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Spoiled by the Alpha Wolf (21eps) - Short Drama Full HD 1080p #ASM
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Short filmTranscript
00:00My aunt sold me to the most vicious lone wolf hunter in pack, for five silver coins.
00:05On the night of our mating ceremony, I sat on the edge of a broken bed, biting my lip
00:09raw.
00:10I'm a wolfless omega orphan, and Cain, the pack says he's a curse, his parents abandoned
00:15him as a pup and never came back.
00:17They say he walked into the shadow woods alone at six, shifted for the first time at twelve,
00:21and tore apart a full-grown shadow bear.
00:24The scar running from his brow to his jaw, that bear gave it to him.
00:27Mothers tell his name to scare their pups into silence.
00:30Everyone in the pack fears him.
00:32I did too.
00:33I crossed the street when I saw him, never spoke a word to him, never even looked him in the
00:37eye.
00:38I never thought my aunt would sell me to him.
00:40No gifts, no feast, no pack elder to witness it.
00:44I wore an old white dress and took shaky steps into his cabin.
00:48It smelled of blood and old fur.
00:50I didn't think I'd survive tonight.
00:52All I could hear was my aunt counting her silver.
00:55Don't blame me, Ella.
00:56A wolfless omega like you, you're lucky anyone would take you.
01:00I stood there like a fool, not knowing what to do, until the door banged open.
01:05Cain walked in, fierce, drenched in blood.
01:10I gasped.
01:11His leather coat was slashed open across the ribs.
01:14The smell of copper hit me before I could breathe.
01:17He didn't say a word, just dropped a basket on the table.
01:21Inside, black bread, roasted venison haunch, a bowl of broth still warm.
01:26Eat.
01:27I was starving, and I couldn't remember the last time I'd had meat.
01:31I ate like an animal.
01:32That meal was the first time I'd been full since my parents died.
01:36When he pointed to the bedroom, my blood ran cold.
01:39I crept inside and sat on his ragged bed, trembling like a leaf in winter.
01:44Cain sat by the hearth and sharpened his knife, a hunting blade as long as my arm.
01:49The whetstone sang with every stroke, scrape, scrape, scrape, each one scraping across my
01:54heart.
01:54I pressed myself into the corner.
01:58Come here.
01:59His voice was gravel and broken glass.
02:01I couldn't move.
02:02He frowned.
02:03The scar twisted like a living thing.
02:05Then he stood.
02:07His shadow swallowed me whole.
02:09I shut my eyes and braced for the blow.
02:11I was his.
02:12He could beat me, kill me.
02:13No one would care.
02:14But the blow never came.
02:16Instead, he took my cold hand and pressed something warm into my palm.
02:20I opened my eyes.
02:22A thin necklace.
02:23A pendant of pale white stone that glowed softly in the firelight.
02:27His hand, calloused, cracked, still smelling of blood and steel, held mine.
02:31A necklace?
02:33For you.
02:34Moonstone.
02:36The moon goddess' blessing.
02:38I know this life is hard.
02:40You deserve better.
02:41He pulled his hand back, wiped it on his leather coat, and muttered,
02:46I'll take care of you.
02:48I stared at the moonstone in my palm.
02:51Tears fell without warning.
02:53Kane shifted awkwardly.
02:54After a long silence, he forced out.
02:57What?
02:58You don't like it?
02:58I shook my head.
03:00No.
03:01That's not.
03:02I'd just forgotten what it felt like to be wanted.
03:05After my parents died, I stopped being anyone's treasure.
03:08I was just extra weight in my aunt's tent.
03:11Every meal was charity.
03:12Every kindness came with a price.
03:14That night, Kane didn't touch me.
03:16He made a bet on the floor.
03:17I turned on my side and watched him.
03:20He lay there like a mountain.
03:21His breathing slowed.
03:22Then came the snoring, deep and rough.
03:24But not peacefully.
03:26My aunt screamed in my dreams.
03:28My cousin shoved me around.
03:29And a shadow bear lunged from my throat.
03:32I jolted awake, gasping.
03:34Strange ceiling.
03:35Strange smells.
03:36Right.
03:36My aunt sold me.
03:37I belong to Kane now.
03:39I wiped the sweat from my forehead.
03:41Pulled myself together and went outside.
03:44Quiet.
03:44The air smelled of blood and animal hides.
03:48Kane?
03:49No answer.
03:50I found the kitchen.
03:51Filthy.
03:52The stone pots were rusted.
03:54Mice scattered when I moved these.
03:56I couldn't run.
03:57Couldn't hide.
03:57So I rolled up my sleeves and started scrubbing.
04:00I was halfway through when a voice came from outside.
04:04Ella?
04:05It was Kane.
04:07I'm here.
04:08I stepped out of the kitchen.
04:09He was holding another basket.
04:11Breakfast.
04:12Martha made it.
04:13Black bread.
04:14Smoked meat.
04:15Broth.
04:15It looked like a feast.
