- 5 hours ago
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Short filmTranscript
00:00When Damien pressed the silver blade against my wrist, his first love was sitting on my throne, wearing my Luna
00:05dress.
00:06The entire Blackwood pack was watching.
00:08The guards and witnesses of the Moon Goddess Council all remained silent.
00:12Salit reached out and touched my corona, smiling innocently.
00:15Lena, don't blame Damien.
00:18Just sign the Luna Severance Agreement already.
00:21I looked at Damien.
00:23Seven years ago, he held my hand at the Temple of the Moon and said I was his only mate.
00:27Seven years later, he threw an agreement in front of me.
00:31Luna Suspension Accord.
00:33Temporarily sever the Luna Bond.
00:36Thirty days later, the Alpha will have the option to renew the mate bond.
00:40Choose again.
00:40I've heard those two words six times already.
00:43The first time, he took my Luna ring at my birthday party, saying that Celeste had just returned to North
00:47America and couldn't be ruined by rumors.
00:49The third time, he drained my healing wolf blood to save her, leaving me unconscious in the medical pod for
00:53seven days.
00:54The sixth time, he asked me to move out of the master bedroom.
00:57Because Celeste said she couldn't stand my scent.
01:01Now, for the seventh time, he didn't even bother to comfort me.
01:05Signed.
01:06I looked at the agreement and suddenly smiled.
01:08Why did it have to be today?
01:14Celeste's eyes immediately welled up with tears.
01:18Lena, tonight is my bloodline hearing.
01:21The council stipulates that bloodline candidates under the public protection of an Alpha cannot be involved in mate disputes.
01:28If you keep the Luna title, the council will cancel my hearing.
01:33And brand me a homewrecker who interfered with an Alpha's mate bond.
01:38I understood.
01:39The bloodline hearing is the highest level of bloodline certification in the North American sanctuary.
01:44Once approved, candidates gain noble status, council protection, eligibility for pack marriage, and even become legitimate Luna candidates.
01:52Celeste wanted to transform from Damien's first love into a noblewoman recognized by the Moon Goddess Council.
01:57And I was her only obstacle.
01:59I looked at Damien.
02:00So, you want to kick me out of Luna's position first, just so she can pass the review with a
02:04clean record?
02:05Damien frowned.
02:06It's only temporary.
02:07Celeste may be a distant branch of the lost royal family.
02:10If she passes the hearing, Blackwood will gain new leverage in the council.
02:14Lena, you should think about the pack.
02:16I see.
02:17He wanted both my protection and the title for Celeste.
02:20He still thought I would never leave.
02:22The silver blade pressed into my wrist, and blood dripped onto the agreement.
02:26Just 30 days.
02:28I will choose you again.
02:30I would have believed him in the past.
02:32I would have cried, begged, and kneeled at his feet, pleading with him not to reject me again.
02:37But this time, I picked up the pen and calmly signed my name.
02:43Lena Ashburn.
02:47For a moment, the entire hall seemed to freeze.
02:50Damien's pupils suddenly contracted.
02:52Ashburn.
02:53There wasn't a single werewolf in the North American Sanctuary who didn't know this surname.
02:5820 years ago, a civil war tore through the Ashburn royal family.
03:02The moon crown disappeared, and it was rumored that the main tree went extinct.
03:06Since then, no one dared to use that surname.
03:08Impersonating a royal bloodline meant execution by the moon goddess council.
03:13Damien stared tently at my signature.
03:17Lena, do you know what this surname means?
03:20I put down my pen.
03:23I know, he sneered.
03:24Ashburn is long gone.
03:26You dare to use the name of a lost royal family just to spine me?
03:29I looked up at him.
03:31Who told you Ashburn was gone?
03:35I personally unclasped the mate bond necklace from the back of my neck.
03:38Damien, I accept your rejection.
03:40The moment the mate bond severed, the excruciating pain felt like silver flames burning through my bones.
03:46Damien groaned, his face going deathly pale.
03:52I took a step back.
03:53The seventh time, and the last time, my phone screen lit up.
03:57Ashbone royal rights revivigation order.
03:5972-hour countdown begins.
04:01Damien was unaware.
04:03Tonight, he wasn't rejecting a wife who couldn't live without him.
04:05He was rejecting the crown that had sustained the Blackwood family for seven years.
04:13As I left the main Blackwood estate, terrestrial rain pounded on the steps.
04:18The pack members who had sworn allegiance to me before the crest of the moon goddess stood in two rows.
04:24But not one of them dared to look up at me.
04:28Damien chased after me.
04:30Lena, stop!
04:31He grabbed my wrist and pressed right onto the wound.
04:35Blood seeped out again.
04:37I looked at his hand.
04:39Let go.
04:41He paused for a moment.
04:43I used to soften whenever he touched me.
04:45Even if just a second ago, he had humiliated me for Celeste's sake.
04:49But right now, all I felt was pain.
04:53Damien, you're hurting me.
04:57He let go as if he had been burned.
05:00Celeste, wearing his coat, stood in the doorway and said softly,
05:07Lena, he's just worried about you.
05:10I raised my bleeding wrist.
05:13Forcing me to sign with a silver blade is your idea of worrying.
05:16Celeste's face paled for a moment.
05:18Damien immediately stepped in front of her.
05:20Don't take your anger out on her.
05:23It was always like this.
05:25If she cried, the whole world was supposed to make way for her.
05:28Seven years ago, when I married Damien, my mother told me to keep my true surname a secret.
05:36Lena, the name Ashburn brings both crowns and bloodshed.
05:41I didn't understand back then.
05:43All I knew was that I loved Damien.
