Chapter 1

Reborn into this life, I didn’t meddle with birth control to trap Alpha Graham Wright into a mate bond with claims of pregnancy.

In my past life, when Alpha Graham discovered I was expecting, he tricked me into taking abortion pills before running off with his Beta, Phoebe Snyder. As I lay dying alone in old age, he returned, clutching Phoebe’s photo, and spat with resentment, “If you hadn’t forced me into a mate bond with that pregnancy, she and I wouldn’t have suffered so much.”

Given a second chance, Alpha Graham stood impatiently at the packhouse doors, his towering, muscular frame casting a long shadow. His dark eyes bore into me, and I could feel the weight of his alpha aura pressing down. Today was supposed to be the day we were to formalize our mate bond, and thinking I might be pregnant, he had no choice but to swallow his grievances. Yet, I had shown no intention of going through with it; I wasn’t pregnant.

I feigned urgency at work and told him to go ahead and wait for me at the ceremonial grounds. He glared at me, his eyes dropping to my stomach, before huffing and turning away. As soon as he left, I leisurely returned to my office, taking my time to unwind.

A packmate handed me a cup of coffee with a puzzled expression. “Lucille, isn’t today the day you and Alpha Graham are supposed to formalize your mate bond? Why are you back? Did something happen?”

Her eyes sparkled with curiosity. I took a sip of coffee, chuckling. “Just a minor hiccup. Got a heads-up from the Moon Goddess on my way out. She warned me this bond is doomed.”

My packmate burst into laughter at my dramatic confession. “Lucille, where’d you get this cosmic warning? Fallen for a dodgy fortune teller, have you? Don’t be swayed. You and Alpha Graham have been together forever; your bond should be blissful.”

“Anyone watching might think you’re making a career change to fortune teller.”

I paused, tapping the table lightly with my coffee in hand. “I’ve got a knack for predictions. But don’t worry, I’ll be heading out soon.”

Thinking about a mate bond with Alpha Graham wasn’t appealing. Instead of enduring life with him, I’d rather rely on past knowledge and play the quirky fortune teller.

In my previous life, Alpha Graham, concerned about appearances, reluctantly went through with the ceremony, pretending I was pregnant. Shortly after, he returned to the packhouse only to meet his true mate—the newly appointed Beta, Phoebe Snyder.

That evening, Alpha Graham was unusually quiet. Wrapped in the bliss of the mate bond, I chalked up his silence to new partner jitters. But I didn’t find out until my final days that Alpha Graham was full of regret. Phoebe was his ideal match, both in looks and personality. By bonding with me, he had missed out on his fated mate.

If only I hadn’t been pregnant. If only we had delayed the ceremony. Everything could have been different.

Alpha Graham held it against me. He secluded himself in his study at the packhouse, rarely seeing me. I’d ask if anything was wrong or if he had pack issues. He always brushed me off, saying I wouldn’t understand. After hearing it so often, I stopped asking.

I thought once things settled for him, once he sorted things out, he’d readjust, and everything would be fine. But Alpha Graham got busier, traveling between territories—quite a change for a man who hated business trips.

Sometimes I wouldn’t see him for a month, which irked me greatly. Alpha Graham, however, casually said, “If I don’t work, how can I support you and our pup?”

I had no response to that. Only during my lawsuit with the pack’s legal team did I learn from packmates that each trip post-lawsuit was Alpha Graham’s choice to avoid me, to not even see me.

Angry, I fought viciously with him, but he restrained me, cautioning me to be mindful of our pup. Only when he mentioned the child did his eyes soften momentarily.

The next day, Alpha Graham flew off again.

Sensing the end of our bond, I thought about rejection. Surprisingly, Alpha Graham began treating me well. He attended my medical check-ups, bought clothes and toys for our pup, promising never to make such foolish mistakes again.

Everything appeared to be getting better.

But just before I was due, Alpha Graham gave me medication that took my pup away, then vanished. No one knew where he went, and just like that, he stole my child and disappeared.