Alpha Countdown Short Stories & Novels

I was reborn on the night the Alpha lost control to dark magic, his heat spiraling out of his grasp. This time, I didn't become his remedy. Instead, I called his true love—my own sister. In my past life, I fell in love with Nicholas, the Alpha of our pack. When I learned he'd been cursed by ancient dark magic and couldn't control his heat, I made a choice I shouldn't have. I didn't push him away. A month later, I found out I was pregnant. As an Alpha, Nicholas needed an heir. The Council of Elders forced him to hold a marking ceremony with me. On the day of the ceremony, Leah couldn't accept it. She ran from pack territory. Rogue wolves attacked her. Before she died, Leah sent Nicholas ninety-nine distress signals through the mind-link. But Nicholas was in the middle of the marking ceremony—at my request—and never answered. Not once. Afterward, when the pack brought back what was left of Leah's body, his face remained eerily calm. But on the night of our pup's first full moon, he poisoned me with wolfsbane. Before I died, I heard his voice, cold as ice. "If you hadn't gotten pregnant, I wouldn't have been forced to mark you. I wouldn't have missed Leah's call for help. Her death is on you. And you're going to pay for it." When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the night Nicholas fell victim to the curse.

"I’ve agreed to marry Alpha Valerian." My father, Alpha Nathaniel, remained bent over his war table for three full seconds before slowly raising his head. His dark eyes, hard as flint, locked onto mine. "You can't be serious." "I have never been more serious." Alpha Valerian—heir to the northern territories. Rumors are he hasn't opened his eyes since birth. A sleeping corpse with a beating heart. "They want a Luna from our pack to stabilize their territory and our alliance." "They demanded Nora," my father said stiffly, his jaw tightening at the mention of his illegitimate, favored daughter. "But you wouldn't like to tie your favourite daughter’s wolf to a cursed, motionless mate, would you?” I replied, keeping my tone entirely flat. "It settles the northern line," he murmured, his forehead muscles finally relaxing. "Very well. I’ll send word to their elders tonight. We’ll arrange the transport, the ceremony—" "I want payment." He paused. "What?" "I am selling my life to buy your peace and cover for Nora’s cowardice," I said, my voice cutting through the quiet room like steel. "I want half the pack’s treasury transferred to my personal lineage vault before I set foot outside our borders." His nostrils flared. "That would empty half our reserves." "Then I suggest you start counting." "And one more thing," I added, reaching for the door's brass handle. "Reassign Commander Lucian. Strip him of his oath to guard me and place him on Nora’s personal detail." He blinked, genuinely thrown. "Lucian? You spent three years fighting the council to make him your shadow. You intended to choose him as your mate." My hand tightened on the brass handle until my knuckles turned white. He didn't know. He didn't know that just an hour ago, I found my shadow guard—the man who swore to bleed for me—wrapped around Nora in the tactical room, whispering the same vows he once swore to me. Lucian had already chosen her. I was giving him the title

My younger sister, Ivy, was engaged to Nathan, the heir to the Silver Moon Pack. After Nathan and I drank laurel wine laced with an aphrodisiac, we lost control and slept together. To preserve the alliance between our packs, Mother had me take Ivy's place. Nathan and I completed the mate bond, while Ivy was sent north to marry its elderly, gravely ill Alpha. On the day of her mating ceremony, however, Ivy's convoy was attacked by rogue wolves. She died at the border. Nathan hated me from that day forward. For more than twenty years, our bond brought me only neglect and humiliation. When I died after a long illness, he did not visit. He sent only one message. "Tessa, stay away from me in your next life." When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the moment the drugged wine was placed in my hand. Before I could react, Nathan snatched the glass away and smashed it against the floor. The moment I saw the way he looked at Ivy, I knew that he had been reborn too. Before the elders of both packs, he took Ivy's hand and announced, "Ivy and I will hold our mating ceremony this month." He led her away without looking at me. Once they were out of earshot, Mother drew me aside. "North Ridge has agreed to an alliance. You'll marry their Alpha." Memories of my final moments flashed through my mind. This time, I decided to give Nathan exactly what he wanted. "All right," I said. "I agree."

