Tragic Love Short Stories & Alpha Countdown Novels

I was born able to see the colors of the bonds between wolves. The deeper the love, the closer the link came to crimson. When a heart began to waver, it faded to pale pink. When only habit and responsibility remained, it turned gray-white. When I was seven, my father brought another woman home, saying she only needed our pack’s temporary protection. From that day on, the link between him and my mother grew dimmer. My mother’s wolf fell silent, and her health deteriorated. The day she died, the light connecting them vanished. Years later, my brother marked his longtime girlfriend and formed a mate bond with her. Yet the light on his side was only pale pink. I warned him not to promise her forever if he did not love her. He insisted he would honor their bond and care for his mate. Less than six months later, he found another woman. After seeing so many links fade, I knew my gift never lied. I wanted someone who would keep choosing me, no matter how many years passed. Then I met Rhys Calder. He was the youngest head of security in the Greybridge Pack and a former border operative. Everyone said he was cold and exacting, a man who never allowed anyone close. Yet the first time we met, the link extending from him to me burned a brilliant red. After that, he picked me up from work every day, waited two hours for me in a storm, and once drove across half of Greybridge just to bring me flowers. Eventually, I accepted him. For seven years after we formed our mate bond, that link remained deep red. Rhys remembered that I loved the almond croissants from the bakery on the corner. He decorated the terrace himself on my birthdays. Every time he left Greybridge on an assignment, he brought gifts home for Jamie and me. I thought I had finally found the love I wanted. Then Rhys returned from a mission two weeks ago. When I helped him out of his coat, an unfamiliar rose scent clung to the fabric. At that moment, the link extending from him to me seemed to dim.

After losing my pup, I submitted an application to the Werewolf Council to sever my mate bond. In six days, the bond would be severed at midnight. I would take my pup's memorial box, drive through the highway checkpoint north of Silverpine Pack's territory, and never return. Lucien still had no idea any of this would happen. He was holding my adopted sister's newborn pup while asking me to wait a little longer. "Kayla lost her mate. She needs someone to take care of her right now. Once she's feeling better, I'll spend more time with you." My parents said I still had Lucien, while Kayla had lost almost everything. I shouldn't compete with her for a few days of Lucien's attention. Even my best friend told me to move on from the night I lost my pup. So I stopped asking why no one had answered my calls for help that night. I packed away my medical records, returned the house keys, and deleted every name from my emergency contacts. Lucien thought I had finally learned to let go. What he didn't know was that I had deleted his name too.

My wolf was diagnosed with severe decay, and the healer said that without aggressive treatment, I had only three days left to live. I called my parents, clinging to a sliver of hope, wanting to beg them to give me some money for treatment. On the sixty-sixth attempt, the call finally went through. My father, the Beta of the BloodMoon Pack, roared with fury over the receiver. "Enough, Amelia! Do you have any idea that today is your little sister's Awakening Rite?! We're all very busy and have no time to listen to your lies!" My mother, the most skilled healer in the pack, snatched the phone. "Amelia, if you're really feeling unwell, go pick some herbs and eat them. It can't be anything serious anyway." The call was ruthlessly hung up, and I stood frozen in place. In the face of my adoptive sister's Awakening Rite, even the fact that I was about to die meant nothing to them. I wiped my tears, held the diagnosis written by the healer, and walked into the office of the Elder of Records. "Hello," I said softly. "I would like to apply for a death certificate for myself."

My Alpha Mate, Damon Ashford, missed our son Finn's sixth birthday—because he was too busy tending to his adopted sister's pup. That night, while packing up Finn's room, I found a recording in his mechanical wolf toy. A tiny, childish whisper. "Little wolf, my daddy's not here. Will you stay and grow up with me instead?" The next day at the pack school, the instructor casually asked why Finn's father hadn't shown up for the ceremony. Finn gripped his crayon and answered softly: "Daddy's busy. He's the pack's Alpha." "His time belongs to his work. It belongs to Aunt Serena, because she needs his care. But it doesn't belong to me." The parents nearby shifted, at a loss for words. But I felt nothing. Just the quiet, final snap of disappointment. A month later, Damon finally remembered. He wanted to make up for the missed birthday. He walked into the pups' room and saw Finn sorting through identity cards. Finn slipped the card with Damon's face into the "Pack Members" slot. Then left the "Family" column completely empty. Damon reached for it, but Finn looked up, eyes distant and cold. "Alpha Ashford. Please don't put the card in the wrong place." "Dad belongs in the family. You only belong to the pack." The color drained from Damon's face. Instantly.

