- 20 hours ago
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00:00Three years ago, on the night of a lunar eclipse on the battlefield, I, Evelyn Stone, was struck
00:04by silver poison that consumed my eyes. From that day on, I lost my sight and became the
00:09most useless member of the werewolf clan. Everyone said that my soulmate, Cade, stayed by my side
00:15only because he was merciful. Until today, the very first second my eyesight returned,
00:20I heard him chuckling softly in the living room.
00:23She's still blind, isn't she? Good. Once I get rid of her, this territory will be ours.
00:29The next second, he kissed another woman, Leela Moore, and I was standing in the doorway,
00:34seeing everything with perfect clarity. What Cade doesn't know is that my werewolf bloodline
00:38has awakened, and everything that should have been mine I will take back, one piece at a time.
00:43For the first time in three years, I could finally see the world again, white lights,
00:47wooden floors, and a house that felt both familiar and strangely unfamiliar. And my mate Cade Lawson,
00:53he was sitting on the sofa, locked in a passionate kiss with another woman.
00:57I knew that woman, Leela Moore, an Omega who depended entirely on him to survive.
01:02Cade, does she really still think you're taking care of her? A blind, discarded alpha bloodline?
01:10How pathetic.
01:12Evelyn Stone? She's nothing but a burden. The day the silver poison destroyed her eyes,
01:18I should have finished her off. I only kept her alive because she still had some use.
01:21His voice was like a needle piercing every crack in the memories it carried for the past three years.
01:27Three years ago, when they dragged me off the battlefield, my eyes had already been burned into
01:31two bloody hollows. The clan's healers shook their heads and declared me beyond saving,
01:35while the elders tossed my file into the pending removal pile as if it were garbage.
01:39It was Cade who held my hand and brought me home. He said,
01:42Even if the whole world abandons you, I never will.
01:45It turned out it had all been a cruel joke.
01:47What about now?
01:50Now she'll never regain her abilities.
01:53The silver poison has permanently sealed her wolf eyes.
01:56A blind alpha bloodline doesn't deserve to live in this world.
02:01We'll get rid of her tonight.
02:03I slowly released the doorframe and took a deep breath.
02:05My hands began to tremble, but I forced them to stay still.
02:08I had to go in.
02:09The living room suddenly fell silent for a brief moment.
02:12No one knew better than I did how sharp an alpha's hearing was.
02:15I immediately lowered my eyelids, letting my pupils return to their vacant, unfocused appearance.
02:21My right hand searched through the air as the tip of my white cane tapped against the door with a
02:25dull thud.
02:26Then I pushed the door open.
02:28Cade?
02:31Who's there?
02:32I heard someone talking.
02:35The two people in the living room, convinced I couldn't see, remained pressed closely together.
02:41Cade sat with one leg crossed over the other, his gaze settling on me, his eyes traveled from my feet
02:46to the top of my head before finally stopping on my eyes.
02:49Stop being so paranoid.
02:50You know that's what I hate most about you.
02:53Cade stood up and walked over, taking hold of my arm.
02:56It's just Lila and me here.
02:58Are you hungry?
02:59I'll have the kitchen warm up some milk for you.
03:01The instant his fingers touched the crook of my arm, I caught the lingering scent of Lila's pheromones clinging to
03:06his skin.
03:07A sweet, fruity omega scent.
03:08It made me sick.
03:10I fought the urge to shake him off and let him lead me to the sofa.
03:13Hello, Evelyn.
03:14Sis-in-law, are you thirsty?
03:16Let me pour you a cup of tea.
03:18I heard hot water being poured into a porcelain cup.
03:21Her footsteps approached, and the rim of the cup was brought to my lips.
03:24Careful, it's hot.
03:26She had deliberately tilted the cup while pouring, but I reacted instantly, pretending to accidentally knock the teacup out of
03:32my hand.
03:33It's so hot.
03:35Lila froze.
03:36She stared at the way Id knocked over the cup, suspicion flickering across her eyes.
03:40Cade walked over and crouched beside me.
03:42He grasped my wrist and lifted my hand to inspect it.
03:46How could you be so careless?
03:47His voice carrying the scolding concern expected of a devoted fianc, yet his thumb deliberately ground into my reddened skin.
03:53I can't see.
03:55The cup suddenly came so close.
03:57It startled me.
04:04He was watching my pupils, checking whether they would contract.
04:08Wolf eyes destroyed by silver poison no longer reacted to light.
04:11It was an ironclad rule among werewolves for determining the severity of silver poison damage.
04:16My heart nearly stopped, but I didn't move.
04:18I let my eyelids droop halfway, keeping my pupils fully dilated as the firelight poured into them, illuminating the numbscar
04:25tissue.
04:25Darling, there was a smudge of ash on your cheek.
04:28I was just wiping it away.
04:30He stood up, pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, and leisurely wiped the fingers that had just gripped my chin.
04:36Tomorrow at 2 in the afternoon, there's a routine meeting at the Council of Elders.
04:40You're coming with me.
04:41There are a few guardianship transfer documents that need your thumbprint.
04:45A guardianship transfer?
04:47I haven't heard anything about that.
04:49Don't ask so many questions.
04:51Evelyn, in your condition, do you really think you can manage the territory yourself?
04:56I'm just completing the paperwork to make sure you'll still be able to live under my care.
05:00You said I was your mate.
05:02And that's exactly why I'm taking care of you.
