Family Emotions Werewolf の短編小説 & 小説

On the day of my coming-of-age ceremony, the old Alpha King laid the names of several heirs before me and told me to choose my future mate. Because I was the only pureblood heiress of the Redmoon Pack. For generations, Redmoon Pack had bound itself to the Alpha King’s line through bond. Only my bloodline could bear true pureblood heirs, and whoever formed a bond with me would stand closest to becoming the next Alpha King. This was never just a bond. Even so, I chose without hesitation. Kaelan, the fourth heir. Everyone present was stunned. Everyone across the packs knew that I, Sia, the pureblood heiress of Redmoon Pack, had loved Raine, first heir to the Alpha King’s line, since I was young. I had once declared before the gathered packs that I would bond with no one but him. In my previous life, I got exactly what I wanted. I bonded with Raine. But three days after our bond was sealed, he told me he intended to bring my half-sister, Veya, into his household and keep her by his side. My mother refused, and Veya was instead promised to one of my father’s young retainers. Raine hated me for it. He believed I had torn him and Veya apart. After that, one she-wolf after another appeared at his side, and every one of them resembled Veya in some way. He let them humiliate me, torment me, and grind me down until I died on the day he took the title of Alpha King. Now that I had lived again, I wanted only one thing: to stay far away from him, leave him to Veya, and spare myself. But when the old Alppha King’s bond pact finally came down, the same Raine who had once wanted me dead lost control on the spot and openly defied it.

On the night of the full moon, I lie in the forbidden grounds on the brink of death because of the wolfsbane terrorizing my system. My Alpha mate, Elio Palmer, wrenches my fingers open and snatches the only antidote that I have. "Kelly grew up with me since we were pups. After her parents died, I've been the one who's closest to her. As the Luna, you must sacrifice yourself for her." Then, Elio feeds the antidote to Kelly Giles, who has only gotten infected with a tiny hint of wolfsbane. He doesn't hesitate to abandon me, his dying mate, in the forbidden grounds afterward. He thinks I will accept my death without any resentment, seeing as he's tamed me during our times together. But what he doesn't know is that the thick stench of death doesn't attract any beasts to my side the moment our mate bond is completely severed. Instead, it attracts the attention of Samuel Gray, the Lycan King who drills raw terror into every werewolf in the land. Some time later, Samuel approaches me after slaughtering all the beasts in the forbidden grounds. "Are you planning to die like that after getting abandoned by an inferior mutt?"

My family was attacked by rogue wolves when we entered their territory. My wolf was gravely injured, and in the end, I was the one who saved everyone.
As I collapsed, exhausted, no one came to me—they all ran to my adopted sister, Fiona, fussing over a few shallow scratches.
By the time pack members carried me to the infirmary, the healer delivered the cruel news: my wolf had been struck by a silver dagger, and the one-month-old pup in my womb wouldn’t survive.
Yet my mate, Luke, had given the only life-saving treatment to Fiona. With no other choice, I refused the healer’s remedies and numbed my wolf’s pain with crude herbs—knowing it would only buy us three days before death.
In those last days, I let everything go. I gave Fiona all my possessions and insurance money while my parents smiled in approval. I signed the bond-severing agreement Luke slid across the table without a second thought. Luke was satisfied, believing I was considerate. Kane, my brother, nodded his head when I told him to give my room to Fiona.
Even my son, Jim, squealed with joy when I asked him to call her “mom.” No one questioned why I gave all my belongings to Fiona, and their approving gazes said it all: “Good. The old Emma is back. But as the clock ticked down, one thought haunted me:
When they find our bodies—my wolf and my unborn pup—will that satisfaction turn to regret?

I'm the Alpha's eldest daughter and the rightful heir to the Grimwood Pack, but I'm cursed. Every boyfriend I brought to the Shrine of the Moon for the mate test walked out and did the exact same thing.They don't reject me. They try to kill me. By the time I turned thirty, I'd survived ten murder attempts from ten different men. My own father, Alpha Damian, screams at me every time it happens. He beats me until I'm covered in bruises and claims my blood will atone for my sins to the Moon Goddess. The entire pack says I'm too sinful to deserve a mate. Even my grandmother, the woman who raised me and loved me most, came out of the temple and tried to strangle me. I finally couldn't take it anymore, so I needed to see what was inside that temple. But when the truth appeared in front of me, I broke down.

