Lycina’s POV

The morning sun crept through my window, but sleep had barely touched me. Today was the mating ceremony, the day I’d once dreamed of with a heart full of hope, and the same day that shattered me in my past life. The memory of Theron’s cold voice, his rejection, still burned like a wound that never healed. I could still hear the crowd’s gasps, could still feel their pitying stares as he rejected me while I looked hopeless and begged. Not this time. I wouldn’t let him break me again.

The pack house hummed with life. My step mother bustled through the halls, arms overflowing with flowers and ribbons, her eyes cold as she glanced at me. “Don’t ruin this for us, Lycina,” she said, her voice all edges with no warmth.

I met her gaze, unflinching. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

Lyria, her daughter and my step sister stood by a mirror, fussing with the silver clasp at her throat, her smile radiant as she admired herself. “Today’s going to be an amazing day.” she said, her voice dripping with certainty.

I watched, forcing out a smile. “I’m sure you think so. It’s going to be amazing.” 

Her confidence was unshakable, her steps confident with the assurance that the pack adored her and prefer her as Luna and not me that Theron was hers. In my past life, I’d envied her. I’d believed I was less, unworthy, unwanted. But not anymore. This time, I saw her for what she was, a thief who’d stolen what was mine, only to lose it in the end.

The courtyard was a spectacle of garlands and gleaming tables, piled with high with fruit and roasted meat and different meals. Laughter rang out, children darted through the crowd, and elders exchanged warm greetings. The joy was infectious, but it didn’t touch me. I’d felt this happiness before, only to have it turn to ash. The Alpha’s voice boomed across the grounds. “Let the ceremony begin!”

I took my place among the pack, shoulders squared, head high. Whispers followed me, pity, amusement, doubt. They expected me to wait for the rejection, to crumble as I had before. They didn’t know I was no longer that girl.

The ritual began, just as it had in my past life. Wolves stepped forward, offering themselves to the Luna bond. Theron stood, his white robes catching the sunlight, Lyria flaunting herself beside him dramatically. My heart thudded, but my face remained a mask of calm.

Then it happened, the bond snapped into place, a sharp tug deep in my soul. I felt it, and I knew the alpha, Theron did too. His head jerked, his eyes locking onto mine. Confusion flickered in his gaze, then hesitation, just like before. For a fleeting moment, I remembered the hope I’d once clung to, the desperate wish that one day I’ll be a Luna. Not just a Luna but his Luna. But I wasn’t that naive girl anymore. I wouldn’t wait for his rejection to tear me apart.

Before he could speak, I stepped forward, my voice steady and clear. “Alpha Theron is my mate… but I reject you, Theron Varkis as my mate. I feel the bond and I know you feel it too.”

The crowd froze. Gasps rippled through the air. Theron’s eyes widened, his mouth parting as if he couldn’t comprehend my words. Lyria’s smile disappeared as she dramatically approached him, her hand tightening on his arm. I held his gaze, letting him see the fire in me, the strength I’d forged from the pain he’d caused. “My bond is my own,” I said, my voice carrying over the stunned silence. “And I choose to keep it.”

The pack erupted in whispers. “She rejected him?” one voice hissed.

“Did you see her face? She’s not even shaking!” another said.

I turned, my steps bold, and walked through the crowd. Their stares followed me, but I didn’t care. Let them talk. Let them wonder. I was something new, something they couldn’t predict and i love it that way.

Under a cedar tree at the courtyard’s back coney, I found a quiet spot to breathe. The music from my past life started again, one I’d heard before his rejection, flutes and lyres drifting through the air, but it felt distant, like a world I no longer belonged to.

“Lycina.”

Elder Mavi’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. Her long hair hung over her shoulder, her eyes cold but kind, the only kindness I’d known in my past life. “You shocked them all,” she said, a faint smile tugging at her lips.

I shrugged, a small smirk of my own forming. “I’m not a weakling.” I responded.

“Few could stand there and reject an Alpha with such grace,” she said, studying me.

“I didn’t reject him for grace,” I said softly, my eyes drifting to where Theron and Lyria sat at the head table. “I did it for me.”

Mavi nodded, her gaze knowing. “That’s power, child. The kind that reshapes fates. It would have been your doom if you become his mate.”

I remembered her stories from my childhood, tales of wolves who defied the Moon Goddess, who carved their own paths with sheer will. Back then, I’d thought she told them out of pity. Now, I wondered if she’d seen something in me even then.

“Can a wolf truly refuse their fate?” I asked, my voice low.

“You just did,” she said simply.

I glanced at Theron again from where I stood. He sat stiffly, his eyes darting toward me every few moments, even as Lyria tried to comfort him to his arm as he claimed her as his mate, her smile mesmerizing. He felt the bond of me and him, I knew he did. But he’d made his choice in my past life, and I’d paid the price. Now, I've made mine.

“Does he feel it?” I asked, more to myself than to Mavi.

“The bond? Oh, he feels it,” she said, her tone final. “But he’ll bury it, just as he’s always done. He’s an alpha and his alpha aura has made him claim lyria.” She replies.

I nodded, my resolve hardening. “They are both matches made in hell.”

Mavi’s eyes softened. “And what will you do now, Lycina?”

I took a deep breath, the weight of my past life falling away. “I’ll choose my own path. One that doesn’t break me.”

That night, the celebrations stretched into the early hours, but I slipped away. The servants’ whispers followed me as I passed through the kitchen.

“She rejected the Alpha!” one said, awestruck.

“Her face is calm and I hope she bares the consequences,” another added.

“I thought she’d beg,” a third muttered.

I let their words wash over me, meaningless.

In my room, I pulled my ceremonial dress and faced the mirror. The girl staring back had the same brown eyes, the same faint scar above her collarbone from my past life. It was still me, the new Lycina. But inside, she was different. Stronger and unbreakable.

I touched the bond scar near my heart, a reminder of the pain I’d carried years ago. This can’t be a repeat of my past life. This was a new story, one I was writing myself. And I’d only just begun.

Theron could keep his choice, his Luna, his regret. I didn’t need him to see me anymore. I saw myself clearly now, and that was enough.