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My Alpha Stepbrother Marked Me, Then Rejected Me New Ep 19 engsub watchfull💎🍿🍿
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00:00The year I turned 18, I was drugged at a party and stumbled into my stepbrother Reed Sterling's
00:05room. He marked me against his will. It was a full moon night he lost control. All I remember
00:09is the pain. After that night, I was carrying his child. That was after the Sterlings learned
00:14the truth. The truth that adopting me had cost them their real bloodline. Ten years.
00:19It took them ten years to realize that the day they chose me, the daughter they'd been
00:23searching for was right there too. Ten years ago, five-year-old me smiled at Reed and he
00:28chose me, the wrong choice, without question. So he hated me, couldn't stand me, and couldn't
00:32stand the thought of his child growing inside me. That day, I took his hand and placed it
00:37on my stomach. I thought he'd want to feel it. You know what? You disgust me. You stole
00:42my sister's life. Why didn't you die instead? His cold, hard rejection sent a pain through
00:47me I'd never felt before. I could feel something tearing away inside me. He got his wish. My
00:52baby died, and so did I. Before my eyes closed, I thought back on this life. From five to fifteen,
00:58I was truly happy. The Sterlings were good to me. The lakefront house in Bellevue always
01:02smelled like coffee in the morning. On Sundays, the warm scent of fresh laundry drifted from
01:07the laundry room. And Reed, we weren't even in the same grade, but he still took me to
01:11school and picked me up every day. When I was little, I'd do homework at the kitchen
01:15island, and he'd sit on the couch pretending to watch TV. He wasn't really watching. He
01:20was just there. By the time he started college, he was already 6'1", the kind of guy people
01:24just moved out of the way for. But with me, he was always close, always put me first.
01:29I fell for him so easily, it was almost embarrassing. He was in my diary, locked
01:33behind a passcode no one could crack. Then one day, everything changed. Reed wasn't the
01:37Reed I loved anymore. After that night, he hated me even more. Before I died, I wasn't
01:41scared. Not even a little. I even thought it wasn't so bad. But somehow I opened my eyes
01:46again. I was back to the day they came to the group home.
01:52Nola, what are you doing back here?
01:55Mrs. Linda, I don't want to go.
01:58Silly girl, it's the Steelers. If they pick you, you'll finally have a real home, sweetheart.
02:02Just smile, okay? That's all you have to do. Just one smile.
02:05One smile. I thought of Reed's eyes in my past life. Cold, hateful. The moment that black
02:10Range Rover pulled up, I hid in the storage closet. I don't know how long I sat in there.
02:14At some point, I fell asleep. By the time they found me, the Sterlings had already left.
02:19They didn't end up choosing anyone. I didn't know why. Didn't care either. Three other kids
02:23in the room. Just like me. No family. I didn't know who the Sterlings' biological daughter was.
02:28The one who'd been taken from them. But in my past life, I'd overheard it on one of Ms.
02:32Linda's phone calls. The Sterlings believed she was here. In this group home, I didn't want
02:36anything to do with the Sterlings. Not this time. But in my last life, the first ten years with them,
02:41the Sterlings and Reed had been good to me. Really, genuinely good. If their real daughter could find
02:47her way back to them, we'd be even. But before I could do anything about it, the Sterlings came
02:51back a second time. All the girls around five or six were lined up for a DNA test. A cotton
02:55swab
02:56along the inside of the cheek dropped into a vial. This never happened in my past life. Word was,
03:00this DNA test had been requested by the Sterlings' young master himself. Could it be? Had Reed been reborn
03:06too. I lowered my head and stepped aside. Even though his wolf hadn't awakened yet, I could feel
03:12it. Something about him that made you not want to get too close. The next day, the girl who slept
03:18across from me, Iris, was gone. Iris never talked much. She cried all the time. A total crybaby.
03:24Turns out she was the Sterlings' biological daughter. Two days later, the Sterlings came back again. This
03:29time they said they wanted to adopt a girl to keep their daughter company. And this time I didn't hide.
