MHWSW | Chapter 001

Chapter 1

“Father, I will marry this man.”

My words sent the Wolf Clan’s regular meeting into an uproar. Several members gaped, revealing their dull fangs, and began chattering loudly.

“Clearly, the young lady has finally lost her mind.”

“The birth of an alpha wolf must have been quite a shock.”

“Even so, this is too much…”

These were not things to say in front of the person in question.

Yet, secretly hoping for an even bigger commotion to turn this meeting into chaos, I stood quietly, offering a subtle smile.

Among them, my father, Laslo, who had been maintaining his composure with visible effort, raised his hand to silence the room.

“Erika, what nonsense is this? Have you forgotten that marriage talks are already underway with the Regulus Clan?”

I hadn’t forgotten. Of course, I knew.

That marriage was arranged solely to cast me out, the former heir of the Wolf Clan.

Erika Ginevere.

I was destined to become the next leader of the Wolf Clan, the heir of the Ginevere family.

Traditionally, the leader of the wolves was chosen from among alpha individuals, but no alpha had been born among the wolves for decades.

The last alpha wolf was my father, so the significance of alphas had long faded.

Raised from birth as the perfect heir, no one doubted that I would succeed my father as the head of the Ginevere family and the wolves.

That is, until a few weeks ago, when my younger sibling, an alpha wolf, was suddenly born.

With an alpha wolf born, I was naturally expected to step down.

And with my position in the clan now uncertain, my father planned to send me off to the Regulus Clan, the black panther family, in a political marriage.

‘I was prepared to accept it…’

But now I knew. That position was riddled with countless daggers.

The heir of the Regulus Clan was a useless halfwit, and I was merely a tool to satisfy the selfish desires of both the Regulus and Ginevere families.

I was already exhausted by the disasters piling up on my ruined path.

This marriage, at least, was something that absolutely could not happen.

“Father, I’ve remembered something I’d forgotten. My dream has always been to live quietly in a peaceful place with a gentle partner who looks only at me.”

“Are you mocking me, Erika?”

No longer able to contain his anger, my father shouted, veins bulging in his neck. His roar, still powerful as a robust alpha wolf, made the other wolves—except me—lower their heads and tremble.

So too did the gentle man standing behind me, the one destined to be my partner.

“Father, you’re scaring my precious person by shouting like that.”

“Erika!”

Ignoring Laslo’s bellow, I turned to the man behind me, his head bowed low.

Golden, curly hair that felt soothing to touch, soft red eyes brimming with an endearing charm, and above all, the gentle gaze he lifted to meet mine. I liked him.

“Didier, are you okay? You must be startled.”

“Ah, Lady Erika, I’m fine. But…”

“Father? He’s just old-fashioned. Don’t worry, Didier.”

Trust me.

Didier’s fair cheeks flushed as he gave a small nod. I smiled warmly at him before turning back to face my father. His face, nearly bursting with rage, and his wolf ears and tail, which had sprouted in his excitement, filled my view.

“To think that a herbivore like a sheep would be brought into the Ginevere family…!”

“What does it matter? I’m not going to be the head of the family. My dear younger sibling, Cain, will naturally take that role. Surely, this much is fine for me.”

If you can’t even allow this, you’re putting me in a difficult position.

As if his blood pressure had spiked, my father clutched the back of his neck with a thick hand. His already red face began to turn a deep, almost blackish red from his intense agitation.

“Regardless, I will marry him. And as of now, I’m stepping down from my temporary role as acting head. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to spend time with my partner.”

Taking Didier’s hand, I left the meeting hall, where everyone stood frozen in shock.

‘As long as Didier doesn’t suddenly claim he’s a dragon, there shouldn’t be any problems.’

I turned back and smiled at Didier. He returned a gentle smile of his own.

It was a historic day, marking the forging of a new destiny.

***

A Few Days Earlier

The tragedy struck a few days ago.

It was a serene day, with warm sunlight and a clear sky unmarred by a single cloud. Like any other day, I was preparing to fulfill my duties as the heir.

It should have been just another ordinary day.

“Milady, Milady!”

The door, which should not have opened without my permission, burst open. Mary, my closest maid, rushed into the room, gasping for breath.

To barge into her master’s room like that?

It was a situation that warranted a reprimand. Yet instead of scolding her, I narrowed my eyes.

Not only had she entered so abruptly, but her dog beastman ears and tail had popped out.

For beastmen, it was customary to conceal traits like ears and tails that revealed their species.

What could have caused Mary to act so out of character?

