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Short filmTranscript
00:00:14My name is Paige. Six years ago, I lost my parents. Six years later, my whole world had
00:00:21become my son, Jackson. And today, that world was being crushed all over again.
00:00:28I'm sorry, Paige. Jackson hurt another child. The school can't keep him any longer.
00:00:34He's only six. It was an accident.
00:00:37No parent wanted their child around him anymore.
00:00:40Nobody cared about the truth. They wanted a normal child. And my son had never fit inside
00:00:46their idea of normal.
00:00:49Mommy, did I mess up again?
00:00:52He asked it so carefully, like he was already used to the whole world blaming him.
00:00:56No, baby. This wasn't your fault. But the second I got home, reality hit me again.
00:01:03He got kicked out of school? What a shock.
00:01:10Greg, can you not-
00:01:12I told you. He's turning out just like his real father.
00:01:15Greg, my husband. He had gone cold on me a long time ago, and he'd never had any real
00:01:21patience for Jackson. He slammed the door and walked out, like none of the uglyness in
00:01:26this house belonged to him. But I found out very quickly, that this still wasn't the worst
00:01:31part of my day. Because that night, I found the phone he'd left behind in the bathroom.
00:01:38The screen lit up. A woman had texted him.
00:01:41I love you.
00:01:42I thought maybe I could still hold myself together. Life was already bad enough. I didn't have
00:01:47time to fall apart over a man, too. But the second I read those messages, I stopped wanting
00:01:51to endure anything. I miss you. Have you told her yet? Thanks for today.
00:01:57While I was drowning trying to protect my son, my husband was out there loving someone else.
00:02:10The next morning, I know what you've been doing, Greg.
00:02:16Oh? And what exactly do you know?
00:02:18You cheated on me.
00:02:21She meant nothing. You've just never really been a wife to me.
00:02:25He didn't even bother making an excuse. Like he wasn't the one betraying me. Like somehow
00:02:29I'd failed him.
00:02:30What do you mean?
00:02:33You've always been hung up on Ryder. You never got over him.
00:02:39Ryder. The man I loved the hardest and lost the hardest.
00:02:47You're right. I was never going to become what you wanted. And neither was my son.
00:02:55I want a divorce.
00:02:57The second the words left my mouth, something in me actually loosened. I went upstairs and
00:03:04started packing. He didn't stop me. He didn't even say sorry.
00:03:11Mommy, where are we going?
00:03:14Somewhere nobody knows us.
00:03:16Is Greg not coming?
00:03:18No. From now on, it was just us.
00:03:22When I said that, I was terrified. But what scared me more was what staying would do to Jackson.
00:03:28Then I called the only one who truly cared about me.
00:03:31Paige, stop hesitating. Start over.
00:03:34Poppy, my younger sister. The only person in the world who still caught me when I fell.
00:03:39But before I left for good, there was one last thing I needed to do.
00:03:42I needed to visit someone who had disappeared from my life years ago.
00:03:48Before I left town, I went to two places.
00:03:52The first was my parents' grave.
00:03:58The second was Ryder's house.
00:04:05Mommy, who used to live here?
00:04:08Your dad. Ryder.
00:04:10The boy I fell in love with at 18.
00:04:12The same boy who vanished after one night with me.
00:04:16I should have hated him completely by then.
00:04:18But standing there, I realized some wounds didn't disappear just because I named them hate.
00:04:25Do you think he's still in there?
00:04:31No, baby.
00:04:32I bought a black rose.
00:04:34Because it meant an ending.
00:04:36What does a black flower mean?
00:04:38Strength.
00:04:39Hope.
00:04:41And goodbye.
00:04:42I placed the flower on the doorstep.
00:04:45Like I was finally putting a full stop to that dead love story.
00:04:49Come on, Jax.
00:04:51A few hours later, we finally reached our new home.
00:04:54A small town called Cinderwood.
00:04:57The house wasn't big, but it felt warm.
00:05:00Behind it stretched a whole line of woods.
00:05:02Mommy, I like it here.
00:05:05Me too.
00:05:06I really thought this might be a new beginning.
00:05:08The past, the old house, Ryder, I told myself I had left all of it behind me.
00:05:14Until that night, when I stood by the window and saw something move in the tree.
00:05:19It was big, fast, definitely not human.
00:05:24Then a wolf's howl tore through the night.
00:05:26I didn't know yet that what lurked in the woods wasn't just an animal.
00:05:31Our first full day in Cinderwood should have been about unpacking and settling in.
00:05:34Mommy, are people here really not gonna hate me?
00:05:37He asked it quietly, but I knew it wasn't a casual question.
00:05:40It was a child who had been rejected too many times trying to find out whether he was still allowed
00:05:45to be loved.
00:05:46No one's going to hate you.
00:05:48This place is going to be different.
00:05:50That was what I told him.
00:05:52It was also what I was desperate to believe.
00:06:04Do you like the house?
00:06:06I do.
00:06:07It's just the woods behind it.
00:06:09They feel strange.
00:06:12Those woods run deep.
00:06:14Don't go near them at night.
00:06:16We won't.
00:06:19After the call, I went out back to bring in the drying rack.
00:06:23In the damp soil, I saw several deep marks.
00:06:27They didn't look human.
00:06:29Mommy, what are you looking at?
00:06:32Nothing.
00:06:33Inside.
00:06:34I didn't want to scare him, but in that moment, I knew last night's howl hadn't been my imagination.
00:06:40Because that night, whatever was in the woods came back.
00:06:48Cinderwood was even quieter at night than it was during the day.
00:06:52So quiet.
00:06:54It felt like every sound was waiting for something.
00:07:02Mommy, can I leave the nightlight on?
00:07:07Of course.
00:07:09After I got Jackson to sleep, I went back to the window.
00:07:15The shape was there again.
00:07:17Closer than it had been the night before.
00:07:20What are you?
00:07:22It stopped at the edge of the trees and went completely still.
00:07:27Like it was making sure we were still there.
00:07:32In that moment, I wasn't just scared.
00:07:36I felt marked by something.
00:07:41Mommy?
00:07:43It's okay, baby.
00:07:45Just the wind.
00:07:48That was what I said.
00:07:49But I knew whatever was out there was not the wind.
00:07:53The next day, I finally saw another face of whatever had been watching us.
00:08:04The next day, I took Jackson to the park.
00:08:09Hoping he'd forget the howl.
00:08:11He hung from the monkey bars, straining for the third bar.
00:08:15I'm gonna make it to the third bar this time.
00:08:18Slow down, baby.
00:08:19Don't rush.
00:08:19But he still fell.
00:08:20The second time, the third time, and then he lost it.
00:08:26I hate this!
00:08:27I hate it here!
00:08:33I was about to pull him into my arms when a deep voice came from behind me.
00:08:38Calm it, pup.
00:08:40Jackson actually went still.
00:08:42Not frightened into silence.
00:08:44More like settled by something that somehow felt familiar to him.
00:08:47I turned and saw a face that froze my blood.
00:08:55Ryder?
00:08:59But the man looked at me like he had never seen me before.
00:09:04He had Ryder's exact face.
00:09:06But he said he wasn't Ryder.
00:09:10Sorry.
00:09:11You've got the wrong guy.
00:09:12I'm Callan.
00:09:14Callan Harris.
00:09:15Callan.
00:09:16A stranger.
00:09:17But Jackson reacted like he'd found someone he already knew.
00:09:22Will you come play again?
00:09:26Sure.
00:09:27As long as you stop declaring war on the monkey bus.
00:09:31Jackson laughed and threw his arms around Callan.
00:09:35Jax!
00:09:36We do not hug strangers!
00:09:39It's okay.
00:09:40I don't mind.
00:09:42I minded.
00:09:43Especially with that face.
00:09:45Stranger still,
00:09:47the way Callan looked at Jackson
00:09:48wasn't the way adults usually looked at children.
00:09:51It looked like surprise.
00:09:53Like recognition.
00:09:55Like a kind of familiarity I didn't understand.
00:09:59You two new in town?
00:10:02Yesterday.
00:10:05Then you're going to need friends.
00:10:08I didn't know why.
00:10:10But that didn't feel like a casual line.
00:10:18I went home and couldn't get Callan's face out of my head.
00:10:22Meanwhile,
00:10:23Callan had already gone back to the pack.
00:10:33A human woman moved into town.
00:10:36Her son isn't normal.
00:10:39He is one of us.
00:10:47Callan's face out of my head.
00:10:48Ryder's long-lost twin brother.
00:10:56And clearly,
00:10:57he understood something about Jackson
00:10:59a lot faster than I did.
00:11:04Who's the father?
00:11:08Don't know.
00:11:09The kid said his father was missing.
00:11:19Ryder's expression changed instantly.
00:11:24I'll kill the bastard
00:11:25who abandoned a shifter pup.
00:11:27He said it through clenched teeth.
00:11:35He had no idea
00:11:36he was talking about himself.
00:11:40And on my side,
00:11:41I was still wondering
00:11:42whether I should let Callan
00:11:43near my son again.
00:11:45The next day,
00:11:47Callan actually showed up
00:11:48at my door with a ball.
00:11:53Sorry to visit without informing you.
00:11:55I thought Jax might want to play more.
00:11:58You actually came.
00:12:01I said I would.
00:12:02The second Jackson saw him,
00:12:03his whole face lit up.
00:12:05Callan!
00:12:06He ran too fast,
00:12:08nearly fell,
00:12:08and Callan caught him.
00:12:12Easy there, buddy.
00:12:16I stood in the doorway and watched them
00:12:18kick the ball around in the yard.
00:12:19The whole thing felt so wrong
00:12:21it made my chest ache.
00:12:22If Ryder had never disappeared,
00:12:24my son should have been smiling
00:12:26like this all along.
00:12:27And somehow the man standing there
00:12:29wasn't Ryder,
00:12:30but someone wearing his face.
00:12:33I suddenly decided that night
00:12:34I was going to ask Callan
00:12:35about his family.
00:12:37That night,
00:12:37I still let Callan stay for dinner.
00:12:40Callan likes lasagna too.
00:12:46Because this stuff
00:12:47is already perfect.
00:12:48He was too natural.
00:12:49So natural it felt like
00:12:50he was supposed to be
00:12:51sitting at my table.
00:12:52That feeling unnerved me.
00:12:54It had been too long
00:12:54since I'd seen a man
00:12:55step so easily
00:12:56into my and Jashen's lives.
00:12:58Does your family
00:12:59live around here too?
00:13:01Not really.
00:13:03I grew up in foster care.
00:13:06Then do you have family now?
00:13:08Yeah.
00:13:09I recently found out
00:13:10I had a twin brother.
00:13:16The plate in my hand
00:13:17nearly slipped.
00:13:20A twin?
00:13:22Yeah.
00:13:22He lives just outside this town.
00:13:24In that moment,
00:13:25I could almost hear
00:13:26my heart split open
00:13:27because I finally knew
00:13:29Ryder wasn't just alive.
00:13:30He was here.
00:13:32That night,
00:13:33I didn't sleep at all.
00:13:34Anger, hurt,
00:13:35and bitterness
00:13:36kept crashing over me.
00:13:37Ryder wasn't dead.
00:13:39He was alive,
00:13:40and I had raised
00:13:41our son alone.
00:13:43I had thought
00:13:43the worst thing
00:13:44was that we were
00:13:45separated by life and death.
00:13:47But now I realize
00:13:48something even cooler.