03:32All of us, me included, lined up in a row, waiting for the Sterlings to come pick. The first one
03:37out
03:37of the car was the Sterlings' little girl. The crybaby who used to cry over everything. Now treated like
03:42a princess by everyone around her. There was something around Iris I couldn't quite name. Not
03:46perfume. More like a warmth. The Sterling family's warmth. A bunch of kids rushed up to her. We were
03:52all young. A group home kids learn early. You learn to read adults. You learn to read a room. Everyone
03:58knew. If you got to leave with Iris today, you'd get to wear pretty dresses like hers. Live in a
04:02big
04:02house. Have your own room. But for some reason, Iris stopped in front of me. My stomach dropped.
04:08Before I even realized what I was doing, I shoved her away.
04:10Nola! Iris!
04:13That day, Ms. Linda made me stay in my room for three hours. No coming out. I thought there was
04:18no way the Sterlings would still want me after what I did. But three days later, I was sitting
04:22in that black Range Rover. Ms. Linda said the Sterlings had filed for my foster placement. The paperwork
04:27was already done. I froze. But it was already settled. All I could do was accept it. Iris,
04:31at least, was easy to be around. And the Sterlings, just like the first ten years of my past life,
04:36were kind to me. The coldest one in the house was Reed. He barely spoke to me. But sometimes,
04:40I'd catch him watching me in silence. A flash of gold in his eyes. Gone before I could be
04:44sure. A few days later, after dinner.
04:46Dad, the group home's furnace is ancient. It keeps breaking down every winter. Can we get
04:51them a new one?
04:51The truth was, I'd been trying to figure out the same thing. How to keep the group home from
04:56the disaster. In my last life, the group home caught fire. An old space heater short-circuited
05:00in the middle of the night. Those heaters were all secondhand donations. Used for god
05:04knows how many years. And those kids, their wolves were still dormant. They didn't have
05:08the adult wolf instinct to sense danger in their sleep. Smoke. Temperature. Completely
05:12unaware in the haze. They were just like any normal child. The group home never had enough
05:16funding. A secondhand space heater could last ten years.
05:19You're right, I should have thought of that. They looked after Iris for years.
05:23The Sterlings replaced the group home's entire furnace. And donated a large sum on top of
05:27it. I hadn't expected Reed to do something like that. I still kept my distance from him.
05:31But honestly, I was grateful, setting aside everything between us from the past. Reed's
05:35rebirth had genuinely saved a lot of people from a terrible fate.
05:40In the blink of an eye, Iris and I were both old enough for high school. Reed was still in
05:45college, but he'd already started interning at the family firm. He and I still barely crossed
05:49paths. I kept my distance on purpose. And Reed was just as cold toward me as ever. The contrast
05:54with how he treated Iris couldn't have been more obvious. I knew the deal. The Sterlings
05:57adopted me to give Iris a companion. That was always the point. So for all those years,
06:01school and Iris, that was my life. When everyone found out I wanted to transfer from the PAC
06:06school to a human high school, the Sterlings, even Reed, looked at me in surprise.
06:11Nola, why would you want to transfer to a human school all of a sudden?
06:14Your grades are great, but you know there's no PAC support over there, right?
06:18No PAC support meant everything would be on me. But I didn't want to stay. This time,
06:22I wanted to live my own life. The Sterlings took turns trying to talk me out of it. I didn't
06:26budge. Let her go. The living room went quiet for two seconds. No one argued after that.
06:32One night during finals, I stayed in the library studying until almost 11. By the time I came out,
06:36the school entrance was deserted. November. The wind was brutal. I walked along the sidewalk,
06:41shoulders hunched, streetlights flickering on and off in patches. The streets around the human
06:45school were nothing like Bellevue. No Sterling security. No one who knew my name.
06:52Where are you? I didn't answer. You're just now heading home? Yeah. Where are you?
