The cruise ship was sinking, chaos erupting all around us, yet Lucian Gonzalez, Alpha of the Shadowfang Pack, was fixated on his cherished Luna, Kathryn Carpenter. His last words to me cut deeper than the cold water rising around us:

"Alianna, your skills mean nothing to me! If I had the chance to do it all over again, I’d never choose you!"

So when I got a second chance at life, and Lucian Gonzalez demanded a mate rejection, I didn’t hesitate. I spoke the vow with a steady voice, even as my heart shattered. "I, Alianna Fisher, Beta of the Moonclaw Pack, reject you, Lucian Gonzalez, Alpha of the Shadowfang Pack, as my mate."

I left with nothing, leaving our son, Casen, in his care. He and Kathryn held a grand marking ceremony soon after, the event gossiped about in every pack.

Three years later, Kathryn was taken hostage by a rogue mercenary group during a pack charity mission. As the only negotiation expert capable of handling the crisis, I was called in.

When I arrived at the command center, Lucian blocked my path, his Alpha aura radiating disdain.

"Alianna, what’s your angle now? Think you can worm your way back into the Shadowfang Pack with Kathryn in danger?"

Beside him, our son Casen looked at me with contempt. "Don’t think I’m buying whatever you’re selling! You won’t get the chance to hurt my mom Kathryn! Women like you, who just put on an act, should leave!"

Only after Kathryn was successfully rescued did Casen begrudgingly say to me, "I know you did your best for Dad and the Shadowfang Pack. Mom Kathryn still needs psychological counseling and media handling. Dad and I agree that you can help temporarily."

I ignored him, instead picking up my daughter, Leia, who was eagerly waiting for me to finish work.

Lucian’s face darkened, and Casen screamed, "Didn’t you say I was your only treasure?! Who is this kid?!"

---

I had just completed a grueling 48-hour negotiation with a rogue pack when I received the urgent notice: the Shadowfang Pack’s charity mission in Ireland had been attacked by a rogue mercenary group. Numerous hostages were taken, including Kathryn Carpenter. As the chief negotiation expert, I was dispatched immediately.

Upon arriving at the temporary command center in Ireland, I heard shouting.

"Spare no expense to save my Luna!"

A familiar voice made me pause. Lucian Gonzalez. I couldn’t believe the person I had to rescue this time was Lucian’s cherished mate, Kathryn Carpenter.

But I never let personal feelings interfere with my work. Calmly pushing through the crowd, I prepared to enter the command center. However, Lucian’s warriors blocked my path.

I explained, "Please let me through. I am the chief negotiation expert sent here."

No sooner had I spoken than Lucian appeared, flanked by Casen and several pack advisors. He looked at my travel-worn professional attire with disdain.

"Alianna, do you really think you can handle this? Don’t get ahead of yourself just because you’ve been away for a while."

Casen’s eyes lit up when he saw me, and he yelled, "Mom!"

My heart skipped at hearing my son’s voice after so long.

Lucian immediately frowned and reprimanded him, "How can you call her that and be fair to your mom Kathryn? You only spent a few months in her womb, while Kathryn has been with you day and night for three years!"

Casen quickly corrected himself, "What are you trying to pull now to get close to Dad? Mom Kathryn is a thousand times better than you!"

Seeing the familiar disdain in Casen’s eyes, just like in my past life, made me smile wryly.

I rubbed my aching back—a reminder of giving birth to him that ended my career as a war correspondent, forcing me to become a negotiation expert.

Lucian was always busy, and under pressure from his pack elders, I had no choice but to follow him around, trying to make things work.

His business partners took this as a sign of his prowess, praising him for molding even a former war correspondent into some kind of 'asset.'

He was a big baby, and in the pursuit of a natural delivery, believed to make a child stronger, I was in labor for 26 hours, leaving permanent damage.

I responded coolly, "I’m here professionally, not to curry favor with the Alpha of the Shadowfang Pack."

Kathryn’s brother, Roberto Lane, a Delta in the Shadowfang Pack, stormed over, pointing at me accusingly, "Still pretending to be a negotiation expert? I bet you’re just here to gloat. No, wait, you saw Kathryn was in trouble and came to take advantage of the situation!"

Lucian seized the chance to "reprimand" Roberto: "Delta Lane, don’t stoop to her level."

Turning to me, his tone was icy: "Out of respect for you being Casen’s mother, don’t make yourself an eyesore. This operation has international rescue teams and our professional crew. We don’t need an 'expert' who rose through connections with an ex-mate."

He emphasized "connections with an ex-mate," drawing more hostile looks.

I spoke calmly, "The conditions proposed by the rogue group are extremely harsh. Negotiations have stalled, and Luna Kathryn is in imminent danger."

The group blocking the command center entrance was taken aback.

"How do you know what’s happening inside?"

Lucian’s face darkened. "You were eavesdropping? You’re still as underhanded as ever!"

I pulled out my credentials from my briefcase.

"I am the chief expert handling this negotiation. The professional team you’re talking about is me."

Silence fell.

Casen’s eyes widened, "Impossible! Weren’t you just a journalist for a tabloid? How can you be an expert?"

People nearby immediately jeered, "His son says so, it must be fake."

"Yeah, how could a young, pretty she-wolf negotiate with rogues?" One rogue mercenary made a vulgar gesture, laughing sleazily.

Lucian glared at him, but the disdain in his eyes remained. He approached me, looking down with his Alpha aura pressing heavily.

