- 3 hours ago
Marked by Beastman Brothers in Turn Episode ENGSUB Werewolf Romance
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00Wait for the contraction.
00:04Three, two, one, push!
00:15It was 317 AM again.
00:17My mate bond bracelet suddenly let out a piercing alarm.
00:20Severe imbalance detected in the three-way mate bond.
00:23I hadn't slept for days.
00:25The doctor said my mate-linked hormones were destabilizing
00:28and I needed a response from my mates to steady them.
00:31Before I could even catch my breath, the bureau called.
00:34Ms. Dell, your mate bond index is dropping too fast.
00:37Has either of your mates been rejecting your bonding attempts?
00:40For the past year, I had given them the same meals,
00:43the same care and the same patience.
00:45Reese was the older brother.
00:47He always accepted whatever I gave him in silence,
00:50then thanked me in a low voice.
00:52Rex was the younger one.
00:53He always shoved me away,
00:55shouting that a tiny human like me should stay far away from him.
00:58The bureau caseworker went quiet for a moment.
01:00A three-way mate bond cannot survive on duty alone.
01:03It needs a response.
01:05If this imbalance continues, someone is going to break first.
01:09For an entire year, I thought that as long as I loved them equally,
01:13they would eventually love me back.
01:15But equal love, given into unequal hands,
01:18only drains a person little by little.
01:20So that night, I stopped trying to balance what had already broken.
01:23I poured one cup of milk back into the pot,
01:26then carried the other one.
01:28To Reese.
01:29Reese noticed first.
01:30He didn't say anything.
01:31He took the cup and thanked me like always.
01:34Rex was on the couch, playing his game.
01:36I said goodnight and headed to my room.
01:38That's when he looked up.
01:39Hey.
01:40We out of milk?
01:42Or you two broke for two cups?
01:43Rex was nothing like his brother.
01:45Reese was quiet.
01:47Distant.
01:47Rex was all sharp edges.
01:49He put down the controller.
01:50His eyes weren't friendly.
01:52What, you blind?
01:53I'm sitting right here.
01:55He never talked to me like I was a person.
01:57The urge to explain myself died fast.
01:59My smile dropped.
02:01No milk.
02:03No milk?
02:05Then what's this?
02:06You trying to mess with me?
02:07Mess with me?
02:08I thought about a few nights before.
02:10Reese and Rex got called out for an emergency.
02:13They didn't come back until almost one in the morning.
02:15I waited.
02:16Fell asleep on the couch without meaning to.
02:18The door woke me.
02:19I got up.
02:20Heated their food.
02:21Brought it out.
02:21Two cups of milk.
02:22Like always.
02:23Rex looked exhausted.
02:25I saw the wound on his shoulder and stepped forward.
02:28He shoved me before I got a word hit.
02:30I hit the floor hard.
02:32The cup shattered with me.
02:34Rex blinked.
02:35Just once.
02:36Then the impatience came back.
02:38Damn, are you blind?
02:39Can't you see I'm texting?
02:41Stop throwing yourself at me.
02:43You deserve it.
02:44You used to cling and play dumb before.
02:46But I'm worn out today.
02:47I come home dead tired and you're still here pestering me like a lap dog.
02:52That's what my waiting looked like to him.
02:54Pathetic.
02:55I was stung by the disgust in Rex's voice.
02:58The shame hit fast.
03:00I didn't look up.
03:01I rushed back to my room with my face burning.
03:03A thud from the living room.
03:05Reese had punched Rex.
03:07A few minutes later, Reese came in with the first aid kit.
03:10He knelt in front of me.
03:11That's when I saw it.
03:13The broken cup had caught my calf.
03:15Blood had run all the way to my ankle.
03:19I always knew.
03:20The brothers had every reason to resent me.
03:23Anyone could see it.
03:24I was the one who'd married up.
03:25They were top of their class at the academy.
03:28Strong, sharp, wanted by everyone.
03:30I was ordinary.
03:31If not for the high match percentage,
03:33the Bureau's system wouldn't flag us immediately.
03:36We never would have crossed paths.
03:38At first I was happy.
03:39I grew up in foster care.
03:41All I ever wanted was a home.
03:43I told myself Reese and Rex were that.
03:46My home.
03:47My family.
03:48So no matter how cool they were.
03:49No matter how little they thought of me.
03:51I smiled and showed up anyway.
03:53Every time they finished the food I made,
03:55something in me settled.
03:56I was needed here.
03:58That was enough.
03:59The first six months were brutal.
04:01They hated the match.
04:02Rivals who'd lost to them before
04:04finally had something to laugh about.
