Rejecting My Fated Alpha Mate

Reborn into this life, I deliberately avoided any entanglement with Blake Nguyen.

When he was bullied by arrogant young wolves at the academy, I didn’t step in to stop it.

When he achieved the highest rank in the pack and led the ceremonial run, I declined invitations from my friends to watch, choosing instead to stay home.

When he brought his widowed sister-in-law, Saoirse Cox, to a pack gathering and faced ridicule, I didn’t intervene to smooth things over.

In my past life, he gave our only child to Saoirse to raise.

From then on, the boy refused to call me "mother," addressing me only by my full name, Lucille Parker. When he grew older, he even urged me to be "dutiful and understanding," suggesting Blake should honor both lineages.

But I never expected Blake, just like in my past life, to reject other mating offers and come to my family with a proposal.

That’s when it hit me—Blake must have been reborn too.

---

When my father sent for me to meet Blake in the pack hall, I was still reeling from the shock.

That day, I hadn’t gone to watch the ceremonial run, so Milena Thomas came to tell me about it.

"Lucille, you really missed out," she said, her voice tinged with excitement. "Blake is the youngest Alpha in history to achieve such a high rank. And he’s so handsome.

"He ran past the gathering in his majestic wolf form, and he glanced my way a few times. My heart nearly leaped out of my chest. Too bad I’m already mated. If you’d been there, it might’ve sparked something."

I kept my eyes on the thick gloves I was sewing. The northern territories were harsh, and I wanted to make sure they’d be warm enough.

Milena, seeing my disinterest, quickly added, "I’m sorry, Lucille. I shouldn’t have joked like that."

I finally looked up and gave her a small smile.

She immediately linked her arm with mine. "I mean it. Blake may be impressive, but his sister-in-law, Saoirse, is a handful.

"My mother took me to the Luna’s Moonlight Ceremony yesterday, and Saoirse showed up with Blake, acting like she was his mate. Several of the pack matriarchs were appalled."

It’s no wonder Milena thought Blake wasn’t the problem.

In my past life, I hadn’t seen it either.

Blake, who was always so strict about pack laws and refused to take a mistress, had an unspeakable relationship with his widowed sister-in-law, Saoirse.

If it hadn’t been for Saoirse’s infertility—caused by her overuse of contraceptives—Blake might never have let me bear our child, Harry Nguyen.

It wasn’t until my final moments that I heard Saoirse, tears streaming down her face, say:

"Blake, the thought of you lying beside Lucille in the sacred burial ground makes me wish I could die right now."

Blake’s voice was strained:

"My shared grave with her is just for show. When the time comes, I’ll make sure Harry buries me with you."

Harry, the child I had carried for ten months and nearly died giving birth to, chimed in eagerly:

"Mom, you can trust me. When Dad passes, I’ll find some random rogue’s body to bury with Lucille."

Saoirse finally smiled through her tears: "You’ve always been my good boy."

I was furious, my mind reeling, but as my consciousness faded, I couldn’t even utter a word of protest.

Blake and I had been mates for a lifetime.

Though we had our arguments and misunderstandings, we had always treated each other with respect.

I had only blamed him for worrying about his brother’s legacy, always trying to pass our son to Saoirse, which left me heartbroken.

But I never imagined he and Saoirse had been entangled all along.

I, his rightful Luna, had been nothing more than a convenient cover for them.

They had made a fool of me for an entire lifetime.

And now, here he was, proposing again.

Probably because, after looking around, Blake still thought I was the easiest to deceive.

---

Saoirse was the most beautiful female in the pack.

My brother and I had grown up with her, and we both fell for her as we came of age.

When my brother mated with Saoirse, I threw myself into my training, burying my pain in pack duties.

Only by losing myself in the pack’s ancient rituals could I forget that the one I loved was now my sister-in-law.

To earn the funds for my journey to the central pack lands, my brother joined a dangerous expedition.

But he never returned, lost to the wilderness.

Saoirse wept uncontrollably.

I vowed silently to rise through the ranks and to honor my brother by taking care of Saoirse.

I buried my love for her deep within me, at the foot of my brother’s memorial stone.

She would always be my respected sister-in-law.