- 4 hours ago
EngSub Seven Moons Later, I Became Another Alpha's Luna 🌎Aurora
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:02Mist Ridge Pack had an old rule.
00:04If an outside alpha wanted to take a Mist Ridge Weewolf into his pack,
00:07he had to complete seven mate trials with her within seven full moons.
00:11Public claiming at the ceremonial platform,
00:13council mate registration,
00:15the pack acceptance oath,
00:17the night hunt,
00:18the full moon run,
00:19the pack transfer ceremony,
00:21and finally,
00:23the mate vow before the marking.
00:25Only after all seven trials were complete could he register her as his mate,
00:28mark her under the full moon,
00:30and make her his Luna.
00:32I used to believe Ryder would do it.
00:35He was the young alpha of the ruling city pack,
00:38powerful and proud.
00:39The first time he stepped into Mist Ridge,
00:42his alpha authority was clear.
00:44Ryder had once told me he would take me away from Mist Ridge.
00:47You won't be trapped in these mountains forever.
00:49Once the seven trials are over,
00:51you'll become my Luna.
00:52So on every full moon,
00:54I put on my cleanest dress,
00:56forced down the restlessness of my wolf spirit,
00:58and walked alone along the mountain path
01:00to wait for him at the trial site.
01:02But seven times,
01:03he failed to stand beside me.
01:06The seventh full moon was the final mate vow before the marking.
01:11I stood before the Mist Ridge ceremonial platform from dusk
01:15until the moon climbed high above me.
01:17The wound on my ankle had not healed.
01:20The place where wolf spice had burned me throbbed with heat,
01:23and the pain nearly brought me to my knees.
01:27Elder Morin stood below the stone steps,
01:30leaning on his cane.
01:35Annie, this is the seventh time.
01:39I did not answer.
01:45Elder Morin sighed.
01:47Ryder went to the eastern border again.
01:50Catherine sent a distress call.
01:54She said rogue wolves crossed the line.
02:02My fingers tightened around the moonstone at my throat.
02:05Four years ago,
02:07Ryder placed it around my neck with his own hands and said to me,
02:10Annie, once I pass the seven trials,
02:13I will place the true Luna ring on your finger.
02:15This moonstone is merely a token.
02:17At the time,
02:19I truly believed he would use the Luna ring to replace it.
02:23But now,
02:24I've completely come to my senses.
02:30I called Ryder.
02:32He answered quickly,
02:33his voice full of impatience.
02:35Annie,
02:36something happened on Catherine's side.
02:38She was leading a patrol along the old Alliance border,
02:40and now she's trapped by rogue wolves.
02:43I have to go.
02:44I watched the elders leave the ceremonial ground one by one,
02:47and I knew this trial was about to end in failure again.
02:49Today is the seventh trial.
02:52Ryder went silent for a second.
02:54I know,
02:55but I'm the Alpha.
02:56If something happens at the border,
02:58I can't ignore it.
02:59Catherine's low sob came through the phone.
03:02Ryder,
03:03I think I smell wolfbane.
03:05My leg hurts so much.
03:07Ryder's breathing changed at once.
03:09Annie,
03:10wait for me one last time.
03:11One last time.
03:13Again.
03:13For the first trial,
03:15he said Catherine had found strange tracks near the border.
03:18For the second trial,
03:19he said Catherine's wolf spirit had suddenly become restless.
03:22For the third trial,
03:23my oath document was contaminated with wolf's bale powder,
03:26and he went after the suspect Catherine claimed to have seen.
03:29For the fourth trial,
03:30I entered the forest alone and was bitten by a rogue wolf,
03:33while he saved Catherine on the other side of the territory.
03:36For the fifth trial,
03:37I completed the full moon run alone while Ryder stayed with Catherine and her fake wolf's bane poisoning report.
03:44For the sixth trial,
03:45Catherine reported to the council that my wolf spirit was unstable.
03:48Ryder told me to reflect on myself.
03:50And for the seventh trial,
03:51he still chose Catherine.
03:53Listening to his voice,
03:54I suddenly laughed.
03:56Ryder,
03:57don't come this time.
03:58What did you say?
03:59I took off the moonstone hanging at my throat and let it go.
04:02It hit the stone steps of the ceremonial platform and broke into pieces.
04:06On the other end of the phone,
04:08Ryder let out a muffled groan.
04:10The seven trials are over.
04:12I'm done waiting for you.
04:14Elder Morin was silent for a long time.
04:16Annie,
04:17are you sure?
04:19I looked up at the cold full moon above Mist Ridge.
04:21I'm sure.
04:22Three days from now,
04:23arrange the Luna ceremony according to the old alliance.
04:25Three days from now,
04:26I will accept Logan's mark and become the Luna of Black Pine Pack.
04:31Ryder returned the next morning.
04:33Catherine followed behind him.
04:34She wore a pale dress and a clean bandage around her leg.
04:38Her face looked weak,
04:39but the corners of her eyes lifted the moment she saw me.
04:43Ryder came up to me,
04:44and the first thing he said was not an apology.
04:47Why did you leave the ceremonial ground last night?
04:49I sat outside my wooden house,
04:51washing my ankle with herbal water.
04:52The wolf-bide burn had not faded.
04:54The flesh was red and swollen,
04:56and even the lightest touch hurt.
04:58I looked up at him.
05:00You didn't come.
05:02Ryder frowned.
05:03I explained.
05:04There was trouble at the border.
05:06Catherine was almost dragged away by rogue wolves.
05:09I looked at Catherine.
05:11There were so many patrol warriors there.
05:14Why did it have to be you?
05:16Ryder's face darkened.
05:17Because I'm the Alpha.
05:19The old alliance between Mist Ridge and the ruling city pack is my responsibility.
05:23If the border is in trouble, I can't stand by and do nothing.
05:25He sounded completely certain,
05:26just like every other time.
05:28I asked softly,
05:29Then what about me?
05:31Ryder paused.
05:32I looked into his eyes.
05:33The seventh trial was part of the old alliance, too.
05:35I stood before the ceremonial platform, waiting for you.
05:39Ryder, you stood by and ignored me, too.
05:41A flash of irritation crossed his face.
05:44Annie, don't mix things together.
05:44I never said I didn't want you.
05:46The trials can be arranged again.
05:49I lowered my head and gave a small laugh.
05:53The seven full moons are gone.
05:56I asked Catherine.
05:57Mist Ridge's rules shouldn't be this rigid anymore.
05:59You don't have to use them to force me to mark you now.
06:01That was when I finally understood.
06:03It was not that he did not know.
06:04He simply did not believe I would actually leave.
06:07Before I could speak,
06:08Catherine stepped forward and spoke softly in the Mist Ridge dialect.
06:11Annie, you're so pathetic.
06:13Ryder is the Alpha of the ruling city pack.
