The Alpha's Dead First Love

Everyone knew the story. Every year, he pushed deep into the brutal wilderness, charting untamed lands and crawling back covered in bloody claw marks, always swearing it was all to build enough power to claim me as his Luna. Even when he coughed up blood deep in the mountains without stopping to heal, he just licked his wounds and kept moving forward. On the night of the Ascension Ceremony—after our new territory was established and the pack had safely migrated—he was officially crowned Alpha. He declared he was finally strong enough to give me a life of peace and security. Draped in the ceremonial mate cloak, tears burning in my eyes under the flickering bonfire, I reached out my hand toward him. He hesitated. Then, he turned away and slid the silver mating ring onto the finger of his first love from five years ago. The very first love he had sworn on his blood never to contact again. "I'm sorry, Zara. None of what I did all these years was actually for you. I apologize if I led you on." He shielded her and guided her away from the sacred ceremonial grounds. His Beta snarled a quiet whisper my way: "Sorry, Zara. The truth is, they never really broke things off over the last five years. Seeing how much you loved Ethan, none of us had the heart to tell you." I froze in place, utterly paralyzed. Through our mind-link, my best friend Catherine roared furiously: "What are you standing there for?! Go after him! Tear him apart!" I didn't dare chase after them. His first love... She died five years ago. Ethan claiming me as his chosen mate was supposed to be common knowledge. Even a blind wolf could see it coming. That was why I had put on the Luna cloak ahead of time. Yet now, standing in that cloak made me look like the biggest joke in the entire pack, exposed under the mocking glares of every wolf in attendance. I couldn't move. I could only stare in shock as Ethan pulled Sylvia into his arms, shielding her face so the harsh firelight wouldn't sting her eyes. My lips parted, but not a single sound came out. Even though the she-wolf was wearing a veil, that slender build, that posture, the exact cadence of her walk... It was an exact match for Sylvia, who had died years ago! Ethan didn't know Sylvia was dead. Back then, he had just made a blood oath swearing he would never see her again. He even burned every last keepsake and letter she gave him right in front of my eyes. I had kept my guard up at first. But soon, I let it down entirely. Sylvia's frozen body had been discovered in an abandoned hunting den. She had long since severed ties with her pack. No one cared enough to claim her or bury her. In the end, I paid with my own rations and coin to give the young she-wolf a proper resting place beneath the permafrost. I never told Ethan. She was his first love, after all, and he was at a critical, life-or-death juncture scouting territory for our pack. I was terrified the grief would shatter his focus and get him killed. I watched with my own eyes as her body was buried under the frozen dirt. So who the hell was this she-wolf standing in front of him?! "Oh, look at her! Why hasn't she reacted yet? Did the heartbreak turn her brain to mush?" "Serves her right! Arrogant stray! Thinking she could sink her claws into our Alpha and never let go! Bet you never saw this coming, huh? Ethan never loved you!" "God, this is so satisfying to watch!" Catherine, my sworn guardian, rushed out from the crowd and yanked me straight into the shadows. "Are you out of your mind?! Just standing there letting the whole pack laugh in your face?!" "Catherine, that's not it..." "Save it! Listen to the pack-wide alert! We just got stabbed in the back!" I quickly tuned my senses into the pack-wide frequency. The very first broadcast pinging through the network read: [Ethan Hart: I never had anything with her. She was the one obsessively clinging to me.] 'She' was me. Right after walking away from the altar, Ethan had issued an official Alpha decree. Even though we were essentially mates in private, pack politics had prevented us from going public until now. Over the years, plenty of females accused me of having no shame, claiming I was just a desperate female refusing to leave their Alpha alone. Back then, Ethan would hold me tight against his chest, murmuring: "Once I secure the new lands and settle the pack, I'll claim you in front of everyone. Let's see who dares speak against us then." Yet right now, his public decree stated in cold, stark terms: [I have never made any mate vows with Zara Sterling. All these years leading the pack were solely to bring home my one true love, Sylvia.] Attached was a photo of him kneeling on one knee, gently slipping the silver mating ring onto Sylvia's hand.To keep Sylvia from being scrutinized, he deliberately blurred her face in the photo. A message from his Beta pinged on my phone screen: [Really sorry, Zara, but they honestly never cut ties. Seeing how whipped you were for Ethan, we just tried to save your pride. They've already sworn their blood bond now, so do yourself a favor and stop clinging to him.] Catherine scoffed with sheer disgust: "Now he calls it clinging? If he hadn't tracked your scent and begged you on his knees back then, you wouldn't have looked at him twice! He ruins you and then blames you. Typical bastard Alpha!" I didn't utter a word. My mind was entirely trapped on one single sentence: "The truth is, they never really broke things off." For five whole years... had Ethan been communicating with a corpse? "Things have blown