04:17Kane tore into the bread and pushed the rest toward me.
04:20Eat up.
04:20I can feed you.
04:22I nodded and didn't hold back.
04:24Bite of bread.
04:25Bite of meat.
04:26You can cook, right?
04:28I almost choked.
04:29I pounded my chest and nodded hard.
04:31I'll bring the meat.
04:33He waited for me to nod again.
04:35Then finished the rest of the bread and meat.
04:37Packed the dishes in the basket and headed for the door.
04:40Where are you going?
04:41He turned.
04:43I was thinking I'd clean the kitchen properly so we don't get sick from dirty dishes.
04:48Kane's brow furrowed.
04:50The cabin is yours.
04:51Do what you want.
04:52He left.
04:53I didn't trust his words completely, but I got back to work.
04:56By the time I'd scrubbed every surface, Kane was back with a leather sack.
05:00He looked at the clean kitchen and blinked.
05:04Flour.
05:05I'll trade for the rest at the market.
05:06I didn't argue.
05:08When he left again, I opened the sack.
05:10Ground flour.
05:11Enough to last weeks.
05:13I went back to cleaning.
05:14I dragged Kane's dirty clothes into the yard.
05:17A mouse ran out of the pool.
05:19I chased it like a mad woman.
05:21Kane came back.
05:22Ella.
05:23I bought meat pies.
05:25Come eat.
05:25I hadn't had a meat pie since my parents died.
05:28Kane handed me one.
05:30Soft, golden, steaming.
05:31I bit into the pie.
05:33Juice ran down my chin.
05:34I ate two and stopped.
05:36Kane shoved a third into my hand.
05:38Everything for the kitchen is in the baskets.
05:41Get it sorted.
05:42I'm getting firewood.
05:43The scar on his face was still terrible.
05:46His voice was still cold gravel.
05:48But I wasn't afraid anymore.
05:50I nodded and watched him walk away.
05:52Then I checked the baskets.
05:53Clay jars of salt, a leather flask of oil, raw sugar,
05:56a slab of cured meat, and a jar of honeyed fruit.
05:59For me, I blinked hard and looked up at the sky.
06:03I organized the kitchen.
06:05Kane came back with firewood and a basket of wild greens and eggs.
06:09Cook it all.
06:10I eat a lot.
06:11I nodded.
06:12I could do that.
06:13Make extra.
06:14Whatever Kane didn't finish, I'd eat.
06:16I hung the stone pot over the fire,
06:18chopped cured meat and wild greens into the broth.
06:21Then I cracked eggs onto a hot flat stone slicked with pork fat.
06:25They sizzled and turned gold at the edges.
06:27Kane looked at the stew, the black bread, the fried eggs.
06:31His eyes brightened.
06:32Sit.
06:33Eat.
06:34I waited for him to pick up his knife and fork.
06:37Then I picked up mine.
06:38He dropped a piece of roasted meat onto my platter.
06:41I looked at him.
06:42Eat.
06:43He dug in.
06:44I ate slowly, keeping my eyes down.
06:46Ella, tomorrow, you're coming into the woods with me.
06:49Me?
06:50Yeah.
06:51I can't bring enough meat on my own.
06:52Winter's coming.
06:53Hunting was men's work.
06:55Pax females sometimes came along to carry and dress the kill.
06:58But I'd never done any of it.
07:00I don't know how.
07:03I'll teach you.
07:04I looked up at his scarred face.
07:05The firelight made it worse, but his eyes were steady.
07:08No disgust.
07:09No impatience.
07:11Okay.
07:12Before dawn, Kane shook me awake.
07:14I have to go.
07:15Wear this.
07:16A deer hide coat, thick, warm.
07:18I hadn't seen it before.
07:19I put it on and followed him into the mist.
07:22The shadow woods were dark.
07:23Trees blocked the sky.
07:25The only light came in patches.
07:27Kane walked ahead.
07:28I stepped where he stepped.
07:30After a meal's time, he stopped and crouched.
07:32Hoofprints.
07:34What do you smell?
07:35I breathed deep.
07:37Earth.
07:37Rotting leaves.
07:38Water far off.
07:39And something else.
07:40Faint.
07:41Musky.
07:42I smell something.
07:44The corner of Kane's mouth twitched.
07:46That was his version of a smile.
07:48Deer.
07:49Your nose is better than you think.
07:51You just never used it.
07:53Don't be scared.
07:54Stay behind me.
07:56We followed the trail.
07:57Kane stopped every few steps to listen.
07:59He signaled me to crouch to walk softer.
08:02Then we saw it.
08:03A deer grazing at the edge of a clearing.
08:05Kane looked at me and lifted three fingers.
08:07Three, two, one.
08:09He exploded forward.
08:10A blur.
08:11The deer tried to run.
08:12Kane was already on it.
08:13His blade sliced its throat.
08:15Blood sprayed.
08:16I stood frozen.
08:17Legs like water.
