Cerita Pendek & Novel Countdown Werewolf

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.

The wolfsbane had reached my bones, and I decided to stop treatment. Once, Ethan Anderson, the pack's Alpha, was the only light in my life. He promised we would travel the continent together, chasing the northern lights across frozen plains and exploring ancient ruins. But while I lay dying from wolfsbane poisoning, he took Murphy Blake, my best friend and the person I trusted most, to every place I had dreamed of seeing. My dreams became the story of how they fell in love. I was ready to let go. I wanted only to see the final place on my list. Then the antidote shattered, my ticket was soaked in blood, and Ethan abandoned me alone in the frozen wilderness. My life entered its final countdown. And there, at the edge of death, I discovered a secret that would change the fate of every werewolf. Ten years later, when the wolfsbane curse that had plagued werewolves for a thousand years was finally broken and everyone called me their savior, Ethan finally understood: He hadn't merely lost a mate who loved him. He had lost the one person who once would have spent her last breath waiting for him to turn back. But by then, I no longer needed his love.

My Alpha mate has canceled our carefully planned honeymoon trips fourteen times for his Omega secretary. The first time, because of the secretary's phone call about "lost territorial maps," he didn't hesitate to abandon me at a strange Nordic airport. The second time, because of the secretary's plea for help, he drove back alone to the pack's core territory, leaving me alone in the dangerous hunting grounds. For four years, I carefully planned fourteen honeymoon trips, but each time my mate would abandon me to choose to accompany his Omega secretary. Finally, I stopped insisting and decided to give up this mating relationship that was never firmly chosen. But when I joined the Alpha Council's secret research project and decided to leave forever, he cried and searched the whole world for me.

On the night of my anniversary with Lawson, I found transfers on his phone that I did not recognize. The recipient of the money was his old flame. For a decade, he had sent her more than a hundred thousand dollars on the fifteenth of every month. I showed him the records and demanded an explanation. He was signing documents and nonchalantly said, "She was once pregnant with my pup, but she lost it because of a pack conflict. I owe her that much. Don't worry. Other than this, I won't give her any resources from the pack as compensation." I cried, argued, and went to my friends to vent. They tried to talk me down. "It's only a few hundred thousand dollars. Lawson is the Alpha of the largest pack. Even if he gave you that amount, you would think it was too little." "You'll be his Luna. The most important thing is to protect your status. Are you really going to lose your composure over an ex?" I thought about the bonding ceremony we were supposed to hold at the Full Moon Festival next month, and about the decade Lawson and I had spent together. So, I gave in. Then I discovered that every noon, the housekeeper would prepare a pup's meal and send it to Lawson's office. I stopped her with a frown and asked what was going on. The housekeeper was stunned. "Miss Monica, wasn't this prepared for your pup? That pup is already six. Every time he sees the Alpha, he calls him Dad."

Everyone in the pack thought I was a gold digger. I was an outsider wolf with no family, yet Alpha Adrian had chosen me as his mate. His parents, friends, and even the elders insisted I wanted only his fortune and the title of Luna. Adrian alone believed me. Then, on the night of our mating ceremony, I asked him to lend me three hundred thousand dollars. From that night on, he was convinced I was vain and greedy, that the only thing I loved about him was the wealth he possessed as Alpha. When I begged him to attend my father's funeral, he sent me money. Six months ago, when I was diagnosed with wolfsoul degeneration, he believed I was just looking for an excuse to get money. The last time he transferred money to me, he was away on vacation with his childhood sweetheart, Selene. He did not know the healer had just told me my wolf soul was in the final stage of degeneration. I had seven days left. He had no idea that I borrowed money on our wedding night because Selena had poisoned me with silver, and I needed the money to save my life. My body is now beyond cure, ravaged by illness. He never chose to trust me. After my death, he went mad with regret.

The night Chloe, the adopted daughter, turned eighteen and completed her first shift, my mother, Grace, stripped me of my family identity right in front of the entire pack. My brother, Caleb, slapped me across the face so hard that my vision went blurry. “Listen to me loud and clear. From today on, this family only has one daughter, and I only have one sister.” I stared at Chloe standing in the very center of the crowd. Mom held her tightly in her arms while Chloe sobbed like a fragile porcelain doll, but her eyes landed on me with chilling precision. The wolf inside me went quiet. It wasn’t a whimper, but something much deeper. I felt the string—the pack bond—that once tied me to this family snap and vanish. I finally understood one thing: to this werewolf family, I had never been part of them. So, I left. Captain Vance had been inviting me to join the Vanguard Legion’s closed training camp for months anyway, and that very night, I signed my name on the agreement. Mom and Caleb thought I was just throwing a temper tantrum. They waited for me to come crawling back, tail between my legs, begging for forgiveness. However, a month later, when a thick layer of dust had settled in my bedroom, they finally went looking for me at the Werewolf Preparatory Academy. The academy told them that my file had been sealed and destroyed by the Werewolf Council. It was classified, and there was no way to access it. Sitting in the backseat of Captain Vance’s bulletproof car, I was in agonizing pain as I severed that final bond with my own hands. At that exact moment, panic finally set in for them.

