Middle-Aged Werewolf Short Stories & Novels

At a celebration for the $30 billion mining deal I'd negotiated for the Silver Moon pack, Alpha Liam Ashford fired me as CEO of the pack's company in front of everyone. My replacement was his stepsister, Isabelle Hale. "Elena, you're 46, your face is scarred, and you can't even shift into a full wolf." Liam's gaze swept over the old scar by my eye, and his voice dripped with contempt. "The company doesn't need a washed-up, broken wolf." In front of everyone, Isabelle unpinned my CEO badge. Smiling, she announced that I was only fit to stay in the territory as a junior administrator. My mother held on to me tight. "He's the Alpha. Silver Moon has protected us for so many years. Just put up with it." Everyone was waiting for me to back down. Instead, I smiled, gave a small round of applause, then turned and accepted an offer from the most powerful Alpha in all the territories. If Silver Moon wanted my project without me, we'd see how far they got on that mine without my license.

When my sister and I were born, a witch prophesied that once my wolf awakened, it would kill my sister. To protect her, my parents had the witch place a curse on me. As long as my body temperature stayed above 102°F, my wolf could never awaken. For eighteen long years, I suffered through burning fevers every single day. On my eighteenth birthday, my wolf was on the verge of awakening. To prevent any chance of it happening, they kicked me into the heat chamber. I cried and begged them to let me out. But my father said, "Are you trying to awaken behind our backs? You know your wolf will kill your sister. Is that what you want? To drive her to her death?" The chamber was scorching, searing down to my bones. I pounded on the door with everything I had. "Mom, it's so hot in here! I'm in so much pain! Please let me out!" "Oh, stop putting on an act." My mother's voice was sharp and cutting. "Just tough it out and the awakening will pass! Your wolf can't awaken, and then your sister will finally be safe. Why are you always so selfish?" Footsteps faded into the distance. Sweat poured from my forehead, dripping onto my clothes, only to be quickly baked dry by the heat. I curled up in a corner, wrapped in waves of heat and pain. Eventually, my mind went dark, my body gave out, and my breathing stopped.

My mate, Kael, got killed by rogues while trying to save me. He left behind a debt of ten million and a child, not yet a year old. Out of guilt and longing for Kael, I refused the advances of many excellent werewolves and never accepted a second chance, mate. I worked endlessly to raise my child and pay off the debt. But during a business meeting at a hotel, I saw my mate—who was supposed to be dead—lying in bed with my stepsister, Lila.