00:13:50He'd been alive
00:13:51in this world all along,
00:13:52while my son and I
00:13:54had lived six years
00:13:55without him.
00:13:56Mommy, why are you still awake?
00:14:00I'm thinking.
00:14:02Is it because of Callan?
00:14:07Maybe.
00:14:09Jackson rolled over
00:14:11and fell back asleep,
00:14:12but I stared at the ceiling
00:14:14with one name in my head.
00:14:19Ryder.
00:14:20The next morning,
00:14:21I finally called
00:14:22the number Callan
00:14:23had given me.
00:14:24Well, didn't expect
00:14:26you would call me so soon.
00:14:27I want to see you.
00:14:29Now.
00:14:29Because this time,
00:14:30I was going to ask
00:14:31where Ryder had been
00:14:32all these years.
00:14:38I was on my way
00:14:39to meet Callan,
00:14:40but on the other side,
00:14:41Callan had already
00:14:42started suspecting
00:14:43who Jackson really was.
00:14:45Six years old.
00:14:46Blue eyes.
00:14:50Missing father.
00:14:51Don't tell me
00:14:52that sounds familiar.
00:14:53The man standing
00:14:55in front of him
00:14:55was Ryder.
00:14:59What exactly
00:15:00are you saying?
00:15:01I'm saying
00:15:02the kid might be
00:15:03yours.
00:15:04Ryder looked like
00:15:05he'd been struck
00:15:05by lightning.
00:15:11No.
00:15:12The woman's name
00:15:13is Paige.
00:15:14The second he heard
00:15:15Paige's name,
00:15:17everything in Ryder's
00:15:17face changed.
00:15:19He started remembering
00:15:20that night
00:15:20six years earlier.
00:15:22Clearly,
00:15:23that night hadn't been
00:15:24something he could forget
00:15:25either.
00:15:27And I had no idea
00:15:29the man on the other end
00:15:30was already falling apart.
00:15:40Six years earlier,
00:15:41Ryder disappeared
00:15:42the morning after
00:15:43we slept together.
00:15:44Only then did I learn
00:15:45that night had been
00:15:46a disaster for him too.
00:15:47On the night of Ryder's
00:15:4818th birthday,
00:15:50he shifted for the first time.
00:15:55I thought I was dying.
00:15:58The bones,
00:15:59skin,
00:15:59and teeth
00:16:00have all started
00:16:00rebuilding themselves.
00:16:12I can't go,
00:16:13go back to her.
00:16:15What if I hurt her?
00:16:17So he ran.
00:16:19Not because he didn't
00:16:20want to stay,
00:16:21but because he was afraid.
00:16:25Later,
00:16:26Ron brought him
00:16:26into the pack.
00:16:27The abandonment
00:16:28I had hated
00:16:29for years
00:16:30turned out
00:16:30on his side
00:16:31to have been
00:16:32another kind
00:16:33of survival.
00:16:33Paige,
00:16:35was pregnant then?
00:16:36In that moment,
00:16:37the pain on his face
00:16:38felt more real
00:16:39than anything
00:16:40I had imagined.
00:16:45And at that exact moment,
00:16:46I had already spotted
00:16:47a familiar back in town.
00:16:50The second I saw
00:16:51that back across the street,
00:16:53I knew it was him.
00:16:54Ryder!
00:16:55The moment he turned around,
00:16:56my heart almost stopped.
00:16:59Ryder still had
00:17:00the same face,
00:17:02just leaner,
00:17:03darker,
00:17:04more haunted.
00:17:05And then,
00:17:06the next second,
00:17:08he dropped to his knees.
00:17:09Breathe, Ry.
00:17:10Just breathe.
00:17:14Paige.
00:17:17You're
00:17:17alive.
00:17:21I'm sorry.
00:17:22You have no idea.
00:17:23I had hated him
00:17:25for six years.
00:17:26And still,
00:17:27seeing him like that
00:17:28made me go weak.
00:17:30That was the cruel
00:17:32thing about love.
00:17:33But then I heard
00:17:34one strange word
00:17:35slip from his lips.
00:17:39Mate.
00:17:44I didn't understand
00:17:45that word,
00:17:46but I understood
00:17:46the look of someone
00:17:47losing control.
00:17:50Do you need
00:17:51an ambulance?
00:17:52No,
00:17:53he's just not
00:17:53feeling well.
00:17:54I didn't believe
00:17:54that for a second.
00:17:56And Ryder didn't
00:17:57look unwell
00:17:57in any normal
00:17:58sense of the word.
00:18:01We need to get him
00:18:02out of here.
00:18:04What the hell
00:18:05is happening to him?
00:18:06Paige,
00:18:07come with us first.
00:18:08I'll explain.
00:18:13What is this?
00:18:14Is he high?
00:18:17Not the way you mean.
00:18:18That answer
00:18:19finally set me off.
00:18:20Really?
00:18:23Seven years ago,
00:18:24he slept with me
00:18:25and left me alone
00:18:26in that tent.
00:18:30After that,
00:18:31my life fell apart.
00:18:33I raised my son
00:18:34alone.
00:18:37So stay away
00:18:38from me and my son.
00:18:39I said it
00:18:40and walked away.
00:18:41But Ryder looked
00:18:42at me like I had
00:18:43sentenced him myself.
00:18:45I thought saying
00:18:46the cruelest thing
00:18:47possible would end it.
00:18:48I was very quickly
00:18:49proven wrong.
00:18:50The next day,
00:18:50I took Jackson
00:18:51into town
00:18:52and Ryder was there
00:18:53again,
00:18:54standing right
00:18:55in front of me.
00:19:04Paige,
00:19:05I didn't leave you
00:19:06on purpose.
00:19:07Enough.
00:19:08I don't want
00:19:09excuses.
00:19:10Then Jackson
00:19:11peeked out
00:19:11from behind me.
00:19:13Mommy,
00:19:14who is that?
00:19:15Ryder went
00:19:16completely still.
00:19:17It was the first time
00:19:18he had seen his son
00:19:19from that close.
00:19:20It was also
00:19:21the first time
00:19:22he truly had to face
00:19:23what he had lost.
00:19:27Why do you keep
00:19:28looking at me?
00:19:32Because
00:19:35you look like
00:19:36someone I know.
00:19:37And then the thing
00:19:37I feared most
00:19:38finally happened.
00:19:39Do you know
00:19:40my dad?
00:19:42In that second,
00:19:43the air seemed
00:19:44to freeze.
00:19:45I...
00:19:46He couldn't get
00:19:46a full sentence out.
00:19:48Jax,
00:19:48come here.
00:19:52But mommy...
00:19:55Now.
00:19:57I pulled
00:19:58Jackson behind me.
00:20:01Don't you
00:20:01go near him.
00:20:04Paige,
00:20:05I'd never
00:20:05hurt him.
00:20:07You already
00:20:08did.
00:20:10You hurt
00:20:10both of us.
00:20:11I took
00:20:12Jackson and
00:20:12walked away.
00:20:14But when I
00:20:14glanced back,
00:20:15Ryder was still
00:20:16standing there.
00:20:17He watched us
00:20:17walk away like
00:20:18a father who
00:20:19had lost
00:20:19everything.
00:20:20But I
00:20:20couldn't afford
00:20:21to soften.
00:20:22Because if I
00:20:22did,
00:20:23the one who
00:20:23could get
00:20:24hurt again
00:20:24wouldn't
00:20:25just be me.
00:20:26But Callan
00:20:26didn't give up.
00:20:27He decided
00:20:28to try
00:20:29another way in.
00:20:30One reach
00:20:31out of there,
00:20:31hide.
00:20:36Callan
00:20:36was smarter
00:20:37than Ryder.
00:20:37He knew
00:20:38pushing too
00:20:39hard would
00:20:39only make
00:20:39me take
00:20:40Jackson
00:20:40and run.
00:20:43Don't push
00:20:44her.
00:20:45Then what
00:20:46am I supposed
00:20:46to do?
00:20:48Make her
00:20:48trust us.
00:20:52Protect
00:20:53Jax first.
00:20:55Meanwhile,
00:20:56Jackson started
00:20:57having the same
00:20:57dream over
00:20:58and over.
00:21:07Jackson.
00:21:08Mommy,
00:21:09I dreamed
00:21:09about the woods
00:21:10again.
00:21:11What kind
00:21:12of woods?
00:21:14Wolves.
00:21:15Lots of wolves.
00:21:16But I'm not
00:21:17scared.
00:21:21I told him
00:21:22to go back
00:21:23to sleep,
00:21:23but my heart
00:21:24kept sinking
00:21:25lower
00:21:27because I
00:21:28was starting
00:21:29to feel
00:21:29that whatever
00:21:30was wrong
00:21:30with Jackson
00:21:31was not
00:21:31the kind
00:21:32of problem
00:21:32the school
00:21:33thought it
00:21:33was.
00:21:36Because I
00:21:37was starting
00:21:37to feel
00:21:38there was
00:21:38some strange
00:21:39connection
00:21:39between Jackson
00:21:40and this town.
00:21:51The next
00:21:51day, I took
00:21:53Jackson to
00:21:53the school.
00:21:55Regina,
00:21:56the head
00:21:56teacher there,
00:21:58welcomed us
00:21:58instead of
00:21:59interrogating
00:21:59us.
00:22:00Please,
00:22:01call me
00:22:02Regina.
00:22:04You're not
00:22:05worried about
00:22:05my son's
00:22:06history?
00:22:09I care
00:22:10more about
00:22:11the kind
00:22:11of person
00:22:12he can
00:22:12become.
00:22:14Jackson
00:22:15made friends
00:22:15with a few
00:22:16children almost
00:22:16immediately.
00:22:18That's
00:22:19fast.
00:22:22He'll like
00:22:22it here.
00:22:23I watched
00:22:24those children
00:22:24and something
00:22:25felt off.
00:22:26They were
00:22:27too quiet,
00:22:28too alert,
00:22:30too much
00:22:31like they
00:22:31were scenting
00:22:32one another.
00:22:33But for the
00:22:34first time,
00:22:35Jackson wasn't
00:22:36being pushed
00:22:36out.
00:22:42And that
00:22:43made me feel
00:22:43relieved.
00:22:45And even
00:22:46more uneasy.
00:22:47And that
00:22:48same night,
00:22:48I saw that
00:22:49giant shape
00:22:50in the woods
00:22:51again.
00:22:57I was
00:22:58starting to
00:22:58get scared.
00:23:00Not of
00:23:00wolves.
00:23:02Of the
00:23:02possibility
00:23:03that my
00:23:04son was
00:23:04one of
00:23:04them.
00:23:06on the
00:23:07other side,
00:23:07Callan,
00:23:08Ryder,
00:23:08Remy,
00:23:09and Parker
00:23:09were having
00:23:10a meeting.
00:23:11Remy,
00:23:12the sharpest
00:23:12one.
00:23:13Parker,
00:23:14the calmest.
00:23:16Jax is
00:23:17getting close
00:23:17to his
00:23:18first real
00:23:18loss of
00:23:19control.
00:23:22If
00:23:22Paige stays
00:23:23in the
00:23:23dark,
00:23:23this gets
00:23:24worse.
00:23:27Then we
00:23:27tell her.
00:23:28You think a
00:23:29human's going
00:23:29to believe
00:23:29any of
00:23:30this?
00:23:31So it
00:23:31wasn't just
00:23:32me who
00:23:32was afraid.
