- 5 hours ago
My Bra, His Bastard New
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Short filmTranscript
00:00At the Werewolf Rugby Championship, the rugby ball struck Zane Ashford's clothes.
00:04A piece of intimate women's lingerie slipped out.
00:07The crowd erupted in gasps.
00:09Chloe Vane beside me drew a sharp breath.
00:11Nadia, isn't that yours?
00:12He looked straight at me and said in a low voice,
00:14Nadia, I've been carrying it only because I miss you so much.
00:18I never intended for anyone to see it.
00:20I tried to explain it wasn't mine, but no one listened.
00:22In the eyes of the pack, I was finished.
00:23A woman with no reputation left to speak up.
00:26Zane said,
00:26We liked each other, so things naturally happened between us.
00:30Those words shattered me completely.
00:32Alpha Princess Serena, citing my improper conduct
00:34and my disgrace to the identity of the Chief Beta's eldest daughter,
00:37ordered 30 lashes of the whip against me.
00:40Afterwards, she cast me into the Royal Wolf Pack's exile grounds,
00:43where I died alone, desolate and in agony.
00:46When they wrapped my corpse in old cloth
00:47and dragged it to the back territory to feed the wolves,
00:50Chloe Vane's luxurious carriage was pulling into Ashford Manor.
00:53On the seventh day after my death, Zane burned the lingerie before my gravestone.
00:58Nadia, it was all my fault.
01:00But everything happened so fast.
01:03I needed someone to take the blame for me.
01:05Blame it on your bad luck.
01:07Then I opened my eyes.
01:08I was back at the match.
01:09The roar of the crowd pulled me back to my senses.
01:11Cold sweat broke out on my forehead.
01:13I was at the match grounds.
01:14I had come back.
01:15I looked at Zane Ashford on the field.
01:17Before long, the rugby ball would knock open his jacket
01:19and the pink lace bra would fall out.
01:21The nightmare of my previous life was about to repeat itself.
01:24My maid, Luna, looked at me with concern.
01:26My lady, are you all right?
01:28Chloe Vane turned toward me as well.
01:30Nadia, you look so pale.
01:32What's wrong?
01:33I stood up and pulled Luna aside.
01:35I'm not feeling well.
01:36I need to step out for a moment.
01:37I took Luna away from the stands to a place where no one could overhear us.
01:40I whispered two sentences to her.
01:42Luna's expression grew serious.
01:43She nodded, then ran off.
01:45When I returned to the stands,
01:46the man not far from Zane had already thrown the ball,
01:48and it struck him in the chest.
01:50A pink lace bra drifted out from Zane's clothes.
01:52It fell to the ground in full view of everyone.
01:54That flash of bright pink sent a wave of gasps through the stands.
01:57It was a woman's intimate garment.
01:58It had fallen from inside the clothes of the Ashford heir.
02:01Zane Ashford has always conducted himself with such propriet.
02:06How could he be carrying something like that?
02:08Who would have thought the young alpha had this side to him?
02:11It must be a gift from some shameless girl.
02:13Zane had never expected the bra to fall out in public.
02:15He stood frozen on the field, his face cycling between pale and red,
02:20clutching the bundle of lace tightly in his hand.
02:22Chloe stared at me and cried out shrilly,
02:23Nadia, isn't that yours?
02:27Her shriek turned every gaze in the stands toward me.
02:29The words had barely left her mouth before she covered it with her hand.
02:32Looking at me with an expression of guilt, I said nothing.
02:35Zane's gaze fell upon me and I met his eyes.
02:37His eyes were full of tenderness.
02:38As he said softly,
02:40Nadia, I've been carrying it only because I miss you so much.
02:42I never intended for anyone to see it.
02:44Then he turned to the crowd and hastily explained,
02:46We have feelings for each other.
02:48That's why things happen between us.
02:49Just like in my previous life.
02:50With one sentence, I was nailed to the pillar of shame.
02:53The way people looked at me changed.
02:54As though I were something dangerous and filthy.
