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When Moonlight Turns to Ashes is an emotional werewolf fantasy romance short drama filled with rejected mates, pack betrayal, hidden identities, ancient prophecies, and second-chance love. After being abandoned by the Alpha she trusted most, a young wolf shifter leaves her pack behind and embarks on a journey to uncover the truth about her bloodline. As war erupts between rival packs and forgotten secrets come to light, she discovers that her destiny is far greater than anyone imagined. Torn between revenge and forgiveness, she must decide whether to embrace the future—or let the past burn to ashes.

I couldn't verify an official synopsis for a vertical short drama released under the exact title When Moonlight Turns to Ashes. The description above is based on the promotional artwork and common werewolf-drama themes rather than a confirmed official plot.

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Transcript
00:00:00For three years, my alpha mate never mocked me.
00:00:05Every night, he drugged my dinner with wolf bear sedative so I would sleep until dawn,
00:00:10while he went to the pureblood she-wolf who claimed she had saved his life.
00:00:14The entire Black Pine pack believed I was too weak to be Luna, too unstable to carry an alpha heir.
00:00:21They did not know that three years ago, the one who dragged Kaylin out of a silver hunter trap
00:00:25and fed him her own wolf blood to keep his inner wolf alive was never Vivian.
00:00:28It was me, but when he pushed me in front of a little blade to protect her
00:00:33and the so-called alpha pup in her belly, I finally understood.
00:00:40The truth no longer mattered. I would sever the mate bon.
00:00:44I would disappear from the pack registry.
00:00:48From tonight on, the Black Pine pack would no longer carry my scent.
00:00:52And no Luna named Serena Vale would ever kneel before the moon goddess altar again,
00:00:56waiting for Kaylin Black to come home.
00:01:02In the third year of my mate contract with Kaylin Black,
00:01:05he still had not marked me.
00:01:09I was the Luna of the Black Pine pack in name.
00:01:11The Elder's Council had stamped our contract with a moonstone seal
00:01:14and entered me into the pack registry as the alpha's mate.
00:01:17But by true werewolf law, no mark meant no mind link.
00:01:20No mind link meant no shared pain, no shared scent trail.
00:01:24No true bond.
00:01:26It meant I was only a decorative shadow living in the alpha residence.
00:01:30For three years, I tried everything.
00:01:34I learned the full moon ritual dance.
00:01:37I drank scent-enhancing tonics prescribed by the pack healer.
00:01:40At my most desperate, I went alone to the neutral market and bought a vial of Moonbreath Essence.
00:01:45This is a sex toy, capable of setting a male wolf ablaze with desire.
00:01:50During the trade, the witch kindly gave me a warning.
00:01:53Luna, be careful.
00:01:55Sometimes what rejects you is not his body.
00:01:58It is his heart.
00:02:00Even then, I defended Caelan in my mind.
00:02:04He had once been tortured by silver hunters.
00:02:07Perhaps he did not touch me because he still had not healed.
00:02:12Therefore, I politely said to the witch,
00:02:15Thank you for the warning, but my partner is absolutely not that kind of person.
00:02:20Loyalty is a werewolf's very nature.
00:02:22The witch looked at me sympathetically inside, but said nothing more.
00:02:28But as soon as I stepped out of the black market alley,
00:02:31I saw Caelan's Gamma Guard leaving another shop with a heavy bag.
00:02:34Inside were premium scent blockers, wolf-based sleeping powder,
00:02:38and heat suppresses made only for pure-blood she-wolves.
00:02:42If you get any new Moonbreath silk gowns, save one for the Alpha.
00:02:45Miss Vivian likes them.
00:02:47I stood in the rain, my fingertips going cold.
00:02:51Vivian? Who is Vivian?
00:02:53Why would my Aleph partner go to such length for her?
00:02:57A wolf could track a scent for miles.
00:03:00I followed the faint trail of cedar and mint that belonged to Caelan,
00:03:04all the way to a side house,
00:03:06near the edge of Blackpote territory.
00:03:08The door was not fully shut.
00:03:10Low male laughter leaked through the gap.
00:03:15Alpha, is Miss Vivian staying the night again?
00:03:23If not for the Elders,
00:03:24why would you have taken a low-born healer like Serena as Luna?
00:03:28Her wolf spirit is as weak as a pup's.
00:03:31How could she ever stand beside you?
00:03:36She still brews you those recovery tonics every day.
00:03:39Does she really not know?
00:03:40You are not unable to mark.
00:03:41You just do not want to mark her.
00:03:44The next second,
00:03:46Caelan's voice cut through the room like ice.
00:03:49Enough.
00:03:52Silence fell at once.
00:03:56She is my registered mate,
00:03:58and the Luna of Blackpine.
00:04:00If I ever hear you mocking her again,
00:04:02I will tear out your fangs.
00:04:04I almost laughed.
00:04:05He protected my title while standing beside another woman's bed.
00:04:08Then a woman's cool voice sounded from inside.
00:04:11Caelan, I only want you to let me go.
00:04:12We had a deal.
00:04:13I satisfy your instincts,
00:04:15and you give me a place in the full moon dance trope.
00:04:17Do not keep me trapped here.
00:04:18Facing this woman,
00:04:19Caelan's voice,
00:04:20which just moments ago had been cold,
00:04:22turned incredibly gentle.
00:04:24Vivian,
00:04:25do you think I keep you beside me only for that?
00:04:28Miss Vivian,
00:04:29for three years,
00:04:31he has come here almost every night.
00:04:34To keep the Luna from suspecting anything,
00:04:37he put wolf sleeping powder in her dinner
00:04:40so she would sleep until morning.
00:04:44Another laughed.
00:04:46And the Luna still thinks his wolf is damaged.
00:04:49She brews him medicine every day.
00:04:52She brews him medicine every day.
00:04:54My blood felt as if it had been filled with liquid silver.
00:05:01So it turns out my partner really was just as the witch said.
00:05:05Their heart was never truly with me.
00:05:10Every empty morning I had woken to,
00:05:12every excuse I had made for him,
00:05:14every bowl of medicine I had simmered until dawn,
00:05:16had been a joke.
00:05:17The Black Pine elders had always blamed me
00:05:19for not conceiving an alpha ear.
00:05:21They said my wolf spirit was too weak,
00:05:24my bloodline too unstable,
00:05:25and my Luna blessing too thin to nourish the pack.
00:05:31Kaelin's mother once forced me to kneel
00:05:33before the Moon Goddess altar
00:05:34and drink a fertility draped
00:05:36mixed with ash and powdered wolf thing.
00:05:39It was the middle of winter.
00:05:42I knelt until my knees bruised purple
00:05:44and my fingers went numb.
00:05:49Kaelin had carried me up from the altar
00:05:51and whispered,
00:05:53Do not force yourself.
00:05:55I will speak to the Elder Council.
00:05:58I thought that was love.
00:06:03Now I knew it was only his way
00:06:05of keeping his reputation intact.
00:06:06My legs weakened.
00:06:08I stumbled against a moonstone lamp beside the door.
00:06:11It crashed to the ground.
00:06:19Who's there?
00:06:20I tried to leave,
00:06:21but a Gamma guard dragged me inside.
00:06:28My forehead struck the stone steps
00:06:30and warm blood ran down my brow.
00:06:36Kaelin saw my face.
00:06:37His pupils contracted.
00:06:40Serena?
00:06:43He dropped to one knee
00:06:44and reached for my wound.
00:06:45I turned my face at this my face away.
00:06:52Vivian stood barefoot by the bed
00:06:53wrapped in his black coat.
00:06:55There was no guilt in her eyes.
00:07:00Luna, do not look at me like that.
00:07:03Kaelin was the one who kept chasing me.
00:07:06He was the one who drugged you.
00:07:12Women should have sympathy for women.
00:07:14Why are you only blaming me?
00:07:17I did not answer.
00:07:18I looked at the oxidian blade at Kaelin's waist.
00:07:25Give me the knife.
00:07:28Kaelin stared at the blood on my forehead.
00:07:31Panic flickered in his eyes.
00:07:34Give me the knife.
00:07:39Serena, stop this.
00:07:40Perhaps he felt guilty.
00:07:42Perhaps he had never imagined I would fight back.
00:07:44In the end,
00:07:46Kaelin unfastened the blade and placed it in my hand.
00:07:51The hilt still held the warmth of his body.
00:07:53I tightened my fingers around it,
00:07:55turned,
00:07:56and drove it into his arm.
00:08:00Everyone in the room gasped.
00:08:04Kaelin did not dodge.
00:08:05He only frowned and asked in a low voice.
00:08:08Do you feel better now?
00:08:10This cut is what you owe me.
