Cerita Pendek Familial Bond Werewolf & Novel Face Slapping

I'm Alpha Bruce Smith's most docile and understanding daughter. In fact, I'm the type who obeys literally anyone's orders. When my parents pick me up at the Rogues' den and take me back to the pack, my adopted younger sister, Andrea Smith, begins making fun of me. "I thought the Rogues killed you for sure! I never thought you'd be able to return to the pack, safe and sound! You really are lucky! Why can't you just die already?" With hollow eyes, I just nod quietly. Then, I extend a claw and move to stab myself in the neck without hesitation. My parents are terrified out of their wits. They quickly stop me from hurting myself. But my older brother, Tobias Smith, remains impassive about my condition. "You really love attention that much, huh? What makes you think you can still remain my sister, anyway? You might as well drink some wolfsbane and die!" That night, I grab a bottle of poison and down it immediately. Tobias discovers me afterward. He whisks me to the hospital anxiously. When the doctor tells him that I'd die if he were two minutes later in discovering me, Tobias' complexion turns pale. Some time after that, when Andrea snatches my necklace from me, she loses her balance and falls down the stairs. Her fiance points at me while exclaiming, "It's just a necklace! If anything were to happen to Andrea, you'd better pay the price with your life!" Pay the price with my life, huh? I don't hesitate to draw the silver sword out of its hilt on the wall. Then, I slash my throat with it. My parents happen to witness it. Shell-shocked, they scream at the top of their lungs. "Call an ambulance! Hurry!" Tobias tries to stem the blood flow with trembling hands. He's completely stunned by the ordeal. What everyone doesn't know is that they've been calling me a lowlife during my five-year stay in the Rogues' den. Even if I could live 100 times over, those lives are nothing compared to Andrea. Even if I gave my life, it would never be enough—because to them, my life was never worth anything in the first place.

When I realized my soulmate Darius was still hung up on his former lover Cassia and her child, I started teaching our son to call him "Lord Darius." That night, Theo accidentally stepped into a thorn trap set by forest nymphs. He was poisoned by a minor curse that sent his magic spiraling out of control and plunged him into darkness. But Darius turned and left because Cassia called him on his messaging crystal late at night. I touched my son's forehead as his divine aura dimmed from the pain, and made him say, "Goodbye, Lord." On Theo's birthday, Darius skipped our celebration because Cassia tearfully complained that her child needed a father. I didn't say much. I just had little Theo explain to the guests, "The Lord has important divine duties to attend to." My boy would always struggle for a long time before forcing those words out. Until Darius finally realized he owed us far too much. He offered to go to the temple and commission an enchanted portrait of our family. But right there inside the Portrait Pavilion, Cassia sent another message through the crystal. "Darius, I am begging you to come to the Divine Academy. Could you just pretend to be Milo's father for a bit? The young gods here are all mocking him for being a bastard..." A flash of guilt crossed Darius's face. He was just about to bend down and explain things to our son. But this time, Theo did not need my prompting. He just waved his hand. "It is okay, Lord Darius. Hurry up and go be with your other child. Just having me and Mom in the portrait is enough."

I was abandoned at a werewolf orphanage the day I was born. But one look at me was all it took for a witch to predict that I'd grow up rich. After I posted a notice searching for my birth family, the second- and third-wealthiest werewolf packs came forward and took me in, one after the other. When the first pack's fake heiress forged messages to make it look like I'd leaked pack secrets to a rogue, I turned the tables by uncovering evidence of the rogue's crimes. My adoptive father, Alaric Sterling, rewarded me with control of three mineral veins. When the second pack's fake heiress slit her own wrist and accused me of draining her wolf power, I used the moment to reveal my healing gift. This time, my adoptive father, Lucian Blackwood, insisted I inherit his jewelry company. Only when the third family claimed me did I discover that I was the biological daughter of the wealthiest Alpha in the werewolf world. On my first day home, Anna Grayson, the fake heiress, threw her bowl of medicine to the floor and dropped to her knees before me, sobbing uncontrollably. "I know you hate me for taking your place, but I don't have much time left. All I want is to spend my remaining years here with Mom and Dad. If you really can't stand having me around, then I might as well end it all right now." Mom pulled her into her arms, heartbroken, and looked at me like I was her worst enemy. Dad slammed his teacup to the floor and pointed at me furiously. "Anna was born with a weak wolf heart. We've spent years doing everything we can to keep her alive, and now you show up and try to take her life!" Even my fiancé, Ryan Hale, stepped in front of Anna and stared at me coldly. "Apologize to Anna, or the engagement is off." Without a flicker of emotion, I walked up to Anna, gently wiped away her tears, and said quietly, "Don't worry. I'm not going to kick you out." "After all, you're the least convincing fake heiress I've ever met."