06:58By the 7-Eleven near school. Don't move. I'm coming to get you. It's fine. I can-
07:04Ten minutes later, a black Mercedes turned the corner. He didn't kill the engine,
07:08just rolled down the window and looked at me. I got in the passenger seat. I reached for the seatbelt,
07:12pulled. It wouldn't budge. Reed reached over and yanked it free in one pull. When his fingers brushed
07:17past my collarbone, my whole body flinched toward the door. He didn't say anything.
07:24Are you afraid of me?
07:27In my past life, I was at the pack school. Those kids always knew which side to be on.
07:33A girl splashed milk on me. Sorry. I pulled myself out of those memories. The car had already turned
07:40into the Bellevue neighborhood. There was a faint scent in the car. Cedar and rain. My wolf was still
07:44dormant. I shouldn't have been able to pick up on it. But it was there. The car pulled into the
07:51garage. He killed the engine. I stared at the clock on the dashboard. It's 11.47. He pulled the key,
07:56pushed the door open, and got out. I followed behind. Two, three steps back.
08:04After that night, everything was swallowed up by schoolwork. Every night, I sat hunched over my desk
08:09doing homework until my eyes burned. Iris's college was already set. Nora, I thought once summer
08:14started, you'd finally hang out with me. You're seriously doing a summer program? It is what it
08:18is. But it's been so long since we've done anything together. It's fine. Have fun. Send me pictures of
08:23everything. Cool stuff. Good food. All of it. It'll be like I went too. After Iris left, I started spending
08:28every day after school in the library until the staff kicked me out. Then I'd walk to the McDonald's
08:33on the corner, order a coffee, and sit there until late. Catherine wasn't happy at first,
08:38me coming home so late every night. But in the end, she didn't say much about it.
08:45Senior year, a whole week off. Iris came to pick me up from school the second it started. But when
08:50I
08:50walked out, Reed in the driver's seat. I thought about what Catherine always said. How after all these
08:54years, Reed still hadn't sensed his mate. Nona! Noah! We're right here! Every time she brought
09:01it up, Iris would volunteer to find him a boyfriend. Reed, I want to go to that new steakhouse in
09:06Belleville. When we got there, Reed gave a name. The hostess took us straight to a window table.
09:14Nora, what do you want to eat? I shifted in my seat. A little uneasy. I'm good with anything.
09:19Mushroom soup and herb crust filet instead. I quietly let out a breath.
09:25My stomach had been bad lately. I'd been trying to eat on time every day. But when the pain hit,
09:30after dinner, we headed back to Bellevue. My stomach kept getting worse. I dug out some Pepto
09:34and took two. I was trying to finish a paper due right after spring break. Used up every last bit
09:40of energy I had. When I got home, I crashed and didn't wake up until the next day. It was
09:44the stomach
09:45pain that woke me up. I was about to go find something to eat. I opened the door, and there
09:49was Reed,
09:49leaning against the hallway wall. We both froze for a second. His eyes flashed gold.
09:55Then he looked away. Mom says come down for food. Iris pushed a sandwich she'd made for me across
09:59the table. Nola, you're seriously amazing. You're going to get what you want. I know it.
10:06April, college offers started rolling in. The day results came out. The whole Sterling family
10:10stayed home. I sat on the couch in the living room and logged into the application portal.
10:16The page loaded for two seconds.
10:23Oh my god! Nola!
10:24My hands were shaking. I hugged her back. I'd gotten offers from several schools. East coast,
10:30west coast. But I chose Boston. Five-hour flight from Seattle. Three-hour time difference. He was
10:35on the west side. Then I'd go east. Catherine wasn't happy about it. She nearly backed out of the
10:39graduation trip we'd already planned. Iris talked her mom around. Again, Iris. She was so good. She
10:44didn't always understand my choices. But she always respected them. April, prom season. The
10:50hallways were full of promposals. Within one week, three different guys asked me to be their prom date.
10:55One slipped a note into my locker. One did it at lunch, in front of the entire cafeteria.
11:01One sent a friend to ask on his behalf.
