chance to get out of stone.
00:34:45And Damien reaches for me to remind me.
00:34:48I'm sorry, I was wrong.
00:34:50Please forgive me.
00:34:51I'll love you forever.
00:34:52My heart was won by me.
00:34:54And then with my own hand, I said to you,
00:34:57You will not be found.
00:34:58I'm sorry.
00:35:01I'm sorry.
00:35:05I'm sorry.
00:35:05In our werewolf world, ranks his everything.
00:35:16The more decisive and lovely is the mate.
00:35:19The bond the moon goddess ties with her own hands.
00:35:22The day a wolf turns 18,
00:35:24a single cent tells you who is meant to be yours.
00:35:28And the graduation ball is the night every unmated 18-year-old in the PAX gathers in one place, hoping
00:35:34to find the other half of your mates.
00:35:44Tomorrow night is the ball and my 18th birthday. My whole heart is set on one thing. That my mate
00:35:51is Damien.
00:35:53My name is Nina, the Beta's only daughter, the PAX top female warrior. Trained since I was five.
00:36:00My father wants me to take a Beta's seat when he retires on one condition. That I stop causing trouble.
00:36:09Nina, no more fights. What mate would want a wild rule-breaking girl? And what Alpha would ever want you
00:36:14at his side?
00:36:15I just smiled, because I grew up alongside Damien, our future Alpha. He's my best friend.
00:36:32We've kissed, now and then. But I saved my first time for my mate. And I hoped, more than anything,
00:36:39that it was him.
00:36:40Today, Damien and the others are going dress shopping. I'm still doing my makeup when the horns start blaring outside,
00:36:47and a fist pound elms on my door.
00:36:49Nina, if you don't get down here, I'm taking the door off of Tindley.
00:36:57I bolt downstairs, grab my bag, and swipe into the shotgun seat of Damien's car like it's mine.
00:37:09That seat's mine, long legs. Faster reaction time in an emergency.
00:37:12Oh? Is that so? Want to go around with me again and find out?
00:37:17Today, he'll crack up. Damien lets out a low growl from his chest.
00:37:24And Zach clamps his mouth shut.
00:37:27Polly is my best friend, the Gamma's daughter.
00:37:30Her brother Trevor is Damien's right hand.
00:37:33And Zach is a warrior's son.
00:37:36That shotgun seat, I've ridden in it for years.
00:37:40Everyone treats me as Damien's girl.
00:37:42I've always known I catch Damien's eye.
00:37:44His temper is as unloved as his bad room looks.
00:37:47But with me, I've always been agitated.
00:37:49In the fitting room, I slip into a deep red gown, slip high up the thigh, and step out.
00:37:55My friends go still.
00:37:56I know exactly how beautiful I am, and exactly how to make a room look.
00:38:01Damien growls, and every head turns away at once.
00:38:05Polly steps out in a short blue dress that shows off the flawless figure.
00:38:10Oh my god, Nina, that dress was made for you!
00:38:13Thank you. You look gorgeous too.
00:38:16Then Damien's voice slides into my head.
00:38:19Kitten, don't get too attached to that dress, because tomorrow night, I'm peeling it right off.
00:38:24I fire back through the mind link.
00:38:26Who says I'll let you get that far?
00:38:27But my cheeks are burning, and some traitorous part of me is looking forward to it.
00:38:32That night, Polly sleeps over, so we can go to the ball together.
00:38:36And toss it to me.
00:38:37In a bad year, I can shake.
00:38:39Finally, I'll tell you.
00:38:42I'm going to tell you.
00:38:43I'm going to tell you.
00:38:44I'm going to tell you.
00:38:46That won't happen.
00:38:48You two are born for each other.
00:38:50And even if it's not to want to ask someone else, we reject you.
00:38:54I bet on it, and I think she was right.
00:38:57But if it wasn't me, I would never let any rejects know.
00:39:00What would my light?
00:39:01As we taught her birth, our mates were found by the moon goddess herself.
00:39:06We'll stand here very late.
00:39:07I think it broke my house.
00:39:09The night of the ball, Polly and I walk in deep.
