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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.
00:06The 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, he 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! How 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.
00:49The doctor said you miscarried, but I know you, Serena.
00:54You were furious that I gave the sanctuary pass to Quinn.
01:00Did you take Wolfsame?
01:02Did you kill our pup just to spine me?
01:06I flapped his hand away.
01:09You 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?
01:36But how would that work, Zane?
01:38You have to save half your stiffage to support Quinn.
01:46Quinn's an Omega.
01:48She's fragile and she's my dead captain's widow.
01:52He 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 jell a 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.
02:10Ever 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.
02:20How she would never be blessed with a pup.
02:22It 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.
02:32Believe 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!
02:44Did you really?
02:46Did you really kill the pup?
02:48Her face as pale as snow, she gasped out.
02:52It's my fault!
02:53My body is so weak, and Zane worries about me too much.
02:57If you were angry, you should have punished me.
02:59Why would you hurt an innocent pup?
03:03Zane rushed to her side, wrapping his strong arms around her waist,
03:07catching her before she could fall.
03:09His eyes were filled with nothing but raw, tender panic.
03:12Even an outsider, you can see how monstrous this is.
03:15You murdered your own flesh and blood, and now you're taking it out on Quinn?
03:19Zane, don't yell at her.
03:21It's my fault.
03:21I'm just a burden.
03:23His large hand, rubbing circles on her back.
03:25So gentle.
03:26So practiced.
03:28I watched them.
03:29The agonizing cramps in my uterus flared,
03:31but the pain in my chest had entirely disappeared.
03:34There was nothing left but ice.
03:36Serena, Quinn is having a panic attack.
03:39I'm taking her back to the pack house.
03:41You need to cool off and think about what you've done.
03:45He scooped the delicate Omega up in his arms,
03:47and strode out of the room without a backward glance.
03:50Silence swallowed the room.
03:54Silence swallowed the room.
03:56A nurse hurried in.
03:57Where did the gamma go?
03:58Your surgery bill is still short of 20 silver coins.
04:02I laughed.
04:03I laughed.
04:04A dry, scraping sound.
04:06I'm discharging myself, I said, ripping the IV out of my arm.
04:12I'm discharging myself.
04:14Are you crazy?
04:16You just had a DCU to clean out the miscarriage.
04:18You're still bleeding.
04:19You could die.
04:22I'm hard to kill.
04:27I was done.
04:28I didn't want him, and I didn't want this bond anymore.
04:33Zayn 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?
04:47Are you out of your fucking mind, Serena?
04:49You're throwing away our bond over a sanctuary pass?
04:51A bond with you is worse than having no bond at all.
04:55I am done watching Quinn's pathetic act.
04:57I am done being stepped on so you can play the tragic, honorable hero.
05:02Then go do your duty.
05:04Just leave me out of it.
05:07Sign the paper.
05:09I, Serena, reject you, Zayn.
05:12See her-
05:17I know your hormones are everywhere because of the miscarriage.
05:20You're emotional.
05:22I 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.
05:33Pack your bags.
05:34Come back to the pack house.
05:36We can talk about the rejection later.
05:37That is your house, not mine.
05:41Get out.
05:42If you don't sign it, I'll petition the Alpha to forcibly sever the bond.
05:46Zayn rubbed his temples, looking exhausted.
05:49You don't have a job here.
05:51You don't have a clan backing you.
05:55How do you plan to survive without me, Serena?
05:58You'll starve in this neutral zone.
06:04Don't worry about me, Commander.
06:05I 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.
06:20I shouldn't have taken the path to the human zone.
06:22You can beat me.
06:23You can curse me, Serena.
06:24But please don't humiliate Zayn like this.
06:28Working in the dirt market ruins his reputation as a gamma.
06:35Look at her, Serena.
06:37Look at how selfless Quinn is.
06:38And look at yourself.
06:40When did you become such a cold-blooded, spiteful bitch?
06:43You'd rather dig in the mud and drag my name through the dirt than come home and act like a
06:47proper mate.
06:48You are unbelievable.
06:49Take your pathetic stray and get the fuck out of my house, Zayn.
06:52You're dirtying my floor.
06:53Good.
06:53If you want to act tough, then stay here.
06:55Let's see how long your pride lasts when you're freezing to death.
06:57He wrapped a protective arm around the sobbing Quinn and stormed out,
07:01slamming the rotting door so hard the hinges screamed.
07:05Leave her be, Quinn.
07:06She's just throwing a tantrum.
07:08I walked slowly to the door and slid the heavy iron deadbolt into place.
07:12Crawl back to you?
07:14I'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.
07:25I woke up before dawn to forage in the dangerous outskirts
07:28and stayed up late brewing healing salves and stamina potions.
07:32Because my potions were potent and my prices fair,
07:35my stall quickly became the busiest in the market.
07:38In this harsh world, hard work was my only currency.
07:41Gossip trickled down from the human safe zone.