up this badly, so I'll go ahead and cancel your appearance at the upcoming inter-pack summit," Catherine sighed. "Don't cancel it!" I grabbed Catherine's arm. Catherine stared at me in disbelief. "Don't tell me... you're still not over him?" "He claimed I was the one desperately chasing him, didn't he?" I said coldly. "Then let's let both packs witness for themselves who was chasing whom." Besides, I needed to look that 'Sylvia' in the eyes and uncover what was really going on. When I showed up at the summit, Ethan was visibly surprised. A mocking smirk curved his lips. "What? Still haven't given up?" I didn't dignify that with a response. The summit host stepped up, clearly eager to stir the pot: "Word around the territory is that you were the one pushing the mating rumors between yourself and Alpha Ethan for the past five years, Zara. Did you truly not know Ethan already had a chosen female in his heart?" "Of course I knew," I replied calmly. The gathered wolves instantly erupted into murmurs and low, hostile growls: [I knew that bitch Zara had no shame! She knew he was taken and still threw herself at him! Just bullying an ordinary she-wolf who doesn't have a voice! Disgusting!] [Honestly, I don't care much for Ethan's nobody mate either, but I hate Zara way more! Go team Sylvia!] "Who said I was the one throwing myself at him?" I lifted my chin. The very next second, the giant stone display lit up behind me, projecting signed soul-bond pledges and private messages across the entire hall. The angry murmuring died instantly into dead silence. Every single wolf in the room could see plain as day: Ethan Hart was the one who had begged, pursued, and initiated everything from the very start. Ethan's breath hitched in his throat. ### 小说标题 The Alpha's Dead First Love### 全文翻译 The murmurs and whispers among the pack grew louder and more frantic: [Wait a second... why is Ethan acting so submissive toward her? Isn't Ethan supposed to be an aloof, untouchable Alpha?] [Oh god, Ethan called her "Sweetheart"! To hear an Alpha that cold whispering sweet nothings like that... do you have any idea how potent that is?!] [Is that seriously your takeaway?! The real issue here is that your Alpha was playing two females at the same time!] "Why the hell are you projecting these?!" Ethan snapped, his jaw clenched tight. I gave a cold laugh. "People are out here spreading rumors that I spent five years desperately clinging to you. Am I not allowed to show everyone our actual blood oaths and pledges?" I pointed directly at the newest message carved into the stone, one he had sent not long ago: *"If I secure this new territory, will you finally be my Luna?"* "Look, Ethan," I said, my voice cutting through the silence. "Those are your words. You were the one who begged me to mate with you!" Ethan went pale. The pack burst into chaos: [Wait, this isn't what we were told at all. It looks like Ethan was the one stringing Zara along!] [I don't even like Zara, but there's no denying that was an outright mating proposal!] [Then why did he turn around and give the silver ring to someone else in front of everyone? Cheating and playing with someone's heart like that is messed up, no matter who does it.] "Excuse me." A familiar scent drifted through the air. A chill ran down my spine. From the shadows, a slender female stepped forward. "Everyone, please don't be fooled by those pledges." That scent... it belonged to Sylvia. Identical down to the very last trace!Her breathtaking figure stood illuminated against the firelight. Sylvia took off her veil. In that instant, a collective gasp swept through the entire gathering. She was stunning. Far too gorgeous for any ordinary wolf. I froze where I stood. It wasn't because I was mesmerized—I already knew how beautiful Sylvia had been. I was stunned because she looked completely identical to how she looked five years ago, not aged a single day. Sylvia... wasn't dead? Then who the hell was the body I had watched get lowered into the permafrost five years ago? "Sorry about that, Zara," Ethan's Beta, Chris, suddenly chuckled, stepping up beside him. "The truth is, I was the one who carved those pledges and messages posing as Ethan." "What?!" Chris flicked his tail with a smug grin. "You were obsessed with Ethan, and Ethan didn't want to hurt pack relations by rejecting you outright. He was afraid you'd go crazy and drag both our territories down with you. So we set up a private code, and he had me carve those replies instead." "So that's what happened! Hahaha! Look at Zara, she looks completely dumbfounded!" So... all these years, Ethan was enjoying the physical warmth of my bed in private, while having his lackey send empty promises to string me along in public? Chris leaned in, lowering his growl to a whisper meant only for my ears: "He was just playing around with you. Don't take it seriously—you were never going to break them apart. I carved that marriage proposal on purpose, just to help you realize your place." Break them apart? Ha. When did I ever want to break them apart? The moment I learned Ethan had an unforgettable first love, I was ready to walk away for good. He was the one who begged on his knees, swearing a blood oath that he would never see her again. He was the one who treated me with endless devotion afterward. That was the only reason I stayed until now. Eyes burning, I looked directly at Ethan. "Were you lying to me this whole time?" "Zara, he didn't lie to you," Sylvia chimed in gently. "Because Ethan's real soul-bond pledges have always been with