- 6 hours ago
After He Let Our Pup Die, I Rejected The Gamma Commander
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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.
00:29A 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 slapped 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? But 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.
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. How she would never be blessed with a pup.
02:21It didn't take long for Zane to lose his patience. He 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. You 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?
03:03Zane 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.
03:11Even an outsider, you can see how monstrous this is. You murdered your own flesh and blood. And now
03:17you're taking it out on Quinn? Zane, don't yell at her. It's my fault. I'm just a burden.
03:23His large hand, rubbing circles on her back. So gentle. So practiced. I watched them. The agonizing
03:29cramps in my uterus flared, but the pain in my chest had entirely disappeared. There was nothing left
03:35but ice. Serena, Quinn is having a panic attack. I'm taking her back to the pack house. You need to
03:41cool off and think about what you've done. He scooped the delicate Omega up in his arms
03:47and strode out of the room without a backward glance. Silence swallowed the room.
03:54Silence swallowed the room. A nurse hurried in.
03:56Where 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 bond over a
04:50sanctuary pass? A bond with you is worse than having no bond at all. I am done watching Quinn's
04:56pathetic act. I am done being stepped on so you can play the tragic, honorable hero.
05:02Then go do your duty. Just leave me out of it.
05:07Sign the paper.
05:09I, Serena, reject you, Zane. I know your hormones are everywhere because of the miscarriage.
05:20You're emotional. I get it. I'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 epithetary stall in the dirt market.
06:09Gathering herbs in the mud is a filthy job, but it'll keep me fed.
06:15Serena, 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.
06:22You 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
06:45name through 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. He wrapped a protective arm around the sobbing
06:59Quinn and stormed out, slamming the rotting door so hard the hinges screamed.
07:04Leave her be, Quinn. She's just throwing a tantrum.
07:07I walked slowly to the door and slid the heavy iron deadbolt into place.
07:12Crawl back to you? I'd rather let the rogues tear my throat out.
07:16The neutral zone market smelled of sweat, raw meat, and desperation.
07:20I rented the cheapest open-air spot by the gutters and set up my apothecary stall.
07:24I 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,
07:34my stall quickly became the busiest in the market. In this harsh world, hard work was my only currency.
07:41Gossip trickled down from the human safe zone. I heard that Quinn had used my sanctuary pass to
07:46get a cushy job in the human textile factory. She wore a brand new cashmere coat bought by Zane.
07:52But she was too fragile. She complained about the cotton dust hurting her throat, whined about the
07:57lad machines, took sick leave constantly, and ruined a massive batch of expensive dyed fabric.
08:03The human boss wanted to fire her, but Zane used his gamma influence to protect her.
08:08I just smirked, handed a fresh bottle of Wolfbane antidote to a mercenary, and felt absolutely nothing.
08:15One evening, as I was packing up my crates, the heavy stomping of combat boots made the ground vibrate.
08:21Several heavily armed market enforcers blocked my stall. Zane's personal beta guard,
08:27Jax, was among them, pacing anxiously, avoiding my eyes. My stomach dropped. Before I could speak,
08:34the enforcer captain, wearing a red armband, 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 two minutes later, an enforcer dragged two heavy wooden crates
08:56from under my table and smashed them on the ground. The wood splintered. Dozens of pure silver
09:02daggers 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?
09:34But her eyes gleamed maliciously as they swept over me. She cried, making sure her voice carried to everyone.
09:41I 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.
09:54You said, you said because you lost the pup you wanted to make fast money to buy your way into
09:58the safe zone.
09:59It was the most absurd, sickening lie I had ever heard. Zane pushed his way to the front. When his
10:05eyes landed on the wolf's vein coated silver, his face turned the color of ash. He looked at me, his
10:22He 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,
10:42considering she recently suffered a miscarriage and is mentally unstable,
10:48show her mercy.
10:51I will take her punishment. I will beg the Alpha.
10:57I will 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, knowing he said it
11:11only because he completely bought Quinn's bullshit, made me want to vomit. He didn't even ask me if I did
11:17it. He just instantly condemned me, playing the righteous hero who still loved his broken, wicked mate.
11:24Four 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. I will strip
11:57myself 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.
12:12I 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 was
12:32brandishing a heavy iron soup ladle like a weapon.
12:34Who the hell are you calling a smuggler? This girl works herself to the bone before the sun even rises.