My twin Alpha brothers believed that I have deliberately hidden the vast inheritance left by our Alpha parents so that our adoptive sister Sophia couldn’t by the medical equipment to treat her silver poisoning. For the sake of our adoptive sister, my twin Alpha brothers dragged me before the Council's tribunal. They accused me of stealing pack assets and deliberately harming pack members. If the charges stuck, the Alpha Council would strip away my Alpha power to treat Sophia. My brothers had no idea that years ago, I'd nearly died protecting them. If I lost my Alpha bloodline strength, I would die. In my own brothers' eyes, I was already a criminal beyond redemption. But when the Council used ancient magic to extract my memories for judgment, everyone wept for me. And when my brothers learned the truth, they fell to their knees, begging my forgiveness.

I was ditched by my father, Alpha of Northcrest Pack. Dumped in the borderlands for a whole decade. "Danae's still young. Once she hits eighteen, we'll bring you back. She's always been insecure 'cause she's adopted. When she's stronger, we'll come for you." Yeah, right. I didn't even look at that delusional she-wolf. Just kept watering my orchard. Even my so-called brother backed Danae. "Danae's the sister I grew up with. Disrespect her when you return, and we're done." Their voices? Just white noise. I shut it down cold. "Wrong wolf. I don't know you." They had the nerve to call themselves family. Joke's on them—I've had real parents for the last eight years.

On the seventh anniversary of the day I mated with Alpha Rowan, I discovered I was pregnant again. I rushed to tell him the good news, only to find him and my adopted sister, Isolde, locked in the heat of passion in his car, deep within the Forbidden Forest. "In another month, we will have no more use for Willow." "I used the blood of her first three unborn pups to heal you, and now you carry my child. This is a true blessing from the Moon Goddess." Hearing that familiar voice, I bit my lip so hard it bled just to keep myself from screaming. My three children were not lost to natural miscarriage. They were murdered, sacrificed by their own father for another woman. Even when my birth parents, the pack's Head Elder and his mate, brought me back home at twelve, I knew they did not love me. But I never imagined that in our seven years as mates, Rowan had never loved me either. He had even killed the one person in this world who ever truly loved me. With nothing left to lose, I used my Elder bloodline as leverage and sought out Rowan's greatest rival. The man on the other end of the line sounded intrigued. "I can help you. But when this is over, I want you as my Luna." I swore I would make them pay in blood. Without hesitation, I replied, "Deal."

After I found out my Alpha mate, Bruce, couldn't let go of his ex-mate, Fiona, and her pup, I started teaching our son to call him "Alpha Bruce." When our son had a fever, Fiona called my mate away in the middle of the night. I touched my son’s burning forehead and had him say, "Goodbye, Alpha." When he bailed on the birthday party he’d promised our son because Fiona called, crying that her own son didn't have a father, I didn't even look up. I just had our son explain to the guests, "The Alpha has something important to do." Our son always hesitated for a long time. Until Bruce finally realized how much he’d failed us. He suggested we take a family portrait. But at the studio, Fiona called again, sobbing. “Bruce, can you please come and pretend to be Tony’s dad? The kids at daycare are making fun of him for not having one…” A flicker of guilt crossed Bruce’s face. He was about to kneel and explain it to our son. But this time, our son didn't need my cue. He just waved. “It’s okay, Alpha Bruce. Go be with your other pup. Mom and I are enough for the family photo.”

