- 5 hours ago
Dreambound to the Alpha I Refused EP
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00I keep having the same strange dream.
00:05In the dream, a man and I are drawn together by an invisible force.
00:11Every night we can't resist the pull.
00:14But I don't know him.
00:17Later, I reported a female classmate for cheating on an exam, almost causing her to fail to graduate.
00:24The classmate was furious and called her powerful and influential alpha uncle for backup.
00:30Everyone thought I was done for.
00:34I looked up and saw the man.
00:38In that moment, I knew I was done.
00:43Last night in the dream, I kissed him so hard that I made his lip bleed.
00:48Wait, why does he actually have a cut on his lip?
00:53The moment Terry Lowe appeared, I thought I was dreaming again.
00:58I had to pinch my thigh hard to be sure it wasn't a dream.
01:02Kathleen Lowe stood beside him, gloating.
01:05Aria Foster.
01:07My uncle is here.
01:09It's not too late for you to apologize to me.
01:12I wasn't listening to her at all, just staring at Terry's face.
01:16How could this be?
01:17He was the spitting image of the man from my dreams.
01:20The striking features.
01:22The impeccable suit.
01:23Worst of all, his mouth.
01:25There was a speck of red on the corner of his lip.
01:28Exactly where I'd bitten it in my dream last night.
01:31Is this a coincidence?
01:33Aria, are you even listening to me?
01:35Kathleen was getting impatient, raising her voice.
01:38I told you to apologize!
01:40I also want a public statement that your accusation about me hiring a surrogate for the exam was pure slander.
01:46You were just trying to smear my name!
01:48I pulled my gaze away and looked at the belligerent Kathleen.
01:52I refuse.
01:53Are you crazy?
01:55Do you have any idea who my uncle is?
01:58He's Alpha of the lower pack.
02:00With just a snap of his fingers, that offer you just got from Prime Corp will be gone.
02:06Then you'll be blacklisted by several companies, and you'll be completely finished.
02:11Then let me be finished.
02:13I raised my head, met Terry's eyes, and said word by word.
02:18No matter what, I will not back down.
02:24Coming out of the faculty office, the students around me guiltily avoided me.
02:29Not just guilt.
02:31Something else hung in the air.
02:34A pressure that made the wolves instinctively give way,
02:37like a draft pushing them to the edges of the corridor.
02:40I couldn't smell the Alpha's scent lingering there.
02:44I was human, but I felt.
02:47My roommate hurried after me, her voice low.
02:51Why are you doing this to yourself?
02:53She's a pure-blood wolf.
02:55Her uncle is Alpha.
02:58We're about to graduate.
02:59Just endure it, and it'll be over.
03:01You can endure it if you want.
03:03I won't.
03:05Her uncle has power we can't even imagine.
03:08That's not what you said when she copied your paper?
03:11My roommate choked.
03:12Kathleen had been bullying me since freshman year.
03:15The reason was almost too stupid to believe.
03:18She had a crush on a senior.
03:20One day I happened to wear the same jacket as him, and people started teasing us.
03:25The senior just smiled and said three words.
03:28My pleasure.
03:29That was it.
03:30That was enough for Kathleen to hate me.
03:33She'd crushed on plenty of guys since then.
03:36Her hatred for me was the only thing that never changed.
03:41Back in the dorm, I kept sorting evidence of Kathleen's cheating.
03:45Around me, my roommates were already deep in gossip.
03:50Did you guys see Terry today?
03:53He's even younger than I thought.
03:57I heard he became Alpha at 22.
04:01Took down three heirs who challenged him.
04:04Three against one, and he walked out.
04:06They didn't.
04:08Someone like him?
04:10He's got a mate somewhere, right?
04:12Alpha that strong?
04:14Has to.
04:15I heard mate bonds show up in dreams.
04:17Two souls connected.
04:19Inescapable.
04:23Unless you go through formal rejection.
04:26And that ritual can cost you half your life.
04:28I stared at the screen in front of me.
04:30Not seeing a single word.
04:32Those dreams.
04:35The man who shed his impeccable suit.
04:38The way I let go of everything when I was with him.
04:42No.
04:42No way.
04:44I was just a human who'd glanced at his photo somewhere and forgotten.
04:48Wasn't I?
04:49But before today, I'd never even heard Terry Lowe's name.
04:53So how had I been dreaming about him every night?
04:56Unless.
04:59I didn't sleep until almost dawn.
05:01I'd convinced myself.
05:03I must have seen his photo without realizing.
05:06My subconscious remembered and fed it back in my dreams.
05:10The cut on his lip.
05:11Pure coincidence.
05:13At noon, my roommate shook me awake.
05:16Aria, stop sleeping.
05:19Someone's here for you.
05:21Who?
05:22Terry.
05:23My eyes snapped open.
05:25He's right downstairs.
05:26You'd better hurry.
05:27I washed up fast and went down.
05:29Terry stood in the corner of the dorm courtyard.
05:32Not leaning against the wall.
05:34Just standing.
05:36There was a pocket of empty space around him that no one entered.
05:40Wolves kept a half meter distance without seeming to realize they were doing it.
05:44He looked me over.
05:46Sleepless night?
05:47A jolt shot through my ears.
05:50I'd wondered.