00:08:13I released the blade and turned toward Vivian.
00:08:15She instinctively stepped back,
00:08:17fear finally...
00:08:23But before I could reach her,
00:08:24Kaelin seized my wrist.
00:08:26What are you doing?
00:08:27His grip was so hard it felt as if my bones would shatter.
00:08:30Deep inside me,
00:08:31my wolf whimpered in pain,
00:08:33but she was too weak
00:08:34after three years of sedatives and wolfbane to rise.
00:08:40I was the one who kept her here.
00:08:42If you are angry,
00:08:43take it out on me.
00:08:45Do not touch her.
00:08:47I had heard those words before.
00:08:49In the first year of our mate contract,
00:08:51a warrior from another pack mocked me at a banquet.
00:08:54Kaelin broke the warrior's nose in front of everyone
00:08:55and said the same thing.
00:09:01She is mine.
00:09:03Who gave you the right to touch her?
00:09:06Back then,
00:09:07I thought I had finally found someone to rely on.
00:09:10Now he stood in the same posture,
00:09:12protecting another woman from me.
00:09:16Kaelin, we're done.
00:09:20A sharp crack came from my wrist.
00:09:22Pain flashed white behind my eyes.
00:09:27I looked up and laughed once.
00:09:31Kaelin, let's sever the mate haunt.
00:09:34The room went dead silent.
00:09:37His expression changed at last.
00:09:40What did you say?
00:09:41I want to leave Blackthorn.
00:09:43I want my name removed from the pack registry.
00:09:48I reject you.
00:09:51And I reject this mate contract.
00:09:54Vivian froze.
00:09:56Then a satisfied light flashed in her eyes.
00:09:59Kaelin looked as if he had heard something absurd.
00:10:04He bent and pinched my chin.
00:10:06Anger stirring beneath his forced control.
00:10:10You were the one who knelt outside the council chamber
00:10:13and begged me to accept this contract.
00:10:15Now you think you can leave whenever you want.
00:10:20Yes, I am done pegging.
00:10:23That night, with a broken wrist and blood still drying on my face,
00:10:27I walked into the moon goddess altar.
00:10:30The pack matriarch sat at the center of the elder seats.
00:10:34Her old eyes held no pity.
00:10:37Only cold offense.
00:10:40Aluna who initiates Bond's severment must first receive 99 lashes as preliminary punishment.
00:10:45After that, the neutral register will review the petition,
00:10:48cut off the pack link,
00:10:49remove her name from the registry,
00:10:50and ban her from Blackvode territory.
00:10:52Are you sure?
00:10:53I am.
00:10:54I pressed my forehead to the stone floor.
00:10:56My wound reopened,
00:10:58leaving blood on the altar.
00:11:03The first whip fell before dawn.
00:11:09By the time it ended,
00:11:11I could no longer tell whether the blood on my back was mine or the wolf spirit's inside me.
00:11:16My wolf spirit was very weak,
00:11:18yet it spoke to me.
00:11:21You made the right choice.
00:11:23Rather than staying by the side of a man who doesn't love you,
00:11:27and getting hurt in the process,
00:11:29I would much rather see you be free.
00:11:37I was carried back to the Luna suite with a fever.
00:11:43Servants were carrying boxes of gowns, jewelry, and ceremonial ornaments into the hall.
00:11:47Kellen walked in holding at Vivian's hand.
00:11:49She looked reluctant,
00:11:51but the moonstone bracelet on her wrist was the one he had once promised to give me at our marking
00:11:54ceremony.
00:11:56Kellen saw me leaning on the railing.
00:11:57His brows drew together.
00:12:02After the scene you caused yesterday,
00:12:04the side house is no longer safe for Aunt Vivian.
00:12:06She is a full moon dancer.
00:12:08Her reputation and safety matter.
00:12:10From today on,
00:12:11she will stay in the Alpha residence.
00:12:12His tone made it sound as if he were announcing weather.
00:12:16This happened because you lost control at Serena.
00:12:19So you will take care of her.
00:12:22You want the Luna you drugged to serve your mistress?
00:12:28I do not need your charity.
00:12:29The pack matriarch arrived just then.
00:12:31She heard Vivian's words and showed no anger.
00:12:34Instead, she took Vivian's hand with rare kindness.
00:12:36Poor child.
00:12:37Your mother was once my dearest friend.
00:12:39If not for what happened to your family,
00:12:41the Luna position should have been yours.
00:12:42I stood on the stairs and watched the woman who had beaten and hemiriated me
00:12:45treat Aunt Vivian like a blessing sent by the moon goddess.
00:12:48Something in me went completely numb.
00:12:55I slowly took off the partner ring.
00:12:57The one belonging to Kellen and me.
00:13:13Over the next few days,
00:13:14I packed my few belongings while tending to my wounds.
00:13:17Vivian found fault with everything.
00:13:20The water I brought was not at the right temperature.
00:13:23The herbs I prepared were too bitter.
00:13:25The pillow I placed behind her back
00:13:27was an insult because it made her look like an invalid.
00:13:32Luna?
00:13:33Are you doing this on purpose?
00:13:36Do you want everyone to think I am bullying you?
00:13:38When the pack matriarch punished me for it,
00:13:40Vivian said I was kneeling too low on purpose,
00:13:43pretending to be a victim to shame her.
00:13:46A Luna without grace is more shaming than an Omega.
00:13:49Kneel until you remember your place.
00:13:51One evening,
00:13:52after she accused me of washing her dance down
00:13:54with the wrong moonflower soap,
00:13:56I was made to kneel at the altar for an entire day.
00:13:59I used to look at Vivian's graceful body and feel ashamed.
00:14:03I used to thought I was not worthy.
00:14:05Now I only felt sick.
00:14:07When I returned to my room,
00:14:08I burned the moon breath gowns I had once prepared for Kaelin.
00:14:14Watching the silk curl into ash,
00:14:16I felt the last of my old dignity burn with it.
00:14:20As I reached for the last gown,
00:14:22the door was kicked open.
00:14:26A slap landed hard across my face.
00:14:30I fell to the floor.
00:14:34Kaelin's-
00:14:35You have really disappointed me.
00:14:38My voice was soft,
00:14:39but it did not shake.
00:14:41I did not add wolf find to her water.
00:14:47Vivian stepped out from behind Kaelin.
00:14:49Her face was pale,
00:14:50her eyes wet.
00:14:52Luna,
00:14:52I know you hate me,
00:14:54but I am a full moon dancer.
00:14:55My wolf spirit cannot be harmed.
00:14:58How could you be so cruel?
00:14:59She pressed a hand to her heart,
00:15:01as if she might collapse.
00:15:03I looked at Kaelin.
00:15:08Do you believe her?
00:15:12His gaze fell on the moon breath gown half burned behind me.
00:15:15It was pale gold,
00:15:16woven from moonvine silk that could amplify a wolf's scent.
00:15:20I had once blushed while imagining wearing it for him under the full moon.
00:15:26Kaelin laughed suddenly,
00:15:27and the sound was full of disgust.
00:15:29No wonder you needed that thing.
00:15:31You cannot attract your own alpha,
00:15:33so you rely on black market witches,
00:15:35cheap potions,
00:15:36and filthy tricks.
00:15:37It felt as if something had carved open my chest.
00:15:42Kaelin,
00:15:42is this the image you have of me?
00:15:44He walked to me,
00:15:45gripped my jaw,
00:15:46and forced my mouth open.
00:15:53Since you enjoy drugging others,
00:15:55taste it yourself.
00:16:02I finally struggled.
00:16:04My broken wrist hit the table.
00:16:06Pain nearly knocked me unconscious,
00:16:09but Kaelin's alpha command pressed down on me,
00:16:11and my knees went weak against my will.
00:16:15Drink.
00:16:17He issued the command,
00:16:18then ruthlessly mixed wolfbrain powder with cold water and poured it down my throat.
00:16:26This is the price you pay for trying to hurt Vivian.
00:16:31Kaelin forced bowl after bowl of cold water laced with wolfsbeam down my throat.
00:16:37I choked until I coughed blood.
00:16:40At last,
00:16:41I collapsed on the floor and heard Kaelin say coldly,
00:16:45Send her back to her room.
00:16:47Send her back to her room.
00:16:47Let her reflect.
00:16:52The next few days,
00:16:53my body felt as if it belonged to a stranger.
00:16:57My face swolled.
00:16:58My limbs turned heavy.
00:17:00Even my own scent became muddy and unfamiliar.
00:17:02The woman in the mirror had dull eyes and a pale neck.
00:17:08Kaelin did not visit me once.