The Westmere pack had one rule about the Alpha's seat: only the Alpha's biological children could inherit it. I was my parents' only child. For as long as I could remember, I'd known I would become the first female Alpha in our pack's history. The trouble was that I hated being tied down. My father spoiled me, so he took in my cousin Evan Hale to take care of pack business for me. Evan had to pass an annual review on New Year's Day to keep his job as my assistant. But in 13 years, I never once took those reviews seriously. I passed Evan every single time. Over time, every wolf in the pack came to see me as the Alpha heir in name only. They believed Evan was the one my father really wanted to take over. Then Evan decided to marry Winona Crane, the daughter of Victor Crane, the Emberwind Alpha. Victor had heard all about Evan's achievements, and he agreed to the marriage without a second thought. To celebrate, I went out and conquered three new territories as a gift for Evan. I also gave Winona a villa to welcome her to Westmere. But on their first day as mates, she sold the villa. On the second day, she revoked my fingerprint access to every restricted area in the pack. Then she sent me a bill. "Lorelei Hale, I had no idea you'd spent 85 million dollars of Evan's money over the years." "You're a grown woman now, You can't keep dragging Evan down, can you?" "I want you to swear on the Moon Goddess that you'll pay back every cent within a month." I pointed at myself, wondering if I'd heard her right. "Me? Pay you back? Is this what Evan wants too?" Winona frowned. "What, are you trying to weasel out of paying?" I actually laughed. Sure, Evan had handled pack business for me for 13 years. But Westmere had never belonged to him. The only reason he'd kept his job as my assistant was that I'd waved him through his review year after year. And as it happened, the new year was only three days away. There was still time to revise Evan's review.

I was born with Alpha blood, yet I spent my entire childhood drifting from pack to pack. At the pack orphanage, the woman in charge always said I was slow and couldn't pick up on anything unless it was said outright. At the charity school, the boy at the desk next to mine shoved the phone he'd secretly brought to school into my backpack. "Hide this for me. The teacher's coming." I raised my hand. "Sir, he just put his phone in my backpack. "He forgot his own backpack today." When I grew up, I joined the Thornwood pack without any trouble and started working as a warrior trainer. The Alpha was handing out assignments. The pack's Gamma nudged me with his foot and lowered his voice. "Tell him you can take on more warriors. You're new, so you should be doing more of the work." I nodded, stood up, and looked at our new leader. "Alpha, the Gamma wants an easier load. "He says new people should be doing more of the work. "You just became this pack's Alpha, didn't you? That makes you new too. So shouldn't you be doing more than any of us?" After that, nobody in the Thornwood pack ever confided in me again. Then my birth parents brought me back to the pack I was born into. Four years later, they finally held the homecoming dinner they owed me. Their adopted Omega daughter, Elena, walked right past me and sat down between my parents. She hooked her arm through my mother's and smiled at me. "Aurora, this has been my seat for twenty-three years. You don't mind, do you?" Everybody sat there waiting for me to be gracious and step aside. I asked her directly, "You think I might mind? Is that because it's the daughter's seat?" She gave a small laugh. "Well, isn't it?" I unleashed the full force of my Female Alpha aura and went on. "If it's their daughter's seat. "Then you've had it long enough. Give it back to me now."