05:51So many nights.
05:52What his voice would sound like.
05:54Now I knew.
05:55Deep, quiet.
05:56Something magnetic under the surface of that I couldn't name.
06:00How did you know?
06:01You have pretty bad dark circles today.
06:05Oh.
06:09What do you want from me?
06:11I heard from Kathleen that you plan to post what she did online.
06:14If the school continues to cover for her, I will.
06:21Terry held my gaze for a moment.
06:24The council is watching.
06:26If Kathleen's scandal breaks, it weakens the PAC's position.
06:31Name your terms.
06:32What would it take for you to let this go?
06:35No.
06:36I refused without hesitating.
06:39Bow to people like you once, and you can never get back up again.
06:44People like us?
06:46His eyebrow lifted, like the phrase genuinely didn't compute.
06:50Yes.
06:51Your kind.
06:53Wolves born with a PAC behind you.
06:55Everyone steps aside before you even open your mouth.
07:00Humans like me?
07:01We're just creatures at the bottom of your food chain.
07:05He didn't get angry.
07:06He went quiet for a moment, then asked something strange.
07:10Is that really how you see me?
07:13You and Kathleen are one big happy PAC.
07:16With a niece like that?
07:18How could you possibly be a good alpha?
07:22I turned and headed upstairs.
07:25Aria Foster.
07:28What else?
07:30He paused, then said quiet.
07:34Rest early tonight.
07:35Get a good night's sleep.
07:39Sleep.
07:39I hadn't had a real night's sleep in over a week.
07:43Those dreams came every time I closed my eyes.
07:46His face.
07:47His body.
07:49The pull.
07:50At an overnight shift at the convenience store.
07:52And my brain had stopped knowing the difference between dreaming and being awake.
07:57Six in the morning.
07:58My shift finally over.
08:00My eyelids were sandbags.
08:02Maybe they'd already closed.
08:04Maybe I was already dreaming.
08:06Because I saw him.
08:08Black Maybach.
08:09Deserted roadside.
08:11Terry Lowe staring right at me.
08:13It was a dream.
08:14Had to be.
08:16I walked straight to his window.
08:18Don't you only show up at night?
08:21It's six in the morning.
08:23Why are you still here?
08:24I'd tested it.
08:25Bond dreams only came when we were both asleep.
08:28He never appeared during the day.
08:31Terry said nothing.
08:33Normal in dreams.
08:35Voices never reached each other.
08:36I reached out.
08:38Squeezed his face.
08:39His skin was warm.
08:41He didn't resist.
08:43Instead.
08:44He pushed the door open and padded the leather seat.
08:47Come in.
08:48Fine.
08:49It was a dream.
08:51I climbed in.
08:53Straddled him.
08:54The position my body knew by heart weed practiced at so many nights.
08:59His hands caught my waist.
09:01The grip was instinctive.
09:03Reflexive.
09:03Faster than thought.
09:04He froze for half a second.
09:06Like the pull had yanked him somewhere he hadn't planned to go.
09:09Whatever.
09:10It was a dream.
09:11Who cares?
09:14Your niece bullies me every chance she gets.
09:17The instructor covers for her.
09:21You cover for her.
09:23You have no idea what she's done.
09:26I once bought a dress that looked like hers.
09:30She shredded it.
09:32Called me shameless for wearing fake brands.
09:35But I saved my own money to buy it.
09:37But how was I supposed to know what brand it was?
09:40Terry's gaze flickered.
09:42And now, just because I told the truth?
09:44You're having me blacklisted from every company your pack touches.
09:48Since he couldn't hear me anyway, this was a dream.
09:50After all, I let it all out.
09:52Every frustration from the real world.
09:55At the end of it, I bit down hard on his shoulder.
10:00I don't want to dream about you anymore.
10:02This is the last time.
10:04His hands clamped down on me.
10:06The grip was crushing.
10:08No.
10:09I won't allow it.
10:11I froze.
10:12He was speaking.
10:14No.
10:15Wait.
10:15How was I hearing him?
10:17My head went blank.
10:20Area.
10:22His voice was steady now.
10:24You're not asleep.
10:26This isn't a dream.
10:29The words landed like a physical blow.
10:32I scrambled off his lap and dropped into the footwell.
10:35Pressed against his legs.
10:38A knock rattled the window.
10:41Terry?
10:42You called me out here at 5 in the morning?
10:44What's going on?
10:45The window rolled down.
10:47Halfway.
10:48Terry leaned forward.
10:50Blocking the view inside with his body.
10:53I couldn't sleep.
10:55I wanted to ask you something.
10:57Kathleen's eyes went wide.
10:58You've been out here all night?
11:01She looked around.
11:03No bars.
11:04No clubs.
11:05Just a convenience store.
11:07What did you want to ask?
11:09If this is about the exam.
11:12I swear I didn't hire anyone.
11:14That classmate framed me.
11:16You can't let her get away with it.
11:19Terry's voice didn't rise.
11:20I checked the surveillance footage at your school yesterday afternoon.
11:24It had been deleted.
11:27Footage gets cleared eventually anyway.
11:29Then why is every other recording from that day still there?
11:32Except the one showing you entering the exam hall.
11:35Kathleen's eyes darted.
11:37Coincidence.
