Robert J Sternberg

Five years after I mated to Alpha Derek Blackwood, his childhood sweetheart broke her mate bond with another Alpha and returned to our pack. Even worse, I had depleted my life force saving Derek when he was mortally wounded, and now I was dying. In the less than six months I had left to live, I continued to play the role of Derek's good mate. Until I passed away. And Derek, after reading the journal I left behind, completely fell apart.

My Alpha mate nearly lost his life during a vicious rogue wolf attack. It was his assistant Scarlett who threw herself forward and took the silver blade meant for him, saving his life. But because of the silver poisoning, Scarlett's wolf fell into a feral rage state. The pack witch said she would need to mate with an Alpha every full moon to survive. Out of gratitude, my mate fucked her every full moon and my wolf would suffer greatly from the perceived betrayal of my mate. He knelt before me, tears streaming down his face, his whole body trembling. "Evelyn, she saved my life! I can't just watch her die!" After each full moon, he would give me a million dollars as compensation. And every time Scarlett miscarried, he would bring me the finest healing herbs to ease the pain I felt through our mate bond from his betrayal. In just one year, my bank account grew astronomically. I became the bank's most valued client. Until this time, when he disappeared with Scarlett for three months. When he returned, he dropped to his knees and grabbed my hands, pleading desperately. "Evelyn, if she miscarries again, she'll die! I... I can't let my savior perish!" "I'll claim the child as yours and cut all ties with her. Please, just let this child be born, okay?" My eyes instantly filled with tears. I fought hard to keep them from falling. "Fine." If that's how it is, then the pup I traded my life force to the witch for... I'll get rid of it.

Asher Blackwood, Alpha heir to the Frostmoon Pack, had two mate candidates. One was me. The other was Serena Walsh. We were both orphaned girls adopted by the former Alpha. In my previous life, Serena died tragically in a landslide when Asher officially became Alpha. I became his Luna. I spent my whole life helping Asher to develop Frostmoon Pack into one of the top five packs in the southern territories. But when Asher successfully won the Alpha King election, he publicly announced that the dead Serena was his only Luna. He even submitted a mate bond dissolution agreement to the Alpha Council and banished me from the territory. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back on the day Asher chose his mate. But when I quit the competition and walked away, Asher and the whole pack were on their knees begging me to come back.

On the day of my mating ceremony with my Alpha mate, Derek, his childhood sweetheart Victoria returned. Victoria, using her supposed silver poisoning as an excuse for needing care, crashed our ceremony. She snatched my mate away, turning me into a laughingstock for the entire pack. Derek, seemingly unconcerned, said, "She's silver-poisoned. Her body's weak. Don't overthink it." He carried her to the pack healer, leaving me alone and humiliated. I yanked off the silver pendant he'd given me when he chose me as his mate. As I tossed it aside, it sliced my palm. To my horror, the small cut didn't heal. Instead, blood flowed freely. Because I was the one truly poisoned by silver. Derek didn't know. Months ago, during a rogue wolf attack, I'd taken a silver bullet meant for him. I survived, but my wolf lost her healing ability forever. Later, I overheard the usually strong and calm Alpha yelling at the pack healer, "How did you miss this? If anything happens to my Luna, none of you will survive!"

I'd had a crush on my brother's best friend, Ethan—the most powerful Alpha of our Northern Territory—since I was twelve years old. When I was fifteen, I boldly confessed my feelings to him. He laughed and patted my head, casually promising, "When you turn eighteen and shift, if you're my mate, I'll mark you." That offhand promise became my greatest hope for three years. I spent every day waiting for my wolf to awaken, praying to the Moon Goddess that she would designate us as mates. But on the night of my eighteenth birthday, after my wolf first awakened, I was shocked to discover that Ethan truly was my mate! Ignoring the intense shifting pain coursing through my body, I immediately shifted into my wolf form and ran toward Ethan's training grounds. I clutched the gift I'd prepared long ago, but instead heard Ethan urgently confessing to his Omega assistant Victoria: "Who would be stupid enough to actually care about a true mate? The bond between her and me is just the Moon Goddess's mistake. I only love you. I'll only mark you as my Luna." The words hit me like silver bullets to the chest. My wolf whimpered in pain, the mate bond burning like acid in my veins. I stood frozen behind the trees, watching the man I'd loved for six years dismiss our sacred connection as if it meant nothing. Later, Ethan introduced Victoria as his "fiancée." When Victoria demanded that I publicly bless their marking ceremony, Ethan remained completely indifferent to my humiliation. "Sylvia should give us her blessing," Victoria announced at the pack meeting, her voice sweet as poison. "After all, she's been like a little sister to Ethan all these years." Every wolf in the room could smell my distress. But Ethan said nothing, refusing to even look at me. When rogue wolves attacked our territory and I was surrounded, Ethan didn't hesitate to scoop up Victoria—who had only a tiny scratch on her finger—and carry her away to find the pack healer. He left me bleeding and alone, silver claws ha

