- 3 hours ago
🍉💚Caught cheating three times, I ran away
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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.
00:45I 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.
02:02I'm faithless 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, he was a werewolf.
04:04I hesitated.
04:05I couldn't see myself as the Luna his pack needed, and I never believed he could break their sacred laws
04:10for 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, Karine.
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. Karine, 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.
05:51Selina certainly worked fast.
05:52The 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.
06:36Now, it was just hay.
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!
06:51Auntie 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 pup 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.
07:33Do you even know she's in a nursing home because of you?
07:37I 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...
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!
08:32Ethan'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.
09:22Instead, he defended Selene.
09:25Selene 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 Selene.
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, Selene 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!
10:36You 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!
10:57Apologize to Leo!
10:58Now!
10:59The alpha's command was an invisible chain, binding my body.
11:02To 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 rolled up instantly from three deep gashes on my arm.
11:24Lowly human!
11:25You deserved it!
11:28You reek of another male.
11:30Even a pup can scent it.
11:33This is the punishment you deserve.
11:35Ethan, I 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?
11:44For four years, you and Sueline 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!
12:09Corin, you have completely and utterly disappointed me.
12:12Since 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.
12:28The door slammed shut.
12:29He bound my wrists with a coarse rope and threw me to the floor.
12:33Tonight, 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.
12:47The 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.
13:08Now, Celine's fingers were stroking those letters.
13:11Alpha, this tattoo.
13:13Can 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 ringed, I struggled to reach it and
13:37answered.
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.
14:32This is just a pathetic attempt to run away.
14:34I'm not lying!
14:35She's really in the emergency room!
14:37Please 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.
15:12In a final, desperate surge, I fought to my head and found you.
15:17But with my hands tied, I lost my balance and my head slammed hard against the door.
15:22Grandma!
15:23I have to save Grandma!
15:25My 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 Miss 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, to make him take back his decision to reject her, to welcome the unfaithful woman back
17:08into his arms.
17:09He truly underestimated a human's cunning.
17:12Ethan picked up his spare phone and dialed Corrine's number.
17:17The number you have dialed has been switched off.
17:20Switched 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...
18:24Maybe 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.
18:59Before 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?
19:14Who told her grandmother about the expulsion?
19:18Only one person has visited her these past few days.
19:22Your beta, Selina.
19:24Selene.
19:25So she was here.
19:26No wonder it felt so wrong.
19:29Corrine would never have told her ailing grandmother something so devastating.
19:33He 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.
20:13A 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.
20:45He 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?
21:00Mommy.
21:01Mommy 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!
21:23But 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
21:37Leo.
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, clinging to her leg and
21:46crying 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, Corinne's heartbreak slowly hardened
22:20into 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
22:28conflict mirrored in his own son, Ethan'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?
22:36He 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, that in a few days she'd be back on her knees,
22:55crying and begging him for forgiveness like she always did.
22:58But 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, panic.
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, a 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.
23:38Alpha!
23:39The young master has collapsed!
23:41Ethan shot out of the study and saw Leo lying limply on the floor, his small face crimson, his eyes
23:46closed.
23:47He was unconscious.
23:48He roared, scooping his son up.
23:51Quick!
23:52Get the pack, doctor!
23:52The heat radiating from the boy's body sent a fresh wave of terror through him.
23:57Auntie Selena said, Mommy'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, if I scratch mommy, she'll get sent away, and I can have a new werewolf mommy.
24:14The little boy's voice was weak and broken.
24:16She said, the other cubs laugh at me because my mom's a human, that she's an embarrassment to our family.
24:24If mommy leaves, no one will laugh at me anymore.
24:29Ethan's hands clenched into fists, his nails digging into his palms.
24:32Every word was a hammer blow to Ethan's heart.
24:35So that was it.
24:37Selene had orchestrated all of it.
24:39But, but grandma isn't a burden.
24:42Grandma was nice to me.
24:44She made me cookies.