11:39Hey, Terry, have you had breakfast?
11:42I could go grab you some.
11:45Answer me.
11:46Not loud.
11:47But something in the air shifted.
11:50Even I felt it from the footwell.
11:53Kathleen's throat bobbed.
11:55Then her eyes snagged on something.
11:57Terry, why is there a woman's earring on your collar?
12:02Shit.
12:03My earring.
12:04It must have fallen off when we kissed hooked onto the edge of his suit.
12:11Kathleen's eyes narrowed.
12:15Wait.
12:16I've seen that earring before.
12:19It's Aria's.
12:21Terry closed his fist around the earring before she could look closer.
12:25But Kathleen was already grinning.
12:29Must be the same style.
12:31My uncle has better taste than that.
12:34Terry frowned.
12:36Didn't your parents teach you?
12:38You don't look down on your classmates.
12:41I'm just telling the truth.
12:43Grades are the only decent thing about her.
12:46She's dirt poor.
12:47What's the point of acting proud when you're broke?
12:52She should have stayed as my lackey.
12:54Shut up.
12:55The words weren't loud.
12:57But the air cracked.
12:58I was curled in the footwell and even I felt the shift of pressure that wasn't sound.
13:03Wasn't movement.
13:04Just wait.
13:06Kathleen's knees almost buckled.
13:08Her body knew what her mouth hadn't caught up with yet.
13:11Alpha dominance.
13:13She'd never been on the receiving end before.
13:17Apologize.
13:18Don't make me say it again.
13:21Three days later.
13:22I saw Kathleen's name on the school bulletin.
13:25Disciplined.
13:29Hiring a proxy for the exam.
13:32Deleting surveillance footage.
13:33The school was revoking her diploma and putting her on academic probation for a year.
13:39The whole campus buzzed.
13:41Even Terry stepping in couldn't save her.
13:44Then the second bomb dropped.
13:46The disciplinary action came because Terry himself had forced the school's hand.
13:51He'd led the investigation personally recovered the deleted footage.
13:55Confirmed the proxy.
13:56Made them act.
13:57The instructors who'd ignored me for years now wore plastic smiles.
14:04Aria.
14:05We were wrong about you.
14:07Aria.
14:08How about nominating you for outstanding graduate?
14:12I glanced around.
14:14Saw Terry standing in the corner.
14:16And understood.
14:18They weren't apologizing to me.
14:20They were performing for him.
14:24Terry pushed Kathleen forward.
14:27You too.
14:29Apologize.
14:30Kathleen looked at me.
14:32Jaw tight.
14:34Aria, I'm sorry.
14:35My ass.
14:36Her voice shot up.
14:38Pitched for every student in the hallway.
14:40I want to report something too.
14:43Aria seduced my uncle.
14:45I saw her getting out of his car with my gulp.
14:49My own eyes.
14:53Terry's eyes went cold.
14:56Terry, I'm not blaming you.
15:00It must be her tricks.
15:02She's bewatched you somehow.
15:04Otherwise, why would you help her and suppress me?
15:08We're pack!
15:09Kathleen's voice rang with righteous fury.
15:12Look at her.
15:13No taste.
15:14No money.
15:15No bloodline.
15:17I wouldn't glance at someone like her if she were begging on the street.
15:21And she thinks she can climb into your bed and mate into the lower pack?
15:26Smack.
15:28The sound cut through the room like a blade.
15:31Silence.
15:31Even the students outside stopped breathing.
15:35Terry had slapped her.
15:37In front of everyone.
15:38No restraint.
15:40A red mark bloomed across Kathleen's cheek.
15:43How did the low pack raise a useless thing like you?
15:47His tone was flat.
15:49His eyes carried no warmth.
15:52And somehow that was worse than rage.
15:55Kathleen finally understood.
15:59This alpha uncle she barely knew wasn't the soft target she'd assumed.
16:03Her parents had warned her.
16:06Whatever your uncle says goes.
16:08Piss him off.
16:09And we all face the consequences.
16:12She'd never believed it.
16:14She believed it now.
16:18Their entire pack lived at the mercy of Terry's word.
16:22Nothing to do with family seniority.
16:25Everything to do with power.
16:28Kathleen's tears started falling.
16:30With a thud, she dropped to her knees in front of me.
16:34I'm sorry, Aunt Aria.
16:36I know I was wrong.
16:40Please, talk to my uncle for me.
16:42I didn't even glance at her.
16:45If there's nothing else, I'm leaving.
16:49Terry turned sharply.
16:51Aren't you gonna let me explain?
16:53His voice changed.
16:55Softer.
16:57It was me who pursued Aunt Aria.
17:00I was the one bothering her.
17:03It has nothing to do with her.
17:05The room went still.
17:06An alpha, publicly claiming pursuit of a human girl.
17:10No one in that hallway had ever seen anything like it.
17:13Kathleen was expelled.
17:14Terry signed the order himself.
17:17The campus couldn't stop talking about it.
17:19Alpha brought down his own niece for a human.
17:22At the graduation ceremony, my classmates crowded around me.
17:26Aria, don't forget us when you're rich.
17:30Low-pack companies?
17:31You can pick any job you want.
17:34I'm so jealous.
17:36Are you even going to work?
