Chapter 1 Chapter 1

After dying once, I was finally living the life I never dared to imagine in my past life. But I never expected to see Damian again, who, it seemed, had been reborn as well. Damian and I met again was at the annual Pack Alliance Summit. I had just pulled two all-nighters finishing the initial drafts for a jewelry design exhibition in the human world. Disheveled and too exhausted to change, I went straight to the grand hall. Damian stood in the center of the Silver Moon pack, his arm wrapped around Aria's slender waist, basking in the praise of the crowd. "Damian, you're the pride of our pack! In the few short years since you became Alpha, and you've already doubled our territory!""It's true, your power is immense. The elders say your aura now rivals that of the legendary Alpha King's!""Alpha Damian, my pack wishes to pledge allegiance to you. Just say the word, and our loyalty is yours!" A Beta warrior in the crowd asked curiously, "Alpha Damian, are you and Miss Aria holding your mating ceremony on the next full moon?" Damian leaned in, tenderly inhaling the scent from the crook of Aria's neck, the unique fragrance of her own Alpha bloodline. "That's right. On the next full moon, we will complete our mating." The announcement was met with a fresh wave of howls and blessings. An old friend suddenly spoke up. "Damian, are you still in touch with Selene? You two were True Mates chosen by the Moon Goddess herself! I heard your first Alpha roar was a call to find her!" At the mention of my name, Damian's expression turned to ice, his golden wolf eyes darkening slightly. It was Aria, however, who stepped out from his embrace, a faint, practiced smile playing on her lips. "Damian and I will soon be bonded for life," she said, her voice gentle, her smile elegant and poised. "The threads of fate can be rewoven. We all make mistakes when we're young. But Damian has long since moved on from that unsuitable mate bond.""You're right, my love," Damian chimed in. "Meeting you made me stronger." The surrounding pack members laughed along, continuing to praise them as a true match made in heaven. But I remembered. I remembered that first Alpha roar on his eighteenth birthday, the first time his wolf had howled for me. In our past life, we were true mates, handpicked by the moon goddess, drawn to each other by a connection that ran soul-deep. He had pinned me against a laurel tree, his hot breath ghosting against my ear. "Selene, look at me. My wolf has chosen you. The mate bond never lies." And I had believed him with all my heart. A shame he betrayed the Goddess's will in the end. I watched them from the entrance, my face a carefully constructed mask of indifference, and then walked into the hall. A sharp-eyed Beta recognized me. "Selene, you're finally here!""Gods, you're still in human clothes. You don't even have a ceremonial gown.""Were you exiled? You don't have a single pack marking on you, and even your wolf scent is so faint! Quick, tell us, what hole have you been hiding in to survive?" Seeing my attire, many of the werewolves around me let out undisguised snickers. I couldn't be bothered to respond, just offered a tight, dismissive smile, holding on to the last shred of my dignity. Damian's gaze had been locked on me like a dagger from the moment I entered. Just one look, and I knew—he had come back, just like me. "Long time no see," I said coolly. His eyes held a storm of emotions before settling into sharp ridicule. "Selene. It's been seven years, and your wolf has nearly vanished. What a pathetic Omega." Aria clearly had no intention of letting me off the hook either, her eyes filled with a playful malice. She deliberately pressed herself closer, melting into Damian's side, in a clear declaration of ownership. "Damian, don't be so harsh. She's pitiful enough as it is. We shouldn't twist the knife." She scanned me from head to toe, undisguised contempt in her eyes. "But Selene, your outfit really is… shabby. No matter how poor life gets, you must have some pride as a she-wolf. Otherwise, what pack would ever take in a rejected, worthless Omega?"