05:04Stop explaining things to her.
05:06What could she possibly understand?
05:08I'm heading out.
05:09I have a beauty appointment tomorrow.
05:14Oh dear, I'm so sorry I didn't see it.
05:17But then again, you can't see either, so I guess it doesn't matter where it's lying, does it?
05:22The door closed behind her.
05:24Only Cade and I were left in the living room.
05:26He stood there watching me silently for a few seconds before turning and walking away.
05:30I remained seated on the sofa.
05:31The burn on the back of my hand throbbed relentlessly.
05:34Yet I didn't move an inch.
05:36Because I had seen it in the reflection on the glass cabinet beside the fireplace.
05:40I saw Cade's lips move as he turned away.
05:42Once she signs tomorrow it's over.
05:44I slowly bent down and picked up the white cane that had been kicked away.
05:48The shaft was cold to the touch.
05:50Three years ago, when I lost my sight, Cade had carved those anti-slip grooves into it with his own
05:54hands.
05:54He had said,
05:55This way you'll have a better grip.
05:57And you'll never lose it.
05:58The hidden communicator in my pocket vibrated.
06:01It was from my assistant, Marcus.
06:03For tomorrow's Council of Elders meeting, Lawson has requested the blood-packed witnessing procedure.
06:07Should we intervene in advance?
06:11No.
06:12Tomorrow, at 2 in the afternoon, the blood-packed witnessing.
06:14Cade wanted me to sign my own death warrant in front of the entire Council of Elders.
06:19Fine.
06:19Then let them all come.
06:20Let every last one of them take their seats, open their eyes wide, and watch.
06:25The following afternoon, Cade pushed open my bedroom door.
06:28Get changed.
06:30You can't show up at the Council of Elders looking shabby.
06:34And put that useless stick away.
06:36Tonight, I'll be the one leading you.
06:38I reached out and felt for the dress, black, backless.
06:41The back plunged almost to the small of the waist.
06:43Three years ago, whenever I wore a dress like this to a banquet in the territory, Cade would
06:47drape his jacket over my shoulders before we entered and whisper.
06:50My woman isn't meant to be admired by anyone else.
06:53Now, I ran my fingers over the entire dress.
06:56It was as thin as a layer of frost.
06:58This dress.
06:59What?
07:00Don't like it?
07:01It's not as if you can see it anyway.
07:03It makes no difference what you wear.
07:05Lila picked it out for you.
07:06She has better taste than you ever did.
07:09Lila's going too?
07:10She's my escort.
07:12You just follow me and stop asking questions.
07:14He didn't stay any longer, the door closed behind him, and his footsteps gradually faded away.
07:19I sat on the edge of the bed, holding the dress in my hands and staring at it for a
07:23long time.
07:24I had grown much thinner.
07:25After three years in darkness, my appetite had come and gone unpredictably.
07:29The dress would probably look as though it had been draped over a skeleton.
07:32I slowly took off my old clothes and slipped into the dress, in the mirror.
07:36I saw myself pale, gaunt, and utterly drained of color.
07:40Cade wasn't wrong, to a blind woman.
07:42Every outfit was the same.
07:44After all, when people looked at me, all they saw were those ruined eyes before turning their gaze away.
07:49At 1.40 in the afternoon, Cade's car pulled up in front of the manor.
07:53He stood by the car door, putting on the perfect act of a gentleman.
07:57Evelyn, come.
07:58Let me help you.
07:59His hand was warm, his grip perfectly measured, to anyone watching.
08:03It would have looked like the touching image of a devoted mate helping his disabled fiancée.
08:07Half dragging and half shoving me, he stuffed me into the back seat.
08:11Leela sat on the left.
08:12I sat in the middle, and Cade took the seat on the right, without warning.
08:16Leela reached over and pinched my waist.
08:19Sis-in-law?
08:20Who picked out that dress for you?
08:22It's hideous.
08:24Cade told you I chose it, but the truth is, it was one I'd already rejected.
08:29The back was too revealing for my taste.
08:35Her fingers dug hard into the ribs at my waist.
08:38I sat there stiffly, looking embarrassed while pretending not to notice anything.
08:42She grew even bolder, digging her nails into the skin over my ribs until they left Crescent.
08:47But it suits you.
08:48A blind woman in secondhand trash, they're a perfect match.
08:52Beside us, Cade flipped through a stack of documents, the pages rustling one after another.
08:57He could hear every word, yet he said nothing, not even bothering to glance our way.
09:01The car drove into the underground parking garage beneath the council's territory.
09:04Cade got out first, and opened the door for me.
09:07The moment he reached out to help me, I raised my right hand.
09:10My glove slipped down slightly, exposing three fresh fingernail marks on my arm,
09:14each still beating with tiny streaks of blood.
09:16His eyelid twitched before he calmly took my hand and pulled the glove back up to conceal the marks.
09:25Lila climbed out of the car, slipped her arm around his other arm, and gave him a kiss.
09:29She was wearing the silver satin dress I had once bought as Cade's birthday gift.
09:33He had stolen it from my wardrobe and given it to her.
09:36You like my dress, Evelyn?
09:38The council hall was ablaze with light.
09:41The elders were already seated.
09:42When their eyes settled on me behind my sunglasses,
09:45I caught the faintest trace of indifference in their gazes the same detached look one would give a corpse.
09:50Cade, the petitioner for the blood pack witnessing of the guardianship transfer, have you brought her?
