เรื่องสั้นแนว Tragic Love และนิยาย Mate Regret

I was a rarity. A wolf born with two hearts. My parents paid a fortune to rogue healers to implant the second one when I was just an embryo. All because my sister, Cora, was born with a defective heart. They waited for me to grow up, just so I could give my second heart to her. Later, I met my mate, Alpha Rhys. He treated me so well. I really thought he was different from my parents. But the day Cora’s heart failed, my mate held my hand. His touch was terribly gentle. "Baby, just give Cora one heart. You have a spare, right?" He didn't know. I only had one heart left. I gave my spare to him years ago.

In my previous life, I stood by Robert's side as he grew from the Alpha of a weak, remote pack into the undisputed king of the werewolf world. We raised a child together, and I thought I'd finally found a home that could shelter me from all storms. But when I was bedridden with illness, he couldn't wait to take the child and go find his one true love: my little sister, Bellis. And then came the moment that shattered everything — the child I had treasured with my whole heart calling Bellis "Mom" without a second's hesitation. That was when I finally understood. All those years, I had been living inside a lie — a total, elaborate lie. When I opened my eyes again, I had been reborn, right back to my marking ceremony with Robert. This time, standing at that crossroads, under the gaze of all those guests with their warm, oblivious smiles, I would make a very different choice. What I didn't know yet was that the truth sometimes hides in the small, ordinary moments of life — not in what other people tell you.

In order to see the aurora with Alexander, I began planning a year in advance. Alexander and my adopted sister had already left me behind and gone to the destination ahead of time. When I arrived, no one answered the phone. I waited for ten hours before he finally returned my call. On the phone, Evelyn laughed excitedly, "Diana! I've already explored this entire city. Alex is so mature and charming—he planned everything in advance. I'm having such a wonderful time!" She chattered away, sharing her experiences, while Alexander occasionally play along to add details. The two of them had spent the holiday blissfully together like a pair of lovebirds. It was as if neither of them had noticed over a hundred missed calls from me. I stood in the cold wind, listening quietly. The biting wind slashed sharply across my cheeks. My feet are frozen and completely numb. It wasn't until Evelyn whined coyly that she was hungry that Alexander took the phone, his voice gentle, "Omega bodies are frail. Evelyn hasn't been feeling well these past two days. Wait a little longer—we'll come pick you up after we finish eating." Before he could finish, I gripped my phone tightly and said softly, "I waited for you for a long time, Alexander. I've been looking forward to this trip for a long time too." It seemed like Alexander on the other end was about to speak, but Evelyn's playfully voice came through, "Alex, hurry up and eat, I'm so hungry..." Then he hung up on me. The car I had booked in advance to take me home arrived. The driver helped me load my unopened suitcase. "Madam, there's a rogue werewolf on the loose around here lately—it's very dangerous. How could your family leave you here alone?" I took out the invitation from the Nordic medical team from my phone and examined it, "It won't happen again. Never again." Then I click accept invitation. Seven days later, Alexander — we will never see each other again.

Seven years. My fated mate, Alpha Julian, and I only have one topic: Yes or No. "Yes" means he comes home. "No" means he goes to Chloe—his childhood friend. Ninety-eight times. Every time I needed him, he chose her. Tonight is our mating ceremony. One bite on my neck, and the bond seals forever. The banquet hall glows. Elders and elites raise glasses, congratulating me on finally taming the Supreme Alpha. But his phone keeps buzzing. I know it's Chloe. Her "broken wolf spirit" is "losing control" again. He tenses. Ready to bolt. I press my fingers against his hand. "It's our mating ceremony. Do you have to go?" He grips my hand, thumb rubbing my knuckles. "Chloe's wolf is severely broken. She can't survive without me. I'll be right back. Trust me." He buries his face in my neck, inhaling. "You are my fated mate. My one and only Luna." Then he pulls away and walks out the door. No hesitation. Just like every other time. But he doesn't know. The second he walks out, he's not just leaving the party. He's leaving my life. Forever.

I took a drugged drink for Moretti, the Don I had loved for seven years. He helped Bella, my frightened sister, to her feet first. "Bella is fragile. I'll get her to the car." "Iris, wait here. I'll come back for you soon." My stomach burned like fire, but my fingers were turning cold. I stood there frozen for a long moment before a bitter laugh slipped out. It was the ninety-ninth time he had chosen Bella. In college, I once waited for him in the library with a fever, expecting him to take me home. Then Bella called and said her panic attack was back, so he told me to wait. Years later, I entered the Valtieri family and became his underboss. I balanced his books, negotiated his deals, took bullets for him. He still believed I would always wait. I bit my tongue and forced myself to stay clear-headed while I handled another round of probing from the rival family. At one in the morning, Moretti still had not come back. Bella's post appeared first. In the photo, Moretti was making her a late-night meal. That was when I understood. This time, too, he would not come back for me. And I no longer wanted to wait. I opened my phone and bought a ticket to Sicily three days later. Moretti, goodbye.