Whenever Jacob called my name, his first instinct was always to utter his ex's name, "Anna". On our first anniversary, the gift he gave me was written: [Anna, let’s be together forever.] When we were intimate, he couldn't stop himself from whispering in my ear, "Anna, tell me you love me." Every time he called me by the wrong name, I could only helplessly reiterate, "My name is Anya, not Anna." Over time, Jacob probably felt some shame. Before addressing me, he would pause to think for a moment, and then successfully say my name, "Anya." Just when I thought he had finally stopped confusing the two of us, Anna suddenly returned. From then on, whenever Jacob introduced me to the rest of the pack, he called me "Anna" more frequently than ever. Even during our mating ceremony, as he held out the ring to me, he called out, "Anna, will you be my mate?" Looking at Jacob standing before me, I didn't bother to correct him this time. Since the name he called wasn't mine, I shouldn't be the one to accept.

On our seventh anniversary, my Alpha, Alex Doyle, abandons me once again to care for Lily Hayes and her pup. "She lost her mate. Do you have any idea how hard it is to raise a pup alone? As the Luna of our pack, you should be more compassionate," he says, his brows drawing together. Certain I'll never leave him, he speaks with the confidence of someone who takes my devotion for granted. This time, I don't beg him to stay like I always do. Instead, I choose to be the bigger person and show Lily compassion. I'm even willing to give up my position as Luna and allow him to fulfill his so-called noble duties and promises to her. I sever our mate bond on my own and leave the pack's territory without looking back. But when I finally disappear into the depths of the forest, Alex, the Alpha who's always carried himself as if he's untouchable, completely loses his mind. With bloodshot eyes, he follows the faint traces of my scent and desperately begs me not to leave.

A legend exists among the werewolf packs. If mates who form their mate bond at the Moon Goddess' altar under the full moon miss their full-moon rendezvous three times in a row, it means they aren't meant to be together. Randy Foster stands me up seven times, and I become an outcast among the pack as they accuse me of blaspheming the Moon Goddess. The first time, he brings Annie Pike around the territory. "Nora, please be understanding. Annie just got here, and everything is new to her. As the Alpha, it's my duty to help her settle in and become part of the pack." Randy gently strokes my cheek, his voice soft. "I promise I'll take you south to see the flowers in full bloom once winter is over." I choose to believe him, only to end up waiting for five years. Over the next five years, he shows Annie around the territory, helps her fit into the pack, and teaches her combat skills and healing techniques. Meanwhile, I get disappointed again and again as I wait for him, becoming the pack's laughingstock. Every wolf mocks me. "Randy is the Alpha, and Annie is the future of the pack's healing center. You're just an Omega. Stop deluding yourself into thinking you can be with the Alpha." Randy's voice echoes in my mind again, "Nora, just wait a few more days. Annie's entry into the healing center cannot be delayed." I don't wait for him like I used to. Instead, I pack my bags and prepare to leave. I don't need anyone to accompany me. I can make it to the south on my own.

My six-year-old son fed me the cake that triggered my allergy and killed his unborn sister. He was smiling when he confessed, as if he had done something wonderful. “Aunt Vivienne said the baby would go back to the Moon Goddess. Then you and Daddy could break your mate bond, and she could stay with us instead. That way, Aunt Vivienne would have more time to play with me!” My heart clenched. I couldn't hold back anymore. “But Mommy and your sister can play with you, too. Can't we?” “Yeah, but…” He hesitated, searching for the right words. “But it's boring when I'm with you, Mommy. Daddy and I have more fun with Aunt Vivienne.” The words hit me like a blow. For a long moment, I couldn't say a word. My mate, Adrian, stripped Finn of his heir badge, suspended his Alpha training, and sent him to a pack therapist. But when I asked him to investigate the adult who had given our son the cake and taught him how to deceive me, Adrian stepped between us. “Vivienne chose her words poorly. She couldn't have known Finn would actually do it.” Our six-year-old son was old enough to be punished. My sister was too innocent to be questioned. That was when I finally saw the favoritism Adrian himself didn't even realize he was showing. So I stopped asking him to choose me. I removed my Luna signet, left behind divorce and mate-rejection papers, surrendered custody of Finn, and accepted an assignment outside Blackwood Territory. By the time Adrian and Finn understood what it truly meant to lose me, they were already begging me to come back. Only this time, I was the one who no longer wanted to return.