24:46Mommy, mommy, I'm sorry.
24:48Please don't leave me.
24:50I won't ever say you're a bad human again.
24:53Please come back.
24:54Auntie Selena 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, manipulated by an adult's malice.
25:10Forced to choose between loving his mother and despising her.
25:13And he, the boy's father, had not only failed to protect his son and his mate, but had allowed it
25:18all to happen.
25:18Daddy, why 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, come back.
25:29I'll forget all the bad things Auntie Selena 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, too.
25:40That's why even now, with Leo so sick, it wouldn't be enough to bring her back.
25:44Ethan couldn't help but wonder, what about him?
25:47Had Corinne given up on him completely, too?
25:49The pack doctor arrived quickly and began treating Leo.
25:56Alpha, I heard Leo was sick.
25:58How is he?
25:59Is it serious?
26:00She said, trying to step closer.
26:02Ethan took a step back.
26:03Selena, tell me.
26:04What did you teach Leo?
26:06Selene's eyes flickered with panic.
26:08Alpha, I don't understand what you mean.
26:10You don't understand?
26:11Ethan stared at her deceitful face, his rage finally boiling over.
26:14Lowly human.
26:16A burden of a grandmother who taught a four-year-old child words like that.
26:22Selene stammered, trying 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 to attack his own mother with his claws?
26:34Only telling him that if he hurt his mother, she'd be cast out so he could have a better
26:39whale wolf stepmother?
26:41Alpha, I 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 that he passed out, crying for his
26:51mother in his sleep.
26:52You call that for his own good?
26:54Ethan, please let me explain.
26:55I truly love you.
26:57I only want...
26:57Get out.
26:58As of this moment, you are no longer my beta and don't you ever let me see you again.
27:02Selene stared at him in disbelief.
27:03You're casting me out?
27:05For that human?
27:06Ethan, I've given so many years to the river pack.
27:09Your contributions?
27:10Your contributions were to destroy my family, manipulate my child, and drive my mate's
27:14grandmother to her death?
27:15Get out!
27:16Selene stumbled backward, her eyes filled with a toxic mix of disbelief and resentment.
27:21But against the absolute authority of an alpha, she had no choice but to turn and leave.
27:26Ethan leaned weakly against the wall.
27:28He thought about the night before, how he'd been so provoked by Corinne's words that he
27:31had impulsively slept with Selene.
27:33Looking back now, he realized he hadn't been punishing Corinne.
27:36He had only defiled himself.
27:38He immediately dialed the number of his most trusted subordinate.
27:42Marcus, I 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, you suspect.
27:50I suspect I've been played for a fool for four years.
27:54If Selene was capable of doing this to Leo, then none of the evidence she provided can be
27:59trusted.
27:59Get on it now.
28:00I want the truth.
28:01After hanging up, he sent another text to Corinne, his fingers shaking.
28:06Corinne, I'm sorry.
28:08He waited ten minutes.
28:09No reply.
28:10He sent another.
28:11Leo won't stop calling for you.
28:13Please, just come back and see him.
28:15Ethan slid to the floor, finally realizing that he might have lost her forever.
28:19A short while later, Marcus called back.
28:24Alpha, we have the preliminary results.
28:27We haven't tracked down the first man yet, but the men from the second and third incidences
28:32both received large wire transfers from the same account right before the events took
28:37place.
28:38What?
28:39Now it's clear.
28:41Furthermore, after Corinne lost consciousness, neither man actually touched her.
28:46Surveillance footage shows they just lay down next to her and waited for you to arrive.
28:50And Alpha, that bank account.
28:54We're still tracing it, but our initial theory is...
28:56Spit it out!
28:58Alpha, is it possible that all three of those infidelity scenes were staged?
29:03If it was all fake, then 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, saying she didn't remember anything, that she had just woken up next to
29:18a strange man, and he, he had dismissed it as a pathetic excuse.