17:37Wouldn't it be easier to just become Mrs. Low?
17:44I didn't want to hear a single word.
17:46The diploma in my hands wasn't a prize.
17:49It was proof that I'd clawed my way out of the mud.
17:52My family had nothing.
17:54I'd worked jobs, earned scholarships, fought for every credit.
17:58I didn't get here to be someone's mate.
18:00I got here to be someone.
18:02I had one thing left to settle.
18:05After the ceremony, I went to find Terry.
18:09He had a graduation gift ready.
18:12An expensive necklace.
18:15I looked at it and set it back down.
18:19You don't like it?
18:24I'll find something else.
18:26Something you'll love.
18:27I didn't answer.
18:29Instead, I stepped closer.
18:31Looked him in the eye.
18:34Terry, do you want to be with me?
18:37For real?
18:38Last time, in the car, we'd only kissed.
18:41Kathleen showed up before anything more.
18:44Since then, the Bond dreams hadn't stopped.
18:47Every night, our bodies drawn together by the pull.
18:50But in the daylight, neither of us spoke of it.
18:54Terry lowered his gaze.
18:56A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
19:01Finally planning to make my dream come true?
19:03I hummed, turned my face away.
19:06Didn't look at him.
19:09Reality was nothing like the dreams.
19:12His arms around me real.
19:14The warmth of his breath real.
19:16Every nerve in my body awake.
19:18Amplified.
19:19Electric.
19:21Afterward, I curled in his arms and stared into the dark.
19:24He'd become someone else entirely.
19:27Clingy.
19:27Soft.
19:28Nothing like the alpha the world saw.
19:32He whispered into my ear.
19:36I like you, Ari.
19:40Can I call you that?
19:43Can I see you again tomorrow?
19:45I barely heard him.
19:46My mind was fixed on one thing.
19:48It should be over now.
19:50Those absurd Bond dreams they had to end.
19:54Back in the dorm, the girls had talked about mate bonds being permanent.
19:59Formal rejection was the only way out to end that ritual could cost you half your life.
20:03But there was another thing I'd heard.
20:05A rumor.
20:06A desperate person's hope.
20:09Reenact in reality what happens in the dream.
20:11Break the connection.
20:13I didn't know if it was true.
20:14I was about to find out.
20:17Late into the night, Terry's breathing slowed.
20:20My phone lit up.
20:23Aria.
20:24What time do you arrive tomorrow?
20:26I'll pick you up at the station.
20:28Leo Hunter.
20:33Leo Hunter.
20:34The same senior Kathleen had obsessed over in freshman year.
20:38We'd reconnected right before graduation he was recruiting for his company.
20:43That day, Kathleen's punishment was still undecided.
20:46And I had no idea if I'd find a job anywhere.
20:49He'd called my name.
20:51Aria?
20:52I had to look twice to remember who he was.
20:55Leo had been the campus golden boy.
20:58Bright, principled.
20:59The kind of student everyone respected.
21:01I never paid much attention to campus gossip.
21:05My only memory of him was the jacket incident the one that made Kathleen hate me.
21:09Leo smiled.
21:11It's fine if you don't remember me.
21:14But I remember you.
21:16Top of your major?
21:17Your work ethic puts me to shame.
21:20He offered me a job.
21:23Good pay.
21:24Perfect fit for my major.
21:27The only catch it wasn't in Los Angeles.
21:31My eyes lit up.
21:33I'd already made my decision.
21:36But before I left, I had to end the Bond dreams.
21:40With my own hands.
21:43Terry was still asleep.
21:45I boarded the northbound train.
21:52One year later.
21:54I'd built a life up north.
21:57The Bond dreams had stopped the night I left.
22:03Not a single one since.
22:06Leo and I weren't in the same department.
22:08But we were alumni.
22:09Lunch buddies.
22:11Getting closer.
22:12One step from making it official.
22:16Late June.
22:17A major client was visiting.
22:19Management went into full panic mode.
22:22My boss went to the airport personally.
22:25I was in charge of the welcome car.
22:28When there was an accident on the road.
22:30By the time the car reached the airport.
22:32We were five minutes late.
22:34I didn't even see the client's face before I got out.
22:37I bowed immediately.
22:39I'm so sorry.
22:40The car is late.
22:41We've kept you waiting.
22:45My eyes met his.
22:49Terry.
22:51You?
22:52The word escaped before I could stop it.
22:55My boss exploded.
22:57At Aria!
22:58Is that how you speak to a client?
23:00And the car?
23:01Late?
23:02You can't even handle something this simple?
23:04If you can't do this job, get lost.
23:07I didn't argue.
23:09It was my fault.
23:11In the car.
23:12My boss kept smiling.
23:14Smoothing things over.
23:16Mr. Lowe.
23:16Our employee is just inexperienced.
23:19Graduated last year.
23:21Please don't take offense.
23:23Terry said nothing.
23:27And his silence was heavier than anyone else's shouting.
23:30Even my boss human that he was felt something wrong.
23:34The air in the car had changed.
23:36He tried making small talk.
23:38Terry didn't bite.
23:41Then Terry spoke.
23:44So this is the good job Leo found for you?
23:47Everyone in the car went blank.
23:51Only me, in the passenger seat, answered without turning around.
23:55Yeah.