After Alpha Ethan passed away, I sorted through his belongings. In his study, I found his final letter. He wrote about so many things. He wrote about the pack, about our daughter, and about every detail of the twenty years we had spent together as mates. I wept so hard I could barely read through it, believing it was the last piece of tenderness he had left for me. Until I turned to the very last page: [If I could live my life over again, I wish Vivian had been my mate.] My fingers instantly froze. [When I was twenty-two, if only I had been a little braver, I should have gone to the airport and convinced Vivian to stay.] Ethan had given up on chasing after her and chose to stay by my side for twenty years instead. I thought that was love. Turns out, he just couldn't bear the guilt of abandoning me. I prayed to the Moon Goddess, and she answered by granting me a second chance, sending me back to the exact day Vivian was about to leave. Ethan was sitting beside my hospital bed, and a boarding alert for Vivian's flight popped up on his phone. In my past life, he wanted to go, but I clung to him and begged him to stay. As a result, the plane crashed, and Vivian died on her journey. Her death became Ethan's lifelong regret. This time, I picked up his jacket for him and hailed a Taxi on my phone: "There are thirty minutes until her flight boards. If you leave now, you can still make it." This time, I won't beg for his love anymore. So why... did Ethan end up full of regret?

The night I found out, I almost fixed it. Almost. My assignment had been changed to Everglades Academy. Two thousand miles south. Swamp territory. Three omegas died there last year. I'd asked Kael to file my school preference. Silver Peak Academy. Together. The way we'd planned since we were twelve, lying in the snow making promises to the stars. Now the screen said Everglades. I called him immediately. He picked up on the second ring, relaxed as always. "Hey." "My assignment," I said. "It says Everglades." "Oh." Not guilt. Recalibration. "Lil came by while I was filing yours. She wanted to play a prank—switched it to Everglades for a laugh." He laughed. Light. Careless. "Deadline's tomorrow night. Just override it yourself. It takes thirty seconds." "If I hadn't checked—" "But you did check." That patience. "Fen. You always check everything. That's why she knew you'd catch it. It was just a joke." Just a joke. So my future was a punchline. My life, someone else's entertainment. I said nothing. I packed my gear. I left for the transport hub on departure day. Kael found me at the platform. His smile was gone. "I told you to override it. You didn't change it back?" "No."

After discovering that my Alpha mate, Silas, still couldn't let go of his puphood sweetheart, Julia, I began teaching our pup, Luke, to address him as Alpha. When Luke was injured and admitted to the healer's den, one phone call from Julia was enough to make Silas leave. Holding Luke in my arms, I gently prompted him, "Say goodbye to Alpha." Silas had promised to spend Luke's birthday by taking him to Moonshadow Park to watch the fireflies, but then Julia called and said that her own pup had no father to accompany him while crying. Without the slightest hesitation, Silas grabbed his coat and left. I didn't cry or make a scene. Instead, I handed the phone to Luke. "Help Alpha cancel the park reservation." Every time, Luke would fight back tears and hesitate for a long while before doing it. It wasn't until one day when Silas finally realized how much he had neglected us and offered to take us to the movies. But just as we arrived at the theater, Julia called again. I could hear her voice trembling over the phone. "Silas, could you pick Aiden up from school right now? "The other pups keep teasing him for not having a father. They say he's a pup without a father to protect him." A look of pity appeared on Silas' face as he crouched down. He was getting ready to explain things to Luke. This time, without waiting for me to prompt him, Luke waved at Silas on his own. "It's okay, Alpha. "Go take care of your other pup. "This family can manage just fine without you."

When I woke up from wolfsbane poison, I decided to scare my Alpha mate-to-be by pretending I’d lost my memory. “Who are you?” I asked. Nolan Hayes stepped back, putting distance between us. “I’m your sister’s mate-to-be. She hasn’t been feeling well, so she asked me to check on you.” I thought he was joking and turned to my adopted sister, Megan, who had just arrived. She immediately slipped her hand around Nolan’s arm. “Allison, don’t tell me you’ve forgotten.” “Our bonding ceremony is in three days. You even promised to make my ceremony dress.” Mom and Dad rushed to the hospital when they heard about my memory loss. Clinging to one last shred of hope, I asked. “Is Nolan really going to be Megan’s mate?” Mom sighed. “Allison, their ceremony is just days away.” “You need to leave him alone. Your sister has a heart condition. She can’t handle this kind of stress.” Dad sounded relieved. “You used to chase after Nolan, insisting he could never be anyone’s mate but yours.” “Maybe losing your memory is a good thing. At least you won’t embarrass us in front of the pack anymore.” As he finished speaking, I felt the last of my hope drain away. Fine. Megan could have both my parents and Nolan. It’s time for me to leave the pack for good.

