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- #shot_drama
رُفضت يوم زفافي، فاختارني عريس جديد - مشاهدة المسلسل مترجم كامل
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Short filmTranscript
00:00My fiancé brought his pregnant mistress to our mating ceremony and told me I would raise their
00:04child. He didn't say it in private. Damon said it on the altar where he was supposed to claim me,
00:08in front of the entire pack. Lyra stood beside him in pale gold silk, one hand resting on her
00:12belly. Lyra, my friend from the Omega Quarters, the girl who had slept two beds away from me for
00:17years, on her wrist was my silver bracelet. Last winter, Damon had given it to me after three young
00:21alphas mocked my Omega blood. He promised no one would ever make me bow again. A week ago,
00:26a servant came and asked me to send it back. For the ceremony. I didn't question it. Now I
00:30understood. Lyra saw me looking. She touched the bracelet gently, like it might break. He wanted
00:34me to have it. I hope you don't mind. She knew I did. Damon didn't stop her. He only looked
00:39at me,
00:39cold. I won't bond with you, Serafina. The elders care about your silver blood.
00:44They think it can crown the next Alpha King. He pulled Lyra closer. But Lyra is carrying my air.
00:49My throat burned. That bracelet was mine. Lyra flinched behind Damon's arm, as if I had hurt her.
00:54Damon glanced at the bracelet. Then back at me. It was a promise to a girl who needed
00:58protecting. His hand covered Lyra's stomach. She gives me a future. Lyra looked at me from
01:02behind him, tears shining in her eyes. Small. Fragile. Victorious. Then Damon turned to the
01:07entire hall. When my pup is born, Serafina will raise it as her own. For one second, I thought I
01:14had misheard him. Then Damon made it worse. You'll serve Lyra through the pregnancy. Nurse her through
01:19recovery. Raise my air as your own. He said it like he was assigning chores to the lowest wolf
01:24in the room. Maybe he was. I was Serafina. The only silver blood air Silvercrest had seen
01:28in a thousand years. The prophecy said whoever completed a bond with me could awaken true Alpha
01:33power and claim the Alpha King's throne. But I was also an Omega. The rank everyone stepped
01:37on until they needed something. Damon had decided my blood was useful. But I was not. Lyra gave
01:41a soft gasp beside him. Damon, don't say it like that. Serafina has always been so good at
01:46taking care of people. In the Omega quarters, she helped everyone. I'm sure she won't punish an
01:52innocent pup just because she's hurt. The hall went silent. Every stare landed on me. Waiting for
01:56me to cry. To beg. To bow like a good little Omega. My eyes burned. Not because Damon had
02:01rejected me. Because Lyra knew every soft place I kept hidden and still chose to press her hand
02:05against it. The claim was never sealed. No blood oath. No mark. Under the old laws, it can still be
02:11revoked. One elder exchanged a look with another. That is technically true. I looked at Damon. I may be an
02:17Omega. But I am not her servant. And I will not raise the child you made with her. I revoke
02:26the
02:26claim. If any wolf here is willing to claim me tonight, I accept.
02:32The whispers came fast. Silver blood. Did Damon just throw away the prophecy? If someone claims
02:39her now. I could see it in their faces. Shock. Hunger. Calculation. For one second, I thought someone
02:43might actually step forward. Then Damon's voice cut through. Your name is still written into the
02:47royal reet. The room froze. Until the elders formally dissolve this ceremony, anyone who steps
02:52forward is openly defying the crown. No one moved. That had been his plan. Not to bond me. Not to
02:58free
02:58me. To keep me trapped under the royal rite until the elders could turn me into something quieter.
03:02Something useful. Lyra's servant. His heir's caretaker. A silver blood Omega no other man would
03:07dare touch. Damon stepped close enough for only me to hear. Sarah. My chest twisted. That name used to be
03:12soft in his mouth. Tonight, it was a blade. Don't embarrass yourself. Then he turned to the hall.
