Dreambound to the Alpha I Refused is an unforgettable short drama that blends fantasy, romance, destiny, and werewolf legends. After rejecting the powerful Alpha who was destined to be her mate, a young woman finds herself mysteriously bound to him through dreams that reveal a love neither of them can escape.
As ancient secrets, rival packs, and supernatural dangers threaten their world, they must decide whether to trust fate or lose everything they cherish.
Filled with emotional romance, magical bonds, Alpha power, forbidden love, and breathtaking fantasy, this full episode is perfect for fans of werewolf romance, fated mate stories, supernatural dramas, and fantasy love series.
#ShortDrama #Werewolf #Alpha #FatedMate #FantasyRomance #RejectedMate #Supernatural #DramaSeries #ShortFilm #ShortMovie #FullEpisode #ENGSUB #WolfLove #FantasyDrama #Romance
As ancient secrets, rival packs, and supernatural dangers threaten their world, they must decide whether to trust fate or lose everything they cherish.
Filled with emotional romance, magical bonds, Alpha power, forbidden love, and breathtaking fantasy, this full episode is perfect for fans of werewolf romance, fated mate stories, supernatural dramas, and fantasy love series.
#ShortDrama #Werewolf #Alpha #FatedMate #FantasyRomance #RejectedMate #Supernatural #DramaSeries #ShortFilm #ShortMovie #FullEpisode #ENGSUB #WolfLove #FantasyDrama #Romance
Category
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Short filmTranscript
00:01I keep having the same strange dream.
00:05In the dream, a man and I are drawn together by an invisible force.
00:12Every night we can't resist the pull.
00:15But 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.
00:39In 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?
00:54The moment Terry Lowe appeared, I thought I was dreaming again.
00:57I 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?
01:34Aria, are you even listening to me?
01:36Kathleen 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.
01:54Are you crazy?
01:56Do you have any idea who my uncle is?
01:58He's Alpha of the lower pack.
02:01With 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, like 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.
02:45But I felt.
02:47My roommate hurried after me.
02:49Her voice low.
02:51Why are you doing this to yourself?
02:54She's a pure-blood wolf.
02:55Her uncle is Alpha.
02:58We're about to graduate.
03:00Just endure it, and it'll be over.
03:01You can endure it if you want.
03:04I won't.
03:05Her uncle has power we can't even imagine.
03:09That'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.
03:31That 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.
03:51Did 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.
04:07They 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.
04:33Those dreams.
04:35The man who shed his impeccable suit.
04:38The way I let go of everything when I was with him.
04:42No.
04:43No 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.
05:35Just 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.
05:57Something magnetic under the surface of that I couldn't name.
06:00How did you know?
06:02You have pretty bad dark circles today.
06:05Oh.
06:09What do you want from me?
06:11I heard from Kathleen that you planned to post what she did online.
06:15If the school continues to cover for her.
06:17I will.
06:21Terry held my gaze for a moment.
06:24The council is watching.
06:26If Kathleen's scandal breaks.
06:29It 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.
06:41And you can never get back up again.
06:44People like us?
06:46His eyebrow lifted.
06:47Like the phrase genuinely didn't compute.
06:50Yes.
06:51Your kind.
06:53Wolves born with a PAC behind you.
06:56Everyone steps aside before you even open your mouth.
07:00Humans like me.
07:02We're just creatures at the bottom of your food chain.
07:05He didn't get angry.
07:06He went quiet for a moment.
07:08Then 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.
07:36Get a good night's sleep.
07:39Sleep.
07:40I 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.
07:48His 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.
07:59My shift finally over.
08:00My eyelids were sandbags.
08:03Maybe they'd already closed.
08:04Maybe I was already dreaming.
08:07Because I saw him.
08:08Black Maybach.
08:10Deserted roadside.
08:11Terry Lowe staring right at me.
08:13It was a dream.
08:15Had to be.
08:15I walked straight to his window.
08:19Don'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.
08:26Bond dreams only came when we were both asleep.
08:29He never appeared during the day.
08:31Terry said nothing.
08:33Normal in dreams.
08:35Voices never reached each other.