11:03Sorry, I can't. I turned them all down.
11:07After that, Iris and I went to Europe together. Just the two of us. Our own trip.
11:13When we got back, I made one more stop. The group home in Portland. Ms. Linda still remembered me.
11:18When she heard I'd gotten into college, she almost cried.
11:21Good. Good sweetheart.
11:23Once she'd pulled herself together, she asked if the Sterlings had been treating me well. I nodded.
11:27Yeah, really well. This life, I really had been lucky.
11:34The night Iris flew to England, I packed my bags too. Catherine couldn't understand why I wanted
11:40to leave for school so early. That night, walking past Catherine's room, I heard her voice through
11:45the door. She's never going to see us as her real family. No matter what we do, she's always gonna
11:50leave.
11:55I went back to my room. Didn't turn on the light. Just sat there in the dark until morning.
12:00The next day, the Sterlings drove me to SeaTac. Call us if you need anything. Don't forget to eat.
12:06We're always here. Okay, Mom. At the airport, I said goodbye to each of them. I reached for the
12:12suitcase in Reed's hand. Let's go.
12:18Then boarded the same plane. He sat down next to me.
12:25What? Then he slipped a gray neck pillow behind my head. When his fingers grazed the back of my neck,
12:29my whole body was stiff. I kept my earbuds in. Sat rigid the entire time. Didn't sleep for a single
12:35second. After we landed, Reed carried my luggage all the way from the parking lot to the dorm.
12:42My roommates thought he was my boyfriend. After he left, they found out he was my brother.
12:46Every single one of them came at me for his Instagram. Girl, that is not a brother faith!
12:54The truth is, in this life, Reed and I barely interacted at all. I knew he didn't like me,
12:59so I always kept my distance. Not once, and it wasn't just him. I kept my distance from everyone.
13:04In my past life, he hated the smile I gave him when I was five. I never understood why. But
13:09that day,
13:09at the group home, he looked at every girl in the line. And in the end, he walked over to
13:13me. All
13:14because I smiled at him. He chose me. And Iris was left behind. The reborn Reed. He probably hated my
13:20smile too. So in the Sterling house, I was always guarded. Always careful. The only time I could relax
13:26was around Iris. Now that I was in Boston, I didn't have to face any of them anymore. I could
13:32finally breathe.
13:33The only hard part was Christmas. Every year, I had to come up with a new excuse not to go
13:37back.
13:38The first year, Iris FaceTimed me. She looked a little hurt. The second year, I still didn't go back.
13:42Nola? What's going on with you? I feel like you didn't just go to college. You left us.
13:48For good.
13:49Iris waited for a long time. Then she hung up. That night, I made myself a cup of hot cocoa.
13:54That
13:54gray neck pillow was still at the bottom of my closet. Some nights, a trace of cedar and rain would
13:59drift through. I was never sure if I was really smelling it or just remembering.
14:06The truth is, in this life, Reed and I barely interacted at all. I knew he didn't like me,
14:11so I always kept my distance. Not once, and it wasn't just him. I kept my distance from everyone.
14:16In my past life, he hated the smile I gave him when I was five. I never understood why,
14:21but that day at the group home, he looked at every girl in the line, and in the end,
14:24he walked over to me, all because I smiled at him. He chose me, and Iris was left behind.
14:29The reborn Reed, he probably hated my smile too. So in the Sterling house, I was always guarded,
14:36always careful. The only time I could relax was around Iris. Now that I was in Boston,
14:41I didn't have to face any of them anymore. I could finally breathe. The only hard part was Christmas.
14:47Every year, I had to come up with a new excuse not to go back. The first year, Iris FaceTimed
14:51me.
14:51She looked a little hurt. The second year, I still didn't go back.
14:54Nola? What's going on with you? I feel like you didn't just go to college, you left us. For good.
15:01Iris waited for a long time, then she hung up. That night, I made myself a cup of hot cocoa.