08:18Kane turned.
08:19Come.
08:20I walked to the dying animal.
08:22He gutted and skinned the deer like it was nothing.
08:26You need to learn this.
08:27In case I'm not around, you need to eat.
08:30I crouched and watched his hands.
08:32Skin comes off first.
08:33Keep it clean.
08:35Gut it fast or the meat sours.
08:37I listened.
08:38I memorized.
08:39We carried the meat down the mountain together.
08:41One half each.
08:42My shoulder screamed.
08:43I didn't complain.
08:45Kane looked back at me.
08:46Again and again.
08:47Back at the cabin.
08:48He took my load and said...
08:50Good job.
08:52I stood there, eyes burning.
08:54It was the first time anyone had praised me since my parents died.
08:57Ella.
08:58I turned.
09:00Kane pulled a leather pouch from his chest and shoved it into my hands.
09:04From now on, you hold the silver.
09:07But I...
09:08I...
09:08Male hunts.
09:09Female keeps the house.
09:10That's how it works.
09:11I weighed the pouch in my hand.
09:13Heavy.
09:13Nice.
09:15Ella.
09:17Yeah?
09:19Let me mark you.
09:23I went quiet.
09:24I was scared.
09:24I didn't know what it would feel like.
09:26But Kane had been good to me.
09:28Where would I go if I left him?
09:30I had nowhere.
09:30No one.
09:31Being marked.
09:32Carrying his pup.
09:33That was my fate.
09:34I nodded.
09:35I thought marking was just a bite.
09:37But Kane brought new furs and honey mead.
09:39We stood in the yard under the moon.
09:41Swore ourselves to each other.
09:43And drank from the same cup.
09:45Then he led me inside.
09:46The fire was low.
09:48He pulled the strap of my dress down.
09:49I crossed my arms over my chest.
09:51He took my wrists and gently pulled my hands away.
09:54You're shaking.
09:56I'm cold.
09:58No, you're not.
10:00His hands slid around my waist.
10:01Rough palms against bare skin.
10:03He pulled me into him and kissed me.
10:05Hungry.
10:06Desperate.
10:07Like a man who'd never been allowed to want something.
10:10He tore his shirt off.
10:11I touched the scars on his chest.
10:13Then my hands went to his trousers.
10:15Fumbled with the ties.
10:16When I got them undone, he pulled me against him.
10:19Skin to skin, I gasped.
10:21He laid me down on the fresh furs and came over me.
10:24Last chance.
10:26Tell me no.
10:28Don't stop.
10:29When he bit down on the back of my neck, I cried out.
10:32Pain and something else.
10:33He held me steady.
10:34It'll be over soon.
10:36Afterward, I lay shaking.
10:37He pulled a fur over us and wrapped himself around me.
10:40I asked for water.
10:42He brought it to my lips.
10:43I stared at him like he'd grown wings.
10:45When I lay back down, the mark on my neck was still warm.
10:48Every wolf would know I belonged to Cain.
10:50Cain belonged to me.
10:51I smiled into the dark.
10:53Cain didn't talk much.
10:54He hunted.
10:55He brought me silver.
10:56He did the heavy work.
10:57When I said something, he answered.
10:59We talked about building another room.
11:01About digging a cellar for meat and grain.
11:03I liked that.
11:04I looked at my clothes.
11:05They were getting tight.
11:06Maybe I should eat less.
11:08Ella!
11:09Ella!
11:10Is Cain home?
11:12He's hunting.
11:14His parents are back.
11:16What?
11:16His mother.
11:17She's vicious.
11:19And they've got a young man with them.
11:21Must be Cain's brother.
11:23My mind went blank.
11:24Cain's parents?
11:25They'd been gone for over a decade.
11:27They came back because they had nowhere else to go.
11:30I walked outside.
11:33Three figures.
11:34Two old, one young.
11:35The old ones had greedy eyes.
11:37The young one looked disgusted.
11:38Ma.
11:39Pa.
11:40This is the place?
11:41It's so run down.
11:43You're Cain's mate?
11:45Ella?
11:45I'm his mother.
11:47Get us water.
11:47And cook something.
11:49The best room.
11:51It's for Alan.
11:52Margaret, Cain's mother, let her eyes roam over the cabin.
11:55Over me, she didn't bother hiding her disgust.
11:58Where's that ungrateful son of mine?
12:01Just then, Cain came around the corner with firewood.
12:04Pack members trailed behind him, hoping for a show.
12:07Who are you?
12:09Your mother!
12:11Ungrateful wilt!
12:13That's really Noah.
12:14The alpha came.
12:16The elders came.
12:17They confirmed it.
12:18Cain had to accept it.
12:19Take us in.
12:20Be a good son.
12:21And give us silver to find Alan a mate.
12:24You don't want your brother dying alone, do you?
12:26I tugged Cain's sleeve.
12:27He squeezed my hand back.
12:29Silver he nearly died for.
