Alpha Werewolf 단편 소설 & Countdown 소설

For seven years straight, Alpha Callum stood me up at our betrothal ceremony during the Moonlight Festival. The pack mocked me as a delusional she-wolf. “Since when did an Omega think she stood a chance with an Alpha? She must be delusional.” But it wasn't some fantasy I'd invented. Callum was the one who had promised me, time and again, that he would propose to me in a grand ceremony. At the eighth Moonlight Festival, Callum stood me up once again, leaving me alone beneath the Moon Goddess Tree. Meanwhile, he took his childhood sweetheart Isabella, the Beta’s daughter and the pack’s Saintess, to see the aurora. Later, he sent me an apologetic message. “Isabella was upset. I only went with her to take her mind off things. Don’t read too much into it.” “The elders still won’t allow me to take an Omega as my Luna, but they’re close to giving in. Give me one more year, and I promise I’ll make you my Luna.” At the ninth Moonlight Festival, he finally approached me in formal black attire. Right in front of him, I set fire to the dress I had worn for him eight times—and to the diagnosis of terminal Wolf-Soul Decay Syndrome hidden inside it. “Callum, there won’t be a ninth chance.” Because in a few days, I would be dead.

After Alpha Ethan’s older brother died, Ethan took responsibility for his widow, Vivian, and their daughter, Cora. Ethan brought them into our home at Blackridge Pack. Our daughter, Iris, was only one month older than Cora. To keep either child from feeling overlooked, Ethan declared that everything they both wanted would be decided by drawing lots. Cora won the bedroom Iris had slept in for six years, Iris’s favorite moon-rabbit doll, and even the evening Ethan had promised to spend with Iris on her birthday. Iris lost every time. Ethan always offered the same explanation. Cora had just lost her father, and Iris should be generous because she was the older girl. Then Blackridge Pack received a single place at the royal training academy. Ethan prepared another draw. Inside his study, I found a stack of folded slips waiting beside the bowl. I opened them one by one. All twelve carried Cora’s name. Iris had never been given a chance. I folded the slips again and returned them to the drawer without confronting my mate. There was nothing left to ask him. Ethan had already made his choice. This time, I would make mine. I was leaving Blackridge Pack, and I was taking our daughter with me.

Five years ago, my Alpha mate, Bryan Ravensworth, returned from the war with the vampires on the brink of death. I spent the next five years nursing him back to strength, repeatedly soothing him whenever he lost control. He spends three months searching for the purest moonstone and makes me a necklace from it. He puts it on me himself and tells me I'm his one and only Luna. But as Alpha, he spends his days buried in pack affairs and can only spare Saturday nights to have dinner with me. I prepare ahead every single time, looking forward to the hours that belong to just us. Then one Saturday evening, I'm walking the pack border with another patrol team when I spot a figure I know all too well. Bryan is out with his female assistant, Hazel Linfield, who wants to pick moonflowers. When Rogues show up, he uses his Alpha power to overwhelm them and drive them back. One of the patrol wolves reminds him to mind his old injuries. He brushes it off. "I'm fine. Just keep Hazel safe!" That's when I realize he'd rather spend his time off taking Hazel to pick moonflowers than come home for even one more dinner with me. That same day, I request clearance to leave the pack and agree to become the Frostmoon pack's appointed healer. I decide to leave behind the moonstone necklace that has marked me as his Luna for five years.

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?"

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.

Every year on the first spring full moon, Callum Thorne and Sienna Blake turn the anniversary of our relationship into a game for the entire pack to enjoy. Every year brings another humiliation, from a false Luna ceremony and a moonstone ring designed as a joke to a room filled with laughter at my expense. Every year, Callum assumes I love him too much to leave, no matter how deeply he humiliates me. This year, laurel wine runs down my face as I remove the ring I have worn for six years and drop it at his feet. He still does not follow me because he believes I will forgive him by morning. He has forgotten one thing. I am not Tessa Reed, the ordinary woman with no family, no pack, and nowhere else to go. My real name is Tessa Valeborn. I am the Alpha King’s daughter and the rightful heir to the royal bloodline. Six years ago, I concealed my identity and left the royal court because I wanted someone to choose me without knowing my title. I believed Callum was that man. Then I discover that even his first confession began with a full-moon bet. This time, I refuse to remain their favorite joke. Tessa Reed is about to disappear from Callum’s life. The Alpha King’s daughter is finally going home.

