- 7 hours ago
Caught cheating three times, I ran away - FULL
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Short filmTranscript
00:00The Riverwood Pack lived by one unbreakable rule, no werewolf mates a human.
00:04But my alpha, Ethan, broke that rule for me.
00:07He knelt before the moon goddess for three days and three nights,
00:10begging for her blessing so his pack would be forced to accept me as his mate.
00:14But in my fourth year as his Luna, I was caught cheating for the third time.
00:18The beta she-wolf at his side smirked, her voice dripping with malice.
00:22Luna, the mate agreement is clear.
00:25Three betrayals, and you're exiled.
00:28You lose all rights to the pup.
00:30Ethan's eyes burned with anger and disappointment.
00:33What's your excuse this time?
00:34That you don't know him?
00:36Or that you were drugged again?
00:38But this time, I didn't panic.
00:40I didn't burst into tears, begging him to listen or forgive me for our pup's sake.
00:44I calmly accepted the dissolution of our bond and even offered to never see our pup again.
00:49For four years, everyone said a plain human like me was never good enough for an alpha like him.
00:55And now, I was just tired.
00:57But when I finally vanished from his world, he tore it apart looking for me.
01:01I pressed my thumbprint onto the agreement to dissolve our bond.
01:05I'll move out of the river pack's territory as soon as I can.
01:07I'll take my grandmother with me.
01:10As for Leo...
01:11You don't deserve to be his mother.
01:13You are never to see him again.
01:15I didn't flinch.
01:16I just smiled.
01:18I was about to say the same thing.
01:21I won't be seeing him anymore.
01:22Ethan's brow furrowed.
01:24He wasn't used to me being so final.
01:27For the last four years, our pup was my entire world.
01:31In every fight, he'd always threaten to keep Leo from me.
01:34And every time, I was the one who'd bow my head, apologize, and beg him to let me see my
01:39son.
01:40This wasn't like me at all.
01:42Selene's smirk widened, and she covered her mouth in mock surprise.
01:46Corrine, how can you say such a thing?
01:48He's your own flesh and blood.
01:51I ignored her.
01:52I was used to her, always at Ethan's side, acting more like his mate than I ever was.
01:57All while finding new ways to drive a wedge between us.
02:00Ethan sneered at my calm expression.
02:02Faithless to the core.
02:04Giving up your own flesh and blood for some mutt outside?
02:08Corrine, you truly are something else.
02:11His words were daggers, slicing at my heart.
02:15But I was numb.
02:16I'd endured this kind of humiliation for four years.
02:19The first time I was caught, the so-called lover vanished before Ethan arrived.
02:23The security camera only caught a blurry figure.
02:26I tried to explain, to prove my innocence.
02:29But as a human, I couldn't form a mind link with him.
02:32I had no way to make him feel the truth in my heart.
02:36Ethan, please believe me.
02:37I don't know that man.
02:39I'd cried, begging him.
02:41He didn't listen.
02:43Selene was right there, adding fuel to the fire.
02:46Maybe Corrine just prefers being with human men.
02:49They are their own kind, after all.
02:52From then on, as punishment, I was forced to schedule visits with my own son through Selene,
02:57a week in advance.
02:58Watched by pack guards the entire time.
03:01It was like a prisoner's visitation hour.
03:04The second time was worse.
03:06I was locked in the basement for a month.
03:08I saw no one, not even a sliver of sunlight.
03:11I developed severe claustrophobia.
03:14It took me a full week after they let me out before I could speak to Kiko normally.
03:18When Leo saw me, he burst into tears.
03:21I was so thin I looked like a ghost.
03:23Now, the third time, I was done with this sick game.
03:27So, I let go.
03:29I've signed it.
03:30Is there anything else?
03:31If not, please leave.
03:33Corrine, you'd better not regret this.
03:36Don't come crawling back to me, because I won't be merciful again.
03:40He turned and walked toward the door.
03:42My mind went back five years, to when I found Ethan, injured, and nursed him back to health.
03:47During that time, we fell in love.
03:49He would press his hand over his heart and tell me again and again.
03:53You are the most special woman I have ever known.
03:55My heart, my wolf, they're yours.
04:00Until he finally confessed the truth.
04:02He was a werewolf.
04:03I hesitated.
04:05I couldn't see myself as the Luna his pack needed.
04:07And I never believed he could break their sacred laws for me.
04:10But he was relentless, chasing me for an entire year until he finally knelt at the moon goddess's temple for
04:15three days and nights, begging her to bless our union.
04:18When a pale, exhausted Ethan told me he'd secured the Elder's approval, my resolve shattered.
04:23I truly believed our love was strong enough to bridge the divide between our worlds.
04:28But just six months after I became his mate, I was found with another man.
04:32The frame-up was sloppy, obvious even, but it didn't matter.
04:36Something in his eyes changed that day.
04:38Watching his back as he left, I felt my heart turn to stone.
04:42I had trusted him, and I had been wrong.
04:45I would not make that mistake again.
04:47Selene paused at the door, turning back to give me a fake smile.
04:51Enjoy yourself, Kareem.
04:52You and your... kind... are better suited for each other, aren't you?
04:56Her words were laced with venom, but I no longer cared.
04:59After they left, the room fell into a dead silence.
05:03I turned to the man still passed out on the bed, and a wave of nausea rolled in my stomach.
05:07I'd been awake for a while.
05:09As the drug's effects wore off and I realized I'd been set up again, I could have run, only to
05:13be dragged back for an even crueler punishment.
05:15But this time, I chose to stay.
05:18I waited for them, for this whole drama to play out, just to end this disgusting game for good.
05:23That evening, I returned to the River Pax estate, my former home.
05:27When I pushed open the door to the master bedroom, I found it empty.
05:31My clothes, my books, even the jasmine plant I'd potted myself, all gone.
05:35A werewolf maid saw me and bowed her head awkwardly.
05:39Mrs. Kareem, your things have been packed.