For the seven years we've been mates, my Alpha, Ryan Grayback, has never allowed our pup, Sofia Grayback, to call him "Daddy". He insists that she call him "Alpha Ryan" instead. But on the day his first love, Claire Barker, returns to the pack, Ryan changes. That night, the usually aloof Ryan gets drunk for the first time. He smiles as he gathers Sofia into his arms so gently and tenderly, acting for the first time like he's her father. Sofia is surprised and delighted. She wraps her arms around his neck and whispers to me, "Mommy, is Alpha Ryan starting to like me?" My eyes redden with tears as I crouch down and pull her into an embrace. "It's because the person he likes has come back. That's why we shouldn't disturb him anymore." I decide to take Sofia and leave the pack, but she tugs on my hand and asks, "Mommy, can we please give Alpha Ryan three more chances?" The first time, Ryan forgets about Sofia's parent night because of Claire. The second time, Ryan tenderly picks up Claire's pup, Lily Barker, right in front of Sofia. The third time, he chooses them again without a moment's hesitation. This time, Sofia gives up on waiting for him. She hugs me tightly and says, "Let's go, Mommy." So I drink the potion that severs the mate bond and take Sofia away from the pack where we'd lived for seven years. And this time, we are never looking back.

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.

After the events of the night of the full moon, my mate, Lucian Perell, realizes that I have stopped getting jealous over Freya Barton, his dead older brother's mate. When he gives the room that belongs to the Luna to Freya, I accept his decision calmly, no longer protesting loudly. When he orders me to take care of the frail Freya, I don't argue with him or tell him that she's just putting on an act. Instead, I considerately see to everything for her. In fact, even when he berates me in front of the whole pack because of Freya, I don't feel even the slightest stirring of emotions. Pleased, Lucian praises me, "You're finally acting like a Luna should. Seems like Freya was right. I had to take a firmer stance with you before you finally grew up." He's so smug over Freya's supposed wit that he completely fails to notice that our mate bond is growing fainter. Even now, he's still unaware that when he protected Freya and led her away on that night of the full moon, I was attacked by the Gamma warriors who went berserk. Because of that, I lose the pup we have been looking forward to for a very long time. That is also when I thoroughly give up on my love for him. Seven days later, our mate bond will break completely, and that will also be the time I leave.

After spending three years in a coma from wolfsbane poisoning, I miraculously wake up to find my entire family treating me like I'm made of glass. My parents prepare herbal remedies for me every day and accompany me to the Moon Spring for treatment. My younger brother, Jesse Whitmore, skips all his warrior training to stay by my side, while my fated mate, Joey Crain, insists on knowing where I am at all times. I try to reassure him. "Joey, you don't have to worry so much. I can take care of myself." But he pulls me into his arms, his eyes red with tears. "Blair, you're the most important person in our lives. We can't bear to lose you again." His words warm my heart, and I believe I couldn't be happier. Then, at the Full Moon Festival, I overhear Jesse and my parents discussing how to keep me occupied so Joey can secretly meet another she-wolf, Emily Stork. The same Emily Stork who poisoned me three years ago and nearly killed me. I stand there, stunned. All this time, they've been lying to me. The woman who put me in a coma is having an affair with my fated mate, and my own family has been helping them hide it. Even their constant fussing over me is partly an act to keep me from finding out the truth. I've had enough. I decide to fake my death and leave them all behind. But when news of my death reaches them, their entire world falls apart.

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.

On the eve of my mating ceremony, I caught my parents and the entire pack holding a secret Luna ceremony for my Alpha fiance, Caden, and my adopted sister, Lydia. Lydia's biological parents had died saving mine. Now terminal wolfsbane poisoning had left her with three months to live, and her final wish was to be buried as the Luna of Blackridge Pack. Caden stood with his back to me, his voice soft and patient. "Lydia, don't worry. Before you leave this world, I'll give you everything a Luna deserves—the ceremony, the title, the place at my side. It's the least I can do for you." My father placed her hand in Caden's. My mother draped my Luna mantle over her shoulders, while my own brother struck my name from the Luna registry. Caden exchanged rings and vows with Lydia, then signed the record naming her Blackridge's first Luna. They all believed that because I was healthy, I had years ahead of me and should give this one chance to Lydia. I watched the ceremony to the end and deleted the message announcing my pregnancy. Later, I left with my unborn pup to become Frost River Pack's chief investigator, reclaiming the future I had surrendered for Caden. I left only my pregnancy report, mate-contract dissolution, and bloodline severance declaration. By the time Caden learned the truth, I had already crossed the northern border. His desperate call came too late.

