- 20 hours ago
They messed with the wrong Luna | New Movie | Updating 30 E.p
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00:00Damon had his people throw me off the pack hall at our mating ceremony.
00:03Vivian's pup needs a father on paper. Once my bond with her is dissolved, I will marry you.
00:09Everyone assumed I would wait one more month. After all, I had already waited seven years.
00:13But that very same night, I accepted my family's marriage arrangement.
00:17I flew across the border and left Damon's world. For good.
00:21Three years later, I returned to the old territory with my husband for the ancestral rights.
00:26Ethan was held up by something urgent, so we fly separately.
00:30He sent people from a pack he had acquired three years ago, to pick me up.
00:33In the crowd at the arrival gate, I spotted a sign. It bore my pack name, Lena.
00:38I walked toward it. The person holding the sign looked up. It was Damon.
00:42Vivian stood beside him, along with a group of old friends from years past.
00:46They were waiting for me. They didn't know the person they were waiting for was me.
00:50Damon saw me. He startled for a second.
00:52Then that self-important smile slid back onto his face.
00:55See? I told you she'd come back. Damon, isn't that your little lapdog, Lena?
01:01Someone in the crowd recognized me. Laughter erupted.
01:04She disappeared for three years, and now that Damon's made it big, she comes crawling back?
01:08Dressed like that? She can't even afford a decent outfit?
01:11Things must have gone badly out there, huh, Lena?
01:13I glanced down at the heartstone chain on my wrist, the one worth $20 million.
01:18I said nothing. Whenever I used to see Damon, I dressed to perfection.
01:22The most flawless makeup. The most tailored gown.
01:25Putting my very best self on display for him.
01:28And now? This outfit was custom-made for me by someone Ethan had commissioned.
01:32Because I was pregnant, and he refused to let me wear anything restrictive.
01:36I didn't need to dress up for anyone anymore, all for comfort.
01:39I also understood what was happening. They only knew my pack name.
01:43They had no idea the person they were here to collect was me.
01:46So they were still mocking me, still unaware of what they were doing.
01:51The silence stretched too long.
01:53One of Damon's old friends stepped in to smooth things over.
01:56Lena, it's good that you're back.
01:58Damon's actually been looking for you all these years.
02:01The smile on Damon's face stiffened for a beat.
02:03Vivian's pup is starting Academy soon.
02:05You'll be responsible for drop-offs and pick-ups from now on.
02:08Three years had passed. He was exactly the same.
02:10That sense of entitlement. That air of superiority.
02:13I was about to reveal who I was.
02:15Lena, don't blame Damon. He's arranging this for your own good.
02:19The way you've been getting by out there,
02:21you don't even qualify to be my personal secretary.
02:24Help me look after my son.
02:26No one will look down on you for that.
02:28Damon caught me frowning and assumed I was jealous.
02:31A flicker of satisfaction crossed his eyes.
02:33Alright, if the outside world didn't work out, stop pretending it did.
02:38Take care of the child. Know your place.
02:41Don't worry. There's no shortage of Omega servant quarters in the house.
02:46He genuinely believed. I had come back because I couldn't let him go.
02:50Look how well Damon's taking care of you.
02:52Room and board all sorted. Go on. Thank Damon.
02:56Lena, don't worry. If my son acts up, I'll discipline him myself.
03:00I won't let you be mistreated.
03:02Damon let out a cold laugh.
03:03What does she have to be mistreated about?
03:06She vanished over something trivial and now she's back because she couldn't make it out there.
03:11A little hardship is exactly what she deserves.
03:14My heart skipped. Even now, he still called that trivial.
03:18The heavy rain outside Pack Hall.
03:20His back as he walked in with Vivian.
03:22Seven years.
03:22To him, it was just a trivial thing.
03:25The boy who had once carried me across half the territory while bleeding out himself.
03:29Just to keep his promise.
03:31He was long dead.
03:32Dead the day he chose Vivian for the first time.
03:35It was all in the past.
03:36I didn't need any of that anymore.
03:38I was about to have my second child.
03:41I pressed down every feeling and looked at Damon with perfect calm.
03:45Aren't you here to pick me up?
03:47Let's go.
03:48A beat of silence fell over the crowd.
03:51Then, laughter exploded.
03:52Wait for you?
03:54Who do you think you are?
03:56We're waiting for Lena.
03:58Do you even know who that is?
03:59Of course I did.
04:01That's my name.
04:02Ethan swore never to bond.
04:05They say he was waiting for her his whole life.
04:07Everyone in the circles knows, if you want to get close to Ethan, go through his Luna.
