- 10 hours ago
Caught Cheating Three Times, I Ran Away Episode ENGSUB Betrayal Romance, Revenge Drama, ASM
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Short filmTranscript
00:00by one unbreakable rule no werewolf mates a human but my alpha ethan broke that rule for me he knelt
00:06before the moon goddess for three days and three nights begging for her blessing so his pack would
00:11be forced to accept me as his mate but in my fourth year as his luna i was caught cheating
00:16for the third time the beta she-wolf at his side smirked her voice dripping with malice luna the
00:22mate agreement is clear three betrayals and you're exiled you lose all rights to the pup ethan's eyes
00:30burned with anger and disappointment what's your excuse this time that you don't know him or that
00:36you were drugged again but this time i didn't panic i didn't burst into tears begging him to listen or
00:42forgive me for our pup's sake i calmly accepted the dissolution of our bond and even offered to never
00:47see our pup again for four years everyone said a plain human like me was never good enough for an
00:52alpha like him and now i was just tired but when i finally vanished from his world he tore it
00:59apart
00:59looking for me i pressed my thumbprint onto the agreement to dissolve our bond i'll move out of
01:04the river packs territory as soon as i can i'll take my grandmother with me as for leo you don't
01:10deserve to be his mother you are never to see him again i didn't flinch i just smiled
01:16i was about to say the same thing i won't be seeing him anymore ethan's brow furrowed he wasn't
01:24used to me being so final for the last four years our pup was my entire world in every fight
01:30he'd always
01:31threatened to keep leo from me and every time i was the one who'd bow my head apologize and beg
01:37him to
01:37let me see my son this wasn't like me at all celine's smirk widened and she covered her mouth in
01:43mock
01:43surprise kareen how can you say such a thing he's your own flesh and blood i ignored her i was
01:51used
01:52to her always at ethan's side acting more like his mate than i ever was all while finding new ways
01:57to
01:57drive a wedge between us ethan sneered at my calm expression faithless to the core giving up your own
02:04flesh and blood for some mutt outside kareen you truly are something else his words were daggers
02:12slicing at my heart but i was numb i'd endured this kind of humiliation for four years the first time
02:19i
02:19was caught the so-called lover vanished before ethan arrived the security camera only caught a blurry
02:24figure i tried to explain to prove my innocence but as a human i couldn't form a mind link with
02:31him
02:31i had no way to make him feel the truth in my heart ethan please believe me i don't know
02:37that man
02:37i'd cried begging him he didn't listen celine was right there adding fuel to the fire maybe kareen
02:46just prefers being with human men they are their own kind after all from then on as punishment i was
02:54forced to schedule visits with my own son through celine a week in advance watched by pack guards the
02:59entire time it was like a prisoner's visitation hour the second time was worse i was locked in
03:06the basement for a month i saw no one not even a sliver of sunlight i developed severe claustrophobia
03:12it took me a full week after they let me out before i could speak to people normally when leo
03:17saw me
03:18he burst into tears i was so thin i looked like a ghost now the third time i was done
03:25with this sick
03:25game so i let go i've signed it is there anything else if not please leave corinne you'd better not
03:35regret this don't come crawling back to me because i won't be merciful again he turned and walked
03:40toward the door my mind went back five years to when i found ethan injured and nursed him back to
03:46health during that time we fell in love he would press his hand over his heart and tell me again
03:51and
03:52again you are the most special woman i have ever known my heart my wolf they're yours until he
04:00finally confessed the truth he was a werewolf i hesitated i couldn't see myself as the luna his
04:06pack needed and i never believed he could break their sacred laws for me but he was relentless chasing
04:11me for an entire year until he finally knelt at the moon goddess's temple for three days and nights
04:16begging her to bless our union when a pale exhausted ethan told me he'd secured the elder's approval
04:21my resolve shattered i truly believed our love was strong enough to bridge the divide between our worlds
04:27but just six months after i became his mate i was found with another man the frame up was sloppy
04:33obvious even but it didn't matter something in his eyes changed that day watching his back as he left
04:39i felt my heart turned to stone i had trusted him and i had been wrong i would not make
04:45that mistake
04:46again celine paused at the door turning back to give me a fake smile enjoy yourself kareem you and your
04:53kind are better suited for each other aren't you her words were laced with venom but i no longer cared
04:58after they left the room fell into a dead silence i turned to the man still passed out on the
05:04bed and a wave