02:56A woman whose private undergarment was hidden inside an alpha's clothes.
03:00That needed no further explanation.
03:01Whispers spread swiftly through the stands.
03:04The chief bait his own daughter.
03:05Who would have thought?
03:06And you thought you knew her.
03:08Even the alpha royal family praised her grace and nobility,
03:11calling her the rose of this territory.
03:13And yet she turns out to be so impure.
03:16The pink bra stung my eyes.
03:17Vile words poured over me just as they had before.
03:20I studied myself, looked at Zane, and smiled.
03:23Zane Ashford, you were hiding another woman's bra, yet you claim it is mine.
03:27You and I have only crossed paths a few times at school gatherings.
03:31And the words we have exchanged add up to fewer than ten sentences.
03:36So where exactly did this mutual affection come from?
03:39Furthermore, our family lineage is ancient.
03:43Wherever a daughter of the Crest family goes, she is accompanied by attendants and companions.
03:48When would I ever have had enough time alone with you for what you're describing to have occurred?
03:52You are the Ashford heir, but the Crest family is not one to be trifled with.
03:57You cannot taint a bloodline that has endured for centuries and simply walk away.
04:03The moment I finished speaking, the people around me chimed in.
04:06The Crest family, with its ancient bloodline, upholds strict clan rules passed down through generations.
04:11A pure-blood Crest daughter doing something like this?
04:13It makes no sense.
04:14Zane's expression darkened, and he clenched his fist.
04:17Chloe interjected, feigning innocence, her voice very soft.
04:20But Nadia, you have always admired Zane.
04:22At the least hunt, you praised his bravery in front of everyone.
04:25Everyone jittered out you have got for cocked.
04:27And then there is that fabric.
04:28It was a gift the Alpha Royal Family's presentation ceremony, and you were the only one to receive it.
04:33Her meaning was clear.
04:34Only I possessed that fabric.
04:36Therefore, the bra could only be mine.
04:37I let out a soft laugh.
04:38You're right, Chloe.
04:39But you once told me that the moment you saw that fabric, you loved its color.
04:42I use it to make a formal gown, and from the remaining fabric, I made two bras.
04:46One I gave to you, you haven't forgotten, have you?
04:48I am not the only one in this territory with such a bra.
04:51You have one too.
04:52Chloe went deathly pale, and her voice rose.
04:54What are you saying?
04:55A woman's reputation is no laughing any matter.
04:58You want it belongs to me?
05:00Are you saying want to link me to that young Alpha?
05:02I have never spoken with Zane Ashford alone.
05:04That garment cannot be mine.
05:06I continued.
05:07You're right.
05:07A woman's reputation matters greatly.
05:10You understand this better than anyone, yet you left me not even a moment to breathe.
05:14The bra had barely fallen before you were shouting at the stands there that it was mine.
05:17Those who know you will say you speak without thinking.
05:20Those who do not know you might wonder just what your relationship with that young Alpha
05:24really is.
05:24Tears welled up in Chloe's eyes.
05:26Nadia, everyone knows I have no parents.
05:29The only reason I have been able to maintain my current standing is entirely because the
05:34Alpha King wished to honor the memory of my father.
05:37The fabric you gave me is my most treasured possession.
05:40I have not even worn it.
05:42How could something I treasure so deeply end up in the hands of a man?
05:47A high-ranking Alpha in the crowd stepped forward.
05:49Nadia Crest, you have gone too far.
05:51Chloe is your closest companion.
05:53How dare you betray her like this?
05:54I looked at her.
05:55Turn against her?
05:56If she were pointing at you and saying the bra was yours, would you smile and agree?
05:59She had no answer to that.
06:01He pressed on, struggling.
06:02But she said that fabric was a royal gift.
06:04If it is not yours, then whose could it be?
06:05I looked around at every puzzled face, and then I smiled.
06:08With that fabric, I first made a formal gown, and from the scraps I made two bras.
06:12One I gave to Chloe, and one remained in my room at Crest Manor.