00:17:12On the fifth day,
00:17:13he pushed open the door in a formal black suit.
00:17:16Vivian's rose and cedar scent clung to him.
00:17:19Tomorrow is Vivian's birthday banquet.
00:17:21He looked down at me from above.
00:17:23You are still the Luna in name.
00:17:26You will arrange the banquet yourself.
00:17:28I want every werewolf in the Black Pine Pack
00:17:31to clearly understand Vivian's standing within the pack.
00:17:37And what place is that?
00:17:39His gaze darkened.
00:17:40I slowly seestood,
00:17:42using the bedpost for support.
00:17:44Every step sent cramps through my abdomen
00:17:46from the wolfbine reaction.
00:17:47Your lover?
00:17:48The woman you truly want to mark?
00:17:50Or the new Luna you want me to welcome
00:17:52with my own hands.
00:17:56At Serena,
00:17:57know your limits.
00:18:02My limit?
00:18:04I thought you had already stepped over all of them.
00:18:07For the first time,
00:18:08he looked unsettled by my expression.
00:18:13But he quickly hardened his voice.
00:18:20If you behave,
00:18:21after the banquet,
00:18:23I will ask the healer to treat your body.
00:18:25The Luna position will remain yours.
00:18:30The Luna position.
00:18:35The empty shell he had tossed to me again and again.
00:18:38That night,
00:18:39while the servants prepared the hall,
00:18:41I wrote to the neutral registry again.
00:18:46If Blackbine would not let me go in dignity,
00:18:49then I would leave in blood.
00:18:53On the night of Vivian's full moon banquet,
00:18:56the Alpha residents blazed with lights.
00:18:59Vivian wore a pure white ceremonial dancing gown,
00:19:02with the moonstone gifted to her by Killen adorning her hair.
00:19:05She stood beside him as if the entire Blackbine pock
00:19:09had already accepted her as their new Luna.
00:19:12I stood in the shadows,
00:19:13draped in a loose gray cloak,
00:19:15attempting to conceal a body twisted beyond recognitionness by Wolfsbane.
00:19:19Guests whispered openly,
00:19:23That is the Blackbine Luna?
00:19:25She looks as if her wolf spirit has been drained.
00:19:29No wonder the Alpha never marked her.
00:19:31Miss Vivian is pure-blooded and a full moon dancer.
00:19:34She looks far more capable of bearing an Alpha pup.
00:19:42Kaelin heard them.
00:19:44He only lowered his head,
00:19:46and adjusted Vivian's shrule with a tenderness,
00:19:49that stabbed my eyes.
00:19:51Someone raised a glass.
00:19:54Alpha, it seems Blackbine will soon have a true mistress.
00:19:58Kaelin gave a rare smile.
00:20:02She deserves the best.
00:20:07Inside my sleeve,
00:20:09my fingers tightened around
00:20:11the blood-stamped severance application.
00:20:14Just as I was about to walk toward the neutral register,
00:20:16a roar came from the edge of the crowd.
00:20:23An exiled rogue wolf burst into the hall.
00:20:25His eyes were bloodshut,
00:20:26and in his hand was a short blade coated with silver water.
00:20:29Kaelin Black!
00:20:30You destroyed my pack!
00:20:32Now I will let you know what it feels like
00:20:34to lose the one you treasure most!
00:20:37He lunged straight at At-Vivian's abdomen.
00:20:41Kaelin's face changed.
00:20:49Before I could react,
00:20:51a powerful hand locked around my shoulder.
00:20:56Kaelin pushed me forward.
00:20:57The silver blade entered my abdomen.
00:21:00My inner wolf screamed as if she had been torn apart.
00:21:03Silver water burned through flesh and blood,
00:21:06spreading from the wound like a thousand needles crawling under my skin.
00:21:11I looked down and saw my cloak turning red.
00:21:19For one heartbeat,
00:21:21the hall was silent.
00:21:23Then screams exploded.
00:21:25Before darkness swallowed me,
00:21:26I saw Kaelin rush toward me,
00:21:28his eyes red as if he had finally learned fear.
00:21:34When I woke,
00:21:35I was lying in the pack healing center.
00:21:39My abdomen was wrapped in thick bandages.
00:21:42Silver poison still lingered in my blood,
00:21:44and every breath made me tremble.
00:21:46Kaelin sat beside the bed,
00:21:47his eyes lined with red.
00:21:49He held my hand tightly.
00:21:52You're awake.
00:21:54The healer said the blade almost touched your core bloodline,
00:21:57but luckily...
00:21:59It hurts so much, Kaelin.
00:22:07Kaelin stopped.
00:22:09I turned my head to look at him.
00:22:12When you pushed me in front of the blade,
00:22:14did you wonder if it would hurt?
00:22:17His throat moved.
00:22:18He avoided my eyes.
00:22:20Vivian is a full moon dancer.
00:22:22She cannot have a silver scar on her body.
00:22:24I did not think that much in the moment.
00:22:28I thought you could dodge.
00:22:32I smiled faintly.
00:22:36He always thought I could endure.
00:22:39He always thought I would survive.
00:22:41He always thought that after the wound closed,
00:22:43I would still remain where he had left me.
00:22:47Kaelin gripped my hand harder.
00:22:52The rogue has been caught.
00:22:54I will make him pay.
00:22:58I looked at him calmly.
00:23:00And you?
00:23:04His face went still.
00:23:06Before he could answer,
00:23:08Vivian's voice came from outside the door.
00:23:09They were congratulating her.
00:23:12Kaelin lowered his gaze and said in a complicated tone.
00:23:15There is something else.
00:23:17Vivian is pregnant.
00:23:19My fingers went numb.
00:23:22The healer said your wound is deep.
00:23:24In the future,
00:23:25you may not be able to carry a puppy.
00:23:27But the moon goddess has not abandoned you.
00:23:30Vivian's child will be the alpha heir.
00:23:32When the pup is born,
00:23:33it can call you mother as well.
00:23:38I stared at him for a long time.
00:23:42Then I laughed until tears came out.
00:23:49So this was you called mercy.
00:23:51He had used my body to block a blade for his mistress and her fake tenderness.
00:23:54Then he wanted me to raise her pup and be grateful.
00:23:58But I have already decided to leave him.
00:24:00I will no longer grieve or weep over anything he does.
00:24:05The next day,
00:24:06I asked the neutral register to prepare the formal severance petition.
00:24:11But before the document could reach the elders' council,
00:24:14Vivian came to my room.
00:24:15She stood beside my bed holding a bouquet of moon-breath flowers,
00:24:19her voice dripping with false sweetness.
00:24:22Serena, I am truly sorry.
00:24:25I never knew Kaelin would push you forward to save me.
00:24:27Her mouth apologized.
00:24:29Her eyes laughed.
00:24:31I looked at the flowers and felt sick.
00:24:33Apology received.
00:24:34Get out.
00:24:36The smile froze on her face.
00:24:41Do you hate me that much?
00:24:43I was a victim too.
00:24:46I opened my eyes and looked at her.
00:24:48Perhaps you once were.
00:24:49But Kaelin isn't here now.
00:24:50No one will be watching your performance.
00:24:52Her face changed.
00:24:53She threw the flowers into the spittle wheel beside the bed and lowered her voice.
00:24:56Do you know what is most pathetic about you, At Serena?
00:24:58You occupied the Luna position for three years, and he still refused to give you even one mark.
00:25:06She leaned closer, carrying Kaelin's melanin's pheromone on her skin.
00:25:12The way he loses control with me is something you will never see in your lifetime.
00:25:17My fingers slowly clenched.
00:25:19If my family had not been framed by hunters, the Black Pine Luna position would have belonged to me from
00:25:24the beginning.
00:25:27You are nothing but the low-born substitute, the elders, forced on him.
00:25:31I remained expressionless, and even found her somewhat ridiculous.
00:25:39If you want it so much, take it.
00:25:42I have already applied to sever the mate bond.
00:25:44Vivian froze for a second.
00:25:46Then she burst out laughing.
00:25:50You think Kaelin will let you leave?
00:25:52Unless Black Pine decides you are too filthy to keep.
00:25:54Upon hearing this, I was inexplicably seized by a vague sense of forbidden, and couldn't help but demand an explanation.
00:26:02What are you trying to do?
00:26:04Aren't you afraid Kaelin will find out your true colors?
00:26:07Vivian said nothing more, merely giving me a sinister smile.
00:26:12You'll find out soon enough.
00:26:16Before long, I understood what Vivian meant.
00:26:23Late that night, a bombshell news story suddenly erupted on Facebook.
00:26:28The Black Pine Alpha hides pure-blood she-wolf, registered Luna reduced to decoration.
