After we finalized the marking ceremony, sealing our mate bond, my mate, Chance Edwards, disappeared for a whole month. When he eventually reappeared, he was with Saoirse Hoffman, his arm casually draped around her shoulders. His voice was cold, his alpha tone sharp and commanding:

"I, Chance Edwards, reject you, Tessa Kelley, as my mate. Saoirse is pregnant and needs this house more than you do."

In my previous life, I had immediately reported their affair to Uncle Joseph, the Gamma at the pack’s training grounds. Shortly after, my mother, the Luna of our pack, exiled Saoirse from our territory. Unable to cope with the scandal, Saoirse took her own life in the forest. Chance returned to the pack after a brief suspension, never mentioning Saoirse again, and even proposed we hold a formal Luna ceremony.

What I hadn’t foreseen was that after the celebration, Chance pretended to be drunk, locked me in a room, and left me at the mercy of his warriors until I died. Then, after my death, Chance heartlessly cut our unborn pup from my womb and drowned my family in a well.

"For you, Saoirse, I'll ensure they all join you and our pup in the afterlife!"

When I awoke, I found myself back at the pivotal moment when he asked me to relinquish my housing allocation to teach in West Town. This time, I agreed calmly but quickly added another request: "She can have the house, but I reject you as my mate."

"Everything seems to fall into your lap, Tessa," Chance sneered, his alpha tone dripping with condescension, "but Saoirse only has me. Life's too rough in West Town for someone as delicate as her."

His harsh voice echoed in my ears. When I opened my eyes again, I saw my mate standing in the doorway with his mistress. A sharp pain in my abdomen hit me suddenly, and the memories of my past life surged back like a rapid-fire montage. Struggling to breathe, I realized I had been reborn.

Seeing Chance's broad hand resting on Saoirse's slim waist brought an unwelcome sting to my eyes. We had been together for five years, yet he had never held me in such a tender way. The tragic end of my family in our past life was fresh in my mind. I dug my nails into my palm, forcing myself to stay calm.

As I was about to speak, Chance impatiently interrupted, his alpha tone cutting through the air:

"Tessa, can you stop being so selfish? Saoirse is pregnant; she needs this house more than you do!"

Hearing this, my chest tightened. He had no clue that I was pregnant too. I started to speak, but the memory of him cutting our pup from my body silenced me. I chose not to reveal my pregnancy.

Saoirse pouted, her voice soft but laced with mockery, "Chance, why are you being so hard on her? It’s a good thing Tessa is here to take you in; your temper is too much for me."

Chance playfully pinched her nose and turned back to me, irritation flashing in his eyes. "Alright, give the house to Saoirse, and I promise I’ll write to you every month once you’re in West Town. Let’s not drag this out."

When we first mated, Chance’s parents would shamelessly demand money from him at the pack’s training grounds. I had rushed to help him, secretly paying off all his debts without telling my family. But instead of gratitude, Chance’s gambler parents settled in and refused to leave. When I didn’t kneel to serve them tea, they poured boiling water over me. Yet Chance returned home without a word of concern for me and even scolded me for "bullying" his elderly parents.

He had promised to mark me as his mate and treat me well forever but turned around and abandoned me, spending the money and resources I saved on the woman he truly loved. My salary supported his entire family, while his wages funded his lover. They paraded their affair in my home.

Noticing the fresh marking bite on Saoirse’s neck, I finally grasped where Chance had been during his month-long absence. The memory of the betrayal that cost my family their lives was vivid. This time, I refused to endure any more humiliation from this man.

I spoke calmly and indifferently, "You can have the house, but I have one condition."

Chance’s eyes brightened immediately, his alpha tone softening slightly, "Name it, but you know my situation. I’m not exactly rolling in resources."

I looked at him with a sly smile, "Give her the house, but I reject you as my mate. Also, since this place is rented in my name, pack up your things and move out by tomorrow."

“Tessa Kelley! What on earth did you just say? Would you dare repeat that?” Chance Edwards’ voice boomed, his alpha tone lashing out like a whip, the weight of his authority pressing down on me.

Saoirse Hoffman stepped forward, her delicate hands resting on Chance’s arm, her scent—vanilla and something sickly sweet—filling the space between us. “Alpha Chance, I’m sure you’re mistaken. Tessa wouldn’t leave you; she’s not like that.”

Chance’s shoulders relaxed slightly, but his gaze remained cold, his amber eyes flickering with disdain. “I’ll be staying with Saoirse for a few days. I’ll come back when you’re ready to talk.”

I said nothing, my wolf whimpering softly in the back of my mind as I watched them leave. As soon as they were gone, I began packing, my movements sharp and decisive. I contacted the landlord and canceled the lease, my mind already racing ahead to what I needed to do next.

Standing at my parents’ front door, a wave of nostalgia hit me hard, making my nose tingle. Since I mated with Chance, I had hardly reached out to them, too caught up in the illusion of our bond. Yet they continued to support me from afar, even at the risk of their own lives. As I approached the door, I heard a familiar voice.

“I’ve told you countless times, dress warmly to avoid catching a cold. You’re not a pup anymore,” my father’s voice was a mix of exasperation and affection, his deep timbre soothing the ache in my chest.