23:57It's fulfilling.
23:59Wasting your skills escorting cars.
24:03I have other duties.
24:04This was just today.
24:06You two...
24:09Know each other?
24:10My boss's voice cracked.
24:12Terry ignored him.
24:14Just stared at my profile.
24:15Is having a boss like this really better than having me, Ari?
24:20We arrived.
24:22It had started raining.
24:23I was supposed to hold the umbrella for the client.
24:27Terry opened the black umbrella himself.
24:30And held it over my head first.
24:32My boss's jaw hung open.
24:35I pushed Terry's hand away and walked off without looking back.
24:39Just before lunch, my boss appeared at my desk.
24:43Nervous.
24:44Almost apologetic.
24:47Um, Mr. Lowed says you deleted him on WhatsApp.
24:51He asked me to tell you he has something to discuss with you.
24:56I looked up.
24:58Your meeting's over?
25:01Yes!
25:02Yes, it's over.
25:04He nodded like he was reporting to his own boss.
25:07I went to find Terry.
25:10He was alone in the conference room.
25:14Mr. Low, you wanted to see me?
25:20Let's talk about you leaving without a word.
25:25I didn't leave without a word.
25:28I sent you a message before I left.
25:30I know.
25:32I've read those few sentences for a year.
25:34I've practically memorized them.
25:36We hadn't parted as enemies.
25:38The message said I thanked him for choosing justice over his pack.
25:42Because of that, I'd reconsidered who he was.
25:45But at the end of the day, we were from different worlds.
25:49I've been thinking for a year.
25:50Terry said.
25:51There's something you wrote that I can't understand.
25:54You said we're from different worlds.
25:56But in what way?
25:57We breathe the same air.
25:59We see the same sky.
26:01We are in the same world.
26:02You know that's not what I meant.
26:04No.
26:04I don't.
26:06Please.
26:07Teach me.
26:08He looked down at me.
26:09His eyes held something I couldn't name.
26:12The gap between us is too wide.
26:14We see too many things differently.
26:18I can change my views.
26:19You don't have to.
26:21That won't be a burden on you.
26:24What I don't understand is...
26:26Why wouldn't you even keep the job I could give you?
26:29A position far better than this one.
26:31Because I don't want to live under your name.
26:33If I stayed, every job I got, people would say it was because of you.
26:39Every achievement?
26:40She has the alpha of the low pack looking out for her.
26:43I don't want that life.
26:48I see.
26:48Terry smiled.
26:50That's more or less what I guessed.
26:52Then why did you come and ask?
26:56Because it's been a year.
26:58I think you've proven yourself.
27:00I stared at him.
27:02You waited an entire year.
27:05On purpose?
27:06Yes.
27:07The day you left, I knew your address.
27:09Your company, I could have come anytime.
27:11But I held back.
27:13I didn't want to interfere with your choices.
27:15At least for this year.
27:16I wanted you to experience work.
27:18And love.
27:20For yourself.
27:22The great Terry Lode had the patience to wait a year?
27:25He paused.
27:26Actually, it's been longer than a year.
27:29I opened my mouth to ask.
27:31The door swung open.
27:33Aria.
27:34Lunchtime.
27:37Leo stood there.
27:39Two containers in his hands.
27:41He saw the room wasn't empty.
27:43His smile didn't waver.
27:45A colleague said you were in here.
27:48Didn't realize Mr. Lowe was here too.
27:50I'm not interrupting, am I?
27:52Not at all, Leo.
27:53You're just in time.
27:55I walked toward him.
27:57Stood close.
27:58Close enough to send a message.
28:01Terry didn't even frown.
28:03Are you two together?
28:04No.
28:06Leo answered fast.
28:07Too fast.
28:09We're just colleagues.
28:11Good.
28:11Terry's voice was calm.
28:13Then I'll compete for her fairly.
28:17And what if we were together?
28:19I asked the question just to see what he'd say.
28:22Terry looked at me.
28:24A smile pulled at the corner of his mouth.
28:27Confident.
28:28Easy.
28:29Then I would win you over.
28:31Leo didn't react.
28:32Just set the lunch containers on the table.
28:34But I caught something in his expression.
28:37The briefest flicker.
28:39Then it was gone.
28:41Terry stayed.
28:42Work was his excuse.
28:44From that day on, Leo stopped eating lunch with me.
28:48Every time I looked for him, he was busy.
28:52Something else.
28:53A thorn lodged in my chest.
28:57The way he'd rushed to say no when Terry asked about us.
29:02It bothered me more than it should have.
29:05Maybe he was just afraid of office gossip.
29:11Days passed.
29:13The way my colleagues looked at me shifted.
29:16Subtle at first.
29:18Then not subtle at all.
29:22Congrats, Aria.
29:24Really turned things around for yourself.
29:26What?
29:28Didn't know you'd made...
29:29Lashed on to such a powerful connection.
29:31Yeah.
29:32No wonder you got that promotion last quarter.
29:35Thanks to Mr. Lo-o.
29:36I have nothing to do with Terry.
29:40Oh, sure.
29:41Nobody ever admits it.
29:44You women sure know how to climb.
29:46Before I could even react,
29:47a water bottle flew past my head.
29:50A female colleague.
29:52Not even someone I was close with.
