The William Group of Companies was nothing like I imagined.

The building rose into the sky like a fortress of glass and steel, cold and intimidating. As the car slowed in front of the entrance, my heart pounded painfully against my ribs. This wasn’t fear—it was awareness. My wolf was restless, alert, reacting to the powerful Alpha presence that filled the place.

William.

I stepped out of the car, my fingers tightening around my bag. Employees moved briskly past me, their faces filled with determination and quiet anxiety. This place breathed power, ambition, and dominance, everything my Alpha husband embodied. Inside, whispers followed me.

“That’s her…” “The Alpha’s wife…” “She doesn’t look like much.” “Why is she here?”

I kept my head high, even as their words cut deep. I had survived worse. Years of cruelty from my stepmother and stepsister had taught me how to endure pain without breaking.

At the reception desk, the secretary froze when she saw me.

“Mrs… Mrs. Miller?” she stammered.

“Yes,” I replied calmly.

She swallowed. “The chairman instructed us to prepare an office for you. You’ll be working under the executive department… directly under Mr. Miller.”

Under William.

My wolf stirred uneasily.

William’s office was on the top floor.

As the elevator ascended, memories flooded my mind, of the night he saved me from rogue wolves, of the day I saved him from death, of the moment my wolf recognized him as my mate.

And in the cold way he looked at me now.

The doors slid open.

William stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, his back to me, dressed in a perfectly tailored suit. Even without facing me, his presence was overwhelming. Alpha energy rolled off him in silent waves.

“You’re late,” he said without turning.

“I arrived exactly on time,” I replied softly.

He turned then, his sharp blue eyes locking onto mine. For a split second, something flickered in his gaze, confusion, maybe recognition, but it vanished just as quickly.

“You’re here because of my grandfather,” he said coldly. “Not because you deserve it.”

I nodded. “I understand.”

That seemed to irritate him more.

“You will work like every other employee,” he continued. “No special treatment. No using my name.”

“I never planned to,” I said quietly.

His brows furrowed. He clearly hadn’t expected that answer.

“Good,” he muttered. “My assistant will assign your duties.”

As I turned to leave, his voice stopped me.

“And stay away from Selena.”

The name sliced through me.

“She doesn’t like being disturbed,” he added.

I wanted to laugh. Or cry. Instead, I simply nodded and walked out.

The first week was hell.

I was given piles of work no beginner should handle, reports, market analysis, late-night data reviews. Some employees deliberately made mistakes and blamed them on me. Others refused to acknowledge my presence at all.

Yet I endured.

Every night, I returned to the mansion exhausted, my body aching, my wolf weak but unbroken. William never asked how my day went. Selena, however, made sure to mock me constantly.

“It's so tiring working all day, isn’t it?” she said one evening, lounging beside William on the couch. “Unlike some of us who belong in high positions naturally.”

William said nothing.

But he watched me.

Always watching.

One afternoon, everything changed.

William stormed out of a board meeting, fury radiating from him. The hallway fell silent as he barked orders and dismissed employees with a glare.

“Get her,” he snapped.

I froze when his assistant pointed at me.

“In my office. Now.”

The door slammed shut behind us.

William threw a file onto the desk. “Did you prepare this report?”

“Yes,” I answered steadily.

“This projection is impossible,” he growled. “These numbers—”

“They’re accurate,” I interrupted before I could stop myself.

Silence fell.

My heart raced. Challenging an Alpha, especially him, was dangerous.

William’s eyes darkened. “Explain.”

I took a deep breath and walked closer, pointing at the data. “The market shift in Asia will affect raw material costs within three months. Your current suppliers won’t survive the inflation.”

He stared at the report again.

Then at me.

“You noticed this,” he said slowly, “when my senior analysts didn’t?”

“Yes.”

Something changed in the air.

His scent shifted, curiosity mixing with something deeper. Pride, perhaps.

For the first time, he didn’t look at me like a burden.

He looked at me like an equal.

“Leave,” he said quietly.

As I turned to go, my wolf purred softly.

That night, William dreamed.

He saw blood-soaked ground. Rogue wolves. A small trembling girl behind him.

He woke with a sharp gasp, his heart racing.

Why does she feel familiar? he wondered.

Days later, Selena struck back.

She cornered me in the office restroom, her smile venomous.

“You don’t belong here,” she hissed. “This is my place. My mate. My future.”

I met her gaze calmly. “You’re mistaken.”

She laughed. “He believes I saved him. And he always will.”

My wolf growled softly inside me.

“You can keep lying,” I said. “But the truth always finds its way out.”

Her hand struck my face before I could react.

Pain exploded across my cheek.

Before she could strike again, a voice thundered, “What is going on here?”

William.

The hallway was silent.

Selena’s face twisted into false tears. “She attacked me” “That’s enough,” William snapped. His eyes were on me. And for the first time… they softened.

That night, William’s grandfather summoned him.

“You feel it, don’t you?” the old Alpha said calmly. “The bond.”

William clenched his fists. “She can’t be my mate.” “But she is,” his grandfather replied. “And the longer you deny it, the more damage you cause.”

William said nothing.