On the day of my marking ceremony, I accidentally slept through it for eight hours. By the time I made it to the altar, the ceremony was already over. My fiance, Liam Langdon, the youngest Alpha in Silver Moon Pack's history, stood hand in hand with his childhood sweetheart, Chloe Kingston. They were accepting the pack's blessings. The moment Chloe saw my pale face and disheveled state, she covered her mouth and giggled. "Sorry, Ella. I think I accidentally mixed a sleeping potion into the water I brought you at noon." Liam looked at her affectionately before glancing at me. "Chloe has dreamed of having the perfect marking ceremony ever since we were kids. It's only a ceremony. Let her have this one." He reached up and adjusted her veil. "And honestly, that dress looks better on her than it ever would have on you." My gaze landed on the white dress. I spent six months making it. I learned from the best tailor in the territory and stitched every single seam by hand. As if afraid I'd make a scene in front of everyone, Liam added casually, "Ella, if you can be reasonable about this, I'll officially mark you at the next full moon." The entire altar fell silent. Every werewolf expected me to lose control. Instead, I simply stood there and let out a sigh of relief. If he'd told me that sooner, I wouldn't have had to stay here any longer. It was finally time for me to return home and claim my throne.

My fated mate, Warren, heir to the Alpha of the Moonwatch Pack, was struck by a curse that left his wolf spirit broken. At the price of burning away my own wolf spirit, I earned an ancient pack prophecies. To lift his curse, I had to dance at the edge of the Moonlight Spring on every full moon, until the water of the spring came to a boil. So month after month, I sacrificed up my wolf spirit and danced the Moon Goddess's sacred rite. All I wanted was for the spring to boil, so he could take his place as Alpha and never be looked down on again. But I danced fifty-nine times, until my wolf spirit was nearly in pieces, and the water never so much as simmered. The night before the sixtieth full moon, I caught him drinking a potion Maya had slipped into his hand. Maya was my aunt's daughter. She was also Warren's first love. Right then, she was curled sweetly against his chest. "Warren, you know there's nothing wrong with your wolf spirit. The prophecy Ella bled for was never going to work. But you keep faking it with the dark-magic potion I make for you. Are you doing all this to get even for me?" Warren's voice was flat. "She took your place. She deserves to pay for it." "Once the pack sees how useless your fated mate really is, I can marry you and no one will say a word against it." Five years and fifty-nine dances of sacrifice, and all of it, from beginning to end, had been a lie. The Moonlight Spring of the Moonwatch Pack was never going to boil for me. I was done clinging to him. My mother was gravely ill, and her one regret was that she'd never see me settle down. If his heart already belonged to someone else, then I would just have to find myself a new mate.

The Moon Goddess Festival had turned the area around Holy Spring into a sea of celebration. A moonstone blessed by the Moon Goddess rolled through the gathered werewolves. One werewolf after another lunged for it and missed. Finally, it came to a stop at my feet. For a brief moment, the entire place fell silent. I bent down and picked it up. Soon, laughter and cheers erupted all at once. "Give it to Adrian and have him make it into your ring." "It's been five years. This is the Moon Goddess' will." "Hurry and hold your marking ceremony before the blessing fades! You'll be blessed by the Moon Goddess for life." Everyone exchanged knowing looks before turning to Adrian. I lowered my gaze to the moonstone glowing with a soft silver light. I could still feel its lingering warmth against my fingertips as I quietly waited for him to say something. As long as he said 'give it to me,' I would place it in his hand. Instead, Adrian simply took the moonstone from my palm. I felt relieved. The next second, he turned around and handed it to his assistant, Emily. "She saw it first." He ruffled my hair. His voice was as gentle as ever. "She's in poor health. She needs the moonstone more than you do. "We'll wait for the next one." The werewolves' attention shifted away with the moonstone. Watching the surprise and nervous excitement on Emily's face as she cradled it in her hands, I chuckled. What Adrian didn't know was that I couldn't wait for another chance. My marking ceremony was next week.