04:05The two golden boys of the force,
04:08paired with a nobody.
04:09It humiliated them.
04:10So they took it out on me.
04:12Reese went cold.
04:13Looked through me like I was furniture.
04:15Rex went loud.
04:16Picked apart everything.
04:18My face.
04:18My job.
04:19My right to exist.
04:21In his version of me,
04:22I had nothing.
04:23Was nothing.
04:24Then something shifted.
04:25I don't know exactly when.
04:26Reese stopped looking through me.
04:28He started taking the milk.
04:30Started saying thank you.
04:31At times he'd look at me.
04:32Then suddenly ruffle my hair.
04:34It felt just as intimate as any other beast man with their mate.
04:37I'd never been treated like this before.
04:39I was utterly flustered and overwhelmed.
04:42And Rex stopped picking fights every day.
04:44Sometimes he'd pull me onto the couch to play with him.
04:47Curse me for losing.
04:48Then take out everyone who came near my character.
04:51I thought I'd finally won them over.
04:53I was almost at the end of my hard days.
04:56Sticking it out really did help.
04:57When I tried so hard to please them,
04:59they were slowly trying to accept me too.
05:02Until that glass of milk got shattered.
05:04All my years of effort, devotion, and clingy affection
05:07ultimately boiled down to just two words.
05:09A lap dog.
05:11Yeah.
05:11A dog with no self respect at all.
05:15The hotel room smelled like recycled air and cheap soap.
05:18I didn't go home that night.
05:20Day after day.
05:21Same room.
05:22Curtains shut.
05:23I'd found it by accident.
05:24A document left open on the shared desktop.
05:27A formal appeal.
05:28Both signatures.
05:29Filed within weeks of our match.
05:31Request to dissolve pairing.
05:32Grounds.
05:33Incompatibility.
05:34They'd tried to get rid of me before we'd even started.
05:36I sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the carpet.
05:39Is there something wrong with me?
05:41Why does no one ever want me?
05:43I'd asked myself that before.
05:44In foster care, when families came and chose everyone else.
05:47In school, eating alone for a semester and pretending I didn't mind.
05:51I thought I was done asking.
05:53I wasn't.
05:54I cried dramatically.
05:57Deep down, I knew it was nothing but a deal.
06:00Still, I couldn't sleep properly for days.
06:01I did my best to avoid both of them.
06:03My best friend flew into a rage when she found out.
06:07I stared down at my sleeves.
06:08It's all in the past.
06:09I've made up my mind.
06:10I'll keep my distance from now on.
06:12Just stay away.
06:13That's all.
06:14The worst case is nothing more than being polite strangers.
06:18The bureau had made it clear.
06:19With a match percentage this high, only you can stabilize them through their feral cycle.
06:23In return, their standing in the military gave me a comfortable life.
06:27It was nothing more than a transaction.
06:30Are you still going to give them milk every night?
06:32Probably.
06:34Surface level peace mattered.
06:35For me as much as them.
06:37She hesitated.
06:38But don't you think treating them exactly the same?
06:41That's not fair to the one who's actually been good to you?
06:44Fair?
06:44The bureau caseworker had drilled it into me before we moved in.
06:47Multi-mate households are rare, but they exist.
06:50Balance is everything.
06:52You are the glue.
06:54Your every move affects both of them.
06:55Do not play favorites.
06:57Do not tip the scale.
06:58I took it seriously.
06:59When I brought lunch to the force, I even counted the shrimp in each container one by
07:03one.
07:04I'd gone that far, and it still wasn't fair.
07:07My best friend saw my confusion.
07:09She said it carefully.
07:10It was only Rex who lashed out at you that night.
07:12Rhys didn't say a word.
07:14I nodded.
07:15Yeah.
07:16Rhys hadn't just stayed quiet.
07:18He'd punched Rex.
07:19It almost looked like he was defending me.
07:21And yet, I looked down at the wound on my calf.
07:24He'd knelt on the floor in front of me.
07:27Cleaned the wound like it was the only thing that mattered.
07:29Before he left, he pressed a piece of chocolate into my hand.
07:33Wiped my tears.
07:34Talked me down until I could sleep.
07:36Apologized on Rex's behalf.
07:38None of that was his responsibility.
07:40Rex was the one who hurt me.
07:42Think about it.
07:43She said.
07:44Same treatment, same gifts.
07:45But one of them has actually been showing up for you.
07:47Doesn't that feel off?
07:48I couldn't sleep that night.
07:50I kept thinking about something from foster care.
07:52A volunteer came to spend the day with us.
07:54I helped her the whole afternoon.