15:06That gray neck pillow was still at the bottom of my closet. Some nights, a trace of cedar and
15:10rain would drift through. I was never sure if I was really smelling it, or just remembering.
15:18I finished the hot cocoa and lay in bed.
15:22The dorm was almost empty. Not a single person in the hallway.
15:26I forced my eyes shut. Then my phone buzzed.
15:34Iris?
15:35Nola! Come downstairs!
15:39Iris had already spotted me. And it wasn't just Iris.
15:42David, Catherine, even Reed. All of them standing there. Catherine was holding a bag of groceries.
15:47David had a little tabletop Christmas treat.
15:49Nola!
15:50I suddenly felt like I'd been so selfish.
15:53I knew it. I knew you missed us.
15:56In that moment, wrapped up in Iris' arms, I felt a gaze settle on me. That night,
16:01Catherine cooked Christmas dinner in the communal kitchen on my floor. A big pot of pasta, garlic,
16:06olive oil, parmesan. The whole floor smelled like it.
16:09It's picnic-style Christmas.
16:11Halfway through eating, Iris noticed something was off.
16:14I couldn't stop shaking. She touched my forehead.
16:17You're burning up!
16:19Iris dragged me to the ER. When the blood work came back, they said I couldn't go home.
16:23If we hadn't come, how long were you going to let yourself burn like that?
16:27She always showed up when I needed her most. Everything went black.
16:33When I opened my eyes again, I was in the ICU. The doctors at the human hospital said it was
16:39acute kidney failure. But the pack doctor the Sterlings brought in, after reviewing all my
16:43charts, pulled David and Catherine into the hallway. I caught fragments through the door.
16:48Incomplete first shift, her wolf tried to emerge but failed. The shift damaged her organs on
16:52the way out.
16:53My wolf had finally tried to wake up. But she was too weak. The shift stalled halfway.
16:57Never completed. My kidneys were torn apart in the process. Dialysis at the human hospital could
17:01only by time. The pack doctor said I needed to be transferred to the pack hospital in Seattle.
17:05But it didn't matter. Human hospital or pack hospital. The conclusion was the same. The only way
17:09I'd survive was a kidney transplant. I stared at the ceiling. I didn't understand. I'd been trying so
17:13hard. So hard to break free from the Sterlings. To build my own life. I'd gotten into a good school.
17:18Two more years and I'd be working. And now everything had gone dark. I was transferred
17:23to the pack hospital in Seattle. I saw Iris. Eyes swollen from crying. Her school was about to start.
17:30She didn't go. Took a leave of absence. Refused to leave my side. And the pack doctor said that
17:35because my kidneys were damaged by an incomplete shift, a human kidney might not be compatible.
17:39A wolf's kidney would be best. The pool of potential donors shrank to almost nothing. What I didn't
17:43expect was that Iris went behind everyone's backs and got herself tested. And she was a match.
17:53I lay in the hospital bed, listening to Catherine's voice in the hallway.
17:56Iris, have you thought about this? If you give up a kidney, what happens to you for the rest of
18:01your
18:01life? Stop telling me you'll be fine with one kidney. You don't know that. I won't allow it. Do you
18:08hear me? I won't allow it. Tears rolled down my face. Iris, I won't let you do this either.
18:14I waited until no one from the Sterling family was around. Then I packed my things and left the
18:19hospital. I had nowhere to go. And I didn't want the Sterlings to find me. I couldn't even fly.
18:26The pack hospital had my information on file. The second I booked a ticket, the Sterlings would know.
18:31I called a car from outside the hospital. Told the driver to keep heading south.
18:41Sacramento. A city I'd never been to before. I'd always planned to pay the Sterlings back,
18:45every dollar they'd spend on me over the years. But now, that was clearly never going to happen.
18:51This life I'd always owe them. I found a tiny studio on a quiet side street.
18:59Craigslist listing. Cheap rent. Everything old. To keep myself looking somewhat normal,
19:04I got a job at a flower shop wrapping bouquets. The owner was a Mexican lady in her 60s. She
19:09didn't
19:10ask me any questions. She looked at me once and told me to come in at 9 the next morning.
