- 7 hours ago
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Short filmTranscript
00:00The first thing the PAC doctor told me when I woke up was that my pup was gone.
00:05The second was that my mate, Zane, our PAC's formidable Gamma Commander,
00:10was too busy comforting another woman to answer the hospital's frantic mind links.
00:15When Zane finally burst through the clinic doors,
00:17he brought the freezing stench of the storm with him.
00:20His eyes were bloodshot, but he didn't look at me with grief.
00:23He looked at me with pure, unadulterated fury.
00:28A fucking life, Serena!
00:31How could you make a decision like that without a single word?
00:37I slipped in the mud, trying to board up our roof during the storm.
00:41I called out for you through our bond.
00:43He lunged forward, his large calloused hand gripping my chin, forcing me to meet his furious gaze.
00:48The doctor said you miscarried, but I know you, Serena.
00:54You were furious that I gave the sanctuary pass to Quinn.
00:59Did you take Wolfsame?
01:01Did you kill our pup just to spine me?
01:06I flapped his hand away.
01:08You gave her the pass to the human safe zone.
01:11You left me to weather the storm alone while you fixed her roof because she's scared of thunder.
01:15If the pup survived, we wouldn't have the resources to feed it anyway.
01:22Zane growled, pacing the room like a caged beast.
01:26If you just learn to budget properly, my gamma stipends is more than enough to feed you and a pup!
01:34Oh really?
01:35But how would that work, Zane?
01:38You have to save half your stiffage to support Quinn.
01:45Quinn's an Omega.
01:48She's fragile, and she's my dead captain's widow.
01:51He died saving my life on the battlefield.
01:54It is my sworn duty to take care of her.
01:57Why are you always so fucking jealous, grieving widow?
02:03I stared down at my flat, aching stomach.
02:06The phantom weight of my pup was a gaping hole in my soul.
02:09Ever since I got pregnant, Quinn had been crying every single day.
02:13She would show up at our porch, tears spilling over her huge, innocent eyes,
02:18sobbing about how she was barren.
02:19How she would never be blessed with a pup.
02:21It didn't take long for Zane to lose his patience.
02:24He started scolding me in front of the entire pack,
02:27calling me an insensitive bitch for rubbing my pregnancy in Quinn's face.
02:31Believe whatever helps you sleep at night, Commander.
02:35The pup is gone.
02:37You win.
02:38Before Zane could snap back, the heavy hospital door creaked open.
02:42Serena, did you really, did you really kill the pup?
02:48Her face as pale as snow, she gasped out.
02:52It's my fault. My body is so weak and Zane worries about me too much.
02:56If you were angry, you should have punished me. Why would you hurt an innocent pup?
03:02Zane rushed to her side, wrapping his strong arms around her waist,
03:06catching her before she could fall. His eyes were filled with nothing but raw, tender panic.
03:12Even an outsider can see how monstrous this is. You murdered your own flesh and blood,
03:16and now you're taking it out on Quinn?
03:19Zane, don't yell at her. It's my fault. I'm just a burden.
03:22His large hand rubbing circles on her back. So gentle. So practiced. I watched them.
03:28The agonizing cramps in my uterus flared, but the pain in my chest had entirely disappeared.
03:34There was nothing left but ice.
03:36Serena, Quinn is having a panic attack. I'm taking her back to the pack house.
03:41You need to cool off and think about what you've done.
03:44He scooped the delicate Omega up in his arms and strode out of the room without a backward glance.
03:49Silence swallowed the room.
03:54Silence swallowed the room. A nurse hurried in.
03:57Where did the gamma go? Your surgery bill is still short of 20 silver coins.
04:02I laughed. A dry, scraping sound.
04:06I'm discharging myself, I said, ripping the IV out of my arm.
04:11I'm discharging myself.
04:14Are you crazy? You just had a DCU to clean out the miscarriage. You're still bleeding. You could die.
04:21I'm hard to kill.
04:26I was done. I didn't want him, and I didn't want this bond anymore.
04:33Zane looked at the papers I slapped onto the cheap, rotting wood of my slum apartment table.
04:38He burst into a harsh, grating laugh that vibrated with his gamma dominance.