00:23:34They knew
00:23:35something was
00:23:35happening to
00:23:36Jackson,
00:23:36too.
00:23:37And they
00:23:38clearly understood
00:23:39its meaning
00:23:39better than I
00:23:40did.
00:23:42And as I
00:23:43stood at my
00:23:44window,
00:23:44I saw that
00:23:45giant shape
00:23:46move through
00:23:46the woods
00:23:47again.
00:23:50What the
00:23:51hell is
00:23:52that?
00:23:56Because
00:23:57next,
00:23:58I finally
00:23:59decided to
00:24:00ask Ryder
00:24:00one question,
00:24:01what exactly
00:24:02were they?
00:24:04In the end,
00:24:05I still went
00:24:06to Ryder.
00:24:08not because
00:24:09I believed
00:24:10him,
00:24:10but because
00:24:11what was
00:24:11happening to
00:24:12Jackson had
00:24:13already pushed
00:24:14me past the
00:24:15point where
00:24:15pretending was
00:24:16possible.
00:24:19What exactly
00:24:20are you?
00:24:23I can't
00:24:24explain all
00:24:25of it at
00:24:25once.
00:24:29Then tell
00:24:29me the part
00:24:30that matters
00:24:30most.
00:24:32Ryder looked
00:24:33at me like
00:24:34he was weighing
00:24:34everything,
00:24:35whether to
00:24:36keep lying
00:24:37to me
00:24:37or drag
00:24:38me fully
00:24:38into another
00:24:39world.
00:24:42Callan,
00:24:43Remy,
00:24:43Parker,
00:24:43and I
00:24:44weren't
00:24:45normal.
00:24:48That's not
00:24:48the answer
00:24:49I expected.
00:24:52Neither
00:24:52was Jax.
00:24:57In that
00:24:58moment,
00:24:59everything
00:24:59inside me
00:25:00went cold.
00:25:01I could
00:25:02accept being
00:25:02dragged into
00:25:03something strange,
00:25:05but I
00:25:06couldn't accept
00:25:07anyone
00:25:07defining my
00:25:08son like
00:25:08that.
00:25:09Are you
00:25:10seriously
00:25:11humiliating
00:25:11my son
00:25:12like that?
00:25:14I'm not.
00:25:15I didn't
00:25:16believe him.
00:25:17Stay away
00:25:18from us.
00:25:22But that
00:25:23night...
00:25:25Jackson cracked
00:25:26the wooden
00:25:26cabinet with
00:25:27one punch.
00:25:33I kept
00:25:33telling myself
00:25:34Ryder was
00:25:35lying
00:25:37until
00:25:37Jackson
00:25:38lost
00:25:38control
00:25:39right in
00:25:39front of
00:25:39me.
00:25:43I
00:25:43didn't
00:25:44mean to!
00:25:45He just
00:25:45got frustrated
00:25:46because a
00:25:47toy jammed,
00:25:48but the
00:25:48next second,
00:25:49the cabinet
00:25:50door split
00:25:51clean down
00:25:51the middle.
00:25:54Jax,
00:25:55don't move!
00:25:56Stand
00:25:56right there!
00:26:01Mommy,
00:26:02is something
00:26:03wrong with
00:26:04me?
00:26:04That
00:26:05question
00:26:06nearly tore
00:26:06my heart
00:26:07open.
00:26:08Jackson
00:26:09was never
00:26:09most afraid
00:26:10of pain.
00:26:12What he
00:26:13feared most
00:26:14was being
00:26:15different from
00:26:15everyone else.
00:26:19This
00:26:19wasn't your
00:26:20fault.
00:26:23But even
00:26:24as I said
00:26:25it,
00:26:25my hands
00:26:26were shaking.
00:26:29Mommy,
00:26:31are you
00:26:31scared of
00:26:32me?
00:26:35I'm
00:26:35scared of
00:26:36anyone
00:26:36hurting you.
00:26:38And for
00:26:38the first
00:26:39time,
00:26:39I thought
00:26:40back to
00:26:40what Ryder
00:26:41had said.
00:26:42Neither
00:26:42was Jax.
00:26:50the next
00:26:50day,
00:26:51I didn't
00:26:51go to
00:26:52Ryder.
00:27:00I went
00:27:01to the
00:27:01one man
00:27:01who looked
00:27:02least likely
00:27:02to lie
00:27:03to me,
00:27:04Parker.
00:27:08If there
00:27:08was one
00:27:09man in
00:27:09that path
00:27:10who could
00:27:10make me
00:27:10stay calm,
00:27:12it was
00:27:12Parker.
00:27:14Tell me
00:27:15the truth.
00:27:16Do you
00:27:17want all
00:27:17of it?
00:27:18Or the
00:27:19part you
00:27:19need most
00:27:20right now?
00:27:23What's
00:27:24happening to
00:27:24my son?
00:27:25Without a
00:27:25pack to
00:27:26guide him,
00:27:28he'll become
00:27:28more dangerous.
00:27:30What exactly
00:27:31do you mean
00:27:31by pack?
00:27:33We're
00:27:33werewolves.
00:27:34It was the
00:27:34most absurd
00:27:35answer possible,
00:27:36but Parker
00:27:37said it as
00:27:38calmly as if
00:27:38he were
00:27:39talking about
00:27:39the weather.
00:27:40You're
00:27:40insane.
00:27:41I wish
00:27:42we were,
00:27:42but everything
00:27:43happening to
00:27:44Jax is already
00:27:45telling you the
00:27:45truth.
00:27:46I opened my
00:27:46mouth and
00:27:47realized I
00:27:48didn't have a
00:27:49real argument
00:27:49left, because
00:27:50the scariest
00:27:51thing was never
00:27:52not understanding.
00:27:53It was the
00:27:53fact that I
00:27:54had already
00:27:54started connecting
00:27:55all the strange
00:27:56pieces myself,
00:27:57because I
00:27:58remembered the
00:27:58first thing
00:27:59Callan had
00:27:59said to
00:28:00Jackson.
00:28:01Calm it,
00:28:02pup.
00:28:03I thought
00:28:04werewolves
00:28:05belonged in
00:28:05fairy tales and
00:28:06horror movies,
00:28:07but now every
00:28:08strange thing
00:28:09was locking
00:28:10into place
00:28:10on its own.
00:28:11Jackson's
00:28:12strength,
00:28:13Jackson's
00:28:13dreams,
00:28:14and the way
00:28:15he bonded
00:28:16with Callan
00:28:16and Regina
00:28:17instantly.
00:28:19So that
00:28:20day, you
00:28:20weren't just
00:28:20calming him
00:28:21down by
00:28:21chance?
00:28:24No.
00:28:25You knew
00:28:26what he was
00:28:27the first
00:28:27time you
00:28:27met him?
00:28:29We could
00:28:30scent it.
00:28:31That sentence
00:28:32sent a chill
00:28:32across my
00:28:33skin.
00:28:35Ryder knew
00:28:36too?
00:28:39More
00:28:39painfully
00:28:40than anyone.
00:28:41Later,
00:28:42Ryder came
00:28:43to find
00:28:43me.
00:28:46It wasn't
00:28:47that I
00:28:47didn't want
00:28:47to come
00:28:48back.
00:28:49I was
00:28:49afraid I'd
00:28:50bring danger
00:28:50to you.
00:28:51I looked
00:28:52at him,
00:28:52and for
00:28:53the first
00:28:53time I
00:28:53didn't argue,
00:28:54because this
00:28:55time I
00:28:56wasn't just
00:28:57angry anymore.
00:28:57I was
00:28:58starting to
00:28:59fear that
00:28:59the danger
00:28:59he talked
00:29:00about was
00:29:00real.
00:29:01But then
00:29:02I asked
00:29:02the cruelest
00:29:03question of
00:29:03all.
00:29:12Then why
00:29:13did you
00:29:13never come
00:29:14looking for
00:29:14us?
00:29:16If the
00:29:16werewolf part
00:29:17was the
00:29:17truth,
00:29:18this question
00:29:19was the
00:29:20wound.
00:29:21If you
00:29:22were alive,
00:29:22why didn't
00:29:23you ever
00:29:23come back
00:29:23for me?
00:29:32Because I
00:29:32didn't know.
00:29:34didn't know
00:29:35what?
00:29:38I didn't
00:29:39know you
00:29:40were
00:29:40pregnant.
00:29:45His voice
00:29:46was wrecked
00:29:46when he
00:29:47said it.
00:29:48If I'd
00:29:49known,
00:29:50I would
00:29:50have come
00:29:50back.
00:29:54No
00:29:54question.
00:29:55But you
00:29:56still
00:29:56left.
00:29:59I know.
00:30:00There was
00:30:01no defense,
00:30:02no excuse,
00:30:03just pain
00:30:03that had
00:30:04arrived six
00:30:05years too
00:30:05late.
00:30:05I should
00:30:06have kept
00:30:06hating him,
00:30:07but somehow,
00:30:08those three
00:30:08words I
00:30:09didn't know
00:30:09hurt more
00:30:10than any
00:30:11excuse would
00:30:11have.
00:30:16I don't
00:30:17know if I
00:30:17can believe
00:30:17you.
00:30:18Then don't.
00:30:25just let me
00:30:26prove it.
00:30:33And the
00:30:34first person to
00:30:34weaken me
00:30:35wasn't Ryder.
00:30:40It was
00:30:40Jackson.
00:30:42Ever since
00:30:42meeting Ryder,
00:30:43Jackson had
00:30:44started bringing
00:30:45him up all
00:30:45the time.
00:30:46Mommy,
00:30:47is Ryder
00:30:48coming today?
00:30:55Why do you
00:30:56keep asking
00:30:57about him?
00:30:58I don't
00:30:59know.
00:31:00But whenever
00:31:02I see him,
00:31:03my chest
00:31:04feels warm.
00:31:06That line
00:31:07nearly broke
00:31:07me.
00:31:08Jackson didn't
00:31:09understand bloodlines.
00:31:11but sometimes
00:31:12children
00:31:12instinctively
00:31:13gravitated
00:31:14toward their
00:31:14family members.
00:31:21Maybe
00:31:22because you
00:31:23like him.
00:31:24Then I
00:31:26like Callan
00:31:26too.
00:31:28Yeah,
00:31:29I noticed
00:31:29that.
00:31:30I tried to
00:31:31smile,
00:31:32but something
00:31:33heavy settled
00:31:33deeper inside
00:31:34me because
00:31:35children didn't
00:31:36lie about
00:31:36feelings like
00:31:37that.
00:31:43That night,
00:31:44Ryder finally
00:31:45asked.
00:31:46He wanted
00:31:47one chance
00:31:48to be alone
00:31:48with Jackson.
00:31:57I hesitated
00:31:58for a long
00:31:58time,
00:31:59but in the
00:32:00end I
00:32:00said yes.
00:32:02One hour.
00:32:03That's
00:32:04enough.
00:32:05Ryder spent
00:32:05the hour
00:32:06building blocks,
00:32:07kicking a
00:32:07ball,
00:32:08and telling
00:32:08stories with
00:32:09Jackson.
00:32:11You
00:32:11kick
00:32:12better
00:32:12than
00:32:12Callan.
00:32:13Don't
00:32:14tell him
00:32:14that.
00:32:15Shh.
00:32:19Okay.
00:32:20Man's
00:32:20secret.