06:16What Zayn is holding is not the one from my room.
06:19I can present mine.
06:20Can Chloe present hers?
06:23Chloe fell silent, her face turning pale.
06:26Zayn quickly stepped forward, trying to ease the tension.
06:28Nadia, I know this is my fault.
06:30I should not have kept it hidden.
06:32I'm sorry.
06:33Let me make amends for what I've done.
06:35I will send word to my mother today.
06:37We can begin discussing the matter of bonding.
06:40What do you say?
06:40I burst out laughing.
06:42Zayn Ashard, this is truly laughable.
06:44We have merely attended the same two gatherings, and have never even spoken directly to one
06:49another, yet you claim we have feelings for each other, and even wish to bond with me?
06:53With the conduct you have just displayed, you are utterly unworthy of becoming part of
06:59the Crest family.
07:00Nadia, don't be angry with him anymore.
07:02He knows he was wrong, and is trying to make it right, and he has already proposed bonding
07:06with you.
07:07Just let this matter go.
07:09You would simply be a pair who were close before formally bonding.
07:13No one would blame you for that.
07:14No one would blame me?
07:16The pack's rules are extremely strict.
07:17In my previous life, these two people buried me in filth, and the pack leader, Princess Serena,
07:22had me beaten to death.
07:23I would never allow such a tragedy to repeat itself.
07:25I shook off her arm.
07:27Every word you say is in defense of Zayn.
07:30Someone who didn't know better might think you have feelings for him.
07:33Chloe flinched as though she had been struck.
07:35I don't.
07:36How can you say such a thing about me?
07:38I turned and looked up toward the stands, where Alpha Princess Serena sat.
07:42Her expression had already turned cold.
07:44I stepped forward and raised my voice.
07:46Alpha Princess, this matter concerns the honor of my family and my personal reputation.
07:51I respectfully ask you to render a judgment.
07:54I can prove my innocence right now.
07:56Before any of this happened, I had already sent Luna back to Crest Manor.
07:59Luna had returned.
08:00I had her bring the items and lay them before the Alpha Princess.
08:03This is the fabric gifted by the royal family.
08:06I made it into a gown, this very gown.
08:08The remaining fabric was made in two bras.
08:11Someone in the crowd called out.
08:12You said you gave one to Chloe.
08:13What about the other?
08:14A woman's intimate garments are private.
08:16Are you really going to, just to resolve this matter,
08:19display your intimate clothing before everyone?
08:22I looked straight at her, then at the Alpha Princess.
08:24I have nothing to hide.
08:25I will prove before everyone that my bra is still on my person.
08:29The crowd broke into an uproar.
08:30For a woman to say such a thing in public, she must have been driven to the very edge.
08:34I caught a glimpse of Luna catching her breath as she retreated into the crowd,
08:37and I smiled at her.
08:38The lace trim of my bra had been snagged and torn some time ago.
08:42Even though it was damaged, discarding a gift from the Alpha Royal family felt disrespectful.
08:47So I entrusted it to my personal maid.
08:49Every gaze in the stands turned to Luna.
08:52Luna stepped forward, her cheeks faintly flushed.
08:54Yes, my mistress gave it to me.
08:56I am wearing it today.
08:57The Alpha Princess gave a nod to the senior maid servant beside her.
09:00The older maid led Luna to a private room outside the courtyard.
09:03A moment later, she emerged holding a pink bra and handed it to the Alpha Princess with a calm expression.
09:08The maid was indeed wearing it.
09:11And just as the young lady said, the lace is indeed snagged.
09:14She did not lie.
09:15The crowd erupted once again.
09:17Every gaze shifted to Zane and Chloe.
09:19The Alpha Princess's expression turned icy and impassive.
09:21Zane Ashhaft, bring what you are holding.
09:24I wish to see it.
09:26Cold sweat broke out on Zane's forehead.
09:28Chloe's complexion turned ashen.
09:29The maid servant stepped forward, took the bra from Zane's hand, and presented it before her.