00:26:35Vivian accused of stealing Luna status and using a pup to force succession.
00:26:40Photos of Vivian Anne moving into the Alpha residence, and sent records of Kaelin visiting the side house late at
00:26:45night spread through the werewolf community.
00:26:47The entire society mocked Black Pine.
00:26:51The door to my room was kicked open.
00:26:56Kaelin threw a stack of printed Facebook posts into my face.
00:26:59Did you post that on Facebook?
00:27:01Is this what you wanted?
00:27:02To ruin me, Vivian, and the entire pack?
00:27:05His eyes burned with rage.
00:27:06You did it!
00:27:07You destroyed Vivian's reputation!
00:27:09You let her be humiliated by all of werewolf society while carrying a pup!
00:27:13Serena, when did you become this vile?
00:27:18I pressed a hand over my wound, cold sweat sliding down my back.
00:27:23It was not me.
00:27:24Vivian followed him in, tears falling at the perfect time.
00:27:27She rushed forward and slapped me hard.
00:27:29Do you know how much I grificed to enter the full moon troop?
00:27:32Now every pack is calling me a she-wolf who stole Luna's spot.
00:27:35Do you want to force me to die for-
00:27:37My face turned with a blow.
00:27:40I tasted blood.
00:27:47Then I laughed boldly.
00:27:50Did I force you to become his mistress?
00:27:53Did I force you to carry his scent?
00:27:57Vivian, if you dare to steal, why are you afraid of being maimed?
00:28:02Kaelin seized my throat.
00:28:09What right do you have to talk about shame?
00:28:11Don't forget that lingerie you bought just to seduce me.
00:28:17His words were worse than claws.
00:28:21When you wagged your tail and begged me to mark you,
00:28:27where was your shame then?
00:28:29My pupils trembled.
00:28:36Those desperate attempts I had to save our bond
00:28:39had become the blade he used to humiliate me.
00:28:44Kaelin released my throat and stepped back.
00:28:49Since you like exposing people so much,
00:28:53I will let everyone see what kind of Luna you really are.
00:28:57Half a day later, my photos appeared on Facebook.
00:29:00The vial of Moonbreath Essence.
00:29:01The footage of me practicing the full moon dance.
00:29:04The back view of me standing before a mirror in a Moonbreath silk gown.
00:29:07All of it had been posted by Kaelin himself.
00:29:10Worse, he attached a re-photo of me swollen and distorted from Wolf's loss.
00:29:19The comments from Blackpain changed instantly.
00:29:22So the Luna is shameless and private.
00:29:25No wonder the Alpha never marked her.
00:29:27With that muddy scent, who could bear to bite her?
00:29:30At least Vivian has pure blood.
00:29:32A lowborn healer should never have dreamed of becoming Luna.
00:29:35The Elder's Council was furious.
00:29:41Luna!
00:29:42They said I had disgraced the title of Luna and damaged the pack's reputation.
00:29:47Before my abdominal wound had healed,
00:29:49I was dragged into the punishment chamber behind the Moon Goddess altar.
00:30:00It was a stone room lined with silver runes.
00:30:09Silver was not decoration.
00:30:10It was punishment.
00:30:12Every carved line released a chill that pierced the wolf spirit.
00:30:15My wound began to burn,
00:30:17and the silver poison left in my blood woke again.
00:30:19The pack matriarch stood outside the iron door.
00:30:21If you admit that you slandered Vivian on Facebook,
00:30:24the Council can show mercy.
00:30:26I asked back.
00:30:28Weakly, yet stubbornly.
00:30:33How merciful.
00:30:36You will remain in Black Pintus the Luna in name.
00:30:40After Vivian gives birth to the Alpha pup.
00:30:43You will raise it.
00:30:45Not!
00:30:46Then punish me harder!
00:30:48For half a wunkth, I was locked in that chamber.
00:30:52Gamma Guard.
00:30:54Every day, they forced bitter cleansing medicine down my throat,
00:30:58saying it would wash away my low-born desire.
00:31:08Outside the door, they played Facebook insults over and over,
00:31:11along with news that Kaylin and Vivian would soon hold a mate mate.
00:31:14Reopened again and again without proper healing herbs.
00:31:21My foe curled in the dark and almost stopped answering me.
00:31:25At last, the neutral register came with the severance contract.
00:31:28Miss Serena,
00:31:29by law, once you press your blood seal,
00:31:31your name will be removed from the Black Pine registry.
00:31:33You will lose Black Pine protection,
00:31:34the title of Alpha Mate,
00:31:36and you will suffer mate bond backlash.
00:31:39I know.
00:31:42Alpha Kaylin has not signed.
00:31:46He will.
00:31:47He threw me in here because he wanted me to bow.
00:31:52I no longer had the strength to hold a pen.
00:31:54I bit my fingertip and pressed blood onto the end of the contract.
00:31:57I bit my fingertip and pressed blood onto the end of the contract.
00:32:09The moment the seal formed,
00:32:11I felt an invisible sharp claw suddenly tear through my chest.
00:32:18Kaylin's cedar and mint scent faded from my senses little by little.
00:32:22The bond the moon goddess had once tied between us,
00:32:25the bond he had trampled for three years,
00:32:27finally snapped.
00:32:30Pain shook my whole body.
00:32:33But I smiled.
00:32:43At dawn,
00:32:44I walked out of the punishment chamber with a small bag.
00:32:47The neutral register led me through the back gate of Black Pine territory.
00:32:51Rain fell over the border road.
00:32:54Behind me stood the Alpha residence where I had wasted three years of my life.
00:32:58No one came to send me off.
00:33:00No one knew that the Luna they mocked had already vanished from the pack link.
00:33:06Miss Vale,
00:33:07once you cross this border,
00:33:09Black Pine law can no longer protect you.
00:33:11Are you still certain?
00:33:15I looked back only once.
00:33:17The altar bells were silent.
00:33:19The windows of the Alpha residence were dark.
00:33:22No one was running towards me.
00:33:28I am certain.
00:33:36Then may the moon goddess witness your freedom.
00:33:46I stepped onto the train bound for the southern neutral lands and did not look back.
00:33:59Never to meet again.
00:34:00Kaylin.
00:34:04Only later did I learn that on the day I left,
00:34:07Kaylin had waited outside the altar gate.
00:34:09He thought the elders were only teaching me a lesson.
00:34:12He thought I would come out wounded and exhausted,
00:34:14then lower my head again after he said,
00:34:16stop making trouble.
00:34:17His friend at Seth was there too.
00:34:19Alpha,
00:34:20aren't you afraid the Luna will hate you after this?
00:34:22Kaylin lit a cigarette and said coldly,
00:34:23She endured the strictest,
00:34:25most brutal punishments,
00:34:26all just to remain by my side.
00:34:28She simply could not bring herself to hate me.
00:34:30Kaylin stubbed out his cigarette and said,
00:34:32sounding as if he were utterly helpless.
00:34:34Serena has been far too unruly of late.
00:34:36Not only has she been constantly targeting Vivian,
00:34:39but she has also harmed both her and the pup she carries in her womb.
00:34:42Serena must learn to exercise proper restraint over her temper.
00:34:45As the pack's Luna,
00:34:45she cannot continue to behave so irresponsibly.
00:34:47Just before the altar gate opened,
00:34:48Vivian's maid ran over,
00:34:49claiming Vivian had stomach pain and might lose the Alpha pup.
00:34:51Alpha,
00:34:52Miss Vivian is in pain.
00:34:52The healer said the pup may be unstable.
00:34:54Please come quickly.
00:34:55Kaylin left at once.
00:34:57Seth,
00:34:58wait here.
00:34:58When Serena comes out,
00:35:00take her to a side room to recover.
00:35:01But at Seth had already been bought by Vivian.
00:35:04He watched the neutral registrar lead my way.
00:35:07He saw the blood seal on the severance contract.
00:35:10He saw the Elder remove my name from the Blackfoon Pack registry.
00:35:14The Alpha is on his way to you.
00:35:16Serena will be driven out of Blackpore.
00:35:23Kaylin stayed at the healing center with at Vivian all night.
00:35:31The at healer Seif said she was merely emotional and the pup was not in danger.
00:35:36Kaylin held her hand and murmured,
00:35:40I will suppress the rumors.
00:35:42When Serena comes out,
00:35:43I will make her apologize.
00:35:49Vivian leaned into his arms and tested him.
00:35:53Kaylin,
00:35:54I do not want our pup to be born as an unregistered child.
00:35:57I do not want you trapped between two women forever.
00:36:01If you love me,
00:36:03why not officially sever your contract with Serena and give us a real home?
00:36:11Helen was silent for a long time.