07:56Moving boxes, carrying bags, hands red by the end of it.
08:00Everyone else played.
08:01Did nothing.
08:01We all got the same backpack when she left.
08:04Same color, same size.
08:06But before she walked out, she pulled me aside.
08:09The backpack is for everyone.
08:11But these are just for you.
08:13Good kids deserve a little extra.
08:16That's what fair actually means.
08:20The volunteer's voice fighting in my head all night.
08:23By morning, the volunteer had won.
08:25The one who shows up deserves more.
08:27That's the real fairness.
08:30The milk was just the beginning.
08:32I stopped sitting in the middle of the couch.
08:35I drifted toward Reese.
08:36Kept a clear distance from Rex.
08:38I stopped saying good morning to Rex.
08:40Only Reese got that now.
08:42A soft smile when I saw him come down the hall.
08:45Questions went to Reese.
08:46Errands went with Reese.
08:47At gatherings, I held Reese's arm.
08:49At dinner, I stopped counting.
08:51Ten shrimp.
08:52Eight for Reese.
08:53Two for Rex.
08:54It scared me at first.
08:55Letting go of the balance felt like standing on the edge of the cliff.
08:59But the shift wasn't as dangerous as I thought.
09:01Reese was cold by nature.
09:03But he never made me feel small.
09:04When I sat beside him, he'd wrap a hand loosely around my wrist.
09:08Then ask if I wanted anything.
09:09When I said good morning, he answered.
09:12Every time then asked how I slept.
09:13He tasted everything I cooked and said something specific about each dish.
09:17Not just good, something real.
09:19I stopped getting shoved off the couch.
09:21Stopped being ignored when I say good morning.
09:23Stopped walking three steps behind him on the street.
09:26Because he didn't want to be seen beside me.
09:28Stopped watching a poor meal get pushed away when he didn't even try.
09:31I hid behind Reese like a coward, soaking up this rare moment of warmth.
09:36Yet the atmosphere at home turned strangely tense.
09:39More than once I could feel a pair of eyes staring at my back.
09:42I turned around.
09:43Rex was staring at the TV, face blank.
09:46He felt me look.
09:47He turned.
09:48His voice was sharp.
09:49What are you staring at?
09:51What, you want to play games with me again?
09:53Before.
09:54Foolish as I was.
09:55I would have taken it as an invitation and hurried over eagerly.
09:58But now, I shook my head, refusing to humiliate myself any longer.
10:02Reese came out from the hallway.
10:03I fell in to step beside him, grabbed the rackets.
10:06I addicted to tennis.
10:07We'd been playing for weeks, hours at a time.
10:10We were halfway out the door when it happened.
10:12A crash behind us.
10:14Rex smashed the game console.
10:15Pieces everywhere.
10:17His eyes were fixed on our hands.
10:19He smiled.
10:20But it didn't reach anything.
10:21Come on, bro.
10:22His voice was light and ugly.
10:24You're addicted to playing the good guy, acting like you actually like this ugly freak?
10:30How long had it been since I last heard those words?
10:33When we first got paired, Rex didn't bother hiding it.
10:36He caused a scene at the Bureau.
10:37Filed complaints.
10:38Ugly freak.
10:39Worthless.
10:39Not good enough.
10:40Those were his words for me then.
10:41It faded after I soothed them through their first Farron cycle.
10:44The invincible soldiers of the Force.
10:46During their cycle, they turned clingy.
10:47Fierce snow lepers.
10:48Yet at that moment, they were like giant cats.
10:50Nuzzling me.
10:51Calling me mate.
10:52Pressing their faces into my shoulders.
10:53After they came to their senses, Rex always looked humiliated.
10:56He'd point at me lost for words.
10:58But after that, he rarely mocked my looks again.
11:00A friend told me once,
11:02After an orc lets you hold them, something softens.
11:04The truth was, I wasn't ugly.
11:06I wasn't ordinary either.
11:08But next to Reese and Rex, ordinary disappeared.
11:10I told myself Rex was young, used to being worshipped.
11:14Cruelty came easy to people like that.
11:16I turned down his game invite.
11:18I bruised his pride.
11:18Fine, forget it then.
11:19Ugly freak.
11:20No wonder he snapped and called me ugly again.
11:22Even so, I still tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
11:25Deep down, I was just hurt.
11:27I got out of bed, heading to the hall for a glass of water.
11:30The balcony light was on.
11:32Rice and Rex, one at the railing, one against the wall.
11:35A cigarette, low voices.
11:37I stopped at the corner and didn't make a sound.
11:42That's the second time you've hit me.