I have known since childhood that, within the pack, I'm supposed to give way to my older sister, Sienna Larke, in everything. It's solely because Sienna once shielded our father, Silas Larke, from a rogue's attack. She spent three days and three nights in the healer's hut, fighting for her life. From then on, she became the most revered person in our entire pack. Every time Dad returns to the pack with gold, silver, and gems, I never even get the chance to touch them. Every single piece is delivered straight to Sienna's princess-themed room without exception. In fact, Dad never seems to think it's enough. He'll always smile kindly at her and say, "Sienna, I'll bring you something even better next time." This continues up until Dad summons Sienna and me before the Council of Elders on the day we come of age. When I was young, the neighboring Werefang Pack's Alpha arranged a marriage between me and his son, Cassian Thorne. However, Dad is now letting Sienna take my place instead. I, on the other hand, am being married to the leader of the Moonfang Pack's trade division, Jensen Vance. I lose my composure in Dad's presence for the first time. I demand to know why he's so biased toward Sienna. Yet, he doesn't care at all—not even when I threaten him with my own life. So, on the day the Moon Goddess' ritual is to be held, I have no choice but to accept my fate and get on the wedding carriage bound for the Moonfang Pack. Unexpectedly, my married life turns out to be a happier one than I ever imagined. In contrast, after marrying into the Werefang Pack, Sienna is unable to adapt to the stringent rules there. She ends up suffering long-term bullying and discrimination. Within a year, her mate bond is dissolved, and she's sent home. I return home to comfort her, but she thinks I'm going out of my way to mock her. She grabs me and leaps off a cliff, causing both of us to plummet to our deaths. When I next open my eyes, I've returned to the day the Council of Elders convenes. Just as Dad is about to announce our marriage arrangements, Sienna steps forward before I can speak. She holds onto Dad's arm and says coquettishly, "Dad, I don't want to marry into the Werefang Pack."

Of all the pups in the clan, my parents only loved my brother and sister, but not me. When the fire broke in the pack, they hurried into the flames to save their pups, but only took my brother and sister. Left behind, I suffered facial burns and my wolf grew extremely weak. From then on, I lost interest in fighting for their love. Whoever wanted them, could have them. After all, I was already dying. But I did not anticipate their regret. They held my thin frail body and begged: “Could you throw a little tantrum at us again… just once more?”

Mom was Dad's dirty little secret. Every year, he would hold her and promise, Wait for me. We'll have our mating ceremony next year. Five years passed, but he mated with another woman instead, making her his Luna. Mom grew bitter and unhinged. She even resorted to abusing me just to get Dad's attention. Go call your father! Tell him you're sick and he needs to see you! But after she pulled that trick so many times, Dad grew disgusted with me. Learning to lie like your mother already. Sickening. Later, Dad's Luna had a daughter. Rumors of their perfect, loving family spread through the pack. Mom lost her mind completely. On my seventh birthday, she fed me a micro-dose of wolfsbane and ordered me to call Dad over. I begged her to take me to the pack hospital. She snapped impatiently, It's just a little wolfsbane. Take the antidote in a minute and you'll be fine. Stop being such a baby! Dad rushed over, only to shove Mom to the floor in annoyance. If you use this little liar to trick me again, you won't get another dime from me! Screams and sobs tangled in the air. I lay on the freezing floor, slowly losing consciousness. Before I died, I thought, "Without me here, they won't have to fight anymore." But after I actually died, Mom and Dad both said they regretted it.

To get rid of our pup and date with his assistant on Valentine's Day, my mate Marcus forced our injured pup to go rock climbing and poisoned him. When I rushed my dying pup to the hospital, I unexpectedly saw my mate accompanying his assistant for a prenatal checkup. Our terrified pup lay convulsing from the poison, but Marcus didn’t even care about him. "He's just an Omega. If he was a proper wolf, he'd heal instantly!" I clutched the $100 million Moonlight Blessing herb in my pocket. I accidentally found it in the forest this morning. I was planning to tell him the good news today. But now? It was time to break this five-year mate bond.