00:36:15For a fleeting moment,
00:36:16he recalled the sight of Serena lying in her hospital bed,
00:36:19pale-faced and hollow-eyed,
00:36:21whispering,
00:36:22it hurts so much.
00:36:24But he pushed that memory away.
00:36:27Do not bring this up again.
00:36:29Serena cannot survive outside Blackpore.
00:36:32She has been my Luna for three years.
00:36:37I will let her keep the title.
00:36:39The title.
00:36:43Three days later,
00:36:44he finally realizes that Serena,
00:36:46Serena had left.
00:36:48Serena's room was empty.
00:36:50The wardrobe was bare.
00:36:51The desk, too,
00:36:53was completely empty.
00:36:55Beneath the pillow lay nothing but a single moonstone ring.
00:37:00It was the very token he had casually slipped onto her finger on the day,
00:37:03the very day,
00:37:05he and Serena had signed their contract.
00:37:07It was not a mark.
00:37:09It was not a vow.
00:37:10It was an afterthought.
00:37:13Kaylin held the pin ring and panicked for the first time.
00:37:17Serena,
00:37:19where did you go?
00:37:22But when he asked at Seth,
00:37:24Seth lied.
00:37:26She came out cursing you and Miss Viviana.
00:37:28She said,
00:37:29you two deserve to lose everything.
00:37:31Then she left on her own.
00:37:33No one could stop her.
00:37:35The look of concern in Kaylin's eyes instantly turned to ice.
00:37:38He had promised to treat Serena after Vivian's birthday banquet.
00:37:41He had even gone so far as to arrange for the province's most elite healers,
00:37:45terrified that Serena's injuries might leave scars.
00:37:47Yet now,
00:37:48it turned out that Serena had already repaid him with a malicious curse.
00:37:55Then do not look for her.
00:37:57If she wants to leave,
00:37:58let her never come back.
00:38:00Seth bowed his head and did not dare speak.
00:38:04Only Vivian walked to Kaylin's side and slipped his palm over her abdomen.
00:38:12Do not be angry because of her.
00:38:14Our pup just kicked me.
00:38:16He must be strong,
00:38:17just like his father.
00:38:22Kaylin's expression eased a little.
00:38:24At that moment,
00:38:25the pack matriarch contacted him through the pack link.
00:38:29Kaylin,
00:38:30I heard At Vivian is carrying your pup.
00:38:33Kaylin glanced at At Vivian and answered,
00:38:36Yes.
00:38:37Then the mate banquet should be held first.
00:38:39As for the official red registry,
00:38:42wait until the pup is born.
00:38:46Serena's side has already been handled cleanly.
00:38:49Kaylin frowned faintly.
00:38:52Handled cleanly.
00:38:55He thought she meant I had run away after making another scene.
00:38:59He did not ask one more question.
00:39:04A few days later,
00:39:06the mate Bentiful was held in the Black Pine Ceremonial Hall.
00:39:09Vivian wore a pale moon-colored gown.
00:39:12Her abdomen was slightly rounded beneath the soft fabric,
00:39:15and every elder who passed her smiled as if the future alpha grain had already been born.
00:39:20Kaylin stood beside his mate.
00:39:21His face was calm,
00:39:23almost cold.
00:39:24No one could tell whether he looked like a bridegroom at all.
00:39:27During the blessing ritual,
00:39:29Vivian knelt before the pack matriarch
00:39:32and offered her a cup of moon tea with both hands.
00:39:35Mother,
00:39:36please accept my respect.
00:39:38The matriarch looked at Laetra left at Vivian's belly
00:39:41and laughed until the lines around her eyes softened.
00:39:44Good child, get up.
00:39:46Do not kneel too long.
00:39:48Be careful of the pup.
00:39:49She held At Vivian's hand,
00:39:52then turned to Kaylin with satisfaction.
00:39:54Since Serena has already severed the mate-con contract with you,
00:39:58live well with At Vivian from now on.
00:40:01I am still waiting to hold your strong alpha pup.
00:40:06The goblet in Killian's hand shattered.
00:40:11Blood slit down his palm,
00:40:13but he did not seem to feel it.
00:40:17Severed?
00:40:18His voice tightened.
00:40:25What mate-contract was severed?
00:40:30The entire ceremonial hall went silence.
00:40:34Vivian's smile froze on her face.
00:40:36The pack matriarch stared at Kaylin in confusion.
00:40:40You did not know?
00:40:42Kellen stepped down from the ritual platform.
00:40:46His alpha aura spread through the hall so suddenly
00:40:49that several lower-ranked wolves dropped to their knees.
00:40:54Say it again.
00:40:56What did Serena sever?
00:41:02Only then did the pack matriarch tell him everything.
00:41:04You didn't know?
00:41:06Et Serena knelt at the moon goddess altar
00:41:07and asked to sever your mate-bond.
00:41:09She took the full 99 wolf lashes
00:41:10and was locked in the silver-lined punishment chamber,
00:41:12starved, silenced,
00:41:13forced to press her blood seal on the severance papers.
00:41:15She left with nothing but the clothes on her back.
00:41:17Her name's already been erased
00:41:19from the Blackfine Pack registry.
00:41:21And by ancient Pack law,
00:41:23she will never, ever be Blackfine's Luna again.
00:41:29Kellen lost control.
00:41:31Kellen lost control on the spot.
00:41:34He grabbed At Seth by the collar
00:41:35before At Seth could retreat into the crowd.
00:41:38You told me.
00:41:39She cursed me and left on her own.
00:41:45Alpha, I...
00:41:46I only repeated what I heard.
00:41:53Seth's face went white.
00:41:55Kellen's eyes turned a dangerous red.
00:42:00Do not lie under my command.
00:42:03Tell me the truth.
00:42:05How exactly did Serena leave?
00:42:07The Alpha command crushed At Seth to his knees.
00:42:15Seth trembled violently.
00:42:17At last, the truth spilled out.
00:42:21Seth admitted Vivian had ordered him to watch the altar.
00:42:24I saw the neutral register take her away.
00:42:26I saw the blood seal.
00:42:28I saw the elder removed,
00:42:29removed her name from the pack registry.
00:42:31Kellen's grip loosened inch by inch.
00:42:34Miss Vivian told me to say the Luna cursed you.
00:42:36I was afraid.
00:42:38Alpha, I was afraid.
00:42:48Kellen released him and rushed back to Serena's room.
00:42:51He searched every corner,
00:42:52but found only the moonstone pin ring
00:42:54and a scrap of burnt moon-breath silk.
00:42:57Only then did he seem to understand.
00:42:59Serena was not hiding and waiting for him to coax her back.
00:43:05She had truly gone.
00:43:08Kellen picked up the burnt silk.
00:43:10His fingertips shook.
00:43:15She burned this herself?
00:43:18No one dared answer.
00:43:20He remembered the way At Serena used to fold those gowns in the wardrobe,
00:43:24blushing whenever his gaze passed over her.
00:43:30He remembered calling them filthy tricks.
00:43:33He remembered forcing Wolfbeam down at Serena's throat.
00:43:41For the first time,
00:43:42the empty room felt louder than any scream.
00:43:46Find her.
00:43:47Search the Black Pine border,
00:43:49the Neutral Station Station,
00:43:51the Healer's Guild,
00:43:52every old territory of her mother's family.
00:43:56A warrior lowered his head.
00:44:00Alpha,
00:44:01if her name has been erased from the registry,
00:44:03our scent trackers may not be able to follow her.
00:44:06Kellen's face turned ashen.
00:44:11Then use mine.
00:44:13Use every memory of her scent I have left.
00:44:17He searched for Serena for a long time.
00:44:20The Black Pine border,
00:44:22the Neutral Station,
00:44:23the Healer's Guild,
00:44:25even the old territory of Serena's mother's family,
00:44:28where she had not been in years.
00:44:30He found nothing.
00:44:32On the fourth night,
00:44:34he passed at Vivian's room
00:44:35and heard laughter inside.
00:44:43At Vivian was mind-linking Seth.
00:44:45You have no idea how perfect it was.
00:44:48I had people post those Facebook rumors.
00:44:50I made myself look like the victim.
00:44:52Cried a little.
00:44:53And Kellen nearly destroyed Serena for me.
00:44:56Seth's voice was low and nervous through the mind-link.
00:45:05Miss Vivian,
00:45:06the Alpha is already suspicious.
00:45:09Vivian laughed softly.
00:45:12Suspicious of what?
00:45:13That lowborn healer has been erased,
00:45:15exiled,
00:45:15and left with silver wounds and bond backlash.
00:45:18Whether she survives this winter
00:45:19is another question.