I'm a Bond Breaker. I use magic to sever werewolves' mate bonds without pain, helping them get out of relationships that have gone bad. Three years into my practice, a young she-wolf walked into my consulting room and laid a signed check over my appointment form. "I need you to break a Luna's bond. She's been holding on to that position long enough." The signature on the check looked strangely familiar. I kept my expression polite. "Does she want to end her bond?" "She will once she sees what her Alpha gets up to in my bed." The girl swept her hair aside, revealing a bite on her neck that hadn't healed. "He told me I make him feel young again." She pushed a video across the desk. In it, Lucas Hale bent to kiss her, the sports watch I'd given him still strapped to his left wrist. Three hours earlier, he'd used that same hand to braid our daughter's hair, then pulled me into his arms and told me nothing in the whole Grayridge Pack mattered more than the two of us. The girl smiled. "Will seven days be enough?" I glanced at my own mating mark. "That'll do." Apparently, even a Bond Breaker could end up taking her own kind of order.

The night I accidentally ended up in bed with my adoptive brother, Adrian, he had just broken his engagement to his childhood sweetheart, Ivy. Adrian was the Alpha of Blackwood Pack. Ivy was the late Beta's daughter, and the woman he had always intended to make his Luna. To protect my reputation and preserve his authority as Alpha, he was forced to complete a mate bond with me. Everyone said he treated me well. But every year on Ivy's birthday, he sat alone in his study until dawn. In the third year of our marriage, Ivy died of wolf-spirit failure. Only then did Adrian learn from the letter she left behind that she had seen us together that morning. The sight had haunted her for the rest of her life. He decided I had destroyed her. He severed our mate bond, drove me from the pack, and used his influence to close every road that might have kept me alive. Before I died, he sent me only four words. "You deserve to die." When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the night his wolf lost control. This time, I tore myself out of his arms, knocked on Ivy's door, and placed him in her hands myself. I smiled at the shock on his face. “Adrian, I won’t love you anymore.”

Before our fifth mating anniversary, I was just about to tell my mate that I was about to inherit the pack my Alpha father left behind, when I saw him embracing and kissing the she-wolf who once bullied me. "This game has been going on for five years. It's time to end it." "Watching her come and go like a dog whenever called is really boring. What a fool. A fake mating certificate was enough to fool her completely. Did she really think an orphan like her could marry into the Shadowmoon Pack and become Luna? If she hadn't looked decent back then, I wouldn't have bothered with this charade." I felt like I'd fallen into an ice cave, sobbing uncontrollably. So the salvation that pulled me out of the bullying abyss was nothing but his amusing joke from beginning to end. If that's the case, I don't want this false love anymore.

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."

My mate Finn Thornweald, the Alpha of the SnowMoon Pack, loved watching me get jealous when other she-wolves came near him. It made him feel deeply loved by me. So every year on our bonding anniversary, he would invite Stella Atwood, his childhood sweetheart, over to play a jealousy game with me. The first year, I came home to find Stella wearing my nightgown, leaning dangerously close to the crook of Finn's neck. I stormed over, yanked her away, and tried to tear the nightgown right off her back. Finn grabbed my hands and pulled me into his embrace. "See, Eloise? You really are crazy about me." The second year, I found my bedroom door locked, with Stella's giggles echoing from inside. In a panic, I kick the locked door open, violently tearing Stella off my bed. Finn watched the entire spectacle, letting out a satisfied laugh. "You're wonderful when you're jealous." Last year, when I arrived at the pack banquet, I found Stella already sitting in my usual spot at the head table, having everyone address her as "dear Luna." I was trembling with rage, but Finn just gave a nonchalant shrug. "Calm down. It's just a title. It's all part of the game." This year, terrified of coming home to another scene with Stella, I searched every room, and was relieved to find only Finn and his friends. Just as I sat down and breathed a sigh of relief, the door burst open. Stella walked in with a triumphant smirk, followed by servants carrying her luggage. "Ta-da! Eloise, Finn said I could try being the Luna for a week! So here I am~" Finn threw an arm around my shoulders and said, "Oh, I forgot to tell you. I gave Stella free access to the estate." Everyone stood around watching like it was a comedy show, waiting for me to lose my mind like I did every year. But this time, I threw my moonstone bonding ring right into Finn's face. "A week is too short. Keep her here. Permanently."