05:42They're in the storage room.
05:43Miss Selina said the master bedroom needs to be prepared for the new Luna.
05:47The new Luna.
05:48I let out a bitter laugh.
05:50Selina certainly worked fast.
05:53The storage room was next to the basement, a dark, damp space filled with old furniture and junk.
05:57My suitcases were tossed in a corner, one of them broken open, my clothes spilling onto the dusty floor.
06:03I knelt and started digging through the mess.
06:06I didn't care about the expensive clothes or jewelry.
06:09Those were gifts from Ethan, or rather, gifts for the Luna he wanted me to be.
06:13I was looking for only one thing, the emerald necklace my grandmother had given me.
06:18It was the only treasure that was truly mine.
06:21Finally, in a broken jewelry box, I found it.
06:26Hey!
06:26A small voice came from behind me.
06:29I turned to see four-year-old Leo standing in the doorway, looking down at me.
06:32At some point, he'd stopped calling me mom.
06:35Now, it was just hey.
06:38Auntie Selina said you're not part of our family anymore.
06:40You're an outsider.
06:41You can't take anything from the pack.
06:44My heart clenched.
06:46Leo, these are my things, not the packs.
06:50No!
06:50Auntie Selina says all lonely humans are thieves.
06:53You can't take anything!
06:55He lunged for the necklace in my hand, his small fingers yanking hard on the chain.
07:00Leo, let go!
07:00This was from your great-grandmother!
07:03I tried to protect it, but even a four-year-old pop had unnatural strength.
07:08In the struggle, the necklace snapped and fell to the floor.
07:11The crack of the emerald shattering was deafening in the small, silent room.
07:15I stared at the broken pieces on the ground, my heart turning to ash.
07:19The stone that held all of my grandmother's love was shattered.
07:22It's your fault for not letting go!
07:26Leo, do you have any idea what you just broke?
07:30That was from my great-grandmother.
07:32Do you even know she's in a nursing home because of you?
07:36I don't have a great-grandmother.
07:39I just know about some burden who's draining our pack's medical resources.
07:43Auntie Selina said she should have died a long time ago.
07:46Then Dad wouldn't have to waste so much money on her.
07:51Auntie Selina said that, for a lowly human, she doesn't deserve to be in our pack.
07:56Say that again!
07:57Lowly?
07:58Doesn't deserve?
08:00My expression terrified him.
08:02He bit his lip, then found his courage.
08:05A lowly old woman.
08:07What's the-
08:07I couldn't take it.
08:08I shoved him.
08:10I couldn't stand hearing those vile words from his mouth.
08:13Caught off guard, he fell backward and let out a pained cry.
08:16Dad!
08:17Mommy hit me!
08:19Leo wailed from the floor.
08:23Leo, what's wrong?
08:27Dad, she hit me!
08:28Make her leave!
08:29I want Auntie Selina!
08:31Ethan's furious glare landed on me.
08:34Are you insane?
08:36Attacking your own pup!
08:38I stood in the corner, watching the father and son, feeling nothing.
08:43I didn't hit him.
08:45I was fulfilling my final duty as his mother.
08:48Teaching him some manners.
08:50Teaching him what he should and shouldn't say.
08:54Manners.
08:56You call shoving a four-year-old pup manners?
08:59Leo sobbed in his father's arms, but still managed to repeat his earlier words.
09:04Dad!
09:05Auntie Selina was right!
09:07That old woman is just wasting your money!
09:10She should have died a long time ago!
09:13Hearing it again from my own son's lips was like a knife twisting in my heart.
09:16But what broke me was Ethan's reaction.
09:19He just frowned.
09:20He didn't scold Leo.
09:21Instead, he defended Selina.
09:25Selina was just stating a fact from the perspective of PAC resources.
09:28Don't make a big deal out of it.
09:30Her medical bills are a significant expense.
09:33I stared at him in disbelief.
09:35After four years together, he thought caring for my sick grandmother was an unnecessary expense.
09:41Ethan, do you hear yourself?
09:43Enough!
09:44I brought Leo here so you two could talk about the situation.
09:49Don't tell him yet.
09:50He's young.
09:51He needs time to adjust.
09:53He meant the bond dissolution.
09:55I almost laughed.
09:57In the last four years, the total time I'd spent talking to Leo was probably less than half the time
10:02he'd spent alone with Selina.
10:03And now he wanted us to talk?
10:05I bent down and gathered the shattered pieces of the emerald, not even flinching as a sharp edge sliced my
10:11finger.
10:17I'm leaving.
10:19In the living room, Selina was lounging elegantly on the sofa with a cup of tea, as if she owned
10:25the place.
10:25She gave me a perfect smile as I walked out.
10:28I ignored her and headed straight for the main entrance.
10:31Stop!
10:32Stop!
10:35You can't go!
10:37You didn't say sorry to me!
10:39Used to being the center of everyone's world, Leo couldn't handle my indifference.
10:43When I didn't immediately kneel to hug and soothe him, he started wailing.
10:47The sound was shrill and piercing down my coldness finally made Ethan snap.
10:51The full force of his alpha command crashed down on me, making it hard to breathe.
10:55Stop!
10:56Apologize to Leo!
10:58Now!
10:58The alpha's command was an invisible chain, binding my body.
11:03To end it all, I mechanically knelt and looked at the crying boy.
11:06I'm sorry, Leo.
11:09Mommy shouldn't have pushed you.
11:11Leo stopped crying.
11:12He glared at me with swollen, red eyes.
11:15Then suddenly swung his little hand dot AT4.
11:17Leo could already partially shift.
11:19His nails lengthened, sharpening into claws.
11:21Blood welled up instantly from three deep gashes on my arm.
11:24Lowly human!
11:26You deserved it!
11:28You reek of another male.
11:30Even a pup can scent it.
11:33This is the punishment you deserve.
11:35Ethan!
11:36I shot to my feet.
11:38My shot fell in my eyes, blazing with fury.