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

The moment she finished, the werewolves in attendance erupted in laughter. And she was right. Aria was draped in a custom-made ceremonial gown, adorned with a moonstone necklace that symbolized her noble bloodline. Every strand of her hair seemed to shine, and she radiated the regal aura of a wolf princess. And then there was me. I had just torn myself away from my workbench, after a twenty-four-hour shift to meet a deadline. I was a ghost—exhausted and haggard. The clothes on my back were from a common human brand, paling in comparison to her splendor. "Thanks for the advice, but I don't need it," I replied simply, walking over to the buffet table and taking a seat. After the intense work, my body was screaming for fuel. Just as I was focusing on the delicious food, Damian suddenly appeared before me. He tossed the crest of the Silver Moon pack on the table in front of me. "This is charity, for the past life···the past love’s sake. Take better care of yourself from now on. Find a pack willing to take you in, buy some decent clothes, and learn to value yourself.""Selene, what's past is past. Don't live in the shadow of my rejection forever.""If you hadn't... never mind. There's no point in talking about it now.""The important thing is that you don't completely give up on yourself because of me. Don't waste your life as a rogue, understand?" I looked up, confused, and stared at Damian. His half-spoken words brought back memories from our last life, the very things that had made him discard me so cruelly after our rebirth. In our past life, we were the moon goddess's chosen mates. He was ambitious, wanting to be the strongest Alpha, while I dreamed of becoming a world-class jewelry designer. But at that time, the wolf world was in turmoil. Packs were at war, and Damian needed vast resources to secure his position. So, I had to stand by his side. Because I loved him, I gave up my chance to study in Paris without a second thought. During his most difficult times, I traded my most secret, handcrafted jewelry designs for the favor of other pack nobles, ultimately securing him the funds and powerful warriors he needed. He challenged and fought, again and again, returning bloodied and on the brink of collapse. And I was his anchor, carefully soothing his volatile Alpha nature every time he came home exhausted. I thought the love between us needed no words. I never imagined that after he finally became the undisputed Alpha, when I asked him to fulfill the Goddess's will and mate with me, he would look at me with such cold eyes. "Did you know? Aria's father has already promised that if I mate with her, his pack will forge an alliance with mine!""I regret ever trusting fate and marking you." After that, he stopped coming near me, losing the instinct to be close. He was no longer the Alpha who had once chased after justice. And because of his words, "I regret it," I licked my wounds through countless lonely nights. I made one last, desperate attempt, holding him tight and saying in a trembling voice: "Damian, let's have a pup of our own, please." He shoved me away violently, his eyes filled with revulsion. "I've told you before, I hate the whining of pups! And I don't want a child tainted by your weakness!" Those two sentences shattered every belief I had in so-called true love. On the night of our fated mating ceremony, the enemy attack that took both our lives came as a relief. In that moment, I felt no fear, only an unprecedented sense of release. Now, reborn, we had each chosen different paths. There was no need to dwell on the past. I expressionlessly pushed the crest back to him. "No, thank you. I have no intention of joining a stranger's pack."

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

"A stranger? Selene, is that how you see me now?" Hearing my words, a low growl rumbled in Damian's chest, his wolf rising to the surface, inexplicably agitated. I answered calmly, "My pack allegiance is my own choice. Regardless of the life I'm living now, I find it fulfilling, and I certainly don't think I'm 'letting myself go.' You should save your pity for a rogue who actually needs it." He clenched his fist around the crest, his jawline as sharp as a blade. Aria sensed the shift in his mood. She walked to Damian's side and, seeing the silver crest in his hand, her eyes flashed with understanding. Though flames of jealousy were burning in her eyes, she maintained the graceful composure befitting a future Luna. "Selene, you won't accept our kindness? Then let me offer you some more practical help.""I know a few decent Beta warriors. I could arrange a mating for you. His bloodline might be common, but he'd be enough to give you a place to stay, so you wouldn't have to be all alone and at risk of being torn apart by rogues in the wilderness.""How about it? That has to be better than being helpless and alone, right?" I elegantly cut a piece of roasted meat on my plate, pointedly ignoring her "kindness.""Thank you, but I have my own standards for a mate, and I don't need anyone meddling in my affairs." The surrounding wolves began to point and whisper: "Selene, don't be so ungrateful! Aria is our future Luna. It's an honor that she's even willing to help you!""Exactly, she's already been rejected by an Alpha, what's with the attitude? You're only acting this way because you're jealous of Damian and Aria! Who are you trying to fool with that holier-than-thou act?" Aria shushed them with a false show of sympathy. "Everyone, please don't say that! Perhaps Selene has truly grown accustomed to being alone!" She turned back to me. "Selene, this is a gesture of goodwill, a bit of face we're giving you for old times' sake. Don't let your ridiculous pride make you miss this chance." I truly couldn't comprehend this need to force charity on someone. If we were really talking about standards for a mate, all the Alphas in this room combined couldn't compare to the one truly destined for me. "I really don't need it, thank you." Aria's smile remained gentle, but the mockery in her eyes was practically overflowing. Damian's knuckles turned white as he tightened his fist. Finally, he couldn't hold back his anger. "Selene, you really have fallen. You won't even accept our help. You deserve to be cast out by your pack. Then go ahead, be a homeless nobody for the rest of your life!" As soon as he finished speaking, several brutish Alphas from the border packs sidled over. One of them, an Alpha reeking of stale sweat and unwashed fur, reached out to touch me. "Poor little thing, don't be sad. So that Alpha doesn't want you. I do. You smell so… lonely.""Just one night with me, and I promise I'll show you what a real Alpha feels like!" His filthy gaze roamed over my body, lust clear on his face. The surrounding pack let out a collective laugh. No one moved to intervene. I frowned. This summit was even more barbaric than I'd expected. If I wasn't waiting for someone important, I would have already flipped this table.