29:54We'd argued over work more than once.
29:56She was on her feet now.
29:58Shut up!
29:59A few words from you and all her hard work means nothing?
30:02Her performance was the best last quarter.
30:05Didn't she earn that promotion?
30:07The two men backed off, muttering.
30:10It was Leo who said it.
30:12Nothing to do with us.
30:13My head snapped up.
30:14Who?
30:17Leo.
30:19I stood frozen.
30:21Last quarter.
30:24The final promotion slot came down to Leo and me.
30:28I got it.
30:29Leo had congratulated me.
30:32Smiled that same polished,
30:34humble smile he'd worn since college.
30:36I expected nothing less from you, Aria.
30:39Was all of it fake?
30:41No.
30:42I had to be sure.
30:44Leo wasn't that kind of person.
30:46I pulled him into the break room.
30:48What's wrong?
30:51Same smile.
30:52Same easy warmth.
30:54Been crazy busy lately.
30:55That's why I've been eating alone.
30:57Still can't lunch together.
30:59Sorry.
31:02Have you been telling people about me and Terry?
31:04Of course not.
31:07Instant.
31:08Smooth.
31:09Why would I say something like that?
31:11People gossiping?
31:13I nodded.
31:14I nodded.
31:14Don't let them get in your head.
31:16That's just co-works.
31:17Jealous.
31:18Gossip this detailed had to come from someone inside.
31:22Leo frowned.
31:23Thinking.
31:25That makes sense.
31:27But you and Terry were alone in that office.
31:30It wasn't a secret.
31:31A lot of people saw you.
31:32Maybe someone who walked by.
31:34I didn't answer.
31:36Leo shifted topics smoothly.
31:40Hey.
31:41That charity project, you're in charge, right?
31:45Yes.
31:46Can you get me on the team?
31:47I'm really interested.
31:48We could work on it together.
31:51The project needed people.
31:53I said yes.
31:54But the smile on his face was too eager.
31:57Something about it sat wrong in my stomach.
32:01The project was a cross-species outreach program.
32:04Human children from PAC-controlled territories.
32:08Kids who'd never set foot in a real school because they weren't wolves.
32:12Classes, room, board, a semester of education the PAC system never gave them.
32:18Plus a small education fund for each of them.
32:21Weeks in, everything was running smoothly.
32:24Leo and I worked well together.
32:27Then I saw the transfers.
32:29Some of the children's sponsorship money moved into Leo's personal account.
32:34I went to him immediately.
32:37Yeah.
32:38I transferred it.
32:40Not even a hint of shame.
32:42Why?
32:43This project is way more work than I expected.
32:45The bonus at the end is tiny.
32:47I figured I'd keep a little for the effort.
32:49I stared at him.
32:52Are you telling me you're embezzling their sponsorship money?
32:56Isn't that how it always works?
33:00He asked it so naturally.
33:03Like I was the strange one.
33:06Charity in this world.
33:08Someone always takes a cut.
33:12You think your donation reaches the people it's meant for?
33:15How much actually gets there?
33:19Only a fool wouldn't take a kickback.
33:24You can take some too.
33:26Mr. Miranda's fine with it.
33:28Are you insane?
33:30That money is for them to live on.
33:34I'm struggling too, Aria.
33:37Leo didn't raise his voice.
33:39Didn't even shift in his chair.
33:41I need to build a life in this city.
33:43Get married.
33:44Have kids.
33:46You think I don't need a house?
33:49How am I supposed to buy one with no money?
33:51You won't die without a house.
33:53They'll starve without that money.
33:55He looked at me.
33:56Same handsome face.
33:58Same composed posture.
34:00But his eyes had changed.
34:02Aria.
34:03Has Terry Locks protected you too well?
34:06You've never had to worry about food or shelter?
34:08I have.
34:10I stood there.
34:12Frozen.
34:13Protected too well.
34:15It was almost funny.
34:16Because years ago I was one of them.
34:19One of the thousands of poor girls waiting for funds that never showed up.
34:23When had Leo rotted this completely?
34:25Or maybe he was always like this.
34:28Some people wrap a rotten core in a perfect surface.
34:31As long as your interests align, you'll never smell the decay.
34:35The good grades.
34:36The humble smile.
34:38The principled reputation.
34:43All of it.
34:44A costume.
34:45And the moment personal gain was on the table.
34:48He'd taken it off without hesitation.
34:50He'd planned this from the day he asked to join the project.
34:54Didn't even fear me exposing him.
34:56Mr. Miranda was his accomplice.
34:58I walked out.
35:00Toward the outreach school.
35:02My legs moved on their own.
35:06Classes were over.
35:07The children were on the playground.
35:09Their clothes worn and dirty.
35:11I stood outside the fence.
35:14Couldn't make myself go in.
35:18Then I saw him.
35:20Terry.
35:21Dark suit among the dust and faded uniforms.
35:25He crouched down and opened his arms.
35:30The children rushed into them like he was family.
35:34Terry!
35:35What did you bring today?
35:38Milk.
35:39Cookies.
35:40Clean clothes.
35:43One child hung back.
35:45Quiet.
35:47Thin.
35:48I've never had milk before.
35:52At my house, only my little brother gets to drink milk.
35:58Is the milk for us to take home to our brothers?