05:49So I concealed my moon crown bloodline, gave up my right to inherit the royal throne, and stood by his
05:57side as Lady Blackwood.
05:59Taking him from nothing to the top of the North American sanctuary.
06:05He believed that Blackwood's rise was due to his own abilities.
06:11But what he didn't know was that it was the Ashburn royal credit
06:17that truly opened the doors of the financial world for him.
06:24It was Ashburn's proxy vote that suppressed the elders' impeachment against him.
06:30What calmed his feral wolf instincts was the last drop of the moon crown royal blood in my veins.
06:38Celeste wanted a bloodline hearing, not just to clear her name.
06:41She had fabricated a bloodline of a lost royal collateral branch.
06:46If the hearing passed, she would receive council certification and legitimatize herself.
06:52At that time, she would be qualified to stand beside Damien
06:55and qualified to replace me as the new Luna.
07:00Therefore, she had to force Damien to publicly sever our bond.
07:04What she wanted wasn't innocence.
07:06What she wanted was my position.
07:10Damien softened his tone when he saw my silence.
07:14I will restore your Luna title in 30 days.
07:17Go stay in the city for a few days and avoid any further conflict with Celeste.
07:21I nodded.
07:23I won't have any more conflicts with her.
07:26He visibly breathed a sigh of relief because I'm done with you.
07:33What did you say?
07:36Don't you understand?
07:39I'm done with you.
07:43Lena, you can't live without me.
07:45You said the same thing last time, but didn't you still come back?
07:49I got into the car and took one last look at them before closing the door.
07:54Then you'd better pray that I'll come back this time.
07:58The car drove away from the estate.
08:00In the rearview mirror, Damien was still standing in the rain looking down from his high horse.
08:05He didn't know, 72 hours later, he'd be begging me on his knees not to take everything back.
08:11In those final 72 hours, I gave Damien a chance.
08:14If he truly chose me just once, the Ashburn Rite's revocation order would be cancelled.
08:21I had even prepared a graceful out for him, if only he came to the night of the moon's coronation.
08:27If only he said in front of the council, Lena is my Luna.
08:33I would have given these seven years a dignified ending.
08:36But 15 minutes before the ceremony began, Damien didn't show.
08:41The moon priestess looked at me, his voice low.
08:44Miss Ashburn, are you sure you want to wait?
08:48I didn't answer.
08:49He glanced at the moonstone in the center of the temple.
08:54Tonight is the night of the moon's coronation.
08:57And also Blackwood's annual sanctuary ceremony.
09:00According to the council's decree, alphas must personally confirm their Luna.
09:05Only a confirmed Luna is qualified to light the moonstone for their pact.
09:09I gripped the moon crown separate tightly.
09:13What if he doesn't show up?
09:15The priestess was silent for a moment.
09:17Then the protection you grant won't be attributed to Blackwood.
09:20Blackwood's moon goddess barrier, council seat, and alpha privileges will all expire after midnight.
09:25The credit guarantees behind all their business projects will also be frozen simultaneously.
09:30I lowered my eyes.
09:32It all came down to just one sentences from him.
09:35If only he said one thing.
09:38Lena is my Luna.
09:40I could still extend Blackwood's protection for another year as their Luna.
09:44My phone vibrated at that exact moment.
09:47Celeste sent a photo.
09:48On a private jet, she was leaning against Damien.
09:51His coat draped over her shoulders.
09:53The caption was only one sentence.
09:55Before the hearing began, he chose me first.
10:00Immediately afterward, Damien's avoidant came in.
10:03Lena.
10:03Celeste's bloodline hearing was moved up.
10:05I'm going with her.
10:07The coronation night can be best next year.
10:09Hearing the words next year, I tuddensly smiled.
10:11Before I couldn't speak, he impatiently added.
10:15Don't make a scene.
10:16Just hold the line for tonight's protection ceremony.
10:19You're Blackwood's Luna.
10:21Lighting the moonstone is your duty.
10:23The moon priestess frowned.
10:24Without an alpha present, the protection won't bind to Blackwood.
10:28Doesn't he know that?
10:29I looked at my phone screen and said softly,
10:31He knows.
10:32Damien's voice continued.
10:33When I return, I'll provide the alpha's confirmation.
10:36Hasn't it always been like this all these years?
10:39You'll always hold the fort for Blackhole.
10:41The temple suddenly fell silent.
10:43So he really did know.
10:45He knew Blackhole couldn't lose its protection tonight.
10:47He also knew that every time the moonstone lit up over the years,
10:50I was the one standing there.
10:53But he didn't know that wasn't a duty Blackwood had given me.
10:55It was a life I loaned to Blackwood.
10:58I raised my hand and slashed my palm.
11:00Silver blood dripped into the moonstone.
11:04Damien's mind link instantly flooded my mind.
11:08Lena, what are you doing?
11:11I said,
11:14Ending all of this.
11:18His voice suddenly turned ice cold.
11:21Don't do anything crazy.
11:23Blackwood needs protection tonight.
11:26Beneath the moonstone,
11:28silver blood light slowly spread.
11:31I looked towards the dark forest outside the temple.
11:36Blackwood doesn't need protection.
11:38It needs me.
11:41There was a moment of silence on the mind link.
11:44Celeste's voice could be faintly heard in the background.
11:48Damien, is she threatening you again?
11:50My hearing cannot go wrong.
11:53Damien hissed.
11:56Lena,
11:58don't force me to hate you.
12:00Those words finally shattered the last bit of warmth in my heart.
12:05I severed the mate bond.
12:08In the instant the excruciating pain exploded,
12:11I heard Damien call my name uncontrollably.
12:13At the same time,
12:15in the direction of the Blackwood estate,
12:16the first moon lamp went out.
