All Chapters of When the Alpha Lost His Human Childhood Sweetheart: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

At two in the morning, when the pack elders' urgent summons came, I had just crawled out from beneath my childhood sweetheart, the Alpha heir Slade.My body was still aching from his rough possession.As the only human healer in the entire Blackwood Pack, I was ordered to prepare herbs as a gift for Slade's marriage alliance with the Thorne Pack.I gently lifted Slade's arm from where it was wrapped around me. After a night of passion, his powerful Alpha body was still radiating a feverish heat.I assumed this was just another wolf princess he needed to turn away, so I poked his chest playfully and asked with a smile,"Slade, what excuse are you going to use the 99th time? That you've suddenly developed an allergy to the princess?"He rolled over and kissed my forehead, his eyes heavy with sleep."My sweet girl, this time the herbs must be prepared by you, and you alone. The success of this alliance rests on your shoulders."I froze.For the past ten years, I had been his secret solace

Two days later was the pack's traditional Hunt Under the Moon. It was the pack's most important annual festival, and by tradition, the Alpha was required to participate personally.I had no desire to attend, but Slade commanded my presence as the on-site healer."Eloise, keep up," he called from ahead, his voice cheerful and unbothered.I hoisted my heavy emergency kit and stumbled along at the back of the party. At the very front, Slade and Rosalind stood side-by-side.Rosalind had changed into a tight-fitting leather hunting suit that perfectly outlined her curves.She would occasionally lean in to whisper in Slade's ear, and he would listen with a look of deep, tender focus.The hunting party moved deeper into the dense forest.The sacrificial stag, normally raised in captivity, was released.But something was wrong with this stag.Its eyes were blood-red, foam dripped from its mouth, and the muscles under its skin twitched uncontrollably.Someone had tampered with it. It had been

The next morning, I was awakened by a message from Lucas."Go to the greenhouse," he commanded, his tone brusque. "Bring the 'Moonlight Flower.' The Alpha is waiting for you."I stared at the screen, my fingertips ice-cold.The Moonlight Flower. It blooms once every ten years, for a single night.Its nectar makes the marking process feel like a dream, completely painless.This one, I had been nurturing since I was eighteen, even using my own blood to feed it.I had fantasized countless times about the day I would finally become Slade's mate. I would pick it myself, and he would mark me gently.Now, the flower was in bloom. But I would never have a use for it.When I pushed open the glass door of the greenhouse, Slade was standing in the center of the flowerbeds. Rosalind sat in a nearby wicker chair, toying with a common rose."Did you bring it?" Slade turned. His gaze passed over me, landing on the potted plant I held in my arms."This is an asset of the medical center," I said, clutc

The Blackwood Pack's sacred altar square had never looked so solemn.The grounds of the grand bonding ceremony were covered in flowers, but all I could smell was their sickeningly sweet stench.I stood alone in the shadows below the altar, holding the vial of "doctored" energy essence.The star of the evening, Rosalind, approached me, wearing a gown that seemed woven from moonlight. She carried herself with the full grace of a future Luna.She stopped in front of me and held up her left hand, deliberately flashing it before my eyes.On her finger was a massive ring.It was set with a flawless moonstone.Ten times larger, ten times purer than the one Slade had destroyed."See," Rosalind's voice was soft, for my ears only. "This is the difference, Eloise. Some stones are meant to be crushed. Others are meant for a crown."I stared at the stone and replied numbly, "Congratulations. It suits you."Slade walked over, dressed in a sharp ceremonial uniform, a golden wolf head embroidered on h

Rosalind's crying stopped. A triumphant sneer curled her lips.Ten minutes later, the pack square was full. I was forced onto the stone platform in the center.My ribs screamed in protest. Every movement was agony.Below me was a sea of faces, many of whom I had once saved.But now, their eyes held nothing but a feverish desire for a spectacle.Lucas ascended the platform carrying a heavy stone basin, his hands trembling slightly.It was filled with a thick, black liquid that reeked of rot and sulfur.The Water of Shame.Once it touched me, it would leave the indelible Mark of the Hunted, turning me into a living target.For miles around, rogues and wild beasts would be drawn to my scent, hunting me relentlessly until I was dead.Rosalind stood in the front row, her face flushed with excitement. "Slade, hurry up. I want to see her crawl away like a stray dog."Slade walked to the stone basin. He reached out his hand, his fingertips hovering over the black liquid.One touch to smear it