00:45:22Did she really think she could be Luna?
00:45:25A lowborn healer whose wolf spirit
00:45:28had been suppressed
00:45:29until it nearly vanished?
00:45:32How could she compete with me?
00:45:37Kellen kicked the door open.
00:45:39Vivian turned and saw him.
00:45:41All color drained of her face.
00:45:43Kellen.
00:45:43Kellen.
00:45:44Let me explain.
00:45:45He walked in step by step.
00:45:48His voice was terrifyingly soft.
00:45:52You lied to me?
00:45:58A few days later,
00:45:59the investigation report was placed before Aunt Kellen.
00:46:05She had staged the wolfbine poisoning,
00:46:07paid Seth to spread the Facebook posts,
00:46:09forged pregnancy proof,
00:46:10arranged the rogue attack at her own birthday banquet,
00:46:12and even obtained the silver water on the blade
00:46:14from old retainers of her family.
00:46:16Alpha,
00:46:16every payment,
00:46:17every forged record,
00:46:18and every purchased scent medicine points back to Miss Vivian.
00:46:24Vivian knelled on the floor,
00:46:26hugging Kellen's leg as she cried.
00:46:28I only loved you too much.
00:46:30I was afraid you would never give me the luma position.
00:46:33Kellen,
00:46:33I am carrying your pup.
00:46:35For the child's sake.
00:46:39Kellen lowered his gaze to her abdomen,
00:46:41his expression complicated.
00:46:43Alpha,
00:46:44there is no pup.
00:46:45The so-called fetal scent was created by witch medicine.
00:46:54Vivian collapsed to the floor.
00:46:57No.
00:46:58Aunt Kellen,
00:46:59listen to me.
00:47:00I can still give you a pup.
00:47:01I can still be useful to Black Pine.
00:47:06Kellen Black closed his eyes.
00:47:08Send her to Silvermoon Sanatorium.
00:47:10Tell the director she is charged with serious fraud,
00:47:13harming the luna,
00:47:15and forging the Alpha bloodline.
00:47:18Without both my order and the council's order,
00:47:21she is not to be released.
00:47:23By then,
00:47:23I had already settled in the southern neutral lands.
00:47:34There was no Black Pipe Cedar sent there,
00:47:36no council judgment bell,
00:47:38and no one called me luna.
00:47:41I worked in a small ceremonial tailor shop,
00:47:43altering luna gowns and pup cloaks for passing wolves.
00:47:46At first,
00:47:47my body was so weak
00:47:48that my fingers shook after a few stitches.
00:47:50At night,
00:47:51Bondaklash would flare like invisible claws
00:47:52tearing through my ribs.
00:47:54The owner was an elderly Omega woman.
00:47:56She never asked about my past.
00:47:58She only left warm soup by my door.
00:48:00Drink it while it is warm, child.
00:48:03A wolf that survives winter
00:48:04will eventually find spring.
00:48:14One snowy evening,
00:48:15a tall man entered the shop
00:48:17with a torn ceremonial cloak.
00:48:19His scent was clean snow and pine.
00:48:24He was Adrian Winter,
00:48:25Alpha of Frostcrown,
00:48:27and one of the neutral court's arbitersers.
00:48:29He looked at the silver scars on my wrist,
00:48:32and then at my lowered head.
00:48:34He did not ask who had hurt me.
00:48:37He only said,
00:48:39Your wolf is still alive.
00:48:40My fingers froze on the needle.
00:48:51Let her stand when she is ready.
00:48:54Do not force her to kneel for anyone again.
00:48:57That was the first time
00:48:59since leaving Blackport that I cried.
00:49:03Not because of pain.
00:49:05Because someone had seen the part of me
00:49:07that was still alive.
00:49:11Adrian courted me slowly.
00:49:15On full moon nights,
00:49:16he sat with me
00:49:17in the yard behind the shop
00:49:19and watched my white wolf spirit
00:49:21try to stand beneath the moonlight.
00:49:23When backlash struck,
00:49:24he used his Alpha scent
00:49:26to shield me from the worst of the pain,
00:49:28but he never forced touch on me.
00:49:30Once, I asked him,
00:49:33Does it bother you
00:49:34that I severed a mate bond before?
00:49:36He looked at me with steady seriousness.
00:49:38You are not someone's used possession.
00:49:40You are Serena.
00:49:41If you want to accept me,
00:49:43I will wait.
00:49:44If you do not,
00:49:45I will still protect everyone
00:49:46in the neutral lands,
00:49:47including you.
00:49:49Something touched my heart softly.
00:49:53I had thought it was dead.
00:49:56But when spring came,
00:49:57it insisted on living.
00:50:01One afternoon,
00:50:02Adrian and I returned
00:50:03from the neutral market.
00:50:04He carried fabric,
00:50:05and I held a bag of moon oranges.
00:50:07The wind chimes at the corner
00:50:08rang lightly.
00:50:09I had just laughed at something he said
00:50:11when I caught a familiar scent
00:50:12of cedar and mint.
00:50:16My smile froze.
00:50:20Kellen stood beneath the stone bridge.
00:50:23He had lost weight.
00:50:25His eyes were bloodshot.
00:50:26The alpha aura that had once been sharp
00:50:28and untouchable
00:50:28was now chaotic and unstable.
00:50:32Serena,
00:50:34I finally found you.
00:50:38I stepped back without thinking.
00:50:43Adrian held my hand
00:50:45and stood in front of me.
00:50:48Alpha,
00:50:49you are frightening her.
00:50:55Kellen stared at our joint hands.
00:50:57His wolf surged in his eyes.
00:51:00Who are you to touch her?
00:51:02She is my mate!
00:51:06I am not.
00:51:07He rushed forward to grab my arm.
00:51:09I know I was wrong.
00:51:10Vivian lied to me.
00:51:11I have found out everything.
00:51:12I locked her away.
00:51:13She will never appear
00:51:14before you again.
00:51:15Come back to Black Pine with me.
00:51:17We can start over.
00:51:18His tone was humble,
00:51:19unlike the arrogant alpha
00:51:21I remembered.
00:51:22But I only felt disgust.
00:51:25Let go.
00:51:28He did not.
00:51:32Adrian closed his hand
00:51:33around Kellen's wrist.
00:51:35She told you to let go.
00:51:36The next second,
00:51:37Kanan swung a fist at him.
00:51:40Two alpha eras
00:51:41collided on the street.
00:51:43Ordinary wolves nearby
00:51:44went pale under the pressure.
00:51:48Kellen fought like a madman,
00:51:50striking toward vital points.
00:51:57She is mine!
00:52:01From the moment you chose
00:52:02to betray Serena,
00:52:03she ceased to belong to you.
00:52:05Especially now that she has
00:52:06severed her ties as your partner.
00:52:08Bortner.
00:52:10She belongs only to herself.
00:52:13While Adrian shielded me,
00:52:15Kellen drove a fist
00:52:16towards his temple.
00:52:24I saw a wooden flag
00:52:25go by the road.
00:52:27My body moved
00:52:28before my mind did.
00:52:35I grabbed the pole
00:52:36and struck Kellen
00:52:37across the back.
00:52:41Kellen took a step back
00:52:43in disbelief.
00:52:47Adrian turned sharply.
00:52:50Serena!
00:52:51I stood there,
00:52:52both hands shaking
00:52:53around the pole,
00:52:54my breath unbeaven.
00:52:57Kellen looked back at me
00:52:58in disdisbelief.
00:53:02You hit me?
00:53:03I gazed at him,
00:53:05my eyes holding
00:53:06nothing but unfamiliarity
00:53:07and warfing.
00:53:12Yes.
00:53:13And if you touch him again,
00:53:14I will hit you harder.
00:53:16For a long moment,
00:53:18something in his expression
00:53:19shattered.
00:53:22Perhaps in his memory,
00:53:24I was still the woman
00:53:25who would wait at the door
00:53:26with warm soup
00:53:26no matter how late
00:53:27he came home.
00:53:28But that woman had died
00:53:30in the silver line chamber.
00:53:34The neutral guards
00:53:35arrived quickly
00:53:36and separated them.
00:53:41Kellen stared at me
00:53:42as if he wanted
00:53:43to say a thousand things.
00:53:47I did not give him
00:53:48the chance.
00:53:49I took Adrian's hand
00:53:51and walked away.
00:53:52Behind me,
00:53:53Kellen's voice broke.
00:53:55Serena!
00:53:56I was wrong!
00:53:58Tell me what I have to do!
00:53:59I will do anything!
00:54:01I did not turn back.
00:54:05Because the answer
00:54:06was simple.
00:54:08There was nothing
00:54:09he could do.