00:39:12I'm scanning the crowd from my dead, Damien.
00:39:14When Polly suddenly lifts her head, he heads in and starts running.
00:39:19And she's after her.
00:39:21She's staring dead ahead, and I follow her gaze.
00:39:25To Damien.
00:39:26Then I hear her say it.
00:39:28Mate.
00:39:29My heart drops through the floor.
00:39:31No.
00:39:32No, this can't be.
00:39:33He's supposed to be my mate.
00:39:35Not Polly's.
00:39:37I freeze where I stand, staring at Damien.
00:39:40As the whole world caves in around me.
00:39:42That one word out of Polly's mouth.
00:39:44Mate.
00:39:45Keeps echoing in my ears.
00:39:47Damien looks at me, then at Polly, at a total loss.
00:39:50Trevor and Zach have gone ragged on either side.
00:39:53Shock written all over their faces.
00:39:57Lena, I, I.
00:39:58Polly stammers not knowing what to say or do.
00:40:01Everyone is waiting to see how I'll react.
00:40:03Damien takes a step towards me.
00:40:05And suddenly we all hear a low growl.
00:40:08He stops.
00:40:09I turn my head.
00:40:10Polly has clapped a hand over her mouth.
00:40:13His face full of shock.
00:40:14She's the one who riled.
00:40:15I once told her everything I felt for Damien.
00:40:18She knows exactly how much I love him.
00:40:20There's no way our friendship survives this.
00:40:22Polly's possessiveness over Damien is already fierce.
00:40:25She must be terrified he'll reject her.
00:40:27And my heart breaks for her too.
00:40:29She knows her own mate has fallen for another girl.
00:40:31And that girl is her best friend.
00:40:33In my head, Raven throws back her muzzle and howls, as if she's giving voice to the pieces
00:40:38of my shattered heart.
00:40:39I spin on my heel and run.
00:40:41Mid-stride I shift into my wolf, curling every shout behind me into the wind.
00:40:46I crawl into a cave, wall off my mind, shut out every mind link, and cry myself to sleep for
00:40:53the best friend and the love I lost in a single night.
00:40:56Then Raven jolts awake and shakes me out of sleep.
00:40:59Wake up!
00:41:00Something's wrong.
00:41:02In the distance, snarls and the sounds of killing.
00:41:05The heavy stench of blood floods my nose.
00:41:07I race home through the night.
00:41:10On the other end of the mine room, my father's voice is almost asleep.
00:41:14Nina!
00:41:15We're under attack!
00:41:16Get to the safe room now!
00:41:17I scramble into the bunker beneath my kitchen and collapse onto the mattress.
00:41:22Outside, the packed floors and death cries never stop.
00:41:25I hug my knees in the dark and wait.
00:41:28My heart in my throat.
00:41:30Then something inside me tears loose.
00:41:32A pain breaks into my chest and I both hands over my heart and scream.
00:41:36My mother is dead.
00:41:37From far off, my father's anguished power reaches me.
00:41:43I know no work survives the death of this night.
00:41:46My father got naked and then a second to the victory in my heart.
00:41:50In a single night, I've become an orphan.
00:41:52I've lost everything.
00:41:53I cry until I black out.
00:41:58At dawn, I stare blankly at the family photos lining the wall.
00:42:02And then I snap.
00:42:04I smash everything and reach the pieces.
00:42:07A pair of arms locks around me from the helmet, holding me tight.
00:42:11I'm here, Nina.
00:42:12I'll take care of you.
00:42:13But Zach, thank the goddess, not Holly, not Damien.
00:42:17I'm not ready to face either of them.
00:42:18At the funeral, the bodies of 27 warriors are swallowed by the flames, turning to ash that will feed the
00:42:25earth.
00:42:2627 lives gone to ash in a single night.
00:42:30I take the ruby necklace from around my mother's neck, which was the gift I gave my parents when they're
00:42:36dreaming of a wedding anniversary.
00:42:37I thread my family's wedding lights onto and fastened around my mother's neck.
00:42:43I drift beyond a day in the day.
00:42:46Zach views over the people.
00:42:48But I can't get a single life down.