09:55I have.
09:56My mate Evelyn Stone is no longer capable of managing the affairs of the stone territory,
10:01due to the damage caused by silver poison.
10:03I respectfully ask the Council of Elders to witness the signing of the blood pack today,
10:08officially transferring stewardship of the stone territory into my hands.
10:13Bring her forward.
10:15When we reach the table, stop when I tell you to.
10:18Don't move unless I instruct you.
10:20I heard one of the elders chuckle quietly.
10:22So that is the useless alpha from the stone family.
10:25She is still alive?
10:28Don't say that.
10:29She has to stay alive long enough to sign the blood pack.
10:31If she died first, the territory would be seized by the Council,
10:34and Lawson wouldn't get a thing.
10:36He is keeping her alive out of such restackable generosity.
10:40Generosity?
10:41I would say he just cannot bear to lose the territory's armory.
10:45Quiet laughter spread through the hall like a pack of hyenas circling a wounded animal.
10:49Leela stood off to one side of the hall, watching me.
10:52All right.
10:53Now that the party concerned is here, let us begin the proceedings.
10:56Miss Stone, under Chapter 12, Article 7 of the Werewolf Code,
11:00when an alpha may loses the capacity to act,
11:03territorial pently to injury on their behalf.
11:05Before you is the original blood peached.
11:07Once you sign it and leave your blood print, it will take effect immediately.
11:10Is this a transfer of authority?
11:12Stop asking questions.
11:13Just press your finger down.
11:15Elder Hale is waiting.
11:16But I...
11:17I cannot see.
11:19I do not know what it says.
11:23Blind people are such a nuisance.
11:24She can't even manage to dip her finger in ink.
11:29Sign it.
11:31Now.
11:31Miss Stone, simply press your finger down.
11:34She lifted my ink-coated finger and positioned it over the blank signature area
11:37in the lower right corner of the parchment.
11:39Cade stood beside us.
11:40His eyes locked onto my fingertip.
11:42Once my fingerprint touched the parchment,
11:44it would be permanently bound to the blood-packed irrevocable.
11:47Wait.
11:47Leela's hand froze in midair.
11:49Cade's face darkened as well.
11:50Evelyn, what the hell are you doing?
11:52Stop this.
11:53Press your finger down.
11:55I didn't answer him.
11:56I raised my hand,
11:57my fingertips touching the arm of the sunglasses resting on my nose.
12:00Everyone was watching me, slowly.
12:02I removed my sunglasses.
12:03The instant the sunglasses left my face,
12:06moonlight from the hall's skylight poured directly into my eyes.
12:09Everyone expected to see two empty, milky white eyes,
12:12but they were wrong, under the touch of moonlight.
12:14My pupils blazed into a dazzling golden hue.
12:17The unmistakable gold of an alpha.
12:21Cade, you just said this was a guardianship transfer document, didn't you?
12:26His lips moved, but no sound came out.
12:29I looked down at the parchment on the table.
12:31The blood-packed clearly stated.
12:33Permanent transfer of full territorial ownership.
12:36Transfer of bloodline inheritance rights.
12:39Surrender of council seat.
12:44Guardianship?
12:45Cade, you call this guardianship?
12:47Then I shifted my gaze to Leela, who stood frozen beneath my stare.
12:51And you.
12:52You pinched me three times.
12:55Twice on my left waist.
12:57Once over my ribs.
12:59Three fingernail marks on my arm were still beating with blood.
13:02Now.
13:03Who's the one who can't see?
13:07Elder Hill slowly straightened in his chair, for the first time.
13:10The aged eyes that had witnessed the rise and fall of three alpha heads regarded me with cautious scrutiny.
13:15Miss Stone.
13:17Your eyes.
13:18Ruined.
13:19The silver poison destroyed my pupils' ability to contract, but it didn't destroy my repunas.
13:24Three years ago, I lay in a medical tent.
13:26The council healers judged me solely by my pupils' lack of response to light.
13:30But no one bothered to look deeper.
13:33I carried the blood of the Stone family.
13:35I turned my gaze back to Cade.
13:37His entire body had gone rigid, filling the air with a restless scent of his pheromones,
13:41like a cornered beast desperately raising its hackles.
13:44Evelyn.
13:45Let me explain.
13:47Explain what?
13:50How you used the excuse of becoming my guardian to trick me into leaving blood print,
13:54so you could legally steal the territory, armory, and council secete the Stone family
13:59spent three generations building.
14:01Or would you rather explain what you said to Leela on the living room sofa last night?
14:05We'll get rid of her tonight.
14:10How did you?
14:11Last night, weren't you?
14:12I was standing outside the door.
14:14From the moment you said,
14:16She's still blind, right?
14:17To the moment he said,
14:19Once she's dead,
14:20the inheritance and territory will pass to me.
14:23I heard every single word.
14:25Cade Lawson,
14:26did you conspire to seize the Stone territory while your mate was blind?
14:30Elder, this is slander!
14:32She's blind!
14:33She couldn't possibly-
14:33She just read the titles written on the blood pack,
14:36and you claim she's blind,
14:37yet she just looked directly into your eyes while speaking to you.
14:40Every denial,
14:41every excuse of she's insane or she's lost her mind,
14:43crumbled to ashes before the undeniable sight of my eyes
14:46focusing directly on his face
14:47and my voice accurately reading the words on the parchment.
14:50I picked up the white cane leaning against the wall.