At a Halloween costume parade, I suddenly spotted a familiar figure. I watched him with a she-wolf. They couldn't keep their hands off each other. The she-wolf was draped against him in a succubus costume that showed off her curves. The male wolf was dressed as a lord of Hell. His face was flushed, his body tense, and his hands gripped the she-wolf's waist tightly. The people around them laughed good-naturedly. I froze. That was my father, Elias Thorne, the stiff, conservative man who had rushed off to work late even on Halloween. I called him right away and kept my tone casual. "Dad, can you come pick me up in a little while?" His voice faltered for a moment, then returned to its usual warmth. "Sorry, sweetheart, I'm at the office working late. I can't come get you. When I get home tonight, I'll make you the apple pie you love." I didn't argue. I said yes like a good daughter and smiled into the phone. When the call ended, I let out a breath and walked toward the couple who should never have been together.

After my parents adopted my sister, we started drawing lots whenever we wanted the same thing. A long stick meant I won. A short one meant she did. Dad was our pack’s Alpha. Mom was its Luna. They could have given us both almost anything. I was the one who had asked them to bring Lily home. At first, she followed me everywhere, calling me her big sister. I loved the sound of it. But for the past year, I hadn’t drawn a single long stick. Even Ethan, my childhood sweetheart and the pack’s Beta, told me to stop keeping score. “She’s already lost one family,” Mom would say. “Do you really need to make her fight for this one? It isn’t her fault you’re unlucky.” So I practiced. Surely, if I kept trying, my turn would come. On my eighteenth birthday, my parents promised to spend the day with me. Then Lily decided she wanted to go to the amusement park by the coast. Mom brought out the box. I secretly joined two short sticks together. Just once, I wanted them to stay. Mom caught me. She snapped the sticks apart and sent me to my room. Then my chest tightened. My rescue inhaler didn’t help. I caught her sleeve. “Mom. I can’t breathe. Please take me to the medical center.” “You lose the draw, and suddenly you’re sick? You’re not ruining Lily’s day.” Lily called from the stairs. Mom took my phone and closed the door. “Don’t call us home with another emergency.” Their car pulled away. My inhaler slipped from my hand. I couldn’t pick it up again. I’m sorry, Mom. Next time, I’ll try harder to draw the long stick.

I'm six years old when my parents dissolve their mate bond. To let my mother, Lena Lowe, leave for another pack without worrying about me, I volunteer to stay behind and live with my father, Damon Moretti, a werewolf warrior, and my two older brothers, Ian Moretti and Ashton Moretti. Father says I'm his life, and my brothers swear they'll never let me suffer a single bit of hardship. But everything changes after Father brings home Joanna Litt, the orphaned daughter of his benefactor. She acts sweet and well-behaved, and within just a few months, she becomes the family's new favorite. The dagger Father forges for me becomes hers to use for self-defense. The herbs Ian gathers for me every day become herbs for her baths. Even the custom-made designer dress Ashton promises me ends up on her. When they give Joanna the exchange student spot at the Werewolf Academy that I earn through countless nights of training, I finally confront them. Father's face is cold as he scolds me, "Joanna has no one to rely on. This is her only chance to establish herself in the pack. Be more understanding, okay?" Ian shoves me aside, looking disappointed. "You're going to drive her into a corner over a spot at the academy? How could you be so inconsiderate?" Ashton looks impatient. "Just try again next time. Do you have to upset the whole family over this?" Seeing how happy the four of them are together, I say nothing more. I return to my room and call Mother, who's now the Luna of the strongest pack in the north. "Mother, you said you'd bring me to your pack. I've decided to accept your offer."

Three years ago, during our marking ceremony, my fated mate suddenly proposed to my stepsister, Ashley Calisto. When I was publicly humiliated, Owen Wagner, Alpha of the pack and president of the Wolf Alliance, started to pursue me obsessively. A few months later, I became his Luna. He has treated me with great care and tenderness for the past three years. That is, until I get pregnant and accidentally overhear his secret conversation with a witch. "I need a potion that will kill the pup in her womb without her noticing," Owen says. The witch asks in confusion, "Alpha Owen, why don't you want this heir?" Owen replies coldly, "The only one worthy of bearing my pup is Ashley. This entire thing had been orchestrated to protect Ashley anyway." So, all this tenderness has just been part of a carefully crafted lie. If that's the case, I'll let them have each other.