03:16No one wants you badly enough to start a war. For one terrible second, I thought he was right.
03:21Not because I wasn't valuable, but because every wolf in that room wanted my blood more than they
03:25wanted to save me. Then the doors at the far end of the hall swung open. But before anyone could
03:29see
03:29who had entered, Moira arrived first. Moira, Damon's mother, the Luna matriarch, swept into the hall like
03:35a storm in silk. She took one look at Lyra behind Damon and slapped her across the face. The crack
03:40echoed off
03:40every wall. Shameless Omega. You dare turn a royal treat into a spectacle? Lyra fell to the floor,
03:46clutching her cheek. Tears already spilling. Damon lunged forward and shielded her. She's under my
03:50protection. Moira stared at him like she was seeing him clearly for the first time. Then she turned to
03:54me. Her voice softened. Sarah Fauna, dear. Damon has humiliated you. I will deal with him. But you must
04:00not act rashly. Let me close this ceremony quietly. The crown will keep you protected until we decide
04:05where you belong. Where I belonged. Not what I wanted. Not who I chose. I pulled my hand free.
04:10You bound me to Damon for my blood. Then he brought her here with his heir and told me to
04:15raise their
04:15child. My voice shut. But I did not stop. I will not be their servant. The hall went silent. I
04:21will
04:21not nurse his mistress through pregnancy. And I will not raise another woman's child because Damon
04:26thinks an Omega should be grateful for scraps. Moira's eyes hardened. Careful, girl. You are still
04:31standing inside a royal treat. Your blood belongs to Silverhrest before it belongs to you. My stomach
04:37went cold. There it was. Damon wanted me useful. Lyra wanted me beneath her. Moira wanted me
04:41own. If no one claims you tonight, the elders will decide your future. Damon smiled again. For the
04:46first time that night, I felt truly trapped. Then a low voice cut through the hall. Does her offer
04:50still stand? Every head turned. Kale stood at the far end of the hall. Tall, dressed in black. Pale as
04:57winter. Aldric's firstborn. Damon's older half-brother. The true alpha heir by blood. And the
05:01cursed one who still couldn't shift. He took one step forward. Then stopped. Just for half a second.
05:06His hand touched the doorframe. Everyone saw it. The cursed heir could barely stand. Damon laughed
05:11under his breath. Careful, brother. If she chooses you, she won't be a bride by sunrise. A few wolves
05:16laughed. Moira's face went white. Kale, don't be stupid. You know what silver blood does to a cursed
05:22wolf. It could kill you. Kale ignored her. His gray eyes stayed on me. What you just said, does it
05:27still
05:27stand? My throat tightened. Before I could answer, Damon stepped in. No. The whole hall froze. Damon's
05:33smile sharpened. She said any wolf. Not a dead one pretending he still has a claim. Kale's face did
05:38not change. Damon moved closer to me. Look at him, Sarah. He can't protect you. He can't shift. He can
05:45barely stand. If you choose him, this wedding becomes a funeral before sunrise. Lyra's eyes widened,
05:51soft and wet. Don't do this to yourself, Serafina. You don't have to ruin yourself just because you're hurt.
05:56Moira seized the silence. If no suitable wolf claims you tonight, the elders will decide your
06:02future. The room closed around me again. Damon held out his hand. Not like a lover, like a leash.
06:07Last chance, Serafina. His smile was cold. Stand down. For one second, the whole hall waited. They
06:14all thought I would break. I looked past his hand. At Kale, thin as paper, pale as death. A cursed
06:19heir the
06:19entire pack had already buried. And still, he was the only man in that room who had asked for my
06:24answer.
06:24Not my blood. Not my obedience. Not my usefulness. My answer. So I stepped around Damon's hand. His
06:30smile vanished. Lyra's face changed. The hall went silent. I walked toward Kale. Every step felt like
06:36I was cutting a rope around my throat. Damon's voice snapped behind me. Serafina. I didn't stop.