14:52I held it in my hands and under the gaze of everyone in the hall.
15:00Cade Lawson,
15:02you stole my sight for three years.
15:04From this day forward,
15:06every second you owe me,
15:08I will take back with my own hands.
15:10I turned around and walked toward the entrance.
15:13Behind me,
15:14Leela's screams and Cade's frantic attempts to defend himself blended together,
15:18only to be cut off by the strike of Elder Hale's gavel.
15:21The council hall is now sealed.
15:24Cade Lawson,
15:25you are under investigation for forging a blood pact,
15:29plotting against your mate,
15:30and unlawfully seizing territory.
15:32Until the investigation is concluded,
15:35you are forbidden from leaving.
15:36I didn't look back.
15:37Moonlight poured down to the skylight above,
15:39casting itself across the floor.
15:41Three years ago,
15:42this same moonlight fell upon my face as I lay bleeding on the battlefield.
15:45No one saved me.
15:46Today,
15:47that same moonlight illuminated my back.
15:49The world was clear before me now.
15:50There were no blind spots left.
15:52Marcus's car was already waiting at the bottom of the stairs.
15:54Marcus stood beside the door.
15:56A black furred beta werewolf.
15:57His posture straight and his jawline sharp as carved stone.
16:01Miss Stone,
16:03going home?
16:06Home.
16:08After saying that,
16:09I bent down and got into the car.
16:11The moment the door closed,
16:12I leaned back against the seat and released a long breath.
16:15My hands were trembling,
16:16all the calmness,
16:17the coldness.
16:18The devastating words I had delivered one by one in the council hall,
16:21I had rehearsed them over and over in my mind.
16:23But when I truly stood beneath the moonlight and removed my sunglasses in front of everyone,
16:28the rush of adrenaline nearly burned through my veins.
16:30I raised my hand,
16:32my fingertips brushing against my eyelids.
16:34Marcus drove in silence before speaking softly.
16:37Miss Stone,
16:37your pupils,
16:38they're glowing.
16:39This is the color that appears only when an alpha's wolf eyes are fully awakened.
16:43The stone bludgeonal alpha eye color is gold.
16:47I know.
16:49But when I was struck by the silver bullet three years ago,
16:52the healers said my pupils were completely destroyed.
16:55Now they can contract and dilate again,
16:57but they still can't fully stabilize.
16:59Tomorrow they might turn gray again.
17:02Marcus was silent for a moment.
17:03It doesn't matter.
17:06It's enough.
17:09The car crossed into the borders of the Stone family territory.
17:12Silver wind chimes hung from the trees lining the forest road,
17:15chiming softly whenever the wind passed through.
17:17My mother had hung them there while she was still alive,
17:20she used to say.
17:21An alpha should be welcomed home by a sound.
17:23The car traveled through the forest path,
17:25and the manor's main building appeared at the end of the road.
17:27The car came to a stop,
17:28and Marcus walked to the rear door to open it for me.
17:31Miss, since you came out,
17:33the council has launched a preliminary investigation.
17:35Elder Hale personally signed to lock Lawson's estate gates.
17:38He and Leela Moore are both detained in the side hall for questioning.
17:41They can't get out for now.
17:43Good. Let them stay.
17:45The chandelier in the foyer lit up,
17:46and the warm golden light fell into my eyes.
17:49My golden pupils contracted sharply.
17:51But he won't sit and wait.
17:53Lawson has two black market arms channels at the border,
17:56five years of private soldiers,
17:58and three beta elders outside the council took his favors.
18:02Hale can't dig all of that clean.
18:05I've already given the order.
18:07All arms supply ports under Stone Family are cut.
18:10I got Lawson's arms dealer contact list.
18:13Twelve in total.
18:15Within eight hours,
18:16they'll all receive an official suspension letter.
18:18The money?
18:21Funds are frozen.
18:23Three corporate accounts,
18:24seven personal accounts under launch,
18:25all under temporary asset preservation by our legal team.
18:29He can't withdraw a cent today.
18:31This was the same living room where I had walked in blind yesterday
18:34and listened to Cade and Leela plot my murder on that sofa.
18:37I walked to the fireplace,
18:38bent down,
18:39and brushed through the ashes until I found something.
18:41The handkerchief Cade had used to wipe his hands,
18:44carrying his fingerprints and traces of Leela's pheromones.
18:46I lifted the handkerchief,
18:48examined it briefly,
18:49and handed it to Marcus.
18:50Send it to Hale.
18:52Tell him this is the first link
18:54in the evidence chain of Cade and Leela's conspiracy.
18:57Saliva DNA and omega pheromones match Lila Moore.
19:02Fingerprints belong to Cade Lawson.
19:04Yes.
19:06Also, Marcus,
19:07Cade will most likely be released on bail after questioning.
19:10He still carries the title of mate.
19:13Without direct evidence,
19:15counsel can't hold him forever.
19:17Once he's out,
19:17the first thing he'll do is find Lila.
19:20Yes.
19:21An omega like Leela can't last one night in prison.
19:25She'll give up Cade faster than anything.
19:28You mean,
19:29let them fight each other first?
19:33Let them bite.
19:35Lila wants to live,
19:37Cade wants to turn things around,
19:39and I just need to sit at home
19:41and wait for them to tear each other apart.
19:43By the way,
19:44how was he planning to get rid of me?
19:45What method?
19:47Marcus was silent for a second before answering.