05:05of nausea rolled in my stomach i'd been awake for a while as the drugs effects wore off and i
05:10realized
05:10i'd been set up again i could have run only to be dragged back for an even crueler punishment
05:15but this time i chose to stay i waited for them for this whole drama to play out just to
05:21end this
05:21disgusting game for good that evening i returned to the river pax estate my former home when i pushed
05:28open the door to the master bedroom i found it empty my clothes my books even the jasmine plant
05:33i'd potted myself all gone a werewolf maid saw me and bowed her head awkwardly mrs kareem your things
05:40have been packed they're in the storage room miss selena said the master bedroom needs to be prepared
05:45for the new luna the new luna i let out a bitter laugh selene certainly worked fast the storage room
05:53was next to the basement a dark damp space filled with old furniture and junk my suitcases were tossed
05:59in a corner one of them broken open my clothes spilling onto the dusty floor i knelt and started
06:04digging through the mess i didn't care about the expensive clothes or jewelry those were gifts from
06:10ethan or rather gifts for the luna he wanted me to be i was looking for only one thing the
06:15emerald
06:16necklace my grandmother had given me it was the only treasure that was truly mine finally in a broken
06:22jewelry box i found it hey a small voice came from behind me i turned to see four-year-old
06:30leo
06:30standing in the doorway looking down at me at some point he'd stopped calling me mom now it was just
06:37hey auntie selena said you're not part of our family anymore you're an outsider you can't take
06:42anything from the pack my heart clenched leo these are my things not the packs no auntie selena says
06:52all lonely humans are thieves you can't take anything he lunged for the necklace in my hand
06:58his small fingers yanking hard on the chain leo let go this was from your great-grandmother
07:03i tried to protect it but even a four-year-old pop had unnatural strength in the struggle the necklace
07:10snapped and fell to the floor the crack of the emerald shattering was deafening in the small
07:14silent room i stared at the broken pieces on the ground my heart turning to ash the stone that
07:20held all of my grandmother's love was shattered it's your fault for not letting go leo do you have
07:28any idea what you just broke that was from my great-grandmother do you even know she's in a
07:34nursing home because of you i don't have a great-grandmother i just know about some burden
07:41who's draining our packs medical resources auntie selena said she should have died a long time ago
07:47then dad wouldn't have to waste so much money on her auntie selena said that for a lowly human she
07:54doesn't deserve to be in our pack say that again lowly doesn't deserve my expression terrified him
08:02he bit his lip then found his courage a lowly old woman what i couldn't take it i shoved him
08:10i
08:11couldn't stand hearing those vile words from his mouth caught off guard he fell backward and let out
08:16a pained cry leo wailed from the floor leo what's wrong
08:27dad she hit me make her leave i want auntie selena ethan's furious glare landed on me
08:35are you insane attacking your own pup i stood in the corner watching the father and son feeling nothing
08:44i didn't hit him i was fulfilling my final duty as his mother teaching him some manners teaching him what
08:52he should and shouldn't say manners you call shoving a four-year-old pup manners leo sobbed in
09:01his father's arms but still managed to repeat his earlier words dad auntie selene was right that old
09:09woman is just wasting your money she should have died a long time ago hearing it again from my own
09:15son's lips was like a knife twisting in my heart but what broke me was ethan's reaction he just frowned
09:21he didn't scold leo instead he defended selene selene was just stating a fact from the perspective of
09:28pack resources don't make a big deal out of it her medical bills are a significant expense i stared at
09:35him in disbelief after four years together he thought caring for my sick grandmother was an unnecessary
09:40expense ethan do you hear yourself enough i brought leo here so you two could talk about
09:48the situation don't tell him yet he's young he needs time to adjust he meant the bond dissolution
09:56i almost laughed in the last four years the total time i'd spent talking to leo was probably less than
10:02half the time he'd spent alone with selene and now he wanted us to talk i bent down and gathered
10:08the
10:08shattered pieces of the emerald not even flinching as a sharp edge sliced my finger
10:18i'm leaving in the living room selene was lounging elegantly on the sofa with a cup of tea
10:24as if she owned the place she gave me a perfect smile as i walked out i ignored her and
10:30headed
10:30straight for the main entrance stop
10:36you can't go you didn't say sorry to me used to being the center of everyone's world leo
10:43couldn't handle my indifference when i didn't immediately kneel to hug and soothe him he started
10:48wailing the sound was shrill and piercing down my coldness finally made ethan snap the full force