06:40Girl, think carefully. I did. For the first time all night, I did. Then I stopped in front of Kale.
06:46He looked down at me, gray eyes steady. What you said, does it still stand?
06:50My hands were still shaking. But my answer did not. Yes. The hall exploded. Kale did not look at
06:55Damon. Did not look at Moira. Only me. Then I claim her. A few elders half froze. Then froze. Because
07:01a
07:01claim spoken and accepted before the right could not be taken back. Damon laughed. Loud enough for
07:06the whole hall to hear. Go on, brother. Take her hand. Are you done making a scene, Serafina? If you
07:11stop
07:11now, Lila and I might still forgive you. You can still stay where you belong. He looked me up and
07:16down.
07:16Lyra leaned into him. Worry flickering across her face like another part of the performance.
07:21The hall went dead silent. Kale held out his hand. At the same time, I reached for him.
07:25Our fingers locked. The ritual lines blazed white. Then black marks burst from beneath Kale's sleeve.
07:31They weren't veins. They were his curse. Black marks tore up Kale's arm,
07:35coiled around his throat, and climbed toward his face like something alive. The hall gasped.
07:39For one second, the gray in his eyes vanished. Replaced by molten gold. Something caged. Something feral.
07:45The curse is activating. He can't hold it. Stop the ceremony. The elders surged forward,
07:50but the ritual lines had already locked around our wrists. Once a bond began, no one outside it could
07:55break it. Kale's hand tightened around mine. Too tight. His knees buckled. He hit the altar hard,
08:00blood spilling from his mouth onto the silver stone. The hall went silent. Kale looked up at me,
08:05gold flickering through the gray. Let go. If you stop now, you'll still make it out. He meant it.
08:10Even half dying in front of the entire pack, he was still trying to give me a way out.
08:14Damon stepped forward. Are you insane? I already told you, Sarah. If you stop this now,
08:21Lyra and I can still forgive you. I didn't look at him. Damon's tone sharpened.
08:24Don't throw your life away just to prove a point. Still, I did not look at him. My fingers
08:29tightened around Kale's. The curse burned black between us. Every wolf in that hall was waiting
08:33for me to let go. Instead, I leaned closer. Kale, get me. Then, without looking away from him,
08:38I reached for the silver edge of the altar. I didn't let go. With Kale's eyes locked on mine,
08:44I dragged my palm across the altar's silver edge. Pain cut sharp. Silver blood spilled over my skin.
08:49The entire hall gasped. Before anyone could stop me, I pressed my bleeding hand against the darkest
08:54knot of curse marks on Kale's wrist. Light exploded between us, cold and blinding,
08:58violent enough to shake the altar beneath us. Kale's body arched, and a broken sound tore from his
09:03throat. The curse fought back under my palm, black marks twisting up his skin,
09:07fighting to reach his throat again. So I pressed harder. Stay with me.
09:11The black marks stopped. Then slowly, unwillingly, they began to retreat. The ritual lines beneath
09:16our feet blazed white hot, spiraling around our joined wrists until a pale silver mark burned
09:20itself into both our skin. The bond didn't fail. It held. Kale collapsed to one knee,
09:25blood still on his lips. But the gold was leaving his eyes. Gray was coming back. He was alive.
09:30The oldest elder stared at our wrists.
09:31The bond is sealed. By old law, Serafina of Silver Blood is now claimed by Kale, firstborn heir of
09:39Silvercrest. A sharp crack split the altar stone. The royal right mark that had held Damon's name
09:44beside mine burned black, then vanished. In its place, a new name carved itself into the silver light.
09:49Kale, Damon's face went white. He forced out a laugh.
09:52He's still cursed. You think your blood makes him stronger than me?
09:56Before I could answer, the silver mark on my wrist flared again. So did Kale's.
10:00The ritual light shifted. It no longer circled me alone. It moved around him.