Liam Hurley's favorite thing to say to me is, "Don't worry." Don't worry. Once he consolidates his power and ends the internal strife of the pack, we'll reveal our relationship. Because of that, I waited for two years. Don't worry. We'll hold the bonding ceremony as soon as his mother accepts me. I waited for another three. In the fifth year, at the banquet celebrating Liam's rise to Alpha of the Ashmoon pack, his mother, Elana Gibson, unclasps the moonstone necklace from around her neck in front of everyone. Liam told me long ago that passing down the moonstone necklace is the Ashmoon pack's official ritual for acknowledging a Luna. I figure Liam won't be telling me not to worry this time. "Here, let me put this on you." Elana walks right past me and gently fastens the necklace around the neck of Lilith Powell, Liam's assistant. The whole banquet hall falls dead silent. Elana pats the back of her hand with a warm smile. "Lilith is so sweet and kind, and she's been a massive help to Liam. She has a special place in my heart." I hear someone whisper, "What about Freya?" Liam lowers his voice. "My mother cherishes bonds. Lilith really has done a lot for me, so don't take it personally. Don't worry, okay? Next month, I'll take you to pick out a better moonstone necklace that's way more valuable than that one." As the crowd scatters, Lilith strokes the necklace and gives me a smug smile. "Freya, are you jealous? Elana says this moonstone has been passed down for seven generations in the Ashmoon pack." I tell her I am. Just then, my phone buzzes in my pocket. "Have you made up your mind? When are you coming to Nordravia?"

In my past life, weaponized liquid silver flooded the vault. I begged my fated Alpha, Declan, through our mind-link. He called my crying annoying, shattered our bond, and took every warrior to rescue his lost first love. I died alone in the freezing silver mist, carrying our five-month-old pup. Later, they said Declan went mad. At his forced mating ceremony with Talia, he ripped his own Alpha core apart, begging the Moon Goddess for a second chance to protect me. The Moon Goddess granted it. Yet the moment I opened my eyes, the heavy blast-door was already locked from the outside. He had sealed me in again, rushing to the harbor for the same woman. His so-called "second chance" was just another death sentence with my name on it. As toxic fumes poured through the vents, a strange peace washed over me. Two lifetimes of this mate bond. I'm done.

Through the bond that tied my wolf to his, I sent ninety-nine screams for help. The hundredth time, he answered—distant, distracted. "Seraphine, I'm occupied. Stop whining like a needy pup." I lay in an ice crevice, our pup suffocating in my womb, while he hunted beneath the full moon with another. Five days later, I woke in a healing den. Through the wall, I heard my mate—my Alpha—speaking of me like livestock. "Keep her under until Lysandra whelps," Leon growled to the shaman. "If she learns I drained our pup for that she-wolf's marrow, I'll have your tongue. And if you fail me—I'll burn your den to ash." I touched the mating mark burning on my throat and reached for the crystal. My voice didn't tremble. "Harris. Prepare the severance scroll. I want his signature before the moon wanes." The she-wolf who loved her Alpha died in that ravine. The one who clawed out will make him howl.

My mate always put his childhood friend Brooke and her son first. Eventually, I taught Owen to call him something else. Alpha Ethan, instead of Dad. When Owen sprained his wrist at training, he clung to Ethan's shirt. One call from Brooke was all it took for Ethan to walk away. As I adjusted our son's wrist brace, I taught him to say, “Drive safely, Alpha.” On the day of my father's birthday dinner, Ethan chose to help Brooke pick out a gift for Mason instead. I had Owen explain to the family.“The Alpha's busy. He can't be here.” But afterward, he still asked me to save Dad a piece of cake. I'd stopped making excuses for Ethan. Owen hadn't. Then Owen's teacher told Ethan he was the only father who'd missed the school play. At last, looking ashamed, Ethan bought us passes to an amusement park. We'd barely reached the entrance when Brooke's text arrived. [Ethan, Mason can't breathe. His inhaler isn't helping. Please come. I don't know what to do.] For once, Ethan hesitated. He looked down at our son instead of walking away. I hadn't said a word when Owen let go of his hand. “Go ahead, Alpha Ethan. Mom can take me on the rides.”

I have the same due date as Roxanne Coleman, the childhood sweetheart of my Alpha Mate, Sebastian Graham. However, her pup has been diagnosed with a congenital heart defect. That means it will never be as strong as a normal pup and may not even survive its first shift. Even the healers advise her not to give birth. Just as I begin to pity Roxanne, Sebastian makes a request that shatters me. He asks me to give our pup to her. "Roxanne's pack is harsh on her. They demand she bear a powerful heir," he explains patiently. "If they find out her pup is born with a heart defect, they'll kill her. "Please, I beg you. Save her. Let her take our pup." I stare at Sebastian in disbelief. "Are you saying we should trade our healthy pup for her defective one?" Seeing how resistant I am, he doesn't answer. In fact, he doesn't need to. … A month later, during a prenatal checkup, Sebastian secretly switches my medical report with Roxanne's. I can't believe he truly plans to steal my pup for her. At that moment, I broke down completely. So, I sever our mate bond and leave with our unborn pup. While Sebastian frantically searches for me, I accept the Temple of the Moon's invitation and become the only one who can speak to the Moon Goddess and deliver her oracles. And my pup will be the next Chosen One. From that day on, Sebastian is nothing to me.