09:33The color, the fabric, the style, identical in every way to what I had described.
09:37Chloe Vane, do you have anything to say?
09:40Chloe hastily explained.
09:41The same fabric does not prove it is mine.
09:44Alpha Princess, may I examine it?
09:46I made it myself.
09:48The one I gave to Chloe has a half-bloomed mimola embroidered beneath the roses.
09:53It represents her name.
09:55Chloe.
09:56Purity.
09:57That is the meaning I stitched into it.
09:59The maid servant spread the bra open for all to see.
10:01Beneath the roses was a half-bloomed mimosa.
10:04The crowd let out a cry of astonishment.
10:06Chloe swayed unsteadily on her feet, her face drained of color.
10:09Everyone around began talking at once.
10:11That bra belongs to Chloe Vane.
10:13It was hers all along.
10:14The whole thing was her scheme.
10:16She planned it together with Zane.
10:18They were caught, so they pinned the blame on Nadia Kress.
10:21If Nadia had not acted quickly enough, her reputation would have been destroyed entirely.
10:26Who would have bonded with her then?
10:29She would have had no choice but to go to Ashfield Manor.
10:32And even then, not as a true bonded partner.
10:35The Kress bloodline, centuries of glory, had nearly been destroyed in a single afternoon.
10:41My eyes burned.
10:42I had finally been vindicated.
10:43I had brought every truth into the open.
10:45Now everyone could see it clearly.
10:47The ones who had been secretly meeting and carrying on, outside of any bond, were Zane
10:50Ashford and Chloe Vane.
10:51In my previous life, I had made the grave mistake of praising Zane's bravery in front
10:55of Chloe at the hunt.
10:56Zane had called out my name, and I had been left speechless.
10:59Everyone assumed I had feelings for Zane, and that my admiration stemmed from some secret
11:03between us.
11:03In this life, I had dealt with it completely before it could be turned against me.
11:06Zane hurried to explain.
11:07This is a misunderstanding.
11:09I-I-I-a misunderstanding.
11:11I actually found the bra near the fields.
11:13I intended to return it to whoever had lost it.
11:16I had no idea whose it was.
11:18He had not finished speaking before my hand struck his face.
11:21The sound rang out sharp and clear across the entire ground.
11:24You say you found it, yet the first thing Chloe did upon seeing it was tell everyone
11:29present.
11:30And you also said it was mine and that we had been together.
11:33Zane Ashford, you are the heir of an alpha bloodline.
11:36If you had truly found something like this and genuinely intended to return it, you should
11:40have quietly sought out a woman and hand it to her discreetly.
11:43You cannot stand there in a public match and announce it to the world.
11:46The two of you had planned this all along.
11:48If Luna had not been wearing that bra today, I would have had no way to prove my innocence.
11:54My only option would have been to prove it with my death.
11:57Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably.
12:00Princess, the reputation of a pack woman is paramount.
12:03Zane Ashford and Chloe Vane have slandered me today before the entire pack.
12:07Had you not seen clearly and gave me the chance to prove myself, I would have had no choice
12:12but to end my own life.
12:16This alpha princess, though stubborn and cold in her dealings with others, loved those who
12:21were upright and harbored an extreme loathing for dishonesty.
12:23Eldest door of the Crest family, a quick mind and composure under pressure.
12:29This is precisely the fine bloodline our pack possesses.
12:32You need not be afraid.
12:34The Crest family has uphold its code for generations.
12:37I would never believe a daughter of the Crest family capable of such a thing.
12:41She turned to face Zane and Chloe.
12:42And you too, shifting blame onto another woman.
12:45It is utterly contemptible.
12:48Chloe Vane, your standing was granted by the Alpha King in honor of your father's merits.
12:52Yet your conduct has betrayed that grace and tarnished the reputation of the Alpha Royal
12:57family.
12:58I will report this matter to the Alpha King.
13:00Your standing will be stripped from you and you will be reduced to a commoner.
13:04Chloe collapsed to the ground in despair.