06:15Did you really think he would make a mountain she-wolf like you his Luna?
06:20You thought the seven trials were love?
06:23They were just promises he made while he was staying in Mist Ridge.
06:28Nothing more.
06:32The Mist Ridge dialect was old.
06:34Ryder did not understand it.
06:36Catherine came from a neighboring pack and knew the language,
06:38so she dared dared to insult me right in front of him.
06:42I answered in the same dialect.
06:44So you were the one who deliberately sabotaged it every time?
06:47A flicker of coldness crossed Catherine's eyes.
06:50A second later, she switched back to the common language and her eyes reddened.
06:54Annie, I was only trying to explain.
06:56Last night was truly dangerous.
06:58Why did you curse at me in that dialect?
07:00Annie.
07:00Ryder immediately turned to me.
07:02There was warning in his tone.
07:04I looked at him.
07:06Did you hear me curse at her?
07:09Ryder frowned.
07:10I don't understand the Mist Ridge dialect,
07:12but Catherine wouldn't cry for no reason.
07:14The words hurt.
07:15She would not cry for no reason, so every time she cried, I was wrong.
07:18I stood up, forced myself through the pain in my ankle,
07:22and walked step by step to the broken pieces of Moonstone.
07:26Only then did they see them.
07:28His face changed.
07:30You broke it?
07:32Yes.
07:33I bent down and picked up one sharp piece.
07:35It cut into my palm and blood welled up.
07:38Werewolves healed quickly, but the wolf-bide burn still lingered.
07:41My wound closed slowly.
07:42I placed the broken piece into his hand.
07:46Your promise.
07:47I'm giving it back.
07:49Ryder's breath caught.
07:50Annie, don't do this.
07:51I looked up.
07:53I'm not doing anything.
07:54In three days, I will become Logan's Luna.
07:56Ryder's eyes went completely cold.
07:58You're using Logan to provoke me?
07:59I suddenly felt exhausted.
08:01Think whatever you want.
08:02Ryder, we're over.
08:05After saying that, I left without looking back.
08:08I had not planned to deal with Catherine anymore.
08:10But that night, when I went to the healing house for herbs, I heard her voice from inside.
08:15The dose doesn't need to be strong.
08:17Just enough to make my wolf spirit restless for a while.
08:20The healer lowered his voice.
08:22Miss Catherine, misusing wolf-bice potion can damage your wolf spirit.
08:26Catherine sneered.
08:27My wolf spirit is perfectly stable.
08:30As long as Ryder senses it stirring, he'll stay with me.
08:33I stood outside the door, cold all over.
08:36So the so-called loss of control during the second trial had been fake.
08:40The so-called wolf-bice poisoning during the fifth trial had been fake too.
08:43I pushed the door open.
08:45Catherine turned around sharply, her face painting for a second.
08:48The healer hurried to his feet.
08:50Miss Annie.
08:50I looked at the wolf-bice potion and wolf-bice powder on the table.
08:54So this is how you've been sabotaging the trials all these years?
08:57Catherine quickly calmed down.
08:59She smiled and spoke in the Mist Ridge dialect.
09:01So what if you know?
09:03Ryder believes me.
09:05Not you.
09:06I stepped forward and reached for the bottle on the table.
09:09Catherine suddenly knocked it over.
09:10A sharp, bitter smelt burst through the room.
09:14Then she grabbed a pinch of wolf-bice powder and smeared it onto the back of her own hand.
09:19Her skin reddened instantly.
09:21A second later, she screamed.
09:23Annie!
09:24Why are you hurting me?
09:25The door was shoved open.
09:28Ryder rushed in.
09:29He smelled the sharp wolf-bait scent first.
09:32Then he saw the red burn on the back of Catherine's hand.
09:41His eyes fell on me.
09:45What did you do?
09:48I was still holding half of the broken bottle.
09:51The healer lowered his head in fear and said nothing.
09:54Catherine trembled as she cried.
09:56Ryder, I only came to change my bandage.
09:59Annie suddenly rushed in.
10:00She said I stole you from her.
10:02And then she threw wolf's ache at me.
10:04Ryder's gaze darkened bit by bit.
10:06Annie, you know wolf-blind hurts werewolves.
10:09How could you attack her in the healing house?
10:11I looked at him.
10:12You won't even ask me one question?
10:15Ryder's voice was tight with anger.
10:17I only believe what I saw.
10:19I suddenly laughed.
10:21Then did you ever see me, me waiting for you seven times?
10:25He froze.
10:26I walked toward him, step by step.
10:29Did you see me wait at the ceremonial platform until I fainted during the first trial?
10:34Did you see me get chased by a rogue wolf during the fourth night hunt and fall down the mountain
10:38slope?
10:40Did you see me shift alone during the fifth full moon run, cross moonshadow forest forest by myself,
10:46and almost get driven into a ravine by rogue wolves?
10:49Ryder's face changed.
10:51Catherine cried louder.
10:52Ryder, it hurts.
10:53Almost by instinct, he turned to look at her.
10:56That one glance killed the last soft part of me.
10:59I said to the healer,
11:01The council will investigate what happened tonight.
11:04Then I turned and left.
11:06Ryder chased after me.
11:09Annie!
11:11He grabbed my wrist.
11:13You're becoming less and less like the girl you used to be.
11:17I stopped.
11:19The girl I used to be endured everything,
11:21waited, and made excuses for him.
11:24I slowly pulled my hand free.
11:27Ryder,
11:28the Annie you remember died on the seventh full moon.
11:34When I returned to the wooden house,
11:37Grandma Otta was waiting for me.
11:40Child,
11:41Logan will come tomorrow.
11:44Good.
11:47Grandma banded my wounds.
11:49Are you afraid?
11:50I stayed silent for a long time.
11:54Yes.
11:55I was afraid of being marked by an alpha I barely knew.
11:57But I was even more afraid of waiting for Ryder.
12:00Tomorrow,
12:00Logan would arrive.
12:01And Ryder would finally learn that this time I was not waiting.
12:06The next day,
12:07Blackpink Pack arrived in Mist Ridge.
12:09There was no noise.
12:11No display of power.
12:13Logan wore a black robe with a wolf-patterned cloak over his shoulders.
12:17Behind him stood his Beta,
12:19Warriors,
12:20and Alliance witnesses.
12:21He stopped outside my house instead of walking straight in.
12:25Annie,
12:27May I come in?
12:29That simple question made me pause.
12:31Ryder never asked.
12:32He always thought that if he wanted to see me,
12:35I should already be waiting for him.
12:37You may.
12:38Logan entered the wooden house.
12:40His eyes stopped on my ankle for a second,
12:42but he did not ask anything that would embarrass me.
12:44He only placed a thick cloak over the back of a chair.
12:48The mountain wind is cold.
12:50Wear this on the way to the ceremony.