04:45A formal mate rejection? Are you out of your fucking mind, Serena? You're throwing away our
04:49bond over a sanctuary pass? A bond with you is worse than having no bond at all. I am done
04:55watching
04:55Quinn's pathetic act. I am done being stepped on so you can play the tragic, honorable hero. Then go do
05:02your duty. Just leave me out of it. Sign the paper.
05:09I, Serena, reject you, Zane. Seen.
05:17I know your hormones are everywhere because of the miscarriage. You're emotional. I get it.
05:24I'm gonna try and be patient with you.
05:26He stepped around the table, reaching out to pull me into his chest.
05:30Serena, stop this. Pack your bags. Come back to the pack house. We can talk about the rejection later.
05:37That is your house, not mine. Get out. If you don't sign it, I'll petition the Alpha to forcibly sever
05:45the bond.
05:46Zane rubbed his temples, looking exhausted.
05:49You don't have a job here. You don't have a clan backing you.
05:54How do you plan to survive without me, Serena? You'll starve in this neutral zone.
06:03Don't worry about me, Commander. I just secured a permit to open an epatheterry stall in the dirt market.
06:09Gathering herbs in the mud is a filthy job, but it'll keep me fed.
06:14Serena! How could you do manual labor like that?
06:18It's all my fault. I shouldn't have taken the path to the human zone.
06:21You can beat me. You can curse me, Serena. But please don't humiliate Zane like this.
06:28Working in the dirt market ruins his reputation as a Gamma.
06:35Look at her, Serena. Look at how selfless Quinn is. And look at yourself.
06:40When did you become such a cold-blooded, spiteful bitch? You'd rather dig in the mud and drag my name
06:45through the dirt than come home and act like a proper mate. You are unbelievable.
06:49Take your pathetic stray and get the fuck out of my house, Zane. You're dirtying my floor.
06:52Good. If you want to act tough, then stay here. Let's see how long your pride lasts when you're
06:56freezing to death.
06:56He wrapped a protective arm around the sobbing Quinn and stormed out, slamming the rotting door so hard
07:03the hinges screamed. Leave her be, Quinn. She's just throwing a tantrum.
07:07I walked slowly to the door and slid the heavy iron deadbolt into place. Crawl back to you? I'd
07:14rather let the rogues tear my throat out. The neutral zone market smelled of sweat, raw meat,
07:18and desperation. I rented the cheapest open-air spot by the gutters and set up my apothecary stall.
07:25I woke up before dawn to forage in the dangerous outskirts and stayed up late brewing healing salves
07:30and stamina potions. Because my potions were potent and my prices fair, my stall quickly became
07:36the busiest in the market. In this harsh world, hard work was my only currency. Gossip trickled down
07:42from the human safe zone. I heard that Quinn had used my sanctuary pass to get a cushy job in
07:47the
07:47human textile factory. She wore a brand new cashmere coat bought by Zane. But she was too fragile.
07:53She complained about the cotton dust hurting her throat, whined about the lad machines, took sick
07:59leave constantly, and ruined a massive batch of expensive dyed fabric. The human boss wanted to
08:05fire her, but Zane used his gamma influence to protect her. I just smirked, handed a fresh bottle
08:11of wolfbane antidote to a mercenary, and felt absolutely nothing. One evening, as I was packing
08:17up my crates, the heavy stomping of combat boots made the ground vibrate. Several heavily armed
08:23market enforcers blocked my stall. Zane's personal beta guard, Jax, was among them, pacing anxiously,
08:29avoiding my eyes. My stomach dropped. Before I could speak, the Enforcer captain, wearing a red
08:36armband, stepped up.
08:38Serena, we received a tip. You're accused of smuggling lethal contraband into packed territory.
08:44You must have the wrong person. I sell healing herbs. What contraband?
08:48Search it!
08:50Four wolves tore my stall apart. Just a few minutes later, an Enforcer dragged two heavy
08:56wooden crates from under my table and smashed them on the ground. The wood splintered. Dozens
09:01of pure silver daggers coated in refined, weaponized wolf's vein spilled out onto the cobblestones.
09:09That's weaponized wolf bait on those silver blades. She's selling lethal weapons to rogues.
09:16I dug as now was to. That's a death sentence.
09:21I stared at the silver daggers, my blood turning to ice. Those crates weren't mine. I had been framed.