13:06Zane Ashford, tomorrow at the formal hearing, you and Lord Ashford will appear before the
13:11Alpha King to explain how the Ashford heir came to publicly sully the reputation of a
13:15pack woman.
13:16You will answer to both the Alpha King and Lord Crest.
13:19In my previous life, Zane had ruined my reputation and my father, in order to salvage the family,
13:24had agreed to the Ashford family's terms.
13:25He surrendered the achievements built by generations of the Crest family just to allow me to enter
13:30Ashford Manor as a servant.
13:31But it had all been for nothing.
13:32I still died in the exile grounds.
13:34My father's hair turned white overnight, and my mother collapsed from the shock, vomiting
13:38blood.
13:38In this life, Zane Ashford would have nothing, and everything the Ashford family had taken
13:42from the Crest family in my previous life, I would take it all back.
13:46Chloe knelt on the ground, weeping softly and helplessly, yet with the threat of calculation
13:50beneath it all.
13:51Please, Alpha Princess, have mercy.
13:53The feelings between Zane and me are genuine.
13:56Everything you had was real.
13:59Yet when it was exposed, you used me as a shield, and allowed them to drag my reputation through
14:04the mud.
14:05I always treated you as a true sister.
14:07In critical moments, I protected you.
14:09Do you think what you have done is acceptable?
14:11Zane's expression turned great.
14:12Nadia, Chloe knows she was wrong.
14:15She is alone in this territory, with no one to turn to.
14:20Her situation is difficult.
14:21Must you push her this far?
14:23I looked him straight in the eye.
14:25Just because she has no family, she is allowed to frame others at will?
14:29To destroy a woman's reputation and simply walk away?
14:33Zane, you are a descendant of Alpha Blood.
14:35If you truly cared for her so deeply, why not hold a proper bonding ceremony?
14:40Why allow things to come to this?
14:41You did not claim the bra was hers because you both knew what you had done could not come
14:46to light.
14:46No one can slander me without consequence.
14:49By then, Lady Ashford had heard what had happened and rushed to the scene.
14:53When she learned the full account, her face immediately turned a grim, dark shade.
14:56She stood before the Alpha Princess with a stiff smile.
14:59Alpha Princess, this is the result of my failure as a mother.
15:03I will take responsibility.
15:05I will go to Crest Manor myself and offer this young lady whatever amends I can.
15:10The Alpha Princess looked at Zane and Chloe with undisguised contempt.
15:13The conduct of Zane Ashford and Chloe Vann has disgraced the honor of the pack,
15:19and they have deliberately harmed an innocent woman.
15:22Thirty slapses of the whip, both of them.
15:24Chloe turned white as a sheet and staggered backward.
15:26Please, I beg you.
15:28Zane dropped to his knees.
15:29Alpha Princess, let me take Chloe's punishment her place.
15:32I beg you to spare her.
15:33If they are not punished, what lesson will they ever learn?
15:37Exactly.
15:38She holds a high and powerful position, yet she conducts herself like this.
15:42She has brought shame upon every person in this territory.
15:47The Alpha Princess was unmoved.
15:49There is no room for argument.
15:51Carry it out immediately.
15:52Chloe's eyes rolled back and she nearly fainted.
15:55I stepped forward and grabbed her arm.
15:56Thirty lashes of the whip?
15:58I don't know whether the child in your win will survive.
16:02Chloe stared at me as if looking at something crawling out of the darkness.
16:05Her face was deathly pale and she could not utter a single word.
16:07In my previous life, Zane had said it before my gravestone,
16:10that Chloe had been carrying his child at the time.
16:12That was why everything had to move so quickly.
16:14He needed to give the child a proper name.
16:15So at this moment, Chloe was already carrying Zane's child.
16:18She bit down hard on her lip and said nothing.
16:20For if the pregnancy were revealed now,
16:21the pack's punishment would be far more severe than thirty lashes.
16:24Chloe was pressed down onto the bench.
16:27The punishment began.