29:22The second time, it was the same bewildered expression, the same desperate explanation.
29:27She had begged him to believe her, sworn she had never betrayed him, that she loved him.
29:32And what had he done?
29:33In truth, a part of him had wanted to believe her.
29:36But he had let Celine investigate, and then used the evidence Celine provided to condemn
29:40her again and again, trampling all over her dignity.
29:44The person who had orchestrated those three disgusting setups was the one he trusted most.
29:48Marcus, detain Selima immediately on the charge of harming the Lunar.
29:53Put your best people on this, I want to know everything.
29:55Yes, Alpha.
29:57After ending the call, Ethan collapsed into a chair.
30:00He picked up his phone and sent another message.
30:03I know I was wrong.
30:04I'm begging you, please come back.
30:06Silence.
30:07He let the phone drop, a gaping hole opening in his chest.
30:11The next few days were a blur of anxiety.
30:13Ethan stayed by Leo's side, waiting for any word from Corinne.
30:17He sent men to search every place she might have gone, but it was as if she'd vanished
30:20off the face of the earth, leaving no trace behind.
30:23Leo's fever broke, but he became quiet and withdrawn.
30:26He wasn't the lively boy he used to be.
30:29He refused to get close to anyone, and more alarmingly, he refused to shift into his wolf
30:33form.
30:34For a cub to refuse to shift was a serious issue, one that could affect his development
30:38for the rest of his life.
30:40Ethan hired a therapist specializing in childhood trauma to come to the villa.
30:43Leo, can 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!
30:54Selina said if I hurt her, she'd get sent away and I could have a new werewolf mommy.
30:58But, but I don't want a new mommy, I just want my mommy.
31:01And now she's really gone, she's not coming back.
31:04Is it because I become a wolf that I hurt her?
31:07If I stop being a wolf, will 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, Ethan pressed himself against the wall, silent tears streaming down
31:20his face as he listened to his son.
31:22His son, so consumed by guilt and self-loathing that he wanted to renounce his own wolf nature.
31:27A cub not even five years old, carrying such a heavy burden.
31:31And it was all his fault.
31:33Two weeks later, the trial was over.
31:35For slandering and framing the Luna, and for manipulating a cub to harm his mother,
31:40among other crimes, Selina was sentenced to life in prison.
31:43Her entire family was expelled from the river pack.
31:46As the guards led her away, Selina threw her head back and laughed maniacally at Ethan.
31:53Ethan, you 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, watching the car drive away,
32:05feeling no satisfaction, only a cold, hollowing emptiness.
32:09Selina was right, but what did it matter now?
32:11He opened his phone and scrolled through the hundreds of messages he'd sent to Corinne.
32:15Not a single reply.
32:17They had started as apologies, shifted to pleas, and finally devolved into desperate confessions
32:22of love.
32:23But she was just, gone.
32:25When he got home, Leo crept up to him, tugging 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, to give his son that one small piece of hope.
32:44But he opened his mouth and all that came out was a pained, defeated whisper.
32:48I don't know.
32:49Watching the light fade from Leo's eyes, eyes 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.
32:57He'd been wounded while hunting a traitor, left for dead in a rain-slip alley.
33:01It was Corinne who found him, who brought him back to her small apartment without a hint of fear
33:05and nursed him back to health for a solid month.
33:08She didn't know he was a werewolf, just that he was an injured man.
33:11She changed his bandages, cooked for him, and talked to him every day.
33:15Her clear eyes filled not with fear, but with gentleness.
33:18By the time he healed, he was hopelessly in love with her.
33:22The pack elders were vehemently opposed.
33:24A human could not be Luna.
33:26But he didn't care.
33:28He would have her, or he would die trying.
33:30When she hesitated, torn by the divide between their worlds,
33:34he had knelt before the statue of the moon goddess for three days and three nights,
33:38praying through tears for her blessing.
33:39On the night of the full moon, the goddess's blessing had truly descended.