08:37I reached out.
08:38Squeezed his face.
08:40His skin was warm.
08:41He didn't resist.
08:42Instead, he pushed the door open and padded the leather seat.
08:47Come in.
08:49Fine.
08:49It was a dream.
08:51I climbed in.
08:53Straddled him.
08:54The position my body knew by heart we'd practiced at so many nights.
08:59His hands caught my waist.
09:01The grip was instinctive, reflexive, faster than thought.
09:05He froze for half a second, like the pull had yanked him somewhere he hadn't planned to go.
09:09Whatever.
09:10It was a dream.
09:12Who cares?
09:14Your niece bullies me every chance she gets.
09:18The 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.
09:37How was I supposed to know what brand it was?
09:40Terry's gaze flickered.
09:41And 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.
10:03This is the last time.
10:04His hands clamped down on me.
10:06The grip was crushing.
10:08No.
10:10I 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.
10:36Pressed 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.
10:59You'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.
11:15That classmate framed me.
11:17You can't let her get away with it.
11:19Terry's voice didn't rise.
11:21I checked the surveillance footage at your school yesterday afternoon.
11:25It had been deleted.
11:27Footage gets cleared eventually anyway.
11:30Then 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.
11:58Terry, 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.
12:20It'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.
12:48What'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.
12:59I 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, I saw Kathleen's name on the school bulletin.
13:25Disciplined.
13:29Hiring a proxy for the exam.
13:32Deleting surveillance footage.
13:34The 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.
13:50He'd led the investigation personally, recovered the deleted footage, confirmed the proxy, made them act.
13:58The instructors who'd ignored me for years now wore plastic smiles.
14:11I glanced around, saw Terry standing in the corner, and understood.
14:17They 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, jaw tight.
14:34Aria, I'm sorry.
14:35My ass.
14:37Her voice shot up, pitched for every student in the hallway.
14:41I 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!
15:10Kathleen'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.
15:32Even the students outside stopped breathing.
15:35Terry had slapped her.
15:37In front of everyone.
15:39No 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.
15:56Kathleen finally understood.
15:58This alpha uncle she barely knew wasn't the soft target she'd assumed.
16:04Her parents had warned her.
16:05Whatever 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.
16:31She dropped to her knees in front of me.
16:34I'm sorry, At Aria.
16:36I know I was wrong.
16:39Please.
16:40Talk 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 going to let me explain?
16:53His voice changed.
16:55Softer.
16:57It was me who pursued At Aria.
17:00I was the one bothering her.
17:03It has nothing to do with her.
17:05The room went still.
17:06An alpha.
17:07Publicly claiming pursuit of a human girl.
17:10No one in that hallway had ever seen anything like it.
17:13Kathleen was expelled.
17:15Terry 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?
17:32You can pick any job you want.
17:33I'm so jealous.
17:36Are you even going to work?
17:38Wouldn'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.
17:53My 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.
18:01I 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.
18:20You 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.
18:32Looked 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.
18:42Kathleen 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?
19:04I hummed.
19:05Turned my face away.
19:07Didn't look at him.
19:10Reality 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.
19:25He'd become someone else entirely.
19:27Clingy.
19:28Soft.
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 hand 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.
21:02I never paid much attention to campus gossip.
21:04My only memory of him was the jacket incident, the one that made Kathleen hate me.
21:10Leo smiled.
21:12It's fine if you don't remember me.
21:14But I remember you.
21:16Top of your major, your work ethic puts me to shame.
21:21He 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.
22:28And 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, my boss kept smiling.
23:14Smoothing things over.
23:15Mr. Lowe, our 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.
23:31Even 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.
23:56Yeah.
23:57It's fulfilling.
23:59Wasting your skills escorting cars.
24:03I have other duties.
24:05This was just today.
24:07You two...
24:09know each other?
24:11My boss's voice cracked.
24:12Terry ignored him.
24:14Just stared at my profile.
24:16Is having a boss like this really better than having me, Ari?
24:20We arrived.
24:22It had started raining.
24:24I was supposed to hold the umbrella for the client.