09:28The crowd parted, and Quinn shrank forward. Serena, how could you be so stupid?
09:35But her eyes gleamed maliciously as they swept over me. She cried, making sure her voice carried
09:40to everyone. I told you to stop doing illegal things, but you called me a nosy bitch!
09:49She pulled a crumpled piece of paper from her pocket, waving it as if it burned her fingers.
09:53You said, you said because you lost the pup you wanted to make fast money to buy your way into
09:58the safe zone. It was the most absurd, sickening lie I had ever heard. Zane pushed his way to the
10:03front. When his eyes landed on the wolf's vein coated silver, his face turned the color of ash.
10:09He looked at me, his... Serena, if you needed money, why didn't you come to me? Why would you shame
10:18me in
10:18the pack by doing this? Zane, don't blame her. She lost her mind after the miscarriage. I tried to
10:24stop her, but she said I didn't understand what it's like to be poor. He turned to the enforcer captain.
10:31Captain, she has committed a crime. I am a gamma of this pack. I will not shield a criminal, but
10:38please,
10:41considering she recently suffered a miscarriage and is mentally unstable.
10:48Show her mercy. I will take her punishment. I will beg the alpha.
10:57I'll give up my rank to pay off her sins. Just don't let them execute her.
11:04In my past life, I would have begged for this kind of protection. Now, hearing it,
11:10knowing he said it only because he completely bought Quinn's bullshit, made me want to vomit.
11:15He didn't even ask me if I did it. He just instantly condemned me,
11:19playing the righteous hero who still loved his broken, wicked mate.
11:23Four years as mates, Zane, and you genuinely think I'm the kind of
11:27bitch who would smuggle wolf-lice coated silver just for a quick buck?
11:31I spat, my voice laced with venom. Zane flinched. His eyes were completely bloodshot,
11:37filled with that sickening, patronizing disappointment.
11:41The contraband is literally sitting in front of you. Do you want to be executed, Serena?
11:47Is it so fucking hard to just admit you made a mistake? He grabbed my shoulders,
11:51his grip bruising my skin. Just plead guilty. Pay the fine. I'll handle the alpha.
11:56I will strip myself of my gamma title to save you from the silver block, but you need to submit!
12:04This was Zane, always intoxicating himself with his own profound, sacrificial love,
12:09while physically shoving me into a fucking abyss.
12:13I didn't do it!
12:14I snarled, shoving his chest so hard he stumbled back.
12:21I'd rather let them tear my throat out than confess to a lie!
12:26Suddenly, old Madam Clara, the human woman who rented me the stall space, charged forward. She
12:32was brandishing a heavy iron soup ladle like a weapon.
12:35Who the hell are you calling a smuggler? This girl works herself to the bone before the sun even rises.
12:41She doesn't have time to deal with rogue scum!
12:45Then, Clara paused, her eyes widening.
12:47Wait a damn minute. I saw you! You were sneaking around Serena's crates last night.
12:54I thought you were just a jealous friend snooping around. You planted this shit!
13:03Quinn's face lost every drop of color. She immediately swayed on her feet, clutching her chest as if she had
13:08been shot.
13:11My heart!
13:12And just like that, the crowd's sympathy swung right back to the frail, trembling Omega.
13:17Weakness was always a weapon. Zane's expression turned utterly lethal.
13:22Blind you shelving to history. Are you, you signited, you people,
13:27Stantz been spotting the Xurid to Gowen and his belongs in a night to Ghent?
13:31Are you trying to give her a fatal heart attack just to escape punishment?
13:38Put the cuffs on her! Now!
13:43The Enforcer Captain didn't hesitate. He pulled out a pair of heavy, pure silver handcuffs that burned
13:48a werewolf's skin on contact. Zane turned away, shielding Quinn from the sight,
13:53playing the heartbroken mate to perfection.
13:59Take her to the cells. I'll come down to sort it out.
14:03Before the silver could touch my wrists, the deafening screech of heavy tires ripped through the market.
14:12The air instantly grew impossibly thick. Everyone present immediately dropped to their knees,
14:18bearing their necks in submission. The pure, terrifying dominance of an Alpha aura washed
14:23over the street. Alpha Jackson stepped out of the vehicle, his boots hitting the pavement like thunder.