12:19The second one.
12:21The third one.
12:22The silver barrier over the entire territory
12:25seemed to have its soul ripped away,
12:27plunging into darkness.
12:28The priestess communicator rang incessantly.
12:31Banks are pulling their funding.
12:32Council proxy votes frozen.
12:34Alpha septal privileges expired.
12:36All Ashburn guarantees are withdrawn simultaneously.
12:40The temple doors were smashed open.
12:42Lena, stop!
12:43He had just stepped onto the first stair
12:45when he was blasted away by the Moonstone's shockwave.
12:47Celeste followed behind him, her face pale.
12:50It's a lie!
12:51She's a fraud!
12:52The Ashburn mainline went extinct 20 years ago!
12:54The next second,
12:55the Moonstone burst forth with a blinding silver light.
12:58Ancient royal inscriptions appeared in midair.
13:00Royal bloodline confirmed.
13:02Lena Ashburn,
13:03the sole heir to the lost royal family
13:05of the North American sanctuary.
13:07The entire audience dropped to their knees.
13:10Even the moon priestess lowered her head.
13:12Welcome back,
13:13Moon Crown bloodline.
13:14Damien stood at the bottom of the steps,
13:16the color draining from his face completely.
13:19Celeste shook her head and backed away.
13:21Impossible!
13:22I took off the last Blackwood badge
13:24and threw it at Damien's feet.
13:25The crown you've worn all these years
13:27is one I loaned to you.
13:29Now,
13:29I'm taking it back.
13:32The next morning,
13:33Damien returned to the main estate.
13:35He thought I would be sitting in the living room
13:37waiting for him like before.
13:39That there would be a hangover cure on the table,
13:42hot soup in the kitchen,
13:43and I would ask him with teary eyes
13:45why he didn't come back last night.
13:48But the living room was empty.
13:50The master bedroom was empty.
13:53In the walk-in closet,
13:55not a single piece of my clothing was left.
13:57Even my scent in the air had been completely erased.
14:01He finally panicked.
14:03Lena!
14:05No one responded.
14:07He rushed into the study
14:09and saw only a letter left on the desk.
14:11Damien,
14:12from this day forward,
14:14Blackwood has nothing to do with me.
14:16Below it were three documents.
14:19Luna's statement of resignation,
14:21proof of bond severance,
14:22a copy of the Ashburn Wright's revocation order.
14:25Damien tore the first piece to shreds,
14:28then tore the second piece.
14:29But when he touched the third document
14:31bearing the silver seal of the Moon Goddess Council,
14:33his fingertips were instantly burned.
14:35The assistant stumbled in.
14:37Sir,
14:37we have a massive problem.
14:39The bank is demanding immediate repayment of the loans,
14:42the Northridge Energy Project is dead,
14:44and the council just informed us
14:45that Blackwood's Alpha eligibility
14:47will be reviewed next week.
14:54Get Lena on the phone.
14:56Miss Lena's number is disconnected.
14:57Check her accounts!
14:59All funds have been transferred back to the Ashburn Trust.
15:02Check the airports!
15:03The Ashburn family has blocked all of her travel records.
15:06Damien walked over the coffee table.
15:11How dare she?
15:13No one dared to answer.
15:16Because everyone knew it in their hearts.
15:18She should have dared to do it a long time ago.
15:21In the afternoon,
15:22the Council of Elders held an emergency meeting.
15:25The Grand Elder slammed a stack of old documents
15:28in front of Damien.
15:29You still think you built Blackwood on your own?
15:32Damien lowered his head.
15:34The financing guarantee from seven years ago
15:36was not signed by an anonymous syndicate.
15:39It was the Ashburn Royal Trust.
15:41Five years ago,
15:43the Council proxy vote
15:44was not authorized by a Blackwood ally.
15:48It was the heir to the Moon Crown.
15:50The bloodline seal that suppressed
15:52his feral outburst three years ago
15:54bore only a silver royal seal, Ashburn.
15:59Damien's hands began to tremble.
16:00It turned out that the wife
16:02he had constantly looked down on all those years
16:04was actually Blackwood's true foundation.
16:07Celesta burst into the conference room.
16:09Damien, they've frozen my bloodline hearing.
16:11You have to help me.
16:15The Grand Elder looked at her coldly.
16:17Of course it's frozen.
16:19The proof of your status
16:21as a collateral royal that you submitted
16:22has been marked as a forgery
16:24by the Moon Goddess Council.
16:26Celesta's face turned deathly pale instantly.
16:29Damien slowly lowered his head,
16:31his eyes chillingly cold.
16:34Celesta's eyes reddened.
16:36So you're not some lost royal branch at all?
16:39I just wanted to be worthy of standing by her side.
16:43If Lena was always Luna,
16:45I would always be called a homewrecker.
16:47Are you blaming me now?
16:49Her voice became shrill.
16:51Wasn't it you who chose me every single time?
16:54The meeting room was deathly silent.
16:57Those words were like a brutal slap to Damien's face.
17:02Because she was right.
17:05He was the one who hurt Lena every single time.
17:10Three years later,
17:11at the New York Financial Summit,
17:13the hostess voice echoed throughout the venue.
17:16Please welcome the new executive chairman
17:18of Ashburn Global
17:20and the sole heir to the lost royal family
17:23of the North American sanctuary,
17:25Lena Ashburn.
17:26Thunderous applause erupted.
17:27Damien, however,
17:28remained frozen in the audience.
17:30Three years ago,
17:31he mocked me for using a royal surname.
17:34Three years later,
17:35the whole world was bowing to this surname.