12:51Elder Morin sat at the wooden table
12:53and unfolded the Alliance document sent by Blackpink Pack.
12:56Alpha Logan,
12:57are you certain you want to accept Annie as your Luna?
13:00She was once Alpha Ryder's intended mate.
13:02Only after seven failed trials
13:04did Mist Ridge arrange her mate status according to the old rules.
13:06Logan looked at the Elder.
13:08I know.
13:09Elder Morin continued.
13:10You are not accepting her for the sake of Alliance benefits?
13:14Logan's answer was steady.
13:17No.
13:18The first time I saw Annie was after the fourth night hunt.
13:22I froze.
13:24After the fourth trial,
13:26I had crawled out of the forest covered in blood.
13:28I thought no one had seen me that day.
13:33Logan said quietly,
13:35She had been bitten by a rogue wolf,
13:39but she still brought an injured pup back to the patrol.
13:43That was when I knew she was better suited to be a Luma
13:46than many werewolves who call themselves strong.
13:51The room fell quiet.
13:53My throat tightened.
13:54Someone had seen me.
13:55Not because I had cried loudly enough to be noticed,
13:58but because even at my worst,
13:59someone remembered my courage.
14:01Logan turned to me.
14:02Annie, I won't force you.
14:04If you don't want this,
14:05today's Alliance can be cancelled.
14:07Grandma looked at me nervously.
14:08Elder Morin did not rush me either.
14:10I looked at Logan.
14:11His eyes were calm.
14:12There was no pity,
14:13no impatience,
14:14and no sense that he was taking what Ryder had left behind.
14:16I accept.
14:17Then, as Alpha of Black Pine Pack,
14:20I ask the Council of Miss Ridge for Annie's hand.
14:22I will give her Luna status,
14:23Luna rights,
14:24and the respect owed to a mate.
14:25If one day she no longer wishes to stay in Black Pine,
14:28I will not use my mark to trap her.
14:30My eyes lifted sharply.
14:31Logan looked at me,
14:32his voice low and steady.
14:34A mark is not a chain.
14:35At least not with me.
14:38The Luna ceremony was set for that night.
14:41When Ryder arrived at the Elder's Hall,
14:43the Alliance had already been signed.
14:45He saw the Black Pine blood seal on the table,
14:48and his expression turned dark.
14:52Annie, are you really going to marry him?
14:54Yes.
14:56Ryder stared at me in disbelief.
14:58You would rather choose an Alpha you barely know
15:00than wait three more days for me?
15:01I waited for you for seven full moons,
15:04not three days.
15:08The Luna ceremony was held at the highest point
15:11beneath the full moon.
15:12Before the ceremonial platform,
15:14Black Pine warriors stood in two lines.
15:16Logan held my hand and led me up the stone steps.
15:19My ankle still hurt.
15:21Every step pulled at the wound.
15:23Logan noticed.
15:24Can you walk?
15:25He stopped and asked quietly.
15:27I nodded.
15:28Yes.
15:29There's no rush.
15:31Black Pine can wait for its Luna to walk steadily.
15:33My eyes stang.
15:34Ryder had only ever made me wait.
15:37Now, someone was willing to wait for me.
15:39The Elder recited the vow to the moon goddess.
15:41Logan cut his palm and let his blood fall onto the oath stone.
15:44I, Logan, Alpha of Black Pine, accept Annie as my Luna.
15:48I will respect her, protect her, hear her voice, and honor her choices.
15:53He looked at me.
15:54Annie.
15:55Do you accept my mark?
15:57I closed my eyes for a moment.
15:59Ryder had never asked whether I wanted his mark.
16:02He only kept saying he would give it to me later.
16:04But the one standing before me now was Logan.
16:07I accept.
16:08When pain touched the side of my neck,
16:10my wolf spirit trembled softly inside my mind.
16:13It was not fear.
16:14It was relief.
16:15I no longer had to hold myself up alone.
16:18After the mark was complete,
16:19Black Pine's mind link opened to me.
16:21Luna, welcome home.
16:25At the same time,
16:27Black Pine Pack sent an official notice
16:28to every allied pack and every alpha in the alliance.
16:32Official notice.
16:33Alpha Logan of Black Pine Pack
16:35has marked Annie of Mist Ridge Pack
16:37under the full moon and accepted her as his official Luna.
16:40When the notice went out,
16:42Ryder was still at the eastern border
16:43dealing with the conflict licked Catherine had created.
16:46I heard later what happened when the notice reached him.
16:51Ryder dropped to his knees on the spot.
16:53Not because he was injured.
16:55Because the last trace of the mate pull inside him
16:58had been severed by Logan's mark.
17:01A werewolf could feel a strong pull and still miss it.
17:05But once the other person was officially marked,
17:08the unfinished pull would naturally break.
17:11Ryder had finally lost me.
17:13By the time he reached Black Pine territory,
17:15the ceremony was already over.
17:17I stood beneath the platform
17:19with a fresh Luna mark on my neck.
17:23Logan's hand rested behind my back.
17:25Close enough to protect me,
17:27but not close enough to pressure me.
17:29Ryder stopped outside the border.
17:31Black Pine's territorial scent covered the pines,
17:33clearly warning every outside werewolf not to cross.
17:36He looked at me,
17:37his eyes slowly turning red.
17:40Annie.
17:44I turned to him.
17:46His voice was horsey.
17:48You really let him mark you?
17:51Yes.
17:52I was only a little late.
17:57I looked at him.
17:59No.
18:00You missed seven chances.
18:06Ryder clenched his fists.
18:08I can make it up to you.
18:10The trials can be repeated.
18:12The vows can be said again.
18:14Logan stepped forward.
18:16She is already my Luna.
18:19Ryder's gaze turned cold at once.
18:22What happened between Annie and me
18:24is none of your business.
18:25Logan released his alpha authority,
18:27his voice steady.
18:29You are standing at Black Pine's border,
18:31speaking to Black Pine's Luna like that.
18:34Ryder,
18:34are you challenging me
18:36or are you challenging all of Black Pack?
18:40Ryder froze.
18:41I looked at him and felt nothing familiar.
18:43He used to be the future I believed in.
18:46Now he belonged to a past I had left behind.
18:49Ryder refused to leave.
18:50He stood outside Black Pine's border,
18:53staring at the mark on my neck.
18:54Henny, I don't believe you truly wanted this.
18:57You promised you would be my Luna.
18:59Do you even remember the seven trials?
19:02Ryder's breath caught.
19:04The Black Pine members,
19:05Miss Ridge elders and Alliance witnesses
19:07all went silent.
19:08I did not cry.
19:09I did not raise my voice.
19:10In front of everyone,
19:11I laid out those seven full moons,
19:13one by one.
19:14The first time was the public claiming
19:16at the ceremonial platform.