On the day of the mating ceremony, a crazed witch bursts in and points straight at me, shrieking, "Six years later, your Alpha will betray you!" Troy Hudson, my soon-to-be mate, turns livid. He swats the purple-glowing crystal ball from her hand, shattering it on the floor. "Nonsense! Estelle is my fated mate! I'll only ever love her in this lifetime!" After that, he becomes even more devoted to me. At the Moon Goddess' altar, he drapes the Luna shawl over my shoulders. He marks me with his scent so the entire pack knows I belong to him. Every full moon, he deepens the mark on my neck, whispering that I am his forever. I believe his love is unbreakable until our sixth anniversary. A box waits at our front door. Inside lies a pair of lace panties and a photograph. In the photo, Troy is pressed over his foster sister, Rue Youngblood, the wolf tattoo on his body glowing faintly. His hand grips her waist, his eyes burning with the same heat I've dreamed of a million times. And Rue? She's wearing that same pair of panties. On the back of the photo, written in ink as red as blood, is a line of pure provocation. "The Alpha's heart may belong to you, but his body belongs to me." Agony ripped through my chest, yet not a single tear fell. Instead, I rest my hand on my belly and quietly send word to the Witch Association. "I accept your invitation. Please help me vanish."

On the night of my twenty-first birthday, Silvercrest Pack held my coming-of-age mate selection ceremony. When the full moon rose above the forest, none of the four candidates had appeared. They were the four men who had grown up beside me—and the heirs to the four highest-ranking positions in the pack. I waited alone on the ceremonial dais until the ritual ended. Following a livestream, I found them at a private estate across the forest. The camera was pointed at the birthday cake in front of Mira. She was a she-wolf Silvercrest had recovered only three months ago. Missing since childhood, she had grown up among humans. When the patrol found her, wolfsbane still lingered in her blood. She was so weak she could barely shift. I had brought in the pack’s best healer and arranged for her to live on pack grounds. Yet now Everett, the future Alpha, was taking a glass of wine from her hand so she would not have to drink it. Nolan, the Beta heir, draped his coat around her shoulders. Julian, the Gamma heir, crouched to straighten the hem of her dress. And Rhys, the Delta heir, placed the Moon Crown I had personally chosen on her head. My phone rang a moment later. Everett’s low, controlled voice came through the speaker. “Elara, don’t come in here and make a scene in front of Mira. She almost cried a minute ago. We’re only trying to give her a proper birthday.” Nolan took the phone. “The mate selection can be rescheduled. Mira has only just returned to the pack. Emotional distress could interfere with her recovery.” Julian laughed softly in the background. “She never even had a real birthday before. You grew up with the entire Silvercrest Pack doting on you. Is it really so terrible to let her have this one night?” Outside the estate, two servers lowered their voices. “Not one of the future Luna’s candidates showed up for her coming-of-age ceremony.” “They’re all here celebrating with that newly recovered she-wolf. After tonight, Miss Elara will be a joke in every pack in the region.” Once, I would have pushed open the door. I would have demanded to know why it was always Mira—what, exactly, I lacked that made all four of them choose her over me. This time, I simply unpinned the silver moon crest that marked me as the Luna-in-waiting and dropped it into the sink. Then I sent a message to my grandmother, Silvercrest’s High Elder. [Grandmother, I won’t choose any of them.] [Contact Blackridge Pack.] [I accept Callum Thorne’s alliance proposal.]

Everyone in Silvercrest Pack knew Kael Thorne loved me. He loved me so much that even after betraying me, he always came back on his knees and begged me not to leave. The first betrayal was a mistake, he said. He had been drugged by a rival Alpha and spent one night with a rogue female. The second betrayal was responsibility, he said. That same rogue female was pregnant, and the Council forced him to keep the child. He held me in his arms and promised, “Once the baby is born, she’s gone. You’re still the only woman I love.” Then came the third betrayal. By then, I knew Kael would never let me leave. To him, I was not just his Luna. I was his life. I disguised the mating dissolution agreement as a simple household checklist and placed it among the daily papers he signed without reading. Kael signed it with one hand while holding Lila’s prenatal report in the other. He did not even look at the page. Seven days later, the agreement took effect. The mating bond tore apart inside his chest. And the Luna Kael Thorne had sworn he would never release had disappeared from his world forever.