11:45Rex exhaled slowly.
11:46The bruise on his jaw was fresh.
11:49Just because I called her ugly?
11:50Rise stood before him, his face cold and distant.
11:54He felt almost unfamiliar to me.
11:56He'd been so gentle around me lately.
11:58I'd nearly forgotten.
12:00Snow leopard orgs were born cold and cruel.
12:03Deep down, both brothers were heartless.
12:05If you don't want to be around her, don't be.
12:08Rice pressed out his cigarette.
12:10But if I see you go after her again, it won't stop at one.
12:14Rex laughed.
12:15It wasn't a good laugh.
12:17Come on, bro.
12:18Weren't you the one who joined me to fight this pairing at first?
12:21Now all of a sudden you're her protector?
12:23You just love putting on a show, don't you?
12:25He shook his head.
12:26I get it.
12:27Trial period's almost up.
12:29You're just playing the long game.
12:31Being nice to that ugly thing so she'll agree to divorce quietly.
12:34If we hadn't already agreed on this, I'd actually fall for your act.
12:37The trial bond period.
12:38My chest pulled tight.
12:40I'd almost forgotten.
12:41The matching program wasn't absolute.
12:43One year.
12:44If it didn't work, either party could file.
12:46He's been setting this up, I thought.
12:48He's been kind, so I'll leave quietly.
12:50I pressed my back against the wall.
12:53Then...
12:54No.
12:55Are you actually planning to stay married to her forever?
12:58We agreed we'd divorce and get matched with someone else afterward.
13:01She's good for nothing.
13:02Plain and useless.
13:03Staying married to her would be humiliating.
13:06We'd be the laughing stock of the whole circle.
13:08Rice corrected him calmly.
13:09It's never we.
13:10That's only you.
13:12I never said I wanted anyone else.
13:14Del is wonderful.
13:15She's smart and lovely.
13:17I let my predators blind me before and I miss so much because of it.
13:23I never thought...
13:24Rife saw me like this all along.
13:26Del.
13:27Delara was my name.
13:28Del.
13:29He called me Del.
13:31No one had ever said my name like that.
13:34Rex's jaw tightened.
13:35So you're serious.
13:37Keep your distance from my mate.
13:39She's my mate too!
13:40Rex's voice cracked at the edge.
13:42Dude, I'm still married.
13:44Why are you acting like she's only your mate?
13:47Aren't you trying to get a divorce?
13:48Quit hanging all over my mate.
13:51We're not getting divorced.
13:53Are you kidding me?
13:54Who's hanging over her?
13:56You really think I'm that blind like you mixing up trash with treasure?
14:00Rex ran a frustrated hand through his hair.
14:03His voice dropping.
14:04That heat cycle stuff doesn't count.
14:06It was just a physical reaction.
14:07I wasn't thinking straight, okay?
14:09Rice gave him a look like he saw right through him, scoffing.
14:12Idiot.
14:13Rex ignored him, took a deep drag of his cigarette, his voice fuzzy, eyes wandering.
14:18Whatever.
14:19If you're not getting a divorce, neither am I.
14:21An orc ditching a human?
14:22That's a terrible look.
14:24Besides, that Delara.
14:25She's always staring at me like a lost puppy, clinging to me nonstop.
14:28I'm not that much of a jerk.
14:30We'll just make do.
14:31No matter how ugly her face is, you get used to it.
14:33She's useless, sure.
14:35But it's fine.
14:35If I ask for a divorce, I'll get stuck with the duke bag clag.
14:39And I won't find anyone better anyway.
14:40Fine, she's my wife, it's not a big deal.
14:43Screw it, I'm not the one bringing up divorce.
14:45I'm not filing.
14:46I went back to my room without the water.
14:49Lay down.
14:50Stared at the ceiling.
14:52So Riss had been planning to leave me from the start.
14:54He changed his mind.
14:55He really wanted to spend his life with me.
14:57But Rex was stuck.
14:58He had no choice but to make do with me.
15:01But I didn't want that.
15:02When I was little, the clothes were either too big or too small.
15:05The aunt who took care of us always said, just make do with it.
15:09If the food was too salty, we couldn't waste it.
15:12So we just made do with that too.
15:14I wore clothes I hated, ate food I didn't like, and made do year after year.
15:20But then I grew up.
15:22I could make my own decisions about my long future ahead.
15:26I didn't want to make do anymore.
15:29I didn't want to be someone's afterthought, someone's compromise.
15:33If Rex wanted it, I would be the one to ask for a divorce.
15:39The next morning at breakfast, I was distracted.
15:42I didn't know how to bring it up.