00:32:21I stood
00:32:22in the
00:32:22doorway
00:32:22watching
00:32:23them,
00:32:23my chest
00:32:24tightening
00:32:24over and
00:32:25over.
00:32:25Jackson
00:32:26hadn't
00:32:26been this
00:32:27happy
00:32:27in a
00:32:27long
00:32:27time.
00:32:30One
00:32:31hour
00:32:31passed
00:32:31far too
00:32:32quickly.
00:32:35I
00:32:36should
00:32:36go.
00:32:40will
00:32:41you
00:32:41come
00:32:42see
00:32:42me
00:32:42again?
00:32:43Ryder's
00:32:44eyes
00:32:44visibly
00:32:45shone.
00:32:48Anytime
00:32:48you want
00:32:49me to.
00:32:51I realized
00:32:52Jackson
00:32:52started to
00:32:53depend on
00:32:53Ryder,
00:32:54and for the
00:32:55first time,
00:32:55I realized
00:32:57I was starting
00:32:57to soften.
00:33:05after Ryder
00:33:06left,
00:33:07Jackson
00:33:07stayed quiet
00:33:08for a long
00:33:08time.
00:33:16What are you
00:33:16thinking about?
00:33:22I miss
00:33:23him already.
00:33:28that sentence
00:33:29hit me right
00:33:30in the
00:33:30chest.
00:33:32I had
00:33:33been scared
00:33:34this whole
00:33:34time,
00:33:35scared that
00:33:36putting the
00:33:36idea of a
00:33:37father back
00:33:38into my
00:33:38son's life
00:33:39would become
00:33:39another
00:33:40disaster.
00:33:42But right
00:33:42then,
00:33:43what I saw
00:33:44first was
00:33:45Jackson's
00:33:45disappointment.
00:33:53You've been
00:33:54carrying
00:33:54everything
00:33:54alone for
00:33:55too long.
00:33:56At some
00:33:57point,
00:33:58Callan had
00:33:58appeared
00:33:58behind me.
00:34:00Do you
00:34:01ever make
00:34:01noise when
00:34:02you walk?
00:34:03Depends
00:34:04on my
00:34:04mood.
00:34:08I should
00:34:09have been
00:34:09annoyed.
00:34:11But somehow
00:34:12that line
00:34:13almost,
00:34:14almost made
00:34:14me smile.
00:34:16you don't
00:34:17have to
00:34:17forgive anyone
00:34:18yet.
00:34:20But you
00:34:21also don't
00:34:22have to
00:34:22carry all
00:34:22of it
00:34:23by yourself.
00:34:29The
00:34:30dangerous
00:34:30thing about
00:34:30Callan wasn't
00:34:31that he
00:34:31looked like
00:34:32Ryder.
00:34:33It was
00:34:34that he
00:34:34always showed
00:34:35up at the
00:34:35exact moment
00:34:36I was trying
00:34:36hardest not
00:34:37to break.
00:34:39I looked
00:34:40at him
00:34:40and realized
00:34:41for the
00:34:41first time
00:34:42that Ryder
00:34:42wasn't the
00:34:43only one
00:34:43affecting me.
00:34:45I started
00:34:46really looking
00:34:46at the
00:34:46four men
00:34:47around me.
00:34:48Ryder
00:34:49guilty
00:34:50and
00:34:51intense
00:34:51Callan
00:34:52warm
00:34:53and
00:34:54fearless
00:34:54Parker
00:34:56steady
00:34:57Remy
00:34:58sharp as
00:34:59a blade.
00:35:00Are the
00:35:00four of
00:35:01you always
00:35:01this
00:35:03weird?
00:35:04Depends
00:35:05on your
00:35:05definition
00:35:05of weird.
00:35:07If you
00:35:08mean not
00:35:08letting go
00:35:09of each
00:35:09other
00:35:09then yes.
00:35:12they talk
00:35:13too much
00:35:14I don't.
00:35:19Yeah I
00:35:20noticed that
00:35:20already.
00:35:25I had
00:35:26thought only
00:35:26Ryder could
00:35:27drag me
00:35:27back into
00:35:28the past
00:35:31but now
00:35:32all four
00:35:33of them
00:35:33were pulling
00:35:34me towards
00:35:34some future
00:35:35I had
00:35:35never expected.
00:35:38that scared
00:35:39me
00:35:40because I
00:35:41knew that
00:35:41once I
00:35:41stepped into
00:35:42it there
00:35:43would be
00:35:43no going
00:35:44back to
00:35:44the life
00:35:44I used
00:35:45to have.
00:35:56And now
00:35:57I finally
00:35:58had to do
00:35:59the hardest
00:35:59thing yet
00:36:00tell
00:36:01Jassen
00:36:01the truth.
00:36:06I sat
00:36:07on the
00:36:07edge
00:36:08of
00:36:08Jackson's
00:36:08bed
00:36:08and felt
00:36:09like I
00:36:10was
00:36:10delivering
00:36:10a
00:36:10sentence.
00:36:11Jax
00:36:12there's
00:36:12something
00:36:12I need
00:36:13to tell
00:36:13you.
00:36:14Is it
00:36:15about
00:36:15Ryder?
00:36:18Yes.
00:36:19He sat
00:36:20up
00:36:20immediately.
00:36:21He might
00:36:21be the
00:36:22person
00:36:22you've
00:36:22been
00:36:22waiting
00:36:23for.
00:36:24You
00:36:25mean
00:36:26I
00:36:29still
00:36:29can't
00:36:30say
00:36:30everything
00:36:30for
00:36:30certain
00:36:33but I
00:36:34think
00:36:34you
00:36:34deserve
00:36:34to
00:36:34know
00:36:35that
00:36:35he
00:36:35matters
00:36:35to
00:36:36you.
00:36:39Jackson
00:36:39looked
00:36:39at me
00:36:40and his
00:36:40eyes
00:36:41slowly
00:36:41turned
00:36:41red.
00:36:44Then
00:36:47is he
00:36:48going to
00:36:49leave me
00:36:49again?
00:36:50In that
00:36:50moment
00:36:51I could
00:36:52barely
00:36:52speak
00:36:52because
00:36:53that
00:36:53one
00:36:53word
00:36:53again
00:36:54cut
00:36:54too
00:36:54deep.
00:36:55Jackson
00:36:55had
00:36:55already
00:36:56learned
00:36:56not
00:36:56to
00:36:56trust
00:36:57the
00:36:57idea
00:36:57of
00:36:57a
00:36:57father
00:36:58too
00:36:58easily.
00:36:59This
00:36:59time
00:36:59if
00:37:00he
00:37:00tries
00:37:01I'll
00:37:01kill
00:37:02him.
00:37:05Jackson
00:37:06finally
00:37:06let out
00:37:07a tiny
00:37:07laugh.
00:37:08But
00:37:09next
00:37:09Ryder
00:37:10had to
00:37:10face
00:37:10more
00:37:11than
00:37:11the
00:37:11word
00:37:11father.
00:37:12had
00:37:12to
00:37:12learn
00:37:12how
00:37:12to
00:37:12truly
00:37:13get
00:37:13close
00:37:13to
00:37:13his
00:37:14son.
00:37:18Once
00:37:18I'd
00:37:18cracked
00:37:19the
00:37:19truth
00:37:19open
00:37:19the
00:37:20most
00:37:20nervous
00:37:21person
00:37:21wasn't
00:37:21me.
00:37:22It
00:37:23was
00:37:23Ryder.
00:37:25you
00:37:26look
00:37:26like
00:37:26you're
00:37:26heading
00:37:27into
00:37:27battle.
00:37:31Feels
00:37:31like
00:37:31it.
00:37:32For
00:37:32the
00:37:32first
00:37:33time
00:37:33he
00:37:33was
00:37:33approaching
00:37:34Jackson
00:37:34in a
00:37:35more
00:37:35honest
00:37:35role.
00:37:38Are
00:37:39you
00:37:39playing
00:37:39with
00:37:40me
00:37:40again
00:37:40today?
00:37:44If
00:37:46you
00:37:46want
00:37:46me
00:37:46to.
00:37:47This
00:37:48time
00:37:48Ryder
00:37:49didn't
00:37:49rush
00:37:49to
00:37:49explain
00:37:50or
00:37:50claim
00:37:50anything.
00:37:51He
00:37:52just
00:37:52stayed
00:37:52like
00:37:53he
00:37:53was
00:37:53learning
00:37:53a
00:37:53lesson
00:37:54he
00:37:54had
00:37:54missed
00:37:54for
00:37:54six
00:37:55whole
00:37:55years.
00:38:09Ryder.
00:38:10It
00:38:10wasn't
00:38:11dad.
00:38:11But
00:38:11for
00:38:11Ryder,
00:38:12those
00:38:12two
00:38:13syllables
00:38:13were
00:38:13enough
00:38:14to
00:38:14make
00:38:14his
00:38:14eyes
00:38:14burn.
00:38:15I
00:38:15suddenly
00:38:15understood
00:38:16that
00:38:16some
00:38:16bonds
00:38:17weren't
00:38:17built
00:38:17by
00:38:17a
00:38:17single
00:38:18claim.
00:38:18They
00:38:19were
00:38:19built
00:38:19moment
00:38:19by
00:38:19moment
00:38:20by
00:38:20showing
00:38:21up
00:38:23and
00:38:23I
00:38:23started
00:38:24noticing
00:38:24something
00:38:24else.
00:38:29There
00:38:29was
00:38:30something
00:38:30off
00:38:30between
00:38:30Callan
00:38:31and
00:38:31Remy.
00:38:36I
00:38:37used
00:38:37to
00:38:37think
00:38:37Callan
00:38:38and
00:38:38Remy
00:38:38were
00:38:39just
00:38:39close
00:38:39pack
00:38:40brothers.
00:38:41I
00:38:42didn't
00:38:42think
00:38:42that
00:38:42anymore.
00:38:44Remy
00:38:45always
00:38:45looked
00:38:46like
00:38:46he
00:38:46wanted
00:38:46to
00:38:46bite
00:38:47the
00:38:47world
00:38:47in
00:38:47half.
00:38:49But
00:38:50every
00:38:50time
00:38:50Callan
00:38:51spoke
00:38:51Remy
00:38:52looked
00:38:52at
00:38:52him
00:38:52first.
00:38:54Are
00:38:55the
00:38:55two
00:38:55of
00:38:55you
00:38:55always
00:38:56this
00:38:56weird?
00:38:59You
00:39:00really
00:39:00like
00:39:00that
00:39:00word
00:39:00lately?
00:39:01Mind
00:39:02your
00:39:02own
00:39:02business.
00:39:05Right.
00:39:06So
00:39:06that's
00:39:07a
00:39:07yes.
00:39:08Remy
00:39:08acted
00:39:08like
00:39:09I
00:39:09annoyed
00:39:09him.
00:39:10But
00:39:11whenever
00:39:11something
00:39:11happened,
00:39:12Remy
00:39:13was always
00:39:13the first
00:39:14one
00:39:14stepping
00:39:14in
00:39:15front
00:39:15of
00:39:15me.
00:39:16I
00:39:16was
00:39:17no
00:39:17longer
00:39:17sure
00:39:17whether
00:39:18he
00:39:18hated
00:39:18me
00:39:19or
00:39:19cared
00:39:19too
00:39:20much.
00:39:21The
00:39:21relationships
00:39:22in this
00:39:22pack
00:39:22were clearly
00:39:23far more
00:39:23complicated
00:39:24than I
00:39:24had first
00:39:25thought.
