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,