00:42:54The next day, I make my way to the crossroads.
00:42:57I think I need to talk to Damien.
00:42:59After everything I'm trapped, I have to understand that it's really hard.
00:43:02And I truly ask him to reject his head.
00:43:04But I reject my own mate.
00:43:07It's all so wrong, but I owe it to myself to come around.
00:43:10The pain in his eyes would have been so plain, and if I could take even a little comfort from
00:43:15it, maybe I could begin to make my peace with all of us.
00:43:18Just as I reach for the door, it bursts open with a bang.
00:43:21Holly rushes out.
00:43:23Fucking mate bond.
00:43:24Cursing the mate bond under the breath.
00:43:27She doesn't see me, but he's away.
00:43:29I frown.
00:43:29And the moment I step inside, it hits me.
00:43:32Holly's scent, tangled together with Damien's.
00:43:34Two cents only ever blend like that after meeting.
00:43:37I go still, for a heartbeat.
00:43:39My mind is blank, and then fury and grief come crashing in.
00:43:42Damien stares at me, dazed and lost.
00:43:45He clearly never expected me to come, and that's when I see the fresh mark on his neck.
00:43:49So all these years, to him, I was light as dust.
00:43:52He cast me aside as fast as you'd throws out a piece of trash.
00:43:57I only came to tell you, within the week I'll be gone.
00:44:01I formally renounce the beta position I was born to, Alpha Damien.
00:44:06The moment the words are out, I turn and leave, giving him no chance to get out a single word.
00:44:11Then Damien reaches for me through the mind link.
00:44:13I'm sorry, Nina.
00:44:14I was wrong.
00:44:15Please forgive me.
00:44:16I'll love you forever.
00:44:17My heart gives one violent lurch, and then, with my own hand, I sever the link.
00:44:22I will not look back.
00:44:25At dawn, Zach loads the luggage into the trunk.
00:44:28This past week has been quiet.
00:44:31He's decided to leave with me.
00:44:33He won't let me go alone, and he says he needs a change of scenery too.
00:44:37I understand.
00:44:39He used to be in love with Holly.
00:44:41We planned a pack today and set out at first light tomorrow.
00:44:44I've heard the Luna ceremony is a month or two off, and I know Damien and Holly are already mated.
00:44:50I can't wait to leave the old life behind.
00:44:53And I'm certain my own mate isn't in this pack.
00:44:56Otherwise, I'd have caught his scent by now.
00:44:58I want to go out and find him.
00:45:02Wake up, Nina!
00:45:03Nina, Damien just mind-linked me that he and Holly want to come talk to us at night.
00:45:08So if you don't want to see him, we've got 30 minutes to get out.
00:45:11I shoot up out of bed, grab my packed bags, and Zach and I hit the road in my mother's
00:45:15old black charger.
00:45:19We've barely cleared the packed border when Zach's face tightens and his voice drops.
00:45:28Drive faster.
00:45:29He's mind-linked, asking where we are.
00:45:31Zach's phone lights up.
00:45:32Damien's name on the screen.
00:45:34I snatch it up.
00:45:35He can command Zach.
00:45:36He has never once been able to command me.
00:45:39What do you want, Damien?
00:45:41We're a little busy living our own lives.
00:45:43Why didn't you wait for us?
00:45:45Why did you just leave like that?
00:45:46Saban, you can't command me.
00:45:49Zach's out of range of your voice, and frankly, I don't want to talk to either of you.
00:45:52I'll send warriors to drag you both back, Nina.
00:45:56Don't think you can leave me!
00:45:58Even if you're not my mate, no one else gets to have you!
00:46:02You'll be my second, and you'll serve me!
00:46:06Let her go!
00:46:06I'm the one who matters!
00:46:07And if you dare touch another male, I'll come for you myself and throw you in a cell.
00:46:10Do you understand me?
00:46:12I can hear Holly screaming in the background, telling him to let me go, insisting she's the one who matters.
00:46:17There's venom in her voice.
00:46:19Then Damien says,
00:46:21Sweetheart, you're going to be mine.
00:46:23I even bought you a red gown, just like the one from the ball.