19:18I stood there from dusk until dawn,
19:21until the elders left one after another.
19:24You said Catherine had found tracks near the border
19:27and that you had to check them yourself.
19:30That day,
19:31every member of Miss Ridge
19:32saw me standing alone on the platform.
19:35I became a joke.
19:40Ryder's face slowly turned pale.
19:43The second time was the councilmate registration.
19:47I wore the white dress my grandmother gave me
19:50and waited in the registration hall.
19:52Catherine used a wolf band potion
19:53to stir her own wolf spirit
19:55and you said she was about to lose control.
19:56You said she needed you.
19:58The elder asked me
19:59whether the alpha of the ruling city pack
20:01had changed his mind.
20:02I explained for you.
20:04I said you would come.
20:06The third time was the pack acceptance oath.
20:09My document was contaminated with wolf bane.
20:12My fingers were burned.
20:14You did not investigate who had touched it.
20:16You only chased the suspect
20:18Catherine claimed to have seen.
20:21The fourth time was the night hunt.
20:23I entered the forest alone
20:25and was almost bitten through the throat
20:26by a rogue wolf.
20:27You were on the other side saving Catherine.
20:33Logan's eyes fell on me
20:34and his fingers tightened slightly.
20:36I paused for a moment
20:38then continued.
20:39The fifth time was the full moon run.
20:42It was a full moon trial
20:44meant for young mates.
20:46Both partners had to complete the route together.
20:48But I shifted alone
20:49and crossed Moonshadow Forest in wolf form.
20:52I almost got driven into a ravine by rogue wolves.
20:56You were at the healing house
20:57saying Catherine had wolf bag poisoning.
21:00The sixth time was the pack transfer ceremony.
21:03Catherine reported that my wolf spirit was unstable
21:06and that I should not be allowed to leave Mist Ridge.
21:08You did not speak for me.
21:10You told me to reflect on myself.
21:14The seventh time was the mate vow.
21:17I stood before the ceremonial monial platform
21:20with a wolf space burn on my ankle.
21:23You left to handle the border conflict Catherine created.
21:26Ryder, I did give you chances.
21:29I gave you seven full moons.
21:32Every time you chose someone else.
21:40Ryder went still.
21:42For a long time he could not speak at
21:44Catherine stood outside the crowd.
21:45Her face ugly.
21:46Suddenly, she cried out.
21:48Annie, how can you say that?
21:50Ryder is the alpha.
21:52What is wrong with him handling border and pack matters?
21:54I turned to her.
21:55There was nothing wrong with him handling pack matters.
21:59The problem is that every time
22:02something happened to you
22:03at exactly the right moment.
22:06And the problem is that every time
22:08he chose to believe you
22:10he never chose to believe me.
22:13Ryder finally spoke,
22:14his voice rough.
22:17I didn't know.
22:19I smiled faintly.
22:21Of course you didn't.
22:22You never looked back at me.
22:24The mark on my neck warmed faintly.
22:27It was not a chain.
22:29It was a reminder that I no longer
22:31had to stand in place and explain my pain.
22:33I turned to Logan.
22:35Let's go back.
22:37Logan nodded.
22:38All right.
22:39Ryder tried to follow,
22:41but Blackpink warriors blocked him.
22:43Outside Alpha, stop here.
22:45He could only stand outside the border
22:47and watch me walk into Blackpine territory.
22:50This time, I did not look back.
22:54I thought everything would end
22:56after the mark was complete,
22:57but not everyone in Blackpine welcomed me.
22:59At the elders' meeting the next day,
23:01several Blackpine elders
23:02sat on both sides of the stone hall,
23:04their gazes cold.
23:05One elder in a black robe spoke first.
23:07Alpha Logan.
23:08We respect your choice.
23:10But Annie was once the candidate mate of the Alpha
23:13from the ruling city pack.
23:15She waited for Ryder seven times.
23:18Blackpine cannot accept a she-wolf repeatedly abandoned
23:21by another Alpha as its Luna.
23:23Another elder added,
23:25A Luna represents the pack's dignity.
23:27Her past will make other packs talk about Blackspine.
23:29I sat beside Logan,
23:31my fingers tightening.
23:32I had heard these words before.
23:34In Mist Ridge,
23:35they said I had only tried to climb up through a city alpha
23:37because I wanted to leave the mountains.
23:39At Ryder's side,
23:39they said I was petty and could not tolerate Catherine.
23:42Now in Blackpine,
23:43they said my past would shame the pack.
23:45I was about to speak,
23:46but Logan had already risen.
23:47He did not slam the table.
23:49He did not shout.
23:50He simply walked to the pack oath stone,
23:52drew a short blade,
23:52and cut his palm.
23:53Blood fell onto the stone.
23:55It seeped into the lines carved across its surface.
23:57The entire hall fell silent.
23:59Logan's voice was low,
24:00but it carried enough authority to make every head lower.
24:03With my blood as Alpha of Blackpine,
24:04I confirm that Annie is not my compromise.
24:06She is the Luna I chose myself.
24:09Her past is not a disgrace.
24:11Being betrayed is not a disgrace.
24:15The one who should be questioned
24:18is the one who broke his vows.
24:22No one in the hall dared to speak.
24:24One by one,
24:25Blackpine members lowered their heads
24:26and exposed their necks.
24:28It was not fear.
24:29It was acceptance of the Alpha's blood oath.
24:32From today on,
24:33questioning Annie's status as Luna
24:34is the same as questioning my authority as Alpha.
24:37Anyone who objects can leave Blackpine now.
24:41No one made a sound.
24:42I looked at the blood on Logan's palm,
24:45my throat tight.
24:46Ryder had always said he would protect me,
24:48but the one who truly stood between me
24:50and the rumors had never been him.
24:52After the meeting,
24:54Logan wrapped his hand carelessly with a cloth.
24:56I caught his wrist.
24:58You should see a healer.
25:00Logan glanced at me.
25:02This wound is nothing.
25:04It is something.
25:06I lowered my head and re-wrapped the cloth for him.
25:10I don't want anyone to get hurt for me
25:12and then say it doesn't matter.
25:14Logan was quiet for a moment.
25:16Then he smiled faintly.
25:18All right.
25:20From now on, it matters.
25:22That night,
25:22he checked the wound on my ankle.
25:25The wolf bite burn was deeper than I had realized.
25:29Logan's frown grew tighter.
25:31These didn't come from a single incident.
25:34I froze.
25:35He looked up at me.
25:37During the seven trials,
25:38you were exposed to wolf bait at least three times.
25:41Someone has been slowly your healing all along.
25:43I had always thought I was too weak,
25:45too slow,
25:46not strong enough.
25:47It turned out someone had been planting blades under my feet.
25:53Logan stood.
25:54I will demand a public investigation into the seven trials.
25:58Ryder won't want that.