04:11There's nothing he wouldn't give up for that woman.
04:13Listening to them describe my own life, I couldn't keep the corners of my mouth from lifting.
04:18Three years into our bond, Ethan's power had only grown.
04:22And his reputation for doting on his Luna had grown with it.
04:26Vivian had always had a talent for flaunting other people's lives in my face.
04:29At the Blood Summit auction, Ethan won a heartstone chain for his Luna.
04:33Value?
04:34$20 million.
04:36Every female on the continent envies that woman.
04:42It's this one.
04:44Everyone was staring at the chain on my wrist.
04:47Damon grabbed my hand and leaned in for a close look.
04:50Replica.
04:51Which delivery boy Omega bought you this?
04:54Wearing garbage like that in public, shameless.
04:57I pulled my hand free.
04:58I traced my fingers over every stone on the chain.
05:01The day Ethan clasped it onto my wrist, he murmured in my ear,
05:06Don't ever take it off.
05:08I smiled.
05:09Damon saw my smile.
05:11His pupils contracted sharply.
05:13He lunged forward and ripped the chain from my wrist.
05:16I hadn't been ready for it.
05:17He got away with it.
05:18The thing Ethan gave me had just fallen into Vivian's hands.
05:21Nice weight.
05:22Definitely more refined than the fake I bought, but I wouldn't be caught dead wearing something
05:27like this in public.
05:28Or could it be...
05:30Lena?
05:30Are you Lena?
05:31You're the legendary Blood Summit Luna?
05:34The laughter that broke out was deafening, because it was absurd.
05:39Ethan was the strongest alpha on the continent.
05:41And I, three years ago, was the broken Omega Damon had driven out of Pack Hall.
05:46No one could possibly connect the two.
05:49Vivian tossed the chain in her palm, weighing it.
05:52Lena, I'll buy this off you.
05:54Double the price.
05:55Give it back.
05:56That was a gift from Ethan.
06:02Shut up.
06:03Damon towered over me, eyes burning with irritation.
06:06You think you can drop Ethan's name just like that?
06:09Spreading rumors about a connection with him in a place like this?
06:13Are you trying to get me killed?
06:14Lena, do you have any idea?
06:17Getting to receive Ethan's Luna was a chance a thousand people fought over.
06:21Damon's pack was acquired by Ethan three years ago.
06:24We all survive on his goodwill now.
06:26If you spread lies here, you'll bring ruin down on every single one of us.
06:30I slowly raised my hand and wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth, slowly turned
06:35my head, and looked Damon directly in the eyes.
06:38Damon's brow furrowed.
06:40Something in his gaze flickered with unease.
06:42He thought I was the Lena he remembered.
06:44He thought I would cry, beg, explain.
06:47He didn't know.
06:48The way I looked at him now was the same way I'd look at a dead man.
06:52Vivian caught the way Damon was looking at me.
06:54She immediately pointed a finger in my face.
06:56Lena, you ungrateful wolf!
06:58Damon already agreed to take you in, and this is how you act?
07:03Even if you resent him, you don't get to use this kind of revenge.
07:07I had a strange sense of deja vu.
07:09Three years ago, it was exactly like this.
07:12No matter what happened, Vivian would twist the truth and feed it to Damon.
07:15In the beginning, Damon would still yell at Vivian for it.
07:18Later, he started echoing her words to come after me.
07:21Just like now, Damon bit out.
07:23Jealous.
07:23But he didn't keep going.
07:25He went quiet for a moment, then reached into his jacket.
07:28Placed a check in front of me.
07:30Two hundred thousand.
07:31The posture of charity.
07:33The expression of charity.
07:34He genuinely believed this was the greatest dignity he could offer me.
07:38Out of respect for what we once had, I won't do anything to you.
07:41Take the money.
07:42Go buy yourself something decent to wear.
07:45If you don't want to look after the child, I'll find you a respectable position in a few days.
07:49Since Ethan acquired my pack, this amount means nothing to me.
07:52I looked at that check.
07:54Looked at his face.
07:55Giving charity.
07:56Under the stunned stares of everyone around us, I pushed it back.
07:59Retrieved the chain from Vivian's hand.
08:02No thank you.
08:02I don't take things from strangers.
08:05I'm a stranger?
08:06Lena, what the hell does that mean?
08:09Since the relationship is over, it's better we don't associate.
08:12I wouldn't want my husband to get the wrong idea.
08:15Damon's expression shifted.
08:18He glanced at Vivian and that knowing look crossed his face.