“What’s wrong, Mary?”

“It’s, it’s…”

Having stormed in so boldly, Mary hesitated, glancing at me nervously. It wasn’t just guilt for her breach of etiquette.

“I won’t scold you, Mary. Tell me—what urgent matter made you burst through my door like that?”

“Our… our… Milady, what are we to do?”

Instead of the answer I wanted, Mary’s response was pity.

Pity, for me?

“Explain clearly, Mary. Are you trying to anger me?”

“I-I’m sorry. But, but…”

“Speak, Mary.”

Despite my warning, Mary hesitated, tears streaming down her face as she finally spoke.

“Lady Priscilla… she gave birth to an alpha.”

Mary’s small, trembling voice was enough to freeze me in place. Even as she spoke, she continued to cry, watching me cautiously. Normally, I would have comforted her, patting her fragile back, but I was in no state to do so.

‘An alpha… was born.’

An alpha of the Wolf Clan.

The implications were clear.

The heir would be replaced.

Alpha wolves are born with vastly superior physical abilities compared to other wolves. There was a reason the wolves had always insisted on alphas as their leaders.

But it had been ages since an alpha wolf last appeared.

The only alpha in the Ginevere family was my father, Laslo Ginevere, the current head. There had been no alphas among his heirs. In fact, the alpha lineage was thought to have died out, as Laslo himself was the first alpha born in 200 years.

Naturally, no one expected an alpha heir.

Everyone in the Ginevere family had accepted me, Laslo’s eldest daughter, as the heir.

At first, some disapproved of me for not being an alpha, but as I excelled in my rigorous heir training and performed flawlessly as acting head, they gradually fell silent.

Thus, I had solidified my position as the heir.

And yet,

An alpha had been born.

From Priscilla, no less—the woman who cunningly took my mother Lisilly’s place the moment she passed away from an incurable illness.

There were even rumors that Priscilla was involved in my mother’s death.

That she had given birth to an alpha?

I couldn’t accept it. I grabbed Mary’s shoulders roughly.

“Mary, are you certain? Who told you to spread such lies to me?”

“…Milady, I wish it were a lie. But the head and the elders have all acknowledged it as an alpha. And Lady Priscilla… she’s moving from the annex to the main house because of this.”

The strength in my hands, which had gripped her tightly, drained away, and they fell limply from Mary’s shoulders.

‘This is a nightmare.’

The main house was the only place where my mother’s traces remained. I had used my authority as heir to protect it from being erased.

And now, Priscilla would take it?

My legs nearly gave out, and I almost collapsed on the spot.

But I quickly pulled myself together.

‘It’s too early to despair.’

No matter how much of an alpha this newborn was, it couldn’t take my place immediately.

‘And if Father takes my side…’

There was still some hope.

The possibility of retaining my position as heir and protecting my mother’s legacy.

I believed in that possibility then.

Unaware that it was merely my wishful thinking.

Leaving Mary behind, I rushed out of the room. My silver hair, always neatly tied, came loose as I ran. The composed, buttoned-up appearance of my past was gone. In that disheveled state, I arrived at my father’s study.

Taking a moment to catch my breath and muster what little decorum I had left, I raised my hand to knock.

The door swung open.

Not because I turned the handle, but because my father opened it from inside.

“Father! You’re here—”

I started to call out to him in relief but froze.

I had assumed my father would be alone in his study, but he was with someone else.

The head of the Regulus Clan, the black panther family—Berhan.

Standing behind my father, Berhan eyed me as he always did, with a gaze that made my skin crawl. My father, seemingly oblivious to this, looked at me with a troubled expression.

“…Erika, I was just about to call for you. But… what’s with your appearance? Haven’t I always told you to maintain your dignity?”

“Haha, it’s fine. I rather like it. A spirited young lady like this will surely please Kendrick,” Berhan interjected.

“Is that so, Head of Regulus?” my father replied.

“Indeed.”

Berhan’s deep blue eyes, their clarity dulled, scanned me with a sticky intensity. The head of the Regulus Clan smirked, curling his lips in a way that made me uneasy.

“Truly, she’s beautiful.”

He was as unpleasant as ever. Ignoring him outright, I addressed my father.

“…Father, why is he here?”

“Haha, you shouldn’t ignore me like that. After all, you’ll soon be my daughter-in-law.”

“…What?”

“Haven’t you heard? We’re arranging a marriage between you and my son, Kendrick.”

Berhan’s words hit me harder than the news of my alpha sibling’s birth, plunging me further into despair.