17:40I walked onto the stage
17:42in a black custom-tailored suit,
17:44my silver moon brooch
17:45gleaming coldly under the lights.
17:47As the camera zoomed in,
17:48I signed the merger agreement
17:50for Sanctuary Energy North America.
17:52The signature fell.
17:54Lena Ashburn.
17:56This time,
17:56no one dared to question
17:58whether the surname was real or fake.
18:00As soon as I stepped off the stage,
18:02Damien rushed over.
18:03Lena.
18:04My bodyguards immediately blocked him.
18:06I raised my hand to make them step back.
18:07Damien stared at me,
18:08his voice hoarse.
18:09Where have you been
18:10for the past three years?
18:12I look at him.
18:13Mr. Black, watch your boundaries.
18:15His eyes widened in shock.
18:16What did you just call me?
18:19Mr. Blackwood.
18:24I am Damien.
18:26I know.
18:26But we are practically strangers.
18:29He looked as if those words
18:30had physically pierced him.
18:33You still hate me?
18:34No.
18:35I took a glass of champagne
18:37from a passing waiter.
18:39I just don't care about you anymore.
18:42Hate still requires feeling.
18:44Indifference is the true end.
18:46Damien reached out to grab me,
18:48but his wrist was caught by another hand.
18:50Silas Voss stood next to me.
18:53The youngest leader
18:54of North American Dark Knight Capital.
18:56Known on Wall Street
18:57as the Mad Wolf.
19:02But when he looked at me,
19:04his eyes were as gentle as moonlight.
19:06Is the meeting over?
19:08I nodded.
19:09Silas naturally took my jacket for me.
19:12Damien stared intently at him.
19:14Who are you?
19:17Silas smiled.
19:18Her fiancé candidate.
19:20The entire room fell silent instantly.
19:22Damien's inner wolf surged in his eyes.
19:24Lena, you're joking.
19:26I looked up.
19:27I don't joke about marriage.
19:29His breath hitched.
19:31Seven years ago,
19:32he was the one who treated marriage like a game.
19:35As I passed by him,
19:36he suddenly whispered,
19:37You promised you would love me for a lifetime.
19:41I stopped in my tracks.
19:43You promised you would never reject me.
19:45I didn't turn around.
19:46Damien, we are completely done.
19:49Later,
19:50at a charity gala,
19:51Damien snatched the microphone from the host
19:53in front of everyone.
19:55Lena Ashburn is still my Luna.
19:58The entire audience erupted in uproar.
20:01All the cameras pivoted to me.
20:03Silas stood beside me,
20:04his eyes turning lethal.
20:08But I just laughed.
20:10Damien thought I would be afraid of losing face.
20:12But he forgot.
20:14He had already forced me to show my most humiliating moments to everyone years ago.
20:19I walked onto the stage.
20:22Hope shone in Damien's eyes.
20:27Lena,
20:28I knew you would give me a chance.
20:30I held out my hand.
20:32Microphone.
20:33He hesitated for a moment,
20:34but handed it to me.
20:36I turned to the entire room.
20:38Mr. Blackwood and I severed their mate bond three years ago.
20:41The Moon Goddess Council has the complete records.
20:43Damien's expression drastically changed.
20:47Lena!
20:47I took an old badge out of my clutch.
20:49The Blackwood Luna badge.
20:52I used to keep it close to my heart,
20:54thinking it was a symbol of love.
20:56Now I knew it was just a shackle.
20:59I raised my hand and tossed the badge straight into the ten-tiered champagne fountain.
21:05Glass shattered,
21:07and golden champagne splashed all over Damien's suit.
21:10I looked at him.
21:11I am not your Luna.
21:15I am my own Alpha.
21:17Applause erupted from a corner and quickly swept through the entire banquet hall.
21:21Damien stood amidst the shattered glass,
21:23his composure slowly fracturing.
21:25You weren't like this before.
21:30I approached him.
21:32Right.
21:34Before, when I was hurt,
21:36I would only beg you to turn back.
21:38I raised my wrist,
21:39revealing the faded scar from the silver blade.
21:41Now, when I'm injured,
21:44I make those who hurt me pay the price.
21:49Silas took the other microphone from the podium.
21:52As a courtesy notice to everyone here,
21:55Vos Capital has officially taken over the largest debt of the Blackwood Group.
21:59Damien whipped his head to look at him.
22:01Silas spoke calmly.
22:03Mr. Blackwood,
22:04starting tomorrow,
22:05you need to learn to make your payments on time.
22:08Celeste suddenly burst out from the crowd.
22:10You can't humiliate him!
22:13I looked at her.
22:15Celeste.
22:16Are you sure you want to speak up for him here?
22:19Her face stiffened.
22:22I gestured for my lawyer to step forward.
22:24The large presentation screen lit up.
22:27Forged bloodline documents.
22:29Bank transfers proving bribes to the Council Authenticators.
22:32Documents applying for Luna Cantindicity using Damien's Alpha endorsement.
22:35And emails proving she had stolen Blackwood's trade secrets and sold them to a rival pack.
22:39Page after page.
22:40All exposed to the public eye.
22:42Turn it off!
22:43Turn it off now!
22:45I returned the microphone to the host.
22:49Tonight,
22:51Ashworn Global will donate an extra 10 million dollars
22:53to help all women who have been victimized by bloodline fraud and mate bond disputes.
22:58I stepped off the stage.
23:00Behind me came Celeste's devastating sobs.
23:03I Damien finally understood.
23:06I didn't come back to explain.
23:08I came back
23:10to settle the score.
23:15The day Damien stormed into Ashburn Tower,
23:18he almost put two guards into the hospital.
23:20I met him in the conference room on the top floor.