00:54:15That evening,
00:54:16Adrian despected
00:54:17the torn skin
00:54:18on my palm.
00:54:22You did not have to protect me.
00:54:24I know.
00:54:25I wanted to.
00:54:28He looked at me
00:54:29for a long time,
00:54:29then lowered his eyes
00:54:30with a faint smile.
00:54:32Then I am honored.
00:54:35When Kellen woke,
00:54:37he was in the neutral
00:54:38healing center.
00:54:40Beta reported to him
00:54:40all the interrogation results
00:54:42regarding Vivian.
00:54:43Kellen pulled out
00:54:44the blood needle
00:54:44and said only one thing.
00:54:46I want to see her.
00:54:47Seth urged him
00:54:48to return to Black Pine.
00:54:50Alpha,
00:54:51you cannot keep
00:54:52losing control.
00:54:53Black Pine needs you.
00:54:55The elders were preparing
00:54:56a vote to suspend
00:54:57his authority
00:54:57because he had left
00:54:59the territory
00:54:59without permission.
00:55:01Smaller packs
00:55:02were testing
00:55:02the Black Pine border.
00:55:03Kellen did not
00:55:04seem to hear.
00:55:08Bring Vivian.
00:55:09I will make her
00:55:10kneel before Serena
00:55:11and return everything
00:55:12she owes.
00:55:13When Aunt Vivian
00:55:14was dragged out
00:55:14of Silvermoon Sanatorium,
00:55:16none of her old
00:55:17pure blood pride
00:55:17remained.
00:55:19Her hair was tangled.
00:55:22Moon iron chains
00:55:23locked around her wrists
00:55:24to suppress her wolf.
00:55:25The moment she saw Kellen,
00:55:27she rushed toward him
00:55:27crying.
00:55:32Kellen!
00:55:33You finally came
00:55:34to see me.
00:55:35I know I was wrong.
00:55:37I really do.
00:55:38Kellen did not
00:55:39even look at her.
00:55:41He ordered the guards
00:55:43to press her down
00:55:43in front of my shop.
00:55:45That day,
00:55:47I was hemming
00:55:47a full moon cloak
00:55:48for a pup.
00:55:50When I heard
00:55:50the commotion
00:55:51and looked up,
00:55:52I saw forced
00:55:52to sneal in the rain.
00:55:57Kellen stood
00:55:58behind Vivian.
00:55:59In his eyes
00:56:00was a desperate,
00:56:01almost obsessive hope.
00:56:03Serena,
00:56:03she is here
00:56:04to confess.
00:56:05Vivian trembled
00:56:06as she spoke.
00:56:07I am sorry,
00:56:07Luna.
00:56:08No,
00:56:09Serena,
00:56:09I should not
00:56:10have framed you
00:56:10for the wolf's
00:56:11of Bane.
00:56:11I should not
00:56:11have forged
00:56:12Facebook posts.
00:56:13I should not
00:56:13have lied to Kellen
00:56:14and said I carried
00:56:14an alpha pup.
00:56:15I should not
00:56:16have arranged
00:56:16the rogue attack
00:56:17and blamed you.
00:56:19I was wrong.
00:56:20Please ask him
00:56:21to despair me.
00:56:23She cried miserably,
00:56:24her knees sinking
00:56:25into mud.
00:56:26Whale wolves
00:56:27gathered around
00:56:27to watch.
00:56:29Kellen looked at me,
00:56:30his voice low
00:56:30and pleading.
00:56:31See?
00:56:32She admitted it.
00:56:33You can punish her
00:56:33however you want.
00:56:34Make her kneel
00:56:35as long as you like.
00:56:36Lock her away.
00:56:37Exile her as a rogue.
00:56:38I will listen to you.
00:56:39He paused.
00:56:40As long as you
00:56:41come back with me.
00:56:43I laughed suddenly.
00:56:45Not because it felt good,
00:56:47but because it was absurd.
00:56:49Kellen,
00:56:51do you think this
00:56:51cancels out what I suffered?
00:56:53His face turned pale.
00:56:56I pointed at Vivian,
00:56:57kneeling on the ground,
00:56:58then at him.
00:57:01You once pushed me
00:57:02toward a silver blade
00:57:03for her.
00:57:04You locked me
00:57:04in a silver line
00:57:05chamber for her.
00:57:06You spread my private shame
00:57:07across Facebook for her.
00:57:08Now for me,
00:57:08you make her kneel
00:57:09in public without hesitation.
00:57:10Whether it is her or me,
00:57:11in your eyes
00:57:11we are only objects
00:57:12you can arrange
00:57:13and punish
00:57:13whenever you wish,
00:57:14aren't we?
00:57:15Kellen froze.
00:57:16No!
00:57:17I only wanted you
00:57:19to feel avenged.
00:57:20I smiled calmly,
00:57:21my gaze toward
00:57:22and felled with sympathy.
00:57:23You still do not understand
00:57:25what respect means.
00:57:27I turned and picked up
00:57:28the umbrella
00:57:28beside the door.
00:57:31Adrian was already
00:57:32standing in the rain.
00:57:34He had not interfered.
00:57:36He was simply
00:57:36waiting for my choice.
00:57:40I walked to his side.
00:57:44Kellen panicked
00:57:45and tried to rush over,
00:57:46but the neutral guards
00:57:47blocked him.
00:57:48Serena!
00:57:50Don't choose him!
00:57:53I was your first mate!
00:57:54He can never replace me!
00:57:56I looked back at him
00:57:57one last time.
00:58:01Take your self-righteousness
00:58:03and arrogance
00:58:04and leave.
00:58:05I do not need it.
00:58:07Rain blurred his face.
00:58:09For the first time,
00:58:10I saw him truly helpless.
00:58:12But,
00:58:13helplessness was not regret.
00:58:15And regret was not love.
00:58:18I did not attend
00:58:19the court hearing.
00:58:22I only submitted
00:58:23a blood seal testimony.
00:58:25It contained records
00:58:26of my silver wound,
00:58:27wolf band tests,
00:58:29Vivian's forged documents,
00:58:30screenshots from Facebook,
00:58:32and the healing records
00:58:33from before and after
00:58:34I was forced to sign
00:58:35in the punishment chamber.
00:58:37Adrian asked me,
00:58:41Do you want to watch him
00:58:42be judged with your own eyes?
00:58:43I shook my head.
00:58:48I do not need to see him fall
00:58:50to prove I survived.
00:58:51Still,
00:58:52the result reached
00:58:53the neutral lands.
00:58:54Kellen Black's
00:58:55Alpha Alpha authority
00:58:56is suspended
00:58:57for one year.
00:58:58The Black Pine Elders Council
00:58:59must issue a public apology
00:59:01to the neutral court.
00:59:04Vivian will be stripped
00:59:05of her pure blood status
00:59:06and exiled
00:59:06to the Frost Labor Lands
00:59:08for forging an air bloodline
00:59:09and harming
00:59:10a registered Luna.
00:59:13Seth will lose one fang
00:59:15and be expelled
00:59:16from Blackpong.
00:59:20Kellen refused to accept
00:59:22the distance between us.
00:59:27Later,
00:59:28someone from Frostcrown
00:59:29delivered him a message.
00:59:31Since you never understood pain,
00:59:33remember it
00:59:33with your own body.
00:59:37No one killed him.
00:59:39The court sentenced him
00:59:39to three months of service
00:59:40at the Silver Mine border,
00:59:42clearing old hunter traps
00:59:43contaminated with silver
00:59:44and wolf bite.
00:59:47It was the kind of
00:59:48low-ranking warrior's work
00:59:49he had once despised.
00:59:55I thought the court sentence
00:59:56would be the end.
00:59:57Vivian had been transferred
00:59:58from Silvermoon Sanatorium
00:59:59to the Frost Labor Lands
01:00:01after the neutral court ruling.
01:00:03Kellen had been sent
01:00:04to the Silver Mine border.
01:00:06Seth had lost one bang
01:00:07and vanished from Black Pine.
01:00:10Later,
01:00:10I learned that several
01:00:11old retainers of Vivian's family
01:00:12grabbed the escort guards
01:00:13during the transfer
01:00:14and helped her escape
01:00:15into the Frostcrown border woods.
01:00:17Kellen heard of Vivian's escape
01:00:18while serving his sentence
01:00:19near the Silver Mine border.
01:00:20He knew her hatred
01:00:21would lead her to me.
01:00:22So he followed
01:00:23the rogue scent trail all night.
01:00:25Before leaving the Mine border,
01:00:27he had already prepared
01:00:28a blood-sealed transfer file
01:00:29and the Black Pine Luna crown,
01:00:31intending to leave them
01:00:32with the neutral court
01:00:32as compensation
01:00:33after his sentence ended.