14:31What in the goddess name is happening to the wolf who just saved our entire pack from a smuggling ring?
14:36Alpha Jackson was the absolute law. A ruthless, fair leader who valued strength over all else.
14:43Zane scrambled to his feet, instantly snapping a salute, his face coated in cold sweat.
14:48Alpha, it's an internal dispute. Serena was caught smuggling silver daggers, and I am enforcing the law.
14:56Smuggling?
15:00Are you a fucking idiot, Zane? Serena is the one who tipped my personal guard off to this shipment.
15:07Zane blinked, completely, utterly stunned.
15:14She tipped you off? But there's an eyewitness who saw her- Gamma, Zane.
15:20If you lack even the basic investigated instincts to see a blatant frame-up, you're not fit to lead my
15:26warriors.
15:29Alpha, I'm dying hard!
15:31Get the medic!
15:31Alpha, my... my... heart...
15:35I'm dying hard...
15:41Zane reached for her purely on instinct, but Jackson's massive hand swatted him away like a fly.
15:47He nodded to the man's, the pack doctor. The doctor knelt, gripping Quinn's wrist with brutal efficiency.
15:54He pried open her eyelids as she thrashed and shrieked in panic.
15:59Her pulse is perfectly strong. Pupils dilating normally. Her heart is healthier than mine.
16:04This Omega is entirely faking it. It's a pathetic theatrical performance.
16:10Zane looked as if he had been struck by lightning. He turned slowly, staring down at Quinn, his mind fracturing
16:17in real time.
16:18Quinn? You told me you had a congenital heart defect. You told me you were done-
16:22Quinn's lips trembled.
16:24Zane, I was just scared. The doctor is wrong.
16:28Alpha Jackson scoffed. He snapped his fingers.
16:33That's her! Shut up! Shut up!
16:35That's the bitch who paid me 50 silver oins to stash the crates under the apothetry stall.
16:41She promised me more money when the girl was executed. I still carry her scent on the silver daggers.
16:48Zane snatched the rogue by the throat, smelling the indisputable proof.
16:53The faint, sickeningly sweet scent of Quinn's Omega pheromones coated the contraband daggers.
16:59His entire spine seemed to snap. He dropped the rogue and stared at his hands.
17:04Why? I gave you the sanctuary pass. I let my own pup die to take care of you.
17:16Why would you frame Serena?
17:19Realizing she was trapped, Quinn dropped the fragile act.
17:24Because I hate her. Why does she get to have you? Why does she get a pup while I'm stuck
17:30as a useless widow?
17:32And don't act like a fucking saint, Zane. If you actually trusted her, you wouldn't have condemned her without a
17:39single question.
17:40You handed her to the wolves yourself. You're just a stupid, gullible fool.
17:45Every word was a razor blade slicing straight across Zane's throat.
17:50Take her to the dungeons. Strip her of her widow benefits.
18:00Quinn was dragged away, kicking and screaming obscenities into the night sky.
18:05Then, Alpha Jackson walked right up to Zane.
18:09You are suspended indefinitely, Zane. Until you figure out how to use your fucking brain, don't let me see you
18:15in uniform.
18:21Jackson turned to me, giving me a nod of deep respect, before driving off into the night.
18:27I stood there, feeling the biting winter wind against my cheeks.
18:31I knew everything beforehand. I knew Quinn would try to frame me, so I tipped the Alpha off hours ago.
18:38It was a trap, and they both walked right into it.
18:46The crowd dispersed into the shadows, leaving nothing but broken crates, scattered silver daggers, and a shattered man standing in
18:52the mud.
18:53Zane seemed to finally wake from a nightmare.
18:57Serena!
19:00I'm sorry.
19:03Goddess, I am so fucking sorry.
19:05His dirty hands grasped empty air.
19:09I was blinded. I thought I was protecting you from execution by making you confess.
19:16You are consnow. You don't mow be the sauntie, and I'm watched off the way.
19:21Come have to meet me of protection as friends.
19:34Don't touch me, Zane. You disgust me.
19:42Take it. Take everything. We can start over. I'll make it right.
19:47I'll go to the Alpha tomorrow and beg for your sanctuary pass back.
19:49We can have another pup, Serena. I swear on my life!
19:54I stared at the crumpled money in his desperate, shaking hands.