19:14The hours
19:14weren't long. Six a day. It wasn't hard work. But every time I came back to that little studio,
19:24I felt lonely. Valentine's Day. The flower shop was slammed until late. By the time I clocked out,
19:35it was almost 1 in the morning. Sacramento was quiet at night. The last bus was long gone. All I
19:40could
19:40do was walk home. But on the way, I kept feeling like someone was behind me. Up ahead was a
19:49narrow
19:49stretch. No street lights. No one around. I started walking faster. And faster. But the footsteps behind
19:56me, they sped up too. I panicked. Tripped. Hit the ground. Someone was coming toward me. I screamed,
20:05scrambled backward. The headlines started flooding in. Rape. Murder. Body found three days later in a
20:11ditch. A hand closed around my wrist. Please. Please let me go. Please. I'm sick. I swear. I don't have
20:17any money. Please. Just let me go. No. I kicked and hit it whoever was in front of me. Then
20:26someone
20:26pulled me in. Held me tight. Nola. Nola. It's me. I'm here. It's me. I froze for one second.
20:39That scent came back. In the dark. It wrapped around me completely.
20:47After a long time, I pulled myself free and went back to the little studio. I didn't know how Reed
20:52found me here. I didn't want to know why he came after me. In our past life, he hated me.
20:58So why?
20:59Over the next few days, Reed was just there. Following me. Quietly. He didn't talk. Didn't explain.
21:04Didn't get too close. He was just there. He sat in the cafe across the street, pretending to look at
21:10his
21:10phone. When I walked home after work, he walked behind me. Half a block back, I didn't want to deal
21:15with it. Didn't want to ask. But the flower shop owner noticed. She glanced out the window at Reed
21:22sitting in the cafe. Then looked back at me. Boyfriend trouble?
21:28I didn't answer. Just walked out in silence. I refused to take anything from the Sterlings.
21:39Not anymore. One time, Reed showed up outside my building again.
21:45I couldn't hold it in. I walked up to him.
21:51Let me go. Clean. Is that too much to ask? His eyes changed. Gold. Deep gold. Not the usual
21:59flash that came and went. His wolf had surfaced completely. But he didn't move.
22:08Nola. I'm sorry.
22:10He just stood there. Eyes full of grief.
22:16My condition was getting worse. The next time I ended up in the ICU, I was transferred back to
22:22the PAC hospital in Seattle. Iris sat at the edge of my bed again. She held my hand, pressed her
22:32forehead against the back of it. Her shoulders were shaking. Nola, please. Let me do this.
22:39Let me save you. Please.
22:45You're my sister. Do you hear me?
22:49Do you hear me? You're my sister.
22:52That was the first time Iris ever said that to me. I held her hand. Weak. Shook my head. I
22:58was happy she
22:59said it. But no matter how many times she did, I couldn't let Iris give me her kidney. Before,
23:05the reason I refused was because I couldn't go through it again. What if something happened to
23:09Iris because of me? I couldn't imagine how the Sterlings would treat me after that. But now,
23:13the reason was different. I simply couldn't ruin the rest of Iris' life. She was young. Her wolf
23:17had only just awakened. Losing a kidney, no one knew what that would do to her wolf.
23:22Catherine had aged so much these past weeks. The elegant Alpha's wife, now with lines carved deep
23:29around her eyes. I knew she regretted it. After what she'd said, Iris still refused to speak to her.
23:36Catherine blamed herself. Thought she'd been a terrible mother. That her selfishness had made
23:41my condition worse. But I never blamed Catherine. Not really. Because I knew. It wasn't just Iris who
23:48went and got tested. Catherine did too. She just wasn't a match. And she never told anyone she'd tried.
23:53Then, just when everyone was about to lose hope, the PAC hospital called. They'd found a kidney for me.
24:04I made up an excuse. Told them there was a problem at the West Coast branch. Said I had to
24:08fly out.