00:39:26And
00:39:27somehow,
00:39:27the more
00:39:28complicated
00:39:29it got,
00:39:30the harder
00:39:31it became
00:39:31for me
00:39:31to step
00:39:32away.
00:39:39And
00:39:39Jackson
00:39:40was starting
00:39:40to look
00:39:41more and
00:39:41more like
00:39:42he belonged
00:39:42there.
00:39:44Jackson
00:39:44adjusted
00:39:45to school
00:39:45shockingly
00:39:46fast.
00:39:47He was
00:39:47no longer
00:39:48the problem
00:39:48child
00:39:48nobody
00:39:49liked.
00:39:51There,
00:39:51he looked
00:39:52like he'd
00:39:53finally
00:39:53found his
00:39:53own
00:39:54kind.
00:39:59Steady
00:39:59your feet,
00:40:00Jax.
00:40:04Like
00:40:04this?
00:40:05Yeah.
00:40:07Just
00:40:07like
00:40:07that.
00:40:09Callan
00:40:09handled
00:40:10sports
00:40:10for the
00:40:10kids.
00:40:12Every
00:40:12time
00:40:12he
00:40:13watched
00:40:13Jackson,
00:40:14the
00:40:15surprise
00:40:15in his
00:40:16eyes
00:40:16got
00:40:17harder
00:40:17to
00:40:17hide.
00:40:21If
00:40:22he
00:40:22really
00:40:22is
00:40:22Ryder's
00:40:23son,
00:40:23then
00:40:24he's
00:40:24the
00:40:24future
00:40:25of
00:40:25this
00:40:25pack.
00:40:26I
00:40:27didn't
00:40:27fully
00:40:28understand
00:40:28the
00:40:28future
00:40:29they
00:40:29were
00:40:29talking
00:40:30about.
00:40:33But
00:40:33I
00:40:33could
00:40:33hear
00:40:34how
00:40:34heavy
00:40:34it
00:40:35was.
00:40:36This
00:40:37was
00:40:37no
00:40:37longer
00:40:37just
00:40:37my
00:40:38son
00:40:38being
00:40:38a
00:40:38little
00:40:39unusual.
00:40:40The
00:40:40way
00:40:41they
00:40:41looked
00:40:41at him
00:40:41made
00:40:42it
00:40:42clear
00:40:42they
00:40:42saw
00:40:42something
00:40:43in
00:40:43him
00:40:43that
00:40:43could
00:40:43change
00:40:44a
00:40:44great
00:40:44deal.
00:40:48And
00:40:49just
00:40:49when
00:40:49I
00:40:49could
00:40:49finally
00:40:50speak
00:40:50calmly
00:40:51to
00:40:51Ryder,
00:40:52we
00:40:53almost
00:40:53kissed.
00:40:57Some
00:40:58old
00:40:58loves
00:40:59didn't
00:40:59die
00:40:59just
00:41:00because
00:41:00time
00:41:00passes.
00:41:02They
00:41:02just
00:41:02went
00:41:03quiet.
00:41:04Then
00:41:05they
00:41:05woke
00:41:05up
00:41:05again
00:41:05at
00:41:06the
00:41:06worst
00:41:06possible
00:41:07time.
00:41:09You
00:41:09don't
00:41:09look
00:41:09quite
00:41:10as
00:41:10ready
00:41:10to
00:41:10kill
00:41:10me
00:41:10lately.
00:41:12Don't
00:41:12get
00:41:12ahead
00:41:13of
00:41:13yourself.
00:41:16He
00:41:16smiled,
00:41:17still
00:41:18the
00:41:18same
00:41:18smile
00:41:19that
00:41:19undid
00:41:19me.
00:41:22Paige,
00:41:23I
00:41:23know
00:41:24I
00:41:24don't
00:41:24deserve
00:41:24this,
00:41:25but
00:41:26every
00:41:26day
00:41:26I
00:41:26think
00:41:27about
00:41:27what
00:41:27our
00:41:27life
00:41:28would
00:41:28look
00:41:28like
00:41:28if
00:41:29I
00:41:29hadn't
00:41:29left
00:41:29that
00:41:29night.
00:41:31That
00:41:31line
00:41:31landed
00:41:32too
00:41:32hard.
00:41:34He
00:41:34stepped
00:41:34closer,
00:41:35and I
00:41:36didn't
00:41:36step
00:41:36back.
00:41:37We
00:41:37almost
00:41:38kissed,
00:41:38then a
00:41:39sharp
00:41:39whistle
00:41:39cut
00:41:40through
00:41:40the
00:41:40moment
00:41:40outside.
00:41:46I
00:41:47knew I
00:41:47should
00:41:47have
00:41:48been
00:41:48grateful
00:41:48for
00:41:48the
00:41:48interruption,
00:41:50but
00:41:50when I
00:41:51stepped
00:41:51away
00:41:51from
00:41:51him,
00:41:52what
00:41:52rose
00:41:53in
00:41:53me
00:41:53wasn't
00:41:53relief.
00:41:54It
00:41:55was
00:41:55disappointment.
00:41:57Something
00:41:57worse
00:41:58had
00:41:58arrived.
00:42:05I
00:42:05couldn't
00:42:05sleep
00:42:06that
00:42:06night,
00:42:06so I
00:42:07got up
00:42:07and
00:42:07went
00:42:08to
00:42:08the
00:42:08window.
00:42:10And I
00:42:11saw
00:42:11something I
00:42:12wasn't
00:42:12supposed to
00:42:13see.
00:42:13Two
00:42:13figures were
00:42:14tangled
00:42:14together in
00:42:15the trees.
00:42:17It was
00:42:18Callan and
00:42:19Remy,
00:42:19not
00:42:19fighting,
00:42:20kissing.
00:42:28I just
00:42:29realized the
00:42:29relationships in
00:42:30that path were
00:42:31far more
00:42:31complicated than
00:42:32I thought.
00:42:33I hadn't just
00:42:33walked back into
00:42:34an old love
00:42:35story.
00:42:35I was being
00:42:36pulled,
00:42:36step by step,
00:42:37into a world
00:42:38that played by
00:42:39completely
00:42:39different rules.
00:42:40The next day,
00:42:41Callan showed up
00:42:42at my door like
00:42:43nothing had
00:42:43happened.
00:42:46You look like
00:42:47you didn't
00:42:48sleep.
00:42:49Same to you.
00:42:50Because next,
00:42:51I was going to
00:42:52ask him whether
00:42:52the man I had
00:42:53seen the night
00:42:54before was
00:42:54Remy.
00:42:55I wasn't the
00:42:56kind of woman
00:42:56who kept
00:42:57questions to
00:42:58herself.
00:42:59That was
00:43:00you and
00:43:00Remy in
00:43:00the woods
00:43:01last night,
00:43:02wasn't it?
00:43:03Callan went
00:43:03quiet for
00:43:04two seconds.
00:43:09Yeah.
00:43:10Just like
00:43:11that?
00:43:13I wasn't
00:43:13going to lie
00:43:14to you.
00:43:14He stood
00:43:15there in
00:43:15the doorway,
00:43:16unusually
00:43:17serious.
00:43:18I love
00:43:19him.
00:43:20That line
00:43:21alone was
00:43:21enough to
00:43:22knock the
00:43:22breath out
00:43:23of me.
00:43:23And I
00:43:24love you
00:43:24too.
00:43:28Are you
00:43:29insane?
00:43:30Probably.
00:43:31The calm
00:43:32way he
00:43:32said it
00:43:32left me
00:43:33with nothing
00:43:33to say.
00:43:34Callan
00:43:35never hid.
00:43:36Whoever
00:43:36he loved,
00:43:37whatever he
00:43:38wanted,
00:43:38he put it
00:43:39all right
00:43:39in front
00:43:40of me.
00:43:40And the
00:43:41next thing
00:43:41Parker told
00:43:42me was
00:43:42somehow
00:43:43even more
00:43:43outrageous.
00:43:44I used
00:43:45to think
00:43:45love only
00:43:46worked one
00:43:46way,
00:43:47one person
00:43:48at a time.
00:43:49Parker
00:43:49looked at
00:43:50me like
00:43:50he could
00:43:50see exactly
00:43:51how tangled
00:43:52I was.
00:43:53In our
00:43:54world,
00:43:55relationships
00:43:55don't always
00:43:56look one
00:43:57way.
00:43:58Are you
00:43:59saying I
00:44:01don't
00:44:01necessarily
00:44:02have to
00:44:02choose one?
00:44:03I'm saying
00:44:04you don't
00:44:04need to
00:44:04corner yourself
00:44:05yet.
00:44:05He was
00:44:06always like
00:44:06that.
00:44:07He always
00:44:08hit the
00:44:08deepest
00:44:09nerve.
00:44:11Are all
00:44:12werewolves
00:44:12this annoyingly
00:44:13wise?
00:44:14No,
00:44:16just me.
00:44:17And somehow
00:44:17I actually
00:44:18laughed.
00:44:19Parker
00:44:20wasn't
00:44:20fire.
00:44:21He
00:44:21wasn't
00:44:21a blade.
00:44:22He
00:44:22was something
00:44:23slower and
00:44:23steadier than
00:44:24that.
00:44:24Something
00:44:25that never
00:44:25chased you
00:44:26but still
00:44:27made you
00:44:27lower your
00:44:28guard.
00:44:28But just
00:44:29as I started
00:44:30getting pulled
00:44:30into their
00:44:31world,
00:44:31something outside
00:44:32the pack
00:44:33came for
00:44:34us first.
00:44:35Trouble
00:44:35came faster
00:44:36than any
00:44:36of us had
00:44:37expected.
00:44:39That night,
00:44:40Callan was
00:44:40heading back
00:44:41alone,
00:44:42and he got
00:44:43ambushed on
00:44:44the way.
00:44:47Gotcha.
00:44:49Before he
00:44:49even saw
00:44:50them clearly,
00:44:51he smelled
00:44:51wolf's
00:44:51bane first.
00:44:57Shit.
00:44:59The second
00:45:00the drug
00:45:00hit,
00:45:01he dropped
00:45:01to his
00:45:01knees.
00:45:08Tell your
00:45:08alpha we know
00:45:09about the
00:45:09boy.
00:45:10The boy.
00:45:11They weren't
00:45:12after Callan.
00:45:13They were
00:45:13after Jackson.
00:45:15And the next
00:45:16second,
00:45:16howls tore
00:45:17through the
00:45:17whole forest.
00:45:23I used to
00:45:24think wolf
00:45:24howls were
00:45:25just background
00:45:26noise in
00:45:26horror movies
00:45:27until that
00:45:28night when
00:45:29they sounded
00:45:29like war
00:45:30horns.
00:45:36They moved
00:45:37first.
00:45:40Get the
00:45:41enforcers.
00:45:42Move.
00:45:45Ryder,
00:45:46Remy,
00:45:46and Parker
00:45:47were gone
00:45:47in a flash.
00:45:48I sat on
00:45:49the bed
00:45:49holding Jackson.
00:45:50For the
00:45:50first time,
00:45:51I truly
00:45:52understood
00:45:52this wasn't
00:45:53some secret
00:45:54fantasy romance.
00:45:55This was
00:45:56their real
00:45:56war.
00:45:57Mommy
00:45:58is
00:45:59Callan
00:46:00going to
00:46:00die?
00:46:03No.