11:41You say I reek of another male?
11:43What about you?
11:43For four years, you and Swaline have been disseparable.
11:47You even sent our son to stay at her house.
11:49So you tell me, whose scent is more disgusting?
11:52Corin!
11:53How dare you?
11:54The alpha and I are innocent.
11:56I was merely performing my duties as a beta, helping manage pack affairs.
12:01Innocent?
12:03You know exactly what's in your heart.
12:06You!
12:07Enough!
12:08Corin!
12:09You have completely and utterly disappointed me.
12:13Since you seem to think we're not so innocent, I'll show you what real betrayal looks like.
12:17Ethan ordered the nanny to take Leo away.
12:19Then he grabbed my wrist and dragged me back into the bathroom.
12:23Ethan, let me go!
12:24I struggled, but a human's strength is nothing against a werewolf's.
12:27The door slammed shut.
12:29He bound my wrists with a coarse rope and threw me to the floor.
12:32Tonight, you're going to watch.
12:35That hurts!
12:37Hurt?
12:38You think this hurts?
12:39Do you have any idea how much it hurt when I found you with him?
12:42He turned, pulled Celine into his arms, and crushed his lips against hers.
12:46The kiss was passionate, fiery, as if they were true mates.
12:50The sight made me want to vomit.
12:52Ethan!
12:53We dissolved the bond!
12:55You can't humiliate me like this!
12:57He didn't listen, deepening the kiss.
13:00Celine let out a soft moan, her hand slowly tracing the skin over his heart.
13:04There, tattooed in black ink, was my name.
13:07The mate's mark of loyalty, now, Celine's fingers were stroking those letters.
13:11Alpha, this tattoo, can you change it to my name?
13:15I closed my eyes, silent tears streaming down my face.
13:18Of course, Selena.
13:20A faithless mate doesn't deserve a place on my skin.
13:24Faithless.
13:25The irony was suffocating.
13:27He believed every flimsy setup against me, yet here he was, kissing and touching another
13:31woman right in front of my eyes.
13:33Just as my heart went completely numb, my phone rang, I struggled to reach it and answered.
13:37A nurse's trembling voice came from the other end.
13:40I'm a nurse at St. Mary's Hospital.
13:43Your grandmother, there's been an emergency!
13:47What?
13:48What happened to her?
13:49Your grandmother heard the news that you were being exiled from the pack this afternoon,
13:52and she became very distressed.
13:54During our evening rounds, we found she had swallowed a large number of sleeping pills.
13:57We're working on her now, but her will to live is very weak.
14:01Miss Corrine, can you get here right away?
14:03She really needs you.
14:04How could she know?
14:05I collapsed, the world spinning.
14:07I never told her.
14:09I scrambled to my feet.
14:12Ethan, please!
14:13Let me go to the hospital!
14:15My grandmother, something happened to her!
14:17What a performance, Corrine.
14:19Are you really willing to stoop this low just to escape your punishment?
14:23It's not an act!
14:25It's real!
14:26My grandmother is in trouble!
14:29Alpha, don't let her fool you.
14:31This is just a pathetic attempt to run away.
14:34I'm not lying!
14:35She's really in the emergency room, please believe me!
14:38Enough.
14:41We just signed the agreement.
14:43How would your grandmother know?
14:45You knew she couldn't handle the shock, and you still had to tell her.
14:48Who's to blame for that?
14:50I didn't tell her!
14:52Just let me go!
14:53There might still be time!
14:55She was only injured because she saved Leo from a rogue wolf!
14:59Please don't treat her life like a joke!
15:02Corrine!
15:04You use your grandmother to get sympathy every single time!
15:08I'm sick of it!
15:10Alpha, forget about her.
15:12Come here.
15:13In a final, desperate surge, I fought to my feet and hung up.
15:16But with my hands tied, I lost my balance and my head slammed hard against the door.
15:22Grandma!
15:23I have to save Grandma!
15:24My actions finally pushed Ethan over the edge.
15:27He strode over, grabbed my shoulder, and dragged me to the storage closet in the corner of the room.
15:32Since you love lying and performing so much, you can stay in here and reflect on it!
15:37The closet was small and dark.
15:39No!
15:40Don't lock me in here!
15:42You know I have claustrophobia!
15:44Ethan, please!
15:45Stay in there and watch!
15:47The closet door slammed shut, plunging me into total darkness.
15:51The sounds of their coupling, grunts and moans, echoed in the suffocating blackness, amplified and inescapable.
15:57The next morning, Ethan came downstairs and called out by habit.
16:00Corrine, make breakfast!
16:02There was no answer.
16:03The nanny reported timidly.
16:05Alpha, the young master won't stop crying.
16:08He spiked a fever last night, 102 degrees, and just kept crying for his mommy.
16:12Just then, the living room phone rang.
16:15Ethan answered it.
16:16A stranger's voice was on the line.
16:18Hello, am I speaking to a relative of Ms. Corrine?
16:21This is St. Mary's Hospital.
16:23We're calling about her grandmother's final arrangements.
16:26The woman passed away during the night.
16:28We were unable to revive her, but no family has come to claim the body.
16:32He suddenly remembered last night.
16:34The phone call he had dismissed as a lie.
16:36His face went pale.
16:38He turned and bolted up the stairs.
16:40With a trembling hand, he wrenched open the closet door.
16:43The moment the door swung open, he froze.
16:46The locker was empty.
16:48Nothing but a few bloodstains and a broken rope.
16:51She got out on her own?
16:53She's really selling it.
16:54Ethan muttered to himself.
16:56Even bled for the part.
16:57He was convinced this was all an elaborate act.
16:59A sob story cooked up by Corrine and her grandmother.
17:02The goal was obvious.
17:04To make him take back his decision to reject her.
17:06To welcome the unfaithful woman back into his arms.
17:09He truly underestimated a human's cunning.
17:12Ethan picked up his spare phone and dialed Corrine's number.