25:59That is his problem.
26:02Your wounds should not be buried.
26:06The council investigation came quickly.
26:09Elders from Mist Ridge,
26:11Black Pine,
26:11and the ruling city pack all arrived.
26:14Ryder came too.
26:16He looked more worn than he had that night.
26:18There were clear red lines in his eyes,
26:21and the authority that belonged to the ruling pack
26:24no longer felt steady around him.
26:26After the last trace of the mate pull had been strethered,
26:30his wolf spirit had been turning on him.
26:33Even so,
26:34he stood in the center of the judgment hall
26:36and forced himself to listen to every piece of evidence.
26:39Elder Morin brought out the records of the seven mate ceremonies.
26:42They were not ordinary paper scrolls.
26:45They were official records kept by the council for mate ceremonies.
26:48Every failed ceremony left behind the time,
26:51place,
26:51witness statements,
26:52and injury records.
26:53Elder Morin opened the records
26:55and read through the seven failures one by one.
26:57The first record is the public claiming ceremony.
27:00I saw my past self standing before the ceremonial platform,
27:04waiting until dawn,
27:05then collapsing from exhaustion.
27:08Ryder had not come.
27:09Catherine's name appeared in the border anomaly report.
27:14The second record is the councilmate registration.
27:18In the registration hall,
27:21I stood in my white dress under everyone's eyes.
27:25Ryder was absent.
27:27The healer's report showed that Catherine had used a wolf bathe potion
27:30to agitate her wolf spirit.
27:34The third record is the pack acceptance oath.
27:37The oath document had been contaminated with wolf fath.
27:41My fingers had been burned.
27:43The source of the powder pointed to an opitherry in a neighboring pack.
27:47Ryder's face turned paler with every record.
27:50He was no longer listening to my pain as a complaint.
27:54He was seeing it written in the council's own hand.
27:58Then Elder Morin opened the next record.
28:03Elder Morin continued.
28:07The fourth record is the night hunt.
28:09I was injured in the forest alone
28:11and carried an injured pup back to the patrol.
28:13At the same time,
28:14Catherine sent a false distress call through the mind link.
28:18The fifth record is the full moon run.
28:20I crossed moonshadow forest alone in wolf form,
28:22leaving blood and wolf fospern records along the route.
28:24Ryder had been in the healing house with Catherine
28:26and her forged wolf's vein poisoning report.
28:28The sixth record is the cancelled pack transfer ceremony.
28:32Catherine had reported that my wolf spirit was unstable.
28:35The record showed that the so-called evidence had come from altered healing files.
28:39The seventh record is the mate vow before the final marking.
28:43The eastern border conflict report was brought out.
28:45The rogue wolves who had caused the conflict confessed
28:48that Catherine had used a border pass to lure them near the line.
28:51The judgment hall fell silent.
28:53Ryder stood there, his face white.
28:55He saw me stand at the trial site seven times.
28:58He saw me be abandoned seven times.
28:59He saw Catherine sabotage the trials again and again.
29:03And he saw himself choose to believe her again and again.
29:05Catherine screamed.
29:07It's not true!
29:08Those records could have been altered!
29:10Elder Morin looked at her coldly.
29:13These records are kept by the council
29:16and signed by the elders of each pack.
29:20No one may alter them in private.
29:23Catherine, do you still deny it?
29:26Catherine turned to Ryder, tears rushing to her eyes.
29:29Ryder, I only loved you.
29:32I was just afraid she would take you from me.
29:36What is so good about her?
29:38What is so good about her?
29:39Catherine's tears rushed down her face.
29:41She is quiet, boring, and only knows how to wait.
29:45I'm the one who understands you best!
29:48Ryder slowly lifted his eyes.
29:50He no longer felt any compassion, only disgust.
29:54So you ruined her seven trials.
29:57You hurt her.
29:58You made me misunderstand her again and again.
30:01She was useless!
30:03If she mattered that much,
30:04why did you come to me every time?
30:06Catherine shook her head, crying.
30:09Those words finally cut through every lie Ryder had told himself.
30:12He staggered back a step.
30:13Yes, I did go to you every time.
30:17So the one who hurt her was not only you.
30:19It was me too.
30:21I sat beside Logan, calmer than I had expected.
30:24I used to think that once the truth came out,
30:27I would cry, question them, and want Ryder to regret it.
30:31But now I only felt that it was all too late.
30:34I want them to repay, down to the very last penny,
30:38the harm they once inflicted on me.
30:40I did not want to hear anyone cry and explain anymore.
30:43The council's original ruling was supposed to be issued that day.
30:47Elder Morin announced the decision.
30:48Catherine deliberately sabotaged mate ceremonies,
30:51forged injury and wolf spirit disturbance reports,
30:53used wolf beat to harm a Mistridge she-wolf,
30:55and created a border conflict.
30:58She will be expelled from the territories of both Mistridge and Black Pine.
31:02She will be exiled to the neutral zone under the supervision of Alliance patrols.
31:07For ten years, she may not enter any pack territory.
31:11Catherine let out a small breath of relief.
31:14She thought ten years was long.
31:16But for a werewolf, ten years was not enough to repay seven full moons.
31:22I stood.
31:24Every elder turned to me.
31:28Logan did not stop me.
31:29He only stood quietly beside me,
31:32making sure everyone knew Black Pine would hear its Luna.
31:36I looked at Catherine.
31:38Not enough.
31:40Annie, you already stole Ryder!
31:42What else do you want?!
31:43Catherine's face changed.
31:44I gave a small laugh.
31:46I don't want him.
31:48And I am not here to steal anything from you.
31:51I am here to take back what you owe me.
31:54I pushed the injury records from the seven mate chapels onto the council table.
31:58The first time, you faked a border anomaly
32:00and left me standing at the ceremonial platform until dawn.
32:03The second time, you used wolf paste potion to agitate your own wolf spirit
32:07and made Ryder miss the registration.
32:09The third time, you contaminated my document
32:11and burned me with wolf faith.
32:14The fourth time,
32:16you sent a false distress call through the mind link
32:18and left me to face rogue wolves alone.
32:20The fifth time, you forged a poisoning report
32:24and left me to bleed through the full moon run alone.
32:27The sixth time,
32:29you altered healing files
32:31and accused my wolf spirit of being unstable.
32:34The seventh time,
32:36you created a border conflict
32:37and made me be abandoned before the final vow.
32:41I finished every word.
32:42No one in the Judgment's house spoke.
32:47I turned to Eldamoran.
32:49This was not ordinary jealousy.
32:51She used her pack status,
32:53wolf fear,
32:54a border pass
32:55and the mate ceremonies
32:55to harm another she-wolf seven times.
32:59If ten years of exile is all she gets,
33:02everyone will learn
33:03that as long as they cry hard enough,
33:05there is always a way out
33:07after hurting someone.
