홈 / Werewolf 단편 스토리 / Alpha Went Crazy After I Died / 챕터 1 - 챕터 10

Alpha Went Crazy After I Died의 모든 챕터: 챕터 1 - 챕터 10

23 챕터

1

My Alpha mate didn’t know that I was dying. He was busy taking care of his childhood sweetheart who had just returned to the pack.I didn’t complain and continued to play the role of Derek's good mate. But after I passed away, he went crazy after reading the journal I left behind. ……Standing at the hospital entrance with that thin diagnosis paper in my hand, I wanted to call Derek.I opened and closed his contact page several times.Then his call came through first.His voice was characteristically deep and cool, but softened when he said my name:"Willow, I have something to do tonight and won't be home for dinner. I might get back late, so don't wait up for me."All my words got stuck in my throat."...Okay."Brief as always. The line went dead, but I kept holding the phone to my ear.The sunset bled red across the horizon.Derek and I had been mates for five years.And I had loved him for nearly ten.I got lucky. Derek needed to establish a stable mate bond before he could inherit

2

I didn't eat dinner. Instead, I waited for him in the living room for hours.I waited until night had deepened, and when the front door finally opened, I jolted awake from my drowsy state.Derek carefully closed the door behind him, his footsteps light. The moment he switched on the living room light, our eyes met.He only froze for a second before his brows furrowed slightly. "Why aren't you in bed yet?""I accidentally fell asleep in the living room," I said, smiling at him. "The sound of the door just woke me up."Derek grunted, his expression calm and unreadable.I stepped forward to take his jacket, and the scent hit me instantly—sandalwood mixed with jasmine. The fragrance invaded my nose, making me feel sick.That was Sarah's scent.On the very day I learned about my life's countdown, my mate had driven to pick up his childhood sweetheart who had returned to the pack.I should have asked him about it. I even opened my mouth, but no words came out.As if nothing had happened at a

3

My phone buzzed on the kitchen counter as I was preparing dinner. Derek's name flashed across the screen."Hey," I answered, tucking the phone between my ear and shoulder as I continued chopping vegetables."Luna," Derek's voice came through, slightly muffled by background noise. "I need to stay late at The Howl tonight. Pack business came up unexpectedly."I paused, knife hovering over the cutting board. "Everything okay?""Yeah, just some territory negotiations. Nothing to worry about." He hesitated. "Don't wait up for me. I might be back late.""Alright. Be safe."After hanging up, I glanced at the clock—7:30 PM. The vegetables lay forgotten as I wiped my hands on a dish towel, my mind already drifting to other thoughts.I was about to return to cooking when I noticed Derek's medicine on the windowsill. The small blue bottle stood out like a warning sign.Derek's sensitive stomach had been acting up lately. His wolf metabolism handled most things, but alcohol on an empty stomach alw

4

The next morning as I was seeing Derek off, my phone calendar sent me a notification.I glanced at it quickly, suddenly remembering today was when I was supposed to visit Mom's grave.My parents had dissolved their mate bond when I was very young. My father didn't love my mother—he had been secretly involved with another woman for years and had even fathered a daughter with her who was older than me.My mother raised me alone, improving her healing abilities through countless battles. I had sworn to work hard so I could become her support one day.But my luck was bad. I became the target of bullies at school.Even though I hadn't done anything wrong—perhaps my clothes offended them, or maybe something I said one day made them hold a grudge.I didn't dare tell my mother. The teachers couldn't control them, and the more I fought back, the worse it got.The day they cornered me, I had some destructive thoughts. The rough feel of a brick in my bag gave me a small sense of security.The lea

5

Derek accompanied me to the veterinary clinic where we had the cat examined, only to discover it had numerous health issues.Broken bones, scratches across its abdomen, and countless minor ailments.But it was well-behaved, staying quiet and still during the examination, just lying there peacefully.Derek looked at me, seeming like he wanted to say something but held back.He remained silent the entire time, even on our way home.The cat was left at the clinic for treatment. I named it "Echo."The atmosphere between us turned stiff the moment we arrived home.Derek wouldn't speak, and I maintained my silence as well.Only when we both entered our bedroom did things change. The warm orange glow of the bedside lamp instantly made the room feel cozy.I sat on the bed, watching Derek come in wearing his sleeping clothes.The warm light fell on him, softening his typically sharp features.He rarely showed emotions. On the rare occasions when I'd seen him smile, it was just a slight upturn o