36:03Terry knelt.
36:07Hand on her head.
36:09The milk is for you.
36:11You can't go home until you finish it.
36:13She took the card in like it was glass.
36:16Poked the straw in carefully.
36:20The summer sunset caught Terry's face.
36:25His eyes were clear.
36:27So clear.
36:28No alpha presence.
36:30No dominance.
36:31Just a man kneeling in the dirt with a child.
36:34He looked up.
36:36Saw me.
36:38What are you doing here?
36:40I shook myself awake.
36:42I should be asking you that.
36:44These are children I sponsor.
36:46Can I be here?
36:47You sponsor them?
36:48My voice came out higher than I meant.
36:50Isn't the project in our company's name?
36:52The money comes from me.
36:53I pulled him aside.
36:56Away from the children.
36:58Then you know Mr. Miranda and the others have been embezzling your funds.
37:01I know.
37:03Flat.
37:03Calm.
37:04Not surprised at all.
37:06Then why haven't you stopped them?
37:08You're just letting it happen?
37:10He gave me a look.
37:12Almost sad.
37:14How could I possibly let that happen?
37:17I'm waiting.
37:19For the right moment to close the net.
37:21The air left my lungs.
37:24He wasn't one of them.
37:27He was hunting them.
37:29His assistant stepped forward.
37:31Unable to hold back.
37:32Mrs. Foster.
37:34Mr. Lowe does a lot of charity work.
37:36Always personally.
37:38No middlemen.
37:39And he never lets the media cover it.
37:42Says it's not something to show off.
37:47I turned to Terry.
37:49Then why go through our company this time?
37:53Because Chloe Miranda is a repeat offender.
37:55His answer landed like a door unlocking.
37:57Over a decade ago, there was a coup against my father's pack.
38:03I was taken during the chaos.
38:05Abandoned at the foot of a mountain.
38:06A family in the countryside took me in.
38:09Their name was Foster.
38:11They had nothing.
38:12But they were good to me.
38:15After my parents found me, they sent a donation to that family.
38:19Chloe Miranda was the one who handled the funds.
38:22I suspect that family never received a single cent.
38:25He looked at me.
38:27And smiled.
38:29Right, Area Foster.
38:31I shot to my feet.
38:35It's you?
38:36I stared at him.
38:38Up and down.
38:40And from somewhere deep.
38:42Buried under years of forgetting.
38:43A name surfaced.
38:45Ryan.
38:46Terry's smile froze.
38:49Uh.
38:49Can we...
38:51Maybe not use that name?
38:52I had a brother once.
38:54Where I came from, an only daughter was a curse.
38:57But my parents loved me.
38:59They knew their limits could only raise one child so they poured everything into me.
39:07When I was eight, they brought home a boy.
39:11Found alone at the foot of the mountain.
39:14No memory.
39:15No name.
39:16No pack.
39:17My parents named him Rain.
39:21Those years with a brother were the happiest I'd ever been.
39:24No one in the village dared touch me.
39:27He was always there.
39:29Always between me and whatever wanted to hurt me.
39:32One day, strangers came to the village.
39:35Well-dressed.
39:37City people.
39:38My brother asked me what they wanted.
39:40Giving money to low-income families.
39:42The registered ones.
39:44We're on the list, aren't we?
39:46Does that mean we can finally fix the roof?
39:49It leaks every time it rains.
39:52I smiled at him.
39:54Just wait and see.
39:55A month later, the village chief built a new house.
39:59Our roof collapsed in the next storm.
40:02Later, my brother got his memory back.
40:05Found his family.
40:07Before he left, he swore he'd make sure we lived a good life.
40:12I didn't know what a good life meant.
40:14I just wanted medicine for my dad.
40:18A roof that didn't leak.
40:20I waited.
40:21And waited.
40:24Nothing came.
40:26I never saw him again.
40:30Dad got sicker.
40:33Then he was gone.
40:38Mom and I were chased out to Grandma's house.
40:43Treated like bad omens.
40:46But I never blamed my brother.
40:48He was barely a teenager.
40:50What could he have done?
40:52Eventually I stopped thinking about it.
40:55Now he was standing right in front of me.
40:58Terry touched his earlobe.
41:00A faint scar.
41:02Remember this?
41:04You bit me.
41:05I stole half your bread.
41:10How could I possibly remember that?
41:13I punched his arm.
41:15Lightly.
41:16Guilty.
41:18Why didn't you say something sooner?
41:21I was waiting for the right time.
41:24I was scared.
41:26You?
41:27Scared of anything?
41:29I broke my promise.
41:31I was afraid you'd hate me for it.
41:33He paused.
41:34And I was afraid you'd only see me as a brother.
41:39If you accept me as your brother, I can't be your husband.
41:42Yes.
41:43If he'd come to me as rain from the star tide, never have crossed that line.
41:50After I went home, I begged my parents to help you.
41:53But that money was already gone.
41:55Embezzled by Chloe Miranda.
41:57I fought with them about it.
42:00They shrugged.
42:01Told me this happens all the time.
42:05As long as the money was given out,
42:08they considered the good G done.
42:12Who had actually helped didn't matter to them.
42:14But I couldn't accept that.
42:18Terry's voice dropped.
