Chapter 1

My slightly raised chin froze.

Behind me, Grace, the daughter of the White Pine Pack Elder, stared blankly at the moonstone necklace held out before her eyes, her gaze filled with sheer disbelief.

"Raymond...?" she murmured.

It wasn't just her. Every single wolf present stood utterly stunned.

Everyone knew that Raymond Miller—the future Alpha of the Black Rock Pack, the strongest pack in the south—and I grew up together and had been inseparable.

Raymond had made his intentions clear at my coming-of-age ceremony.

"Chloe is my fated mate. She is the only one who will ever be my Luna. No one can ever come between us!"

Today’s public ceremony to select a Luna was supposed to be a mere formality. My position as Luna was already set in stone.

In my past life, Raymond had indeed placed the moonstone necklace around my neck without a single moment of hesitation on this very day.

The moment the clasp clicked shut, he waved his hand to dismiss the other candidate she-wolves.

"Chloe is the only one in my heart. She is the only one I want," he had declared. "The rest of you can leave. Don't crowd up the place and ruin her mood."

With that, he took my hand, his eyes shining like bright stars as he looked at me. "Chloe, do you think I did well?"

Though my heart filled with joy, I still tilted my chin up on the surface and let out a soft huff.

"Then you better stay true to your word. I must be the only she-wolf by your side. Otherwise, anyone else can take the title of Luna for all I care."

Hearing such possessive words, even the old servant who had raised me was terrified, quickly advising me in whispers.

"Miss Chloe, watch your words! An Alpha's actions are not for you to control!"

But Raymond genuinely adored me, immediately snapping back at the servant.

"Why shouldn't she? I love Chloe exactly like this! It’s proof of her love for me!"

From that point on, I really was the only she-wolf by his side.

Yet, I never managed to bear an heir for him.

The entire pack began whispering behind my back, calling me a possessive Luna and a dangerous temptress who brought ruin.

Some even rumored that I was a curse intentionally sent by the Gray Valley Pack to sever the Black Rock bloodline and drive them toward destruction.

In the sixth year of our mate bond, Raymond's mother handpicked several gentle, beautiful she-wolves and sent them to his study.

Surrounded by them, he looked completely flustered. The moment he looked up, his eyes met my freezing gaze.

"Chloe, it's not what it looks like..." he stammered.

I said nothing, turning on my heel to return to my room.

By the time he rushed in after me, a bond-severing scroll already rested on the desk. The moonstone necklace had been taken off, pinning down one corner of the parchment.

Leaning against the window, my tone remained as casual as if I were discussing the weather.

"If you resent me because I can't have pups, then let's break our mate bond. You can have pups with whomever you want. It won't be any of my business."

An uncontrollable rage flared wildly in his eyes, his hands clenched into tight fists at his sides.

Raymond lunged forward, locking me securely into his arms.

"I will never let you leave me! Severing our bond? Don't even dream about it!"

Surrounded by his overpowering Alpha scent, I felt both angry and amused, cursing him in a soft whisper.

"Are you nuts?"

Raymond had thrown a massive tantrum that time.

He ripped the bond-severing scroll to pieces, had a screaming match with Eleanor, the former Luna, and held my hand tightly at the allied council meeting, throwing vicious threats directly at the pack elders.

"What do you mean by competent or incompetent? So what if we don't have pups? We can just adopt! Chloe is my chosen Luna. If anyone dares to criticize her again, they will be exiled from the pack immediately!"

I remembered the sight of him shielding me, defending me with unwavering resolve. My eyes had welled with tears, and I silently swore to love him forever.

We spent decades deeply in love like that.

Yet, in this reincarnated life, he didn't choose me.