33:43That night, Corinne had thrown herself into his arms, crying.
33:53In that moment, he felt like he owned the entire world.
33:57But after they were married, a seed of insecurity had taken root in his heart.
34:01He was always afraid that her love for him wasn't as deep as his for her,
34:04that she had only accepted him because she was moved by his devotion.
34:08Every time she glanced at another man, every time her affection seemed less than passionate,
34:12he grew paranoid, wondering 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, it was too late.
34:35Time passed quickly.
34:37Three years flew by.
34:38With the help of his therapist, Leo 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, Caleb, the alpha of the neighboring Amber Pack,
34:52invited them to his son's second birthday party.
34:55The party was a lively affair, with wolf cubs running and playing everywhere.
34:59As usual, Leo stayed close to Ethan's side, too shy to join the other children.
35:03And then, Ethan saw a familiar figure in the garden.
35:06Ethan, his breath caught in his throat.
35:09Corinne, she was wearing a pale blue dress.
35:12She looked fuller than she had three years ago, her cheeks rosy with health.
35:15He had been searching for her for three years.
35:18He had never given up, sending out more and more men,
35:21expanding the search wider and wider.
35:23He hadn't found a single trace of her.
35:26And now she was standing not ten steps away.
35:28She was holding a small boy, about two years old,
35:31gently wiping cream from the corner of the child's mouth.
35:34Ethan wanted to move, but his legs felt like they were filled with lead.
35:38Leo saw her, too.
35:39His small body trembled, and then he shot forward like an arrow.
35:42Mommy! Mommy!
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, startled by Leo's cries, began 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, milky cry.
36:14Mama!
36:15That one word struck Leo like a lightning bolt.
36:18He froze, his hands dropping from Corinne's leg.
36:21Corinne, holding her new child,
36:23looked down at the firstborn son she'd left behind and said in a light, dismissive tone.
36:27I don't know you, and I don't want to be your mother.
36:30Leo stood frozen, tears still clinging to his lashes.
36:33Too stunned to even cry.
36:35He stared up at Corinne, as if he couldn't comprehend that the mother who had once loved him more than
36:39anything could say such a thing.
36:42Corinne!
36:43He was breathless by the time he reached her.
36:45His gaze shot from the child in her arms to her face, his voice trembling.
36:51How could you do this to Leo?
36:53How could you say that to him?
36:55Corinne met his eyes, her own avoid of emotion.
36:58Why not?
36:59She glanced down at the docile boy in her arms,
37:02her fingers gently stroking his back as if he were a fragile treasure.
37:04I only have one son.
37:07Another woman's child has nothing to do with me.
37:10Another woman's child?
37:13He is your son!
37:14Seeing her still indifferent expression, Ethan desperately reached for her hand.
37:19Just then, an imposing man walked over from the other end of the garden.
37:23It was Caleb, the alpha of the powerful Amber Pack.
37:26He moved to Corinne's side, smoothly and naturally shielding her behind him.
37:30Ethan, this is my Luna.
37:32I suggest you show some respect.
37:35Ethan froze, feeling as though a bucket of ice water had been dumped over his head.
37:39You're Luna?
37:41He repeated, barely able to believe his own ears.
37:45Take the Luna and the young master to the lounge.
37:48Yes, alpha.
37:49Without another glance at Ethan, Corinne turned to leave, murmuring softly to the child in her arms.
37:55Corinne, stop!
37:59That's enough.
38:01She doesn't want to see you.
38:04She is my mate.
38:06What right do you have to take her?
38:10Your mate?
38:12Still haven't figured it out, Ethan?
38:14Those words send a chill down Ethan's spine.
38:16He suddenly thought back over the past three years.
38:18The business deals that inexplicably fell through.
38:21The key partnerships that collapsed.
38:22The way his pack's territory was constantly being chipped away at.
38:25Every time.
38:27He'd assumed it was just pack rivalries or hostile challenges, but every investigation he ran eventually led back to faint,
38:33untraceable links to the Amber Pack.