10:53his alpha command crashed down on me making it hard to breathe stop apologize to leo now the alpha's
11:01command was an invisible chain binding my body to end it all i mechanically knelt and looked at the
11:07crying boy i'm sorry leo mommy shouldn't have pushed you leo stopped crying he glared at me with swollen
11:15red eyes then suddenly swung his little hand at t4 leo could already partially shift his nails
11:21lengthened sharpening into claws blood welled up instantly from three deep gashes on my arm lowly
11:26human you deserved it you reek of another male even a pup consented this is the punishment you deserve
11:37ethan i shot to my feet my shot fell in my eyes blazing with fury you say i reek of
11:43another male
11:44what about you for four years you and sueline have been disseparable you even sent our son to stay
11:50at her house so you tell me whose scent is more disgusting corin how dare you the alpha and i
11:57are
11:57innocent i was merely performing my duties as a beta helping manage pack affairs innocent you know
12:05exactly what's in your heart you enough corinne you have completely and utterly disappointed me
12:14since you seem to think we're not so innocent i'll show you what real betrayal looks like
12:19ethan ordered the nanny to take leo away then he grabbed my wrist and dragged me back into the
12:24bathroom ethan let me go i struggled but a human strength is nothing against a werewolf's the door
12:30slammed shut he bound my wrists with a coarse rope and threw me to the floor tonight you're going to
12:36watch
12:37that hurts hurt you think this hurts do you have any idea how much it hurt when i found you
12:44with him
12:44he turned pulled celine into his arms and crushed his lips against hers the kiss was passionate fiery
12:50as if they were true mates the sight made me want to vomit ethan we dissolved the bond
12:57you can't humiliate me like this he didn't listen deepening the kiss celine let out a soft moan
13:03her hand slowly tracing the skin over his heart there tattooed in black ink was my name the mate's
13:09mark of loyalty now celine's fingers were stroking those letters alpha this tattoo can you change it
13:16to my name i closed my eyes silent tears streaming down my face of course celine a faithless mate
13:23doesn't deserve a place on my skin faithless the irony was suffocating he believed every flimsy setup
13:31against me yet here he was kissing and touching another woman right in front of my eyes just as
13:36my heart went completely numb my phone rang i struggled to reach it and answer a nurse's
13:40trembling voice came from the other end i'm a nurse at saint mary's hospital your grandmother
13:46there's been an emergency what what happened to her your grandmother heard the news that you were
13:53being exiled from the pack this afternoon and she became very distressed during our evening rounds we
13:58found she had swallowed a large number of sleeping pills we're working on her now but but her will
14:02to live is very weak miss corinne can you get here right away she really needs you how could she
14:07know
14:07i collapsed the world spinning i never told her i scrambled to my feet
14:14ethan please let me go to the hospital my grandmother something happened to her what a performance
14:21corinne are you really willing to stoop this low just to escape your punishment it's not an act it's
14:28real my grandmother is in trouble alpha don't let her fool you this is just a pathetic attempt to run
14:36away i'm not lying she's really in the emergency room please believe me enough
14:44we just signed the agreement how would your grandmother know you knew she couldn't handle
14:49the shock and you still had to tell her who's to blame for that i didn't tell her just let
14:55me go
14:55there might still be time she was only injured because she saved leo from a rogue wolf please
15:02don't treat her life like a joke corinne you use your grandmother to get sympathy every single time
15:11i'm sick of it alpha forget about her come here in a final desperate surge i fought to my
15:18mom but with my hands tied i lost my balance and my head slammed hard against the door
15:25grandma i have to save grandma my actions finally pushed ethan over the edge he strode over
15:31grabbed my shoulder and dragged me to the storage closet in the corner of the room since you love
15:36lying and performing so much you can stay in here and reflect on it the closet was small and dark
15:41no don't lock me in here you know i have claustrophobia ethan please stay in there and watch
15:50closet door slammed shut plunging me into total darkness the sounds of their coupling grunts and
15:56moans echoed in the suffocating blackness amplified and inescapable the next morning
16:00ethan came downstairs and called out by habit corinne make breakfast there was no answer the nanny
16:07reported timidly alpha the young master won't stop crying he spiked a fever last night 102 degrees and
16:14just kept crying for his mommy just then the living room phone rang ethan answered it a stranger's
16:20voice was on the line hello am i speaking to a relative of miss corinne this is saint mary's hospital
16:25we're calling about her grandmother's final arrangements the woman passed away during the