16:28Zane suddenly shouted across the grounds,
16:30Alpha Princess, stop!
16:32Chloe is pregnant!
16:35The entire grounds fell silent.
16:37I let out a gasp of disbelief.
16:38Chloe!
16:38You are the lord of the Vane family,
16:40yet you are carrying the child of an Alpha who has not bonded with you.
16:44You understand that you have betrayed the trust and honor the Alpha King bestowed upon you?
16:47The two of you, about to have a child,
16:49not only dragged me into this,
16:50but tried to pin your shameful conduct on me to ruin my reputation.
16:54What kind of people are you?
16:55I turned to the Alpha Princess and raised my voice.
16:57Alpha Princess, I implore your help.
16:59The Alpha Princess's gaze turned instantly cold.
17:02She turned and struck her son hard across the face.
17:04You!
17:05How could you let this happen?
17:07You planned every step of this.
17:09You did this.
17:10You wanted to enter the Ashford family.
17:12I refused you, so you did this.
17:14You thought that having a child would force my hand.
17:16How shameless!
17:17I said from the very beginning,
17:18you have nothing but the bonded partner of the Ashford heir.
17:21Especially after what you have done, you are even less worthy.
17:26Mother, that child carries Ashfield blood!
17:29Please, I beg you all.
17:31My feelings for Zane are real.
17:33I love him.
17:34The Alpha Princess's orders, once spoken, would not be withdrawn.
17:37Zane Ashford is to receive 30 lashes now,
17:40and Chloe Vane's punishment will be carried out after the child is born.
17:44The remaining higher-ranking Alphas and Betas
17:46looked at Zane and Chloe on the ground with unconcealed disgust.
17:50Before nightfall, the matter had spread throughout the entire territory.
17:52Zane Ashford and Chloe Vane, their secret entanglement,
17:55the unblessed child,
17:56and how they had tried to shift Blaine into Maddie Crest.
17:59It was spoken of from one end of the Pact territory to the other.
18:02Zane received 30 heavy lashes and was carried back to Ashford Manor.
18:06You are the Ashford heir.
18:08For that beta who has no bloodline, no standing,
18:11you publicly slandered the eldest daughter of the Crest family.
18:15What were you thinking?
18:16Chloe Vane has nothing but a title.
18:18The Alpha King granted her that title as a mere gesture.
18:21She has no formal territory, no Pact wealth, nothing at all.
18:26You have offended both the Alpha Princess and the Crest family,
18:29and all of this was for her sake.
18:31Do you understand what tomorrow's hearing will look like?
18:34The Crest family people act as though they are above everyone else.
18:37I already apologized, but she would not let it go.
18:39Tomorrow I will submit a formal letter of apology to the Alpha King.
18:43You had better start thinking now about what you will say.
18:47He turned to Lady Ashford and said,
18:49Prepare an appropriate gift.
18:50Tomorrow we go to Crest Manor.
18:53When I returned to Crest Manor, my parents already knew everything.
18:56Father stood with his arms crossed, his expression calmed,
18:58but I knew he was furious.
18:59The Ashford heir, he treated my daughter's reputation as though it were trash.
19:03Centuries of Crest family glory,
19:05did he think it could all be erased in a single afternoon?
19:08Mother's eyes were red.
19:09She pulled me close.
19:10My child, after all you have been through,
19:12thank God you are safe.
19:14I thought of everything I had witnessed and suffering in my previous life.
19:16My father's hair turning white overnight,
19:18my mother vomiting blood in her inconsolable grief,
19:21and tears began to fall before I could stop them.
19:23I held my mother tight and would not let go.
19:28I'm alright.
19:29They failed.
19:30After returning, the moment I understood where I was,
19:33I had pulled Luna aside and sent her back to the manor to put on that bra.
19:36In my previous life, everything had happened too fast.
19:38I had been besieged before I even had a moment to think,
19:41and by the time I came to my senses,
19:42the Alpha Princess had already passed judgment.
19:44In this life, Luna was wearing the bra before the rugby ball was ever thrown.