When I got a second chance at life, I wrote the name of Adrian's childhood sweetheart in the mate slot on our pack registration form. In my first life, she learned Adrian and I were getting married and fled Black River heartbroken. Two days later, she was found dead in the snowbound mountains. Adrian blamed me for her death. He marked me only because his family demanded it, then spent the rest of my life treating me like a ghost. Even when I lay dying, he never came to see me. This time, I wasn't going to fight for him. When Adrian decided to bring her home to recover, I prepared her room myself. When he slipped my moonstone ring onto her finger, I didn't stop him. He expected jealousy. What he didn't know was that I'd already accepted an offer from the North American Institute of Lycan Genetics. In ten days, I would leave the pack and join its most prestigious bloodline research program. He could spend the rest of his life taking care of her. And I could finally chase the dream I'd once given up for him.

I was the deadliest warrior in the Black Moon pack, raised by Alpha Silas himself. I was his fated mate. And his dirty little secret. I always knew he only used my body to soothe his restless wolf. But I didn't care. Being by his side was all that mattered. Until a political alliance forced him to mate another—Ravenna, the Alpha’s daughter from the Sunfire Pack. On the night of the full moon, the moment he marks her, our sacred mate bond will shatter. Forever. Once he cast me aside, I would vanish. But after I walked through fire for my freedom and disappeared from his world… he went insane.

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."

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.

For love, I left my pack and followed Kayson Callahan to the distant Silver Moon Pack. Yet for five whole years, I was never officially entered into the Silver Moon Pack's records. Lyanna Lawrence, on the other hand, had only stayed in my home for two months when Kayson personally contacted the Council of Elders and had her official status fast-tracked. I was completely devastated and decided to return to my own pack. For the first time, Kayson cried as he knelt before me. "Serena, you're my fated mate. Once we hold the Bonding Ceremony, it's only a matter of time before the pack accepts you. "But Lyanna is different. She has nowhere to go, and without a pack to protect her, she could easily die at the hands of rogue wolves. Stay for me this time, okay?" Seeing the tears in his eyes, I softened again. It wasn't until I became pregnant and applied once more to be added to the pack records that Elder Walter Blankenship frowned and flipped through the records. "Serena, Kayson's registered mate is... Miss Lyanna Lawrence." "Are you sure you didn't get that wrong?" I stood there frozen, unable to believe what I was hearing. The only reason I had been able to swallow disappointment again and again was that I loved Kayson deeply and kept waiting for the Bonding Ceremony that was supposed to be ours. But in the end, I realized that these five years had all been nothing more than wishful thinking on my part. If that's how it was, then it was time for me to return to where I belonged.

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.]

Because I was born under the Moon’s blessing, my body ripened earlier than any she-wolf my age. On the night of my eighteenth turning, my brother—fearing I’d be force-claimed by brutes—entrusted me to his blood-oath brother: Silas, Alpha of the Northern Peak. The first time we met, his golden eyes locked on my bared neck and never left. His fangs sank into my scent gland that very night, claiming me beneath the full moon. For four years since, I’ve been his scribe by dawn light, and his whore by moonrise. He trained my body to fit his every hunger, covering me in bite marks, yet never left the Mating Mark that would make me his true mate. Four years later, his confidante from the Central Territories returned. He tore from my heat-soaked sheets without a backward glance, racing to the moon-platform to greet her. I followed, stomach hollow, scent glands throbbing with his phantom claim. Only an hour before, his hand—scarred from my own teeth—had clamped over my mouth as he rutted me into the furs. Now, before the assembled Pack, he stroked another woman’s silver hair. “Amara, don’t show that jealous look. Have you forgotten—four years ago, you were the one who crawled into my bed while I was moon-mad.” “This tantrum is unbecoming.” He was right. I had chosen this life myself. But when I finally chose to leave him, he was the first to break.

Two years after Theron Vex claimed me as his Mate, he finally held his marking ceremony. But the woman was not me.. "The child Nora carries is of Pack blood. I have to give them a proper status," I heard Theron say to his friend. "I'm just helping her out. I love Elara. She just needs to wait a little longer." But he had been saying that for six months. Ever since his brother—Nora's mate—died, he had chosen Nora over me, again and again. The first time he postponed our ceremony, it was because Nora had just found out she was pregnant and the pregnancy was unstable. The healer said she needed bed rest and could not be left alone. The second time, because she had a checkup at the hospital. The third time, because she said she felt the baby move and she wanted him to feel it too. There was always a reason. There was always something more important than me. I thought about our first year together. The way he looked at me like I was the only person in the world. The way he told everyone I was his future Luna. The way he promised, “After the ceremony, you will be the Luna of the entire Pack.” I believed him. I waited. I kept waiting. Six months of waiting. Six months of “just a little longer.” I was tired. This time, I did not run to Theron and demand an explanation like I used to. I did not cry. I did not scream. I simply went home, packed my bags, and booked a plane ticket. Theron lost his mind later. He showed up at my research station in the Arctic, begging to make amends.