16:30night we were unable to revive her but no family has come to claim the body he suddenly remembered
16:36last night the phone call he had dismissed as a lie his face went pale he turned and bolted up
16:42the
16:42stairs with a trembling hand he wrenched open the closet door the moment the door swung open he froze
16:49the locker was empty nothing but a few bloodstains and a broken rope she got out on her own
16:55she's really selling it ethan muttered to himself even bled for the part he was convinced this was
17:01all an elaborate act a sob story cooked up by corinne and her grandmother the goal was obvious to make
17:07him take back his decision to reject her to welcome the unfaithful woman back into his arms he truly
17:13underestimated a human's cunning ethan picked up his spare phone and dialed corinne's number
17:19the number you have dialed has been switched off switched off so she's going all the way with this
17:25act he gave a cold smirk and decided to drive to the hospital himself to see what kind of game
17:30they
17:30were playing half an hour later ethan stood at the entrance to saint mary's hospital work the sharp
17:35sting of disinfectant couldn't mask the cloying scent of death he wrinkled his nose alpha what are
17:41you doing here the doctor rushed over as soon as he saw him you called earlier about corinne's grandmother
17:47the doctor sighed a sudden dark premonition washed over ethan last night the old woman heard that
17:54corinne was going to be expelled from the pack she became hysterical crying and repeating things like
18:00i'm dragging corinne down and i shouldn't be alive ethan's voice was calm and and then we found her
18:09she'd swallowed a massive dose of sleeping pills when the nurse wasn't looking
18:14we worked on her for four straight hours we almost had her stabilized but her will to live was just
18:22gone she just kept calling miss corinne's name if corinne had been here then maybe what
18:28maybe we could have saved her the doctor said shaking his head with regret ethan's fingers curled into
18:35fists he remembered smashing corinne's phone on the floor last night he remembered locking her in that
18:40cramped dark locker are you sure she's gone of course we're sure the death certificate has already
18:46been issued we need the family to handle the arrangements and claim the body ethan felt a
18:51wave of dizziness so strong he had to brace himself against the wall to keep from falling if her
18:55grandmother was really dead then that phone call last night alpha please tell corinne this for me
19:02before her grandmother she kept saying don't blame corinne it's all my fault for holding her back
19:10when i'm dead she'll finally be free it felt like a fist had closed around ethan's heart squeezing
19:16tight who who told her grandmother about the expulsion only one person has visited her these past few
19:24days you're beta selena selene so she was here no wonder it felt so wrong corinne would never have
19:34told her ailing grandmother something so devastating he staggered back a step suddenly he heard current
19:40desperate cries from the night before she was injured by a rogue wolf to save leo his mind flashed back
19:49to
19:49that night two years ago leo had playfully snuck out of the manor only to run into a vicious rogue
19:54wolf
19:55it was corinne's grandmother who had thrown herself in front of the child taking the claws to her stomach
19:59the attack had damaged her internal organs leaving her bedridden and frail ever since corinne had been
20:05heartbroken and he had held her hand swearing he would treat her grandmother like his own family from
20:10that day on he had broken his promise he had let the woman who saved his son die alone and
20:16in despair
20:16a wave of fear and guilt stronger than anything he had ever felt crashed over him alpha are you
20:22all right the doctor asked looking with concern at ethan's pale face ethan didn't answer he just
20:28turned and bolted from the morgue he had to get home when he sped back to the villa he found
20:33leo
20:33crying at the top of the stairs the four-year-old's face was flushed with fever as he sat helplessly
20:38on
20:38the floor mommy i want my mommy leo's sobs were heart-wrenching the nanny stood beside him
20:45wringing her hands the young master keeps asking for his mother he won't even take his medicine
20:50the moment leo saw ethan he ran to him daddy where's mommy why isn't she back looking at leo's
20:57fever flushed face a storm of emotions churned inside ethan i want mommy where is she mommy mommy had to
21:07go
21:07for a bit she'll be back soon ethan said the words feeling like ash in his mouth in that moment
21:14he
21:14didn't know if he was lying to leo or to himself he didn't even know where corinne was hearing this
21:20leo suddenly balled his small fists in anger it's all because she's human it's all her fault if only
21:26she wasn't a human but as soon as the words were out the little boy broke into choked sobs again
21:31but
21:32i want my mommy daddy when is mommy coming back does she not want me anymore he remembered a time
21:39when corinne would dissolve into tears at the first sign of a sniffle from leo she'd hold vigil by his