6

I continued to treat Derek well, pretending I knew nothing, even when I occasionally caught the scent of jasmine on his clothes.Sometimes I'd see Sarah's social media updates, photos or videos that always seemed to have a glimpse of Derek somewhere in the frame.Subtle yet obvious.I would linger on each post for a long time before clicking the heart button.But I never said anything.Just like before, maintaining a peaceful surface.Yet there was an undercurrent, a feeling like a storm brewing.The only differences now were that I had resigned from my position at the pack hospital, we had Echo at home, and I'd picked up my old habit of keeping a journal.I wrote daily, recording my mundane routines and my physical condition.I began spending entire nights unable to sleep, with a constant dull ache in my abdomen.I still prepared meals for Derek every day, but when it came time for me to eat, I would stare at the food for long periods, having lost all appetite.When I visited my mothe

7

I was late. The auctioneer's voice echoed through the elegant hall: "And now, ladies and gentlemen, our final item of the evening.""The Violet Moonglow, one of the rarest healing crystals known to our kind. This remarkable specimen has been verified to significantly soothe an injured wolf's suffering."My heart stopped. Three months ago, during a particularly painful full moon, I had mentioned to Derek how much I wished for such a crystal. Echo, my wolf, had been struggling with each transformation since the injure.Derek had sympathetically explained that such crystals were extremely rare and prohibitively expensive. He'd promised to try to find one but said it was unlikely.Yet here it was. But he didn’t tell me.I scanned the crowd and spotted Derek near the front, his tall frame impossible to miss. Sarah stood beside him, elegantly dressed in a shimmering gown, her arm wrapped intimately around his."Bidding starts at one million dollars," announced the auctioneer.The price climb

8

Derek returned home after I had already cleaned up the room.He wanted to talk to me. I sat on the sofa smiling at him, knowing he wanted to explain but couldn't find the words.I had been with him for five years.I'd navigated the social landscape with him. Derek wasn't good with words, but he was clear and logical. Everything he said came out cold and distant.It was me who gradually taught him how to handle situations, how to deal with those cunning pack elders.Now he moved through these social gatherings with ease, though he remained a man of few words outside those settings.Before, I thought I would love him no matter what he was like. Now I realized perhaps he simply had nothing to say to me.I smiled and spoke first, cutting off anything he might have said."It's fine. I understand Sarah just returned to the pack and doesn't have a social circle yet. You wanted to help her, so you took her to the banquet."Derek's expression shifted. "Yes...""It's okay," I looked at him, my v

9

I arranged to meet Sarah in the forest. When she arrived, I saw the purple healing crystal around her neck."Do you like it?" Sarah asked, touching the crystal with manicured fingers. "Derek gave it to me after the auction. Ten million dollars! Can you believe it?""I mentioned to him that I wasn't sleeping well," she continued, twirling the crystal between her fingers. "Just a bit of insomnia, nothing serious. The next day, he presented me with this."“But honestly, Willow, it might be better for you to leave before I ask Derek to sever your mate bond. Start fresh somewhere else. "Seeing me look up at her, her smile deepened. "You know, I should thank your mate—"Something inside me snapped.The shift happened faster than it ever had before. Pain ripped through my body as bones cracked and reformed, my skin giving way to fur, human consciousness receding as Echo surged forward with a fury I couldn't contain.Sarah turned back at the sound of my transformation, her eyes widening in s

10

Derek returned home while I was writing in my journal.Hearing him open the door, I put down my pen and tucked the journal into the drawer.Derek had been coming home early lately.Sometimes in the evening, he would accompany me on walks.That night, as I sat on the bed reading, he suddenly came over and pulled me into his arms.I leaned against him, feeling the slightly elevated temperature of another person's body.He rested his chin on top of my head, reading along with me the trashy romance novel in my hands.We reached the part where the male lead stood up for the female antagonist, who slapped the female protagonist, making her cry out: "I'm your mate!"His arm around my waist tightened.I casually turned to the next page.We continued reading, watching the male lead repeatedly siding with the other woman against his mate, seeing the mate's heartbreak again and again until she finally resolved to leave him.The mate then had an awakening, immediately beginning his pursuit to win

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