When I returned from a mission, I found my Alpha mate, Wyatt, had tattooed his Beta's sigil next to our sacred mating mark. I cut my mission short, stormed back to the pack, and publicly declared my intent to Reject him. The mating mark is sacred, a symbol of two souls eternally bound. Desecrating it is the gravest insult to the Moon Goddess. Wyatt tore the rejection papers to shreds, casting them to the ground. Fury blazed in his wolfish eyes. "Over a sigil? You're tearing us apart over a meaningless symbol. Are you insane?" "Do I look like I'm kidding?" I sneered. "Fine. Let the Moon Goddess be your judge." The color drained from his face. "Faye, if you dare go through with this, I'll strip Rory of his birthright. He'll never be Alpha." "How could I be cursed with a mother like you? You're ruining my future as Alpha! I hate you!"My son, Rory, snarled from the side, his eyes burning with hatred. I looked at this father and son, who was now both strangers to me, and my heart turned to ash. My fingers tightened on my herb pouch. "The moment your father desecrated our mark," I said, my voice eerily calm, "I was already done with you."

On my eighteenth birthday, my three adoptive brothers gave me a present—a stray she-wolf. My eldest brother, Caine, said her obedience might finally tame my vicious temper. Rhael said her delicate nature would make my rough strength stand out even more. Lucian said her beauty might distract everyone from how plain I was. But that she-wolf had only one ambition: to become a Luna. When a blind Alpha from a distant pack came seeking a bride, she volunteered to marry him in my place. She never made it. Worn down by the grueling journey, she died along the way. My brothers were consumed by grief. When an enemy pack attacked, they threw me into the enemy ranks with their own hands. I stared at them in disbelief. Caine accused me, “You knew Sophia might die. That’s why you let her take your place without a second thought!” Rhael glared at me with hatred. “You love throwing your status around and bullying others, don’t you? Today, you’ll learn what it feels like to be completely at someone else’s mercy!” Lucian turned to the wolves around us and ordered, “No one helps her. I want her to know what it feels like to be abandoned by everyone!” When I died, there wasn’t enough left of my body to piece together. Then I opened my eyes—and found myself back on the day Sophia volunteered to marry in my place. Remembering how my three brothers had shielded her behind them in my previous life, I smiled. “Father, I’ll marry him.” Father frowned. “Knox is blind and brutal. Are you sure?” “I’m sure.” Since my brothers couldn’t bear to part with Sophia, they could stay with her forever.

The day a blizzard sealed the mountain roads, the entire pack lost power. My academy and my sister's were on opposite sides of the pack's territory. My father, Alpha Gerald Vale, set out with his warriors. My mother, Moira Vale, called me. "We're going to get your sister first. She hasn't awakened her wolf yet, so she won't survive this storm. Stay at the academy gate and wait for us." I stood outside in the freezing wind, waiting until nightfall. The school sirens eventually began to wail. Snow rose past my knees, and then an avalanche thundered down the mountain. Only then did my mother finally call. "The avalanche blocked the roads. Find your own way home." I clutched my coat tight and trudged through the blizzard for five hours. The avalanche buried me beneath the snow. My fingers were numb with cold, and I felt like the blood in my veins had turned to ice. When I finally crawled home, the manor lights glowed, warm and peaceful. My mother slid the last bowl of meat stew toward my younger sister, Susie Vale. My brother, Damon Vale, took one look at me, covered in snow, and snapped, "Why didn't you shake it off before coming in? You've ruined Susie's favorite rug." I stood in the doorway, saying nothing. Susie smiled and grumbled playfully, "I thought you'd found something good to eat out there and forgotten all about coming home." Outside, the blizzard had brought down whole slopes. Several rogues had frozen to death in it. And somehow, that was still what they believed. Not one of them seemed surprised that I'd made it back alive. Suddenly, none of it seemed to matter anymore. I finally realized it wasn't the blizzard keeping me from home. It was them.