21:43crib all night no matter how exhausted she was back when he was just a toddler leo had been her
21:49little
21:49shadow clinging to her leg and crying for mommy if she was out of his sight for even a second
21:53mom but
21:55somewhere along the line everything had changed leo began to treat her love like a meal he craved yet was
22:01disgusted by i wish auntie celia was my mommy corinne had just broken tears streamed down her
22:08face silent and unending and he lost in his own fog of perceived betrayal had offered no comfort
22:14he twisted the knife compared to celia you're not fit to be his mother anyway after that as leo's cruel
22:21words became more frequent current's heartbreak slowly hardened into a quiet numbness the barbs
22:27stopped hurting her now remembering the ghost of those tears in corinne's eyes and seeing that
22:31same awful conflict mirrored in his own son ethan's heart felt like it was being torn in two
22:36who the hell had poisoned a four-year-old's heart to twist love into such hateful knots
22:41he handed leo over to a maid and walked into his study alone the mate rejection papers were still on
22:46his desk corinne's handprint was a glaring red stain on the page the space for the alpha's signature was
22:52still empty he had never intended to sign them he thought corinne was just throwing a tantrum
22:57that in a few days she'd be back on her knees crying and begging him for forgiveness like she
23:02always did but this time she had actually left she'd left so cleanly as if their four years together
23:08had been nothing the thought filled ethan with anger but underneath it something else was stirring
23:13panic he picked up his phone and sent corinne a text i've had someone handle your grandmother's
23:19funeral arrangements no reply he sent another leo has a fever he won't stop crying for you
23:26still nothing the minutes ticked by ethan sat in his study staring at the phone screen a feeling of
23:34desperate urgency growing inside him he had never waited this anxiously for a message from anyone
23:39just then a terrified screen came from outside alpha the young master has collapsed
23:46ethan shot out of the study and saw leo lying limply on the floor his small face crimson his eyes
23:51closed he was unconscious he roared scooping his son up quick get the pack doctor the heat radiating
23:59from the boy's body sent a fresh wave of terror through him auntie selena said mommy's a lowly human
24:05while they waited for the doctor leo started muttering in his sleep that grandma's a burden
24:11she said if i scratch mommy she'll get sent away and i can have a new werewolf mommy
24:19the little boy's voice was weak and broken she said the other cubs laugh at me because my mom's a
24:26human
24:26that she's an embarrassment to our family if mommy leaves no one will laugh at me anymore ethan's hands
24:35clenched into fists his nails digging into his palms every word was a hammer blow to ethan's heart
24:40so that was it selene had orchestrated all of it but but grandma isn't a burden grandma was nice to
24:49me
24:49she made me cookies mommy mommy i'm sorry please don't leave me i won't ever say you're a bad human
24:58again please come back auntie selena lied to me she said a new mommy would love me more but i
25:05only want
25:05my mommy ethan's eyes burned he finally understood why leo had acted so strangely toward corinne a child
25:12not even five years old manipulated by an adult's malice forced to choose between loving his mother
25:17and despising her and he the boy's father had not only failed to protect his son and his mate but
25:23had
25:23allowed it all to happen daddy why doesn't mommy want me anymore is it because i scratched her with
25:29my claws it must have hurt a lot i'll never do it again mommy come back i'll forget all the
25:36bad things
25:36auntie selena told me to say he finally understood why corinne had been so resolute about not wanting
25:42leo that day because she had lost all hope in her son too that's why even now with leo so
25:47sick
25:48it wouldn't be enough to bring her back ethan couldn't help but wonder what about him
25:52had corinne given up on him completely too the pack doctor arrived quickly and began treating leo
26:02alpha i heard leo was sick how is he is it serious she said trying to step closer ethan took
26:08a step
26:09back selena tell me what did you teach leo selene's eyes flickered with panic alpha i don't understand
26:15what you mean you don't understand ethan stared at her deceitful face his rage finally boiling over
26:21lowly human a burden of a grandmother who taught a four-year-old child words like that
26:28selene stammered trying to find an excuse i was only only what ethan stalked toward her
26:36only encouraging a cub not yet five years old to attack his own mother with his claws only telling
26:41him that if he hurt his mother she'd be cast out so he could have a better whale wolf stepmother
26:47alpha i i did it for leo's own good a human is not fit to be the luna of a
26:52wolf pack for leo's good
26:54you twisted him up with so much guilt and longing that he passed out crying for his mother in his
26:58sleep you call that for his own good ethan please let me explain i truly love you i only want
