I was the revered Luna of the Silver Moon Pack, admired by all for my devoted children, harmonious union, and peaceful passing. Yet, it was only in my final moments that I realized the life I thought was perfect was nothing but a cruel joke.

My mate, Charles Gray, the gentle and refined Beta of the pack, stood over my lifeless body, hurling curses at me. He accused me of ruining his life, claiming that if I hadn’t forced our union, his true love, Ella Wilson, wouldn’t have been forced into a miserable marriage that led to her untimely death. He even instructed our children to bury her beside him in the family tomb after his passing, erasing my existence from his legacy.

As my spirit lingered in the hall, I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. Without my family’s wealth and influence, Charles, a lowly Delta from a lesser branch of the Gray family, would never have risen to become the respected Beta he was. But in the end, he repaid me with a lifetime of hidden resentment.

When I was reborn, I found myself back at the day our families were negotiating the mate bond. This time, I decided to give Charles what he claimed he always wanted. When his mother, Melina Larson, came to propose the union, I spoke calmly, “Charles and I are merely acquaintances. His heart belongs to Ella Wilson, the Omega from the west side of the pack.”

---

The moment those words left my lips, the once cheerful atmosphere in the room froze. Charles, who had been sitting quietly beside Melina, immediately rose to his feet, his face pale with shock. “Eileen!” he protested, his voice trembling. “What are you saying?”

In my past life, on this very day, Melina had brought Charles and the pack’s matchmaker to my family’s home to discuss the bond. My mother, Noa Carroll, had instructed my attendant, Lilyana, to hide me behind a screen so I could observe Charles unseen. As the matchmaker praised our compatibility, calling us a match made by the Moon Goddess, I had blushed with excitement, convinced that Charles and I were destined for each other.

Back then, I had already fallen for his carefully orchestrated charm, believing we were soulmates. So, when the moment came, I tapped the screen three times, signaling my agreement to the union. Later, my father, Franklin Gray, spoke privately with Charles in his study. I never learned what they discussed, but in the end, my father approved the bond.

Soon after, our families finalized the arrangements, and I was marked as Charles’ mate in a grand ceremony. For fifty years, I believed I was the luckiest woman in the pack. Charles was a respected Beta, our children were devoted, and our union was harmonious—or so I thought. There were no other mates in his life, or so I believed.

Then, one evening during a pack gathering, I suddenly collapsed, my strength leaving me. I knew my time had come. Charles, now aged and frail, knelt by my side, tears streaming down his face as he whispered my name over and over. “Eileen… Eileen… don’t leave me… wait for me…”

I smiled weakly, reaching up to wipe his tears, wanting to tell him I was at peace and that I had no regrets. But I could no longer speak. As my vision faded, I tried to memorize his face one last time, to tell him that my life had been full and happy. But the words never came. The pack’s healer shook his head, and the room filled with the sound of my family’s sobs.

Then, the crying stopped. I heard footsteps and hushed whispers, and soon, Charles’ voice broke the silence. It wasn’t filled with grief but with bitterness—the bitterness he had hidden for fifty years.

He cursed my father for using his position as Beta to force Charles into a life of monogamy, denying him the chance to mark Ella as his mate. He resented my family’s wealth, which had elevated the Gray family’s status but left him feeling like a puppet in his own home. But his greatest hatred was reserved for me—for living so long, for holding the title of Luna for fifty years, while Ella had suffered and died, her body discarded in the wilderness.

“I’ve waited decades for this day,” he spat, his voice trembling with rage. “You’re finally gone, but Ella never lived to see it. You stole me from her, and your father forced me to reject her. Everything you had—the honor, the wealth—it should have been hers! Without you, I would have risen just as high, but you held me back! Eileen, this is all your fault. Now that you’re gone, I’ll scatter your ashes and make you pay for what you’ve done!”

Even in death, my spirit followed Charles, watching him mourn theatrically before seizing my wealth and assets. He refused to allow my name to be inscribed in the family records, instead bringing Ella’s remains into the Gray family tomb and marking her as his true Luna. He told our children that when he died, he would be buried beside her, not me. It was then I realized he had hidden my ashes, denying me a proper burial, all to force our children to comply.

Seeing my children humiliated, a wave of fury consumed me. That night, a cold wind swept through the hall, overturning a candle and igniting a fire. As Charles struggled in the flames, I felt a grim satisfaction.

Then, a distant voice called my name, and everything faded. I was no longer in the burning hall but back in my family’s home, hidden behind the screen on the day of the proposal. The matchmaker was speaking, and my mother was about to respond.