23:23He slammed a stack of documents in front of me.
23:26His eyes bloodshot and unhinged.
23:29Why didn't you tell me?
23:30I slowly flipped through the contract on my desk.
23:34Tell you what?
23:35Tell me that Blackwood's funding came from you.
23:37That my council seat came from you.
23:38That even my Alpha Scepter was authorized by your royal bloodline!
23:41I closed the file.
23:43And if I had,
23:44his voice trembled.
23:47I wouldn't have done that to you.
23:49I laughed.
23:50Damien, you didn't hurt me because you didn't know the truth.
23:53You hurt me because you thought I would never leave.
23:56He froze.
23:58I stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows.
24:01Seven years ago, when you were forced to step down by the elders,
24:05I handed you the Ashburn proxy vote.
24:07You said that once your Alpha position was secure,
24:11you'd take me to Iceland to see the Northern Lights.
24:14And then what?
24:16I looked back at him.
24:17You took Celeste.
24:20Damien's face went deathly pale.
24:23Five years ago, I suffered a bloodline backlash and was lying in a medical pod.
24:28Celeste said she was scared.
24:31So you ordered the doctor to stay with her instead.
24:34Three years ago, she was sitting in our master bedroom,
24:38wearing my Luna dress, and you told me I was overreacting.
24:42The night you rejected me for the seventh time,
24:45you forced me to sign away my bond with a silver blade.
24:49I approached him step by step.
24:52You claimed unbinding was for the pack,
24:54but what you really wanted was for Celeste to pass the hearing,
24:57giving Blackwood a more prestigious bargaining chip.
25:00You wanted my royal protection and her fake royal status.
25:05Damien, you didn't do it for the pack.
25:09You were just greedy.
25:13He finally fell to his knees.
25:15The once arrogant Alpha kneeled on the floor of the Ashburn Tower conference room,
25:20his voice hoarse beyond recognition.
25:23Lena, I made a huge mistake.
25:26I had waited seven years to hear those words,
25:29but hearing them now just sounded pathetic.
25:34Silas pushed open the doors and stepped in,
25:36standing firmly next to me.
25:39Mr. Blackwood,
25:41your time is up.
25:43My assistant handed me a tablet.
25:46On the screen was a notification just sent by the Blackwood Elders Council.
25:51Official Alpha removal prosinitiated.
25:53I turned the tablet toward Damien.
25:56His pupils contracted sharply.
25:58I looked down at him and enunciated every word.
26:01Damien,
26:03it wasn't you who gave me the Luna position.
26:06It was I who loaned you the throne.
26:08And now,
26:09I've taken it back.
26:11Silas proposed to me in a glass conservatory on Fifth Avenue.
26:14He opened the blue velvet box.
26:16A 12-carry pink diamond shone like a miniature moon in the sunlight.
26:20This man,
26:21who struck fear into the hearts of Wall Street's most ruthless flyers,
26:24was actually trembling.
26:26Lena,
26:27I can wait for you,
26:28but I don't want to just be a candidate anymore.
26:34I smiled.
26:39At the negotiating table,
26:42I'm not afraid of losing you.
26:44Here I am.
26:46He looked deep into my eyes.
26:47My heart melted completely.
26:50I held out my hand.
26:52Then you don't need to be afraid today.
26:55The moment the ring touched my finger,
26:57the glass doors were smashed open.
26:59Damien rushed in,
27:01looking completely deranged.
27:06Lena!
27:11Simus immediately stepped between us.
27:14Damien stared at the ring on my finger as if he was going mad.
27:17You can't wear that!
27:20I looked up.
27:21You have no right to say that to me.
27:23You are my wife!
27:24We ended things three years ago.
27:26It was only temporary!
27:28You promised you'd take me back!
27:30I didn't agree to a seventh time.
27:33His breath hitted.
27:34I walked around Silas to face him.
27:37Damien,
27:38do you remember the first time you rejected me?
27:41His lips went white.
27:43It was my birthday.
27:44You took off my ring in front of everyone.
27:47You said Celeste couldn't handle being embarrassed.
27:50Third time,
27:51you drew my blood to save her.
27:54The sixth time,
27:56you let her sleep in my bed.
28:00The seventh time,
28:01you made me give up my crown to her just for her bloodline hearing.
28:05I looked at him with absolute pity.
28:07I gave you seven years.
28:08You gave her seven choices.
28:10Damien shook his head,
28:12his voice breaking.
28:13Celeste lied to me!
28:14I've already punished her!
28:16She falsified her lineage,
28:17was imprisoned by the council,
28:18and can never return to the sanctuary!
28:20He looked at me with desperate, pleading eyes.
28:22If you hate her,
28:23I'll destroy her!
28:24Just please come back!
28:27I laughed.
28:29You think I left because of her?
28:32He froze.
28:33The person who constantly hurt me was always you.
28:37Damien seemed to all the collapsed into the shattered glass on the floor.
28:41Lena,
28:41please.
28:41Blood seeped through his trousers from his knees.
28:44I can't live without you!
28:48I looked down at him.
28:50Seven years ago,
28:51I had begged him exactly like this.
28:54Lena,
28:54don't make me look down on you.
28:56Now I returned those exact words.
28:58Damien,
28:59don't make me look down on you.
29:01Silas took my hand
29:02and firmly slipped the pink diamond onto my finger.
29:05Damien stared at the ring,
29:06the look in his eyes completely shattering.
29:12Before I turned to leave,
29:13I gave him one last piece of advice.
29:16Only after seeing what it's like to be truly loved,
29:20do you realize that what you offered wasn't love at all.