19:50Silver bullets,
19:51the same kind.
19:52Lawson bought three nightshown laid silver bullets from the black market.
19:56A shot to the heart collapses the alpha bloodline entirely.
19:59Can't even hold wolf form after death.
20:01Good.
20:03Then let him have a taste too.
20:05After saying that,
20:07I went up to the third floor bedroom.
20:08This was the room where Cade carried me
20:10and placed me on the bed the night I was struck by the silver bullet three years ago.
20:13Evelyn,
20:15from now on,
20:16this will be your sanctuary.
20:18He locked the windows,
20:19he sealed off the balcony,
20:21he said the outside world was dangerous,
20:23but the truth was that he was afraid I would escape,
20:25afraid I would survive and break free from his control.
20:27I walked to the window and looked at the iron gate
20:29at the end of the forest driveway outside.
20:32The iron gate was heavy,
20:33but today,
20:33it stood open.
20:34The communication terminal on the table chimed,
20:37Marcus had planted a listening device in the council interrogation room,
20:40sending everything back in real time.
20:42He made me do it.
20:44Everything was Cade's idea.
20:46He said that once Evelyn's fingerprint was placed on the blood pack
20:49and the territory was secured,
20:51he would officially mark me.
20:54He said he would make me the mistress of the stone territory.
20:59Lila, calm down.
21:01Every word you say now is being recorded.
21:03Are you sure you want to drag yourself into this?
21:05I have records of every asset transfer operation you participated in.
21:09Are you threatening me?
21:11Cade Lawson, you bastard.
21:13You were the one who seduced me first.
21:16You were the one who told me she wouldn't survive that lunar eclipse.
21:21The wind from outside drifted in,
21:23stirring the loose strands of hair across my forehead,
21:25in the vanity mirror.
21:26I saw my face clearly once again,
21:28pale from three years of rarely being exposed to sunlight.
21:31But the most striking thing was my eyes.
21:33The alpha eye color of the stone bloodline gold.
21:35My mother's eyes had been this color.
21:40Evelyn,
21:41you have eyes like mine.
21:43Never give them to someone who doesn't deserve them.
21:46I looked at myself in the mirror,
21:48touched the corner of my eye.
21:50Mom,
21:51I took my eyes back.
21:55Marcus sent a text message.
21:56Lila confessed during questioning that Cade forged the blood plaque.
21:59But Cade's lawyer has applied for bail,
22:01using the reason that mate Evelyn Stone is mentally unstable and requires his personal care.
22:06Elder Hall approved it.
22:07He will likely return to the manor in about an hour.
22:09I stood up and took out a silver letter opener from the bottom drawer of the bedside table.
22:13Its blade was thin and sharp the old tool my mother once used to open battle reports.
22:18I slid the blade into the leather thigh sheath strapped to my leg and turned to walk downstairs.
22:23I did not put on my sunglasses.
22:25I sat on the sofa to the left of the fireplace.
22:28The silver letter opener strapped to my thigh was hidden beneath my dress.
22:31An hour later,
22:32the sound of breaks came from outside the manor.
22:34Then came footsteps.
22:35Cade pushed open the door and walked into the living room.
22:42The moment Cade entered the living room,
22:44I lifted my gaze toward him.
22:45He stopped in his tracks,
22:47his entire body freezing.
22:48He saw my eyes,
22:50a pair of glowing golden alpha wolf eyes.
22:52His legs nearly gave out beneath him.
22:54You're back.
22:56Sit down.
22:58Let's have a proper conversation.
23:00How exactly were you planning to take care of me?
23:03The living room fell silent,
23:05leaving only the crackling sound of the fireplace.
23:07He stared at me for a long time.
23:09Then he laughed,
23:10carrying the strange relief of someone who had been completely exposed and had nothing left to hide.
23:15When did you recover?
23:17Yesterday?
23:18The day before?
23:19Or even earlier?
23:24What do you think?
23:26I thought you were still blind.
23:28When you knocked over that teacup yesterday,
23:31you moved too quickly.
23:33I knew something was wrong then.
23:34I just couldn't be certain.
23:36When you grabbed my chin and checked my pupils,
23:39they didn't contract.
23:40You saw.
23:42Yes.
23:43The silver poison damaged your eyes.
23:45Your pupils couldn't contract.
23:47That wasn't something you could fake.
23:49So I believed it.
23:52Cade,
23:53three years ago on the night of the lunar eclipse,
23:55on the Silvercrest battlefield,
23:57the shot that struck my eyes with a bullet,
24:00was it something you arranged?
24:03Or were you simply lucky enough to benefit from it?
24:06A log in the fireplace cracked loudly.
24:08The air in the living room instantly froze.
24:11He didn't answer immediately.
24:12Five seconds of silence passed before he leaned back and let out a short,
24:16self-mocking chuckle.
24:17When did you find out?
24:20Even though I had replayed every detail of that battle countless times in the darkness,
24:24when he finally admitted it himself,
24:26my blood still seemed to drain away,
24:28leaving my entire body cold.
24:30Three months ago,
24:31Marcus obtained the mercenary unit's march logs from the black market.
24:35Someone marked the exact quarter's coelanence of the stone family forces on your supply route map
24:41down to the tent numbers.
24:42Those mercenaries didn't pass through Silverwroth by coincidence.
24:46They were sent for my tent.
24:48Cade was silent for several seconds.
24:50Yes.
