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مسلسل لقد عبثوا مع لونا الخطأ كامل


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