08:21He thought I was trying to make him jealous.
08:24In three days, Ironcrest Pack is hosting a Blood Moon Gala in Ethan's honor.
08:28I'll take you.
08:30Give you a glimpse of how the other half lives.
08:35Though you'll need to find yourself something decent to wear first, or else...
08:39No thank you.
08:40Damon's face darkened.
08:42Lena, I hope in three days you'll still feel this confident.
08:47I walked out of the arrival gate without looking back.
08:49Fresh air flooded my lungs.
08:51The nausea in my stomach finally began to ease.
08:54Three years ago, my family had pressured me to cross the border for an arranged marriage.
08:59I held out against it and ran to Damon, begging him to complete our bond first.
09:04Make it a done deal before anyone could interfere.
09:07He agreed.
09:08Then at the doors of Pack Hall, I didn't just find him.
09:11I found Vivian waiting beside him.
09:13Vivian's pup needs to be registered.
09:15I have to complete the bond with her first.
09:17One month.
09:18Then I'll come for you immediately.
09:20It's only for the child's sake.
09:22Don't read into it.
09:23I watched him walk into Pack Hall with Vivian on his arm.
09:26That night, I set out.
09:29One month later, I married Ethan.
09:31A year after that, Leo was born.
09:33Just a few days ago, I confirmed I was carrying a second.
09:36If not for accompanying Ethan back for the ancestral rites, I would never have set foot
09:41on this land again for the rest of my life, let alone run into him at the arrival gate.
09:46Three days later, I put on a light layer of makeup.
09:48The same custom soft fabric dress.
09:51I went to the Blood Moon Gala alone.
09:53The moment I walked in, Damon spotted me.
09:57A light flickered in his eyes.
09:59That familiar, self-satisfied curve pulled at the corner of his mouth.
10:03Said you wouldn't come, but here you are.
10:07Body doesn't lie.
10:11Though if you want me to look twice, you could at least dress the part.
10:15For an occasion like this, what you're wearing...
10:18I stepped around him and kept walking.
10:20He grabbed my arm.
10:21I'm talking to you.
10:26Our seats are over here.
10:27Where are you going?
10:29I looked calmly toward the far end of the hall.
10:31That's your seat.
10:33Mine is over there.
10:35Following my gaze, Damon saw the head table.
10:37The Alpha's seat.
10:38The Luna's seat.
10:39His expression changed.
10:41Vivian's eyes turned vicious instantly.
10:43She fixed her glare on the chain at my wrist and raised her voice.
10:47Lena!
10:48How did you get in here?
10:49Are you here to cause trouble?
10:51Walking in with that chain.
10:53Are you trying to humiliate the Luna?
10:55Tonight is Ethan's first time bringing his Luna out in public.
11:00Rogue woman, get out!
11:02Every guest in the room turned to look.
11:04Someone glanced at Damon.
11:06Damon Alpha, do you know this person?
11:07Damon straightened his cuffs, perfectly composed.
11:10One word.
11:12Clean.
11:12Final.
11:13Vivian lifted her chin immediately.
11:16Take off that chain and get out!
11:18She reached for it.
11:20I stepped aside.
11:21But someone deliberately tripped me from behind.
11:23I fell.
11:25Vivian planted her foot on my wrist.
11:27The chain.
11:28She tore it free with brute force.
11:31The gems scattered across the floor, like a shattered constellation.
11:35Drag her out!
11:36Pain screamed through my wrist, bone deep.
11:38Stop!
11:39I'm Ethan!
11:42His what?
11:43His mistress?
11:44Who do you think you are?
11:48She backhanded me again.
11:49I lay against the marble floor.
11:51When I came back here, I hadn't planned to settle scores with anyone.
11:54There was no point.
11:55But now, she had struck me twice.
11:58She had destroyed something Ethan gave me.
12:00She would pay for both of those things.
12:03Everything she was capable of losing.
12:05She would lose it all.
12:07Damon crouched in front of me.
12:09He reached out as if to touch the wound on my wrist.
12:11I flinched away on instinct.
12:13He looked at me coldly.
12:15Are you done making a scene?
12:17You came in that outfit, wearing that chain.
12:20You missed me, didn't you?
12:22You wanted to make me jealous.
12:23Just say the word and I'll give you what you want.
12:26Damon.
12:27I raised my eyes to meet his.
12:28You're finished.
12:29Damon frowned, about to speak.
12:31The atmosphere in the gala shifted.
12:33Every guest began composing themselves.
12:35Pressing toward the entrance, Damon leaned down and murmured to me.