Lawson and I had arranged to take photos for our upcoming marking ceremony. Dressed in my ceremonial gown, I waited for him in the forest all afternoon until my legs went numb and exhaustion seeped into every part of me. The werewolves accompanying me asked whether we should reschedule. I forced a smile and made an excuse for Lawson. "He's on his way. He'll be here soon." I had no idea where he was. I kept calling him over and over until my phone nearly ran out of battery. Only then did he finally arrive, but he wasn't alone. A shewolf followed behind him. She was draped in Lawson's suit jacket. When they descended the steps, Lawson turned back and offered her his hand. I recognized her immediately. It was Judy, Lawson's childhood friend. The moment she saw me, she looked startled and held onto Lawson's arm. "I'm so sorry. Lawson went to pick me up, so we ended up delaying your photo shoot." Lawson fastened his suit jacket around her shoulders before turning to me. "Let's get this over with. There are still matters in the pack that need my attention." Without a word, I walked toward the shooting location. Then Lawson frowned. "Your makeup's smudged. Let Judy test the moonlight first." Judy walked past me and stood beneath the ancient tree where Lawson and I had first met. I remained silent. Then I overheard two nearby werewolves whisper. "Honestly, Judy looks like a much better match for Alpha Lawson." Lawson didn't deny it. Instead, he glanced at me and reached over to smooth my hair. "If you keep making that face, you'll ruin everyone's mood. We're all exhausted today." I bit my lip as a lump formed in my throat. I couldn't help recalling the day we'd met beneath that tree. He had promised to take me around the world back then. Only seven years had passed, but those promises had already been long forgotten. Suddenly, I realized the person he wanted to make those promises to had never been me.

On the day of our graduation trip, my Alpha boyfriend and his Beta best friend left me behind at an interstate rest stop. Sienna was traveling with us too. She was a wolf Cedar Ridge Pack had only found and brought home six months earlier. They had been gone for nearly half an hour before they realized I was no longer in the car. When Adrian Cross finally called, there was no panic in his voice. Only irritation. “Nora, why didn’t you get back in the car? Don’t turn this into a big deal. We have to arrive before sunset, and we can’t turn around now.” His childhood friend, Evan Brooks, was also the pack’s future Beta. His voice came through the phone next. “There are taxis at the rest stop, and you can call a rideshare. Get to the next exit. We’ll meet you there.” Then Sienna’s clear, bright voice cut in. “She isn’t a pup. Do you two really have to handle everything for her?” In the past, my eyes would already have been burning with tears. I would have apologized first, then dragged my suitcase behind me and done everything I could to catch up with them. But this time, I stood outside the rest stop and looked up at the blue-gray sky. A sense of relief unlike anything I had ever felt suddenly spread through me. I did not want to chase them anymore. I canceled every remaining hotel and photography reservation for the trip. Then I changed my flight and booked a ticket to the coastal town I had always wanted to visit. They had all said it was too quiet and too boring, the kind of place no young wolf would enjoy. But in that moment, I understood one thing with perfect clarity. I was tired of living by someone else’s map.

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.

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.

I did three things when I had made a decision to leave Alpha James. The first thing I did was throw all the precious gifts he had given to me. The second thing I did was secretly donate the wooden house he had built for our future and tear up the ceremonial dress that was custom-made for me on our marking day. The third thing I did was go to the Northern Territory to guard our pack, so I cast all ties with the entire pack and disappeared into the tribe. What he didn’t know was that I had quietly planned my departure while he was out hunting and spending countless nights at the Moon River with Doris, his childhood sweetheart. I became the ideal Luna he was hoping for, considerate and tolerant. Later, he lost control and asked me: “Why aren’t you angry? Don’t you love me anymore?” I lowered my head in silence and announced my decision to leave after seeing the ambiguous messages Doris, James's sweetheart, had sent to me.