33:10Catherine finally panicked.
33:12Ryder!
33:15Catherine lunged toward Ryder
33:17and tried to grab his sleeve.
33:18Ryder stepped back.
33:19I looked at her.
33:20I did not feel wild joy.
33:22I only felt cold.
33:24Delayed clarity.
33:25You wanted to be a Luna more than anything.
33:27Then the council will permanently strip you
33:29of Luna Candacity.
33:30You loved using your status
33:32as an elder's daughter to crush others.
33:34Then your pack will publicly remove your name
33:36and no longer recognize you
33:37as one of its members.
33:39You used Wolfbane to hurt me.
33:41Then you will be sent to the Wolfbane
33:43contaminated zone in the Northern Neutral Territory.
33:45I am not asking them to kill you.
33:47I am asking them to make you clear
33:49the same poison you used to hurt others
33:51under Alliance Patrol supervision.
33:54Catherine's face went completely white.
33:56The Wolfbane contaminated zone
33:58belonged to no pack.
33:59It was cold and barren.
34:00The patrols would deliver medicine
34:02and food on schedule,
34:03but they would not give her dignity
34:04or listen to her cry.
34:06Elder Morin was silent for a long time.
34:08The great elder of the ruling city pack
34:10turned to Ryder.
34:11Alpha Ryder,
34:12you enabled her sabotage of the trials.
34:14Do you object to this ruling?
34:15Ryder looked at Catherine.
34:17Her eyes were full of desperate hope,
34:19but he only said one word.
34:21No.
34:22You can't do this to me!
34:24I walked up to her.
34:28You once said Ryder believed you and not me.
34:30Now look closely.
34:32He finally doesn't believe you.
34:34The final ruling was revised and issued again.
34:39Catherine was stripped of her original pack status,
34:42permanently disqualified as a Luna candidate,
34:45and placed on the Alliance blacklist.
34:48She was exiled to the Wolfsbape contaminated zone
34:51in the Northern Neutral Territory
34:52under the supervision of Alliance patrols.
34:55For 50 years,
34:56she could not enter any pack territory
34:58or request a mate ceremony with any Alpha.
35:01If she survived and returned after 50 years,
35:03she could only be reviewed again as a packless rogue wolf.
35:07When the patrols dragged her out of the Judgment Hall,
35:10she was still cryo-led.
35:12This time, no one followed her.
35:16As for Ryder,
35:18the council of the ruling city pack
35:19opened a formal inquiry into him on the spot.
35:22He was not a young heir waiting to take power.
35:25He was already the Alpha,
35:27so his punishment was heavier
35:29than an ordinary disciplinary ruling.
35:30The great elder of the ruling city pack stood,
35:33his voice called,
35:34Ryder, you violated the mate trial vows seven times.
35:38You enabled a she-wolf from another pack
35:40to sabotage the old Alliance with Mist Ridge
35:42and cause long-term harm to Annie of Mist Ridge.
35:46As Alpha,
35:47you failed to separate personal feelings,
35:49duty,
35:49and mate vows.
35:51The council has decided to suspend
35:54part of your Alpha authority.
35:56Daily affairs of the ruling pack
35:58will be handled by your beta for now.
35:59You are forbidden from sending Annie
36:02any mind-link requests.
36:04You are also forbidden from approaching
36:06Black Pine Territory
36:07in your capacity as Alpha.
36:10Ryder closed his eyes.
36:11He did not argue.
36:16He only looked at me.
36:18Annie?
36:19I raised my head.
36:21His voice was horsey.
36:23I'm sorry.
36:26I had waited a long time for those words.
36:29After the first failed trial,
36:31I wanted to hear him.
36:33When my fingers were burned by wolf fire
36:35during the third trial,
36:36I wanted to hear him.
36:38On the fifth full moon,
36:39when I bit into my own wrist
36:41to keep myself from losing control,
36:42I wanted to hear him too.
36:44But he had never said them.
36:46Now he said them.
36:48And I no longer needed them.
36:55I heard your apology.
36:59But I don't accept it.
37:01The light in his eyes went out.
37:04A tear slid down from his eye.
37:11After the judgment ended,
37:12Ryder did not leave right away.
37:14He stood outside Black Pine's border.
37:16Unable to leave a few days later,
37:17he asked Black Pine's beta to deliver a box.
37:20Logan placed it in front of me.
37:22You don't have to look.
37:23I opened it.
37:25Inside was a lunar ring.
37:27It was made of moon silver
37:28and set with the ruling pack's moonstone.
37:31It must have been the thing
37:32he once promised to give me
37:33after the seven trials.
37:35Now it had finally arrived.
37:37Ryder stood outside the door,
37:39his voice rough.
37:41Annie.
37:43I brought it.
37:44I was too slow before.
37:46This time,
37:47I won't make you wait.
37:49I looked at the ring.
37:51If it had been the old me,
37:52I might have cried
37:53and run into his arms.
37:55But now Logan's mark was on my neck
37:57and Black Pine's Luna cloak
37:59rested on my shoulders.
38:01My life could no longer be changed
38:03by one late promise from him.
38:04We ended when the moonstone broke.
38:06I closed the box.
38:10Ryder's breath caught.
38:11I handed the box back.
38:13This Luna ring came too late.
38:16My Luna mark no longer needs your name.
38:18His eyes reddened in an instant.
38:22Do you really not love me at all anymore?
38:25I looked at him.
38:28Ryder,
38:29I don't love you anymore.
38:32I spoke about the past
38:33not because I couldn't let you go.
38:36I did it so the girl
38:37who waited seven full moons
38:39could finally say
38:40everything she needed to say.
38:43Ryder looked drained.
38:47If I had come the seventh time.
38:49But you didn't.
38:50Missed events can be written into records.
38:53Missed people do not stand
38:54before the ceremonial platform forever.
38:58After Ryder left Black Pine's border,
39:00the ruling pack sent him
39:01to the northern border.
39:02It was the coldest border
39:03in the werewolf alliance.
39:05Rogue wolves and enemy packs
39:06constantly tested the defenses there.
39:08He remains the tribe's alpha,
39:09but part of his authority
39:10had been suspended.
39:11And the ruling pack's daily affairs
39:12were handled by his beta.
39:13He could no longer
39:14mobilize the council at will.
39:16He could no longer
39:17pressure other packs.
39:18He could no longer
39:19approach Black Pine territory.
39:21For a proud werewolf,
39:22that was harder to bear
39:23than an injury.
39:24I heard about it
39:25while I was studying
39:26lunar duties
39:27in Black Pine's meeting hall.
39:29Logan pushed the herb inventory
39:30toward me.
39:34We don't have enough
39:35wolf ice antidote for winter.
39:36More patrols are getting hurt
39:37near the northern border
39:38than last year.
39:42I looked through the records.