17:16The number you have dialed has been switched off.
17:19Switched off.
17:21So she's going all the way with this act.
17:23He gave a cold smirk and decided to drive to the hospital himself to see what kind of game they
17:27were playing.
17:28Half an hour later, Ethan stood at the entrance to St. Mary's Hospital and work.
17:32The sharp sting of disinfectant couldn't mask the cloying scent of death.
17:35He wrinkled his nose.
17:37Alpha, what are you doing here?
17:38The doctor rushed over as soon as he saw him.
17:41You called earlier about Corrine's grandmother.
17:44The doctor sighed.
17:45A sudden, dark premonition washed over Ethan.
17:49Last night, the old woman heard that Corrine was going to be expelled from the pack.
17:53She became hysterical, crying and repeating things like,
17:57I'm dragging Corrine down and I shouldn't be alive.
18:00Ethan's voice was calm.
18:01And?
18:02And then we found her.
18:05She'd swallowed a massive dose of sleeping pills when the nurse wasn't looking.
18:11We worked on her for four straight hours.
18:14We almost had her stabilized, but her will to live was just...
18:17Gone.
18:19She just kept calling Miss Corrine's name.
18:22If Corrine had been here, then maybe what?
18:25Maybe we could have saved her.
18:26The doctor said, shaking his head with regret.
18:30Ethan's fingers curled into fists.
18:32He remembered smashing Corrine's phone on the floor last night.
18:35He remembered locking her in that cramped, dark locker.
18:38Are you sure she's gone?
18:40Of course, we're sure.
18:41The death certificate has already been issued.
18:44We need the family to handle the arrangements and claim the body.
18:47Ethan felt a wave of dizziness so strong he had to brace himself against the wall to keep from falling.
18:51If her grandmother was really dead, then that phone call last night.
18:55Alpha, please tell Corrine this for me.
18:58Before her grandmother, she kept saying, don't blame Corrine.
19:03It's all my fault for holding her back.
19:07When I'm dead, she'll finally be free.
19:09It felt like a fist had closed around Ethan's heart, squeezing tight.
19:14Who?
19:15Who told her grandmother about the expulsion?
19:18Only one person has visited her these past few days.
19:22Your beta, Selina.
19:24Selina.
19:25So she was here.
19:26No wonder it felt so wrong.
19:29Corrine would never have told her ailing grandmother something so devastating.
19:32He staggered back a step.
19:35Suddenly, he heard Corrine's desperate cries from the night before.
19:38She was injured by a rogue wolf to save Leo!
19:43His mind flashed back to that night two years ago.
19:46Leo had playfully snuck out of the manor, only to run into a vicious rogue wolf.
19:51It was Corrine's grandmother who had thrown herself in front of the child, taking the claws to her stomach.
19:56The attack had damaged her internal organs, leaving her bedridden and frail ever since.
20:00Corrine had been heartbroken, and he had held her hand, swearing he would treat her grandmother like his own family
20:06from that day on.
20:07He had broken his promise.
20:09He had let the woman who saved his son die alone and in despair.
20:12A wave of fear and guilt, stronger than anything he had ever felt, crashed over him.
20:18Alpha, are you alright?
20:19The doctor asked, looking with concern at Ethan's pale face.
20:22Ethan didn't answer.
20:23He just turned and bolted from the morgue.
20:26He had to get home.
20:27When he sped back to the villa, he found Leo crying at the top of the stairs.
20:31The four-year-old's face was flushed with fever as he sat helplessly on the floor.
20:35Mommy, I want my mommy.
20:38Leo's sobs were heart-wrenching.
20:39The nanny stood beside him, wringing her hands.
20:42The young master keeps asking for his mother.
20:44He won't even take his medicine.
20:46The moment Leo saw Ethan, he ran to him.
20:48Daddy, where's mommy?
20:50Why isn't she back?
20:52Looking at Leo's fever-flushed face, a storm of emotions churned inside Ethan.
20:56I want mommy!
20:58Where is she?
21:01Mommy, mommy had to go out for a bit.
21:04She'll be back soon.
21:05Ethan said, the words feeling like ash in his mouth.
21:09In that moment, he didn't know if he was lying to Leo or to himself.
21:13He didn't even know where Corinne was.
21:15Hearing this, Leo suddenly balled his small fists in anger.
21:18It's all because she's human!
21:20It's all her fault!
21:21If only she wasn't a human!
21:22But as soon as the words were out, the little boy broke into choked sobs again.
21:27But, but I want my mommy!
21:29Daddy, when is mommy coming back?
21:31Does she not want me anymore?
21:33He remembered a time when Corinne would dissolve into tears at the first sign of a sniffle from Leo.
21:38She'd hold vigil by his crib all night, no matter how exhausted she was.
21:42Back when he was just a toddler, Leo had been her little shadow,
21:46clinging to her leg and crying for mommy if she was out of his sight for even a second.
21:50Mom!
21:50But somewhere along the line, everything had changed.
21:54Leo began to treat her love like a meal he craved, yet was disgusted by.
21:58I wish Auntie Celia was my mommy.
22:00Corinne had just, broken.
22:02Tears streamed down her face, silent and unending.
22:06And he, lost in his own fog of perceived betrayal, had offered no comfort.
22:10He'd twisted the knife.
22:12Compared to Celia, you're not fit to be his mother anyway.
22:15After that, as Leo's cruel words became more frequent,
22:18Corinne's heartbreak slowly hardened into a quiet numbness.
22:21The barbs stopped hurting her.
22:24Now, remembering the ghost of those tears in Corinne's eyes and seeing that same awful conflict mirrored in his own
22:29son,
22:30Ethan's heart felt like it was being torn in two.
22:32Who the hell had poisoned a four-year-old's heart to twist love into such hateful knots?
22:35He handed Leo over to a maid and walked into his study alone.
22:39The maid rejection papers were still on his desk.
22:42Corinne's handprint was a glaring red stain on the page.