00:46:04But the
00:46:05truth was,
00:46:06I wasn't
00:46:06sure at
00:46:07all.
00:46:09Near
00:46:10dawn,
00:46:11they finally
00:46:11brought
00:46:12Callan
00:46:12back.
00:46:13He was
00:46:13alive,
00:46:14but the
00:46:14hunters had
00:46:15left behind
00:46:16one word.
00:46:18Air.
00:46:22And
00:46:22every pair
00:46:23of eyes
00:46:23in the room
00:46:24landed on
00:46:25Jackson.
00:46:27From that
00:46:28day on,
00:46:28Jackson and
00:46:29I were
00:46:29no longer
00:46:30safe.
00:46:35So I
00:46:35moved with
00:46:36him into
00:46:36the pack
00:46:37cabin.
00:46:39Wow!
00:46:42Are we
00:46:43living here
00:46:43now?
00:46:45For now,
00:46:46yes.
00:46:47Awesome!
00:46:49To Jackson,
00:46:51it felt like he
00:46:51had suddenly
00:46:52gained a new
00:46:53home.
00:46:53home.
00:46:55But for me,
00:46:56it meant there
00:46:57was no going
00:46:58back to
00:46:59ordinary life.
00:47:03Welcome to
00:47:04the wolf,
00:47:04Ned.
00:47:10Don't
00:47:10scare her.
00:47:12Now you're
00:47:13worried about
00:47:14scaring me?
00:47:14I complained,
00:47:15but my
00:47:15heartbeat kept
00:47:16getting harder
00:47:17to ignore.
00:47:18Because once I
00:47:18moved in,
00:47:19I realized I
00:47:20was losing
00:47:20control of
00:47:21how I felt
00:47:21about them.
00:47:22Worse than
00:47:22that,
00:47:23part of me
00:47:23felt relieved,
00:47:24like I
00:47:24didn't have
00:47:25to carry
00:47:25every secret
00:47:26and every
00:47:26danger by
00:47:27myself anymore.
00:47:29And the
00:47:29first one
00:47:30who completely
00:47:31undid me
00:47:32was a man
00:47:38learning how
00:47:39to become
00:47:39a father.
00:47:42After moving
00:47:42into the
00:47:43pack,
00:47:43I finally
00:47:44got to see
00:47:44how Ryder
00:47:45learned to
00:47:45be a
00:47:46father.
00:47:48Ryder,
00:47:49my button's
00:47:50stuck.
00:47:54Hold
00:47:55still,
00:47:55I've got
00:47:56it.
00:48:01Can you
00:48:01tell me a
00:48:02story tonight?
00:48:07Sure,
00:48:08as long as
00:48:09you don't
00:48:09mind if I'm
00:48:10terrible at
00:48:10it.
00:48:12He had
00:48:12missed six
00:48:13whole years.
00:48:18Now he
00:48:19acted like
00:48:19he wanted
00:48:20to make
00:48:20all of it
00:48:21up at
00:48:21once.
00:48:28Ryder,
00:48:29will you
00:48:29still be
00:48:30here tomorrow?
00:48:39I will.
00:48:45It was a
00:48:46quiet promise,
00:48:48but it still
00:48:49made my chest
00:48:49burn.
00:48:56Because I knew
00:48:57that for Jackson,
00:48:58will you still be
00:48:59here tomorrow
00:49:00was never a
00:49:01casual question.
00:49:04it was a
00:49:05child who had
00:49:05already been
00:49:06left behind
00:49:07once,
00:49:07trying to
00:49:08make sure
00:49:08it wouldn't
00:49:09happen again.
00:49:21But the one
00:49:21who surprised
00:49:22me next
00:49:22was Remy.
00:49:24Remy still
00:49:25looked permanently
00:49:25ready to bite
00:49:26someone.
00:49:28Don't let the
00:49:29kid step over
00:49:29the trip
00:49:30line.
00:49:32Can you say
00:49:32one thing
00:49:33without sounding
00:49:33like a threat?
00:49:34No.
00:49:37But half an
00:49:38hour later,
00:49:38when Jackson
00:49:39slipped off a
00:49:40stump,
00:49:40Remy was the
00:49:41first one
00:49:41there.
00:49:44Watch your
00:49:45footing.
00:49:47You caught
00:49:48me.
00:49:50Because your
00:49:50cry annoys
00:49:51me.
00:49:52Jackson grinned
00:49:53at him,
00:49:53and Remy was
00:49:54the one who
00:49:54looked away
00:49:55first.
00:49:55Do you
00:49:56like my
00:49:56mommy too?
00:50:01Jax!
00:50:02Because you
00:50:03always stand
00:50:04in front of
00:50:04her first.
00:50:05Remy was
00:50:06practically
00:50:06blushing,
00:50:07but his
00:50:07mouth stayed
00:50:08sharp.
00:50:08Shut it,
00:50:09kid.
00:50:09Remy always
00:50:10sounded like
00:50:10he was
00:50:11pushing people
00:50:11away.
00:50:12But when
00:50:12danger showed
00:50:13up for real,
00:50:14his body
00:50:14always answered
00:50:15first.
00:50:18But the
00:50:18first one to
00:50:19lay his
00:50:19cards on the
00:50:20table wasn't
00:50:21Remy.
00:50:21It was
00:50:22Callan.
00:50:30Callan had
00:50:30never been
00:50:31the kind
00:50:31of man
00:50:31who went
00:50:32in circles.
00:50:35You've been
00:50:35avoiding me.
00:50:40I've been
00:50:40avoiding all
00:50:41of you.
00:50:42Then I'd
00:50:43better make
00:50:43my case
00:50:43first.
00:50:44When he
00:50:45said it,
00:50:46the grin
00:50:46was gone.
00:50:47I love
00:50:47Jax.
00:50:51But I
00:50:51want more
00:50:52than kicking
00:50:52a ball
00:50:53around with
00:50:53him.
00:50:54Callan!
00:50:58And I
00:50:59don't just
00:50:59want to be
00:50:59your friend.
00:51:02This
00:51:02wasn't a
00:51:03joke anymore.
00:51:08Do you
00:51:09even hear
00:51:09yourself right
00:51:10now?
00:51:13Yeah.
00:51:14I'm
00:51:15saying I
00:51:16want you.
00:51:25I
00:51:25didn't
00:51:26push him
00:51:26away.
00:51:28And that
00:51:28was more
00:51:29dangerous than
00:51:30any answer.
00:51:32Because
00:51:33Callan wasn't
00:51:34the kind of
00:51:34man who
00:51:34tested my
00:51:35boundaries
00:51:36slowly.
00:51:37He laid
00:51:38his heart
00:51:38out in
00:51:39the open
00:51:39and forced
00:51:41me to see
00:51:41exactly what
00:51:42inside me
00:51:43was starting
00:51:43to move.
00:51:45But the
00:51:46most dangerous
00:51:46one was
00:51:47never the
00:51:47most direct.
00:51:50It was the
00:51:50one who
00:51:51never pushed
00:51:51me at
00:51:52all.
00:51:55Parker always
00:51:56made me think
00:51:57of shore.
00:51:59Not the
00:52:00hottest fire.
00:52:03The place I
00:52:04could lean on.
00:52:08Are you
00:52:08never in a
00:52:09hurry?
00:52:11Not true.
00:52:12true.
00:52:14You don't
00:52:15look like it.
00:52:16Because I
00:52:17want you
00:52:17to come
00:52:18to me
00:52:18on your
00:52:19own.
00:52:20That line
00:52:21landed like
00:52:22a soft
00:52:22hit straight
00:52:23to my
00:52:23chest.
00:52:25You
00:52:26four are
00:52:26impossible.
00:52:28I'll
00:52:29take that
00:52:29as a
00:52:30compliment.
00:52:30I looked
00:52:31at him
00:52:31for a
00:52:32few
00:52:32seconds.
00:52:34Then I
00:52:34kissed
00:52:35him first.
00:52:40What?
00:52:41Cat
00:52:41got your
00:52:41tongue?
00:52:42No.
00:52:47I'm just
00:52:47afraid that if I
00:52:48speak I'll
00:52:49scare you
00:52:49off.
00:52:50The dangerous
00:52:50thing about
00:52:51Parker was
00:52:52that he
00:52:52never grabbed.
00:52:53And somehow
00:52:54that patience
00:52:55made it hardest
00:52:55for me to
00:52:56pretend I
00:52:56felt nothing.
00:52:58But before I
00:52:59could figure out
00:52:59what these men
00:53:00were turning me
00:53:00into, trouble
00:53:01from outside
00:53:02got there
00:53:02first.
00:53:05That night
00:53:06the alarm
00:53:06went off
00:53:07without warning.
00:53:11Movement
00:53:12behind the
00:53:12house.
00:53:14Where's
00:53:14Jax?
00:53:16Upstairs!
00:53:19Everyone
00:53:20moved at
00:53:20once.
00:53:24Callan
00:53:25went for
00:53:25the window.
00:53:26Parker
00:53:26took the
00:53:27stairs and
00:53:28Remy
00:53:28planted
00:53:28himself in
00:53:29front of
00:53:29me.
00:53:34Mommy!
00:53:35I'm
00:53:36here!
00:53:37The chaos
00:53:38came fast
00:53:39and ended
00:53:39fast.
00:53:40Just a
00:53:40feign attack.
00:53:42But it
00:53:43made one
00:53:43thing painfully
00:53:44clear.
00:53:45When danger
00:53:46came for
00:53:46real, those
00:53:47four men
00:53:48stood on
00:53:48the same
00:53:49side.
00:53:49All of
00:53:49them stood
00:53:50in front
00:53:50of me
00:53:50and Jax.
00:53:51So, can
00:53:53I have
00:53:53four dads?
00:53:54Everyone
00:53:55went silent
00:53:56for a full
00:53:56second.
00:53:58You dream
00:53:59big.
00:54:00That should
00:54:00have been
00:54:00funny.
00:54:01But what
00:54:01I really
00:54:01heard was
00:54:02that Jaxon
00:54:03had already
00:54:03started
00:54:03imagining a
00:54:04home bigger
00:54:05than the
00:54:05one he'd
00:54:05lost.
00:54:06But the
00:54:06next day,
00:54:07the real
00:54:08problem wasn't
00:54:08the hunters.
00:54:09It was
00:54:10Greg.
00:54:15I was
00:54:16almost
00:54:16starting to
00:54:16forget
00:54:17Greg's
00:54:17face.
00:54:21And of
00:54:21course he
00:54:22chose that
00:54:22moment to
00:54:22come back.
00:54:24You really
00:54:25thought moving
00:54:26here would
00:54:26make you
00:54:27disappear?
00:54:27here?
00:54:30What do
00:54:31you want?
00:54:33To see
00:54:34my wife
00:54:34and my
00:54:35son.
00:54:37The words
00:54:38my son
00:54:39almost made
00:54:39me laugh.
00:54:41Since
00:54:42when do
00:54:42you ever
00:54:42treat Jax
00:54:43like your
00:54:44son?
00:54:48Legally,
00:54:49he still
00:54:49is.
00:54:51The man
00:54:52was still
00:54:52rotten all
00:54:53the way
00:54:54through.
00:54:55I can
00:54:55take you
00:54:55to court,
00:54:56go after
00:54:57custody,
00:55:00or at
00:55:01least make
00:55:02your life
00:55:02difficult.