12:39Ethan's here.
12:40Behave yourself.
12:41Vivian and I have already dissolved our bond.
12:43I pressed my nearly crushed wrist.
12:46Looking at his face, I felt nothing but revulsion.
12:48Whether you two dissolve your bond or not, what does that have to do with me?
12:53Then, the doors opened.
12:55Ethan walked in, carrying Leo.
12:59The moment Leo entered the hall, he squirmed to get down from Ethan's arms.
13:03The moment the cherub-faced little pup touched the ground,
13:06every eye in the room was pulled to him.
13:08Damon turned to me abruptly.
13:10Lena.
13:11As long as you stop provoking Vivian, I can forgive you for disappearing three years.
13:15I'll give you a chance.
13:17Bear me a child.
13:18A child that belongs to us.
13:20I paid him no attention.
13:22I was looking through the crowd, trying to catch Leo's eye.
13:25Leo's gaze swept the room.
13:27Then, locked, he broke free from Ethan's hand and charged toward me,
13:30crashed into my arms.
13:32Mama, what happened to you?
13:35Who did this?
13:36Why is there so much blood on your hand?
13:39That wound, Mama, and the entire gala went still.
13:45The guests who had stood by cold-eyed while I was struck, their faces all changed at once.
13:50Leo held on to me, eyes going red.
13:53I crouched to meet him at eye level, cupped his round little cheeks in my hands.
13:59Mama is fine.
14:00Whoever dares to treat Mama like this...
14:04I was about to reassure him when I felt the pressure from behind.
14:08Not an ordinary approach.
14:09It was Ethan's, the kind that felt like a mountain moving, the kind that made the air itself go still.
14:14The crowd parted automatically.
14:16I didn't need to turn around to know he was furious.
14:19Since I'd gotten pregnant with our second, he'd have kept me physically tucked against him if he could.
14:23If it hadn't been for the urgent matter, he never would have sent someone else to pick me up.
14:27I lifted Leo into my arms, turned around.
14:30Ethan was standing there.
14:31His gaze dropped to the bloodstain on my wrist, then to the marks on my face.
14:36His eyes went dark.
14:40Leo slipped out of my arms and ran to Ethan.
14:43Daddy, someone hurt Mama!
14:45Let's go get revenge!
14:48Lena, tell me what happened.
14:51One moment I'm away and you're already hurt.
14:54Which blind fool did this?
14:55I'm fine, Ethan.
14:58Lena, I'm your mate.
15:00If something wronged you, you don't have to carry it alone.
15:03We can't let anyone hurt Mama!
15:06Maybe it was the pregnancy.
15:07Maybe I'd held it together for too long.
15:09My voice came out with a tremor I hadn't planned for.
15:12You weren't there, and they all went after me.
15:15At that moment, Leo's eyes caught something on the floor.
15:18He bent down and picked up a single gem.
15:20Daddy, isn't this part of the gift you gave Mama?
15:25Ethan took the stone and turned it over.
15:27On the back, two letters were engraved.
15:30E. L.
15:32Turn on every light.
15:37Every light in the gala blazed on.
15:40Ethan tilted my face toward him.
15:44They actually dared to do this to you.
15:46We can't let them get away with this.
15:48I didn't know if it was the pregnancy,
15:49but my emotions kept slipping past my defenses.
15:53You weren't there, and they all went after me.
15:58The people who had followed to the arrival gate to mock me.
16:01Their legs were shaking now.
16:04They were finally putting it together.
16:06The woman in the custom soft fabric dress three days ago.
16:10The woman with the heartstone chain on her wrist.
16:13The woman who kept insisting she was Ethan's Luna.
16:16She hadn't been making it up.
16:18Every word she said had been true.
16:24Just then, Vivian's follower, Jade, stepped forward.
16:27Lena, are these two actors you hired?
16:30Not bad performances, honestly.
16:33Want Vivian to help you find an agent?
16:36Though, since you can't even afford a decent outfit these days.
16:39I have one I've worn before.
16:40I could give it to you.
16:42Save you the embarrassment.
16:43Jade had arrived last.
16:44She hadn't seen Leo throw himself into my arms.
16:47She had dressed to kill tonight, hoping to catch the eye of a powerful mate.
16:52The fastest route to a powerful mate in these circles was to win Vivian's favor.
16:58And the most effective way to win Vivian's favor was to make my life miserable.
17:03So she opened her mouth.
17:05No one in the room laughed.
17:07Everyone was staring at her like she'd lost her mind.
17:10Jade began to panic.