In order to save Alpha Varkon Stormclaw, who was poisoned with wolfsbane, I've used my life force to trade for the antidote with the witch. After the transaction, I become unusually weak. My wolf sinks into a deep slumber as well. Because of that, the elders have cast me out of the Moon Goddess Church. Nyla Ironcrest, the newly-appointed Luna, locks me up in a silver cage that's filled with wolfsbane. "How could a lowly and filthy defective she-wolf like you be a good match for the prestigious Alpha?" Varkon, who has once loved me with all his heart, gets tricked by Nyla into thinking that she's his savior. Not only does he sever our mate bond from me, but he also turns a deaf ear on my pleas for help. Defeated and devastated, I breathe my last breath in the silver cage. However, Varkon kneels before my corpse later on. He's struck with so much pain in the chest that he goes crazy. At the same time, he keeps spitting out blood. But I can never hear his confession of atonement ever again.

On the day of my bonding ceremony, I somehow slept for six straight hours. By the time I reached the Moon Temple, the ceremony was long over. My fiancé, the Alpha of the Shadow Pack, had already completed the bonding rite with my sister. When he saw me burst in, drenched in sweat, Charles gave me a careless smile. “A rogue has his eye on Annie. The only way to protect her was to beat him to it and go through a fake ceremony with her first. She didn’t want to be claimed by some filthy rogue. Babe, you know I was just trying to help her.” He didn’t even think he’d done anything wrong. He went on, completely relaxed. “Don’t make a scene, Lilith. I’ll take you to seal the mate bond next week.” “I’ll get you a new bonding gown too. A more expensive one, with a train way bigger than hers. Okay?” I had spent almost half a year choosing that bonding gown myself. The hall went quiet. Everyone was waiting to watch me fall apart. But I only let out a long breath. Good. I didn’t want to be his mate anymore either. That rite would bind my sister’s wolf to Charles’s. She would never be able to awaken the bloodline power that belongs to our family. And I would leave the Shadow Pack and head for our ancestral land, where my own awakening ritual was waiting for me.

Edward kept a note tucked inside his pocket watch. I had secretly read it once. “To Edward, the future strongest Alpha: Train hard, or I’ll make you hunt ten rabbits for me.” The handwriting was delicate and elegant, as if it belonged to a female werewolf. He looked perfectly calm as he rubbed my cheek and explained. “She was my partner during the Spring Hunt years ago. I thought the note was worth keeping as a memento. You’re the only one destined to be my mate, so don’t overthink it.” I nodded and let it go. Until the night of the Full Moon Ceremony, when Edward introduced me to his childhood friends, a girl in a red dress joined us midway through the gathering. Someone explained, “Monica left for the Northern Pack after something happened to her family. This is her first time back.” Someone else, drunk and eager to stir things up, chimed in, “Back then, we used to see Monica playing with Edward all over the hills every day. Everyone envied Edward for dating such a lively werewolf.” I took a sip of wine and listened quietly. So that note had been kept to commemorate a love story.

After our parents ended their marriage, my sister and I became the children they passed back and forth between two packs. Every August, the leaders of the two packs sat down to decide where we would live for the coming year. Both our names were on the agreement, but there was only one daughter they ever fought to keep: my younger sister, Lena. Mom wanted to take her to the coast for the winter. Dad had already promised to spend the next full-moon celebration with her. In the end, they agreed to go together so Lena wouldn’t have to choose. When it was my turn, Mom suggested a school dorm. Dad reminded her that I wasn’t his responsibility that year. Neither of them asked where I wanted to go. For years, I tried to be the easy daughter. I carried messages between them, broke up their fights, and made excuses every time they failed to show. They still missed my competitions, my awards ceremony, and my graduation. They didn’t even finish reading the college acceptance letter I sent them. So I stopped waiting. I accepted a full scholarship three thousand miles away, filed the paperwork to leave my mother’s pack, and bought a one-way ticket. By the time my parents sat down for our yearly handoff lunch and finally wondered where I was, I had already gone beyond their reach.