00:46:26And then, to Holly, he snarls,
00:46:28She's the love of my life!
00:46:30You're at my side to keep up appearances, but she'll be my mistress, and you won't stop me!
00:46:35But the line goes dead in front of me, and the scent goes over with me.
00:46:41Zach shifts me over to the passenger seat, jumps behind the wheel, and flips it.
00:46:46My head is a storm.
00:46:48He wants to lock me up as his mistress, keep me as a sex slave, take me by force.
00:46:54Okay.
00:46:55I'm fine.
00:46:56I will never obey you.
00:46:58I'd soon die fighting that set foot in that pack.
00:47:01In my head, I'm waving the horse for two.
00:47:05Let him lay one finger on us, and I'll bite off his manhood and feed it to him, and watch
00:47:10him bleed out.
00:47:11That's my wolf.
00:47:13Far away, in the Smoky Mountain pack, their future's heir Wyatt gets an urgent report from the border.
00:47:19Rogue acting to his fight lately.
00:47:21The young alpha to me frowns.
00:47:23He doesn't yet know that those restless robes are all being drawn by a single scent, and that the owner
00:47:29of that scent is, at this very moment, driving straight towards him.
00:47:33The drive to Smoky Mountain park is close to 13 hours.
00:47:37Halfway there, we pull over to let our wolves stretch.
00:47:40We slip into the trees, and shift.
00:47:42Raven and Zach's wolf, Max, break into a run.
00:47:46Wind pours through my fur, the smell of pine washes over me, and for a moment, I really believe we're
00:47:52free.
00:47:54Then a dry branch snaps.
00:47:56Raven and Max's ears shoot up.
00:47:59A rotten, swampy stench slides into my nose, and I know it, even though I've never smelled it before.
00:48:04I just know.
00:48:06Three of them, on the right.
00:48:07Three rogues burst from the brush, teeth bared.
00:48:11They didn't come to talk.
00:48:12I drop low, and Raven's growl eclectic as we brace to fight.
00:48:18The first one launches.
00:48:20I catch its jaw in mid-air and work my head, tearing flesh and sinew team away.
00:48:26The second circle's toward Max.
00:48:27I grab it by the hind leg and slam it into a tree bronc.
00:48:30A sharp crack.
00:48:32Its neck breaks.
00:48:33By the time I turn back, he's already ripped out the third one's throat.
00:48:36I've trained to fight since I was five.
00:48:38Three rogues are nothing Raven can't handle.
00:48:41Then three warriors and a woman step out of the shadows of the trees, wary and searching.
00:48:45What's going on here?
00:48:46Zack and I edge back half a step, covering each other.
00:48:50Easy.
00:48:51Shift back.
00:48:52I'm Alex, Alpha of the Redwood Pack.
00:48:54I mean you no harm.
00:48:56Zack and I trade a glance.
00:48:57No malice from him, but no real warmth either.
00:49:00And the way they're looking at me, it isn't the way you look at a stranger who killed three rogues.
00:49:05It's the way you look at something that was never supposed to surface again.
00:49:27I take the ruby necklace from around my mother's neck, which was the gift I gave my parents for their
00:49:3525th wedding anniversary.
00:49:36I thread my parents' wedding rings onto it and fasten it around my own throat.
00:49:42I drift through that day in a daze.
00:49:44Zack comes over and move through me.
00:49:47But I can't get a single bite that long.
00:49:53The next day, I make my way to the pack house.
00:49:56I think I need to talk to Damien.
00:49:57After everything that's happened, I have to understand what he's really thinking.
00:50:01Can I truly ask him to reject his mate for me?
00:50:04Could I reject my own mate for him?
00:50:06It's all so wrong, but I owe it to myself to hear him out.
00:50:09The pain in his eyes had been so plain, and if I could take even a little comfort from it,
00:50:14maybe I could begin to make my peace with all of this.
00:50:17Just as I reach for the door, it bursts open with a bang.
00:50:20Holly rushes out.
00:50:22Fucking mate bond.
00:50:23Cursing the mate bond under her breath.
00:50:25She doesn't see me and hurries away.
00:50:27I frown, and the moment I step inside, it hits me.