00:55:06Touch
00:55:07him once
00:55:07and I'll
00:55:09make you
00:55:09regret being
00:55:10born.
00:55:12The sickest
00:55:12thing about
00:55:13Greg wasn't
00:55:14just that he
00:55:14was cruel.
00:55:16It was
00:55:17that he
00:55:17always knew
00:55:17exactly where
00:55:18to strike.
00:55:20At the
00:55:21thing I was
00:55:22most afraid
00:55:22of losing.
00:55:35when
00:55:35Ryder heard
00:55:36about it,
00:55:36he was one
00:55:37breath away
00:55:38from tearing
00:55:38Greg apart.
00:55:39If murder
00:55:40had been
00:55:40legal,
00:55:41Greg would
00:55:41have been
00:55:42dead already.
00:55:47I'm going
00:55:47to deal
00:55:48with him
00:55:48right now.
00:55:50Don't
00:55:50you dare.
00:55:53he threatened
00:55:54you.
00:55:56Which is
00:55:57exactly why
00:55:58you can't
00:55:59be the one
00:55:59to touch
00:55:59him.
00:56:01Ryder was
00:56:02wound so
00:56:02tight he
00:56:03looked ready
00:56:03to snap.
00:56:05So you
00:56:06want me to
00:56:06do nothing?
00:56:08No.
00:56:10I need
00:56:11you to do
00:56:11something more
00:56:12important.
00:56:15What?
00:56:19take a
00:56:19DNA test.
00:56:21The room
00:56:22went so
00:56:23still it
00:56:23felt frozen.
00:56:25Okay.
00:56:26In the
00:56:26end,
00:56:27Greg hadn't
00:56:28come back
00:56:29just to
00:56:29start a
00:56:29fight.
00:56:30He had
00:56:31forced us
00:56:32to face
00:56:32the most
00:56:33practical
00:56:33truth of
00:56:34all.
00:56:35It was
00:56:36no longer
00:56:37enough for
00:56:37us to
00:56:37know in
00:56:38our hearts
00:56:38that
00:56:39Ryder was
00:56:39Jax's
00:56:40father.
00:56:46And
00:56:47somehow,
00:56:47the person
00:56:48most afraid
00:56:49of the
00:56:49result was
00:56:49Ryder
00:56:50himself.
00:56:54I
00:56:55thought
00:56:55Ryder would
00:56:56grab onto
00:56:56the test
00:56:57immediately,
00:56:58but on
00:56:58the day
00:56:59they drew
00:56:59blood,
00:57:00he was
00:57:00terrifyingly
00:57:01quiet.
00:57:04What are
00:57:04you thinking
00:57:05about?
00:57:06I'm not
00:57:07scared he
00:57:07won't be
00:57:08my son.
00:57:09Then what
00:57:09are you
00:57:10scared of?
00:57:12I'm
00:57:13scared fate
00:57:14will find
00:57:14one more
00:57:14way to
00:57:15punish me.
00:57:16That
00:57:16left me
00:57:17speechless
00:57:17for a
00:57:18second.
00:57:18Mommy,
00:57:19why is
00:57:20everyone
00:57:20acting weird
00:57:21today?
00:57:22Because
00:57:23adults are
00:57:24stupid
00:57:25sometimes.
00:57:26Then I
00:57:26don't want
00:57:27to grow
00:57:27up.
00:57:29Even
00:57:29at a
00:57:30moment like
00:57:30this,
00:57:31Jax still
00:57:31managed to
00:57:32make me
00:57:32laugh.
00:57:33And I
00:57:33finally
00:57:34understood
00:57:34that Ryder
00:57:35wasn't afraid
00:57:36of not
00:57:36being the
00:57:37father.
00:57:39He was
00:57:39afraid that
00:57:40fate would
00:57:40bring him
00:57:40back to
00:57:41us only
00:57:41to rip
00:57:42it all
00:57:42away
00:57:42again.
00:57:52But
00:57:53before the
00:57:53results came
00:57:54back,
00:57:54the pack
00:57:55somehow got
00:57:56a few stolen
00:57:56moments that
00:57:57felt like
00:57:57home.
00:58:07who's
00:58:07making
00:58:08breakfast
00:58:08today?
00:58:11I
00:58:11vote
00:58:11Parker.
00:58:12I'll
00:58:13do it.
00:58:15Jax,
00:58:16don't dump
00:58:17all the
00:58:17sugar in.
00:58:21But
00:58:21it tastes
00:58:22better
00:58:22that way.
00:58:27loud,
00:58:28messy,
00:58:29warm.
00:58:30The whole
00:58:31thing felt
00:58:31absurdly
00:58:32dreamlike.
00:58:33I stood
00:58:34in the
00:58:34kitchen doorway
00:58:35and suddenly
00:58:36got scared
00:58:37that all of
00:58:37it was
00:58:37temporary.
00:58:38I was
00:58:39already
00:58:39getting used
00:58:40to not
00:58:40carrying
00:58:41everything
00:58:41alone.
00:58:43I was
00:58:44getting used
00:58:44to Jax
00:58:45having people
00:58:45around him
00:58:46who laughed
00:58:47with him,
00:58:47caught him,
00:58:48protected
00:58:49him.
00:58:52Then
00:58:53Ryder's
00:58:53phone
00:58:53vibrated.
00:58:55The results
00:58:56were in.
00:58:57And all
00:58:58of us
00:58:58were waiting
00:58:59for him
00:58:59to open
00:58:59that email.
00:59:01Ryder's
00:59:01hand was
00:59:02actually shaking.
00:59:03Open it.
00:59:07You
00:59:08sure?
00:59:11Open
00:59:11it.
00:59:12He
00:59:12opened the
00:59:13file and
00:59:13stared at
00:59:14the screen
00:59:14without
00:59:14speaking.
00:59:17Ryder?
00:59:19I am.
00:59:22My
00:59:22breathing
00:59:23stopped
00:59:23for a
00:59:24second.
00:59:25Jax
00:59:26is my
00:59:26son.
00:59:27It was
00:59:27the answer
00:59:28we had
00:59:28already
00:59:28known in
00:59:29our
00:59:29bones.
00:59:30But this
00:59:31was the
00:59:31moment it
00:59:32finally became
00:59:32something
00:59:33undeniable.
00:59:34Mommy,
00:59:35why are you
00:59:36crying?
00:59:38Because
00:59:38you're
00:59:38finally getting
00:59:39the father
00:59:39you deserve
00:59:40on paper.
00:59:41But before
00:59:41the room
00:59:42could actually
00:59:42relax,
00:59:43Remy
00:59:44spoke.
00:59:45If we
00:59:46make paternity
00:59:47official right
00:59:47now,
00:59:48we'll
00:59:48walk straight
00:59:48into the
00:59:49hunter's
00:59:49line of
00:59:49sight.
00:59:50That was
00:59:50reality.
00:59:51We had
00:59:52only just
00:59:52managed to
00:59:53make the
00:59:53word
00:59:53father
00:59:53real,
00:59:54and already
00:59:55it had
00:59:55become
00:59:56something that
00:59:56could put a
00:59:57target on
00:59:57all of us.
00:59:58Suddenly,
00:59:59claiming paternity
01:00:00became a
01:00:00battle too.
01:00:02I never
01:00:02thought adding
01:00:03a father's
01:00:04name to a
01:00:04legal record
01:00:05could feel
01:00:05like a
01:00:06military
01:00:06operation.
01:00:11We
01:00:12rotate
01:00:12routes three
01:00:13times.
01:00:14Sweep the
01:00:14area first.
01:00:15Keep
01:00:16eyes on the
01:00:16perimeter.
01:00:17water.
01:00:18You realize
01:00:19this is
01:00:20insane,
01:00:20right?
01:00:21You can
01:00:22stay behind.
01:00:23I didn't
01:00:24say I was
01:00:25staying behind.
01:00:26Watching
01:00:27them build
01:00:27an actual
01:00:28operation around
01:00:29paternity
01:00:29paperwork was
01:00:30so absurd,
01:00:31I almost
01:00:32laughed.
01:00:33Are you
01:00:34all always
01:00:35this dramatic?
01:00:37Only when
01:00:37it's about
01:00:38you and
01:00:38Jax.
01:00:41that line
01:00:42hit so
01:00:43directly that
01:00:43even my
01:00:44comments
01:00:44stalled.
01:00:45But I
01:00:46also knew
01:00:46they weren't
01:00:47being dramatic
01:00:47for no
01:00:48reason.
01:00:49They were
01:00:50telling me
01:00:50in the only
01:00:51way they
01:00:51knew how
01:00:52that this
01:00:53time I
01:00:53wasn't
01:00:54carrying it
01:00:54alone.
01:00:57But while
01:00:58we were
01:00:58preparing to
01:00:59make River
01:00:59his legal
01:01:00father,
01:01:01the changes
01:01:01in Jackson
01:01:03kept getting
01:01:04harder to
01:01:05ignore.
01:01:14something
01:01:14about
01:01:15Jackson
01:01:15had been
01:01:15changing.
01:01:17Not
01:01:18worse.
01:01:19Stronger.
01:01:25Mommy,
01:01:26I hear
01:01:26someone
01:01:27walking
01:01:27behind the
01:01:27ridge.
01:01:28You can
01:01:29hear that
01:01:29from this
01:01:30far away?
01:01:32Very
01:01:33clearly.
01:01:37it wasn't
01:01:38just his
01:01:38strength
01:01:39anymore.
01:01:40His
01:01:40hearing,
01:01:41instincts,
01:01:42even the
01:01:43force of
01:01:43his
01:01:43presence
01:01:44were
01:01:44sharpening.
01:01:51This
01:01:52child isn't
01:01:53an ordinary
01:01:53cub.
01:01:56What does
01:01:57that mean?
01:01:58He may be
01:01:59more than
01:01:59an alpha's
01:02:00son.
01:02:03He may
01:02:04be the
01:02:05heir.
01:02:07The second
01:02:08that word
01:02:08was spoken,
01:02:09the whole
01:02:10room changed.
01:02:11In that
01:02:12moment,
01:02:13I finally
01:02:14understood why
01:02:15the hunters
01:02:15were after
01:02:16Jack's.
01:02:18They weren't
01:02:19after just
01:02:20any child.
01:02:22They were
01:02:23after a
01:02:23future that
01:02:24hadn't fully
01:02:24taken shape
01:02:25yet.
01:02:28And
01:02:29somewhere
01:02:29else,
01:02:30Greg
01:02:30finally did
01:02:31the thing
01:02:31he did
01:02:32best.
01:02:34Betrayal.
01:02:35I had
01:02:36always known
01:02:36Greg was
01:02:37rotten,
01:02:37but I still
01:02:38underestimated
01:02:39how low
01:02:40he could
01:02:40go.
01:02:40I know
01:02:41where the
01:02:41woman and
01:02:42the boy
01:02:42are.
01:02:43Pay me,
01:02:44and I'll
01:02:45give you
01:02:45the address.
01:02:47When I
01:02:48heard the
01:02:48recording,
01:02:48I nearly
01:02:49crushed the
01:02:49phone in
01:02:50my hand.
01:02:52He sold
01:02:53me and
01:02:54Jack's
01:02:54out?
01:02:55Yeah.
01:02:59I'll
01:03:00kill him.
01:03:02No.
01:03:03I didn't
01:03:04cry this
01:03:05time.