I was a fallen angel with broken wings. A vampire count imprisoned me because my celestial light was the only power that could suppress his childhood sweetheart’s curse. Then Cassian Vale, the Lycan King, slaughtered his way into the fortress and carried me out. He crowned me his Luna and cherished me for three years. I thought he was my salvation, until I overheard him speaking to the vampire count. “Evelyne’s curse is returning,” the count said. “If Seraphina goes back to Heaven, Evelyne will die.” “She won’t leave,” Cassian replied. “Why do you think I made her my mate?” “The chains in your dungeon could only hold her for so long. Love will bind her to me, and keep her from ever returning to Heaven.” Only then did I understand. They had always loved the same woman.  My salvation had been a lie. So I sent one final prayer to Heaven. In three days, I would return to where I belonged. And he would never see me again, not in this life, nor in any other.

While on a trip, I caught my Alpha fiancé cheating on me with my adoptive sister, Selena. Once they realized I saw them, they ruthlessly abandoned me in that forbidden forest and let Selena return to take my place. For ten days, I was missing. No search party came, and my communication crystal remained silent. Then, while trying to escape a savage bear, I fell down a rocky slope and was left broken, bleeding, and alone. Just as I was on the brink of death and unable to heal, Ryker appeared and saved me. He was wild and imposing, yet lethally gentle. During our days and nights together in the wilderness, it took only a few hoarse whispers to tear down my defenses. I grew absurdly attached to him, believing he was my only salvation in this desolate place. Until one night, I found him contacting the outside world on a high-grade crystal. On the other end was Selena. "Why haven't you finished her off yet? As long as she never comes back, Alaric will be all mine." And my devoted savior replied in that same doting tone, "As long as it makes you happy, I'd spend a lifetime keeping up this charade with her in the wilderness." It was then I understood. What I believed to be a gift from the Goddess was nothing more than another death trap, meticulously woven to ensure Selena got her way. When my heat arrived, on the night of our supposed marking, I threw myself into the roaring river of death that marked the border. I would rather be torn to shreds by the current than look at that despicable "mate" for another second.

Three years ago, my Alpha mate, Grayson Blackthorn, has a dream in which he falls for an Omega who works at a flower shop and does countless things to hurt me for her sake. When I hear about it, I don't take it seriously. Instead, I laugh and tease him, "And then what?" Grayson pins me beneath him and kisses me fiercely. "Then, you got me drunk and tricked me into breaking our mate bond. By the time I woke up, you were gone, and I couldn't find you anywhere." He claims it's just a ridiculous dream, yet he starts avoiding alcohol, steering clear of every flower shop, and keeping his distance from every Omega. He even develops severe separation anxiety. It got so bad that our pack's healer, Ravenna Nocturne, has to intervene regularly. To put Grayson's mind at ease, I do everything I can to show him that I love him and depend on him more. Gradually, we forget all about that dream. On our fourth wedding anniversary, a seemingly pure and fragile Omega named Avery Darkcrest appears before me with a bouquet of white lilies in her hands. The flowers nearly send me into anaphylactic shock because of my severe lily allergy. The council demands that Avery be expelled from the pack, but Grayson steps in front of me to protect her. "Avery didn't do it on purpose. Don't make things difficult for her." As I watch him shield her with his body, I know that nightmare is beginning to come true. In the dream, Grayson leaves me utterly broken, and it takes me a long time to finally walk away. But this time, I need only five days.

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.

For generations, every she-wolf born into the Frostmoon Pack has been an Omega. We aren't fighters, but our bloodline can stabilize an Alpha's power and produce exceptionally strong heirs. When I came of age, our pack's centuries-old tradition dictated that I should bond with Lucas Grant, the Alpha of the Blackstone Pack. My parents had always put pack law above everything else. Yet for the first time, they urged me to defy tradition and refuse. But I was already in love with Lucas. I ignored their warnings and bonded with him anyway. On our tenth bonding anniversary, I came home to find another she-wolf in our bedroom. She lay in our bed, carrying the unmistakable scent of a pregnant she-wolf. The same scent I carried. But Lucas forcibly shut down the link between us and shielded her. "Evelyn, I'm sorry. Vivian just found out she's carrying my pup. Her wolf is restless, and she needs my scent to calm down. Sleep in another room tonight. If you're upset, I can apologize." Even his apology sounded polite, as though he were simply telling me about a change in sleeping arrangements. He probably expected me to cry and cause a scene like I used to, demanding to know why he kept bringing other she-wolves home. But this time, I said nothing. I was already exhausted. What Lucas didn't know was that a mate bond without true love would eventually disappear. Ten years was the limit. At last, I was free to leave him.