24:27Terry opened the black umbrella himself.
24:30And held it over my head first.
24:33My 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. Lowad says you deleted him on WhatsApp.
24:51He asked me to tell you he has something to discuss with you.
24:56I looked up.
24:59Your 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.
25:15Mr. 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.
25:35I'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.
25:52There's something you wrote that I can't understand.
25:55You 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.
26:05I don't.
26:06Please.
26:07Teach me.
26:08He looked down at me.
26:10His 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.
26:20You don't have to.
26:21That won't be a burden on you.
26:24What I don't understand is.
26:27Why 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.
26:34If I stayed.
26:35Every job I got.
26:37People would say it was because of you.
26:39Every achievement.
26:40She has the alpha of the low pack looking out for her.
26:44I don't want that life.
26:48I see.
26:49Terry 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 any time.
27:11But I held back.
27:13I didn't want to interfere with your choices.
27:15At least for this year.
27:17I wanted you to experience work.
27:19And love.
27:20For yourself.
27:22The great Terry Lode had the patience to wait a year?
27:25He paused.
27:26Actually.
27:27It's been longer than a year.
27:29I opened my mouth to ask.
27:31The door swung open.
27:33Aria.
27:35Lunchtime.
27:37Leo stood there.
27:39Two containers in his hands.
27:41He saw the room wasn't empty.
27:43His smile didn't waver.
27:46A colleague said you were in here.
27:48Didn't realize Mr. Lowe was here too.
27:51I'm not interrupting am I?
27:53Not at all Leo.
27:54You'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?
28:05No.
28:06Leo answered fast.
28:08Too fast.
28:09We're just colleagues.
28:11Good.
28:12Terry's voice was calm.
28:14Then 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.
28:35But 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.
28:46Leo stopped eating lunch with me.
28:48Every time I looked for him.
28:50He was busy.
28:52Something else.
28:53A thorn lodged in my chest.
28:58The 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.
29:17Subtle at first.
29:19Then not subtle at all.
29:23Congrats, 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.
29:32Yeah.
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.
29:42Nobody ever admits it.
29:44You women sure know how to climb.
29:46Before I could even react, a 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?
30:08The two men backed off, muttering.
30:10It was Leo who said it.
30:12Nothing to do with us.
30:13My head snapped up.
30:15Who?
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, humble smile he'd worn since college.
30:37I expected nothing less from you, Aria.
30:39Was all of it fake?
30:41No.
30:42I had to be sure.
30:43Leo wasn't that kind of person.
30:46I pulled him into the break room.
30:49What's wrong?
30:51Same smile.
30:52Same easy warmth.
30:54Been crazy busy lately.
30:56That's why I've been eating alone.
30:58Still can't lunch together.
30:59Sorry.
31:02Have you been telling people about me and Terry?
31:04Of course not.
31:07Instant, smooth.
31:09Why would I say something like that?
31:11People gossiping?
31:12I nodded.
31:14I nodded.
31:15Don't let them get in your head.
31:16That's just co-orgs.
31:18Jealous.
31:19Gossip this detailed had to come from someone inside.
31:22Leo frowned, thinking.
31:25That makes sense.
31:28But you and Terry were alone in that office.
31:30It wasn't a secret.
31:31A lot of people saw you.
31:33Maybe someone who walked by.
31:34I didn't answer.
31:36Leo shifted topics smoothly.
31:40Hey, that charity project, you're in charge, right?
31:45Yes.
31:46Can you get me on the team?
31:47I'm really interested.
31:49We could work on it together.
31:51The project needed people.
31:53I said yes.
31:55But 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.
32:05Human 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.
32:25Leo 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, I transferred it.
32:40Not even a hint of shame.
32:42Why?
32:43This project is way more work than I expected.
32:46The 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.
33:09Someone 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.
33:35I'm struggling too, Arya.
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.
33:45Have 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.
34:02Arya.
34:03Has Terry Locks protected you too well?
34:06You've never had to worry about food or shelter?
34:09I have.
34:10I stood there.
34:12Frozen.
34:13Protected too well.
34:15It was almost funny.
34:17Because 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?