17:12She turned to Ethan and tilted her face upward, trying to be coy.
17:16The man next to her, he's not bad looking.
17:19If you're willing to leave Lena, I might consider keeping you.
17:23Keeping.
17:24Ethan.
17:25I nearly laughed out loud.
17:30Ethan started laughing.
17:32That kind of laugh.
17:33The rare one.
17:34Where it curls up at the corners and he can't quite stop it.
17:37He had always been particular about my safety.
17:40Over the years, anyone who tried to get close to him either vanished or ended up on the far
17:45end of the continent.
17:46He wasn't angry.
17:48He simply found her amusing.
17:50In the way one finds someone who has used up their borrowed time, Jade sensed the shift
17:55in the room and tried to press herself closer to Vivian.
17:59Vivian immediately gave her a slap that sent her to the floor.
18:02Jade, are you trying to die?
18:04You dare offend Ethan and his Luna?
18:06Do you have a death wish?
18:08Jade clutched her face, slumped on the marble murmuring.
18:12Lena is Lena.
18:13She's really the Luna.
18:15I offended.
18:16I...
18:17Ethan was notorious across the continent for being fiercely protective of his mate.
18:22Jade's mind went to what might be waiting for her.
18:24Her whole body began to tremble.
18:27Someone in the crowd gasped.
18:29All eyes moved to the hem of Jade's dress.
18:31She had wet herself from fear.
18:34Ethan gave a slight frown.
18:35His guards understood without a word and dragged her out.
18:40Damon and Vivian's faces flushed a deep, mortified red.
18:44Everyone in the room knew that Jade's words had always followed wherever their hearts pointed.
18:51The healer Ethan had summoned was treating my wounds.
18:54The antiseptic touched skin.
18:56I hissed through my teeth.
18:59Just that one sound.
19:01And Ethan and Leo both looked up with murder in their eyes.
19:04You can't even apply medicine without hurting her?
19:07The healer's hands began to shake even harder.
19:10I pretended to glare at them.
19:12Lena?
19:13Mama?
19:14Father and son both shrank back, looking aggrieved.
19:18I sighed.
19:19The healer is helping me.
19:21Stop terrifying her.
19:23The healer visibly exhaled.
19:25After her examination, she addressed Ethan.
19:27Alpha Ethan.
19:28Ethan, the luma is unharmed.
19:30And the pup in the womb is safe as well.
19:33The wound on her wrist is fairly deep.
19:36I'll use the finest medicine available and do my best to ensure it heals without scarring.
19:41Ethan went quiet.
19:43Said nothing.
19:44Only I knew.
19:45This was what it looked like when he was truly, deeply furious.
19:50Damon, the one most responsible for all of it, was finally beginning to feel afraid.
19:56He never could have imagined that the Omega he had thrown away
20:00had become the mate of the man above him in every hierarchy that mattered.
20:07Ethan stood beside me and swept a slow gaze across the room.
20:10I'd like you all to volunteer what happened in the past few days.
20:16If I have to find out on my own, he paused, everyone present may not die pleasantly.
20:22Damon's complexion shifted.
20:23He was the first to speak.
20:26Ethan Alpha, this is all a misunderstanding.
20:29As Lena's former intended mate, I was simply catching up with her.
20:34The glass in Ethan's hand let out a faint, precise crack.
20:37Damon didn't notice and kept going.
20:39Ethan Alpha must know how much Lena used to love me.
20:43Catching up is only natural, isn't it?
20:45The glass shattered.
20:47Ethan's hand was covered in blood.
20:49I ached just looking at it.
20:50Damon, stop flattering yourself.
20:52I tended to Ethan's hand while I spoke.
20:54In this life, I have only ever loved Ethan.
20:57Say anything else to drive a wedge between us and don't expect me to stay civil.
21:00Ethan looked down, watching me bandage his hand.
21:04And then he smiled.
21:06Lena, you just said I'm your favorite.
21:09I was speechless.
21:13Damon's expression turned wounded.
21:16Lena, Vivian and I have dissolved our bond.
21:19He opened his mouth again.
21:21That pup could call you mama going forward too.
21:24You only married Ethan to spite me, didn't you?
21:26I understand.
21:27I don't mind.
21:28As long as you're willing to come back, everything I can give you, none of it is less than what
21:33he offers.
21:33As long as you're willing to come back and be my son's nanny.
21:36Leo, sitting nearby, slowly set down his fork.
21:39He studied Damon for a moment.
21:40Nanny?
21:42My mama is a little princess at home.
21:45You think you're worthy of making her a nanny?