The day the new Pack House was finished, my mother, Aria, the Luna, announced the room assignments. Every space in the three-story mansion was claimed. The top floor was the Alpha and Luna’s suite. The room next to it—the biggest, the most beautiful, with moonstones embedded in the walls to soothe a wolf’s soul—was for Chloe. Chloe’s father died ten years ago in the Blood Moon War. He sacrificed himself to save my brother, Jasper. After that, my family adopted her. The whole pack treated her like a hero’s orphan, protecting her at all costs. I traced the blueprints with my finger. Room by room. My name wasn't there. I asked my mother. She paused, then spoke in that gentle, matter-of-fact tone. “Eliana, you have to go to the border to prove you’re worthy of being the next Luna. If I give you the best room now, the pack will question it.” “Chloe is different. Her father gave his life for us. We’re all she has. This room is an honor she deserves. It will help her heal.” My brother, Jasper, was already excitedly talking to Chloe about building a hot spring on her terrace, one that would catch the moonlight. And my mate, the future Alpha Rhys, was personally overseeing the decorations, making sure Chloe’s room was perfect. I sat in the great hall, watching them all. So busy. So happy. I wasn't forgotten. Worse. They all subconsciously believed that to repay that debt, I should give up everything. Even my own mate had become part of the compensation package. Fine. If there was no place for me in the Pack House, the symbol of our future, then I’ll give it all up. I unlocked my phone. An email from the Lycan Research Institute sat in my inbox. I signed the contract. A ten-year commitment to the “Wolf Gene-Origin Project.” No contact with the outside world. This time, I was really leaving. And I was never coming back.

My older brother, Ethan Earnhart, was the Alpha of the Shadow Pack. Right now, he was slicing my chest open with a silver surgical blade. Beside him, my adopted sister, Sara, had tear-filled eyes. "Elina went as far as faking her own death just to escape the loan sharks. She even used the body of a disfigured rogue." Ethan's gaze was filled with disgust. He pointed at the bruises covering my body, marks left when I was alive, and explained calmly to the young healer beside him. "Look. This is what happens to a traitor who betrays the pack and sleeps with filthy rogues. Elina, being the liar she's always been, even found a stand-in for her little performance." My wolf soul hovered beside the operating table and watched in despair as he handled my body the way one would process prey. 'Ethan, that really is me. I was trying to retrieve something you lost. That was why they–' "Check the stomach contents," Ethan said flatly as he cut open my stomach. Unexpectedly, there was no food residue. Instead, there was a single ring. It was corroded black by stomach acid, but the emblem engraved on it was unmistakable. It was the Alpha heirloom Ethan had lost five years ago. I had swallowed it just before I died. I had to protect that secret even if I were dead. Ethan's hand trembled violently while holding the forceps. He tore into my facial flesh like a madman. "Elina?"

  I was born with a weak inner wolf. My parents, the Alpha and Luna, along with my older brother Caleb, treated me like glass growing up, terrified that something would happen to me. But everything changed after my adopted sister, Jessica, was diagnosed with the exact same illness. Their concern gradually shifted entirely to her. They even demanded that I give up the only healing serum capable of curing our condition so Jessica could have it. I refused. I got into a massive fight with my parents, demanding to know why they were so biased. Because of that, everyone decided I was cold-blooded, vicious, and had absolutely no sympathy for Jessica. The day before the injection was to be confirmed, Caleb strode into my hospital room. His handsome face was full of impatience and irritation. He glared down at me. "Jessica is only twenty. She has a gorgeous future ahead of her. Your wolf has been weak since birth. Even if you get the serum, how long can this broken body of yours actually hold on?" Just then, Jessica rushed into the room wearing a thin nightgown. She threw herself into Caleb’s arms, crying and asking if I was still refusing to give her the serum. Caleb gently stroked her blonde hair, murmuring, "Don't be scared. No one can take what I promised you." I gazed at him, my mind drifting back to the first time my illness flared up when we were pups. I was dying, and he was the one who carried me through a blizzard to get to the healers. Back then, he held my hand, eyes red, and swore that even if he had to tear his own wolf in half, he would keep me alive. Looking at his cold face now, I suddenly felt incredibly exhausted. I didn't want to fight anymore. I leaned back calmly against my pillows, looked right at him, and said, "I don't want the serum anymore."