29:23Heavy rain fell on our private island in the Bahamas,
29:27the night before the wedding.
29:28300 crystal lamps illuminated the pink sand beach,
29:32and the temple of the moon stood by the sea like a silver palace.
29:36Talia adjusted my bridal veil,
29:38then suddenly gave a cold laugh.
29:41He's here again.
29:43I didn't even need to ask who.
29:45Damien was kneeling at the entrance to the beach,
29:48his suit soaked through by the terrestrial rain,
29:50holding a worn-out ring box in his hands.
29:52The security guards tried to drag him away three times,
29:55but he fought them off and refused to leave.
29:57He said if he couldn't see me,
29:59he would kneel in the storm until dawn.
30:01Talia looked out the window.
30:04Before, when you waited for him in the rain,
30:07he said you were putting on a show.
30:09Now it's his turn.
30:11I didn't say anything.
30:13In the pouring rain, Damien looked up,
30:16saw my silhouette in the window,
30:17and immediately held up the ring box.
30:20Inside was a cheap silver band.
30:23The ring he had bought on a whim
30:25when we first cleaned each other's hands.
30:28I treated it like treasure back then.
30:31After being rejected for the sixth time,
30:33I threw it into the trash with my own hands.
30:36I hadn't expected him to dig it out.
30:43His voice was barely audible over the rearing storm.
30:46I've been diagnosed with wolf cord deterioration.
30:49I have three months left at most.
30:50Talia's expression shifted.
30:52Silas walked into the room.
30:53Just as Damien yelled those words,
30:55his fingers tightened slightly at his sides.
30:57I knew they were both afraid I'd cave.
30:59But I just stared blankly at the pathetic man outside the window.
31:02And so, Damien frozen shot.
31:04I pushed the window open,
31:06letting the freezing rain blow in.
31:07He looked up at me,
31:08his eyes brimming with agony.
31:10Just out of pity.
31:11Let me see you one last time.
31:13He looked up at me,
31:15his eyes brimming with agony.
31:18Damien,
31:19the moon goddess witnessed our vows.
31:21A desperate glimmer of hope sparked in his eyes.
31:25And she also witnessed,
31:28every single time,
31:30you betrayed me.
31:33That spark died instantly.
31:36Silas walked up behind me
31:38and handed me a legal folder.
31:39A wedding gift.
31:40I looked down.
31:41Blackwood Core Asset Restructuring Agreement.
31:43You bought out Blackwood?
31:44To be precise,
31:45I bought out the last thing he had left to be proud of.
31:47Silas looked down at me.
31:48You don't need to retaliate.
31:49I just want you to move forward
31:50without any of this filth dragging you down.
31:52I smiled.
31:53Childish.
31:56He lowered his head
31:57and kissed the back of my hand.
32:04Only for you.
32:08Outside the window,
32:10Damien was still screaming my name.
32:12I closed the window.
32:13The ceremony will proceed as scheduled.
32:15As the sacred music of the moon goddess swelled,
32:17there was a heavy thump of a body
32:19hitting the ground outside.
32:20No one stopped the music.
32:22And I didn't look back.
32:24On my wedding day,
32:25pure moonlight bathed the temple.
32:27I took my father's arm
32:28and walked down the aisle toward Silas.
32:30He stood before the altar
32:32and the second he saw me,
32:33his eyes welled up.
32:34This was a man who closed
32:35multi-billion dollar bywals
32:37and never blinked at his most vicious enemies.
32:39But when he went to put the ring on my hand,
32:41he was so nervous,
32:42he almost slid it onto the wrong finger.
32:44Mr. Voss left hand.
32:47My apologies.
32:48This is my first time marrying a queen.
32:51I laughed softly.
32:52He finally got it right.
32:54The moon priestess asked
32:55if he would accept the bond.
32:58Silas held both my hands,
32:59his voice carrying through the temple.
33:02I am willing to give her my septum,
33:04my surname,
33:06my territory,
33:07and the rest of my life.
33:09When it was my turn,
33:10I looked deep into his eyes.
33:12I do.
33:13It wasn't to spite anyone.
33:15It wasn't for revenge.
33:17It was because he taught me
33:18that true love will not force me to my knees,
33:20will not make me beg
33:22and will never demand
33:23I compromise my dignity.
33:27At the exact moment
33:29the ceremony concluded,
33:30the restructuring of Blackwood's assets
33:33officially hit the international market screens.
33:40Damien was stripped of his alpha scepter.
33:42The Blackwood pack was placed
33:45under the direct receivership
33:46of the Moon Goddess Council.
33:48Celeste's crimes of falsifying royal lineage
33:50and manipulating an alpha
33:52into severing a mate bond
33:53were made public,
33:54resulting in her permanent banishment
33:56from the North American Sanctuary.
34:02And I,
34:03wearing the Ashburn moon crown,
34:06stepped out
34:06as the new queen
34:07of the North American Sanctuary.
34:09Three months later,
34:11Damien died
34:11in an abandoned Blackwood cabin.
34:13On his deathbed,
34:14he requested that
34:15the old silver ban
34:16be given to me,
34:17hoping his ashes
34:18could be buried
34:19on the border of my territory.
34:21I had my guards return it.
34:25Some things from the past
34:27simply do not belong
34:28in my new world.
34:29A year into our marriage,
34:31I gave birth to a daughter.
34:32The night she was born,
34:34the moon garden
34:35bloomed entirely
34:35with silver roses.
34:37Silas held her securely
34:39in his arms,
34:40his other hand
34:41firmly holding mine.
34:42She looks like you.
34:44I looked down
34:45into my daughter's
34:46brilliant golden wolf eyes
34:48and whispered,
34:54I hope she grows up
34:55to be
34:55exactly who she wants to be.