19:58Do you remember what you were doing the afternoon I lost the pup, Zane?
20:04I… I was fixing Quinn's roof because of the storm.
20:09He froze, his mouth opening and closing.
20:16Yes. You were fixing another woman's roof.
20:19I spat, leaning down so my face was inches from his.
20:24Can this money buy back my blood? Can it buy back the heartbeat of my pup?
20:29I don't hate your sense of honor, Zane. I just pity your fucking stupidity.
20:34Our bond means less than dirt to me now.
20:35I turned away and walked toward the pack's public notice board in the center of the market.
20:40With a silver dagger, I carved my blood onto the wood, declaring a permanent, spiritual mate rejection.
20:47The magic flared red, then snapped.
20:50The searing pain of a broken bond hit me, but it felt like glorious freedom.
20:56I left Zane kneeling in the dirt, wailing into the night like a dying animal.
21:01The great Gamma Commander, stripped of his rank, stripped of his mate, left with absolutely nothing but the ashes of
21:08his own arrogance.
21:09Two years pass like a blur of blood, sweat, and gold.
21:13Riding the wave of the expanding neutral zone, I transform my humble apothecary stall into a massive trade guild.
21:19I don't fear the exhaustion, and I don't fear the rogue-infested borders.
21:23Whatever rare herbs or enchanted weapons the market demands, my caravans deliver.
21:28Now, I am the undisputed empress of the borderlands.
21:31I wear tailored suits instead of blood-stained jeans, and alphas from neighboring packs request meetings with me just to
21:37secure supply lines.
21:39It is during the grand opening of my newest flagship store that I hear news of Zane again.
21:44I stand behind the floor-to-ceiling glass of my office, directing my staff, when a shadow catches my eye
21:50across the street.
21:51It is a man in a battered, stripped military jacket.
21:55His face is hidden behind a wild, unkempt beard, and his broad shoulders are completely hunched.
22:00He looks absolutely nothing like the arrogant, formidable Gamma Commander he once was.
22:05He doesn't dare to cross the street.
22:07He just stands in the freezing rain, staring greedily through the glass at my figure.
22:11He looks like a starved, abandoned stray dog, desperate, broken, and pathetic.
22:17I just stand there, meeting his gaze with absolute, chilling indifference.
22:23After a long minute, as if my lack of emotion physically burns him, he flinches, pulls up his collar, and
22:30limps away into the alley.
22:34The next morning, my beta assistant hands me a wrapped package left at the storefront.
22:39Inside sits a crudely carved wooden statue of a wolf pup.
22:43The wood is polished smooth, clearly rubbed by callous thumbs a thousand times over.
22:48Beneath it lies a bank transfer receipt directed to an orphanage under my name, and a heavily bloodstained letter.
22:54The handwriting is violent, shaky, desperate.
22:58Serena, I joined the border suicide squad.
23:01I hunt the most rabid rogues now.
23:03It's a death sentence, but every time I clear a rogue camp or dismantle a silver trap, I tell myself
23:08I am building karma for the pup we lost.
23:11Quinn confessed to everything to get a lighter sentence.
23:13She admitted she set up the wolf's bane and silver daggers because she was jealous of your pregnancy.
23:18I sat outside the dungeon all night and vomited blood from the regret.
23:22I know you don't want to see me.
23:24I know my redemption means nothing to you.
23:26I carved this pup for the pup we lost.
23:29Throw it away if my scent disgusts you.
23:31I will never disturb you again.
23:33I finish reading the letter.
23:35My heart is a stagnant pool of water, not a single ripple.
23:39This self-indulgent guilt trip means absolutely nothing to me.
23:42Even if he gets his throat ripped out by a rogue tomorrow, it won't bring back the pup he let
23:47die.
23:47Nor will it erase the trauma he carved into my soul.
23:50Without a second thought, I drop the wooden pup and the bloody letter straight into the incinerator bin.
23:55I wipe my hands and walk back out to the trading floor.
23:59Zane's profound love is far too late and entirely too cheap.
24:03Five years later, the pack territory suffers a devastating earthquake, collapsing entire sectors of the safe zone.
24:10I sit in the front row of the disaster relief commendation ceremony, honored as the top civilian sponsor and guild
24:16leader.