27:03to get
27:04out as of this moment you are no longer my beta and don't you ever let me see you again
27:08selene stared at him in disbelief you're casting me out for that human ethan i've given so many
27:14years to the river pack your contributions your contributions were to destroy my family manipulate
27:19my child and drive my mate's grandmother to her death get out selene stumbled backward her
27:25eyes filled with a toxic mix of disbelief and resentment but against the absolute authority of
27:30an alpha she had no choice but to turn and leave ethan leaned weakly against the wall he thought
27:35about the night before how he'd been so provoked by current's words that he had impulsively slept
27:39with selene looking back now he realized he hadn't been punishing corinne he had only defiled himself
27:45he immediately dialed the number of his most trusted subordinate marcus i need you to reinvestigated
27:50every detail of corinne's three past infidelities find those three men i want to know exactly what
27:55happened alpha you suspect i suspect i've been played for a fool for four years
28:02if selene was capable of doing this to leo then none of the evidence she provided can be trusted
28:06get on it now i want the truth after hanging up he sent another text to corinne his fingers shaking
28:13corinne i'm sorry he waited 10 minutes no reply he sent another leo won't stop calling for you
28:20please just come back and see him ethan slid to the floor finally realizing that he might have lost her
28:26forever a short while later marcus called back alpha we have the preliminary results
28:34we haven't tracked down the first man yet but the men from the second and third incidences
28:39both received large wire transfers from the same account right before the events took place what
28:47out clear furthermore after corinne lost consciousness neither man actually touched her
28:53surveillance footage shows they just lay down next to her and waited for you to arrive
28:58and alpha that bank account we're still tracing it but our initial theory is spit it out alpha is it
29:06possible that all three of those infidelity scenes were staged if it was all fake then what had he
29:13done to corinne for the past four years ethan remembered the look on corinne's face the first
29:18time he'd caught her it wasn't guilt it was confusion and terror she had cried saying she didn't remember
29:24anything that she had just woken up next to a strange man and he he had dismissed it as a
29:29pathetic
29:29excuse the second time it was the same bewildered expression the same desperate explanation she had
29:36begged him to believe her sworn she had never betrayed him that she loved him and what had he done
29:41in
29:42truth a part of him had wanted to believe her but he had let selene investigate and then used the
29:47evidence selene provided to condemn her again and again trampling all over her dignity the person
29:52who had orchestrated those three disgusting setups was the one he trusted most marcus detain
29:58selima immediately on the charge of harming the luna put your best people on this i want to know everything
30:03yes alpha after ending the call ethan collapsed into a chair he picked up his phone and sent another
30:10message i know i was wrong i'm begging you please come back silence he let the phone drop a gaping
30:17hole opening in his chest the next few days were a blur of anxiety ethan stayed by leo's side waiting
30:23for any word from corinne he sent men to search every place she might have gone but it was as
30:28if she'd
30:28vanished off the face of the earth leaving no trace behind leo's fever broke but he became quiet and
30:34withdrawn he wasn't the lively boy he used to be he refused to get close to anyone and more alarmingly
30:40he refused to shift into his wolf form for a cub to refuse to shift was a serious issue
30:45one that could affect his development for the rest of his life even hired a therapist specializing in
30:50childhood trauma to come to the villa leo can you tell me why you don't want to become a little
30:54wolf
30:54anymore i don't want to be a wolf anymore why is that because i scratched mommy with my claws
31:02selena said if i hurt her she'd get sent away and i could have a new werewolf mummy but but
31:07i don't want
31:07a new mummy i just want my mummy and now she's really gone she's not coming back is it because
31:13i
31:14become a wolf that i hurt her if i stop being a wolf will she come back i'm never shifting
31:20again
31:21i'm scared i'll scratch her with my claws again standing outside the door ethan pressed himself
31:27against the wall silent tears streaming down his face as he listened to his son his son so consumed
31:32by guilt and self-loathing that he wanted to renounce his own wolf nature a cub not even five years
31:37old
31:38carrying such a heavy burden and it was all his fault two weeks later the trial was over for
31:44slandering and framing the luna and for manipulating the cub to harm his mother among other crimes selene was
31:50sentenced to life in prison her entire family was expelled from the river pack as the guards led
31:55her away selene threw her head back and laughed maniacally at ethan