10:04The elder's face drained of color. The blood accepted him.
10:07The hall went silent. Damon stopped breathing. The prophecy had not died. It had moved on.
10:12The hall stayed silent. Kale was still on one knee. Blood on his lips. One hand braced against
10:17the altar. But his grip on me never loosened. The silver mark on my wrist pulsed once.
10:21His answered. Damon finally found his voice.
10:23This isn't over.
10:24The oldest elder looked at the burned royal right mark. Then at our joined hands.
10:28Damon's face hardened. He can barely stand.
10:30Kale slowly lifted his head. Through the bond. I felt the pain he was hiding.
10:33Sharp enough to cut through bone. Then he rose. Not easily. Not steadily. But he rose.
10:38Then watch me.
10:39No one laughed this time. Moira stepped forward at once.
10:41Kale. You need healers. Serafina will remain here until the council decides what happens next.
10:47Kale looked at her. No.
10:48One word. Low and final. The hall froze. Moira's expression tightened.
10:52This is not the time for pride.
10:53No one decides for my mate.
10:55A shiver moved through the room. For 13 years.
10:57They had spoken around him like he was already dead.
10:59Tonight. He did not raise his voice. But every wolf in that hall heard the command beneath it.
11:03Move.
11:04The wolves blocking the aisle stepped aside. Damon stared at me like he still expected me to look
11:08back. Lyra's fingers dug into his sleeve. I did not turn.
11:11Kale led me out of the hall. Each step costing him more than he let anyone see.
11:15Only when the doors closed behind us did his hand tighten around mine.
11:18His voice dropped.
11:18Now ask me what you really want to ask.
11:22Kale had said it outside the hall. His hand still wrapped around mine. For one second.
11:26The question almost escaped me right there. But then he swayed. Just once. Pain cut through his
11:31grip. So I swallowed the words and followed him to the north tower. No one stopped us.
11:34No one dared. His quarters were cold and almost bare. A narrow bed. A heavy desk.
11:38Maps pinned neatly to the walls. No flowers. No servants. Nothing prepared for a bride.
11:43But everything was clean. The bed was made sharp. The books were lined straight.
11:46Even the medicine bottle stood in order. Kale had been forgotten here. But he had not let himself
11:50fall apart. For the first time that night. No one was watching. No elders. No pack. No Damon.
11:55No Lyra. Just me and the cursed heir who had become my mate. Kale removed his black outer robe and
12:00set
12:00it aside. Without it. He looked even thinner. Too pale. Too tired. A man the curse had been eating alive
12:04for years. He leaned one hand against the desk. Ask. My fingers curled into my sleeves. Did you know
12:11that my blood could help you? Did you claim me because you wanted me? Or because my blood can
12:16keep you alive? Kale went very still. For one breath. I thought he would deny it. Then he looked
12:20at me. I don't want to lie to you. And suddenly. I knew. Whatever came next was going to hurt.
12:26Kale did not look away. That was how I knew the answer before he said it. Yes I knew your
12:30silver
12:30blood might hold back my curse. For a moment. I could not speak. Damon wanted an heir. The elders
12:35wanted a prophecy. And Kale wanted a cure. I stepped back before I could stop myself. Kale
12:39saw it. But he did not follow. If I only wanted your blood I could have asked for you years
12:43ago.
12:43Maybe you waited until I had nowhere else to go. The words came out smaller than I wanted. His face
12:48changed. Not anger. Something worse. Because he knew I had the right to think it. Maybe I deserve
12:52that. The fire cracked between us. I hated that he sounded honest. I hated that honesty still hurt.
12:57Then why tonight? Because Damon made you stand alone. And I know what that feels like.
13:01My fingers twisted in my sleeves. For a second I forgot how to answer. Because he wasn't asking me
13:06to pity him. He was telling me he had seen me. If I stay. It won't be because you need
13:10me. I know.
