I Refused to Be the Alpha’s Substitute Luna

"Azaria, isn’t Alpha Johan meant to be heading to the countryside? What’s he doing here looking for you?" My friend, a Delta in our pack, poked me sharply on the forehead when I didn’t reply.

"You better listen up; things might not turn out well once he’s gone. Don’t be naive! His mother’s been bedridden for years. Getting mixed up with him now is like jumping into the lion’s den!"

My hand holding the fork paused mid-air and trembled slightly. No one knew that I had lived this life once before.

In my past life, I died on the day Alpha Johan’s daughter got married. Back then, his mother, an Omega whom I had cared for over a decade, had passed away naturally. Johan had said to me, "All these years, I held off on rejecting our bond because of Mom. Now that the kids are getting married, it would be awkward for you to stay."

That night, my belongings were tossed out of the pack house. I agreed to the rejection but demanded the house and half of our savings. Since the house was a pack perk and the deed was already in my name, they argued that I hadn’t given the Snyder family any heirs and should leave with nothing. I refused.

Worried I’d cause a scene at their son’s wedding, they locked me in an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of our territory, where I froze to death on a bitter winter night.

I blinked away the tears welling in my eyes. My friend had warned me in my past life, but I hadn’t listened. The next day, despite Johan’s lukewarm protests, I hauled him to the pack elder to formalize our mate bond.

Once Johan left for the countryside, I moved into his pack house to care for his mother and younger sister. Johan’s mother had a fiery temper and was fixated on cleanliness, throwing things at me at the smallest complaint. More than once, I was left with a bleeding forehead from her attacks.

Johan’s sister, Elisabeth, an Omega, constantly wanted to attend the werewolf academy, but how could she when she hadn’t even finished her basic training? Johan’s mother accused me of being cold-hearted, saying I wouldn’t let his sister study. So, I used the hard-earned money from my job as a Delta to pay for her night classes repeatedly.

Many times, I was on the brink of giving up. It was Johan’s letters from the countryside that kept me going.

He wrote, "Azaria, thank you for everything. Azaria, you have no idea how much I miss you. Please look after Mom and my sister. When I come back, we’ll never be apart again."

Naively, I even sent him my last bit of savings when he mentioned how tough life was out there. Little did I know he had found his true mate in the countryside.

I waited eight years for his return, and a month later, his new mate and their children moved in. Johan’s mother treated those children like precious jewels; they would spit on me and throw mice onto my bed. Yet she claimed I was secretly bullying them. Even Johan accused me of being small-minded.

It wasn’t until I’d cared for his mother until her last breath, and they no longer needed a free caretaker, that their true colors showed.