The comments under the video were utterly disgusting.
Countless vulgar words and profanities were directed at me, and an Alpha from another pack even posted, "I never thought that the white wolf of Moonshadow Pack was such a slut. Why don't you come and sleep with me instead? I guarantee that you'll have a wonderful time!"
And yet, ten minutes right after the video had been posted, Carlson's beta, Neil Barker, immediately issued an official statement claiming that Alpha Carlson of Moonshadow Pack would never mark his stepsister, and had absolutely no relation to the she-wolf depicted in the video.
This statement was tantamount to a public admission that the wolf in the video was me.
My head felt like it was in a whirl. My fingers also ran absolutely icy-cold.
I forced myself to calm down as I repeatedly stared at the scene in the video, finally realizing a loophole in it.
The she-wolf in the video didn't have anything on her abdomen, but I had a butterfly-shaped birthmark on my abdomen that had been with me for years.
This video was a fake. It had to have been Selena. There wouldn't be another wolf who'd put in so much time and effort into ruining my reputation with such underhanded tactics like her.
I gripped my phone tightly in my hands and hurried toward the watchtower. I'd heard that Carlson was there right now.
I naively thought that he would still believe me if I explained myself and showed him the birthmark on my abdomen, and that he would clarify things on my behalf in public, clearing my name and proving my innocence.
The wind blew hard at the watchtower, and my hair was a mess by the time I arrived there.
Carlson turned around and caught sight of me and my windswept hair. I was panting hard, and his eyebrows immediately shot to his forehead as he looked at me impatiently.
"What the hell are you doing here now? Is the video not embarrassing enough for you?"
I couldn't be bothered explaining myself and hurriedly lifted my shirt to expose the butterfly-shaped birthmark on my abdomen.
"The wolf in the video isn't me, Alpha! See, I have a birthmark right here, but the wolf in the video didn't! Selena was the one who framed me! You need to clarify—"
Before I could finish my sentence, he interrupted me angrily.
"That's enough!"
He then abruptly shifted his gaze away from me like he'd just seen something utterly filthy and disgusting, his eyes filled with shame, anger, and disgust.
"How much longer are you going to make a fuss like this? Have you not yet completely exposed yourself in that video? Are you seriously going to expose yourself to me in my face now too?"
I froze at once, my arm stopping mid-air.
"How dare you resort to such filthy, disgusting, underhanded methods, destroying even your own reputation just so that you could ruin the marking ceremony between Selena and me? Is this how you're going to force me to get together with you?
"Do you have no shame, Ayna Radolf?"
His words cut right into my chest like a knife laced with poison, shattering the last illusion of hope in my heart.
I bit on my pale lips as all of the words I wanted to say to him died in my throat. Everything ached in pain.
I knew then that it was useless no matter what I said to him. He'd already decided that this was all a charade I had orchestrated just for the sake of forcing him into marking me instead.
When he saw that I wasn't saying anything else, the icy look in his eyes intensified.
"If you really thought that creating such a massive scandal like this would force me to mark you, then you're completely mistaken."
Every word he said was downright cruel to me.
"Listen properly. I will still find you absolutely disgusting even if you took off all your clothes and kneeled down before me right now. I will never, ever like you for the rest of my life! Not even in my next life, if there ever was one! Got that?"
The hand that I'd used to lift the hem of my shirt fell limply to my side.
I then lowered my eyes, completely losing all strength to argue with him.
"Reflect properly on your actions. If there's a next time, I won't even hesitate marrying you off to a random Alpha as a marriage alliance!"
Just then, a few warriors and healers rushed into the watchtower in a hurry before setting down the stretcher behind them.
Selena was lying on it, barely breathing.
"What happened?" Carlson demanded at once, his pupils constricting as he rushed over to her.
The healer sighed helplessly and said, "Alpha, Selena wasn't able to find you and suffered severe eye damage due to excessive grief. She can't wait any longer. She needs to undergo surgery immediately—"
Before the healer was even done speaking, I interrupted him and looked at Carlson.
"I agree to the surgery. However, don't forget the pact we agreed on beforehand. After the surgery is over, you must get Neil to post a notice on the forum announcing my departure from Moonshadow Pack.
"And from then on, we will be even and not owe each other anything anymore. What you do after that is none of my concern, and vice versa."
Carlson agreed to it immediately.
…
Selena's wails echoed incessantly as we lay on the operating table in the healing center.
The healer in charge of the surgery looked at my pure, silver eyes, and couldn't bring himself to operate on me. His voice trembled as he told Carlson, "Alpha, the white wolf is the pack's lucky symbol. I just can't do it!"
"You useless piece of trash!" Carlson roared at the healer, snatching the scalpel from his hands. "I'll do it!"