00:50:30Holly's scent, tangled together with Damien's.
00:50:33Two scents on the ever-blending fire.
00:50:36I go still, for a heartbeat, her mind is blank.
00:50:39And then, period, I'm passionate.
00:50:41Damien stares at me, dazed and lost.
00:50:44He clearly never expected me to talk.
00:50:46And that's when I see the fresh markings there.
00:50:48So all these words, Damien had his light as dust.
00:50:51I'm casting me aside as fast as you can hear something since Ash.
00:50:56I'm here for you to tell her.
00:50:58I'm here for you to tell her.
00:50:59I'm here for you to tell her.
00:50:59I'm here for you to tell her.
00:51:00Damien renounced the fate position I was born to.
00:51:04Outfit Damien.
00:51:05The moment the words are out, they turn away, giving her no chance to get out of school.
00:51:09Then Damien reaches you and will remind her.
00:51:12I'm sorry, Damien.
00:51:13I was wrong.
00:51:14Please forgive me.
00:51:15I'll love you forever.
00:51:16My heart gives one violent glitch, and then, with my own hand, I'll sever them up.
00:51:21I will not look back.
00:51:29In our werewolf world, rank is everything.
00:51:40The more decisive bloodline is the mate.
00:51:43The bond the moon goddess ties with her own hands.
00:51:46The day a wolf turns 18, a single cent tells you who is meant to be yours.
00:51:52And the graduation ball is the night every unmated 18-year-old from the packs, gathers in one place, hoping
00:51:59to find the other half of their mate.
00:52:08Tomorrow night is the ball and my 18th birthday.
00:52:11My whole heart is set on one thing, that my mate is Damien.
00:52:17My name is Nina, the beta's only daughter, the pack's top female warrior, trained since I was five.
00:52:24My father wants me to take the beta's scent when he retires on one condition, that I stop causing trouble.
00:52:37I just smiled, because I grew up alongside Damien, our future alpha. He's my best friend.
00:52:56We've kissed, now and then. But I saved my first time for my mate. And I hoped, more than anything,
00:53:04that it was him.
00:53:04Today, Damien and the others are going dress shopping. I'm still doing my makeup when the horns start blaring outside,
00:53:11and a fist pound pounds on my door.
00:53:14Nina, if you don't get down here, I'm taking the day off of crazy.
00:53:21I bolt downstairs, grab my bag, and slice into the shotgun seat of Damien's car like it's mine.
00:53:33That seat's mine, long legs. Faster reaction time in an emergency.
00:53:37Oh? Is that so?
00:53:39Wanna go around with me again and find out?
00:53:42Then he cracks up.
00:53:44Damien left out a low growl in his chest.
00:53:49Zack clamps his mouth shut.
00:53:51Holly is my best friend, the gamma's daughter.
00:53:54Her brother Trevor is Damien's right hand.
00:53:57And Zack is a warrior's son.
00:54:00That shotgun seat, I've ridden in it for years.
00:54:04Everyone treats me as Damien's girl.
00:54:06I've always known I catch Damien's eye.
00:54:08His temper is as unwamed as his bad boy looks.
00:54:11But with me, he's always been gentle.
00:54:13In the fitting room, I slip into a deep red gown, slip high up the thigh, and step out.
00:54:19My friends go still.
00:54:21I know exactly how beautiful I am, and exactly how to make a room look.
00:54:25Damien growls, and every head turns away at once.
00:54:29Holly steps out in a short blue dress that shows off the flawless figure.
00:54:34Oh my god, Nina, that dress was made with you.
00:54:39Do you look gorgeous at me?
00:54:41Then Damien's voice slides into my head.
00:54:43Oh, I'm kidding.
00:54:44Don't get too attached to that dress.
00:54:46This is tomorrow night.
00:54:47I'll tell you.
00:54:48I'll tell you.
00:54:49If I are back, there's a mind there.
00:54:50Who says I'll let you get that bottle?
00:54:52But my cheeks are golden.
00:54:53And some traitor is talking to me that you've been with me.
00:54:56That night, all these things are open, so we can build it all together.
00:55:00I toss it to him.