24:09Mom gave me grief for it. Said Nola had finally gotten a donor match. She was about to go into
24:13surgery. And me, her brother, couldn't even be bothered to care. Then she started...
24:18You remember Iris' birthday every single year. Every single year. But Nola's, you've never once
24:24remembered. She's your sister too. But you're the only one in this family who's always treated
24:31her like an outsider. I smiled bitterly. The truth was, when it came to Nola, I never knew how to
24:38face
24:38her. Every time I saw her, my past life came rushing back. What I did to her, I always knew.
24:44Deep down, I knew. Iris' death in our past life had nothing to do with Nola. But back then,
24:49we were all drowning in grief. None of us could see straight. So I watched. Every time Nola was
24:54bullied. Humiliated. I clenched my jaw and looked the other way. Iris was dead. Nola should be in
24:59pain too. I even went out of my way to say things that would cut her. Until that party. The
25:05one where
25:06someone slipped something in Nola's drink. I heard about it at school that day. I went after her
25:11immediately. What I didn't expect was Nola clinging to me the moment she saw me, refusing to let go.
25:19I lost control. My wolf broke free for the first time. He chose her. And from that night on,
25:26he never went quiet again. Afterward, the regret was instant. When I found out Nola was pregnant,
25:35that day she begged me, pleaded, said no, please no, I didn't listen. I rejected her. Brutally. And
25:43that's when I finally understood what I was. A complete and utter piece of shit.
25:50In this life, I brought Iris back. And I brought Nola back too. I thought I was making things right.
25:56But slowly, I started to realize, Nola wasn't happy. It's not like I didn't notice. Back at the
26:02group home, she was already hiding from us. But I told myself, the Sterlings could give her a better
26:07life. And besides, in our past life, we owed her. So this time around, when Nola wanted to go to
26:12a human
26:12high school, I convinced the family to let her. When she wanted to go to a school five hours away
26:18by plane, I convinced them again. What Nola didn't know was that over her two years in Boston,
26:24I flew out to see her more than once. The lecture halls, the library, even outside her dorm.
26:31Every time, I suppressed my scent. Every time, my wolf fought me. He wanted to get closer. I wouldn't let
26:40him. Then one day, she was suddenly in the hospital. Incomplete first shift. Her wolf had
26:47finally tried to wake up. But she was too weak. The shift never finished. Her kidneys were damaged
26:53in the process. I watched mom fight Iris on the kidney donation. I also watched mom quietly get
27:00herself tested. Then dragged dad to get tested too. Neither matched. So I went and got tested on my own.
27:09My kidney was a match for Nola. I used the West Coast branch as my excuse. I went into surgery
27:18first. Before they wheeled me in, I looked down the hallway. The light above the door of the next
27:24OR was on. She was behind that door. I knew. I stopped the doctor before we went in.
27:31Take care of her. Whatever it takes.
27:42The surgery went well. I was transferred to a different hospital to recover. My family was happy.
27:48Messages kept coming in. One after another. The surgery was a success. Nola's numbers were improving.
27:56No one knew whose kidney it was. And me, I realized that missing a kidney didn't really change much
28:02if it weren't for the scar. I'd sometimes forget there was something missing inside me. Once I was
28:08healed up, I went back to doing what I'd always done. Flying to Boston to see Nola. After that,
28:16Nola went back to Boston to finish school. I knew her grades were good. I knew she'd gotten into a
28:21top
28:22research lab by her senior year. One day, I saw Nola walk out of the campus gate. There was a
28:26guy next
28:27to her, walking close. And Nola's eyes, that look she had, shy, bright. A smile she couldn't hold back,
28:35even if she tried. I'd never seen her smile like that. Not once. Not at me. Not at anyone in
28:42our family,
28:42never. And it hurt so bad I couldn't breathe. I thought to myself, maybe the surgeons made a
28:47mistake last time. Maybe they gave Nola half my heart along with the kidney. Because what else
28:52could explain this kind of pain?
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