21:48Mama will only ever have me and my little sister.
21:51Two children.
21:51Your pup of unclear origins has no business being connected to my mama.
21:55You're not as handsome as my daddy, not as tall either, and you smell the kind of broke
22:01that gets into your eyes.
22:02The guests around them burst out laughing.
22:05Damon's face went purple.
22:07At this moment, Vivian had completely lost what remained of her composure.
22:11She heard Damon say, let Lena be the child's mother.
22:14She picked up a fork and lunged at Leo.
22:19You little bastard, I'll kill you!
22:22The moment Vivian charged at Leo, I released Ethan's hand and threw myself over Leo.
22:27Son, are you...
22:29Okay.
22:30The word never came out.
22:31Before I lost consciousness, I saw Leo's face.
22:34Panicked.
22:35Pale.
22:36I wanted to tell him, don't cry.
22:39The words didn't come.
22:41Everything went dark.
22:44The sharp smell of antiseptic pulled me back.
22:46White ceiling above me.
22:48A patient's gown.
22:50Mia was sitting at the bedside.
22:52The moment she saw my eyes open, she threw herself at me.
22:56Lena!
22:57You're finally awake!
22:59If you'd slept any longer, those two little demons of yours would have torn the whole territory apart!
23:04My first instinct.
23:06I pressed a hand to my stomach.
23:08Mia understood immediately.
23:10Relax.
23:11You and the baby are both perfectly fine.
23:13The doctor said it was the shock combined with the pain from your wound that made you pass out.
23:18Yeah.
23:18That Vivian is absolutely unhinged!
23:21Going at Leo with a fork!
23:23Where are Leo and Ethan?
23:25Safe.
23:26Both of them.
23:27You were still too reckless.
23:29With that many guards around, it wasn't your turn to step in.
23:32That's Leo.
23:33I know, I know.
23:35Your precious little pup.
23:36That little creature is vicious enough on his own.
23:39He didn't need protection.
23:41Where are they now, the two of them?
23:44Mia's eyes lit up.
23:45Gone to avenge you.
23:49I got there after you'd already passed out, but I pieced together what happened from the people around.
23:54After you went down, Leo picked up the fork from the floor and drove it straight through Vivian's palm.
24:00He's three years old.
24:02I have no idea where he found the strength.
24:04Ethan had also learned by then what happened at the arrival gate three days ago.
24:08That Damon slapped you.
24:10That he tore off the heartstone chain.
24:12The way they all humiliated you.
24:14He knew every detail.
24:16Then he had his guards hold Damon down and had the hand that struck you cut off.
24:22Leo watched the whole thing without blinking once.
24:25Such a little tyrant.
24:28Vivian.
24:29Ethan had someone bring in a crate of gemstones and told her to swallow them all.
24:32He said exactly this.
24:33Since you love taking things that belong to others so much, I'll give you your fill.
24:37The gems are yours.
24:38So is the man.
24:39She swallowed.
24:40She refused.
24:41So they brought in her son.
24:44She swallowed a lot.
24:46When she was half dead from it, Ethan had someone carve up her face, severed the tangents in her son's
24:52hands, and had her thrown into international waters.
24:55The guests who stood there and watched you get beaten, every single one of them left with a scar on
24:59their wrist.
25:00So they'll remember the cost of looking away while the Luna was being humiliated.
25:03Oh, and one more thing.
25:04Ironcrest pack officially dissolved.
25:06Everything Damon had.
25:07Starting today, gone.
25:11Though Damon was supposed to go into international waters too, but Vivian threw herself at the guards to buy him
25:17time.
25:18So he ran.
25:21Ethan and Leo are looking for him now.
25:25The trade wasn't hard to guess.
25:27Damon must have told Vivian something about her son.
25:30A mother's love will make her capable of anything.
25:34Vivian had swallowed that many stones.
25:36She wouldn't survive long.
25:38The only thing she had left to hold onto was that child.
25:41A heaviness settled somewhere in my chest.
25:44My son was already so good, and Ethan was turning him into something else entirely.
25:48I was about to ask more questions.
25:50The door to the ward was shoved open.
25:52Two figures.
25:53One tall.
25:54One small.
25:56Leo elbowed Mia aside and launched himself toward the head of my bed.
26:01Lena, you're finally awake.
26:04Where does it hurt?
26:07Everyone who wronged you.
26:10I've already taken care of it.
26:12I'd only been unconscious for one night, but the two of them looked like they'd lost me for decades.
26:19I'm fine, Ethan.
26:21Stop worrying.
26:22I turned to Leo.