My hands trembled beneath my sleeves, my nails digging into my palms as I forced myself to stay calm. This time, I would let Charles have the life he claimed he wanted. Without me, I would see how far a Delta from a lesser branch of the Gray family could rise.

I stepped out from behind the screen, carrying myself with the poise of a Luna, a lady of noble standing, and bowed gracefully to the room. Then, I turned my gaze to Charles Gray, whose face had turned ashen.

"Charles, be careful with your words," I said, my voice calm but firm. "We are not close enough for you to address me so informally."

"Besides, did I say anything untrue? Hasn’t Ella Wilson, the girl from the western pack, been flaunting the Gray family’s emblem everywhere, boasting about her connection to the son of a high-ranking Beta, claiming she’ll soon be the lady of a prominent house?"

I glanced toward the side door, where Lilyana had already slipped out. Soon enough, the news of Charles’s entanglement with Ella would spread like wildfire.

In my past life, I hadn’t learned until after my death how Charles had strung Ella along, promising her a future with the Gray family, only to abandon her when my father offered him a better opportunity. She had been forced to settle for someone else. Yet, Charles had blamed me for his own greed, tarnishing my name even in death.

This time, I would lay it all bare. Let the world see who was truly at fault.

I turned to Melina Larson, Charles’s stepmother, and smiled brightly. "It seems you haven’t heard the good news yet. I’ve heard Ella’s scent is as radiant as a rose and as graceful as a willow. Congratulations, Melina, on gaining such a charming daughter-in-law."

Charles’s face turned a shade darker, his eyes blazing as he snapped, "Eileen, when did you become such a gossip? Spreading rumors like a rogue! How dare you bring this up here? You know perfectly well that you and I—"

*Thud.*

The sound of Noa’s claws hitting the table cut him off. Charles immediately fell silent, realizing he’d gone too far, but his accusatory glare remained fixed on me. I ignored it.

Melina, however, seemed to awaken from a daze, forcing a polite smile. "Eileen is right. I hadn’t heard about this matter."

She shot a glance at Charles, her eyes filled with thinly veiled amusement. "Charles’s mother must have only heard about the most elegant and accomplished Luna in the region and assumed it was Eileen. That’s why I came here to propose on his behalf. I must apologize for the disturbance."

Her words were apologetic, but her tone betrayed her satisfaction. She had been worried that Charles’s potential mating with me, the daughter of a respected Beta, would threaten her own son’s future. Now, not only had I publicly humiliated Charles, but I’d also exposed his affair with Ella. No respectable Luna would want him now.

Melina’s words subtly shifted the blame to Charles and his mother, and Charles’s expression grew even more strained. He bowed stiffly to Noa, then pulled a small necklace from his belt and held it up.

"I don’t know any Ella Wilson," he declared. "And as for my connection to Eileen, this necklace is proof. Please, Madam Noa, see for yourself."

Noa examined the necklace, her brows furrowing. "Did you make this?"

I nodded, then feigned indignation. "Yes, I made it, but you took it from me last month at the pack gathering in exchange for that ridiculous fan of yours! And now you’re using it to tarnish my reputation? If I’d known your intentions, I’d have given it to anyone but you!"

I gestured to someone to fetch the fan from my room and tossed it at his feet, playing the part of a wronged young woman who had been utterly deceived.

At pack gatherings, it was common to exchange small tokens as part of friendly competitions. Last month, the Lunas had competed in crafting, and I had hurriedly finished mine, secretly giving the best one to Charles. The males had competed in poetry, and Charles had given me his fan, claiming it was a special gift for me.

Now, looking at it again, the poem scrawled on it was nothing but pretentious drivel. What a waste of my necklace.

Charles exploded in anger, calling me a liar. Noa snapped her fan shut and turned to me with a stern look.

"You," she scolded, "I’ve always told you to be careful with your actions, and yet you go around exchanging gifts with anyone! One day, you’ll find yourself tangled up with someone who doesn’t deserve you!"

Then she turned to the Gray family with an apologetic smile. "I’m terribly sorry. My daughter has been spoiled by her father and brothers, and she’s forgotten the importance of proper etiquette. This has clearly led to a misunderstanding with Charles."

"When my mate returns, we’ll discipline her properly. As for the rest…"

Melina nodded understandingly, ignoring Charles’s furious expression, and quickly ushered her family out. As they stepped through the doorway, I picked up the fan and followed them out.