12:31You're not giving it to his brother for a bride.
12:33Not your place, sister-in-law.
12:35Parents are still alive.
12:37You don't get a say.
12:38Margaret lunged at me.
12:39Cain caught her wrist.
12:41Cain!
12:42You'd raise a hand to your own mother?
12:44He let go.
12:45I'm going to die!
12:46My son has a mate now and I'm dead to him!
12:50Enough.
12:51You've been gone for years.
12:53Why are you back?
12:54We came home to be with you.
12:57And this cabin?
12:59We built it.
13:00We're staying.
13:01Fine.
13:01The cabin is yours.
13:03But we split the belongings.
13:05What I bought with my own hands comes with me.
13:07No!
13:08Margaret's eyes darted around the cabin.
13:10She liked what she saw.
13:12Clean.
13:12Orderly.
13:13You can't take the furniture.
13:15What will we use?
13:16Not my problem.
13:19Have mercy.
13:20I gave him life and now he wants to leave us with nothing.
13:23The Alpha and Elders looked uncomfortable.
13:26Keep the furniture.
13:27But my hunting gear comes with me.
13:29My clothes, my furs, and I'm severing the bond.
13:33The bond!
13:36I didn't understand what was happening, but I knew something was wrong.
13:40Fine.
13:40Sever the bond.
13:42But sell the girl first.
13:44Her silver goes to us.
13:46Kane moved before I could blink.
13:48He kicked Alan from the chest.
13:51Tell me what you did.
13:53The gambling den.
13:54I owe them a hundred gold.
13:56A hundred gold?
13:57The crowd gasped.
13:58For a hundred gold I could buy this whole pack.
14:01Say you'll sever the bond.
14:02The cabin is yours.
14:03The hunting grounds.
14:04The reindeer.
14:06If you don't,
14:09I'll break Alan's legs myself.
14:11When the debt collectors come, I'll hand him over.
14:13Dead or alive, I don't care.
14:15Margaret and Noah signed the severance.
14:17Good.
14:18Good.
14:19I wanted to cry.
14:20My home.
14:20The one I'd scrubbed and mended with my own hands.
14:23Gone.
14:24But Kane's silver was still in my pocket.
14:26Kane took my hand.
14:27We signed the papers.
14:28Pressed our thumbs to the ink.
14:30At dusk, I carried our clothes.
14:32He carried the baskets.
14:33We walked to the ruined shrine on the hillside.
14:36The higher we climbed, the heavier my feet became.
14:39I stopped and looked down at the cabin.
14:41Ella.
14:42I looked at Kane and burst into tears.
14:44Don't cry.
14:45We still have silver.
14:47The cabin was theirs anyway.
14:49We only borrowed it.
14:51And Alan is poison.
14:53Letting go of those scraps saves us from worse.
14:56The debt collectors can't touch us now.
14:58We go deeper into the shadow woods.
15:01Find another pack.
15:03We've got hands.
15:04We've got feet.
15:05We'll make a life.
15:07I wanted to believe him.
15:08We ended up at the elder's old cottage.
15:10200 copper a month.
15:12I cleaned it until it shone.
15:13One bed.
15:14Bare walls.
15:15I went to the elder's mate to ask about food.
15:18Eat with us.
15:19I couldn't let her feed Kane.
15:21He ate too much.
15:22We'll use your kitchen.
15:24Buy our own grain.
15:26Fine.
15:26We ate simple.
15:28Black bread.
15:29Smoked meat.
15:29Froth.
15:30Kane didn't complain.
15:31I'll hunt tomorrow.
15:32Trade for grain.
15:33You can roast something when I get back.
15:35We'll save silver.
15:37Build our own place.
15:38If people find out we still have silver,
15:40your parents will never leave us alone.
15:42Eat your bread.
15:43I snuggled into him that night.
15:45His hands wandered to my hips.
15:49What are you doing?
15:50You don't want it?
15:52We're guests.
15:54Scenting a den that isn't yours was an insult.
15:56A reason to be thrown out.
15:59Sleep.
16:00I bit my lip so I wouldn't laugh.
16:02The next morning, Kane went into the woods.
16:04I made him trail rations.
16:06The other pack women helped me with the kitchen fire.
16:09You're easy to talk to, but Kane scares the piss out of us.
16:12He's not so bad.
16:14They listed all the reasons he was.
16:16His silence.
16:16His face.
16:17His temper.
16:18But they didn't call him cruel.
16:20Bad luck his parents abandoned him and then came back to take everything.
16:24Good thing he severed the bond.
16:26Alan would have bled him dry.
16:28I'd resented Kane for giving up the house.
16:30Now I understood.
16:31We were young.
16:31We had hands.
16:32We'd build again.
16:33The debt collectors found Alan within a week.
16:36They stripped the cabin.
16:37Sold the hunting grounds and the reindeer.
16:39Left him fifty gold short.
16:41Due by winter solstice.
16:42The women told me the story in whispers.