"Father, I accept the marriage alliance with the Blackwood Pack." Silence stretched on his end of the link before he finally replied, "Caterina, are you certain?" "I am." I didn't tell him the real reason. Last night, a heart-shattering agony ripped through our Mate Bond, through that damned bond, I saw everything— My mate, Alpha Rocco, was in the cabin on his private hunting grounds, pinning his childhood sweetheart, Scarlett, against the wall and kissing her with a desperate frenzy. I confronted Scarlett directly at the pack meeting, a flicker of triumph flashed in her eyes before she feigned innocence. "Caterina, I have no idea what you're talking about." Just then, Rocco's voice boomed through the open mind-link, echoing in the minds of everyone present. "Caterina, as the Luna of the pack, you shouldn’t cause a scene like this. Scarlett is just a friend. " In that moment, my heart died completely. He was my Alpha, my husband—the man I had spent years helping rise to power. I severed my mind-link with Rocco. The pain of the forced disconnection was so intense I could barely stand, but I straightened my spine and sent my reply. "I'll be home in two weeks." Go home and marry the most powerful Alpha in North America. They say he is cold and ruthless, unmoved by any she-wolf. Perfect. I don't need love. I just need an Alpha strong enough to help me secure the Silver Moon Pack. And as for Rocco? The Moon Goddess gave us a destiny, and he shattered it with his own hands. Now, I will seize my own.

That winter, our whole family went skiing in Aespen, Amestia. It was a popular spot for werewolf nobles and the wealthy. Then, the avalanche struck. My father's first instinct was to scoop up Summer—his sleeping adopted daughter—and flee. My mother, panicked, still made sure to grab the stray puppy Summer had found. They returned to the Moonshadow Pack that same night, posting a flood of photos online and rejoicing over their miraculous escape. Not one of them remembered me. Their biological daughter was still buried beneath the snow, waiting for rescue. When I was finally rescued, I did not look back. I took my mentor's offer to study abroad and left the pack behind. I moved to Cascade City to study medicine. No more pleading, no more shrinking myself in hopes of earning back my family's love. Yet they only seemed more disgruntled. "Rose, why aren't you competing with Summer for our attention anymore?"

Everyone envied me — an orphan who'd become the Luna of the most powerful Alpha in the Southern Territory: Cain. For three years of our mating, he treated me like I was the center of his world. Then Serena — his childhood sweetheart — severed her bond with her former mate and came back to our pack. Cain started patrolling the territory every night. Coming home later and later. He didn't even ask me before moving Serena into our pack house. "Her ex-mate has been stalking her. She and I grew up together — how could I just stand by and let someone threaten her?" Serena spent every day in lingerie, draped over Cain. The two of them flipping through old photos, reminiscing about the time Cain got into a brawl because some guy had been hitting on her. I didn't say a word. I quietly tucked away the pregnancy test and brought Cain a bowl of "calming tonic." He drank it without hesitation. What he didn't know was that it was a witch's potion — one that could forcibly sever a mate bond. It would take effect on the next full moon. When it was done, I made a phone call. "Alpha Ethan, I'm ready to come to the Northern Territory. Come get me."

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.

I'm the only daughter of the Alpha King. My father's always been swamped with pack affairs, so I grew up in Howler, raised among the wolves there. The Alpha of Howler had two sons, and they were my shadows growing up. Logan was gentle and doting. Derek was wild and electric. They both pursued me, adored me, fought for my attention in ways that made every wolf in the pack green with envy. I thought I'd choose one of them as my mate someday. I really did. Then Rose showed up. She was beautiful. A gifted healer. Capable in ways I never was. When Derek came back wounded from a skirmish, Rose was the one stitching him up. When Logan got buried in pack business, Rose was right there beside him, smoothing out every problem like it was nothing. Logan started singing her praises in front of me, always finding ways to mention how I wasn't mature enough, not independent enough, not enough. Derek promised me a gift once. He gave it to Rose instead. And the night I nearly died during my first shift? They were both with Rose. Because she had a scratch. They had their red rose. They didn't need their faded moon anymore. So I left. Went back to my father, the Alpha King. I told myself it was over. That we shouldn't have any ties. But then why—why did they beg me to come back?

Ronan is the Alpha of Silverpine Pack. To protect Mara, the widow of the warrior who died saving him, and her young son, he repeatedly chooses them over his own family. The entire pack praises his loyalty and honor. Only I know that every promise he keeps to Mara teaches his own daughter to stop waiting for him. Then Ivy writes in an assignment at the pack academy: [My father is dead.] [He did not die at the border. He died at Mara’s house. Every time she called, he went to her and forgot how to come home.] Ronan finally realizes something is wrong and returns with a belated gift. What he does not know is that a summons from the Northern Crown has already reached me. In fifteen days, I will take Ivy home, reclaim my place as the Alpha King’s daughter, and accept my appointment as Northern Crown’s next chief healer, a future I once gave up for Ronan.