15:44Say it now or wait until the last day of the trial period.
15:47Then laughter broke through my thoughts.
15:49Rice had walked out.
15:51Tall posture.
15:52Sharp brown.
15:53When he looked up, he had that cool, closed off look.
15:56Rex was pointing at his sweater, doubled over.
15:59Bro, where did you even find that thing?
16:01It's hideous.
16:03You've got zero taste.
16:05If you're broke, I can spot you.
16:07Don't walk outside in that.
16:08It was a cream-colored knit sweater.
16:10The stitching was uneven.
16:11At the hem, someone had embroidered a little sleeping cat.
16:14But the person who made it wasn't exactly skilled.
16:17From a distance, it looked like a knot of black thread.
16:19My ears went red.
16:21I hurried over and tugged at a loose end.
16:25It wasn't bought.
16:26Delted it for me.
16:27My Winter Solst gift.
16:31Rex's grin froze.
16:34After Rix left for work, Rex was still slowly picking at breakfast.
16:38I almost asked if he was worried about being late.
16:40Then I reminded myself it wasn't my business.
16:42I was heading back to my room when his voice stopped me.
16:45Stiff, off Kane.
16:46Hey.
16:47Where's my Winter Solstice gift?
16:49Don't bother hiding it.
16:50Just hand it over.
16:52I stopped.
16:53I genuinely couldn't believe he had the nerve to say that.
16:56I was someone who cared about little rituals.
16:58Every holiday, big or small, I'd had something for both brothers.
17:01Small things, big duff things, headphones and massagers.
17:04Until I opened the trash can and found the scarf I'd knitted for Rex.
17:07Discarded.
17:08Like it had never meant anything.
17:09Like me.
17:10If the gift I give will only end up thrown away, I'll only give to the person who actually
17:14wants it.
17:15There isn't one.
17:17Why didn't you get me one?
17:18My brother got a sweater from you.
17:20Why wouldn't you give me one too?
17:22He seemed to realize he'd sounded too eager.
17:24Rex paused.
17:25Obviously, I don't even want your gift.
17:27It's just, you're way too obvious playing favorites.
17:30Fine.
17:30Knitting one does take a while.
17:31I get it.
17:32I'll give you a few more days.
17:33And don't put a rock on mine.
17:34That's kind of childish.
17:36I blinked.
17:37He thought my sleeping cat was a rock.
17:40Irritation and something sharper surged up at once.
17:42There isn't one.
17:43There won't be one.
17:44That sweater is only for wrists.
17:46Rex stared at me.
17:48Maybe he'd never seen me look at him like that.
17:50Shit!
17:51Like I even wanted your dumb sweater.
17:53It was ugly.
17:54Just like you.
17:56Totally embarrassing.
17:57Fine by me.
17:59Save me the trouble of throwing it in the trash anyway.
18:02Right.
18:02That's exactly what he would have done.
18:04I rubbed my eyes and went back to my room.
18:08I called the bureau and asked about the divorce process.
18:11Records show your trial bond period ends in one week, Ms. Dallara.
18:14Are you confirming you wish to dissolve the pairing with your assigned mates?
18:18Not both.
18:19Just Rex.
18:20Riss and I are moving forward to official registration.
18:23Mrs. Dell, with a compatibility score this high, separation from either mate normally causes significant distress during feral cycles.
18:29In past cases, the separated party has experienced self-harm.
18:33We strongly encourage you to reconsider.
18:35I thought about Rex.
18:37During his cycles, he was always desperate.
18:40Clingy.
18:40Like he'd fall apart without me.
18:42But the moment clarity returned, he pulled back as far as he could get.
18:46Ashamed.
18:47Angry.
18:48Wanting distance.
18:49I didn't believe he couldn't survive without me.
18:52The caseworker sighed.
18:54We respect your decision.
18:55I'll send the required documents to your email.
18:58We do ask that you reconsider.
19:00But when you're ready...
19:01Next Wednesday, please come to the bureau with both parties to complete either the divorce or marriage registration.
19:09At dinner that evening, I noticed Riss's face.
19:13The sweater he'd worn out that morning had a long tear in it, clean at the edges, like someone had
19:18taken a blade to it.
19:19Guess I wasn't the only one who thought it was an eyesore.
19:22But I wasn't listening to him.
19:23I was thinking about the tear.
19:25If it was a blade, had Ricks been hurt?
19:27Riss caught my hand before I could start checking.
19:29No injuries.
19:29I was pulled into a quick op.
19:31I took it off so it wouldn't get ruined.
19:32When I came back, someone had cut it.