On the night of my eighteenth birthday, the Lycan King came to me in a dream. He proclaimed me his fated mate and vowed to make me his queen when I turned twenty-two. Terrified, my father tried to help me escape this fate. Before he died, he entrusted me to his closest allies, a family with three powerful, wealthy sons who became my adoptive brothers. They once fought for my attention, each vying to be the one who would marry me. But that all stopped when they brought home Daisy, an orphan girl they found on the streets. They never spoke of marrying me again. Before I knew it, my twenty-second birthday arrived. A blood moon hung in the sky, and I trembled with fear, crying as I begged my eldest brother, Liam, to marry me. He had once had a million-dollar couture wedding gown designed just for me, swearing he would protect me for the rest of his life. But just before the wedding, he heard Daisy had a migraine. He abandoned me without a second thought, rushing her to a private doctor. Tears blurring my vision, I dragged the long train of my gown to find my second brother, Noah. The hot-headed brother who used to fight anyone who upset me now did not even spare me a glance. "Don't bother me," he snapped impatiently. "I'm busy preparing Daisy's medication." As the night deepened, my panic grew, and I ran to find my third brother, Caleb. He was holding Daisy, soothing her gently. "Evie, sweetie, stop playing the victim," he said with a gentle smile that didn't reach his eyes. "There was no Lycan King in your dream." "Your father was just afraid you were so spoiled that no one would ever want you, so he made up that ridiculous lie." "Once Daisy has fully recovered, we'll draw straws or something to decide which of us will marry you." My fingertips went cold as tears streamed down my face. So this is how they saw it. Marrying me was a burden. I stopped pleading. I turned, walked back to my room, and quietly waited for the Lycan King to claim me.

I was reborn on the day Alpha Cassian Draven inherited Raven Hollow Pack. My first decision in this life was simple: reject our mate bond, transfer to another pack, and never give him the chance to destroy me again. In my previous life, he despised me as the Omega mate the Moon Goddess forced on him and chose the noble-born Seraphina Voss instead. When she accused me of cursing her, Cassian locked me beneath the pack house and used a forbidden bond-breaking rite to tear apart the bond between me and my wolf. I died under wolfsbane and silver. This time, I will not beg him to love me. When he bars me from Alpha Hall, I turn away. When he says an Omega like me will not survive outside Raven Hollow, I file for a pack transfer and accept Ironwood Pack’s protection. The next time we meet, I am already under another Alpha’s protection. Cassian finally loses control. He demands that I leave Ironwood and return to him. I look at him and smile. “You used to hate that I was your fated mate.” “Now that I truly do not belong to you, why does it bother you so much?”

After three years of banishment from my pack, I finally learned to submit. On the day I returned, my fated mate, Alpha Kane, cornered me by the cliff with a cold warning. "If you ever lay a claw on Isla again, I will—" Before he could finish, I slammed my hand against a jagged rock. Once. Twice. Until the crunch of shattered bones echoed in the air. He stared at my limp, mangled hand. It wasn't healing instantly like it should. For the first time, his unwavering Alpha composure cracked. Back on the top floor of the Pack House, the Omega my parents adopted taunted me on the balcony. "So what if you have the former Alpha's bloodline? I am the future Luna!" With a vicious smirk, she dug her nails into her own arm, drawing blood. Then, she screamed. "Aurora! If you hate me that much, I'll leave! Please, just don't hurt my baby!" My mate and my brother rushed in just in time to see this. Instantly, they unleashed their terrifying Alpha and Beta auras, pinning me down. The suffocating pressure almost crushed my wolf. "You're beyond saving!" Kane snarled. "If anything happens to Isla or her pup, I'll wipe you off the face of the earth!" I nodded submissively. I turned around, walked straight down to the pack's dungeon. Without a second thought, I threw myself into the interrogation vat—a pool of highly concentrated liquid silver. Splashing silver burned my parents' skin as they burst through the door. My mother let out a horrific scream and fainted on the spot. My father fought through the searing agony, plunging his hands into the vat to drag me out. Meanwhile, my always cold and powerful Alpha mate froze. He stood there, shaking uncontrollably, unable to utter a single word. Agony tore through every nerve from the silver burns, but I smiled. Three years ago, after failing to win their approval, I was banished. The System had told me: Show absolute submission until death, and it will reward you with billions of dollars and send you back to your real world.

I'm an Omega, and I turned out to be the fated mate of the Silvermoon Pack's Alpha. For three years, I walked on eggshells as Luna. I threw myself into studying, night and day. Asked permission for everything. And still, it wasn't enough. "You always lean on me for everything," he said. "How can you ever be a real Luna? Try to be more like Sonya." Sonya Smith. His childhood friend. The gold standard I was supposed to measure up to. So I stopped leaning. When I got hurt protecting the pack, even when the wound ran deep, I bandaged it myself and let it heal on its own. Didn't go crying to him. When the pain hit, I curled up alone and rode it out. Didn't go looking for comfort. And when rogues jumped me and I lost the pup—I went to the pack healer myself and handled it. But my mate regretted it. He used to dream of the day I wouldn't need him anymore. When that day finally came, he realized— it was destroying him.