12:42She 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.
13:05She immediately swayed on her feet, clutching her chest as if she had been shot.
13:11And 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 sign-tid you people,
13:27Stott's 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,
13:47pure silver handcuffs that burned a werewolf's skin on contact.
13:51Zane turned away, shielding Quinn from the sight, playing the heartbroken mate to perfection.
14:00Take 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.
14:32What 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.
14:42Zane 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,
14:54and I am enforcing the law. Smuggling?
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,
15:24you're not fit to lead my warriors.
15:29Alpha! I'm dying hard!
15:31Get the medic!
15:31Alpha! My, my, my heart! I'm dying!
15:41Zane reached for her purely on instinct, but Jackson's massive hands 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
16:16fracturing in real time. Quinn? You told me you had a congenital heart defect. You told me you were done
16:22-
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 apothetrie 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. The faint, sickeningly sweet
16:55scent of Quinn's Omega pheromones coated the contraband daggers. His entire spine seemed to
17:01snap. 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
17:31useless widow? And don't act like a fucking saint, Zane! If you actually trusted her,
17:37you wouldn't have condemned her without a single question! You handed her to the wolves yourself!
17:42You're just a stupid, gullible fool! Every word was a razor blade,
17:47slicing straight across Zane's throat. Take her to the dungeons. Strip her of her widow benefits.
18:00Quinn was dragged away, kicking and screaming obscenities into the night sky. Then, Alpha Jackson
18:07walked right up to Zane. You are suspended indefinitely, Zane. Until you figure out how to
18:13use your fucking brain, don't let me see you in uniform.
18:21Jackson turned to me, giving me a nod of deep respect, before driving off into the night. I stood
18:27there, feeling the biting winter wind against my cheeks. I knew everything beforehand. I knew Quinn
18:34would try to frame me, so I tipped the Alpha off hours ago. It was a trap, and they both
18:40walked right
18:40into it. The crowd dispersed into the shadows, leaving nothing but broken crates, scattered silver
18:50daggers, and a shattered man standing in the mud. Zane seemed to finally wake from a nightmare.
18:57Serena! I'm sorry. Goddess, I am so fucking sorry. His 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 saunty, and I'm watched off the way. Come have to meet me,
19:22of 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. I'll go to the Alpha tomorrow and beg
19:48for
19:48your sanctuary pass back. We 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.
20:20I 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 honoree, Zane. I just pity your fucking stupidity. Our bond means less
20:35than dirt to me now. I turned away and walked toward the pack's public notice board in the center of
20:39the market. With a silver dagger, I carved my blood onto the wood, declaring a permanent,
20:45spiritual mate rejection. The magic flared red, then snapped. The searing pain of a broken bond hit me,
20:53but it felt like glorious freedom. I left Zane kneeling in the dirt, wailing into the night like
21:00a dying animal. The great gamma commander, stripped of his rank, stripped of his mate, left with
21:06absolutely nothing but the ashes of his own arrogance. Two years passed like a blur of blood,
21:12sweat, and gold. Riding the wave of the expanding neutral zone, I transformed my humble apothecary stall
21:17into a massive trade guild. I 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. Now,
21:29I am the undisputed empress of the borderlands. I wear tailored suits instead of blood-stained jeans,
21:34and alphas from neighboring packs request meetings with me just to secure 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. It is a man in a battered, stripped military jacket. His face is hidden
21:56behind a wild, unkempt beard, and his broad shoulders are completely hunched. He looks
22:01absolutely nothing like the arrogant, formidable gamma commander he once was. He doesn't dare to
22:06cross the street. He just stands in the freezing rain, staring greedily through the glass at my figure.
22:12He looks like a starved, abandoned stray dog, desperate, broken, and pathetic. I just stand there,
22:20meeting his gaze with absolute, chilling indifference. After a long minute, as if my
22:25lack of emotion physically burns him, he flinches, pulls up his collar, and limps 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. The wood is polished smooth,
22:45clearly rubbed by callous thumbs a thousand times over. Beneath it lies a bank transfer receipt
22:50directed to an orphanage under my name, and a heavily bloodstained letter. The handwriting is violent,
22:56shaky, desperate. Serena, I joined the border suicide squad. I 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,
23:07I tell myself I am building karma for the pup we lost. Quinn confessed to everything to get a lighter
23:13sentence. She admitted she set up the wolf's bane and silver daggers because she was jealous of your
23:18pregnancy. I sat outside the dungeon all night and vomited blood from the regret. I know you don't
23:23want to see me. I know my redemption means nothing to you. I carved this pup for the pup we
23:28lost.