13:12If I help you. It doesn't mean you get to use me. No. Never. The room went quiet. I looked
13:18at the
13:19place beneath his shirt. Where the curse had almost killed him in front of everyone. My hands were still
13:23shaking. But my voice came out clear. You claimed me before the whole pack. So show me.
13:29Seraphina. Show me the curse.
13:32Hale did not move for a long moment. Then he loosened the ties of his shirt. The fabric fell
13:36open. The curse mark sat at the center of his chest. Dark red against bone pale skin. Coiled
13:40like something alive beneath his flesh. I had seen blood on him. I had seen him collapse at the altar.
13:45But this was worse. The curse was not just sealing his wolf. It was feeding on him. My fingers curled
13:50once before I forced them still. I need to touch it. Seraphina. You claimed me before the whole pack.
13:56Do not hide from me now. For one beat. I thought he would refuse. Then he gave a single nod.
14:00I pressed
14:01my palm flat against the mark. His whole body locked. Heat slammed into my hand. Sharp and violent.
14:05Not mine. His. My silver blood answered instantly. And something inside him answered back. I felt it
14:10hit the seal. Once. Twice. A wolf trapped behind iron. Throwing itself against the dark. Kale's breath
14:15broke. Gold flashed through his gray eyes. Your wolf is still there. His chest rose hard beneath my hand.
14:20It's not gone. I feel it every day. Gold bled through his eyes again. Like fire under ice. Then his
14:25grip tightened.
14:26And this time. When he said my name. It did not sound entirely human.
14:30I didn't even see him move. One second. I was standing in front of him. My palm pressed to his
14:35chest. The next. My back hit the bed. Kale was above me. One hand braced by my ear. The other
14:39locking around my wrist. Breathing like he'd been dragged up from deep water. The curse mark
14:43blazed under my palm. Its edges lit up. Spreading outward like cracks in burning glass. His eyes were
14:48wrong. I could feel his wolf pressing against the bond like it wanted to tear through his skin to reach
14:52me. His pupils narrowed. Jaw clenched so hard I could hear his teeth grind.
14:55Stop touching me. If you keep going. He didn't finish. Because the bond pulsed. I felt it. His
15:01wolf. Trapped behind that seal. Slamming toward my hand with everything it had. Kale stared down at
15:05me. Half broken. Half feral. Every muscle in his body was locked tight. Holding himself back. Even
15:10like this. He still wasn't hurting me. Then Kale kissed me. Not softly. Not carefully. Like the bond
15:14had finally pulled too hard for either of us to pretend it was only a ritual. The mark beneath my
15:19palm
15:19flared white gold. Kale's body locked. His eyes flashed full gold. For one terrifying second. I saw what had
15:24been trapped inside him for 13 years. Not the cursed prince. The wolf. Then the room burst into light.
15:30When the light faded. Kale was on the floor beside the bed. Unconscious. The curse mark on his chest
15:35had split straight down the center. For one terrified moment. I thought I had killed him.
15:39Then I felt it through the bond. A pulse. Weak. But there. I stayed beside him until his breathing
15:44steadied. Sometime before dawn. I must have fallen asleep. I woke to sunlight and the scratch of a pen.
15:49Kale was already at the desk. Writing like he had not collapsed in front of me hours ago. He still
15:53looked too thin. Too pale. But the hollowed out look was not as sharp as before. There was more
15:57color in his face. His hand no longer trembled around the pen. Small things. Impossible things.
16:03He noticed me watching and set the pen down. His eyes dropped to my bandaged palm.
16:07You reopened it last night. I looked at my hand. The cut from the altar had split again.
16:11I'm fine. No. You're bleeding for me. There's a medicine stall in the eastern market.
16:16Their salves are better than anything kept in this tower. I almost laughed. After everything
16:21that happened you want to buy me medicine? I want to do one useful thing before you decide
16:25I'm only good at nearly dying. Before I could answer a knock sounded. My lord. The eastern market
16:29opened early. A rare medicine shipment just arrived. Kale looked at my palm. Then reached for his cloak.