16:44I kept my face straight.
16:46Kane borrowed silver from every house in the pack.
16:48They gave it to him.
16:49Even though they were scared of him.
16:51One wild boar from Kane brought the whole pack running to help build.
16:54Two log cabins, twelve men, two days.
16:57Kane laughed when I asked what he wanted for lunch.
16:59I made a face at him.
17:01Kane and I made it through the cold.
17:02Full belly.
17:03Warm bed.
17:04He wanted a pup.
17:05I wanted a pup.
17:05Maybe next year.
17:06The winter was mild.
17:08When the snow melted, the pack started north, following the herds.
17:11I stayed close to camp.
17:13I gathered wild greens and berries.
17:15Dried some.
17:16Salted others.
17:17Come winter again, they'd go into the stew pot.
17:19Kane hunted every day.
17:21He brought home silver.
17:22He gave it all to me.
17:23The coin jar grew heavy.
17:25One day, Kane came back from the mountains with a graver expression than usual.
17:29What's wrong?
17:32Something big came from the south.
17:34The tracks are a full circle larger than a shadow bear's.
17:37It's not like an ordinary beast.
17:39Then don't go.
17:40Can't not go.
17:42If that thing keeps moving north, it'll cross the pack's migration route.
17:45More than just our family will suffer.
17:49Ella.
17:50Tomorrow, you're coming with me.
17:52Me?
17:52You don't have to fight it head on.
17:54But I need a helper.
17:56Someone to watch my back to keep it from lunging at my flank.
17:59You trust me?
18:01Kane looked at me.
18:02Didn't say a word, but that look was answer enough.
18:04The next morning, before dawn, we went into the shadow woods.
18:08Kane suddenly stopped and crouched down to look at tracks on the ground, bigger than two fists put together.
18:14Mountain lion.
18:16Scared?
18:18Yes.
18:19Good.
18:20You should be.
18:21We followed the tracks for some time.
18:23Kane raised his hand for me to stop.
18:25He started taking off his clothes.
18:27Leather coat, undershirt, trousers.
18:29Dropped them piece by piece on the ground.
18:31Then he changed.
18:33Bones cracked and snapped back together, a grating sound.
18:35His body lunged forward, hands hitting the ground and turning into claws.
18:40Dark gray fur pushed out through his skin.
18:42A massive wolf stood before me, twice as big as an ordinary gray wolf, fangs gleaming white.
18:48A roar came from the bushes.
18:49The mountain lion burst out, lunging straight at Kane.
18:53The two beasts crashed together.
18:56Teeth tore.
18:57Blood and fur flew.
18:58Kane clamped down on the mountain lion's front leg.
19:00The lion raked its claws across his back, leaving deep bloody gashes.
19:05Kane didn't let go, but the lion's jaws were heading straight for his throat.
19:09I didn't think.
19:10I ran out from behind the tree.
19:12Short blade raised, eyes shut.
19:14I stabbed at the mountain lion's side.
19:16The blade sank into flesh.
19:18The lion screamed and whipped its head around.
19:20I was thrown through the air, my back slamming into a tree trunk.
19:24Stars burst in my vision, but I didn't let go of the knife.
19:27It was still in my hand.
19:28In that split second when the lion was distracted, Kane bit through its throat.
19:33The lion twitched a few times, then went still.
19:36Kane let go.
19:37He was soaked in blood.
19:38He turned to look at me.
19:39The wildness of the wolf was still glowing in his amber eyes.
19:43He walked over, lowered his head, and touched my palm with his wet nose.
19:49Are you hurt?
19:50I shook my head.
19:52Tears wouldn't stop falling.
19:53You helped a lot.
19:56Without you, I might not have made it.
19:58The morning light fell across Kane's bare back.
20:01The wounds were still seeping blood, but they were already beginning to close.
20:05That day, we carried the mountain lion's hide and meet home.
20:08Kane kept the best piece, said he'd make me a cloak.
20:12Why?
20:13Because it's your first kill.
20:14Wolf rule.
20:15The Puth belongs to the hunter.
20:17But you killed it.
20:20Not without your blade.
20:23You're braver than I thought.
20:24I looked down.
20:25My ears burned.
20:26That night, I sat beside him, helping scrape and cut.
20:29Fire light moved across his face.
20:31The long scar looked less scary in the flicker.
20:33Kane.
20:36Yeah?
20:37From now on, let's hunt together more often.
20:40Okay.
20:41End of March, I started feeling off.
20:43Tired.
20:44No strength.
20:44Kane came home, I told him.
20:46He got excited on the spot.
20:48Stay here.
20:48I'm getting the healer.
20:51We both knew what it meant.
20:52The healer came.
20:53Sure enough, pup.
20:54Two months along.
20:55I didn't announce it.
20:57But a few women who'd had pups figured it out anyway.
21:00Good for you, Ella.
21:01Pop out a male pup and you're set.
21:03Kane's silver will be yours.