38:35He had thought Caleb was just overly ambitious, deliberately antagonizing him.
38:39But what if, what if Corinne was behind it all?
38:42She had been by his side for years.
38:44She knew the inner workings of his businesses, the lifelines of the river pack.
38:48If she truly wanted revenge, she had all the weapons she needed.
38:52The world spun.
38:53Ethan staggered, barely able to stay on his feet.
38:56He had thought she couldn't let go of their son.
38:58He thought she couldn't live without him.
39:01But she had already built a new life somewhere far away from them, with a new child and a new
39:05mate.
39:06And she had been systematically trying to destroy his pack.
39:09As Corinne was escorted away, she never once lived back.
39:13But Ethan clung to one last, desperate threat of hope.
39:16He knew he had to see her one more time.
39:18He sent a message to her.
39:20The rejection papers they'd signed required one last thing, a final, official ceremony before the moon goddess.
39:25He was betting she would show.
39:28Three days later, at the pack's sacred ground.
39:30When Ethan walked in, he saw Corinne standing before the statue of the moon goddess.
39:35She was dressed in black, her hair pinned up, her expression serene.
39:39He swallowed hard.
39:40I never sign the papers.
39:43Corinne didn't even flicker her gaze.
39:45So?
39:45So we haven't officially broken the bond.
39:47Corinne, come back with me.
39:49Don't you see?
39:50Caleb is ambitious.
39:51He'll never be truly good to you.
39:53You set up those three affairs, didn't you?
39:56This is the result you 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 and came into my room.
40:08Wasn't that your plan?
40:10Ethan stared at her, his mind reeling.
40:12The man who had gotten away.
40:14It was Caleb.
40:15No.
40:16Corinne, I didn't set that up.
40:18Why would I ever push you towards another man?
40:20Then couldn't you see it?
40:22She stared directly into his eyes.
40:24Three times, Ethan.
40:25Three whole times.
40:27Three whole times.
40:29Did it never once occur to you to try and prove my innocence?
40:32Ethan's lips moved, but no sound came out.
40:35Even if you didn't plan it, you were an accomplice.
40:37Corinne said, her voice soft.
40:39Otherwise, it never would have happened three times.
40:41Ethan's head dropped in shame.
40:43Corinne.
40:44His voice was hoarse, his eyes turning red.
40:47Corinne, I'm so sorry for what I did to you and to your grandmother.
40:52I'm so, so sorry.
40:56It's too late.
40:57Let's just get this over with.
40:58He never imagined he would one day stand before her and cry so pathetically.
41:02The ceremony began.
41:03The parchment with their mating agreement was tossed into the sacred fire, burning until
41:07it was nothing but ash.
41:09As the last ember died, a look of profound relief washed over Corinne's face.
41:13Leo, who had been standing at the back, was sobbing so hard he could barely breathe.
41:18Mommy, don't go!
41:20He stumbled forward, trying to run to her, but was blocked by the guards.
41:23He could only scream, his voice tearing.
41:26Mommy, I'm sorry!
41:28Please don't leave me!
41:30But Corinne's steps never faltered.
41:32With the searing, desperate gazes of a father and son burning into her back, she walked out
41:36of the sacred grounds.
41:37Once outside, Corinne took out her phone, her voice cold as steel.
41:43It's done.
41:44Spread the word.
41:45All the plans we prepared to attack the river pack can be set in motion now.
41:49She paused, a sliver of icy hatred finally surfacing in her eyes.
41:53I want him to lose everything.
41:55Those three years were just a warm-up.
41:58From the day she left, she had sworn an oath.
42:01She would have vengeance for herself, and for her grandmother.
42:04Corinne's fingers closed around the necklace at her throat, the one he had smashed.
42:08Now painstakingly repaired.
42:10Grandma, don't you worry.
42:13From this day on, I will never let myself be wrong it again.
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