26:24Son?
26:25Did Daddy scold you?
26:27Leo paused.
26:28His little mouth puckered and tears came.
26:30No!
26:31Daddy didn't scold me.
26:33You're lying.
26:35I couldn't stand it when Leo kept things from me.
26:38But he held his ground.
26:40Knowing Ethan's temperament, Leo had definitely gotten an earful.
26:43I pulled Leo into my arms.
26:45Then I shot Ethan a look.
26:47Ethan froze in place.
26:49Unmistakably guilty.
26:51Mama, I won't ever let you get hurt again.
26:54This time it was my fault.
26:56I'm sorry, Mama.
26:58My heart dissolved completely.
27:00Protecting Leo is something Mama is meant to do.
27:04Mama isn't blaming you.
27:06Mia took Leo out.
27:08Just Ethan and me left in the ward.
27:12He was insistent on checking my wounds himself.
27:15Ethan, the doctor already bandaged everything.
27:18He bent down anyway and blew softly on the wound.
27:23Lena, I promise there won't be a next time.
27:27All right.
27:28I believe you.
27:29I hold my life very dear, Ethan.
27:32Because I still have a whole lifetime to spend with you.
27:35His eyes smiled.
27:36Like a child's.
27:38Ethan and Leo absolutely insisted I stay in the healer's den for observation.
27:43A whole team of healers examined me from every angle.
27:46Multiple times.
27:48Only when every indicator came back normal did they clear me for discharge.
27:53Leo, pass Mama the...
27:54Lena.
27:55It's me.
27:56I was packing up, facing away from the door.
27:59My hands went still.
28:01I turned around.
28:03Damon.
28:06His face was still swollen.
28:08His whole body covered in wounds.
28:10But he had made himself presentable.
28:12He was wearing the dress shirt I had given him years ago.
28:15The one he had once said was ugly.
28:18Cheap looking.
28:19What do you want?
28:21He had slipped past Ethan's guards to find me.
28:23He had to have connections.
28:24I couldn't afford to act rashly.
28:26Don't be afraid.
28:27I'm not here to hurt you.
28:29Damon seemed to read the caution in me and spoke quickly.
28:31I just...
28:32I just...
28:33Just what?
28:35Lena, I still love you.
28:37When I think about you bonded to another male, carrying his children, I can't bear it.
28:43We can start over.
28:46Start over?
28:48Damon?
28:49When you drove me out of pack hall and made me the laughingstock of the entire pack, did you think
28:53about today?
28:56You come to me now with talk of love?
28:59Don't you find that revolting?
29:01Vivian was carrying my pup.
29:03I couldn't just...
29:04Just abandon the situation.
29:07And...
29:08You wouldn't have wanted a child growing up without a father.
29:11I laughed coldly.
29:12Children fall out of the sky, do they?
29:14If you'd kept control of yourself, how would you have accidentally gotten someone pregnant?
29:20And here you still are, making excuses for your own failures.
29:25The number of females you've been with, I've lost count.
29:28What makes you think I would ever come back?
29:30You're rotting meat.
29:32Why would you think I'd ever want to smell that again?
29:36The door flew open.
29:38Guards surged in and pinned Damon down.
29:40Ethan was the last one through the door, his expression black as char.
29:45Damon.
29:47Not dead fast enough, apparently.
29:50After confirming I was unharmed, he waved a hand and had the guards drag him out.
29:54As Damon was hauled away, he turned his head back.
29:58Ethan, you think she actually loves you?
30:02She only married you because of me!
30:04Ethan's fist connected.
30:06Damon went silent.
30:09He wasn't unaware of what I'd done to shield him.
30:12These years since we bonded, he'd carried a quiet insecurity inside him,
30:16always feeling like I didn't love him quite enough.
30:19I watched his back as he left the ward.
30:22It ached somewhere in me.
30:24As for Damon, I wanted him erased from my life entirely.
30:28That night, back at the Pack Lodge, I stood in the corridor for a while, just drifting in my thoughts.
30:36Wedding portraits from our bonding ceremony hung along the wall.
30:39In the photo, Ethan had eyes only for me.
30:42In the photo, my expression was distant.
30:46Back then, it was still an arranged union.
30:48I hadn't fully opened my heart yet.
30:50But over these years, I had long since fallen for this man.
30:55Completely.
30:57I lifted one of the frames from the wall.
30:59On the back of the frame.
31:01Photographs.
31:02Covering every inch.
31:04All of me.
31:05Only me.
31:07Starting from high school.
31:08One of me handing out flyers at the academy entrance.