“Tessa loves fish more than anything. I’ll run to the market to get some for her,” my father’s loving tone continued, and I could almost see the soft smile on his face.

I blinked hard, yet the swelling sadness in my heart couldn’t be stifled. From the moment my father met Chance, he was against our union. He had even locked me in my room to keep us apart. In the end, I climbed over the wall and ran away, taking the family register to mate with Chance, even swearing I would cut ties with my parents.

Before I mated with Chance, my father had given me most of the family assets, hoping only for my happiness. In my past life, when Chance locked me in a room to be tormented, I heard my father pounding on the door outside, my mother crying and begging Chance to let me go. But he drowned them both, right in front of my eyes.

The guilt overwhelmed me. I had no right to call myself their daughter.

I turned away quickly, leaving, only to see a few familiar faces at the corner café. I smirked, ready to walk past quickly, when someone called out to me:

“Hey, isn’t that Tessa!”

“Have you eaten, Tessa? Since you’re here, why not pick up our tab?”

Laughter erupted from the tables nearby. I tried to ignore it, but then I saw Chance pull out a checkbook, his expression smug.

“Stingy woman. Here, today’s on me, let’s drink till we drop!” Chance beckoned me over with a frown, his alpha tone sharp and commanding.

“Why are you just standing there? Go to the kitchen and bring out the food, pour drinks for the guys. Can’t you see what needs to be done?”

Seeing the checkbook in his hand, anger surged through me. It contained all my savings; I couldn’t let Chance waste my money on his whims. With that thought, I turned decisively and headed straight into the smoky kitchen, my wolf growling softly in agreement.

The empty beer bottles cluttered the ground, and Chance Edwards, drunk and belligerent, began to boast. "Back when we were all sent to the countryside, I was the one with the most potential. Everyone said I was destined to be an Alpha, to lead a pack of my own!"

It was true. Among the young werewolves sent to the rural territories for training, Chance had stood out. His commanding presence and rugged features made him a favorite among the pack. But what he didn’t know was that the reason he’d been the first to return to the city was because I’d begged my uncle, Joseph Ramos, the respected Gamma of the pack’s training grounds, to give him a position.

Once back in the city, his childhood friend, Saoirse Hoffman, had pursued him relentlessly. As an Omega, she lacked status but had cunning charm, eventually becoming the center of attention in the local pack gatherings. Over time, Chance began taking frequent days off, claiming he was destined for greatness, that he was meant to lead a pack far beyond our own. I tried to reason with him, but he’d always brush me off with a dismissive snarl.

I clung to my love and the hope that he’d mature, but that love had long since worn thin. Through the haze of the dimly lit bar, I saw a group of wolves cheering, with Chance and Saoirse locked in a passionate kiss.

I approached the bartender, a Delta from our pack, and pointed at Chance. "He’s covering my tab."

Without hesitation, I strode up to Chance, breaking their embrace. His face darkened, his Alpha aura flaring. "Have you lost your mind, Tessa?"

Ignoring his tone, I reached into his pocket and pulled out my bank book. My gaze was cold as I looked at him, his eyes still locked on Saoirse. "We’re dissolving the mate bond soon. This is my account, not yours."

I glanced at the table, littered with the remnants of their revelry. "If you want to eat and drink, use your own money."

Chance was left speechless, clearly not expecting me to speak to him with such authority. He yanked me aside, his grip bruising. "I know I’ve wronged you, but aren’t you taking this too far?"

"I won’t dissolve the bond," I said firmly.

Saoirse fell to her knees in front of me, tears streaming down her face. "Tessa, it’s all my fault. I deserve to die, but I truly love Chance." She sobbed dramatically, clutching her stomach. "I’ll stay away from you. This pup shouldn’t even exist! It’s all my fault!"

With a hysterical scream, Saoirse grabbed a beer bottle and aimed it at her own stomach. But I could see the challenge in her eyes, the way the bottle was actually hurtling toward me.

Chance’s eyes turned feral as he rushed to scoop Saoirse protectively into his arms. The sharp sound of shattering glass echoed as I crumpled to the ground, searing pain coiling through my abdomen, forcing me into a fetal position.

I struggled to stand, but Chance kicked me down, his Alpha tone cutting through the air. "Tessa Kelley! You’ve gone too far. Kneel and apologize to Saoirse, or you’re not leaving this spot!"

From a distance, the bartender’s voice wavered. "Alpha, she doesn’t look good. Maybe we should get her to the healer. She’s bleeding..."

Standing beside Saoirse, Zaid Flores, a rogue werewolf and Chance’s lackey, let out a mocking laugh. "It can’t be that bad. Can’t you see Saoirse is terrified?"

He yanked me up, forcing me to kneel before Saoirse. I had no strength to resist and coughed up blood. Chance’s pupils contracted, and for a moment, he looked as if he might step forward. But Saoirse cried out, "Chance, my stomach hurts. Our pup—"

In the last moment before I fainted, I saw Chance, frantic, rushing Saoirse to the healer, leaving me alone on the cold, hard ground.