21:05You'll run the house.
21:06No in-laws breathing down your neck.
21:08Life's good.
21:09I smiled and nodded.
21:11Didn't tell them Kane already handed me his silver.
21:14That I already ran everything.
21:15No point making them jealous.
21:17Kane got nervous after I got pregnant.
21:20Came home early.
21:21Did all the heavy grunt work.
21:22I stayed careful.
21:24But I wasn't going to sit around doing nothing.
21:26Women aren't that fragile.
21:27That day, I took a basket to pick wild berries near camp.
21:30Was craving honeyed fruit.
21:32Someone pushed me down a grassy slope.
21:34I screamed.
21:35I saw who it was.
21:36Kane's mother, Margaret.
21:38Why should Alan suffer while you live easy?
21:41You think you deserve a pup?
21:43Dream on.
21:44Pain twisted through me.
21:46I couldn't even scream.
21:47Reached out for her to stay.
21:49Someone help.
21:51A pack kid saw me.
21:52Ran back to camp.
21:53They carried me home.
21:54Someone else went for the healer.
21:56I watched the healer shake his head and sigh.
21:59Kane's back.
22:00Kane walked in.
22:01Dark as a storm.
22:03Ella.
22:04I just cried.
22:06It was your mother.
22:07She pushed me.
22:10Ella.
22:11I know.
22:12I know.
22:13Don't think too much.
22:15Take your medicine.
22:16Sleep.
22:18Our pup's justice?
22:20The father goes and gets it.
22:22Kane didn't leave.
22:23Sat by the bed until I cried myself out.
22:25Then got someone to watch me.
22:27Took his hunting knife and went to his parents' place.
22:30Everyone heard the screaming, the begging.
22:32People gathered to watch.
22:33No one dared go inside.
22:35When they couldn't scream anymore, Kane came out.
22:38Kane, those are your parents.
22:40He didn't answer.
22:41Just picked up an axe and started swinging.
22:44Everything he could see.
22:45Windows, roof.
22:46When the house was a pile of rubble, he left.
22:49People went in to look.
22:50His parents were alive.
22:51But not really.
22:53Both had soiled themselves.
22:54Like someone ripped their spines out.
22:56I woke up again.
22:58Candle light.
22:58Kane sat by the bed.
23:00Ella.
23:02Does it hurt?
23:03I tried to tell him about the pup.
23:05Tried to say how much it hurt.
23:06Everywhere hurt.
23:08But I opened my mouth and nothing came out.
23:10Food's ready.
23:10Eat some.
23:11Take your medicine.
23:12Sleep some more.
23:14The pup.
23:16I'm going to find him a place somewhere peaceful.
23:18I nodded into my blanket and cried.
23:22I want to come.
23:24Then come.
23:25He found a good place.
23:26By the river.
23:27Hills around.
23:28Spring flowers everywhere.
23:30Easy for me to visit.
23:31A tiny little grave.
23:32My poor little pup.
23:33His dad and I wanted him so bad.
23:35My stupid craving got him killed.
23:37Word spread about Margaret pushing me.
23:39The elder was furious.
23:41Called everyone to the altar.
23:42Stripped Noah and Margaret from the pack rolls.
23:45Banish them from pack lands.
23:46That's when they finally got scared.
23:48Cried and begged.
23:49No one spoke for them.
23:50One morning after the rain stopped.
23:52Kane helped me into the cart.
23:54Where are we going?
23:57Somewhere no one knows us.
23:59Somewhere we can eat whatever we want.
24:00Wear whatever we want.
24:02Somewhere everyone learns I'm not someone to mess with.
24:04I'm scared.
24:05Don't be.
24:06I'll protect you.
24:08Anyone hurts you, I kill them.
24:09We headed south.
24:10I'd never traveled before.
24:12Everything was strange and new.
24:13But then I thought about the pup I lost and couldn't help sighing.
24:17Kane held my hand, quiet, letting me know he was there.
24:20I tried to smile at him.
24:22Just ended up leaning into him, crying.
24:24I knew time would fix it.
24:25But right then, I was still broken.
24:27I knew Kane was too.
24:29Kane, I'll get better.
24:31Just give me time.
24:33Okay.
24:34Whatever I wanted to eat, Kane bought it.
24:36We didn't rush.
24:37Took breaks when we needed.
24:38Whenever we found a pretty view, Kane stopped so we could look at it together.
24:42Then one day, we came out of the woods onto a plane that went on forever.
24:45Nothing like I'd ever seen.
24:51Half the weight in my chest broke apart with those screams.
24:54We stopped at a town called Redford.
24:56Flat everywhere.
24:57The mountains we came from weren't too far.
25:00Kane said he'd go scout for game.
25:01We couldn't buy a house yet.
25:03Rented a little courtyard place.
25:05Cleaned it up.
25:05Brought our things in.
25:07Started feeling like home.
25:08That night, we roasted venison.