Three years after my Alpha brother banished me from Blackwood Pack, he donated one dollar to my PackAid fundraiser. His public message read: [Let me know when you actually die. I’ll pop the champagne.] Three years earlier, Serena—the orphan Adrian had brought home from the border—accused me of stealing her silver-purification protocol that had earned Blackwood’s only nomination to the Royal Healer Academy. Adrian never let me explain. He revoked my nomination, cut off my Pack sponsorship, and ordered me out of Blackwood territory before sunrise. [Admit what you did. Apologize to Serena. Then I’ll let you come home.] Then he sealed me out of the Pack mindlink. Overnight, I went from protected Alpha blood to a rogue no Pack dared accept. Three years later, Serena slept in my old room at the Alpha House, wore my mother’s jewelry, and smiled whenever Pack members called her the Alpha’s sister. I dug through trash outside the territory and scavenged scrap in an abandoned industrial district until silver dust poisoned my lungs. By then, my wolf was fading and the healer called it terminal Silver Lung. After reading Adrian’s comment, I called Moonrest Memorial Park. “Hold the cheapest grave you have.” His one-dollar donation had pushed my fundraiser to PackAid’s minimum withdrawal amount. I decided to give him exactly what he wanted.

I am a Servant of Death, sent to the werewolf realm by the Dark Goddess of the Underworld. She gave me a single rule. Every year during the pack's Dark Moon Festival, I must receive a water lantern carrying a genuine blessing. The first year, my future Alpha mate, my brother, and my childhood best friend all wrote my name on their lanterns. The second year, my childhood friend Julian said my adopted sister, Chloe, was too weak, so he wanted to pray for her just this once. The third year, even my brother, Ryker, who swore to protect me forever, gave his lantern to Chloe. Only my fated mate, Declan, left one for me. This was the fourth year. I couldn't sleep at all, so I finally told them the truth. "Please, just leave one lantern with my name on it. That's all I ask." The three of them smiled and promised. "Don't worry, you'll get every single one." But on the night of the Dark Moon Festival, the pack's sacred lake was filled with water lanterns drifting toward the Underworld River. Not a single one bore my name. I searched everywhere with tear-filled eyes, only to find the three men surrounding Chloe in celebration. "Four lanterns! I'm the one with the most blessings from the Moon Goddess this year!" Pain stabbed through my chest, and my voice trembled. "You promised me." Ryker looked away. "Chloe is under a lot of pressure for her Werewolf Academy interview this year." Julian, my once-gentle childhood friend, shrugged. "You've had so many before anyway. Missing one year won't kill you." Declan, my Alpha mate, didn't even look up. "To fight over a few lanterns, you even made up this 'Servant of Death' nonsense. Aren't you embarrassed?" Chloe leaned on his shoulder, covering her mouth to hide a laugh. "Stop making a scene, Amara. If you're a Servant of Death, then I'm the true daughter of the Moon Goddess." But they had no idea that if I failed to receive a single lantern, the Dark Goddess would take me back to the Underworld.

At the Full Moon Festival, Edward asked me in front of everyone if he could have the opening dance with Sophia. I didn’t argue. I simply stepped aside and gave them the space. Edward froze for a moment, surprise flashing across his face as he looked at me. But in the end, he still took Sophia’s hand. Under the moon, the two of them danced gracefully . I turned and walked away. Not long after, my phone rang. “I told you Sophia gets shy easily. She just learned the dance, and she was too nervous to dance with another male werewolf.” “Can’t you stop getting jealous over nothing?” “Otherwise, I won’t dare tell anyone that you’re my future mate.” I smiled. He had no idea that just moments ago, I had accepted an invitation from the Northern Pack to become their herbalist Wolf. Later, we would never see each other again.

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.

Three years ago, my father sent me to Damian’s side. Every day is a battle of wits with that cold, ruthless Alpha. Every night, I lose myself in his arms. I think… I've finally found the love I am destined for. I was so happy, so sure of our future, that I started planning our bonding ceremony. Until Clara showed up. By then, I realized just how naive I had been. For Clara, Damian locked me away in the isolation cell to teach me a lesson. He spent millions on her without a second thought, but left me alone in a hospital ward unconscious for seven hours. When it came down to life and death, he never hesitated to choose Clara, leaving me bleeding on the ground. The most ironic part? When I finally gave up and walked away, he lost his mind. He started insisting that I am his mate, his one true love. Damian, you're too late.

When I was eight years old, Kieran Blackwood, Alpha of the Ironwood Pack, saved me from a rogue wolf den. He adopted me and said he would protect me for life. When I was twelve, I met Beta Ryan Cross. He treated me as her own sister and also promised to protect me for life. But later, these two men who swore to guard me forever pushed me into the flames with their own hands. All to please their childhood sweetheart. But when I ran away from Ironwood Pack, the Alpha and Beta both went crazy.