00:55:02I mean, a bad feeling I can't shake.
00:55:04Finally, I'll tell you.
00:55:07If you need to answer that, I'll tell you.
00:55:11That won't happen.
00:55:12If you two were born for each other, and even if his mate turned out to be someone else, he'd
00:55:17reject you from you, I'd bet on it.
00:55:19I hoped she was right, but if it wasn't me, I would never let him reject his mate.
00:55:24It wouldn't be right, because we're taught from Earth that mates are bound by the moon goddess herself.
00:55:30I couldn't stand in the way of that, even if it broke my heart.
00:55:33The night of the ball, Holly and I walking together.
00:55:36I'm scanning the crowd for my date, Damien.
00:55:38When Holly suddenly lifts her head, breathes in and starts running, I chase after her.
00:55:45She's staring dead ahead, and I follow her gaze.
00:55:49To Damien.
00:55:51Then I hear her say it.
00:55:53Mate.
00:55:53My heart drops through the floor.
00:55:56No.
00:55:56No, this can't be!
00:55:57He's supposed to be my mate!
00:56:00Not Holly's!
00:56:02I freeze where I stand, staring at Damien as the whole world caves in around me.
00:56:07That one word out of Holly's mouth.
00:56:09Mate.
00:56:09Keeps echoing in my ears.
00:56:11Damien looks at me, then at Holly, at a total loss.
00:56:14Trevor and Zack have gone ragged on either side, shock written all over their faces.
00:56:21You know, I... I...
00:56:23Holly stammers not knowing what to say or do.
00:56:25Everyone is waiting to see how I'll react.
00:56:28Damien takes a step towards me, and suddenly we all hear a low growl.
00:56:33She stops.
00:56:34I turn my head.
00:56:35Holly has clapped a hand over her mouth, a face full of shock.
00:56:38She's the one who cried.
00:56:40I once told her everything I felt for Damien.
00:56:42She knows exactly how much I love him.
00:56:44There's no way our friendship survives this.
00:56:46Holly's possessiveness over Damien is already fierce.
00:56:49She must be terrified he'll reject her.
00:56:51And my heart breaks for her too.
00:56:53She knows her own mate has fallen for another girl, and that girl is her best friend.
00:56:57In my head, Raven throws back the muzzle and howls, as if she's giving voice to the pieces of my
00:57:02shattered heart.
00:57:03I spin on my heel and run.
00:57:05Mid-stride, I shifted my wolf, hurling every shout behind me into the wind.
00:57:10I crawl into a cave, wall off my mind, shut out every mind link, and pry myself to sleep for
00:57:17the best friend and the love I lost in a single night.
00:57:20Then Raven jolts awake, and shakes me out of sleep.
00:57:23Wake up!
00:57:25Something's wrong.
00:57:26In the distance, snarls and the sounds of killing.
00:57:29The heavy stench of blood floods my nose.
00:57:32I race home through the night.
00:57:34On the other end of the line there, my father's voice is uttered.
00:57:38Nina, you're under attack!
00:57:40Get to the safe room, now!
00:57:42I scramble into the bunker beneath my kitchen, and it flaps onto the mattress.
00:57:46Outside, on the packed floors, the deathbeds that's locked.
00:57:50I hug my knees in the dark and wait.
00:57:52My heart in my throat.
00:57:54Then something inside me tears loose.
00:57:56A pain rips through my chest and I clamp both hands over my heart and scream.
00:58:00My mother is dead.
00:58:01From far off, my father's anguished howl reaches me.
00:58:08I know no wolf survives the death of their mate.
00:58:10My father won't make it either.
00:58:12And then a second tear rips through my heart.
00:58:14In a single night, I've become an orphan.
00:58:16I've lost everything.
00:58:18I cry until I black out.
00:58:22At dawn, I stare blankly at the family photos lining the wall.
00:58:26And then I snap.
00:58:28I smash everything and reach the pieces.
00:58:31A pair of arms locks around my heart.
00:58:34I'm holding the tent.
00:58:35I'm holding the tent.
00:58:37I'm holding the trap.
00:58:37I'm holding the trap.