22:45The space for the Alpha's signature was still empty.
22:48He had never intended to sign them.
22:50He thought Corinne was just throwing a tantrum,
22:53but in a few days she'd be back on her knees,
22:55crying and begging him for forgiveness like she always did.
22:57But this time, she had actually left.
23:00She'd left so cleanly, as if their four years together had been nothing.
23:04The thought filled Ethan with anger, but underneath it, something else was stirring.
23:09Panic.
23:09He picked up his phone and sent Corinne a text.
23:12I've had someone handle your grandmother's funeral arrangements.
23:15No reply.
23:17He sent another.
23:18Leo has a fever.
23:20He won't stop crying for you.
23:22Still nothing.
23:23The minutes ticked by.
23:25Ethan sat in his study, staring at the phone screen,
23:28a feeling of desperate urgency growing inside him.
23:31He had never waited this anxiously for a message from anyone.
23:34Just then, a terrified scream came from outside.
23:37Alpha!
23:39The young master has collapsed!
23:41Ethan shot out of the study and saw Leo lying limply on the floor,
23:44his small face crimson, his eyes closed.
23:47He was unconscious.
23:48He roared, scooping his son up.
23:51Quick!
23:52Get the pack, doctor!
23:53The heat radiating from the boy's body sent a fresh wave of terror through him.
23:57Auntie Selena said,
23:59Mommy's a lowly human.
24:00While they waited for the doctor, Leo started muttering in his sleep
24:04that Grandma's a burden.
24:06She said,
24:08If I scratch Mommy,
24:09she'll get sent away,
24:11and I can have a new werewolf, Mommy.
24:14The little boy's voice was weak and broken.
24:16She said,
24:18The other cubs laugh at me because my mom's a human,
24:21that she's an embarrassment to our family.
24:24If Mommy leaves,
24:26no one will laugh at me anymore.
24:28Ethan's hands clenched into fists,
24:31his nails digging into his palms.
24:33Every word was a hammer blow to Ethan's heart.
24:35So that was it.
24:37Selene had orchestrated all of it.
24:39But,
24:39but Grandma isn't a burden.
24:42Grandma was nice to me.
24:44She made me cookies.
24:46Mommy,
24:47Mommy,
24:47I'm sorry.
24:48Please don't leave me.
24:50I won't ever say you're a bad human again.
24:53Please come back.
24:54Anki Selene lied to me.
24:56She said a new Mommy would love me more.
24:59But I only want my Mommy.
25:01Ethan's eyes burned.
25:02He finally understood why Leo had acted so strangely toward Corinne,
25:06a child not even five years old,
25:08manipulated by an adult's malice,
25:10forced to choose between loving his mother and despising her.
25:13And he,
25:13the boy's father,
25:14had not only failed to protect his son and his mate,
25:17but had allowed it all to happen.
25:19Daddy,
25:19why doesn't Mommy want me anymore?
25:21Is it because I scratched her with my claws?
25:24It must have hurt a lot.
25:25I'll never do it again.
25:28Mommy,
25:28come back.
25:29I'll forget all the bad things Auntie Selene told me to say.
25:33He finally understood why Corinne had been so resolute about not wanting Leo that day.
25:37Because she had lost all hope in her son,
25:39too.
25:40That's why even now,
25:41with Leo so sick,
25:42it wouldn't be enough to bring her back.
25:44Ethan couldn't help but wonder,
25:46what about him?
25:47Had Corinne given up on him completely,
25:49too?
25:50The pack doctor arrived quickly and began treating Leo.
25:56Alpha,
25:57I heard Leo was sick.
25:58How is he?
25:59Is it serious?
26:00She said,
26:00trying to step closer.
26:02Ethan took a step back.
26:03Selene,
26:04tell me,
26:04what did you teach Leo?
26:06Selene's eyes flickered with panic.
26:08Alpha,
26:08I don't understand what you mean.
26:10You don't understand?
26:11Ethan stared at her deceitful face,
26:13his rage finally boiling over.
26:15Lowly human.
26:16A burden of a grandmother
26:18who taught a four-year-old child words like that.
26:22Selene stammered,
26:23trying to find an excuse.
26:24I was only...
26:25Only what?
26:26Ethan stalked toward her.
26:29Only encouraging a cub not yet five years old
26:32to attack his own mother with his claws?
26:34Only telling him that if he hurt his mother,
26:37she'd be cast out
26:38so he could have a better whale wolf stepmother?
26:41Alpha,
26:41I...
26:42I did it for Leo's own good.
26:44A human is not fit to be the luna of a wolf pack.
26:47For Leo's good?
26:48You twisted him up with so much guilt and longing
26:50that he passed out,
26:51crying for his mother in his sleep.
26:52You call that for his own good?
26:54Ethan,
26:54please let me explain.
26:55I truly love you.
26:57I only want to...
26:57Get out.
26:58As of this moment,
26:59you are no longer my beta
27:00and don't you ever let me see you again.
27:01Selene stared at him in disbelief.
27:03You're casting me out?
27:04For that human?
27:06Ethan,
27:06I've given so many years to the river pack.
27:09Your contributions?
27:10Your contributions were to destroy my family,
27:12manipulate my child,
27:13and drive my mate's grandmother to her death?
27:15Get out!
27:16Selene stumbled backward,
27:18her eyes filled with a toxic mix of disbelief and resentment.
27:21But against the absolute authority of an alpha,
27:23she had no choice but to turn and leave.
27:26Ethan leaned weakly against the wall.
27:28He thought about the night before,
27:29how he'd been so provoked by Kern's words
27:31that he had impulsively slept with Selene.
27:33Looking back now,
27:34he realized he hadn't been punishing Corinne.
27:37He had only defiled himself.
27:38He immediately dialed the number of his most trusted subordinate.
27:42Marcus,
27:42I need you to reinvestigate at every detail of Corinne's three past infidelities.
27:46Find those three men.
