I Refused to Be the Alpha’s Substitute Luna

A couple of years ago, my parents passed away one after the other. In werewolf tradition, a wolf should not mate within three years of a parent's death, which delayed my plans. Johan Snyder, Alpha of the Silverfang Pack, assured me he would wait, his dominance softening as he spoke. Right after my parents died, he was genuinely kind, his commanding presence tempered with care.

It was his kindness that led me, in a past life, to accept him as my mate before he moved to a remote pack territory. I did it so he could care for his mother and sister without worry. But what did I get in return?

I let out a bitter laugh as I returned to my den. During dinner, Johan came over again, his Alpha aura filling the room.

"Azaria, don’t hold it against my mother; she’s just an Omega with a fiery temper," he said, his voice deep and smooth. "She was so upset she skipped dinner. Please, be kind and apologize, okay? What I said about not completing the mate bond was just in anger. I’m afraid once I move to the territory, it might be years before I return, and you’ll be alone. But I’ve realized something now. I care for you, and you care for me. Even if my mother disagrees, we should complete the bond. Let’s mark each other tomorrow, okay, Azaria?"

I looked at Johan coldly, his broad frame towering over me. At this point, his true mate, Noemi King, a Luna from the rival Crimson Moon Pack, hadn’t appeared yet. There was no reason for him to be so hostile toward me.

"Alpha Johan," I said, my voice steady despite the weight of his presence, "why do you resent me so much?"

He was taken aback, his dark eyes narrowing. "Resent you?"

I put down my cutlery and stood up, my posture straight despite the Alpha’s commanding aura. "Yes, if you didn’t, why would you plot against me? Knowing full well that once you go to the territory, who knows when you’ll return, you want to trick me into serving your family like an Omega."

Johan was stunned, his chiseled face turning red. "Azaria, what are you suggesting? What kind of wolf do you think I am?"

I smiled as if realizing something, my wolf stirring faintly in the back of my mind. "Oh, so that wasn’t your plan?"

He gazed at me with those piercing eyes, his voice softening with sincerity. "Of course not! I want you as my mate because I care for you. You forgot I said I wanted to complete the bond."

"But we already severed the bond earlier, didn’t we? Your mother was there too, wasn’t she?"

I opened the front door, the cool night air brushing against my skin. "Leave, and don’t come back."

I had been blind in my past life. In this life, I won’t have anything to do with him.

"Azaria, are you serious? Do you really want to reject me?" Johan’s dominance flared, his voice sharp with disbelief.

I looked at him icily, refusing to cower under his Alpha tone. "What do you expect? Stay with you just to become your family’s Omega? Johan, your intentions are so obvious they’re practically hitting me in the face!"

Johan’s expression darkened, his jaw tightening. "Azaria Jenkins! We were promised to each other! You’re just using my move to the territory as an excuse to reject me, aren’t you? Well, it’s not going to be that easy!"

The wolf who had pretended to be so sincere finally showed his true colors. He shot me a furious look, then laughed coldly and walked away, his Alpha aura lingering in the air.

I spent a restless night, my wolf uneasy, unsure of what Johan might do next. The very next day, I was called into the Gamma’s office. Henry Perkins, my employer and a respected Gamma, looked at me disapprovingly, his broad shoulders tense.

"Jenkins, if you don’t want to go to the training in Brighton, why not just tell me? What do you mean by changing your mind over and over again?" His voice carried the weight of his rank, though it lacked the sharp edge of an Alpha’s tone.