00:58:38I'm holding the trap.
00:58:38I'm holding the trap.
00:58:39I'm holding the trap.
00:58:42I'm holding the trap.
00:58:43But in theΠ΅Π½Ρ works.
00:58:44There's a lot of trees and wolves.
00:58:46They're DKs.
00:58:47I'm holding the trap.
00:58:50I'm holding the trap.
00:58:51I have returned in the altar.
00:58:54I'm holding the trap.
00:58:55Did I copy the pines that way?
00:59:02I love the tines from your mastoo Emirates.
00:59:12But I can't get a single bite down
00:59:18The next day, I make my way to the pack house
00:59:21I think I need to talk to Damien
00:59:23After everything that's happened, I have to understand what's really thinking
00:59:26Can I truly ask him to reject his mate for me?
00:59:29Could I reject my own mate for him?
00:59:31It's all so wrong, but I owe it to myself to hear him out
00:59:34The pain in his eyes has been so plain
00:59:36And if I could take even a little comfort from it
00:59:39Maybe I could begin to make my peace with all of this
00:59:42Just as I reach for the door, it bursts open with a bang
00:59:45Polly rushes out
00:59:47Fucking mate bond
00:59:48Cursing the mate bond under her breath
00:59:51She doesn't see me and hurries away
00:59:53I frown, and the moment I step inside it hits me
00:59:56Polly's scent, tangled together with Damien's
00:59:58Two scents only ever blend like that after mating
01:00:01I go still, for a heartbeat my mind is blank
01:00:04And then fury and grief come crashing in
01:00:07Damien stares at me, dazed and lost
01:00:09He clearly never expected me to come
01:00:11And that's when I see the fresh mark on his neck
01:00:13So all these years, to him, I was light as dust
01:00:16He cast me aside as fast as you'd throw out a piece of trash
01:00:22I only came to tell you
01:00:24Within the week I'll be gone
01:00:26I formally renounce the beta position I was born to
01:00:29Alpha Damien
01:00:30The moment the words are out, I turn and mean
01:00:33Giving him no chance to get out a single word
01:00:35Then Damien reaches for me for the mind lane
01:00:37I'm sorry Nina, I was wrong
01:00:39Please forgive me, I'll love you forever
01:00:41My heart gives one violent blow
01:00:43And then, with my own hand, I sever the link
01:00:46I will not look back
01:00:49At dawn, Zach loads the luggage into the trunk
01:00:53This past week has been quiet
01:00:54He's decided to leave with me
01:00:57He won't let me go alone
01:00:59And he says he needs a change of scenery too
01:01:02I understand, he used to be in love with Holly
01:01:05We plan to pack today and set out at first light tomorrow
01:01:08I've heard the Luna ceremony is a month or two off
01:01:11And I know Damien and Holly are already mated
01:01:14I can't wait to leave the old life behind
01:01:17And I'm certain my own mate isn't in this pack
01:01:20Otherwise I'd have caught his scent by now
01:01:22I want to go out and find him
01:01:27Wake up Nina!
01:01:28Damien just mind linked me that he and Holly want to come talk to us at 9
01:01:33So if you don't want to see him, we've got 30 minutes to get out
01:01:35I shoot up out of bed, grab my packed bags
01:01:38And Zach and I hit the road in my mother's old black jar
01:01:43He barely cleared the pack forward
01:01:45And Zach's face tightens and his voice drops
01:01:52Drive faster
01:01:53He's mind linking, asking where we are
01:01:55Zach's phone lights up
01:01:56Damien's name on the screen
01:01:58I snatch it up
01:01:59He can command Zach
01:02:00He has never once been able to command me
01:02:03What do you want Damien?
01:02:05We're a little busy living our own lives
01:02:07Why didn't you wait for us?
01:02:09Why did you just leave like that?
01:02:11Save it
01:02:11You can't command me
01:02:13Zach's out of range of your voice
01:02:14And frankly I don't want to talk to either of you
01:02:16I'll send warriors to drag you both back Nina
01:02:20Don't think you can leave me
01:02:22Even if you're not my mate
01:02:23No one else gets to have you
01:02:27You'll be my second
01:02:28And you'll serve me
01:02:30Let her go
01:02:30And if you dare touch another male
01:02:32I'll come to you myself
01:02:33And throw you in a cell
01:02:35Do you understand me?