07:44I heard that Quinn had used my sanctuary pass to get a cushy job in the human textile factory.
07:49She wore a brand new cashmere coat bought by Zane.
07:52But she was too fragile.
07:54She complained about the cotton dust hurting her throat,
07:57whined about the lad machines, took sick leave constantly,
08:00and ruined a massive batch of expensive dyed fabric.
08:04The 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.
08:16One evening, as I was packing up my crates, the heavy stomping of combat boots made the ground vibrate.
08:22Several heavily armed market enforcers blocked my stall.
08:26Zane's personal beta guard, Jax, was among them, pacing anxiously, avoiding my eyes.
08:31My stomach dropped.
08:33Before I could speak, the Enforcer captain, wearing a red armband, stepped up.
08:38Serena, we received a tip.
08:40You're accused of smuggling lethal contraband into packed territory.
08:44You must have the wrong person.
08:46I sell healing herbs.
08:48What contraband?
08:50Four wolves tore my stall apart.
08:53Less than two minutes later, an Enforcer dragged two heavy wooden crates from under my table and smashed them on
08:59the ground.
09:00The wood splintered.
09:01Dozens of 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.
09:13She's selling lethal weapons to rogues.
09:16I dug as now was to.
09:18That's a death sentence.
09:21I stared at the silver daggers, my blood turning to ice.
09:26Those crates weren't mine.
09:27I had been framed.
09:29The crowd parted and Quinn shrank forward.
09:32Serena, how could you be so stupid?
09:35But her eyes gleamed maliciously as they swept over me.
09:38She 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.
10:03Zane pushed his way to the front.
10:04When his eyes landed on the Wolfsbane coated silver, his face turned the color of ash.
10:10He looked at me, his...
10:14Serena, if you needed money, why didn't you come to me?
10:17Why would you shame me in the pack by doing this?
10:20Zane, don't blame her.
10:21She lost her mind after the miscarriage.
10:23I tried to stop her, but she said I didn't understand what it's like to be poor.
10:27He turned to the Enforcer Captain.
10:31Captain, she has committed a crime.
10:34I am a Gamma of this pack.
10:36I will not shield a criminal, but please...
10:42Considering she recently suffered a miscarriage and is mentally unstable...
10:49Show her mercy.
10:51I will take her punishment.
10:53I will beg the Alpha.
10:57I'll give up my rank to pay off her sins.
11:02Just don't let them execute her.
11:04In my past life, I would have begged for this kind of protection.
11:09Now, hearing it, knowing he said it only because he completely bought Quinn's bullshit,
11:14made me want to vomit.
11:15He didn't even ask me if I did it.
11:17He just instantly condemned me,
11:19playing the righteous hero who still loved his broken, wicked mate.
11:24Four years as mates, Zane?
11:26And 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.
11:34Zane flinched.
11:35His eyes were completely bloodshot, filled with that sickening, patronizing disappointment.
11:42The contraband is literally sitting in front of you.
11:45Do you want to be executed, Serena?
11:48Is it so fucking hard to just admit you made a mistake?
11:50He grabbed my shoulders, his grip bruising my skin.
11:53Just plead guilty.
11:54Pay the fine.
11:55I'll handle the alpha.
11:57I will strip myself of my gamma title to save you from the silver block,
12:01but you need to submit!
12:04This was Zane, always intoxicating himself with his own profound,
12:09sacrificial love while 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.
12:32She was brandishing a heavy iron soup ladle like a weapon.
12:35Who the hell are you calling a smuggler?
12:37This 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!
12:49I saw you!
12:50You were sneaking around Serena's crates last night!
12:54I thought you were just a jealous friend snooping around!
12:57You planted this shit!
13:03Quinn's face lost every drop of color.
13:06She immediately swayed on her feet, clutching her chest as if she had been shot.
13:12And just like that, the crowd's sympathy swung right back to the frail, trembling Omega.
13:17Weakness was always a weapon.
13:19Zane's expression turned utterly lethal.
13:23Blind you shelving to history.
13:25Are you, you scientist, you people?
13:27Stott's been spotting the Xurid to Gowen and his belongs in a night to Ghent.
13:32Are you trying to give her a fatal heart attack just to escape punishment?
13:38Put the cuffs on her!
13:41Now!
13:43The Enforcer Captain didn't hesitate.
13:45He pulled out a pair of heavy, pure silver handcuffs that burned a werewolf's skin on contact.
13:51Zane turned away, shielding Quinn from the sight,
13:53playing 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.
14:15Everyone present immediately dropped to their knees, bearing their necks in submission.
14:20The pure, terrifying dominance of an Alpha aura washed over the street.
14:24Alpha 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.
14:57Are you a fucking idiot, Zane? Serena is the one who tipped my personal guard off to this shipment.
15:07Zane blinked, completely, utterly stunned.
15:15She tipped you off? But there's an eyewitness who saw her-
15:19Gamma, Zane. If you lack even the basic investigated instincts to see a blatant frame-up,
15:25you're not fit to lead my warriors.