Chapter 4 Chapter 4

Just as I was about to teach these insolent fools a lesson, Damian, who was standing right beside me, suddenly moved. He seized the leering Alpha by the neck, his golden wolf eyes chilling to the bone. An Alpha's presence, so powerful it was suffocating, instantly crushed the entire hall into silence. "Get lost." The Alpha, terrified by Damian's presence, his knees buckled and he stumbled away. Aria rushed over and grabbed Damian's arm. "Damian, what are you doing?" His eyes remained cold, his oppressive aura not receding in the slightest. "Maintaining order. This is a summit, not your personal hunting ground." With that, he flung the Alpha away. The man scrambled off without daring to look back. I couldn't help but glance at Damian. I never thought that inside a body so blinded by ambition and desire, there still remained a flicker of a mate's protective instinct. Aria looked as if she could have ground her molars to dust, but she quickly composed herself, changing the subject with a bright smile. "I heard that the supreme Alpha King and the mysterious Luna Queen are in the royal suite upstairs. If we're lucky, we might even catch a glimpse of them later!" At her words, the entire hall buzzed with excitement. The Alpha King, the young and powerful supreme ruler, was said to possess an ancient royal bloodline. Though he was only thirty, rumor had it he already had a pure-blooded heir. As for the legendary Luna Queen, she had never once appeared in public. "Does that mean we might get to see the Luna Queen? I heard she's a world-class jewelry designer, and that even royals have to be on a waiting list for her work. Oh my gods, I have to get a picture!""This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!" Just then, a squad of elite guards bearing the royal crest escorted a pup into the banquet hall. The entire venue fell silent. The power of the royal bloodline rolling off him in waves brought every wolf in the room to a state of instinctive reverence. "That presence... that's definitely the Alpha King's little prince! His bloodline is truly noble!" The same Alpha who had just harassed me, though scared witless by Damian, still had the gall to taunt me. "Selene, if it weren't for Aria, an outcast Omega like you would never lay eyes on our noble prince in your entire life! If I were you, I'd get on my knees and thank her right now! Maybe if you make her happy, she'll actually gift you that Beta mate!" I ignored the fool, my gaze calmly fixed on the young prince. All the other wolves swarmed forward, fawning over the boy and trying to make a good impression. Even the high-and-mighty Aria shed all her arrogance, approaching the prince with her most sycophantic tone. "Your Highness, is there anything you need? I would be honored to assist you." As she spoke, she began to reach out a hand to touch the prince's cheek. But what happened next stunned every wolf in the room. The little pup, flanked by his royal guard, completely ignored the fawning crowd and walked straight through them—directly to me. His young face broke into the purest smile as he threw himself into my arms without hesitation. "Mommy, you're finally done with work!"