When my Alpha heir fiancé, Weston, chose jewelry for our bonding ceremony, he did what he always did, buying two of everything so my twin sister, Riley, could pick first. One was a moonstone necklace, blessed by a High Witch. The other was a simple onyx choker, the kind of cheap trinket you could find anywhere in the pack market. For the first time, I spoke before Riley could make her choice. I pointed to the moonstone necklace. "This time, can I choose first?" Weston's palm settled on the crown of my head, his voice a low, soothing rumble. "Riley is the jewel of your pack. She is meant to shine and deserves things worthy of a princess. You don't care about these things, Lyra. The choker suits you better. Quiet, unassuming." I didn't say a word, but something inside me crumbled to dust. In this family, Riley always got the first cut of roasted venison and the room with the best sunlight. My mother said Riley was the pack's glory and deserved the best, while my father called it survival of the fittest. Our two packs had arranged this alliance long ago, and everyone assumed his mate would be Riley. But she despised being tied down and yearned for freedom, so Weston settled for me. I had known Weston for twenty years. In his world, I would always be Riley's stand-in. I looked down at the choker and pushed it away. "If Riley wants them, she can have both. I don't want either." I was done with leftovers, and that included my Alpha mate.

My mating ceremony with Chris kept getting interrupted, one reason after another. The first time, his adopted sister Lucy threw him a bachelor party. He drank too much and missed our slot. The second time, right before we set out, Lucy twisted her ankle. Chris took her to the hospital and missed it again. The third time, we were already standing at the vow platform when Lucy cried until she fainted below. Once again, Chris left me standing there. The fourth time, the fifth time... Lucy, every single time. "Hurry up, Sheila! This is the eighth time! There are only fifteen minutes left to receive the Moon Goddess's blessing. If you miss it again, the Moon Goddess will take it as proof the two of you were never meant to be mates!" My best friend Vivian shouted frantically. I took Chris's hand, and I had just started up the steps when Lucy's cry rang out behind us. "Chris, wait, my moonstone bracelet just snapped. It was your coming-of-age gift to me." Chris jerked his foot back mid-step. "Don't rush. I'll wait for you." The buzzing crowd went dead silent. Everyone exchanged looks. I looked at Chris, swallowing my anger. "Chris, there are only fifteen minutes left for the Moon Goddess's blessing." Chris glanced at Lucy, his tone indulgent. "We're already at the door. A few more minutes won't hurt." Watching Chris crouch down beside Lucy to gather her moonstone beads, I suddenly smiled. Then I opened my phone and pulled up a number I'd blocked three years ago. [Didn't you tell me three years ago to give you a chance?] [You have fifteen minutes. Come to Grayfang Pack's Moon Goddess Altar.]

At our werewolf academy's graduation party, someone asked the most popular girl in our class what the best decision she'd made in the past few years was. She stole a shy, coy glance at the man on the sofa, then pointed at me with open contempt. "Obviously, turning away some pathetic wretch when she came kneeling at our pack's gates, begging for help. "If that hadn't made her disappear without a word, how else would the Alpha have promised to make me his future Luna?" Everyone burst into laughter, their eyes full of scorn as they looked at me. "A lowborn Omega had the nerve to set her sights on becoming Luna? Her pack deserved to be wiped out!" Only the man whose very presence commanded authority went still, his pupils contracting. The wine glass in his hand shattered against the floor. I crouched down instinctively to pick up the shards, not even noticing when they sliced my fingers. His eyes blazed crimson, his gaze fixed on me as though he wanted to devour me whole. I cleaned up the mess and gave a faint bow. "Alpha, I'll take my leave." Some things, once missed, aren't worth going back for.

After four miscarriages, I was finally pregnant again. To surprise my mate, Wyatt, I hid behind the curtains in his office. I never expected to see him tangled in a passionate embrace with my younger sister, Stella. They were kissing frantically, and Wyatt showed a fiery passion for her that he had never once shown me. What shattered my heart completely were Wyatt’s next words: "Since you're pregnant now, Harper is useless to me. I'll figure out a way to sever the mate bond with her." "She’s so incredibly clueless. She never even suspected that I caused those four miscarriages just to cure your infertility..." Hiding behind the curtain, I clamped my hand over my mouth to stifle my devastated sobs. My fated mate murdered my babies with his own hands, all for my sister. In that moment, a fire of pure vengeance ignited in my heart. I called Wyatt’s mortal enemy, Dominic, Alpha of the Sterling Pack: "Want to make Wyatt's life a living hell? Let's make a deal."

