The fat Luna

The moon hung high in the ink-black sky, casting its pale glow over the forest as Mike's cold, sneering words cut through the tension like a blade.

"I'm going to take Jade as my Luna," he declared, his amber eyes gleaming with triumph. "You, with your pitiful demeanor and unworthy airs, are unfit to stand by my side."

I stared at Mike before me, his towering frame exuding arrogance.

His words didn't just sting-they confirmed one undeniable truth: I had been reborn.

My first life had ended in humiliation, crushed under the weight of this man's schemes and disdain. Yet here I was, alive once more, and the rules of the game had changed.

Mike's brow furrowed as my silence lingered.

"Jade is everything you're not. She's pure, delicate, and refined despite her humble origins. Her beauty could make spirits dance, her grace worthy of a mate's crown. Unlike you, she will bring honor to this family."

I nearly laughed. His words were as hollow as the promises he had once whispered under the silvery light of our mating bond.

Back then, I was naive enough to believe him. Back then, I had no idea that he had married me only for the wealth my mother had painstakingly amassed for my dowry-wealth that had made .

"When I was struggling to lead during the famine, I had no choice but to borrow your family's wealth. I saved lives with that money, yet now, with peace restored and the alpha himself promising me rewards, it's time you made way for Jade."

He said it so casually, as if tossing me aside were no different than shedding a coat he'd outgrown.

In my first life, my mother had doted on me, reminding me every day of my blessings.

"Never let anyone know your worth until the right time, my darling," she had said. "Once you have your mate's heir, your place will be secure."

But Mike had never valued me. The moment he laid eyes on the riches accompanying my dowry, I became nothing more than a pawn in his schemes.

"Jade may have your favor," I said, my voice steady, sharp as steel.

In my past life, after the famine relief was complete, Beta Mike wasted no time declaring his intent to marry my cousin Dariya and crown her as his Luna.

Back then, I had refused to yield.

He sneered at my protest.

"Jade is your cousin," he snarled.

"I've broken no vows by choosing her. Look at you-fat,weak, repulsive, unworthy. If it weren't for your family's lands , I wouldn't have so much as claimed you as my mate, let alone considered you fit to bear my pups. You should be grateful I'm even offering you a place as my second mate. Don't overreach."

The venom in his words should have shattered me, but I had been weak then, just a lowly wolf clinging to the hope that love could bloom from duty.

I believed that if I endured