I am the youngest daughter of the White family. As rulers of the Moon Shadow pack, the White family showered me with love from the young age. That was until my brothers brought home an orphaned Omega named Calista. In less than a month, she had stolen all the affection that once belonged to me. All it took was a slight frown from me when she tried to move into my bedroom, and my eldest brother, the Alpha, slapped me on the face. My second brother, the Beta, locked me in the cellar. I never wanted to compete with Calista. All I wanted was to live the rest of my days quietly. But on the day of my eighteenth birthday, Calista falsely accused me of attacking her when I shifted. My brothers called me evil, and they cut all ties with me. They believed that I was spoiled rotten and that my jealousy of Calista had made me turn vicious. Little did they know that I had already secretly applied to be the guard of the Land of Winter and to live there in solitude for 20 years. After this farewell, I would never see them again. On the day that I left, they all broke down in regret.

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."

We were on our way to the Elder Council to exchange our wedding vows when hunters ambushed our carriage. A pure silver crossbow bolt tore through the protective barrier. In that instant, my fiancé, Julian Mason, a high-ranking vampire knight, pulled Vivian, the orphan riding up front, into his arms. He left me exposed in the back seat. The silver bolt punched through the carriage and lodged deep in my back. Vivian and I were rushed back to the Howard family's Alchemy Sanctum. My mother, Victoria Howard, was the most respected alchemist in the territory. She barely spared my mangled back a cold glance before calling every attendant in the sanctum to Vivian's side, though Vivian had only a tiny scratch from a flying splinter and had lost just a few drops of blood. "Vivian is a low-ranking vampire with a delicate constitution," my mother said. "If we don't treat her now, she'll have dark marks that never fade! "Everyone knows we're mother and daughter. If I treat you first, people will say I'm abusing my position to play favorites!" The silver poison spread through my veins like wildfire, and the pain sent my whole body into spasms. With the last of my strength, I clung to Julian, who had just changed into an attendant's robe. "Julian... save me... the silver is eating through my organs..." Before I could finish, Julian shook off my hand, his face tight with irritation. "The hunters were aiming at the front seat. Vivian took the hit for you! You were in the back, where the barrier was strongest. How could you be hurt worse than she is?! "Aria, can you stop using these pathetic excuses to compete with Vivian for attention? When are you going to grow up and act like a real pureblood noble?" He hurried into the alchemy chamber without looking back. He had forgotten that when the bolts came, he was the one who shut off the shield over the back seat and poured all his power into the front. He'd left me to take the silver bolt meant for them. My mother had forgotten too, or maybe she simply didn't care. The medic traveling with us had examined my wound at the ambush site and reported my critical condition to the sanctum right away. Darkness crept into my vision. A searing pain spread from my back toward my heart. I knew my blood would run dry in less than half an hour.

Our pack has a tradition that goes back 100 years. When a pup turns one month old, her father plants a moonsilk vine with his own hands, and it grows alongside her. When the pup first shifts into wolf form, her mother harvests the ripe silk from the vine. From that moonsilk, she weaves two moon robes by hand. At the bonding, the she-wolf wears the long gown, and her mate wears the matching robe. Fur from both wolves is sewn into the lining of each robe. The robes symbolize one moon, one pack, and two mates with one heart. My twin sister, Lise, and I were both due to have our bonding ceremonies at the next full moon. A week before the ceremony, my mother brought Lise her finished gown. The gown shimmered silver in the moonlight. Lise couldn't stop touching it. My mother watched her fondly. "My little pup is about to be mated. I can hardly bear to let you go." My father tried to sound stern, but he couldn't hide his smile. "If Cecil doesn't treat you right, I'll tear his throat out!" I watched her with envy, hoping I'd get a gown like that too. "Mother, my bonding ceremony is at the next full moon too." My mother waved me off impatiently. "There wasn't enough moonsilk. Yours went to Lise too." I froze where I stood. My father glanced at me and said offhandedly, "Just buy a white dress for your bonding. It's the same thing. And stop sulking and making this hard on everyone." As I looked at the gown, I remembered how carefully my mother had tended the moonsilk vines in the moonlight. She'd once told me, "A bonding decides whether a wolf will be accepted by her mate's pack. It's one of the most important moments of your life." But they didn't care about my bonding ceremony at all. In that case, it was time I left the pack.