19:34Come on, bro.
19:34If it got wrecked, it got wrecked.
19:36No need for excuses.
19:37You really were useless, though.
19:40If it had been me, I would have never let anyone ruin a sweater someone gave me.
19:43His eyes drifted toward me, watching.
19:46I'm sorry.
19:47Riss was quiet for a moment.
19:49Then he apologized again.
19:50That voice low.
19:50Genuinely guilty.
19:51A tear could be mended.
19:53It wasn't a big deal.
19:54I hadn't thought it through.
19:55Beige really was hard to keep clean.
19:57I'll make you a black one tomorrow instead.
19:59You don't have to worry about stains.
20:00I'll make a few so you can rotate.
20:02I figured out how to do a bunny.
20:03I'll put one on it for you.
20:05My cheeks warmed a little.
20:06A sharp crack from across the table.
20:07Rex glass had shattered in his hand.
20:09A shard had caught his palm.
20:11A thin line of blood.
20:12The smug look on his face was gone.
20:14His eyes were fixed on me.
20:16Focused.
20:16Unblinking.
20:17Like a predator deciding.
20:19I flinched and moved behind Riss.
20:21Leave.
20:21You're scaring her.
20:22Riss.
20:23Del doesn't only belong to you.
20:25I'm her mate too.
20:26You don't have the right to tell me to leave her.
20:30That night, Riss and Rex fought.
20:32I don't know what set it off.
20:34By the time I came back to myself, they were both already bleeding.
20:37Every punch thrown like neither one would back down.
20:39It took the police showing up to pull them apart.
20:42How did it even start?
20:44Look at you.
20:44He said something he shouldn't have.
20:46He had it coming.
20:47I'm used to it.
20:48He's just like that.
20:50Riss didn't agree.
20:51He frowned, about to say more.
20:52I stopped him.
20:53He'd already gotten into enough trouble for my sake.
20:56I thought for a moment, then said, one more week.
20:58Riss looked up fast.
21:00I pressed my lips together.
21:01In one week, the trial period ends.
21:03Then he won't have to see me anymore.
21:04I heard his heartbeat.
21:06Loud, unsteady.
21:08And what about me?
21:09I nearly laughed.
21:11But I didn't want to watch his face go dim.
21:13I already promised to keep making you sweaters.
21:15You were so clueless.
21:16How could you not even figure that out?
21:18Honey.
21:20Del.
21:21My girl.
21:25After I finished with Rex's wounds,
21:27I went to wash my hands.
21:29Rex's door was open.
21:31I caught a glimpse through the gap.
21:32He was still half slumped against the wall.
21:34Exactly how they'd left him.
21:36The lights were off.
21:37Just moonlight cutting through the window.
21:39The cuts on his face and arm hadn't been touched.
21:41Blood had dried into his collar.
21:44The guy who was always immaculate.
21:46Right now, he looked like wreckage.
21:47And he wasn't even reacting to it.
21:49Just staring at the floor.
21:50I came back from the bathroom.
21:52Stood there for a second.
21:54Then, I left the first aid kit and bandages outside his door.
21:58Maybe I really am too soft.
22:00I don't know why, but seeing him like that,
22:02there was something heavy in my chest.
22:04I waited around the corner.
22:06A few minutes later, I heard rustling.
22:08I peeked.
22:09The kit was gone.
22:10He'd taken it.
22:11That night, I dreamed about something from a long time ago.
22:14I was walking home from work.
22:15Someone was following me.
22:16I kept my pace steady.
22:18Heart loud.
22:18And pulled out my phone.
22:20I hit a contact without thinking.
22:21Rex picked up.
22:22He showed up fast.
22:23Hair disheveled.
22:24Like he'd run.
22:25It was a trafficking ring.
22:26Three of them.
22:27Big.
22:27I was already halfway into a car.
22:29Fingers locked around the door frame.
22:31The moment I saw Rex, I started crying.
22:33He took all three of them alone.
22:35He was good.
22:35Really good.
22:36But he still took hits.
22:37When it was over, he pulled me into him.
22:39Let my tears soak into his collar.
22:41Don't be scared.
22:42I'm here.
22:43No one's touching you.
22:44His voice was different that night.
22:46I only found out later that he'd taken a blade to the back.
22:50Almost critical.
22:51He never said a word about it.
22:53The next day, Rise found out.
22:55He was furious.
22:56Within 24 hours, the city launched a crackdown.
22:59Rex was in the force too.
23:01He'd done something.
23:02I was sure of it.
23:03Maybe that's part of why I always on with him for so long.
23:06That one night.