25:10The neighbor's kids smelled it and started crying for meat.
25:13Kane and I looked at each other and laughed.
25:15He cut meat for me.
25:16I cut meat for him.
25:18Kane had the horse and he was strong.
25:20Easy to find work.
25:21Paid pretty well.
25:22No kids.
25:23Just the two of us.
25:24Didn't need much.
25:25I did some sewing on the side.
25:27Life was comfortable.
25:28Got along with the neighbors too.
25:31Ella?
25:32You home?
25:34I went to the door.
25:35Molly from next door.
25:37Her son Tommy with her.
25:38Molly, come in.
25:40I rubbed Tommy's head.
25:42Went and got him a piece of honey candy.
25:44Thanks.
25:46You're gonna spoil him.
25:48Lord Foster on the west side is throwing a party.
25:51Needs scrubbers.
25:5250 copper a day.
25:53You in?
25:5450 copper.
25:55Not bad.
25:56Let me check with my husband.
25:58I wanted to go.
25:59But if I went, who'd cook for Kane?
26:01Let me know soon.
26:02Everyone on the street was tight on money.
26:04Molly's place was her family's.
26:06Three or four rooms.
26:07Packed full.
26:08She went to leave.
26:09Called for Tommy.
26:10Tommy looked at me with those big eyes.
26:14Let him stay a while.
26:16Tommy was good.
26:16Quiet.
26:17Did what he was told.
26:18Didn't run around or touch things he shouldn't.
26:20When the candy was gone, he didn't fuss or beg.
26:23I wiped his hands.
26:24Did my sewing.
26:25He sat next to me playing with little wooden blocks Kane had made.
26:29Stacking them careful.
26:30Look Ella, Ella.
26:33Good job.
26:34If my pup had lived in two or three years, he'd be this sweet.
26:37This good.
26:38You're good too.
26:40What am I good at?
26:42Sewing.
26:43I rubbed his head.
26:45Then came footsteps outside.
26:48Kane's home.
26:49Everyone on the street was scared of Kane.
26:51Even the kids.
26:52But not Tommy.
26:53He liked him.
26:54Kane!
26:56Kane came into the yard.
26:57Smelled like blood.
27:01You're hurt?
27:02No.
27:02Boar I killed in the mountains.
27:04Boar blood.
27:05Go get your dad.
27:06We're roasting boar tonight.
27:07Tommy's eyes went wide.
27:08He ran.
27:09Dad!
27:10Dad!
27:11Kane says come help with the boar!
27:13Kane laughed.
27:15When no one was looking, he pinched my cheek too.
27:17Roast plenty tonight.
27:18You're getting too thin.
27:20I nodded.
27:21Tommy's dad came.
27:22His brothers and sisters too.
27:23Just to watch.
27:24Good kids.
27:25Worked hard.
27:26Helped with this and that.
27:27Neighbors came by asking if we were selling the meat.
27:29I looked at Kane.
27:31Boar's not that big.
27:33There wouldn't be much meat to sell.
27:35Keep it.
27:36My mate's been sick.
27:38Needs the nutrition.
27:40Next time I go out, maybe I'll bag a bigger one.
27:42The neighbors started asking him all kinds of questions.
27:46That's huge.
27:48You two can't finish that yourselves?
27:50We won't.
27:50We'll cut some for the neighbors.
27:52Now that's what I'm talking about.
27:53I'll help you cut it.
27:54We didn't sell any.
27:55Anyone who helped, Kane gave them about half a pound.
27:58Just like that, we became the most popular people on the street.
28:02Tommy stayed for dinner.
28:03His brothers and sisters watched through the window, eyes red with wanting.
28:06But they were good kids.
28:08They had meat at home too.
28:09A good chunk of it.
28:11They'd get some when it was cooked.
28:12So they went home.
28:13I liked Tommy.
28:15Kane liked Tommy.
28:16Everybody liked that kid.
28:17After dinner, we walked Tommy home.
28:19Later, I asked Kane what about making him our godson.
28:22Kane thought about it for a long time.
28:24Let's wait and see.
28:25Then I told him about Lord Foster's party.
28:2750 copper a day.
28:29You want to do it?
28:31Then do it.
28:31If it's too hard, quit.
28:33I can support you.
28:34I looked at Kane and smiled.
28:36I wanted to help carry the weight.
28:37He worked so hard.
28:38Molly and I started working parties regular.
28:40Made three to five hundred copper a month.
28:43Kane didn't bring home much at first.
28:45Then three silver.
28:46Then five.
28:46Then ten.
28:47One month, he brought home 50.
28:49Right around then, the place we were renting went up for sale.
28:5227 silver.
28:53We talked it over and bought it.
28:55Our own place.
28:57Fixed up the roof.
28:58Bought some new furniture.
28:59One day, I made a pot of stew.
29:01The whole street smelled it.
29:02Everyone came asking what I was cooking.
29:04Just some stew.
29:06It was done anyway, so I gave out a few bowls.