39:44Then cut the moonflower budget
39:45for the festival
39:46and use it for herb trades.
39:49One elder frowned.
39:51Luna, moonflowers are part
39:53of the winter festival's honor.
39:55Living warriors
39:56are Black Pine's honor.
39:58I looked up at him.
40:00The stone hall went quiet
40:02for a moment.
40:03Logan did not speak for me.
40:05He simply sat beside me
40:06and gave me the space
40:07to stand on my own.
40:09We will follow the Luna's decision.
40:11At last,
40:12the elder lowered his head.
40:13For the first time,
40:15I truly understood
40:15that Luna was not just
40:17a title placed to an alpha.
40:18It was responsibility.
40:20It was choice.
40:21It was a position
40:22I had to claim on my own.
40:24No one in that hall
40:25handed me power as charity.
40:27I had to take the seat,
40:29re-arose,
40:31read the records,
40:32and make the decision.
40:34Then I found an old rule
40:36that had trapped
40:37more she-wolves than me.
40:40Over the next few months,
40:42I worked with healers
40:43to organize herbs,
40:45followed patrols
40:46to learn border routes,
40:48and reviewed old alliance cases
40:49with the council.
40:51At first,
40:52some Black Pine members
40:53still whispered about me.
40:55Then,
40:56during a border patrol,
40:58I recognized wolf-bake powder
41:00mixed into a trap
41:01because I had been hurt
41:02by wolf-bake before.
41:04I stopped at the edge
41:06of the trail
41:06and raised my hand.
41:09Don't step there!
41:12Luna?
41:12I crouched,
41:13brushed away
41:14a thin layer of snow,
41:15and saw the dull green powder
41:17caught between the roots.
41:19Wolf-bade,
41:20mixed under the frost.
41:22If you shift here,
41:23the powder will burn
41:24through the paws first.
41:25The warriors
41:25immediately pulled back.
41:27A hidden snare
41:28snapped shut
41:29where one of them
41:29had almost stepped.
41:30I saved three warriors,
41:32that night.
41:33Voices came through
41:34Black Pine's mind link.
41:35Luna, thank you.
41:36Luna, you saved my mate.
41:38Luna, Black Pine accepts you.
41:40I stood at the edge
41:42of the pine forest,
41:43my eyes burning.
41:45Logan walked to my side.
41:48Crying?
41:49I shook my head.
41:54No.
41:55He did not expose the lie.
41:57He only draped his cloak
41:59over my shoulders.
42:00Annie, you don't have to rush
42:02to prove you're worthy.
42:06I know.
42:10I looked up at the moon
42:12in the distance,
42:14but I want to know it
42:15for myself.
42:17The warriors behind us
42:18lowered their heads,
42:19not because Logan
42:21ordered them to,
42:22but because I had earned it
42:24with my own hands.
42:27Logan was quiet
42:28for a moment.
42:30Then he said softly,
42:32Then I'll stay with you.
42:35I turned to look at him.
42:36His gaze was steady,
42:38unlike Ryder,
42:39who always gave me
42:40a distant promise.
42:42What Logan gave me
42:43was ground I could stand on.
42:45That night,
42:46I reached for his hand first.
42:48He paused,
42:49then gently took my hand in his.
42:52Very gently.
42:53He was careful
42:54not to startle me.
42:56I smiled,
42:57so this was what
42:59respect felt like.
43:01No promises
43:02that never came.
43:04No mountain paths
43:05where I was left behind
43:06again and again.
43:08Only someone willing
43:09to slow down
43:10and walk home with me.
43:13Is this alright?
43:15Yes.
43:16He did not tighten his grip
43:18until I nodded.
43:19That simple
43:20restriction
43:21made my chest ache
43:22more than any vow.
43:23That night,
43:24I opened the old
43:25Alliance records
43:26kept by Black Pine.
43:27At first,
43:28I only wanted to understand
43:30the rule
43:30that had changed my life.
43:32But page after page,
43:33I saw familiar words.
43:36Failed trial.
43:37Absent alpha.
43:38Arranged mate.
43:40Unstable wolf spirit.
43:43I discovered
43:44that I was not
43:45the only she-wolf
43:46trapped by the
43:46seven mate trials.
43:48Logan noticed
43:49my expression.
43:52Annie,
43:52what is it?
43:54I placed one
43:55old record
43:56in front of him.
43:58I wasn't the first.
44:01And if the rule
44:02stayed the same,
44:03I would not be the last.
44:07One year later,
44:08I returned to Mistridge
44:09as the Luna
44:10of Black Pine.
44:11I came back
44:11for a new rule.
44:12The old
44:13seven mate trials
44:14of Mistridge
44:14had trapped
44:15too many she-wolves.
44:16They had once
44:17been meant
44:18as protection.
44:20They were meant
44:20to protect
44:21Mistridge women
44:22from being taken
44:22away too easily
44:23by outside alphas.
44:24But later,
44:25that protection
44:26became another rule
44:27used to trap them.
44:29If the seven trials
44:30failed,
44:31the she-wolf
44:32had to accept
44:32an arranged mate
44:33from her own pack
44:34or an allied pack.
44:36I had almost
44:37been crushed
44:38by that rule.
44:38So I came back.
44:39Black Pine
44:40and Mistridge
44:41called another council meeting.
44:42I stood before
44:43the ceremonial platform,
44:44my lunar mark
44:45clear on my neck.
44:47Elder Moran
44:47looked at me
44:48with a complicated expression.
44:49Annie,
44:50do you truly want
44:51to abolish
44:52the old rule?
44:53Not all of it.
44:54Only the unfair part.
44:56The trials can remain,
44:58but a she-wolf
44:59should not put
44:59an alpha's broken promises
45:00with her entire life.
45:02Below the platform,
45:03a few young she-wolves
45:04lifted their heads.
45:05There was fear
45:06in their eyes,
45:07but also hope.
45:08I continued.
45:09From now on,
45:10if an outside alpha
45:11fails the seven trials,
45:13the she-wolf
45:14has the right
45:15to reject him.
45:15She also has the right
45:17to choose another mate.
45:19She does not have
45:20to accept an arrangement
45:21from the council.
45:22Any alpha
45:23who wants to claim
45:23a misrid she-wolf
45:24must prove himself
45:25with an equal vow.
45:28Waiting does not
45:29prove loyalty.
45:31Respect does.
45:32The young she-wolves
45:33below the platform
45:34did not dare cheer,
45:35but their eyes
45:36had already changed.
45:39The council argued
45:40for the entire day.
45:42Some said I had forgotten
45:43where I came from.
45:44Some said Black Pine
45:46had changed me.
45:47Some said that
45:48without the old rule,
45:49I would never have been
45:50forced to choose Logan.
45:51Logan's eyes turned cold
45:53when he heard that.
45:54I held his hand.