23:29Throw it away if my scent disgusts you. I will never disturb you again. I finish reading the letter.
23:35My heart is a stagnant pool of water, not a single ripple. This self-indulgent guilt trip means
23:41absolutely nothing to me. Even if he gets his throat ripped out by a rogue tomorrow, it won't bring back
23:46the pup he let die, nor will it erase the trauma he carved into my soul. Without a second thought,
23:52I drop the wooden pup and the bloody letter straight into the incinerator bin. I wipe my
23:57hands and walk back out to the trading floor. Zane's profound love is far too late and entirely too
24:03cheap. Five years later, the pack territory suffers a devastating earthquake, collapsing entire sectors
24:09of the safe zone. I sit in the front row of the disaster relief commendation ceremony, honored as
24:15the top civilian sponsor and guild leader. The crowd erupts into deafening applause when the alpha calls the
24:20name of the final recipient. Rogue hunter and rescue hero, Zane.
24:26The heavy velvet curtains part. A nurse pushes a wheelchair onto the stage. It is Zane. He wears a
24:33spotless, unranked military uniform, his chest heavy with medals. But beneath his waist, his pant legs are
24:40completely empty. Zane, what sustained you for 10 hours as you held up the steel beam to save the
24:46pregnant Omega, and in doing so, you lost both your legs? Because I have a debt to pay. I once
24:57murdered my
24:58own pup with my ignorance. This time I had to save someone else's pup. The goddess gave me a chance
25:02to
25:03pay back the life I owe. That's all. After the ceremony, Zane's former beta,
25:07Jax, intercepts me in the VIP hallway. Jax has red, swollen eyes. He holds out a small
25:13velvet box with trembling hands. Guildmaster Serena. Zane asked me to give this to you.
25:31He says he has no right to see you. This was the gift he promised your pup years ago. It's
25:37the only
25:37valuable thing he has left in this world. He also told me to tell you, Quinn was released from prison
25:42last month. She froze to death on the streets outside the safe zone. Zane says it's karma.
25:52Their karma finally caught up. I look at the blood-stained metal. It cost him his legs. It
25:58cost him half his life. Tell him I don't hate him anymore. Hating 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. I turn on my stiletto heels, my steps echoing sharply against the marble
26:21floor. The note on the card reads, Mutual non-disturbance is the best ending. Zane traded
26:27his legs for that pregnant wolf's life. That repays her. It repays himself. But regarding me,
26:33I have already moved on and I never look back. The golden scissors slice cleanly through the red silk
26:39ribbon outside my newly built guild headquarters. I smile flawlessly, waving at the pack leaders and
26:45human merchants who have gathered to celebrate. Madam Serena, the Alpha's office just sent word.
26:53Zane passed away this morning.
26:57My hand holding the scissors pauses, exactly one second, completely ignoring the whisper.
27:05Excellent turnout today. I hand the scissors to an assistant and walk gracefully into the warm,
27:11brilliantly lit banquet hall. I do not attend his funeral. A week later, an enforcer delivers a heavy
27:18iron lockbox to my penthouse. They tell me it is Zane's dying wish.
27:22I miss you so much, I can't breathe. Serena, I dreamt of our pup. He called me dad,
27:28but when I reached out, my hands were covered in his blood. Serena, if only I hadn't given her that
27:32pass. If only you were still by my- I look at the pile of letters. There is no grief
27:38in my chest,
27:39only a profound, liberating exhalation of relief. It's finally over. The flames roar to life,
27:46greedily devouring the paper. The firelight reflects in my calm, dry eyes. Ash drifts up
27:52into 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. His eyes are as clear as a mountain spring. I name him Nova. Not to remember the past,
28:11but to celebrate a supernova of new life. He will inherit my empire, not a legacy of sorrow.
28:18Mom, dinner is ready. The board members are waiting to toast you.
28:27I have wealth, absolute power, and a son who adores me. A sudden blizzard begins to howl around
28:33the glass, looking exactly like the storm from that afternoon when I lost my first pup,
28:38and nearly bled out alone. Back then, I thought the sky was falling.
28:43Now, I know it was just the brutal birth of my freedom.
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