42:22I went back to your village.
42:23You'd already moved.
42:25No one knew where.
42:28From that day, I had one goal.
42:31Seize power.
42:33Only when the power was in my hands,
42:35could I do what needed to be done.
42:38He had brothers.
42:41But they didn't share his vision.
42:44You could tell just by looking at Kathleen.
42:48Same pack.
42:49Completely different path.
42:51The outside world said Terry was a prodigy.
42:54Gifted.
42:55Brilliant.
42:56No one saw what he did in the dark to get there.
42:59He rose, took control.
43:01Achieved freedom, real freedom.
43:03And he used it?
43:05Outreach, schools, human kids.
43:08The pack system never reached.
43:10Everything he wished someone had done for my family.
43:12But there was one thing he'd never resolved.
43:16Me.
43:17He'd seen me once.
43:19Senior year of college.
43:20Just a girl who caught his eye.
43:22He kept looking.
43:25Heart racing for the first time in over 20 years.
43:29Then someone said my name.
43:31Aria Foster.
43:32The person I'd been guilty of boot me entire life.
43:36From that day you never left my mind.
43:39You appeared in my Bond dreams.
43:41It made me...
43:42He stopped.
43:43Shook his head.
43:45But none of that matters now.
43:46I only heard one thing.
43:48His story.
43:49His rise.
43:50His fight.
43:53Fire lit in my chest.
43:56This time, we make Chloe Miranda pay.
43:59This time, we make Chloe Miranda pay.
44:03Not just her.
44:05Terry's eyes sharpened.
44:07Every accomplice.
44:09Including Leo Hunter.
44:11Aria.
44:13Can you go through of it?
44:15Are you looking down on me?
44:17Why wouldn't I let go of scum like that?
44:19Whatever trace of fondness I'd had for Leo died today.
44:24Those office rumors, he'd started them.
44:27I was sure of it now.
44:30Terry nodded.
44:31Satisfied.
44:33Good.
44:33But honestly, he's useless.
44:36Couldn't win you over in a whole year.
44:39And I was actually planning to compete with him.
44:42I snorted.
44:44Alright.
44:45You win.
44:47Rain.
44:48We became comrades.
44:51Inside and out.
44:53He had the power.
44:54I had the evidence.
44:56Leo's personal accounts.
44:58Miranda's signatures.
44:59Every falsified transfer.
45:01And deeper in the chain.
45:03Chloe Miranda.
45:05The same woman who'd stolen the money meant for my family.
45:09Skimming charity funds for over a decade.
45:13We pulled every thread.
45:16The evidence was undeniable.
45:19The media erupted.
45:22But there was no name in the reports besides mine.
45:26Terry stayed in the shadows.
45:28The world only knew that a wage slave.
45:30One year out of college.
45:32Had ripped the mask off a corruption network.
45:35Some people sneered.
45:37Troubles maker like her?
45:38No company will ever hire her again.
45:42One posted my new offers the same day.
45:46Companies with skeletons didn't want me.
45:48Fine.
45:49I'd go where there was someone with a heartbeat.
45:52The female colleague who'd stood up for me.
45:54She landed at a better company after hours collapsed.
45:58Terry and I built things together after that.
46:01Schools.
46:02Hired teachers.
46:03Made sure every human kid the PAC system forgot had somewhere to go.
46:07He put up the funds.
46:09I ran the ground.
46:13We were in sync.
46:16Totally different worlds.
46:19Totally the same direction.
46:22Over time, the walls I'd built came down.
46:26And we were together.
46:29Not because the bond said so.
46:31Because I chose to.
46:35I saw Kathleen once.
46:38A coincidence.
46:41Probably not.
46:44After her expulsion,
46:46her parents coddled her.
46:50She coasted.
46:53Then her friends started disappearing.
46:56One by one.
46:58Of course.
46:59Terry's doing.
47:01She finally understood.
47:03Everyone who'd ever orbited around her had been circling her uncle.
47:08Without the Alpha's name behind her.
47:10She was nothing.
47:11Where she went from there.
47:13That was up to fate.
47:18I had no appetite for revenge.
47:21There were more important people to give my energy to.
47:25Another year passed.
47:29I came home from a month-long business trip.
47:33The door barely opened before Terry pulled me into his arms.
47:38Missed me?
47:40Missed me?
47:42Yes.
47:43And you?
47:47I guess so, Rain.
47:49Please.
47:50You're killing the mood.
47:52I laughed.
47:54Couldn't help it.
47:56Kissed his cheek.
48:00I'm kidding.
48:01I missed you too.
48:03Darling.
48:04He went still.
48:06What did you call me?
48:09Darling.
48:11He pulled me closer.
48:13I felt his heart beat against my chest.
48:16Fast.
48:17Strong.
48:17A wolf's pulse.
48:19Same as it had been that very first night.
48:21In the very first dream.
48:24That night.
48:25Moonlight spilled through the window like water.
48:27His arms held me close.
48:29The silver washed over us.
48:32Like we'd slipped back into a dream.
48:35But this time.
48:36It wasn't a dream.
48:38It was real.
48:40I chose him.
48:42Not because the bond decreed it.
48:44Because I decided to.
48:46Not because fate lashed us together in sleep.
48:49Because my own heart told me to stay.
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