45:55I did not choose you
45:57because anyone forced me to.
45:59He looked at me.
46:00In front of every elder,
46:01I said clearly,
46:03I chose Logan
46:04because he respects me,
46:05not because Ryder
46:06didn't want me.
46:07And not because
46:08the council arranged it.
46:09The stone hall fell silent.
46:11At last,
46:12Elder Morin stood
46:13before the ceremonial platform.
46:15I agree to amend
46:16the old rule.
46:17One elder after another
46:18pressed a handprint
46:19into the new record.
46:21The council officially
46:22recorded the new rule.
46:23It was done.
46:24I could almost see
46:25the girl I had been
46:26a year ago,
46:27the one who stood there
46:28until dawn.
46:28She had been covered
46:29in dirt and blood,
46:30her ankle bleeding,
46:31the moonstone
46:32clenched in her hand.
46:33She had believed
46:34she could only wait
46:35for someone else
46:35to take her away.
46:36But now I stood here
46:37and changed the rule
46:38that had trapped her.
46:40Logan squeezed my hand once,
46:42quietly.
46:43You did it.
46:44I looked at the new record
46:45on the table.
46:46No.
46:47We changed the rule.
46:48They still have to choose
46:49for themselves.
46:50This time,
46:51the record did not write down
46:52a failed ceremony.
46:53It wrote down a choice.
46:56After the conference,
46:57a young she-wolf ran to me.
46:59Her eyes were red.
47:00Luna, can we really reject
47:01an alpha who breaks
47:02his promises now?
47:04Yes.
47:05If he makes you wait
47:06until something inside you dies,
47:08you have the right
47:09to turn away.
47:09She cried.
47:10I held her gently.
47:12At that moment,
47:13I finally understood.
47:14My pain had not
47:16been meaningless.
47:17It had not turned me
47:18into someone trapped
47:19in hatred.
47:20It had given me a chance
47:21to open a door
47:22for those who came after me.
47:23Another young she-wolf
47:25stepped forward,
47:26clutching the edge
47:27of her shoulder.
47:28What if the elders
47:29say we are selfish?
47:31I looked at her carefully.
47:33Then show them
47:33the new record.
47:34Your choice is now
47:36protected by Miss Ridge Law.
47:38Elder Morin heard it
47:39from nearby.
47:41For once,
47:42he did not correct me.
47:44He only lowered
47:45his head slightly.
47:48Luna Annie is right.
47:50The girls began
47:51to cry harder.
47:52They were not weak.
47:53They were only hearing
47:55for the first time
47:56that waiting
47:57was not their only fate.
47:59Logan walked to my side
48:01but did not interrupt them.
48:03He let me be the one
48:04they looked at.
48:06He let this moment
48:07belong to me
48:08and to them.
48:10This time,
48:11the girls heard clearly
48:12that they could say no.
48:16Ryder was in Miss Ridge
48:17on the day
48:17the new rule passed.
48:18He had not come
48:19as the alpha
48:20of the ruling city pack.
48:21He was only
48:21the temporary commander
48:22of the Northern Border Guard
48:23assigned to escort
48:24a batch of border case files.
48:26He stood far below
48:27the ceremonial platform.
48:29Snow-laden wind
48:29whipped his black cloak
48:30behind him.
48:31After a year,
48:32he looked much thinner.
48:33His eyes were no longer
48:34as sharp or proud
48:35as before.
48:37He moved one step.
48:38Then he stopped.
48:39Black Spine Warriors
48:40stood behind me.
48:42I knew he was watching me
48:44but I did not turn around.
48:46Commander Ryder,
48:47should we deliver
48:48the case files now?
48:49One of the border guards
48:50beside him
48:50lowered his voice.
48:52Ryder's throat moved.
48:53For a moment,
48:54he looked like he wanted
48:55to say my name.
48:57Wait.
48:58But the council's order
48:59still stood between us.
49:01That was all he said.
49:02He waited far below
49:04the platform,
49:05the way I had once
49:06waited for him.
49:07Meanwhile,
49:08Elder Morin
49:09read the new rule aloud.
49:11From this day on,
49:12we'll have to prove
49:13loyalty by waiting.
49:15Any alpha
49:16who wants to claim
49:16a Mistridge she-wolf
49:18must respect the trials,
49:20the vows,
49:21and her choice.
49:22A she-wolf has the right
49:23to reject someone
49:24who breaks his promises.
49:25She also has the right
49:26to choose another mate.
49:27The council recorder
49:28wrote the new rule
49:29into the pack ledger.
49:30Every member of Mistridge
49:31listened in silence.
49:32Behind me,
49:33I heard suppressed sobs.
49:34They were not sounds of grief.
49:35They were the sounds
49:36of many she-wolves
49:37finally breathing freely.
49:38Ryder listened quietly.
49:40His fingers gripped
49:41the border case file tightly.
49:44Then slowly relaxed.
49:49So this is what
49:50she came back for?
49:52No one answered him.
49:55Tired?
49:56After the ceremony,
49:57Logan walked to my side.
49:59I shook my head.
50:01No.
50:02He looked down at me,
50:04a faint smile in his eyes.
50:06Then let's go home.
50:11I looked into the distance.
50:15Ryder was still standing there.
50:21Our eyes met.
50:26In that moment,
50:27I remembered him
50:27standing at the entrance
50:28to Mistridge years ago,
50:30telling me he would
50:31take me away.
50:32Back then,
50:33I believed my future
50:34was in his hands.
50:36Later,
50:36I learned that no one
50:37gives you a future.
50:38You walk towards it yourself.
50:40A long while later,
50:42Ryder slowly lowered his head.
50:44He said nothing.
50:45Seven full moons,
50:47seven late arrivals,
50:48and seven broken promises
50:49stood between us.
50:50Logan did not urge me.
50:52He only stood beside me,
50:54waiting for my choice.
50:56Annie?
50:58I looked away from Ryder
50:59and held Logan's hand.
51:02Let's go home.
51:03Together,
51:04we walked down
51:04from the Mistridge
51:05ceremonial platform.
51:06Black Pine Warriors
51:07followed behind us.
51:08The young she-wolves
51:09of Mistridge
51:10stood along the stone steps
51:11and lowered their heads to me.
51:12They called me
51:13by my new title.
51:14Anna, Anna.
51:15I stopped for a moment
51:16and looked back at Mistridge.
51:18This mountain
51:19had once trapped me.
51:21It had seen me wait,
51:23lose hope,
51:24break the moonstone,
51:25and stand back up again.
51:28Now it no longer belonged
51:30only to the old rule.
51:34It also belonged
51:35to the she-wolves
51:36who could finally choose
51:38for themselves.
51:39never known as the new
51:39I would have tried to
51:39Here's an old
51:40and the old
51:40And the old
51:40and the old
51:43of the old
51:43You