16:34We go now. The market was loud and crowded. At the south stall I heard Damon's voice.
16:40Damon's voice. The strongest prenatal tyner. My chosen mate carries the future air. He stood at the
16:44next stall with Lyra on his arm. When he saw me. His eyes dropped to my bandaged palm. Then to
16:49the
16:49silver mark on my wrist. Already bleeding for him Sarah? How was the first night? Or did the curse
16:54ruin that too? Serafina always had a habit of saving people who didn't choose her first. You used to call
16:59that kindness when you needed it from me. Sarah I didn't mean. You mean everything. That's always been
17:04the problem. I turned to the shelf. Moonshade root. Exactly what could weaken a soul level curse.
17:09My fingers closed around at first. Lyra's hand landed over mine. Eyes already wet.
17:14Serafina please. I need this. I didn't let go. Lyra's lip trembled. She turned to Damon.
17:20Voice barely a whisper. She won't even let me have medicine for our pup.
17:23Damon's face darkened instantly. He held out his hand. Give it to her.
17:28I picked it up first. Damon's smile died. Before he could speak. Kale stepped forward. The air shifted.
17:34Glass jars trembled on the shelf. She's my mate. Say one more word to her.
17:38Damon stepped back half a step. Instinct. Not choice. Then something ugly settled in his face.
17:43He stopped looking at me. Do you remember that night brother? The night you were cursed. You
17:47were six. You screamed for father for hours. He didn't come. Damon. I stepped in front of him.
17:52He blinked. Surprised. You talk about broken things a lot for someone whose mate moves you like a
17:58puppet with a single tear. Lyra's face went white. Damon's jaw tightened. I looked him up and down.
18:03At least Kale's curse has a cure. What's yours? Damon's mouth opened.
18:07Before he could answer. Kale's pressure slammed through the stall. He stepped back. Everyone
18:11saw it. Kale took the moonshade root from my hand and placed coins on the counter.
18:15This belongs to my mate. This isn't over. No. That's the problem.
18:20Damon dragged Lyra away before his wolf could betray him again. Only when they were gone did I
18:24see the blood at the corner of Kale's mouth. His curse had heard him act like an alpha. And it
18:28was
18:28punishing him for it. I made him sit down. Kale tried to say he was fine. Then blood touched his
18:35lip
18:35again. I stared at him. No more pretending. The bond cracked the curse. But not enough.
18:41If I want to break it, I have to work on it directly. How? My blood. My hand on the
18:48mark.
18:48Every night. That will hurt you. It's my blood. I choose where it goes.
18:54For a moment he said nothing. Then he sat on the bed and opened his shirt. The curse mark looked
18:59darker
18:59than before. Angrier. The moment my palm touched it. His whole body locked. The seal fought back.
19:04So did the wolf trapped beneath it. The first night. I kept my eyes on the mark. By the third.
19:08I could no longer ignore the way his breathing changed when the curse pushed back. The way his
19:12jaw clenched. The way he stared at the ceiling like counting stones was the only thing keeping him
19:17still. Does it hurt? No. By the fifth night. It had become routine. Touch the mark. Hold the pressure.
19:23Wait until the seal stopped fighting. Then pull away. So I pulled away like always.
19:27Kale caught my wrist. Not hard. Just fast enough to stop me. The bond snapped tight between us.
19:32My breath caught. His eyes lifted to mine. Dark in the firelight. Don't pull away like that.
19:37Why? Because when you do. The wolf wants to follow.
19:41I woke to a sound that didn't belong to any human throat. The bed beside me was empty.
19:45Kale was in the corner. On his knees. Body shaking so hard it looked painful to watch.
19:50His nails had turned to claws. They dragged across the stone. Leaving deep white marks.