19:48I wanted Chloe and Zane's reputation to collapse completely before everyone's eyes.
19:51I wanted their relationship exposed,
19:53so that all eyes would be on them alone.
19:55The following morning,
19:56letters of accusation were delivered to the Alpha King's Palace.
19:58Senior members of the pack brought charges against Lord Ashford
20:01for failing to manage his family's affairs,
20:03and charged Zane Ashford with misconduct unbecoming of an heir.
20:05For publicly and without cause,
20:07defaming the reputation of a beta woman.
20:09The Alpha Princess had already spoken directly to the Alpha King about the men,
20:11and the Alpha King's formal order would come before noon.
20:14Chloe Bane's conduct was found to be unbecoming of her position,
20:16and a disgrace to her standing,
20:18her title was stripped,
20:19and she was immediately reduced to a commoner.
20:21Chloe threw herself before the gates of the royal palace,
20:23beating bitterly.
20:26Alpha King, I know I was wrong.
20:28I beg you.
20:29My father devoted his entire life to serving the pack.
20:31If he could see me treated this way,
20:32he would be heartbroken.
20:33The Alpha King's senior attendant came out and conveyed the reply.
20:36If your father knew everything you have done,
20:38even his spirit would find no peace.
20:41From now on, guard your words and conduct carefully.
20:45Chloe crumpled at the entrance.
20:46Only then did she understand she could never go back.
20:49Everything she had once possessed,
20:50her distinguished identity and title were all gone.
20:52Lord Ashford was reprimanded by the Alpha King,
20:55confined to the manor to reflect for one year,
20:57and the pack's resources under his control were frozen.
20:59As for Zane Ashford,
21:00all his positions and roles were revoked,
21:01and he was transferred to the border guard,
21:03assigned to managing the outer gates of the territory.
21:06From heir to the pack's lord,
21:07to a gatekeeper,
21:08every member of the ranked packs within the territory
21:10talked about it for a long time.
21:11The next morning,
21:12Lady Ashford arrived at Crest Manor,
21:14with Zane carefully at her side,
21:16the wounds from 30 lashes still aching beneath the surface.
21:21The courtyard was filled with the gifts they had brought.
21:23Lady Ashford looked at my mother with an expression of shame.
21:26We failed to raise him properly,
21:27and he has committed such a grave mistake.
21:30We have come to make amends in whatever way we can.
21:32Please do not hold it against him any further.
21:34Please accept these gifts as Ashford family's congratulatory offering
21:38for Miss Nadia's future bonding.
21:39Zane met my gaze from across the way.
21:41Nadia.
21:43Please use my full name, Zane Ashford.
21:45We are not on close enough terms for that.
21:48He continued nonetheless.
21:50What happened at the championship,
21:51I was not thinking clearly at the time.
21:53But Chloe is your close friend.
21:55I only needed you to help her once,
21:57and you refused.
21:58If our relationship were exposed,
22:01her reputation would certainly be destroyed entirely.
22:04My mother already dislikes her,
22:06and if she found out about us,
22:07it would only get worse.
22:08The reason I named you
22:10was because I believed that even if your reputation suffered,
22:14the Crest family would protect you.
22:16But Chloe has no one!
22:18Rage surged within me.
22:22Just because she has no one,
22:24she is allowed to destroy me?
22:26Just because she is my friend,
22:27I am supposed to let her slander my name
22:29to protect herself when she needs it?
22:31What remains of the Crest name
22:32was built by generations of effort,
22:34and every person in this family
22:36has paid a price for it.
22:38You thought you could use it as a shield
22:39to protect the one you love,
22:41and then leave behind nothing but a hollow apology?
22:44You and Chloe made your choices together.
22:46That is between the two of you.
22:47I owe you nothing,
22:48and I will never owe either of you
22:50or anyone like you anything ever again.
22:53I do not accept your apology,
22:55and Chloe Vane is no longer my friend.
22:57You may leave.