01:00:35For a few quiet days,
01:00:36I almost believed
01:00:37the old nightmare
01:00:38had finally stopped breathing.
01:00:41That night,
01:00:42Adrian came to my shop
01:00:43to pick me up.
01:00:44The patrols found strange tracks
01:00:45near the North Woods.
01:00:46Stay close to me tonight.
01:00:51Before I could answer,
01:00:52a low laugh came from the fog.
01:00:56Vivian stepped out
01:00:57from behind the trees.
01:00:58Her white dancer's gown was torn,
01:01:00her hair tangled,
01:01:01but the hatred in her eyes
01:01:03was sharper than ever.
01:01:06You took everything from me, Serena.
01:01:09Behind her stood rogue wolves.
01:01:11Their bodies smelled of blood,
01:01:13hunger, and old crimes.
01:01:16She promised us Frostcrown's Luna.
01:01:19Kill the woman.
01:01:20Take the reward.
01:01:23Adrian's eyes went cold.
01:01:25Vivian,
01:01:26you have just turned exile
01:01:27into a death sentence.
01:01:29Vivian stepped out
01:01:29from behind the trees.
01:01:31She deserves to die!
01:01:33To die!
01:01:34If I cannot be Luna,
01:01:36neither can she!
01:01:37Vivian screamed.
01:01:41The rogue wolves lunged.
01:01:46Adrian threw one aside,
01:01:48but another came at me
01:01:49from behind
01:01:50with a wolf's horn
01:01:50coated bladed.
01:01:52I heard the blade
01:01:53cut through the air.
01:01:54Then someone crashed into me
01:01:55and pulled me behind his body.
01:01:57The blade sank
01:01:58into Kellen's chest.
01:02:00Blood splashed across the snow.
01:02:02Kaden staggered,
01:02:03but he did not fall.
01:02:05His damaged wolf spirit
01:02:06roared once,
01:02:07forcing the rogue wolf back.
01:02:12This time,
01:02:14I did not push you
01:02:16toward the blade.
01:02:18I froze.
01:02:20Kaelin turned his pale face
01:02:21toward me.
01:02:23Serena,
01:02:24run.
01:02:27Adrian killed one rogue wolf
01:02:28with a single strike.
01:02:29The Frostcrown guards
01:02:30arrived almost immediately
01:02:31and surrounded the woods.
01:02:32Vivian tried to flee,
01:02:33but Adrian's command
01:02:34froze every wolf
01:02:34in the clearing.
01:02:35Take her alive.
01:02:36No, Kellen,
01:02:37save me,
01:02:37you love me once!
01:02:38Vivian struggled wildly.
01:02:39Kaelin did not even look at her.
01:02:41He knelt in the snow.
01:02:42One hand pressed
01:02:43against his chest.
01:02:45Black blood
01:02:45seeped through his fingers.
01:02:47The wolf spike
01:02:48on the blade
01:02:48had entered
01:02:48his old silver wounds.
01:02:50His wolf spirit
01:02:51was dying.
01:02:51Kaelin took out
01:02:52the blood-sealed
01:02:53transfer file
01:02:53from inside his coat
01:02:54and pushed it toward me.
01:02:55Everything under
01:02:56my personal name.
01:02:57My private residence,
01:02:58my personal share
01:02:59of the border mines,
01:03:00the trade profits,
01:03:01and the compensation fund
01:03:02I prepared for you.
01:03:03All of it is yours.
01:03:04I did not reach for it.
01:03:05I do not want your money.
01:03:07Kaelin gave a broken smile.
01:03:09Then burn it.
01:03:09Give it away.
01:03:11Use it to heal
01:03:12every low-bren wolf
01:03:13Black Pine ever humiliated.
01:03:14I only want it
01:03:15to stop belonging to me.
01:03:16His fingers trembled
01:03:17as he opened
01:03:18a dark velvet box.
01:03:19Inside laid
01:03:20the Black Pine Luna crown.
01:03:21It was not silver.
01:03:22It was carved
01:03:23from black pine wood,
01:03:25oxydion,
01:03:25and moonstone.
01:03:26The moonstone
01:03:27at the center
01:03:27glowed faintly
01:03:28under the full moon.
01:03:29Kaelin lifted it
01:03:30with both hands.
01:03:31I had this locked away
01:03:32for three years.
01:03:33I told myself
01:03:34you were not ready for it.
01:03:35His voice broke.
01:03:38I was wrong.
01:03:39I was the one
01:03:40unworthy of standing
01:03:41beside you.
01:03:42He placed the crown
01:03:42on the snow before me.
01:03:43I am sorry.
01:03:45This should have belonged
01:03:45to you from the beginning.
01:03:47For a moment,
01:03:47I remembered the man
01:03:48I had once loved.
01:03:49Then I remembered
01:03:50every wound
01:03:51he had left behind.
01:03:52Kaelin,
01:03:53I will not forgive you.
01:03:54I know.
01:03:55Kaelin closed his eyes.
01:03:56One wounded rogue wolf
01:03:57suddenly crushed a vial
01:03:58of wolfspot smoke
01:03:59under his claws.
01:04:00The bitter mist
01:04:00exploded through the clearing,
01:04:01breaking Adrian's command
01:04:02for a single second.
01:04:03Vivian tore free
01:04:04from the guard holding her,
01:04:05pulled a hidden dagger
01:04:05from her boot
01:04:06and rushed toward me.
01:04:07Kaelin used the last
01:04:08of his strength to stand.
01:04:09He blocked her again.
01:04:10Kaelin's wolf spirit
01:04:11shattered in the moonlight.
01:04:12Before he fell,
01:04:13he whispered
01:04:14one last sentence.
01:04:15At least,
01:04:15this time,
01:04:16I protected you.
01:04:17Then Kaelin Black
01:04:18died in the snow.
01:04:21Vivian was brought
01:04:21before the Frost Crown
01:04:22Moon Goddess altar
01:04:23three days later.
01:04:24Her hands were bound
01:04:24with black iron chains.
01:04:25Her face was no longer beautiful.
01:04:26Fear had stripped away
01:04:27every trace of her old arrogance.
01:04:28Vivian,
01:04:28neutral court once sentenced
01:04:29you only to labor
01:04:30in the Frostlands,
01:04:30yet you remained incurcable.
01:04:32The neutral judge
01:04:32read her crimes aloud.
01:04:46Vivian screamed
01:04:47until her voice cracked.
01:04:48I am pure blood!
01:04:50You cannot take my wolf!
01:04:52No one answered her.
01:04:58The Moon Goddess seal
01:04:59lit beneath her feet.
01:05:00A pale wolf shadow
01:05:01tore itself from her body.
01:05:02It struggled.
01:05:03Howled,
01:05:04then shattered
01:05:04under the cold moonlight.
01:05:05Her body survived,
01:05:06but the wolf inside her
01:05:07was gone forever.
01:05:08She collapsed to the ground.
01:05:09For the first time,
01:05:10she had no wolf scent.
01:05:11No pack would accept her.
01:05:13No alpha command
01:05:13would answer her.
01:05:15No full moon
01:05:16would ever call to her again.
01:05:20She was dragged
01:05:21beyond the border
01:05:22and thrown into the wild.
01:05:24Three months later,
01:05:24at Adrian and I
01:05:25held a commitment ceremony.
01:05:26Not a trial,
01:05:27a mate bonding ritual.
01:05:28I wore a white frost pattern
01:05:29Luna gown and some
01:05:30issue for me,
01:05:30with no command in his eyes.
01:05:31I will respect your silence,
01:05:32your anger,
01:05:33your fear,
01:05:33and your freedom.
01:05:34I will honor your no
01:05:35before I ever ask for your yes.
01:05:36If one day you choose to walk away,
01:05:38I will not hunt you.
01:05:39If one day you choose to stay,
01:05:40I will never betray you.
01:05:41My eyes warmed.
01:05:42Under the full moon,
01:05:43my wolf spirit
01:05:44finally lifted her head.
01:05:45For the first time,
01:05:46she was not afraid.
01:05:47I stepped forward
01:05:47and placed my hand in his.
01:05:49Then I choose you.
01:05:50The frost crown wolves bowed.
01:05:51Adrian lowered his head
01:05:52and kissed the back of my hand
01:05:54like a vow.
01:05:54From this moon onward,
01:05:55you are not my possession.
01:05:57You are my equal.
01:05:57The moonlight fell over us.
01:05:59And this time when the bond formed
01:06:01did not feel like chains.
01:06:02It felt like home.
01:06:03I know that I have finally ushered in a brand new life.
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