24:17The crowd erupts into deafening applause when the alpha calls the name of the final recipient.
24:22Rogue hunter and rescue hero, Zane.
24:26The heavy velvet curtains part.
24:28A nurse pushes a wheelchair onto the stage.
24:30It is Zane.
24:32He wears a spotless, unranked military uniform, his chest heavy with medals.
24:37But beneath his waist, his pant legs are completely empty.
24:42Zane, what sustained you for ten hours as you held up the steel beam to save the pregnant Omega, and
24:48in doing so, you lost both your legs?
24:54Because I have a debt to pay.
24:56I once murdered my own pup with my ignorance.
24:59This time, I had to save someone else's pup.
25:01The goddess gave me a chance to pay back the life I owe.
25:04That's all.
25:05After the ceremony, Zane's former beta, Jax, intercepts me in the VIP hallway.
25:10Jax has red, swollen eyes.
25:12He holds out a small velvet box with trembling hands.
25:18Guildmaster Serena.
25:19Zane asked me to give this to you.
25:24A dark, rusted stain of his own blood mars the golden surface.
25:31He says he has no right to see you.
25:34This was the gift he promised your pup years ago.
25:37It's the only valuable thing he has left in this world.
25:39He also told me to tell you, Quinn was released from prison last month.
25:43She froze to death on the streets outside the safe zone.
25:48Zane says it's karma.
25:51Their karma finally caught up.
25:54I look at the blood-stained metal.
25:56It cost him his legs.
25:57It cost him half his life.
26:02Tell him I don't hate him anymore.
26:04Hating him is a waste of my energy.
26:09I pull a silver pen from my blazer and scribble a quick line on the back of my business card,
26:14dropping it onto the box.
26:17I turn on my stiletto heels, my steps echoing sharply against the marble floor.
26:21The note on the card reads,
26:23mutual non-disturbance is the best ending.
26:26Zane traded his legs for that pregnant wolf's life.
26:29That repays her.
26:30It repays himself.
26:32But regarding me, I have already moved on and I never look back.
26:36The golden scissors slice cleanly through the red silk ribbon outside my newly built guild headquarters.
26:42I smile flawlessly, waving at the pack leaders and human merchants who have gathered to celebrate.
26:47Madam Serena, the Alpha's office just sent word.
26:52Zane passed away this morning.
26:57My hand holding the scissors pauses.
27:00Exactly one second.
27:01Completely ignoring the whisper.
27:05Excellent turnout today.
27:07I hand the scissors to an assistant and walk gracefully into the warm, brilliantly lit banquet hall.
27:12I do not attend his funeral.
27:15A week later, an enforcer delivers a heavy iron lockbox to my penthouse.
27:19They tell me it is Zane's dying wish.
27:22I miss you so much I can't breathe.
27:25Serena, I dreamt of our pup.
27:26He called me dad, but when I reached out, my hands were covered in his blood.
27:31Serena, if only I hadn't given her that pass.
27:33If only you were still by my...
27:35I look at the pile of letters.
27:37There is no grief in my chest.
27:39Only a profound, liberating exhalation of relief.
27:43It's finally over.
27:44The flames roar to life, greedily devouring the paper.
27:48The firelight reflects in my calm, dry eyes.
27:51Ash drifts up into the cold night sky, disappearing into the falling snow, leaving absolutely no trace behind.
27:59The following spring, I visit the border orphanage and adopt a wolf pup who lost his parents in a rogue
28:04attack.
28:05His eyes are as clear as a mountain spring.
28:08I name him Nova.
28:09Not to remember the past, but to celebrate a supernova of new life.
28:13He will inherit my empire, not a legacy of sorrow.
28:18Mom, dinner is ready.
28:19Daddy, the board members are waiting to toast you.
28:27I have wealth, absolute power, and a son who adores me.
28:31A sudden blizzard begins to howl around the glass, looking exactly like the storm from that afternoon when I lost
28:37my first pup and nearly bled out alone.
28:40Back then, I thought the sky was falling.
28:43Now, I know it was just the brutal birth of my freedom.
28:45I know my father some of the people of God who hasn't reached the river them.
28:46My father's had nothing to cause love.
28:46One who always died and poor man in the backside.
28:46Jesus died.
28:46Jesus died.
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