The rogue wolf Beck had kidnapped me and stabbed me ten times with a silver dagger. Now he was forcing me to call my brother, the Alpha of Sterling Pack, and trade the entire northern border for my life. I knew Cain wouldn't care. But I dialed anyway. The line rang for a long time before he picked up. His voice came through, raw with irritation. "What stunt are you pulling now?" "Cain, help me. I've been taken—" I didn't get to finish before he cut me off, cold and clipped. "You'd really stoop to faking a kidnapping to ruin Selene's Chief Healer ceremony tonight? Iris, I swear to god, if you don't show up, you're out of this pack for good." Click. The line went dead. Beck let out a low laugh. Then he drew the silver blade across my throat. Pain swallowed everything. My heart stopped. But my soul drifted up, light as smoke, out of my body. You don't have to throw me out anymore, Cain. I'm never coming back.

The night before I awaken my wolf form, my parents host an apology live stream on my behalf. They train the camera on my face and force me to confess that I tried to kill my younger sister, Daisy Clifford, in the fire seven years ago. They want me to claim that I did it by deliberately locking Daisy in her room. My father, Henry Clifford, bellows at me before the audience, "If you still refuse to apologize to Daisy, get out of this house right now!" Daisy cries so hard that she can't catch her breath. "Katherine, I just want justice…" My mother, Rose Miller, glares vehemently at me as she hugs Daisy. My eldest brother, Hans Clifford, shreds all my capes in front of all the werewolves watching the live stream. "No amount of clothing can hide such a wicked heart!" he declares. My second brother, Hayden Clifford, kicks over my plate of cookies and shouts, "Hurry up and apologize to Daisy! Are you expecting us to beg for it?" The live stream chat is filled with vicious comments telling me to die. Even a good friend I grew up with sends in a message that reads, "You disgust me. I really regret ever knowing you." I stare at the message, amused. For seven whole years, not a single person has asked me how I received the burn on my arm. I straighten and swallow back the blood that threatens to rise in my throat. I ask, "What if I was the one who saved Daisy during the fire back then?"

My sister, Cherry Nicholson, called me nine times before she jumped into the sea. But I didn't pick up once. Now everyone says it's my fault she's gone—even my fiance, my Alpha mate—Samuel Carver. He used to stay by my side through every painful treatment for my wolfsbane fever. Now, he shoves me to the ground like I'm nothing. His once gentle face is now twisted with contempt as he looks down on me and warns, "You don't deserve to be happy!" And truth be told, it isn't just them who believe that. Even I do. Since then, I've stopped going out, stopped dressing up, and stopped meeting anyone's eyes. Even when I run into Samuel holding hands with another she-wolf, I lower my head and walk past silently. But when the wolfsbane fever comes back, I drown in agony and despair. I decide to give my life to atone for what happened to Cherry. That's when they all start to regret it.

My daughter hated me. On the day of the pack's full moon celebration, I put on the new dress my mate had given me and asked her, "Sweetheart, do I look pretty today?" She leaned against my mate and shook her head in disgust. "Daddy, look. Mommy's waist is so big. She doesn't look pretty at all." When I limited her snacking, she turned around and told my mate I was starving her on purpose. When I made her train on schedule, she cried and said I was trying to wear her out so she wouldn't surpass me when she grew up. My mate, the Alpha, was always busy. At first, he would hold her and soothe her. "All right, Daddy knows." Eventually, all he gave her was an impatient frown. Until the day she accused me of poisoning her in front of the entire pack. My mate's expression finally turned cold. "Enough. I've been putting up with you for far too long." My daughter looked at me triumphantly, certain the Alpha was finally going to send me away. But the next second, my mate pointed at her. "I'm talking about you."