23:00With Chloe stripped of her title,
23:02deprived of all resources and standing,
23:04and still carrying a child,
23:05no matter how things ultimately played out,
23:07the Ashford family could not simply ignore the matter.
23:09The child carried Ashford blood.
23:11Lady Ashford announced her position
23:13through gridded teeth.
23:13Chloe could enter the territory,
23:15but not as Zane's true bonding partner,
23:16Duff.
23:17But as a kept Omega,
23:18with no formal bonding ceremony,
23:20Chloe had never imagined it would end this way.
23:22She had once been a beta of distinguished title,
23:24and had believed there would be a bonding ceremony,
23:26making her officially part of the Ashford family.
23:28But she had no moves left.
23:31Only one last game.
23:36She sent word to Lady Ashford,
23:38stating that if Zane did not hold
23:39a formal bonding ceremony,
23:40and acknowledge her as his true partner,
23:43she would go before the Alpha King,
23:44and accuse Zane of taking advantage of her,
23:46leaving her alone with his child.
23:48If necessary,
23:49she would not mind dragging
23:50the Ashford family down with her.
23:52She had nothing left to lose.
23:53Lady Ashford accepted these demands
23:55through gridded teeth.
23:56Chloe Vane would officially be bonded
23:57with Zane Ashford.
23:58Before the bonding ceremony,
23:59Chloe held a gathering at Vane Manor,
24:01and sent me a handwritten letter
24:02inviting me to attend.
24:05The paper was stained with tears.
24:06She wrote that I was the only true sister
24:08she had in this territory,
24:10and that she wished to see me
24:11one last time before the bonding.
24:12I deliberated for a long time,
24:14and in the end I agreed.
24:15Although Chloe no longer held a title,
24:16she was about to become
24:17the bonded partner of the Ashford heir,
24:19so many high-ranking alphas and betas
24:21came for the bonding ceremony.
24:28Partway through the meal,
24:29Chloe took my hand,
24:29her eyes glistening.
24:31Nadia,
24:31I was wrong.
24:33I know I hurt you,
24:34so I made a gown for you
24:36with my own hands
24:37for your future bonding ceremony.
24:39And I wish to ask for your forgiveness.
24:41Come,
24:42let's try it on together.
24:44I want to see if it fits.
24:45She said this,
24:46her gaze was fixed on me.
24:47I glanced back at her and smiled.
24:49All right.
24:50Luna came to help me up,
24:51and Chloe had already risen.
24:54Nadia,
24:55let me go with you.
24:55There's no need for Luna.
24:57I made the dress myself.
24:58I know how every part of it goes.
25:00I'll help you put it on.
25:01The dressing room was at the far end
25:02of the banquet hall,
25:03and I went inside to change.
25:05A long time passed,
25:06and Luna grew very anxious.
25:08She pulled aside an Ashford servant
25:10to ask why I still had not returned.
25:11And just then,
25:12a scream came from outside the manor.
25:18Everyone turned toward the sound,
25:19and someone rose to their feet.
25:21Sound came from the dressing room.
25:23Someone go and check.
25:24A maidservant stood frozen outside the door,
25:26her hand over her mouth,
25:27her face drained of color.
25:29She pointed at the tightly shut door and said,
25:31There is a man inside.
25:33Sounds came from within the room,
25:35sounds that had no place at such a gathering.
25:37What is this?
25:38Who would do such a thing here?
25:39Open the door.
25:40The Ashford family servant trembled.
25:42Miss Crest is inside changing.
25:43You cannot simply barge in.
25:45Before the words had even finished,
25:46a beta in the crowd covered her mouth.
25:48Nadia Crest is meeting a man alone in there?
25:51Zane Ashford appeared at the edge of the crowd,
25:53his brow knitted together.
25:54He looked toward Luna and said,
25:56Where is Miss Nadia?
25:57How could you allow something like this to happen
25:59to a guest in this manner?
26:01Open the door.
26:02Two young alphas shoved the door open,
26:04and a heavy, unfamiliar fragrance drifted out.
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