27:47I want to know exactly what happened.
27:48Alpha,
27:49you suspect.
27:50I suspect I've been played for a fool for four years.
27:54If Selene was capable of doing this to Leo,
27:57then none of the evidence she provided can be trusted.
27:59Get on it now.
28:00I want the truth.
28:01After hanging up,
28:02he sent another text to Corinne,
28:04his fingers shaking.
28:06Corinne,
28:07I'm sorry.
28:08He waited ten minutes.
28:09No reply.
28:10He sent another.
28:11Leo won't stop calling for you.
28:13Please,
28:14just come back and see him.
28:15Ethan slid to the floor,
28:17finally realizing that he might have lost her forever.
28:19A short while later,
28:21Marcus called back.
28:24Alpha,
28:25we have the preliminary results.
28:27We haven't tracked down the first man yet,
28:29but the men from the second and third incidences both received large wire transfers from the same account right before
28:36the events took place.
28:38What?
28:39South clear.
28:41Furthermore,
28:42after Corinne lost consciousness,
28:44neither man actually touched her.
28:46Surveillance footage shows they just lay down next to her and waited for you to arrive.
28:51And Alpha,
28:52that bank account.
28:54We're still tracing it,
28:55but our initial theory is...
28:56Spit it out!
28:57Alpha,
28:58is it possible
28:59that all three of those infidelity scenes were staged?
29:03If it was all fake,
29:05then what had he done to Corinne for the past four years?
29:07Ethan remembered the look on Corinne's face the first time he'd caught her.
29:11It wasn't guilt.
29:12It was confusion and terror.
29:14She had cried,
29:15saying she didn't remember anything,
29:17that she had just woken up next to a strange man.
29:19And he,
29:20he had dismissed it as a pathetic excuse.
29:22The second time,
29:23it was the same bewildered expression,
29:25the same desperate explanation.
29:27She had begged him to believe her,
29:29sworn she had never betrayed him,
29:31that she loved him.
29:32And what had he done?
29:33In truth,
29:34a part of him had wanted to believe her.
29:36But he had let Selene investigate,
29:38and then used the evidence Selene provided to condemn her again and again,
29:42trampling all over her dignity.
29:44The person who had orchestrated those three disgusting setups was the one he trusted most.
29:48Marcus,
29:49detain Selene immediately on the charge of harming the Luna.
29:53Put your best people on this,
29:54I want to know everything.
29:55Yes, Alpha.
29:57After ending the call,
29:58Ethan collapsed into a chair.
30:00He picked up his phone and sent another message.
30:02I know I was wrong.
30:04I'm begging you,
30:04please come back.
30:06Silence.
30:07He let the phone drop,
30:09a gaping hole opening in his chest.
30:10The next few days were a blur of anxiety.
30:13Ethan stayed by Leo's side,
30:15waiting for any word from Corinne.
30:17He sent men to search every place she might have gone,
30:19but it was as if she'd vanished off the face of the earth,
30:21leaving no trace behind.
30:23Leo's fever broke,
30:24but he became quiet and withdrawn.
30:26He wasn't the lively boy he used to be.
30:29He refused to get close to anyone,
30:30and more alarmingly,
30:31he refused to shift into his wolf form.
30:34For a cub to refuse to shift was a serious issue,
30:37one that could affect his development for the rest of his life.
30:40Ethan hired a therapist specializing in childhood trauma to come to the villa.
30:44Leo,
30:44can you tell me why you don't want to become a little wolf anymore?
30:47I don't want to be a wolf anymore.
30:49Why is that?
30:51Because I scratched mommy with my claws!
30:54Tisalina said if I hurt her,
30:55she'd get sent away and I could have a new werewolf mommy.
30:58But I don't want a new mommy,
31:00I just want my mommy.
31:01And now she's really gone,
31:03she's not coming back.
31:04Is it because I become a wolf that I hurt her?
31:07If I stop being a wolf,
31:09will she come back?
31:11I'm never shifting again.
31:13I'm scared I'll scratch her with my claws again.
31:16Standing outside the door,
31:17Ethan pressed himself against the wall,
31:19silent tears streaming down his face as he listened to his son.
31:22His son,
31:23so consumed by guilt and self-loathing
31:25that he wanted to renounce his own wolf nature.
31:27A cub not even five years old,
31:29carrying such a heavy burden.
31:31And it was all his fault.
31:33Two weeks later,
31:34the trial was over.
31:36For slandering and framing the Luna,
31:37and for manipulating the cub to harm his mother,
31:40among other crimes,
31:41Selene was sentenced to life in prison.
31:43Her entire family was expelled from the River Pack.
31:46As the guards led her away,
31:47Selene threw her head back and laughed maniacally at Ethan.
31:52Ethan!
31:53You think locking me up will fix anything?
31:56She will never forgive you for that!
31:59You will never, ever find her!
32:01Ethan stood outside the courthouse,
32:03watching the car drive away,
32:05feeling no satisfaction,
32:06only a cold, hollowing emptiness.
32:08Selene was right,
32:09but what did it matter now?
32:11He opened his phone
32:12and scrolled through the hundreds of messages
32:14he'd sent to Corinne.
32:15Not a single reply.
32:17They had started as apologies,
32:19shifted to pleas,
32:20and finally devolved into desperate confessions of love.
32:23But she was just, gone.
32:25When he got home,
32:26Leo crept up to him,
32:27tugging on the hem of his pants with a small hand.
32:30Daddy, the bad person is gone now,
32:32does that mean Mommy will come back?
32:34A tiny flicker of hope still shone in the boy's eyes.
32:37Ethan looked down at his son's expectant face.
32:40He wanted to say yes,
32:41to give his son that one small piece of hope.
32:44But he opened his mouth
32:45and all that came out was a pained, defeated whisper.
32:48I don't know.
32:48Watching the light fade from Leo's eyes,
32:50eyes so much like Corinne's,
32:52was a fresh twist of the knife in Ethan's gut.