me." With a wave of her hand, another set of glowing inscriptions appeared on the stone wall. Woven into the background was the silhouette of Ethan and Sylvia standing side by side. My history with Ethan spanned five years. Theirs spanned fifteen. The wolves in the crowd went wild: [Now that's what I'm talking about! When Ethan talks to Sylvia, he's cool and reserved, but overflowing with adoration.] [He's not even that cold! Look, on the night of the full moon, Ethan was nuzzling her neck and practically purring~] [I didn't even need a single breath to root for this couple!] [Look at Zara! She's staring at the stone wall looking completely brain-dead, hahaha!] [Serves her right! She chased our Alpha endlessly, and now she tried to frame him into looking like her desperate puppy. Maybe we should test her bloodline before letting her into inter-pack summits!] [Seriously, keep delusional rogue wolves out of here!] I truly stood there, completely frozen. My eyes were locked onto the stone display. April 11th, five years ago. The exact date Sylvia died. On that very night, right as the moon rose, Sylvia had carved a message to him: [Are you there?] Slowly, my gaze shifted from the stone wall to Sylvia's face. She was gorgeous. Impossibly gorgeous. To a point that felt deeply unnatural... even sinister. "Zara." She stepped closer to me, wearing a soft, sympathetic smile. "Thank you." "For what?" She leaned in, whispering in a voice only the two of us could hear: "Thank you... for burying my remains." "Ah!" A sharp gasp escaped my throat, and I stumbled backward in sheer horror. Sylvia immediately flashed a look of panic. She stumbled a few steps back as well, nearly losing her footing. Thankfully for her, Ethan caught her securely against his chest. Tears welled up in her eyes. "Zara, we were just standing here... why did you suddenly pull away and fall back?""Ethan, I didn't do anything, I swear..." She clutched Ethan's collar, her eyes glistening with tears. Ethan's voice softened completely. "I know. Of course I know." He tucked her safely behind him, turning cold, venomous eyes toward me. "Zara, cut the cheap, filthy tricks! Resorting to petty drama to bully an innocent she-wolf—is this how your pack raised you?!" The crowd chimed in instantly: [I smelled the air! I can vouch for her! Sylvia didn't push Zara at all!] [Exactly! Zara threw herself backward on purpose!] [Oh please, lady, do you think this is a soap opera? Nobody here is falling for your fake damsel-in-distress act!] [Hilarious. An experienced rogue wolf trying to play dirty against a sweet civilian she-wolf. No wonder Ethan never wanted her.] Hiding behind Ethan's broad shoulders, Sylvia let a mocking smirk slip across her lips. It disappeared in the blink of an eye. A vibration buzzed on my wrist device. I swallowed hard. It was a message from Catherine. "Excuse me, I have to take this." [Look at that! Getting caught in her own trap and looking for an excuse to run away!] [Hahaha, if that were me, I'd dig a hole and bury myself alive!] [Guys, check the territory feed! 'Zara's Fake Fall Mocked by Entire Pack' is already trending number one! Go laugh at it!] I opened the voice comm: "Catherine?" "Run." Just one word from Catherine, but it turned my blood to ice. "What did you say?" I asked, trembling. "Look at the file I just sent you." A high-priority encrypted ping popped onto my screen. The moment I opened it and caught a glimpse of the contents, my hand snapped over my mouth in pure shock. The summit host walked over and patted my shoulder condescendingly: "Ms. Sterling, having trouble staying on your feet?" I swallowed dryly. "Of course not..." "We completely understand," the host sneered. "After all, the real purpose of this summit was to announce the formal union between Alpha Ethan and Sylvia. Their mating ceremony is already being prepared. It's only natural that you wouldn't want to watch." "You've gone too far!" Catherine slammed her hand onto the stone table. "You invited Zara here just to humiliate her as an appetizer for their little show?! I was wondering why every single guest here knows Zara and Ethan! You planned this whole circus just to make a fool out of her!" The host smirked coldly. "Even if that's true, didn't Ms. Sterling choose to come herself? Isn't she the one who insisted on clinging to him?" "You—!" I quickly grabbed Catherine's arm to hold her back. Ethan was already strolling over, arm-in-arm with Sylvia. He looked down at me. "It's fine. I won't mock you for your pathetic state. I didn't come here to argue with you. I just hope Sylvia and I can have your blessing. Will you come to our mating ceremony in three days?" [Hahaha, savage! Ethan just went for the kill!] [Asking the girl who chased him like a dog to come to his wedding? Zara's going to cry herself to sleep in her den tonight!] I gritted my teeth. A smug smirk curled on his lips. "If you don't want to, that's fine too. I—" "I'll be there!" I clamped a hand over Catherine's mouth before she could explode into curses. Both Ethan and Sylvia froze, caught off guard. I forced a brilliant smile. "Don't worry. When the day comes, I will definitely prepare a generous gift for the two of you." Ethan frowned slightly, suspicion flickering in his eyes. "Then it's settled. See you in three days!" Without giving them a chance to respond, I dragged Catherine toward the exit. As I walked away, a cold smile tugged at the corner of my lips— Ethan Hart, three days from now, when you actually take her as your mate... I just hope you don't regret it.