34:59Outside the window,
35:01the moon lamps
35:01of the sanctuary
35:02lit up one by one.
35:04I finally understood.
35:06My real story
35:07didn't begin
35:08the day Damien
35:09fell in love with me.
35:11It truly began
35:12the moment
35:12I finally walked away from him.
35:18Seven days after
35:19Damien's death,
35:21the remaining elders
35:21of the Blackwood Pack
35:22carried his ashes
35:23and stormed the count chambers
35:25of the North American sanctuary.
35:28That day happened
35:29to be my daughter's
35:30full moon blessing ceremony.
35:33Silas stood beside me,
35:34holding our child.
35:35Just as the moon priestess
35:37was about to light
35:38the first guardian lamp,
35:39a furious roar
35:40echoed from the grand hall doors.
35:44Lena Ashburn,
35:45you killed our alpha!
35:47The Blackwood Grand Elder
35:49marched in,
35:49flanked by a dozen
35:50of his former loyalists.
35:51He carried a black velvet urn.
35:53Resting on top of the urn
35:54was the cheap silver band
35:55I had refused to accept.
35:56The entire hall
35:57fell dead silent.
35:59Silas's eyes turned lethal.
36:00Today is my daughter's
36:01blessing ceremony.
36:02You had better think
36:03very carefully
36:03about your next move.
36:04The Grand Elder, however,
36:06glared venomously at me.
36:07You stole Blackwood.
36:09You drove Damien to his death.
36:11You banished Celeste
36:12from the sanctuary
36:12and now you stand here
36:14holding your new husband's pup,
36:15expecting our blessings?
36:17Lena, do you even deserve it?
36:20Silas handed our daughter
36:21to Talia
36:21and immediately stepped forward.
36:23I caught his arm.
36:27Let me.
36:28I descended the steps
36:30to the center
36:30of the council floor.
36:32What exactly do you want?
36:34The Grand Elder
36:35threw a roll of petitions
36:36at my feet.
36:37Restore Damien's alpha title.
36:40Return the core territories
36:42of the Blackwood Pack
36:43and grant permission
36:45for his ashes
36:46to be buried
36:47within Ashburn borders.
36:51I laughed out loud.
36:54Why should I?
36:55The Grand Elder
36:56held up the tarnished silver band.
36:58Because you once
36:59swore yourself to him
37:00as his mate
37:00before the moon goddess.
37:02Because he loved you
37:03until his dying breath.
37:05And because it was
37:06your withdrawal of protection
37:07that caused Blackwood
37:08to collapse.
37:10Low murmurs rippled
37:11through the Grand Hall.
37:12The dead are always
37:13so easily romanticized,
37:14leaving the survivors
37:15to constantly prove
37:16they weren't the villains.
37:17I stared at the ring.
37:18I used to cry over it,
37:19smile over it,
37:19and guard it with my life.
37:21Now it was being dangled
37:22in front of me.
37:22Like a leash,
37:23they were desperately trying
37:24to slip back around my neck.
37:25I said clearly,
37:26Play the trial rest, creeps.
37:28The council secretary hesitated.
37:30My queen,
37:31those archives contain
37:32your traumatic mate-bond memories.
37:34Silas immediately turned to me.
37:36Lena, you don't have to.
37:37I squeezed his hand.
37:39Play them.
37:40The central moonstone ignited.
37:42The first memory
37:43projected holographically
37:44into the air.
37:45At my birthday banquet,
37:46Damien publicly stripping
37:47my lunar ring from my finger.
37:49His voice echoed.
37:50Lena, don't embarrass Celesta.
37:52The second memory.
37:54Inside the medical bay,
37:55my face completely drained of color
37:57as Damien forcefully extracted
38:00my healing wolf blood.
38:01The third memory.
38:02The night of his seventh rejection.
38:04The silver blade slicing open my wrist.
38:07His voice, cold and demanding.
38:09Sign it!
38:15The fourth memory.
38:17The bloodline hearing petition.
38:20Showing Damien officially endorsing Celeste
38:22with his alpha seal.
38:23The text hovering in the air read,
38:24The Blackwood Luna bond
38:26has been temporarily severed.
38:27Candidate Celeste is free
38:29of any mate dispute allegations.
38:31Clip after clip.
38:32Memory after memory.
38:33Seven years.
38:35Seven rejections.
38:36Seven times I was shoved off my throne
38:38and seven times I crawled back up,
38:40bleeding to stabilize Blackwood.
38:42Not a single person in the hall
38:44dared to speak.
38:45But you did indeed
38:46take back your protection!
38:48I looked dead at him.
38:49Yes.
38:50Because it was mine to begin with.
38:53The moonstone flared brighter.
38:55An ancient glowing parchment materialized in the air
38:58for all to read.
39:00Ashburn Royal Bloodline Transferment Contract.
39:03Beneficiary.
39:04Blackwood Pack.
39:06Granter.
39:07Lena Ashwern.
39:08Terms of transference.
39:10Respect for mate rights.
39:12Preservation of Luna honors.
39:14Prohibition of forced severances.
39:16and prohibition of bloodline.
39:18Luna bonds cannot be weaponized
39:20as collateral
39:21for third-party bloodline hearings.
39:24Breaches of contract.
39:25Seven.
39:26Revocation authorized and legal.
39:29The hall fell into absolute silence.
39:32Ashbone didn't destroy Blackwood.
39:35It was Damien
39:36who breached the contract seven times.
39:39Personally causing Blackwood
39:41to lose the royal protection.
39:42I raised my chin
39:44and the silver moon crown materialized
39:46glowing fiercely upon my head.