24:51I gave them the coordinates.
24:53Did you really think I only started plotting against everything you had after your mother's death?
24:58From the day your mother was still alive,
24:59I knew the future of the stone family rested on you.
25:02A young, naive alpha heir who had never experienced true bloodshed.
25:06If she were crippled,
25:07everything would naturally fall into the hands of her mate.
25:12He stood up and took two steps toward the fireplace,
25:15his voice carrying an almost sickening calmness.
25:18To be honest,
25:19I never intended to keep you alive for three years.
25:22When you first lost your sight,
25:23all I needed was for you to sign and leave your bloodprint.
25:26I could have sent you away the very next day.
25:29But you were too cautious back then.
25:32Marcus was watching you closely,
25:33and the council was keeping an eye on things because of their old ties with your mother.
25:37I had no choice but to take care of you first.
25:40I was a devoted and loving partner until you trusted me enough to reach out your hand
25:45and press your bloodprint without any defenses.
25:49Three years, Evelyn.
25:50I endured you for three whole years.
25:54My fingers moved toward the silver letter opener strapped to my thigh.
25:58The chill of the blade seeped into my skin, reminding me to stay focused.
26:02You endured three years.
26:03Then what you said on the living rooms last night,
26:05was that the final release after holding it in for so time?
26:08Last night.
26:09Yes.
26:10Lila has been pushing me for over half a year.
26:12She's afraid you would never die.
26:13I told her we would act the bloodful centric tomorrow.
26:16I originally planned to send you away tonight.
26:18How?
26:19With a silver bullet.
26:21The same kind that hit you back then.
26:23When Marcus isn't around, I'll take you to the back of the woodland.
26:27One shot.
26:28Clean and simple.
26:30Then I'll report you missing.
26:32Three years have passed.
26:33A blind alpha disappearing in the forest?
26:35Everyone would assume you got lost and died from a fall.
26:38After saying that, he thought I would cry.
26:40He thought that after hearing the truth of these three years,
26:42I would collapse like I did in the medical tent three years ago,
26:45trembling and curled into a helpless ball.
26:47But I was smiling.
26:50I slowly stood up from the sofa,
26:52pulling the silver letter opener from the thigh holster and hiding it behind my back.
26:56Do you know why I didn't rush to have Marcus to hand the evidence directly to the council today?
27:00Because I wanted to hear you say it yourself.
27:03I wanted to hear you say the words,
27:05I was the one who hired them to fire that silver bullet.
27:07I wanted you to admit it to my face, word by word,
27:10how you dragged me from the light into darkness.
27:13So what?
27:14You're going to report me to the council now?
27:17Where's the evidence?
27:18I didn't record this conversation.
27:20I pulled the silver letter opener from behind my back.
27:23He instinctively took half a step back in alarm.
27:25But I did not strike him.
27:26I turned the blade around,
27:28revealing the end of the handle embedded there was a tiny black crystal,
27:31no larger than a fingernail.
27:32It was a listening device obtained by the Stone family's old butler from the underground market.
27:36Checkmate.
27:39Chapter 12, Article 4 of the Werewolf Code.
27:43Conspying to murder one's mate,
27:45forging a blood contract and illegally occupying territory.
27:48Three major crimes combined.
27:50Your werewolf status will be stripped and you will be exiled to the border mines.
27:54Fifteen years of labor, piece by piece.
27:59Every false account you created.
28:02Every weapons profit you stole.
28:05Each number will become another year of your sentence.
28:10Cade, have you ever calculated how long you'll be spending in there?
28:15You think you can get away with this?
28:23You never learn, do you?
28:26Cade pushed himself up with his elbow.
28:29The corner of his mouth was split open,
28:31and a thin line of blood flowed down from his lips.
28:33He looked up at me,
28:34and for the first time, genuine fear appeared in his eyes.
28:38Evelyn, we were together for three years.
28:41I held your hand for three years.
28:43I fed you for three years, even if I was wrong.
28:46Even if I did those things.
28:47Three years, more than a thousand days.
28:50Do you really have no feelings left for what we had?
28:53Feelings?
28:53You held my hand because you wanted to lead me to that blood contract.
28:57You fed me because you needed me alive long enough to sign,
29:00then die afterward.
29:02You spent every day talking to me only to make sure I never suspected you.
29:06I crouched down and looked at him.
29:07When you personally arranged for that silver bullet to be fired into my eyes,
29:12did you ever think about feelings then?
29:16He reached out with his blood-stained hand,
29:19trying to grab my wrist, but I calmly moved away.
29:22Cade Lawson, you planted these seeds.
29:25Now you will swallow every consequence they bring.
29:29Send the entire evidence package to Elder Hale,
29:32and include this audio recording as well.
29:35I ended the call and looked down at Cade,
29:37who was still lying on the carpet.
29:39Tomorrow, the council enforcement team will come to the manors to take you away.
29:43I turned around and prepared to leave.
29:45A roar like that of a wounded beast came from behind me.
29:48Then came the harsh scraping sound of claws dragging across the carpet.
29:51He tried to crawl after me,
29:52but his knee had been injured from the impact,
29:54and his twisted ankle pressed against the floor,
29:56making it impossible for him to stand.
29:58One more thing.
29:59The lever you mentioned.
30:03You two make quite the pair.
30:07Truly made for each other.