"After the rejection, you disappeared, and now you run over as soon as you hear about Kathryn’s trouble. Do I not understand your motives?"

"Once this business is finished, the Beta will contact you. Stay put in the waiting room."

He waved dismissively, and several warriors closed in on me. My team immediately stood to shield me, tensions escalating.

“What’s going on? Why is everyone blocking the entrance?”

Deputy Gamma Sophie Oliver appeared, her sharp tone cutting through the chaos. The crowd parted for her.

"Alpha Gonzalez, Beta Fisher," she greeted respectfully but firmly. "What’s the issue here?"

The pack advisors from the Shadowfang Pack wasted no time in complaining, "A former war correspondent is chasing our Alpha, using fake credentials to sneak in."

Sophie turned her sharp gaze to me, "We requested a male expert from the Lycan Kingdom—"

I produced my credentials again.

She quickly verified them, her expression was complex. "The credentials are legitimate."

The murmurs ceased, replaced by shock and embarrassment on every face.

I wasn’t interested in dealing with them; there were still lives at stake, and I had no time for petty distractions. I strode into the command center, my heels clicking sharply against the polished floor. Pulling out the folder, I took my place at the head of the table, the weight of the Moonclaw Pack’s Beta rank settling firmly on my shoulders.

“The first plan is too aggressive,” I stated, my voice calm but commanding. “It could provoke the rogues, endangering the hostages. The second plan fails to account for the extremist ideology of their leader and the hierarchical dynamics within their group.”

The room fell silent as the gathered Alphas, Betas, and Gammas listened intently. Some nodded in agreement, their respect for my expertise evident. The only one who seemed unaffected was Lucian Gonzalez, the Alpha of the Shadowfang Pack. He leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, a faint smirk playing on his lips.

“Alianna,” he drawled, his tone dripping with mockery. “You’re putting on quite the performance. Did you go through all this trouble just to catch my attention? Even changed your scent to match Luna Kathryn’s?”

He chuckled softly, his dark eyes glinting with amusement. “Though I must admit, I did prefer the lavender you used to wear.”

I suppressed a sigh, mentally cursing Emery for this mess. The “Moonlit Mist” fragrance he had crafted specifically for me had mysteriously vanished from the pack market. I now knew it was Luna Kathryn’s doing, her influence reaching even into the smallest corners of my life.

Lucian’s disdainful attitude brought back memories I’d rather forget. Years ago, I had given up a promising career as a war correspondent for him. Augustus, my former pack elder, had warned me bitterly that I’d regret it. Back then, I was young and foolish, convinced that Lucian was the only one for me. But after Casen was born, everything changed.

Lucian began to criticize every flaw he could find in me—my stretch marks, which he compared to “scars on torn fabric,” my weight, which he mocked relentlessly until I developed anorexia. When his beloved Kathryn divorced, he wasted no time in courting her, making me the laughingstock of the pack.

I remembered the school trip where only parents and a nanny were allowed to board the cruise ship. I stood there, the “nanny” badge pinned to my chest, watching the three of them—Lucian, Kathryn, and Casen—look like the perfect family. When the ship sank, and Lucian clung to Kathryn, declaring he would never choose me, I felt the water close over my head. But in that moment, I swore to myself that I would never choose him again.

I met Lucian’s smug gaze now, my voice icy. “Alpha Gonzalez, this is not the time for trivial matters. Your Luna’s rescue window is closing.”

His smirk faltered for a moment, but he quickly recovered. “I’m not here for you,” I continued, my tone deliberate. “I have a family now, and I’m not interested in you. I’m here to do my job. If you continue with these pointless remarks, I suggest you leave.”

Refocusing on the room, I pressed on. “Let’s proceed with the discussion.” Over the next hour, under my guidance, the rescue plan was finalized. The room was filled with focused energy, everyone working together seamlessly. Lucian sat in the corner, his expression growing darker by the minute.

Before the first round of negotiations began, I took my usual fifteen minutes alone in the break room to center myself. Just as I was about to relax, the door burst open, and Casen stormed in, a cup of cold water in his hand.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself!” he shouted, throwing the water at me. “So what if you’re temporarily in charge? Dad doesn’t love you! You just want to get my stepmom out of the picture so you can cling to him again! You’re disgusting!” His voice cracked with anger. “Get out and stop hurting Mom Kathryn!”

I exhaled slowly, reminding myself that I had grown used to such treatment in my past life. I understood it rationally, but my heart still ached.

Before the divorce, I had agonized over whether to fight for Casen. I remembered the day I opened his bedroom door to find him placing my mother’s heirloom emerald bracelet on Kathryn’s wrist. My mother had whispered on her deathbed, “This is for Casen’s future wife.”

“Mom Kathryn,” Casen’s eyes had shone with adoration, “this is something grandma said to save for my future wife. I’m giving it to you because I hope to find a wife as beautiful as you one day.”

Kathryn had feigned distress, saying, “Casen, I had no idea you gave me something that belonged to a deceased person.”

Casen froze, then, in a fit of rage, yanked off the bracelet and hurled it to the ground with a loud crack. It shattered into pieces.

“I knew that woman, Alianna, was up to no good!” he stomped on the fragments, grinding them under his small heel. “Everything that’s hers is cursed!”

Kathryn beamed, patting his head. “Don’t worry, my dear. I’ll make sure you have everything you need.”

I stood at the door, watching everything unfold, not saying a word, not intervening. Casen held Kathryn’s hand, running off to explore other treasures.

I looked at the irreparable fragments on the floor and resolved to leave alone for good, never to return.