39:48I'm not trying to retrieve the crown.
39:51I'm just taking back
39:53what originally belonged to me.
39:58The moon priestess's voice
40:00boomed across the chamber.
40:02The North American Sanctuary Council
40:03rules Queen Ashburn entirely innocent.
40:06The remnants of the Blackwood Pack
40:08are permanently barred
40:09from harassing the queen or her heirs
40:11under any obsolete mate claims.
40:12Damien Blackwood's name
40:13shall be recorded in death
40:15but his alpha title is revoked.
40:17The urn slipped
40:18from the Grand Elder's
40:19tribbling hands
40:20and crashed onto the marble floor.
40:22I looked down at the cheap silver bond
40:24that had rolled
40:25directly to the toe of my shoe.
40:27This time
40:28I didn't have a guard return it.
40:30I picked it up
40:31and tossed it straight
40:32into the eternal flames
40:33of the moon goddess altar.
40:35The silver melted instantly
40:37into the fire
40:37and my past
40:39was finally reduced to ash.
40:41My daughter's full moon
40:42blessing ceremony
40:43resumed immediately
40:44after the ruling.
40:45Many assumed
40:46I would postpone it.
40:47I wouldn't.
40:48I was done putting my life
40:50on hold
40:50for other people's
40:51dramatic downfalls.
40:52The moon priestess approached
40:54bearing the silver chalice
40:55of holy water.
40:56Silas stood close
40:57by my side.
40:58Are you holding up okay?
41:00I looked up at him.
41:02I'm not just holding up.
41:03I looked down
41:04at my beautiful pub.
41:05I'm moving forward.
41:06My daughter blinked
41:07her bright golden wolf eyes
41:09and wrapped her tiny fist
41:10tightly of my index finger.
41:12In that exact second,
41:13every single moon lamp
41:14in the vaulted ceiling
41:15ignited simultaneously.
41:17They burned even brighter
41:18than they had
41:19on the night of my coronation.
41:20The moon priestess stumbled back
41:22half of step in sheer awe.
41:23She bears twin royal bloodlines.
41:26The moon crown blood of Ashburn,
41:27the dark scepter power of Vos,
41:29the true unshakable new order
41:30of the North American sanctuary
41:32had fully solidified
41:33the moment she took
41:33her first breath.
41:34Silas leaned down
41:35and kissed my temple.
41:36She will never have to
41:38walk the path you did.
41:40Of course she won't.
41:41Because I'm going to teach her
41:43that love isn't about
41:44enduring humiliation.
41:46Love isn't waiting in the rain
41:47for someone to turn around.
41:50Love is finding someone
41:52who stands fiercely by your side
41:54while giving you the freedom
41:55to reign as your own person.
41:58Tala sniffled loudly
41:59from the sidelines.
42:01You're sounding more and more
42:03like a terrifying queen
42:04every day.
42:05I laughed.
42:06I always was.
42:11After the blessing ceremony
42:13concluded,
42:14I sat at my desk
42:15and signed my first
42:16major treves into law.
42:20The North American Sanctuary
42:22Luna Rights Protection Act.
42:24No alpha may forcibly
42:26sever a mate bond
42:27under the guise of
42:28bloodline audits,
42:29political marriages,
42:30or pack economics.
42:32No Luna's bloodline,
42:34personal assets,
42:35or spiritual energy
42:36may be claimed
42:37as default property
42:38by a mate's family.
42:39Any rejected mate
42:40retains the absolute right
42:42to reclaim their birth surname,
42:43earned honors,
42:44and royal titles.
42:46No bloodline candidate
42:47may manipulate a Luna hearing
42:49through identity fraud,
42:50dispute loopholes,
42:51or coerced alpha endorsements.
42:53The moment my pen
42:55lifted from the parchment,
42:56the deafening unified howl
42:58of a thousand wolves
42:59echoed outside
43:00the temple walls.
43:02It wasn't a howl of grief.
43:04It was the war cry
43:05of a new era.
43:06Years later,
43:07when people occasionally
43:08brought up the name
43:09Damien Blackwood,
43:10they didn't refer to him
43:11as my former alpha.
43:13They simply called him
43:14the fool who rejected
43:15a true queen seven times
43:16for a fake princess,
43:18and lost his entire world
43:19because of it.
43:21I stood in the moon garden
43:23holding my daughter,
43:25watching her giggle
43:26as she chased
43:27silver rose petals
43:28towards Silas.
43:30Silas caught her effortlessly,
43:32tossed her in the air,
43:33and then extended
43:35his free hand toward me.
43:38My queen,
43:41are you ready to go home?
43:44I placed my hand firmly in his.
43:46This time,
43:47I didn't need to look back
43:48at anyone.
43:53The old Blackwood estate
43:55had long since been demolished
43:57and rebuilt
43:57into the Sanctuary Academy.
43:59There,
44:00young wolves were taught
44:01how to honor their mates,
44:03how to wield power responsibly,
44:05and how to never lose themselves
44:07in the name of love.
44:08The silver moon lamps
44:09flickered on one by one
44:10into the evening sky,
44:13illuminating my crown,
44:15illuminating my daughter,
44:17and illuminating a life
44:18that was finally,
44:19perfectly complete.
44:21I used to believe
44:22that being chosen by Damien
44:23was my ultimate destiny.
44:25It took me seven rejections
44:26to learn the truth.
44:28The real happy ending
44:29wasn't waiting for someone
44:30to finally choose me.
44:32It was realizing that I was
44:34the only choice I ever needed to make.
44:35the film was mine.
44:36The real happy ending
44:36Oh,
44:37oh,
44:37oh,
44:38Oh,