32:01ethan you think locking me up will fix anything she will never forgive you for that you will never
32:08ever find her ethan stood outside the courthouse watching the car drive away feeling no satisfaction
32:15only a cold hollowing emptiness selene was right but what did it matter now he opened his phone and
32:21scrolled through the hundreds of messages he'd sent to corinne not a single reply they had started as
32:26apologies shifted to please and finally devolved into desperate confessions of love but she was just
32:33gone when he got home leo crept up to him tugging on the hem of his pants with a small
32:38hand daddy the
32:39bad person is gone now does that mean mommy will come back a tiny flicker of hope still shone in
32:45the
32:45boy's eyes ethan looked down at his son's expectant face he wanted to say yes to give his son that
32:51one
32:51small piece of hope but he opened his mouth and all that came out was a pained defeated whisper i
32:56don't
32:57know watching the light fade from leo's eyes eyes so much like curran's was a fresh twist of the knife
33:02in ethan's gut
33:03he remembered the night he first met her he'd been wounded while hunting a traitor left for dead in a
33:09rain-slip alley it was corinne who found him who brought him back to her small apartment without a
33:14hint of fear and nursing back to health for a solid month she didn't know he was a werewolf just
33:19that
33:19he was an injured man she changed his bandages cooked for him and talked to him every day her clear
33:25eyes filled not with fear but with gentleness by the time he healed he was hopelessly in love with her
33:30the pack elders were vehemently opposed a human could not be luna but he didn't care he would
33:37have her or he would die trying when she hesitated torn by the divide between their worlds he had
33:43knelt before the statue of the moon goddess for three days and three nights praying through tears for
33:47her blessing on the night of the full moon the goddess's blessing had truly descended that night
33:53corinne had thrown herself into his arms crying
33:58ethan you fool i'll marry you i'll marry you in that moment he felt like he owned the entire world
34:06but after they were married a seed of insecurity had taken root in his heart he was always afraid
34:11that her love for him wasn't as deep as his for her that she had only accepted him because she
34:15was
34:15moved by his devotion every time she glanced at another man every time her affection seemed less
34:21than passionate he grew paranoid wondering if she regretted marrying him until the first time he
34:26caught her being unfaithful it felt like his deepest fear had been confirmed she didn't love him enough
34:32she would betray him so he treated her coldly he was deliberately intimate with selene in front of her
34:38it was all his fault four years of mistakes and now it was too late time passed quickly three years
34:47flew by with the help of his therapist leo slowly improved but he was far more introverted than
34:53before he still asked when his mother was coming home only to be met with ethan's heavy silence one
34:58day caleb the alpha of the neighboring amber pack invited them to his son's second birthday party the
35:05party was a lively affair with wolf cubs running and playing everywhere as usual leo stayed close to
35:10ethan's side too shy to join the other children and then ethan saw a familiar figure in the garden
35:16his breath caught in his throat corinne she was wearing a pale blue dress she looked fuller than
35:23she had three years ago her cheeks rosy with health he had been searching for her for three years he
35:28had never given up sending out more and more men expanding the search wider and wider he hadn't found
35:34a single trace of her and now she was standing not ten steps away she was holding a small boy
35:40about
35:40two years old gently wiping cream from the corner of the child's mouth ethan wanted to move but
35:45his legs felt like they were filled with lead leo saw her too his small body trembled and then he
35:51shot forward like an arrow mommy mommy you're back i missed you so much i'll never scratch you again
36:01please don't go okay corinne looked down at the boy clinging to her his face streaked with tears
36:07her expression was a mask of cold indifference let go you're scaring my son the little boy in
36:14her arms startled by leo's cries began to squirm corinne gently patted his back it's okay baby don't
36:21be scared the boy let out a small milky cry mama that one word struck leo like a lightning bolt
36:27he
36:28froze his hands dropping from corinne's leg corinne holding her new child looked down at the firstborn
36:34son she'd left behind and said in a light dismissive tone i don't know you and i don't want to
36:39be your
36:40mother leo stood frozen tears still clinging to his lashes too stunned to even cry he stared up at
36:46corinne as if he couldn't comprehend that the mother who had once loved him more than anything
36:50could say such a thing corinne he was breathless by the time he reached her his gaze shot from the
36:57child in her arms to her face his voice trembling how could you do this to leo how could you
37:04say that