32:54He remembered the night he first met her.
32:56He'd been wounded while hunting a traitor,
32:59left for dead in a rain-slicked alley.
33:01It was Corinne who found him,
33:02who brought him back to her small apartment
33:04without a hint of fear
33:05and nursed him back to health for a solid month.
33:07She didn't know he was a werewolf,
33:10just that he was an injured man.
33:11She changed his bandages,
33:13cooked for him,
33:14and talked to him every day.
33:15Her clear eyes filled not with fear,
33:17but with gentleness.
33:18By the time he healed,
33:20he was hopelessly in love with her.
33:22The path elders were vehemently opposed.
33:24A human could not be Luna.
33:26But he didn't care.
33:27He would have her,
33:29or he would die trying.
33:30When she hesitated,
33:31torn by the divide between their worlds,
33:34he had knelt before the statue of the moon goddess
33:36for three days and three nights,
33:38praying through tears for her blessing.
33:39On the night of the full moon,
33:41the goddess's blessing had truly descended.
33:43That night,
33:44Corinne had thrown herself into his arms,
33:46sighing.
33:49Ethan, you fool.
33:51I'll marry you.
33:52I'll marry you.
33:54In that moment,
33:55he felt like he owned the entire world.
33:57But after they were married,
33:58a seed of insecurity had taken root in his heart.
34:01He was always afraid that her love for him
34:03wasn't as deep as his for her,
34:04that she had only accepted him
34:06because she was moved by his devotion.
34:08Every time she glanced at another man,
34:10every time her affection seemed less than passionate.
34:12He grew paranoid,
34:14wondering if she regretted marrying him.
34:16Until the first time he caught her being unfaithful.
34:19It felt like his deepest fear had been confirmed.
34:21She didn't love him enough.
34:23She would betray him.
34:24So he treated her coldly.
34:26He was deliberately intimate with Celine in front of her.
34:29It was all his fault.
34:31Four years of mistakes.
34:33And now,
34:34it was too late.
34:35Time passed quickly.
34:37Three years flew by.
34:38With the help of his therapist,
34:40Leo slowly improved,
34:41but he was far more introverted than before.
34:43He still asked when his mother was coming home,
34:46only to be met with Ethan's heavy silence.
34:48One day,
34:49Caleb,
34:50the alpha of the neighboring Amber Pack,
34:52invited them to his son's second birthday party.
34:55The party was a lively affair,
34:56with wolf cubs running and playing everywhere.
34:59As usual,
35:00Leo stayed close to Ethan's side,
35:02too shy to join the other children.
35:03And then,
35:04Ethan saw a familiar figure in the garden.
35:06His breath caught in his throat.
35:09Corinne.
35:09She was wearing a pale blue dress.
35:11She looked fuller than she had three years ago,
35:14her cheeks rosy with health.
35:15He had been searching for her for three years.
35:18He had never given up,
35:20sending out more and more men,
35:21expanding the search wider and wider.
35:23He hadn't found a single trace of her.
35:25And now she was standing not ten steps away.
35:28She was holding a small boy,
35:30about two years old,
35:31gently wiping cream from the corner of the child's mouth.
35:34Ethan wanted to move,
35:35but his legs felt like they were filled with lead.
35:37Leo saw her, too.
35:39His small body trembled,
35:40and then he shot forward like an arrow.
35:42Mommy!
35:43Mommy!
35:46Mommy, you're back!
35:47I missed you so much!
35:49I'll never scratch you again!
35:51Please don't go, okay?
35:53Corinne looked down at the boy clinging to her,
35:55his face streaked with tears.
35:57Her expression was a mask of cold indifference.
36:00Let go.
36:01You're scaring my son.
36:03The little boy in her arms,
36:05startled by Leo's cries,
36:06began to squirm.
36:07Corinne gently patted his back.
36:09It's okay, baby.
36:11Don't be scared.
36:12The boy let out a small,
36:13milky cry.
36:14Mama!
36:15That one word struck Leo like a lightning bolt.
36:18He froze,
36:19his hands dropping from Corinne's leg.
36:21Corinne,
36:21holding her new child,
36:22looked down at the firstborn son
36:24she'd left behind
36:25and said in a light,
36:26dismissive tone.
36:27I don't know you,
36:28and I don't want to be your mother.
36:30Leo stood frozen,
36:31tears still clinging to his lashes,
36:33too stunned to even cry.
36:35He stared up at Corinne,
36:36as if he couldn't comprehend
36:37that the mother who had once loved him
36:39more than anything
36:40could say such a thing.
36:42Corinne!
36:43He was breathless
36:44by the time he reached her.
36:45His gaze shot from the child
36:47in her arms to her face,
36:48his voice trembling.
36:50How could you do this to Leo?
36:53How could you say that to him?
36:55Corinne met his eyes,
36:56her own avoid of emotion.
36:58Why not?
36:59She glanced down
37:00at the docile boy in her arms,
37:02her fingers gently stroking his back
37:03as if he were a fragile treasure.
37:05I only have one son.
37:07Another woman's child
37:08has nothing to do with me.
37:10Another woman's child?
37:13He is your son!
37:14Seeing her still indifferent expression,
37:16Ethan desperately reached for her hand.
37:19Just then,
37:19an imposing man walked over
37:21from the other end of the garden.
37:23It was Caleb,
37:24the alpha of the powerful amber pack.
37:26He moved to Corinne's side,
37:28smoothly and naturally
37:29shielding her behind him.
37:30Ethan,
37:31this is my Luna.
37:32I suggest you show some respect.
37:34Ethan froze,
37:36feeling as though
37:36a bucket of ice water
37:37had been dumped over his head.
37:39You're
37:40Luna?
37:41He repeated,
37:42barely able to believe his own ears.
37:45Take the Luna
37:46and the young master
37:47to the lounge.
37:47Yes,
37:48alpha.