01:02:36I can hear Holly screaming in the back
01:02:38I'll turn you to let me go
01:02:39Insisting she's the one who hurt
01:02:41There's venom in her voice
01:02:43I'm dead in place
01:02:45Sweetheart, you're going to be mine
01:02:47I even walk through a red gown
01:02:49Just like the one who in the mall
01:02:50And then to Holly
01:02:52He saw his name
01:02:53It's the love of my life
01:02:54You're at my side to keep up appearances
01:02:56But shoot me my mistress
01:02:57And you won't stop me
01:02:59The line goes dead in place
01:03:01And the sick person
01:03:03Grits
01:03:05Zack shifts me over to the passenger seat
01:03:08Jumps behind the wheel
01:03:09And flicks it
01:03:10My head is a storm
01:03:12He wants to lock me up as his mistress
01:03:15Keep me as a sex slave
01:03:16Take me by force
01:03:18Okay
01:03:19I'm fine
01:03:20I will never obey him
01:03:22I'd soon die fighting
01:03:23When set foot in that path
01:03:25In my head
01:03:26Raven bears her teeth
01:03:29Let him lay one finger on us
01:03:31And I'll bite off his manhood
01:03:33And feed it to him
01:03:34And watch him bleed out
01:03:35That's my wolf
01:03:37Far away
01:03:38In the Smoky Mountain pack
01:03:40Their future's heir Wyatt
01:03:41Gets an urgent report from the border
01:03:43Rogue activity has spiked lately
01:03:45The young alpha-to-be frowns
01:03:47He doesn't yet know
01:03:49That those restless rogues
01:03:50Are all being drawn by a single scent
01:03:52And that the owner of that scent is
01:03:54At this very moment
01:03:55Driving straight towards him
01:03:57The drive to Smoky Mountain park
01:03:59Is close to 13 hours
01:04:00Halfway there
01:04:02We pull over to let our wolves stretch
01:04:04We slip into the trees
01:04:06And shift
01:04:06Raven and Zack's wolf
01:04:08Max
01:04:08Break into a run
01:04:09Wind pours through my fur
01:04:11The smell of pine washes over me
01:04:13And for a moment
01:04:14I really believe we're free
01:04:18Then a dry branch snaps
01:04:20Raven and Max's ears shoot up
01:04:23A rotten, swampy stench
01:04:25Slides into my nose
01:04:26And I know it
01:04:27Even though I've never smelled it before
01:04:28I just know
01:04:30Three of them
01:04:31On the right
01:04:31Three rogues burst from the brush
01:04:34Teeth bared
01:04:35They didn't come to talk
01:04:37I drop low
01:04:38And Raven's growl of septic
01:04:40As we race to fight
01:04:41The first one launches
01:04:44I catch its jaw in midair
01:04:46And work my head
01:04:47Tearing flesh and sinew
01:04:49Teem away
01:04:50The second circles toward Max
01:04:51I grab it by the hind leg
01:04:53And slam it into a tree bronco
01:04:54A sharp crack
01:04:56Its neck breaks
01:04:57By the time I turn back
01:04:58It's already ripped out
01:04:59The third one's throat
01:05:00I've trained to fight since I was five
01:05:02Three rogues are nothing
01:05:03Raven can't handle
01:05:05Then three warriors and a woman
01:05:06Step out of the shadows of the trees
01:05:08Weary and searching
01:05:09What's going on here?
01:05:11Zack and I edge back half a step
01:05:13Covering each other
01:05:14Easy
01:05:15Shift back
01:05:16I'm Alex
01:05:17Alpha of the Redwood Pack
01:05:18I mean you're no harm
01:05:20Zack and I trade a glance
01:05:21No malice from him
01:05:22But no real warmth either
01:05:24And the way they're looking at me
01:05:26It isn't the way you look at a stranger
01:05:28Who killed three rogues
01:05:29It's the way you look at something
01:05:30That was never supposed to surface again
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