37:04to him corinne met his eyes her own a void of emotion why not she glanced down at the docile
37:11boy in her arms her fingers gently stroking his back as if he were a fragile treasure i only have
37:16one son another woman's child has nothing to do with me another woman's child he's your son
37:24seeing her still indifferent expression ethan desperately reached for her hand just then
37:30an imposing man walked over from the other end of the garden it was caleb the alpha of the powerful
37:35amber pack he moved to current side smoothly and naturally shielding her behind him ethan this is
37:42my luna i suggest you show some respect ethan froze feeling as though a bucket of ice water had been
37:48dumped over his head you're luna he repeated barely able to believe his own ears take the luna and the
37:57young master to the lounge yes alpha without another glance at ethan corinne turned to leave
38:03murmuring softly to the child in her arms green stop
38:09that's enough she doesn't want to see you she is my mate what right do you have to take her
38:21your mate still haven't figured it out ethan those words sent a chill down ethan's spine
38:26he suddenly thought back over the past three years the business deals that inexplicably fell through the
38:31key partnerships that collapsed the way his pack's territory was constantly being chipped away at
38:36every time he'd assumed it was just pack rivalries or hostile challenges but every investigation he
38:42ran eventually led back to faint untraceable links to the amber pack he had thought caleb was just
38:47overly ambitious deliberately antagonizing him but what if what if corinne was behind it all
38:52she had been by his side for years she knew the inner workings of his businesses the lifelines of the
38:58river pack if she truly wanted revenge she had all the weapons she needed the world spun ethan staggered
39:05barely able to stay on his feet he had thought she couldn't let go of their son he thought she
39:10couldn't live without him but she had already built a new life somewhere far away from them
39:14with a new child and a new mate and she had been systematically trying to destroy his pack
39:20as corinne was escorted away she never once looked back but ethan clung to one last desperate
39:26threat of hope he knew he had to see her one more time he sent a message to her the
39:31rejection papers
39:32they'd signed required one last thing a final official ceremony before the moon goddess he was
39:37betting she would show three days later at the pack's sacred ground when ethan walked in he saw corinne
39:43standing before the statue of the moon goddess she was dressed in black her hair pinned up her
39:48expression serene he swallowed hard i never signed the papers corinne didn't even flicker her gaze
39:55so so we haven't officially broken the bond corinne come back with me don't you see caleb is ambitious
40:02he'll never be truly good to you you set up those three affairs didn't you this is the result you
40:08wanted her tone deceptively light ethan's eyes widened what are you talking about the first man it was
40:16him he was drunk and came into my room wasn't that your plan ethan stared at her his mind reeling
40:23the man who had gotten away it was caleb no corinne i didn't set that up why would i ever
40:30push
40:30you towards another man then couldn't you see it she stared directly into his eyes three times ethan
40:35three whole times three whole times did it never once occur to you to try and prove my innocence ethan's
40:43lips moved but no sound came out even if you didn't plan it you were an accomplice corinne said her
40:49voice soft otherwise it never would have happened three times ethan's head dropped in shame corinne
40:55his voice was hoarse his eyes turning red corinne i'm so sorry for what i did to you and to
41:02your
41:02grandmother i'm so so sorry it's too late let's just get this over with he never imagined he would one
41:10day stand before her and cry so pathetically the ceremony began the parchment with their mating
41:16agreement was tossed into the sacred fire burning until it was nothing but ash as the last ember
41:21died a look of profound relief washed over corinne's face leo who had been standing at the back was
41:27sobbing so hard he could barely breathe he stumbled forward trying to run to her but was blocked by the
41:34guards he could only scream his voice tearing mommy i'm sorry please don't leave me but corinne's steps
41:42never faltered with the searing desperate gazes of a father and son burning into her back she walked
41:47out of the sacred grounds once outside corinne took out her phone her voice cold as steel
41:54it's done spread the word all the plans we prepared to attack the river pack can be set in motion
42:00now she
42:00paused a sliver of icy hatred finally surfacing in her eyes i want him to lose everything those three
42:07years were just a warm-up from the day she left she had sworn an oath she would have vengeance
42:13for
42:13herself and for her grandmother corinne's fingers closed around the necklace at her throat the one he had
42:19smashed now painstakingly repaired grandma don't you worry from this day on
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