I'd been with Leo Blackwood for five years. But we'd never once made it through a mating ceremony. Every time we were about to seal the bond, something would happen with Linda—his adopted sister. And every single time, Leo would leave me behind. This time, he swore he'd planned everything down to the last detail. Promised he wouldn't miss it. I waited five days and five nights—because I wanted to tell him I was pregnant. He never showed. Instead, I got attacked by rogues. Got infected with wolfsbane because of it. At the very last moment, I called Leo. It was Linda who picked up. She put the video on, and that's when I saw it—Leo and Linda, right in the middle of some celebration. "Freya." Her voice dripped with mock sympathy. "A mating ceremony? That little thing has failed so many times already—don't you ever give up? Today is my big day. Leo said nothing—absolutely nothing—can compare to what I have going on." Then she hung up. My hand went to my stomach. My body was growing cold. Sorry, little one. I never got the chance to give you a happy home.

I'm six months pregnant when my cousin Hallie Thorne's mate dies. Worried that she has no one to look after her, my mate, Ragnar Clairmont, suggests she move in with us. I don't think twice before agreeing. The moment Hallie walks through the door and sees my pregnant belly, she bursts into tears. Ragnar pulls me aside and says quietly, "Try not to walk around showing off your pregnancy in front of her. Her mate just died before they could even have a pup. Don't rub it in her face." I feel sorry for her, so I agree. That night, Hallie spills dish soap by the kitchen door, causing me to slip and nearly lose my pup. I suspect that she does it on purpose and tell Ragnar. But he just looks at me with frustration. "The three of us grew up together. She would never do something like that. Pregnancy can make you paranoid. Stop assuming the worst of her." But later, while we're camping, she suddenly pushes me into the river before jumping in after me. Ragnar comes running when he hears the splash and immediately dives in to save us. I beg him to save me and our pup, but he swims right past me and gets Hallie to shore first. "She's just a fragile Omega. I need to make sure she's safe first. You're an Alpha. You can handle yourself. I'll go get help," Ragnar says. Under normal circumstances, I could easily swim to shore. But now that I'm pregnant, my body feels heavy and sluggish. I try to shout for Ragnar, but weeds wrap around my legs, and water closes over my mouth and nose. I hear approaching footsteps in the distance, but it's already too late.

The day before the marking ceremony, I catch my Alpha mate, Kieran Gray, fooling around with my sister, Hannah Ziegler, at the altar. I completely lose it. To get revenge, I sleep with all three of his right-hand men. I deliberately leave traces of what we did everywhere—in his penthouse, in the passenger seat of his sports car, and even in his office. However, when Kieran finds out, he merely loosens his tie and starts a group call. "What did you guys think of my arranged mate?" Liam Shenton, a Delta, chuckles. "She's got huge breasts. She felt pretty good." "She's like a ripe, juicy peach. No wonder she's the most beautiful she-wolf in the pack," Zachary Lawson, the Beta, adds, still savoring the experience. Anthony Walker, a Gamma, jokes, "She's too stiff. She needs some practice." At that moment, I realize the revenge I had gone to such lengths to carry out is nothing but a joke to them, and Kieran doesn't care about it at all. I completely break down, and Kieran sends me to a psychiatric care facility. After a year of treatment, I finally recover. Outside my window, a black car pulls up in the courtyard. Kieran has come to take me home. He still remembers to come for me, but I've already forgotten how to love him.

My Alpha mate slept with his childhood sweetheart to suppress her wolfsbane poisoning using his Alpha power. At dawn he knelt in front of me, holding a woman whose clothes were half off and whose body was covered in bruises. "Lilia was poisoned saving me. As the Alpha of this pack, I couldn't stand there and watch her die in agony!" Certain it would move me, he cut himself seven times with a silver dagger to atone. But the wolfsbane was still in Lilia's blood, and every time it flared, my Alpha husband went to save her. Afterward, he would cut himself once more. Six months later, he came to me bearing ninety-nine scars. A man who had never bowed to anyone lowered himself to beg me. "Dora, I've repented with my own flesh and blood. Lilia can't bear to give up the baby. I'm begging you to spare that small life. "You have trouble conceiving. Once the pup is born I'll send Lilia to the border and let the child call you mother. You will always be the mate the Moon Goddess chose for me." My heart felt as if it were being torn apart. I held back my tears and answered calmly, "All right." I crushed the pregnancy report I had been hiding into a ball and threw it into the hearth fire.