30:09I returned to my bedroom and opened the window,
30:12watching the red and blue lights of the patrol vehicles outside the manor gates
30:16sweep through the forest road,
30:18drawing closer and closer.
30:19The enforcement team had arrived.
30:21I closed the window,
30:23shutting out every sound.
30:24Five years later,
30:26spring arrived earlier in the stone territory
30:28than in the other border regions.
30:29By the end of March,
30:30the wild cherry trees lining the forest road were in full bloom.
30:33Pink and white petals drifted down with the wind.
30:36I sat in the backseat of the car,
30:37flipping through the weapons trade report for this quarter.
30:39Miss,
30:40the administrator of the Blackrock Mine District
30:43sent confirmation this morning.
30:45The visit is scheduled for 10 o'clock.
30:47We'll arrive about 20 minutes early.
30:51Over the past five years,
30:52the stone family's territory had nearly doubled.
30:55The weapons channels my mother left behind
30:57had been reorganized under my control.
30:58No wolf pack along the border
31:00dared reach their hands into my territory anymore.
31:04At the council,
31:05Elder Hale pushed me forward before his retirement last year.
31:08Now I held an official seat among the elders,
31:10the youngest council elder in the hundred year history of the stone family.
31:13The scars left by the silver poison had never disappeared,
31:16but every morning when I woke up,
31:17I could see that was enough.
31:19When the car entered the outskirts of the Blackrock Mine District,
31:22the wild cherry trees disappeared.
31:24Replaced by exposed black rock formations,
31:27the air carried the mixed scent of sulfur and rust in the distance.
31:30Marcus parked the car on the gravel lot in front of the administration building.
31:34Miss,
31:35the administrator is waiting for you on the second floor.
31:38The visitation room has already been prepared.
31:40What did he say?
31:42Marcus paused briefly,
31:43then pulled a thin sheet of paper from the file bag beside the driver's seat and handed it to me.
31:47This is the annual medical report submitted by the Kwanza Glamis Ressa Departant.
31:52The accumulated records from the past five years.
31:54Every year's entry was included.
31:58I took it and glanced over the contents.
32:00Year 1,
32:01frequent injuries from fights.
32:03The ring finger of the left hand was fractured due to delayed treatment.
32:06It healed improperly and could no longer fully straighten.
32:09Year 2,
32:10severe frostbite during winter.
32:12All 10 fingers developed gangrene.
32:14Grip strength reduced to 10% of a normal alpha's level before status deprivation.
32:19Year 3,
32:19right tibia fractured by another exile within the same district.
32:22The bone healed improperly,
32:24resulting in an abnormal gait.
32:25The right leg became 3 centimeters shorter than the left,
32:28causing permanent limping.
32:30Year 4,
32:30excessive inhalation of mining dust led to a diagnosis of early stage miners' lung disease.
32:35Persistent nighttime coughing.
32:37Weight reduced to half of what it was before exile.
32:41Year 5,
32:42the current year.
32:43The most recent record was three months ago.
32:45His right eye was struck by flying debris during a mining accident,
32:48causing a corneal injury.
32:49The wound became infected and deteriorated.
32:52His vision severely declined,
32:53with only light perception remaining in his right eye.
32:56I folded the paper and placed it back into the file folder.
32:59Let's go.
33:00The visitation room was smaller than I had imagined.
33:03When the door opposite me opened,
33:04I saw Cade.
33:05He had completely become another person.
33:07His hair had turned completely white.
33:09When he walked,
33:09his right leg dragged with a heavy limp.
33:11He saw me.
33:12He stumbled toward the glass,
33:14pressing his right hand against it,
33:15his palm covered with calluses and cracks from frostbite.
33:18Evelyn,
33:19you came.
33:22You really came.
33:23I stood across from him,
33:25without any expression.
33:28Every month,
33:29you sent letters to the mine administration office asking to see me.
33:34Five years,
33:36you wrote 60 letters.
33:39This month's letter said,
33:41if I can't see you again,
33:43I'll stop eating.
33:44The mine administrator was afraid you'd die in the tunnels and affect production quarters.
33:50So they had no choice but to contact Marcus.
33:54You read my letters?
33:56You did,
33:57didn't you?
33:57You know how much I've suffered here.
33:59Evelyn,
34:00I was wrong.
34:01I was truly wrong.
34:02For these five years,
34:04I have regretted it every day.
34:06Every second,
34:06I've been thinking.
34:07Every second,
34:08I think about how,
34:09when you went blind three years ago,
34:11I should have treated you better.
34:13No,
34:13five years ago,
34:14that night in the living room,
34:15if I hadn't said those things,
34:17if I hadn't kissed Leela,
34:18if I hadn't said deal with her,
34:20would you have regretted it?
34:25I'm asking you.
34:28If I had never regained my sight,
34:30if I had remained blind,
34:32if you had succeeded in making me sign the blood tract,
34:35would you have regretted it?
34:37I...
34:37You would all regret being exposed.
34:41Five years ago,
34:42you knelt in front of me and said,
34:43Leela seduced me.
34:45Four years ago,
34:46you wrote in your letters from the mine,
34:48I think every day about holding your hand.
34:51Three years ago,
34:52you wrote,
34:53in my next life,
34:54I'll be your dog.
34:56Every single letter was just a different version of the same thing.
35:00You only regretted failing.
35:02Evelyn,
35:03you can't...
35:04you can't do this.
35:06I've been here for five years.