19:54Then he looked up. Gold eyes. Slit pupils. Too much wolf. Not enough man.
19:59Go. When you're close. The bond makes it worse.
20:01I got out of bed anyway. He hit the wall trying to get away from me.
20:05Serafina don't.
20:06I knelt in front of him and pressed my hand to his chest.
20:08Silver light burst between us. The curse mark split.
20:11Kale threw his head back with a sound that was half hell. Half relief.
20:14Then he looked at me again. Breathing hard. Half man. Half wolf.
20:18And said my name like it was the only thing keeping him from breaking apart.
20:21Tell me to stop. Say it now. And I still can.
20:25I'm not going anywhere Kale.
20:28I didn't run. Kale stared at me. Gold burning through gray.
20:31Then his hand caught my waist and the other came to the back of my neck.
20:35This was the wolf. The curse mark flared between us.
20:37Silver and black light crashing together. Every touch cracked the seal whiter.
20:41I let my blood answer. Let it flood every fracture.
20:44His claws drove into the stone beside me hard enough to split it.
20:47But he never hurt me. And the moment I understood that.
20:49The last piece of the seal gave way.
20:51The curse shattered. When the light died.
20:53The mark on his chest had faded to almost nothing.
20:55He looked different. Stronger. Warmer. More like the man he should have been all along.
20:59You should have run.
21:01You keep saying that.
21:03You never listen.
21:05Get used to it.
21:06Then he laughed. Low. Rough. Real.
21:08Lifted his hand to the back of my neck. And kissed me.
21:11Not like the almost kiss the curse had stolen from us.
21:13This one didn't stop. His claws were gone.
21:15His hands were human again. Steady. Warm. And everywhere.
21:19Nothing interrupted us. Nothing pulled him away.
21:21When I woke hours later. The moon had crossed the entire sky.
21:24Kale's arm was around my waist.
21:26His breathing slow and deep against the back of my neck.
21:28The man pressed against me felt nothing like the one I had married.
21:31Broader. Warmer. Solid in a way that made me close my eyes.
21:34And stay exactly where I was.
21:37Sunlight hit my face before I opened my eyes.
21:39The space beside me was empty.
21:41But still warm.
21:42Then I heard water running.
21:43Kale stood by the basin.
21:44Splashing water over his face.
21:46And I froze.
21:47Because the man standing there did not look like the one I had married.
21:50The hollow frame was gone.
21:51The sharp bones had softened under lean muscle.
21:53His shoulders were broader now.
21:55For 13 years.
21:55The curse had been feeding on him.
21:57Now his body was taking everything back.
22:00What?
22:00Nothing.
22:02You look like you could actually win a fight now.
22:04His mouth twitched.
22:05I mean nothing nothing.
22:06I could always win a fight.
22:09You couldn't survive a stair race two weeks ago.
22:11Then he lowered his head and kissed me.
22:12When he pulled back.
22:13Something pulsed beneath my palm.
22:15I hadn't realized my hand was on his chest.
22:17His wolf hit the broken seal like a battering ram.
22:20Kale doubled over.
22:21Black lines flared across the faded curse mark.
22:23Blood dripped from his nose onto the floor.
22:25Kale!
22:26The curse cracked.
22:28But the wolf was waking too fast.
22:30I looked at the mark.
22:31Half faded.
22:32Half burning.
22:33How long?
22:34Days.
22:35Not weeks.
22:36Kale wiped the blood away and reached for his coat.
22:39Then we move fast.
22:41Because Damon won't wait either.
22:44Kale's change was impossible to hide.
22:46The hollow look was fading from his face.
22:48His shoulders had filled out.
22:49He no longer looked like a man the stairs could kill.
22:51The first time Eldrick saw him cross the council hall without leaning on anything.
22:55The old alpha king stopped mid-sentence.
22:57So did half the elders.
22:58For one breath.
22:59They all stared.
23:00Then the moment passed.
23:01Eldrick looked back at the reports.