23:06But we still weren't right for each other.
23:10I thought I could just wait out the week.
23:12Then Rex's feral cycle came early.
23:15Beastmen had three days every month.
23:17Volatile.
23:19Restless.
23:20Desperate for their mate's presence.
23:21I stood at his door.
23:23Hesitated.
23:24Then pushed it open.
23:25We weren't divorced yet.
23:27Stabilizing him was still my responsibility.
23:29Rex was sitting with his arms crossed.
23:31Cycle just starting.
23:32Still mostly clear.
23:33What's this?
23:34Had time to drop by today?
23:36Aren't you off spending time with your beloved Res?
23:38I'm here for your cycle.
23:39If you don't need it, I'll leave.
23:40Rex went quiet.
23:42I found a corner and sat.
23:44We were on opposite sides of the room.
23:46Come here.
23:47Come here.
23:48He said it.
23:49Then crossed the room himself.
23:51Slowly, a tail wound around my ankle.
23:53He pulled me into him.
23:55His face dropped into my shoulder.
23:58Rough.
23:58Urgent.
23:59Like something starved.
24:01After a long moment, his voice came out Harley.
24:04Del.
24:05You're not being fair.
24:06I'm your mate too.
24:08But you only give wrist gifts.
24:09Only hold his hand.
24:11When you patched him up, you didn't even come look at me once.
24:14The cycle was pulling him under fast.
24:16Reason bleeding out.
24:17That night, I was in a lot of pain.
24:20And you didn't come.
24:21In snow-loppered form, he was nothing like himself.
24:23Maybe the distance I'd put between us shook something loose in him.
24:27He was more desperate than usual.
24:28More unsettled.
24:29He didn't let me move.
24:31Claws catching my waist every time I shifted.
24:34If I looked away for even a second, a low whine.
24:37Pressing into me.
24:38Demanding.
24:39Not like a big cat anymore.
24:41More like a massive, clingy dog who decided I was his.
24:47We stayed tangled together for three days.
24:50Meals.
24:51Shower breaks.
24:52Rex's tail never fully let go of my wrist.
24:54He was easier to talk to in this form.
24:56I tried to bring up the divorce.
24:58Prepare him.
24:59The moment the word came out, he went feral.
25:01Eyes blown wide.
25:02Almost round.
25:03Almost panicked.
25:04A low, broken sound.
25:06Then tears.
25:07Real ones.
25:08Coming fast.
25:08He head-butted my shoulder.
25:10Over and over.
25:10Like I might take it back.
25:11I gave up and just held him.
25:13Scratched his ears.
25:14Pressed my lips to the top of his head.
25:16On the third night, I woke up in his arms.
25:18The grip around my waist was iron-tight.
25:20Rex shift back into his human form.
25:22His cycle was finally over.
25:24His face was at my neck.
25:25Lips moving slow.
25:26Deliberate.
25:28He was back.
25:29Cycle over.
25:30But he hadn't let go.
25:31The arms stiffened.
25:33Rex.
25:34Then, loosened.
25:35I sat up.
25:36Drank some water.
25:38Pulled a chair over.
25:39Rex.
25:40There's something I need to tell you.
25:41He folded himself down, one knee bent, and sat at my feet.
25:44Don't think helping me through the cycle cancels out you ignoring me all this time.
25:48Back to the old posture.
25:49Arms crossed.
25:50Eyes down.
25:51He smoothed his sleeve.
25:52It wouldn't flatten.
25:53He stopped trying.
25:54Finally looked up at me.
25:56Voice quiet.
25:57Is this about the gift?
25:58Are you willing to give me one again?
26:00I didn't know how to describe the way he was looking at me.
26:02A full year.
26:03Every day.
26:05Side by side.
26:06The cycles pulling us close.
26:08I thought I'd be able to say it without flinching.
26:11I couldn't.
26:12It's not about the gift.
26:14The trial period ends Wednesday.
26:17That day.
26:19Let's go to the bureau together.
26:21And sign the divorce papers.
26:25Wednesday.
26:25A thin, gray drizzle.
26:27Riss opened the car door for me.
26:29Had his umbrella up before a single drop could touch me.
26:31From the corner of my eye, I saw Rex take a few steps in my direction.
26:34He had an umbrella too.
26:36He stopped.
26:37Said nothing.
26:38Fell back.
26:38When I'd told Rex about the divorce that night,
26:41his eyes went red immediately.
26:42Like he was going to fight it.
26:44Started to reach for my wrist.
26:46When I pulled back on instinct, he froze.
26:50Wrists came out and took him to the other room.
26:52I had no idea what they'd talked about.