I was in my mate Zane’s study, dropping off an invitation for the Alliance gala, when his tablet lit up. A private group chat. “Party tonight at the Alliance’s best restaurant to celebrate Vivienne passing the trials.” Confused, I tapped open the group. There were only four people in it. My own parents, the pack’s Alpha Hector and Luna Freda. My fated mate Zane, the future Alpha. And Vivienne, my adopted sister. The Omega orphan I’d naively rescued years ago. My mother typed: “Good thing Hector used his council connections to get Vivienne the spot in the Alliance’s strategy department. Harper’s already strong enough. This is more important for Vivienne.” Zane replied instantly: “I wish Vivienne were my mate. She’s the one who needs an Alpha’s protection, not Harper. The Moon Goddess must have made a mistake.” I stared at the screen. The blood drained from my body. To my own parents and my mate, I was already an outsider. My strength and independence had become their excuse to shamelessly favor someone else.

Gideon Gray deliberately failed to arrive on time on the day of our bonding ceremony, all so that he could defend my adoptive sister. Dusk had already fallen when he finally had his Beta relay a message to me. "If you hadn't stolen Selene's necklace, she wouldn't have been upset all day. Consider this a lesson. If you don't apologize to Selene, the bonding ceremony isn't happening." Just like that, I became the laughingstock of the entire pack. Even my own brother took Selene's side. "Maybe Gideon defending her is a good thing. It'll teach you to fix that attitude of yours." I turned and walked away. Since I could not rely on my mate or my brother, I would claim the Alpha Female position myself.

Our pack was in financial trouble, so my brother drugged me and put me in Rowan Gale's bed to save it. "Penny, the pack is short on money. The only thing that can save us is a deal with Rowan Gale. "You're exactly his type. Do this for the pack. Sleep with him for one night. "You might even become his Luna." Half-conscious, I was delivered to Rowan Gale's room by my brother. At first, I was frightened. Then I heard the name, and the weight lifted from my chest. I caught myself smiling. After all, the Rowan Gale they spoke of with such awe had once knelt before me and thanked me for saving his life. And I'd taught him every method he used to run that pack. I wondered what his expression would be when he saw me in his bed. I also wondered how comfortable my brother's life would be after offending him.

This marks the third year since Alan Cohen and I became mates, and today's finally the day of the Luna ceremony. As the ceremony begins, Alan takes my hand. But then he hesitates, refusing to move forward. I'm still trying to make sense of it when my adoptive sister, Eden Parker, suddenly breaks into the mind-link. She says she's just ended a failed mate bond with another Alpha and will be back within the hour. That's when I see a flicker of a smile on Alan's face. Then, without a second glance, he lets go of my hand and walks away. I turn to my adoptive brother, Dexter Parker, and my adoptive father, Hank Parker, hoping for some kind of comfort, only to realize they've already left the ceremony with Alan. And just like that, I became the joke of the entire pack. Eden sends me a photo. She's glowing beside Alan, her arm looped through Dexter's, with Hank beaming next to them. That's when I give up. I reach out through the mind-link to my birth father. "Dad, I'm ready to return to the Bloodmoon Pack."

A rival pack invaded, plunging our pack into the worst crisis we had ever faced. The witch, Morgana Vale, said that only a blood sacrifice could save the entire pack. So despite my anemia, I was dragged onto the altar. Morgana slit my wrist, and the moment my blood dripped onto the totem, the ritual began. When the bleeding got to be more than I could take, I tried to call it off, but my mother stopped me cold. "Sweetheart, hold on a little longer. You're the Alpha's daughter. Making a small sacrifice for the pack is only right. It's just a little blood. It won't kill you." I gritted my teeth and held on, my heart pounding like it would burst. The ritual lasted from morning until dusk, and my blood never stopped flowing. "Mom, I really can't take it anymore." My face was ghost-white, and my vision was starting to blur. But she just gave my bloodless face a cold glance. "Sacrificing for the pack is an honor. Being the Alpha's daughter doesn't mean you get to shirk your duty. I did not raise you to be selfish." By midnight, everything went black, and I collapsed on the altar. I'm sorry. I failed to do my duty. I'm sorry, Mother. I let you down.