01:03:07For the
01:03:08first time,
01:03:09I just
01:03:09understood
01:03:10completely
01:03:11that this
01:03:11man was
01:03:12beneath
01:03:12trash.
01:03:15I want
01:03:15him alive
01:03:16long enough
01:03:16to see
01:03:17exactly what
01:03:17a failure
01:03:18he is.
01:03:19Greg
01:03:19used to
01:03:20be just
01:03:20a pathetic
01:03:20husband I
01:03:21wanted to
01:03:21leave behind,
01:03:22but from
01:03:23that moment
01:03:24on,
01:03:24he became
01:03:25the man
01:03:25who would
01:03:25sell my
01:03:26son to
01:03:26the enemy.
01:03:27But the
01:03:28hunters didn't
01:03:28give us
01:03:29time to
01:03:29keep
01:03:29planning.
01:03:31They came
01:03:32fast.
01:03:52the hunters
01:03:53came in hard
01:03:54and fast.
01:03:55I barely
01:03:56had time to
01:03:57hold on to
01:03:57Jackson.
01:04:01page,
01:04:02run.
01:04:02Jax is
01:04:03still...
01:04:04You're
01:04:04the target!
01:04:10An arrow
01:04:11cut past
01:04:12my shoulder.
01:04:16The next
01:04:17second,
01:04:18Remy
01:04:18shoved me
01:04:18behind a
01:04:19tree.
01:04:21What are
01:04:22you...
01:04:24he lowered
01:04:25his head
01:04:26and bit
01:04:26straight into
01:04:27my neck.
01:04:31Don't
01:04:32move.
01:04:34Pain,
01:04:35heat,
01:04:35something like
01:04:36electricity
01:04:37exploded
01:04:38through me
01:04:39all at
01:04:40once.
01:04:41Now run.
01:04:43Run.
01:04:47And for
01:04:48the first
01:04:48time,
01:04:49I heard
01:04:49his voice
01:04:50inside my
01:04:50head.
01:04:53Left.
01:04:54Don't
01:04:54look back.
01:04:57I didn't
01:04:58have time to
01:04:58understand what
01:04:59he'd just
01:04:59done.
01:05:00I only
01:05:01knew that
01:05:02Remy had
01:05:02shoved me
01:05:03out of
01:05:03death's
01:05:03trath in
01:05:04the most
01:05:04brutal way
01:05:05possible.
01:05:06I finally
01:05:07understood why
01:05:08Remy had
01:05:08bitten me.
01:05:11Remy's
01:05:11bite wasn't
01:05:12a claim.
01:05:13It was
01:05:14survival.
01:05:16Suddenly,
01:05:17I was
01:05:17moving fast
01:05:18as wind.
01:05:19Faster.
01:05:21Stop
01:05:21ordering me
01:05:22around.
01:05:24If you
01:05:24die now,
01:05:25who am I
01:05:25supposed to
01:05:26piss off
01:05:26later?
01:05:28Even
01:05:28then,
01:05:29he still
01:05:29had to
01:05:30be a
01:05:30smartass.
01:05:34Remy!
01:05:35It was
01:05:36the first
01:05:36time I
01:05:37was that
01:05:37afraid of
01:05:38losing him.
01:05:38And it
01:05:39was the
01:05:39first time
01:05:40I understood
01:05:41this clearly.
01:05:43He had
01:05:44never been
01:05:44just
01:05:44playing.
01:05:45Remy
01:05:46always
01:05:46felt like
01:05:47a
01:05:47blade.
01:05:52And yet
01:05:53when it
01:05:53mattered
01:05:54most,
01:05:54he threw
01:05:55himself into
01:05:56danger
01:05:56first,
01:05:57so I
01:05:57could stay
01:05:58alive.
01:06:00But when
01:06:01he came
01:06:01back,
01:06:02he had to
01:06:03face more
01:06:03than me.
01:06:04He had to
01:06:05face the
01:06:05other three
01:06:05men too.
01:06:10when Remy
01:06:11came back,
01:06:12he was
01:06:13covered in
01:06:13blood.
01:06:14Are you
01:06:15insane?
01:06:17I came
01:06:18back alive,
01:06:19didn't I?
01:06:19But this
01:06:20time,
01:06:21nobody laughed.
01:06:22You bonded
01:06:23with her
01:06:24first.
01:06:25She might
01:06:26die.
01:06:28We know.
01:06:33the issue
01:06:34isn't that
01:06:34you saved
01:06:35her.
01:06:35The issue
01:06:36is that
01:06:38from now
01:06:38on,
01:06:39everything
01:06:40changes.
01:06:43I thought
01:06:44they were
01:06:44about to
01:06:45fight,
01:06:45but they
01:06:46didn't.
01:06:49For the
01:06:49first time,
01:06:50they all
01:06:51looked seriously
01:06:52at the
01:06:52same question.
01:06:54What was
01:06:54this family
01:06:55supposed to
01:06:56become?
01:06:57Remy's
01:06:57bite hadn't
01:06:58just broken
01:06:59skin.
01:07:00It had
01:07:00ripped open
01:07:01the last
01:07:01thing any
01:07:02of us could
01:07:02still pretend
01:07:03not to
01:07:03see.
01:07:05And this
01:07:05time,
01:07:06it was my
01:07:07turn to
01:07:07answer.
01:07:09I couldn't
01:07:09pretend not
01:07:10to see it
01:07:10anymore.
01:07:12I loved
01:07:13Ryder.
01:07:14And Callan,
01:07:15Remy,
01:07:16Parker had
01:07:16all been
01:07:16pulling me
01:07:17in too,
01:07:18each in a
01:07:18different way.
01:07:19I don't
01:07:20want to
01:07:20avoid this
01:07:21anymore.
01:07:22Then don't.
01:07:23I love
01:07:24Ryder.
01:07:25Ryder's
01:07:26eyes reddened
01:07:27instantly.
01:07:29But I
01:07:30can't pretend
01:07:31I don't
01:07:31need the
01:07:31three of
01:07:32you too.
01:07:35Do you
01:07:36realize how
01:07:37dangerous that
01:07:37sentence is?
01:07:40Yes.
01:07:42Are you
01:07:42afraid?
01:07:45Yes.
01:07:48But I'm
01:07:48more afraid of
01:07:49missing this
01:07:50again.
01:07:51All four
01:07:52men went
01:07:52silent.
01:07:54This wasn't
01:07:55the life I
01:07:56had once
01:07:56imagined for
01:07:57myself.
01:07:57But the
01:07:58moment I
01:07:58said it all
01:07:59out loud for
01:08:00the first
01:08:00time, I
01:08:01didn't want
01:08:02to run.
01:08:03Then they
01:08:04made the
01:08:04same choice.
01:08:07I thought
01:08:07they would
01:08:08fight over
01:08:08it, but
01:08:09they didn't.
01:08:17I'm not
01:08:18letting you
01:08:18carry this
01:08:19alone again.
01:08:20I'll handle
01:08:21making you
01:08:22laugh.
01:08:24I'll handle
01:08:25killing anything
01:08:25that comes
01:08:26for you.
01:08:28I'll make
01:08:28sure this
01:08:29home stands.
01:08:30It sounded
01:08:31absurd and
01:08:32messy and
01:08:32nothing like
01:08:33a normal
01:08:33life.
01:08:34And somehow,
01:08:35it was the
01:08:36first time I
01:08:37truly felt
01:08:37like I
01:08:38belonged.
01:08:40So I
01:08:41really do
01:08:42get four
01:08:42dads now?
01:08:46You ask
01:08:47for a
01:08:47lot.
01:08:49But they're
01:08:51all awesome.
01:08:52That line
01:08:53almost made
01:08:54me laugh.
01:08:55But after
01:08:56the laugh,
01:08:56what stayed
01:08:57in me was
01:08:57something
01:08:58painfully
01:08:58tender.
01:09:01Because I
01:09:01suddenly realized
01:09:02that Jax had
01:09:03already started
01:09:04forming his
01:09:04own version
01:09:05of family.
01:09:07And just
01:09:08when we
01:09:08finally started
01:09:09to feel
01:09:09like a
01:09:10family,
01:09:12paternity
01:09:13day arrived.
01:09:14Paternity
01:09:15day felt
01:09:16far more
01:09:16like going
01:09:17into battle
01:09:17than I had
01:09:18imagined.
01:09:19Jax stays
01:09:20with the
01:09:20pack.
01:09:22Parker
01:09:23and I
01:09:23stay here.
01:09:25I'm going
01:09:26with you.
01:09:27Nobody
01:09:28moves alone.
01:09:30Jackson was
01:09:30unusually quiet
01:09:31that day.
01:09:39Ryder.
01:09:40Yeah?
01:09:42After
01:09:43today?
01:09:44Can I
01:09:45still call
01:09:45you that?
01:09:46Ryder looked
01:09:47like he didn't
01:09:48understand at
01:09:48first.
01:09:49Then Jaxon
01:09:50threw his
01:09:50arms around
01:09:51him.
01:09:53Dad.
01:09:55Ryder
01:09:56couldn't get
01:09:56a single
01:09:56word out.
01:09:58That one
01:09:59word landed
01:09:59harder than
01:10:00I had
01:10:00imagined.
01:10:01Because it
01:10:02wasn't just
01:10:02a title.
01:10:03It was Jax
01:10:04placing his
01:10:05heart,
01:10:05for real,
01:10:06into Ryder's
01:10:07hands.
01:10:07And with that
01:10:08one word,
01:10:09Dad,
01:10:10today became
01:10:11something we
01:10:11absolutely
01:10:12couldn't lose.
01:10:13When the
01:10:14car crossed
01:10:14the pack
01:10:15boundary,
01:10:15a strange
01:10:16feeling hit
01:10:17me.
01:10:17Like we
01:10:18weren't just
01:10:18going to
01:10:19register a
01:10:19name.
01:10:20Like we
01:10:20were declaring
01:10:21to the
01:10:21world that
01:10:22Jackson had
01:10:22a father,
01:10:23a mother,
01:10:24and a
01:10:25home.
01:10:26Stop
01:10:26drifting.
01:10:28Watch the
01:10:28road.
01:10:31I'm
01:10:31reflecting.
01:10:33Reflecting
01:10:33on what?
01:10:34That I'm
01:10:35apparently heading
01:10:35to file paternity
01:10:36paperwork with
01:10:37two werewolves
01:10:38and a trunk
01:10:39full of
01:10:39weapons.
01:10:41You've
01:10:41adapted well.
01:10:42Ryder reached
01:10:43over and took
01:10:44my hand.
01:10:45When we get
01:10:45back, all of
01:10:47this becomes
01:10:47official.
01:10:49For me, it's
01:10:50already been
01:10:51official for a
01:10:52long time.
01:10:53The car kept
01:10:53moving.
01:10:54Then somewhere
01:10:54in the tree
01:10:55line, a
01:10:56cold glint
01:10:57flashed.
01:10:58A sniper
01:10:59scope.
01:10:59In that
01:11:00moment, I
01:11:01didn't scream.
01:11:01I didn't
01:11:02freeze.
01:11:03I simply
01:11:03understood.
01:11:04Completely.
01:11:05At last.
01:11:06We had only
01:11:07just managed
01:11:08to build this
01:11:08family, and
01:11:09the people who
01:11:10wanted to
01:11:10destroy it were
01:11:11only just
01:11:11beginning.
01:11:12The real
01:11:13war was only
01:11:14just beginning.
01:11:15thing.
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