34:26Or 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.
34:37The 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.
34:59I 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.
35:12I stood outside the fence.
35:14Couldn't make myself go in.
35:19Then I saw him.
35:20Terry.
35:22Dark 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!
35:35Terry!
35:35What did you bring today?
35:38milk, cookies, clean clothes.
35:43One child hung back, quiet, thin.
35:49I've never had milk before.
35:53At my house, only my little brother gets to drink milk.
35:59Is the milk for us to take home to our brothers?
36:04Terry knelt.
36:07Terry 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.
36:35He 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.
36:55Away from the children.
36:58Then you know Mr. Miranda and the others have been embezzling your funds.
37:02I know.
37:03Flat, calm, not 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.
37:15How 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, unable 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.
37:58Over 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.
38:07A family in the countryside took me in.
38:09Their name was Foster.
38:11They had nothing.
38:12But they were good to me.
38:16After 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, buried under years of forgetting, a name surfaced.
38:45Ryan.
38:46Terry's smile froze.
38:49Uh, can we maybe not use that name?
38:53I had a brother once.
38:54Where I came from, an only daughter was a curse.
38:58But my parents loved me.
39:00They 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.
39:18My 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?
39:50It 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.
40:06Found 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.
40:15I 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.
40:28I 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.
40:59Terry touched his earlobe.
41:00A faint scar.
41:02Remember this?
41:04You bit me.
41:06I stole half your bread.
41:10How could I possibly remember that?
41:13I punched his arm.
41:15Lightly.
41:16Guilty.
41:19Why didn't you say something sooner?
41:21I was waiting for the right time.
41:24I was scared.
41:26You?
41:28Scared 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
41:36you'd only see me as a brother.
41:39If you accept me as your brother,
41:41I can't be your husband.
41:42Yes.
41:43If he'd come to me as rain from the star,
41:45I'd never have crossed that line.
41:50After I went home,
41:51I 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
42:13didn't matter to them.
42:14But I couldn't accept that.
42:18Terry's voice dropped.
42:22I went back to your village.
42:24You'd already moved.
42:26No one knew where.
42:28From that day,
42:29I 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.
42:45You could tell just by looking at Kathleen.
42:48Same pack.
42:49Completely different path.
42:51The outside world said Terry was a prodigy.
42:55Gifted.
42:55Brilliant.
42:57No 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.
43:06Outreach, schools.
43:07Human kids.
43:08The PAC system never reached.
43:10Everything he wished someone had done for my family.
43:13But 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.
43:23He kept looking.
43:26Heart 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.
43:43He stopped.
43:44Shook 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.
43:57We 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?
44:16Why wouldn't I let go of scum like that?
44:20Whatever trace of fondness I'd had for Leo died today.
44:24Those office rumors.
44:26He'd started them.
44:27I was sure of it now.
44:30Terry nodded.
44:32Satisfied.
44:33Good.
44:33But honestly.
44:35He'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.
45:00Every falsified transfer.
45:02And deeper in the chain.
45:04Chloe Miranda.
45:05The same woman who'd stolen the money meant for my family.
45:08Skimming charity funds for over a decade.
45:14We 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.
45:49Fine.
45:49I'd go where there was someone with a heartbeat.
45:52The female colleague who'd stood up for me.
45:55She 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.
46:10I ran the ground.
46:13We were in sync.
46:17Totally different worlds.
46:19Totally the same direction.
46:22Over time, the walls I'd built came down.
46:27And 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.
46:59Derry's doing.
47:01She finally understood.
47:04Everyone who'd ever orbited around her had been circling her uncle.
47:08Without the Alpha's name behind her.
47:10She was nothing.
47:12Where she went from there.
47:14That 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?
47:42Yes.
47:43And you?
47:47I guess so, Rain.
47:49Please.
47:51You'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.
48:04Darling.
48:05He 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.
48:18A 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.
48:28His arms held me close.
48:30The silver washed over us.
48:32Like we'd slipped back into a dream.
48:35But this time.
48:37It 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.
48:51I chose him.
48:53I chose him.
48:55I chose him.
48:57I chose him.
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