23:03An elder cleared his throat.
23:04A patrol captain lowered his eyes.
23:06Strength had returned to Kale's body.
23:08But not to his name.
23:09Thirteen years of being treated like a dead heir did not disappear because he could stand straight.
23:13Kale knew that better than anyone.
23:15So he stopped waiting for them to remember who he was.
23:17He worked.
23:18Border routes.
23:19Missing supplies.
23:20Patrol gaps.
23:20Old complaints no one had touched in years.
23:23He read everything.
23:24Checked everything.
23:25Corrected everything.
23:26At first, the captains ignored him.
23:28Then one of his warnings saved a patrol from walking into an ambush.
23:31By the next council, two warriors stood behind his chair without being ordered.
23:34By the fifth day, a dispute over Northern Territory reached the council table.
23:38No one had an answer.
23:39Eldrick's eyes moved across the room and, for the first time in thirteen years, stopped on Kale.
23:44What do you think?
23:45The room went quiet.
23:46Kale answered like he had been waiting thirteen years to be asked.
23:49By sunset, the news had reached Damon.
23:51That night, a patrol wolf came to the North Tower with a message.
23:54He wouldn't meet Kale's eyes.
23:55Damon says,
23:57The wolf swallowed.
23:59Enjoy pretending to be heir while you can.
24:01Kale looked up from the border map.
24:03Tell him pretending was his mistake.
24:05The messenger froze.
24:06I'm done pretending.
24:08Lyra noticed it before Damon did.
24:10Every time someone said my name, Damon looked away too late.
24:13At first, Lyra pretended not to see it.
24:16Then she couldn't.
24:17That night, she found him alone.
24:18Am I not enough?
24:19Don't start.
24:20Her eyes filled.
24:21She reached for his hand.
24:23He pulled it away.
24:23I gave up everything for you.
24:25My friends.
24:27My place.
24:28I chose you over everyone.
24:30Our child is right here, Damon.
24:32He looked down at her hand.
24:33Then removed it.
24:34Lyra's composure cracked.
24:36She doesn't love you.
24:37She chose the cursed one.
24:39She let you go without looking back.
24:40I'm the one who stayed.
24:42I'm the one carrying your heir.
24:43Why isn't that enough?
24:45Because she's standing next to an alpha.
24:47The whole pack is starting to fall out.
24:50And you're standing here crying.
24:52I'm carrying your-
24:53Then do it quietly.
24:54He walked out.
24:55Lyra knelt on the floor.
24:56Tears running.
24:57Hands on her belly.
24:58With no one left to perform for.
25:00The next afternoon, Damon found me alone.
25:02Sarah.
25:04Don't call me that.
25:05His jaw tightened.
25:06Then he smiled.
25:07You don't have to keep punishing me.
25:08Pretending you don't still love me must be exhausting.
25:12You were hurt.
25:13I understand.
25:15Lyra was scared.
25:16You two were friends once.
25:18Be generous.
25:19You want me to forgive her?
25:21I want you to stop embarrassing yourself.
25:23His eyes dropped to the silver mark on my wrist.
25:26Stop wasting your blood on him.
25:27That curse has been eating him for 13 years.
25:30You really think you can turn a ruined wolf into an alpha?
25:33Give your blood to me.
25:34I went still.
25:35Damon saw it and mistook it for hope.
25:37When I become alpha king, I can be generous too.
25:39Lyra gave me an heir.
25:40But you?
25:41You could still stand beside me.
25:43Maybe even as my Luna, if you learn your place.
25:46For one second, I could only look at him.
25:48You don't want me, Damon.
25:49You want my blood, my forgiveness, and my silence.
25:53I pulled my wrist away before he could touch the mark.
25:56And you don't get any of them.
25:57Fine.
25:58I'll break him in front of the whole pack.
26:00And when he falls, Sarah, don't come asking for mercy.
26:04By then you won't have a choice anymore.
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