26:54After their conversation,
26:56Rex shut himself up in his room for a long time.
26:59When Rex came out, he'd made up his mind.
27:02He was ready.
27:03At the bureau, my paperwork came first.
27:06Simple.
27:06Name entry.
27:07Print.
27:08Sign.
27:08Rex's hand shook.
27:09He ruined a few forms before the pen finally cooperated.
27:12He caught me watching.
27:14Looked away.
27:14I went out on a mission last week.
27:16Hurt my hand.
27:17I'm not stalling.
27:18Then came Reese and me.
27:20More steps.
27:20A new photo together.
27:22The temporary certificate replaced with the real one.
27:25Congratulations.
27:25The caseworker set off a little confetti popper.
27:28We turned the certificate over in our hands.
27:30Both sides.
27:31Strange.
27:31New.
27:32Congratulations.
27:33Rex stood among the staff.
27:34Face stiff.
27:35He joined in anyway.
27:36The last word got stuck.
27:38He walked over.
27:39Fingers trembling.
27:40Held it together enough.
27:41Eyes on me.
27:42Can I have a minute with you?
27:43Just us.
27:44Yes.
27:47There wasn't much to say.
27:49So we stood in the corner and let the silence settle.
27:51Rhys told me you used to cry a lot.
27:53Right after we got paired.
27:54I was quiet a moment.
27:56Then nodded.
27:56Not constantly.
27:57But enough.
27:58Every two or three days.
27:59When Rex called me ugly.
28:01When Rhys looked straight through me.
28:03Both their signatures.
28:04I didn't go home.
28:05Stayed in a hotel for three days.
28:07Cried for three days.
28:08I remember sitting on that bed and genuinely asking myself.
28:11Is there something wrong with me?
28:12Why does no one ever want me?
28:14Rhys came around fast.
28:16Second month in he stopped fighting it.
28:17He was right.
28:18By month two Rhys was different.
28:20He talked to me.
28:21Ruffled my hair.
28:22Sat with me when the nightmares got bad.
28:24But I was still crying then.
28:25Just only because of Rex.
28:27I'd even mocked him for being spinless back then.
28:30He gave in to the forced pairing in just a month.
28:33He stared at you all day.
28:35Never looking away.
28:36Like he actually wanted to spend his whole life with you.
28:39Rex lifted his arm and pressed it over his eyes.
28:42Turns out I was just the biggest idiot in the room.
28:45Do you hate me?
28:45The moment he had saved me from the kidnappers.
28:48I could never truly hate him.
28:51At most.
28:52I only felt disappointed and hurt.
28:55Rex.
28:56Between the two of you.
28:58You were the one I noticed first.
29:03His whole body went still.
29:05When I found out about the match, I snuck off to see you.
29:08Rhys was out of town.
29:09I hid quietly in the corner.
29:11All I saw every day was that wild, unyielding side of him.
29:14I saw you take down a thug on the street who'd been bullying an old man.
29:18The next day, you helped a young girl and dragged the creep harassing her straight to the police station.
29:23To me, you were like a hero back then.
29:26Rex was shaking.
29:27Holding it in.
29:28Barely.
29:29You were so good.
29:31So sharp.
29:32Fair when it mattered.
29:33So why-
29:33Why were you only ever unkind to me?
29:36Rex.
29:37In your heart, was it because I wasn't good enough?
29:41No.
29:42It was me.
29:43Only ever me.
29:45I was scared of what I felt.
29:47I hated the system.
29:48I cared too much about what people were saying.
29:50I was arrogant and stupid.
29:52Whatever went wrong between us, it was all me.
29:54I'm the one who mistook treasure for trash.
29:57Del.
29:58Is there any chance you'd give me one more shot?
30:01I already gave you one.
30:02That first day I saw him on the street.
30:04That was the chance.
30:05It carried me through a year of trying.
30:07And the night he saved me, that kept me from ever truly hating him.
30:10There wouldn't be a third.
30:11Then why him?
30:12Rice fought the match too.
30:14I thought about it.
30:15Maybe because even when he didn't love me yet,
30:17he never hurt me.
30:18He went cold for a month.
30:20But it was aimed at the system, not at me.
30:23Once he saw me clearly, he never looked away again.
30:26Outside, the rain had eased.
30:28Rice came over.
30:29He traped his jacket around my shoulders before I noticed I was cold.
30:32We walked out under the same umbrella.
30:34When we get home, can we go get hot pot?
30:36Yes.
30:37One hand on the umbrella, one hand around mine.
30:40The rain stopped.
30:41My new life was starting.
Comments