15:29Alpha, I'm dying hard!
15:31Get the medic!
15:32Alpha, my heart...
15:41Zane reached for her purely on instinct, but Jackson's massive hand swatted him away like a fly.
15:48He nodded to the man's the pack doctor. The doctor knelt, gripping Quinn's wrist with brutal
15:54efficiency. He 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,
16:16his mind fracturing in real time.
16:19Quinn? You told me you had a congenital heart defect. You told me you were dot-
16:23Quinn'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 apothetory stall.
16:41She promised me more money when the girl was executed. I still carry her scent on the silver daggers.
16:49Zane snatched the rogue by the throat, smelling the indisputable proof. The faint,
16:54sickeningly 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.
17:05Why? I gave you the sanctuary pass. I let my own pup die to take care of you.
17:16Why would you frame Serena?
17:20Realizing 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
17:31as 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.
17:46Every 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.
18:10You are suspended indefinitely, Zane. Until you figure out how to use your fucking brain,
18:15don'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.
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,
18:36so I tipped the Alpha off hours ago. It was a trap, and they both walked right into it.
18:46The crowd dispersed into the shadows, leaving nothing but broken crates,
18:50scattered silver daggers, and a shattered man standing in the mud.
18:53Zane seemed to finally wake from a nightmare.
18:57Serena!
19:01I'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 protectionist friends.
19:34Don't touch me, Zane. You disgust me.
19:43Take 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.
19:50We can have another pup, Serena. I swear on my life!
19:55I 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.
20:10He 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 honorary, Zane. I just pity your fucking stupidity.
20:34Our bond means less than dirt to me now.
20:36I 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.
20:48The magic flared red, then snapped.
20:51The 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
21:08but the ashes of his own arrogance. Two 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
21:18trade guild. I don't fear the exhaustion, and I don't fear the rogue-infested borders.
21:24Whatever rare herbs or enchanted weapons the market demands, my caravans deliver.
21:28Now I am the undisputed empress of the borderlands. I wear tailored suits instead of blood-stained jeans,
21:35and 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,
21:49when a shadow catches my eye across the street. It 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.
22:01He looks absolutely nothing like the arrogant, formidable Gamma Commander he once was.
22:05He doesn't dare to cross the street. He just stands in the freezing rain, staring greedily through
22:10the glass at my figure. He looks like a starved, abandoned stray dog, desperate, broken, and pathetic.
22:17I just stand there, meeting his gaze with absolute, chilling indifference. After a long minute,
22:25as if my lack of emotion physically burns him, he flinches, pulls up his collar, and limps away into the
22:31alley. The next morning, my beta assistant hands me a wrapped package left at the storefront.
22:40Inside sits a crudely carved wooden statue of a wolf pup. The wood is polished smooth,
22:46clearly rubbed by callous thumbs a thousand times over. Beneath it lies a bank transfer receipt
22:51directed to an orphanage under my name, and a heavily blood-stained 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,
23:08I 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
23:29lost.
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 the
24:15top civilian sponsor and guild leader. The crowd erupts into deafening applause when the alpha calls the name of the
24:21final recipient. Rogue hunter and rescue hero Zane. The heavy velvet curtains part. A nurse pushes a
24:29wheelchair onto the stage. It is Zane. He wears a spotless, unranked military uniform, his chest heavy
24:36with medals. But beneath his waist, his pant legs are completely empty. Zane, what sustained you for 10 hours
24:45as you held up the steel beam to save the pregnant Omega. And in doing so, you lost both your
24:50legs.
24:55Because I have a debt to pay. I once murdered my own pup with my ignorance. This time I had
25:00to
25:00save someone else's pup. The goddess gave me a chance to pay back the life I owe. That's all.
25:05After the ceremony, Zane's former beta, Jax, intercepts me in the VIP hallway. Jax has red swollen eyes.
25:12He holds out a small velvet box with trembling hands.
25:18Guildmaster Serena. Zane 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. 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.
25:58It cost him half his life. Tell him I don't hate him anymore. Hating him is a waste of my
26:06energy.
26:10I 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
26:39red silk ribbon outside my newly built guild headquarters. I smile flawlessly,
26:44waving at the pack leaders and human merchants who have gathered to celebrate.
26:47Madam Serena, the Alpha's office just sent word. Zane passed away this morning.
26:57My hand holding the scissors pauses, exactly one second, completely ignoring the whisper.
27:05Excellent turnout today.
27:07I 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,
27:16an enforcer delivers a heavy iron 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
27:33that pass. If only you were still by my- I look at the pile of letters. There is no
27:38grief in my
27:38chest. Only 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
27:53into 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
28:04rogue attack. 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 the
28:34glass, looking exactly like the storm from that afternoon when I lost my first pup and nearly
28:39bled out alone. Back then, I thought the sky was falling. Now, I know it was just the brutal birth
28:45of
28:45my freedom.
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