But deep down, something had already begun to crack.

It felt like a curse, to be married to a man who never looked at you.

That was my reality.

I was his wife, his Luna, yet invisible. William shared the same space with me, slept under the same roof, breathed the same air, but his eyes always passed over me, searching for someone else.

Every smile he gave was never meant for me.

Every softness in his voice belonged to another woman.

And that woman was Selena.

She arrived at the mansion one evening without warning.

I was in the living room with William, standing closer than usual as we discussed company matters. It wasn’t intimacy,just proximity,but to an outsider, it might have looked romantic.

Selena froze at the entrance.

Her eyes widened. Her lips trembled. Then her face twisted with rage.

“You—!” she screamed, her voice breaking as tears poured down her face. “How dare you touch him!”

Before either of us could speak, she ran out of the mansion, sobbing loudly.

William’s expression hardened.

That night, he didn’t say a word to me.

But I knew. I knew she wouldn’t let this go.

The following afternoon, the mansion felt unusually quiet. I was descending the staircase when I heard hurried footsteps behind me.

“Stop right there.”

Selena.

I turned slowly, already bracing myself.

“You think you’ve won, don’t you?” she sneered. “Standing close to him like that. Acting like a wife.”

“I am his wife,” I replied calmly, though my heart was pounding. Her laugh was sharp and unhinged. “Only in name. His heart belongs to me.”

“That’s not true,” I said. “You’re living a lie.”

Her eyes darkened. We moved from the staircase into the hall, our voices rising as anger spilled between us.

“You stole my life!” she shouted.

“You stole mine first,” I shot back.

Before I could react, she grabbed my collar violently.

“Let go of me!” I yelled, struggling.

Her grip tightened—and then she pushed.

Everything happened too fast.

My feet slipped. The world tilted. I fell.

The staircase rushed toward me as pain exploded through my body. I tumbled, hitting step after step, until everything went dark. I don’t know how long I lay there.

But I remember opening my eyes briefly.

But before I completely lost consciousness, I felt her body fall beside me. Selena deliberately threw herself down next to me. She lay still. Pretending.

Footsteps thundered through the hall.

William. My vision was blurry, but I saw him rushing toward us.

He froze when he saw both of us lying on the floor. For a moment, hope bloomed weakly in my chest.

He will check on me. But he didn’t.

William knelt beside Selena first.

“Selena!” he shouted, lifting her into his arms. She looked pale, weak, unconscious—perfectly acted.

He didn’t look at me. Not even once.

He picked her up and carried her away, leaving me there… broken… bleeding… alone.

I lay on the cold floor, unable to move.

Abandoned. Left to die.

Tears slid down my face as my vision faded. With the last strength I had, I reached for my phone.

My hands trembled as I dialed.

“Hel—hello…” my voice cracked. “Please… send assistance… I fall from the stairs… I can’t move…”

The call went silent. And so did everything else.

.….

Pain. Darkness. Silence. Then air.

I gasped, my lungs burning as if I had been underwater for hours. My eyes fluttered open, and my vision slowly adjusted.

Soft golden light spilled through the curtains. The scent of roses and vanilla filled the room. My hands touched something smooth and familiar.

I was… in the wedding night bedroom.

Panic surged through me.

I sat up, heart hammering, trembling violently. My body ached, but not the way it had before. No bruises, no blood, no broken bones.

I looked down at myself. Silk. White. Perfect. My wedding dress.

The realization hit me like a tidal wave.

I had been reborn.

The first day of our marriage. Our wedding night.

Every horrific event the fall, Selena’s betrayal, William ignoring me, being left to die none of it had happened yet.

My wolf stirred immediately, restless and alert. This is our chance, it whispered.

We won’t fail again.

I stayed frozen for a few minutes, my mind racing. Memories from the “previous life” flooded back. Selena’s jealousy. The way she had pushed me. The way William had picked her up, leaving me to die.

No. Not this time. I would survive. I would fight. I would take back my life.

The bedroom door opened quietly.

William stepped in.

Alive. Distant. Cold. Perfectly composed as always.

His eyes flickered briefly toward me. For a heartbeat, something almost familiar passed across his gaze. Then it hardened, his usual expression returning.

“You should rest,” he said, his voice flat, as if nothing had happened. “We’ll discuss boundaries tomorrow.”

“This is just a contract marriage ,” I repeated calmly, taking a step closer.

He blinked, momentarily speechless. His jaw tightened. “Excuse me?”

I didn’t flinch. I held his gaze steadily. My wolf prowled beneath my skin, restless, fierce, warning him not to dismiss me this time.

“I said,” I continued, my voice low but firm, “this is my meeting, my life. You don’t get to control me. You don’t get to decide how I feel, what I do, or who I am with. So don’t get yourself too worked up over me.”

William’s expression shifted—shock. Actual shock. Not anger. Not dominance. Shock.

He had never heard me speak like this. Not in all our time together.

For a moment, he opened his mouth, but no words came out.

I didn’t wait for his response. I reached for the blanket and pulled it over myself with deliberate confidence. I lay down on the bed, wrapping myself snugly.