35:08I've lost my hand,
35:10my leg is crippled,
35:11my lungs are damaged,
35:12my right eye is almost blind.
35:14I don't have much time left.
35:19The mind doctor said,
35:20I can only last three more years at most.
35:24Three years,
35:25Evelyn.
35:26I only have three years left.
35:28Can't you?
35:30At least for the sake of the three years,
35:32I took care of you.
35:33Let me die with some dignity.
35:35Let me...
35:36let me die somewhere with sunlight.
35:39Dignity?
35:40Cade,
35:41when you hired someone to fire a silver bullet into my eyes,
35:43the stone family crest my mother left me was shattered into two pieces.
35:47It broke right in front of my blinded eyes.
35:49Do you remember that crest?
35:51The one engraved with a golden-eyed she-wolf?
35:53It was the token my mother wore over her heart on the final day of her life.
35:57She gave it to me and said,
35:59Evelyn,
35:59this crest carries the eyes of seven generations of the stone family.
36:03Wear it,
36:03and the world you see will never be blind.
36:06You were the one who shattered it.
36:09I took out a small velvet pouch,
36:11I opened it and poured out the family crest,
36:14restored with the traditional art of golden repair.
36:16I repaired it.
36:18Every golden line was embedded by my own hands.
36:21I remember every single crack.
36:23I placed the crest back into the pouch and turned toward the visitation room door.
36:26Where you die,
36:27how you die,
36:28whether there is light waiting for you afterward,
36:30none of that has anything to do with me anymore.
36:34I did not turn around.
36:35Through the door,
36:36I heard the dull impact of Cade's body crashing into the metal table,
36:39followed by the dragging sound of guards pulling him back toward a cell.
36:42I walked out of the mine administration building.
36:45Marcus opened the car door for me.
36:46Miss,
36:47back to the territory?
36:49To the cemetery.
36:53As the car left the mining district boundary,
36:55I lowered the window,
36:57the crisp wind from the border mountains rushed in,
36:59washing away the smell of sulfur and rust that clung to the mining area.
37:03While pale pink and white petals were carried in by the breeze and landed on my lap,
37:08I picked up one petal and looked at it.
37:10Marcus,
37:11how is Lila Moore now?
37:12She was released three years ago.
37:14After her gland removal surgery,
37:16she could no longer be marked by any alpha.
37:18She worked several jobs in civilian districts,
37:21but none lasted long.
37:22Last year,
37:23she was arrested by the border security forces.
37:25for involvement in an underground illegal drug trade and sentenced to two years.
37:29She is currently serving her sentence in the Southern Women's Correction Facility.
37:34I heard her health condition is very poor.
37:36She probably won't live much longer after she is released.
37:40The two people who once trampled me beneath their feet
37:43One was coughing blood and enduring each day deep inside the mine tunnels,
37:46while the other was wasting away behind prison bars.
37:49And I sat in the back seat,
37:50holding a wild cherry blossom petal between my fingers,
37:53while sunlight fell upon my fingertips with exactly the right amount of warmth.
37:56When I arrived at the cemetery,
37:58the sunlight was perfect.
37:59The Stone Family Cemetery was located on the eastern hillside of the territory,
38:03facing the distant border mountains.
38:04I carried a bouquet of marigolds up the stone steps.
38:07Marcus stopped far away beside the iron gate at the entrance of the cemetery and did not follow me.
38:11I knelt down in front of the gravestone and placed the marigolds at its base.
38:15The petals were a rich golden yellow,
38:17glowing almost painfully bright beneath the afternoon sun.
38:20Mom,
38:21I came to see you.
38:25I didn't lose a single thing you left me.
38:28The territory is safe,
38:30the weapons trade routes have been restored,
38:32and at the council I earned my seat among the advisors.
38:35What you told me,
38:37don't give it to someone unworthy.
38:39I did it.
38:40I ran my fingers over the she-wolf carving on the gravestone.
38:43I dealt with the person who never deserved it.
38:46I stood up and took the family crest from my dress pocket.
38:49The golden wolf emblem carried a gentle,
38:51aged sheen beneath the sunlight.
38:53Things that have been broken,
38:54once repaired,
38:55can become stronger than they ever were.
38:57Goodbye mother.
38:58I turned around and walked down the stone steps of the cemetery.
39:01The trees lining the path swayed in the wind,
39:03scattering leaves across the ground.
39:05Sunlight fell into my eyes,
39:06and my golden irises shone beneath it like a lamp that would never be extinguished again.
39:12Three years ago,
39:14I thought Cade was my direction.
39:15During those three years of darkness,
39:17I walked by the sound of his heartbeat,
39:18and judged day from night by the rhythm of his breathing.
39:21I thought the hand that guided me across every doorway was something I could trust.
39:24Now I finally understood that direction was never something another person should give you.
39:28The direction has always been inside your own eyes.
39:30Miss, shall we go home?
39:33Yes.
39:34The car drove back toward the stone estate.
39:37The shadows of the wild cherry trees outside the window slipped past one section at a time.
39:41Pale pink and white petals spun through the wind,
39:44landing on the gravel road before being crushed beneath the wheels.
39:46I leaned back against the rear seat,
39:48my eyelids slowly lowering.
39:50The golden glow of my eyes dimmed beneath my closed eyelids,
39:53like a lamp gently turned off.
39:55But tomorrow,
39:55it would shine again,
39:56the day after that too.
39:58And every day after that,
39:59it would keep shining.
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