31:11Another taken after my secondary school graduation.
31:13Walking home alone.
31:14He had loved me.
31:16Long before I ever knew who he was.
31:18Footsteps from the far end of the corridor.
31:21Ethan was coming back.
31:22He saw me sitting on the settee, holding those photos.
31:25His footsteps stopped.
31:27He came forward.
31:28Like a child who knew he'd done something wrong.
31:33Lena, how did you-
31:34I looked up.
31:35If you liked me that much, why didn't you come find me sooner?
31:39You let me waste all those years tangled up with someone like Damon.
31:44The photographs are beautiful, by the way.
31:46I love them.
31:48Lena, you're not angry?
31:50Angry about what?
31:52I was watching your life without you knowing.
31:54I'm not right in the head.
31:56You are not not right in the head.
31:58When I look at these, all I feel is love.
32:02So much of it.
32:03The man who was almost never anything but composed.
32:05His eyes filled with tears.
32:07Lena, I never dared hope you'd love me.
32:11I only ever wanted you to stay by my side.
32:15There you go again.
32:17Talking nonsense.
32:18You are all I see, Ethan.
32:21Every part of me.
32:22I had looked into his past afterward, abandoned by his birth parents as a child.
32:29His file wrote it simply.
32:31Foundling.
32:32Origin unknown.
32:34A foster father took him in, but never learned how to show warmth.
32:38In school, he was quiet.
32:40So quiet, no one dared approach him.
32:44Classmates gave him a nickname behind his back.
32:46The Mute Wolf.
32:47He never fought back.
32:49Every day, he sat alone at the farthest corner of the cafeteria.
32:52A single bowl of plain rice.
32:54No side dishes.
32:55Reading this, my eyes went hot.
32:57And then, I remembered something I had almost forgotten myself.
33:01Back in high school, I once cut through the neighboring academy and glanced into their cafeteria.
33:06I saw a boy.
33:08Sitting alone.
33:09Too thin.
33:10Uniform hanging loose off his shoulders.
33:13In front of him, just a bowl of white rice.
33:16All around him, students laughed and shoved.
33:19Not one looked at him.
33:20He was like an extra person this world had left over.
33:22I walked in.
33:24Pulled a handful of meal vouchers from my bag.
33:27The ones my mother gave me to treat friends with.
33:30Slapped them down on his table.
33:31Hey.
33:32From today on, you're under my wing.
33:35Lena's crew.
33:35Consider this your initiation fee.
33:37The boy lifted his head.
33:39Slowly.
33:40His eyes were dark.
33:42Dark like a well that had never seen sunlight.
33:44I got embarrassed.
33:46Scratched my head.
33:47And ran off.
33:48I never even asked his name.
33:49And that boy.
33:51Turned out to be Ethan.
33:53I sat there, shaking.
33:55Ethan lifted his head.
33:56Lena?
33:57Back then, were you wearing a washed out blue jacket?
34:01He froze.
34:02I watched his face change.
34:04Inch by inch.
34:05Shock.
34:07Disbelief.
34:07Something raw enough to break.
34:09You...
34:10You remember?
34:11He dropped to his knees in front of me.
34:13Like his legs had given out.
34:14I thought you'd forgotten long ago.
34:17I thought all these years it was only mine to carry.
34:24He reached into the inner pocket against his chest.
34:27Drew out a worn leather wallet.
34:29Opened it.
34:30Inside.
34:31A single meal voucher.
34:33Yellowed.
34:34Soft at the corners from being rubbed between fingers.
34:38Over and over.
34:39This one's...
34:40The last.
34:41The others...
34:42I couldn't bear to spend them.
34:43They expired.
34:44Only this one.
34:45I kept on me.
34:46Always.
34:47Every time I felt like I couldn't go on, I'd take it out and look at it.
34:50To tell myself...
34:51Once, in this world, there was a girl who thought I was worth the price of a meal.
34:54My tears fell onto the yellowed voucher.
34:57What I had called a single moment of soft-heartedness was the light that had carried him through his entire
35:03adolescence.
35:04I lifted his face.
35:06Looked into those same dark eyes from the cafeteria corner.
35:09Ethan.
35:10From today on, it's my turn to watch you.
35:16And this time, you're not allowed to make yourself small anymore.
35:20He didn't speak.
35:21Just buried his face in my palms.
35:23Warm.
35:23Wet.
35:24Falling.
35:25One drop at a time.
35:26This man, who never bowed his head in front of the entire pack,
35:30was crying into my hands like that boy no one ever saw.
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