“Goodnight,” I said simply, my tone calm, almost casual, as if I hadn’t just defied him.

William froze in place.

He stared at me, his eyes dark, stormy, conflicted. My words, my tone, my sheer audacity, they had caught him completely off guard.

You… talk too much for a Luna,” he muttered, though his voice was softer, unsure. I smiled faintly, my heart racing. “And you talk too little for a husband who has a mate.”

I could see it, the unspoken question in his eyes: Who is this woman?

I closed my eyes, letting silence fall between us.

The night was mine. My bed. My body. My boundaries. For the first time, the air between us felt… different.

I could feel the pull of our fated bond stronger than ever. My wolf howled silently within me, reminding me that William wasn’t just any man. He was mine.

And this time… I wasn’t going to let fate or Selena, or even William’s own ignorance, decide what happened next.

I would make him see me. Make him remember me. Make him feel me.

The night was quiet, but it held the promise of change.

Outside, the wind whispered through the trees, carrying my determination like a warning:

This time, nothing will break me.

I lay back on the bed, finally allowing myself to breathe. The first day of our marriage.

And the start of my second chance.

This was my life to rewrite.

And for the first time, I felt hope,sharp, thrilling, dangerous.

Because I knew one thing for certain:

Selena wouldn’t get away with stealing my life.

William won't get the chance to treat me as a trophy wife.

And this time, my wolf would not be silenced.

Morning arrived quietly, slipping into the room on soft feet.

Sunlight filtered through the curtains, pale and hesitant, as if afraid to disturb the fragile calm. I opened my eyes and lay still for a moment, staring at the ceiling above me.

My wedding night.

Again.

Even after waking up safely in my bed, my heart still raced when fragments of my previous life crept into my thoughts, Selena’s cold eyes, the staircase, the pain, the darkness. I pressed my palm against my chest, grounding myself.

I was alive. And this time, I would live differently.

I got dressed neatly, choosing a simple but elegant outfit professional, calm, controlled. The woman in the mirror no longer looked like someone desperate for affection. She looked like someone who had survived death.

By the time I arrived at William Group of Companies, it was already eight past eight. Morning at the office was as busy as ever employees walking briskly, heels clicking, voices murmuring about meetings and deadlines.

Nothing had changed. Yet everything had.

I took my seat, organizing files and reviewing documents, my mind focused and sharp. Work had always been my refuge, something I could control when everything else felt uncertain.

Still, my thoughts wandered.

Last night replayed itself in my head: William sitting in the dark, his sharp gaze, the surprise in his eyes when I refused to bow. For the first time, I hadn’t shrunk under his presence.

And strangely enough, he hadn’t stopped me. A faint smile touched my lips before I quickly suppressed it.

Before long, I completed my tasks for the morning. I checked the time again.

10:30 a.m.

Early too early for someone usually chained to their desk.

I stood up, grabbed my bag, and informed the assistant that I needed to step out. No one questioned me. After all, William’s grandfather had personally ordered that I work here. My position, though unofficial, carried weight.

As I stepped out of the building, a breeze brushed against my face, carrying with it the scent of freedom. I was leaving early. Not to escape. But to reunite.

My childhood friend,Demian.

We had grown up together, shared scraped knees, stolen laughter, and whispered dreams by the lake. When life tore us apart, he had left the country, staying in Italy for the past five years. Distance and time had stretched between us, but the bond had never truly faded.

Meeting him again felt like opening a door I had long believed was sealed forever.

The café was quiet when I arrived, warm sunlight spilling through wide windows. I spotted him immediately.

Jemia stood up the moment he saw me.

For a second, we simply stared at each other.

Then he smiled. The same smile.

“Still staring like you don’t believe I’m real?” he teased.

I laughed softly, my chest tightening. “I thought I was dreaming.”

He pulled me into a brief, careful hug nothing improper, just familiar and comforting. “You’ve changed,” he said as we sat down. “But… you look stronger.”

I looked down at my cup of coffee, the steam curling upward. “I had to.”

We talked for hours, catching up on lost time his life abroad, my struggles, the years that had passed too quickly. I didn’t tell him everything. Not yet. Some wounds were still too fresh to expose.

But being with him reminded me of who I was before pain reshaped me.

Unburdened. Hopeful. For a moment, I forgot where I belonged now.

I forgot that I was married.

I forgot that every step I took was being watched.

Back at the company shadows gathered quietly.

William stood by the window of his office, phone in hand, listening to a report he hadn’t asked for but received anyway.

“She left the office early,” the assistant said cautiously. “She met someone. A man.”

William’s grip tightened.

“Who?”

“From what we gathered… a childhood friend. He just returned to the country.”

Silence followed.

William dismissed the call, his expression unreadable. A childhood friend.

He didn’t know why the thought unsettled him. He turned away from the window, memories flashing briefly my calm eyes last night, my refusal to explain myself, my sudden distance.

For the first time since the marriage, something unfamiliar stirred within him.Not anger. Not indifference. But an uneasy sense of loss.

And far away, unaware of the shift I had caused, I laughed softly at a café table rewriting my fate, one choice at a time.