I was the pack's chief healer, but my fiancé Domine was just an ordinary warrior from the neighboring pack. I didn't care about that because I believed in the guidance of the moon goddess. I worked hard to earn money, bought a house, and supported us both. But just a week before our Mating Ceremony, I discovered that Domine wasn't some ordinary warrior, but actually the Alpha of neighboring pack. He hid his identity to get close to me just to seek revenge for his first love. Three years ago, his first love secretly entered the forbidden zone and ate poisonous fruit. I fought with all my might to save her life, but she framed me for intentionally poisoning her and causing her to lose her wolf. Domine believed her. He even promised to publicly extract my heart’s blood during the ceremony to supplement Ella's strength and turn me into a complete cripple. He even stole my father’s life-saving medicine to make scented candles for her, which caused the death of my only relative. After discovering the truth, I didn't hesitate to turn around and leave. But Domine, who harbored a deep hatred for me, completely broke down. He knelt in the snow for three days and three nights, begging me to look at him just one more time.

To save my family, I was dying of silver poisoning, my fiancé Marcus, the Alpha who had promised to never abandon me, now wanted to harvest my healthy kidney for my parents' adopted daughter, Celeste. Nobody cares if I live or die So I refused the conservative treatment plan. I injected myself with the witch's life potion. The price? In 72 hours, I would die from complete organ failure. In those three days, I gave my private healing center—the one I'd built with my own hands—to Celeste. Mom and Dad beamed with joy. "Good girl, you've finally grown up. You're taking care of your sister now." Marcus wanted to postpone our wedding to care for Celeste. I accepted it calmly. He praised me for finally being understanding. I even gave up my position as the pack's chief healer to Celeste. My parents and Marcus were so excited they planned to throw her a grand celebration ball. They invited every important person with status in the pack to honor her new role. I was just curious about one thing. After I died, would they shed a single tear for me?

After forgiving Lucas for the tenth time, I stopped paying attention to his smell and whereabouts every day. The Pack Council had unanimously voted for me as the Chief Healer. However, Lucas used his Alpha authority to secretly give the position to his first love Sarah, a rogue wolf who had just returned to the pack. He noticed my silence but felt no guilt. Before leaving to answer Sarah’s mind link plea again, he held me. "Elena, this job is Sarah's only lifeline to stay in the pack. She’s been a rogue for too long. She needs an official rank for protection." "You’re different. Your healing gift is a blessing from the Moon Goddess. You shine anywhere." "She only gets a title. You have my complete love. Isn’t that enough? Don't be mad." My wolf, usually scratching to get out due to his neglect, was unusually quiet. "Okay." I didn't plan on keeping him or the job anyway.

My mate Ryan's first love Sarah Blackwood and I both had eight-year-old sons. Sarah's boy killed an innocent wolf. Instead of facing pack law, my mate asked our child to take the blame for Sarah's son. "Marcus will only serve five years in Silver Prison," Ryan growled at me. "Sarah and Jamie have no protection – exile will kill them both! Our son is strong enough to survive this!" While he rushed them abroad for a vacation to escape justice, his parents' guards dragged our innocent pup to prison. By the time Ryan returned, I disappeared.

At the Mating Ceremony, my mate Alexander rejected our mate bond in front of the entire pack, then turned around and marked Sarah instead. While I endured the excruciating pain of rejection and the pack's vicious gossip, Alexander's brother Ethan walked into our ceremonial grounds. He presented me with nine hundred and ninety-nine Moonflowers, confessing he had secretly loved me for years. His wolf had recognized me as his mate, and he'd dreamed of making me his. I was shocked to discover he was my second chance mate, and touched that he saved me from humiliation. I immediately nodded in agreement. Five years into our marriage, I had miscarried five times, and had finally managed to conceive again. Ethan held me carefully, spinning me around with joy, promising to take good care of me and the baby, even if it cost him his life. Four months into my pregnancy, I overheard him talking with the pack healer: "Alpha Ethan, just like the previous five times, the miscarriage drugs have been added to your wife's pregnancy supplements." "I don't understand. Sarah was able to bear your child, so why not your wife?" Ethan laughed bitterly: "Only those who produce an heir can inherit the Alpha position. Alexander is infertile, and I want Sarah to fulfill her wish of becoming the pack's Alpha Female." Alexander and Ethan were the children of our pack's Alpha. The Alpha had declared that whoever produced an heir first would become the next Alpha of the pack. All those passionate vows and promises were nothing but lies. The brothers, Alexander and Ethan, both loved Sarah. If that was how things stood, I would leave. I returned to our bedroom and secretly took out my phone, dialing a number I thought I would never contact again: "I agree to return and inherit the Shadow Pack. But I need you to do me a favor."