29:09Man, that's good.
29:10Seeing them praise it gave me an idea.
29:13I could sell stew at the crossroads.
29:15Kane could hunt.
29:16And he'd made friends with the guards.
29:18With them backing me, no troublemakers would mess with me.
29:21You want to sell stew on the street?
29:23I nodded.
29:24All right.
29:25I'll bring back game.
29:26Or we can buy pork from the butcher.
29:28It'll be a lot of work for you.
29:29I'm not afraid of work.
29:31Making money is one thing.
29:32But keeping busy helps.
29:34Keeps me from thinking too much.
29:35The pup we lost.
29:37That pain never went away.
29:38Not talking about it didn't mean forgetting.
29:40Then do it.
29:42But don't do it alone.
29:44Ask Molly.
29:45I told Molly.
29:46She said yes on the spot.
29:47Love to.
29:48Only thing is, I don't have a single copper to put in.
29:52Every coin goes straight to the mother-in-law.
29:54I knew Molly's situation.
29:55Whole family packed into one house.
29:57Mother-in-law in charge.
29:59Two sisters-in-law.
30:00Six or seven kids.
30:01Money was tight.
30:02Molly, I know.
30:03How about this?
30:04I'll pay you wages.
30:05I don't know how much yet.
30:07Don't even know if this business will work.
30:09Don't worry about it.
30:10I'll work first.
30:11If it works, pay me then.
30:12If it doesn't, we're friends.
30:14A few days of free work won't kill me.
30:16Knock on wood.
30:17Your stew business is going to make it.
30:19I can feel it.
30:20Kane had a wooden pushcart built.
30:22Bought firewood.
30:23Me and him sat up nights doing the math.
30:25How much to sell per pound.
30:26How to make a profit.
30:28And Molly's wages.
30:30Ella, let's learn to read.
30:32Read?
30:33You go ahead.
30:34You're the one out in the world.
30:35Both of us.
30:36I'll teach you.
30:37Reading.
30:37Archer Mithric.
30:38Then doing business won't be such a struggle.
30:40Won't take all night just to add things up.
30:42He was right.
30:43And he wanted me to learn too.
30:44My heart could have burst.
30:46How many men would do that?
30:47My stew stand opened.
30:49Business was good.
30:50Then someone opened another stand across the street.
30:52Started taking our customers.
30:54Molly cursed them out.
30:55Don't be mad, Molly.
30:57Nobody said we're the only ones.
30:59Business was so good before.
31:01We were run off our feet.
31:03Now it's just right.
31:04We made money.
31:05Not too tired.
31:06I wanted to get my body strong again.
31:08Give Kane a couple more pups.
31:10Ella, you're too sensible.
31:12Not sensible.
31:13Kane made good money anyway.
31:15More and more.
31:16The stew stand was mine.
31:18Whatever it made was extra.
31:19Kept me busy.
31:20Kept me from remembering.
31:22My stew business went from a cart to a storefront in a year.
31:25Molly still worked there.
31:26Enjoy your meal.
31:27When we moved to a bigger place, Tommy cried his eyes out.
31:31It's not that far.
31:32You can visit.
31:33I'm at the shop every day.
31:35You'll see me.
31:36It's not the same.
31:37It wasn't, but he adjusted.
31:39Not long after we moved, I started feeling off again.
31:42I knew the signs.
31:43Told Kane.
31:44He called a doctor.
31:45Felt my pulse.
31:46Sure enough.
31:47Pregnant.
31:48Kane laid his hand on my belly.
31:49Gentle.
31:50Let's buy two servants.
31:52An older woman for cleaning.
31:54A young maid for you.
31:55Buy a male servant.
31:57Someone who can do heavy lifting.
31:59I don't need a maid.
32:00A cleaning woman is plenty.
32:02Don't get greedy.
32:03Compared to before, we were living like royalty.
32:06With a pup coming, we had to get ready.
32:08Little clothes.
32:08Little shoes.
32:09Diapers.
32:10Silver went fast.
32:12Kane bought things we didn't need.
32:14Rattles.
32:14Wooden horses.
32:15Little bows and arrows.
32:16I could tell he wanted a boy.
32:18What if it's a girl?
32:20Girls are fine.
32:21Blossoms before fruit.
32:22A few girls first.
32:23Then I'll be a father-in-law with endless roasted pig feet.
32:26I sat in my comfortable chair.
32:28Sewing soft baby clothes.
32:30The room was quiet.
32:31Warm.
32:31Safe.
32:33The master's home.
32:34Kane hurried in.
32:35His eyes went soft when he saw me.
32:38Did the pup give you trouble today?
32:40Not today.
32:42He was good.
32:42Kane crouched down.
32:44Put his palm flat on my belly.
32:46The pup moved.
32:49He ticked.
32:50Kane smiled too.
32:51He leaned down and pressed his ear to my belly.
32:55The heartbeat came through.
32:56The sound of new life.
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