37:49Without another glance at Ethan,
37:51Corinne turned to leave,
37:52murmuring softly
37:53to the child in her arms.
37:55Corinne,
37:55stop!
37:59That's enough.
38:01She doesn't want to see you.
38:04She is my mate.
38:06What right do you have
38:07to take her?
38:10Your mate?
38:12Still haven't figured it out,
38:13Ethan?
38:14Those words send a chill down
38:15Ethan's spine.
38:16He suddenly thought back
38:17over the past three years,
38:18the business deals
38:19that inexplicably fell through,
38:21the key partnerships
38:21that collapsed,
38:22the way his pack's territory
38:24was constantly being
38:24chipped away at.
38:26Every time,
38:27he'd assumed it was just
38:28pack rivalries
38:28or hostile challenges,
38:30but every investigation
38:31he ran eventually
38:32led back to faint,
38:33untraceable links
38:34to the amber pack.
38:35He had thought Caleb
38:36was just overly ambitious,
38:37deliberately antagonizing him.
38:39But what if,
38:40what if Corinne
38:41was behind it all?
38:42She had been by his side
38:43for years.
38:44She knew the inner workings
38:45of his businesses,
38:47the lifelines
38:47of the river pack.
38:48If she truly wanted revenge,
38:50she had all the weapons
38:51she needed.
38:52The world spun.
38:53Ethan staggered,
38:54barely able to stay
38:55on his feet.
38:56He had thought
38:57she couldn't let go
38:58of their son.
38:59He thought she couldn't
39:00live without him.
39:01But she had already
39:02built a new life
39:03somewhere far away
39:03from them,
39:04with a new child
39:05and a new mate.
39:06And she had been
39:07systematically trying
39:08to destroy his pack.
39:09As Corinne was escorted away,
39:11she never once
39:12looked back.
39:13But Ethan clung
39:14to one last,
39:15desperate threat
39:15of hope.
39:16He knew he had
39:17to see her one more time.
39:18He sent a message
39:19to her.
39:20The rejection papers
39:21they'd signed
39:22required one last thing,
39:23a final,
39:24official ceremony
39:24before the moon goddess.
39:26He was betting
39:27she would show.
39:28Three days later,
39:29at the pack's
39:29sacred ground,
39:31when Ethan walked in,
39:32he saw Corinne standing
39:33before the statue
39:34of the moon goddess.
39:35She was dressed in black,
39:36her hair pinned up,
39:37her expression serene.
39:39He swallowed hard.
39:40I never signed the papers.
39:43Corinne didn't even
39:44flicker her gaze.
39:45So?
39:45So we haven't
39:46officially broken the bond.
39:47Corinne,
39:48come back with me.
39:49Don't you see?
39:50Caleb is ambitious.
39:51He'll never be
39:52truly good to you.
39:53You set up
39:54those three affairs,
39:55didn't you?
39:56This is the result
39:57you wanted.
39:58Her tone deceptively light.
40:00Ethan's eyes widened.
40:01What are you talking about?
40:03The first man.
40:04It was him.
40:06He was drunk
40:07and came into my room.
40:08Wasn't that your plan?
40:10Ethan stared at her,
40:11his mind reeling.
40:12The man who had gotten away,
40:14it was Caleb.
40:15No.
40:16Corinne,
40:16I didn't set that up.
40:18Why would I ever
40:19push you towards another man?
40:20Then couldn't you see it?
40:22She stared directly
40:22into his eyes.
40:23Three times, Ethan.
40:25Three whole times.
40:27Three whole times.
40:29Did it never once occur to you
40:31to try and prove my innocence?
40:32Ethan's lips moved,
40:33but no sound came out.
40:35Even if you didn't plan it,
40:36you were an accomplice,
40:37Corinne said,
40:38her voice soft.
40:39Otherwise,
40:39it never would have happened
40:40three times.
40:41Ethan's head dropped in shame.
40:43Corinne.
40:44His voice was hoarse,
40:45his eyes turning red.
40:47Corinne,
40:48I'm so sorry
40:48for what I did to you
40:50and to your grandmother.
40:52I'm so,
40:54so sorry.
40:56It's too late.
40:57Let's just get this over with.
40:58He never imagined
40:59he would one day
40:59stand before her
41:00and cry so pathetically.
41:02The ceremony began.
41:03The parchment
41:04with their mating agreement
41:05was tossed into the sacred fire,
41:07burning until it was
41:08nothing but ash.
41:09As the last ember died,
41:10a look of profound relief
41:11washed over Corinne's face.
41:13Leo,
41:14who had been standing
41:15at the back,
41:16was sobbing so hard
41:17he could barely breathe.
41:18Mommy, don't go.
41:20Mommy.
41:20He stumbled forward,
41:21trying to run to her,
41:22but was blocked by the guards.
41:23He could only scream,
41:25his voice tearing.
41:26Mommy, I'm sorry.
41:27Please don't leave me.
41:29But Corinne's steps
41:30never faltered.
41:32With the searing,
41:33desperate gazes
41:33of a father and son
41:34burning into her back,
41:35she walked out
41:36of the sacred grounds.
41:37Once outside,
41:39Corinne took out her phone,
41:40her voice cold as steel.
41:43It's done.
41:44Spread the word.
41:45All the plans we prepared
41:46to attack the river pack
41:47can be set in motion now.
41:49She paused,
41:50a sliver of icy hatred
41:51finally surfacing in her eyes.
41:53I want him to lose everything.
41:56Those three years
41:56were just a warm-up.
41:58From the day she left,
41:59she had sworn an oath.
42:01She would have vengeance
42:02for herself
42:02and for her grandmother.
42:04Corinne's fingers
42:05closed around the necklace
42:06at her throat,
42:07the one he had smashed.
42:08Now painstakingly repaired.
42:11Grandma,
42:11don't you worry.
42:13From this day on,
42:15I will never let myself
42:16be wrong it again.
42:17you're sick of
42:17six interesting UCF
42:17You're sick of
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