I woke up back in my 27-year-old body.

I had twin cubs, and my mate was Ethan, the most powerful Alpha in the Northwest.

He was always at the top of the Wolf Council's rankings.

Alpha Weekly even named him "Number One Ideal Mate on the Continent."

Even the Royal Pack wanted to marry their princess to him.

Everyone in the pack said I was lucky.

But the first thing I did?

I took the sacred contract for dissolving our mate bond and delivered it to his old flame myself.

I pushed the contract in front of Isabella and said calmly, "I'm going to ask the Moon Goddess to break our bond. Ethan's yours. The cubs, too."

Isabella stared at me, shocked.

She couldn't believe the person who'd been Luna for six years would just give it all up.

I just added quietly, "Since they all like your scent better, I'll get out of your way.

Just get Ethan to put his Alpha mark on the contract.

Once the bond-breaking ceremony is over, I'll leave this territory."

This time, I wasn't going to make the same mistakes.

I wouldn't be the Luna everyone ignored anymore.

I woke up back in my 27-year-old body.

I had twin cubs, and my mate was Ethan, the most powerful Alpha in the Northwest.

He was always at the top of the Wolf Council's rankings.

Alpha Weekly even named him "Number One Ideal Mate on the Continent."

Even the Royal Pack wanted to marry their princess to him.

Everyone in the pack said I was lucky.

But the first thing I did?

I took the sacred contract for dissolving our mate bond and delivered it to his old flame myself.

I pushed the contract in front of Isabella and said calmly, "I'm going to ask the Moon Goddess to break our bond. Ethan's yours. The cubs, too."

Isabella stared at me, shocked.

She couldn't believe the person who'd been Luna for six years would just give it all up.

I just added quietly, "Since they all like your scent better, I'll get out of your way.

Just get Ethan to put his Alpha mark on the contract.

Once the bond-breaking ceremony is over, I'll leave this territory."

This time, I wasn't going to make the same mistakes.

I wouldn't be the Luna everyone ignored anymore.

...

Isabella's fingers traced the rim of her cup, her brow furrowed. "Aria, what trick are you playing now?"

I met Isabella's shifting gaze, my voice even. "No tricks. I’m just… tired of it."

"Aria, do you have any idea how many she-wolves would kill to be this pack's Luna, to stand by Ethan's side?" she shot back, her tone sharp.

"Of course, I know." I looked right at her, a bitter smile on my face. "So, the position is yours now."

A crack finally appeared in Isabella’s perfect mask.

She stared at the contract, witnessed by the Moon Goddess, for a long time before reaching out to take it. "Fine, Aria. If you're being so generous, I'll accept."

"But remember this, Aria. Once something is in my hands, don't ever think I'll let it go."

So possessive.

"Don't worry," I chuckled softly. "I won't regret it."

I’d had enough of the agony.

In my past life, the mate bond had tortured me to death.

Isabella stood up, walked gracefully to another booth by the floor-to-ceiling window, then closed her eyes elegantly, her fingertips lightly touching her temple.

The moment the mind link connected, her voice was sickly sweet. "Ethan, darling, I'm at the Moon Cafe. Can you come pick me up? Aria… she has something to discuss with you."

I sat where I was, a bitter taste in my mouth.

Back then, nine out of ten times I called for Ethan, he never answered.

Or he'd just block me out, cold.

But now, just a few minutes later, the male wolf who was always "busy with pack business" appeared at the cafe entrance.

Through the window, I saw Ethan stride in.

His custom-made black leathers hugged his strong Alpha frame – broad shoulders, long legs, radiating an undeniable aura of power.

My twin cubs, Mason and Maya, spotted Isabella and rushed over like excited little wolf pups, nuzzling her neck affectionately.

"Auntie Isabella!" Maya chirped, her little head rubbing against Isabella, who smelled of sweet Omega scent.

"What do you want for dinner tonight?" Ethan's voice was deep, laced with a tenderness he only showed Isabella. "A hunt, or the pack restaurant?"

Isabella smiled faintly and pulled the contract from her bag. "Before that, there's a contract I'd like you to look over."

She flipped it to the page needing the Alpha mark. "I’ve found a new villa I like, but it needs an Alpha's official approval..."

Ethan took the paper.

He didn't even glance at the content before pricking his fingertip and stamping his Alpha mark in blood upon it. "Between us, why be so formal?"

"Is Auntie Isabella getting her own villa?" Mason looked up, his eyes full of excitement. "Father, buy one for us next door too! Maya and I want to move in with Auntie Isabella. We don't want to be with… Mother all day."

His voice dropped when he mentioned me.

Ethan frowned slightly, but seeing the cubs' eager eyes, he nodded. "Alright, we'll buy another one."

"Oh, no need for all that trouble," Isabella quickly stopped him, her smile gentle. "I've saved room for Mason and Maya… and you, in my villa. You can come over whenever you miss me."

Her gaze flickered towards Ethan.

The two cubs yipped excitedly.

Maya even rubbed her head hard against Isabella's cheek. "Auntie Isabella is the best! A thousand times, a million times better than Mother!"

My heart felt like an invisible claw was squeezing it tight.

The sharp pain from the mate bond was suffocating.

I couldn't stand watching this "happy family" scene anymore.

I grabbed my bag and walked out.

The moment I stepped out of the cafe, memories from my past life washed over me like an icy tide.

In my past life, my mating with Ethan was a political alliance between two major packs.

I gave him twin cubs, but I struggled in pain from endless neglect and the tearing of the mate bond.

I never felt a single bit of real warmth until the very end.

All because his childhood sweetheart, Isabella, was forever etched in his heart.

When Isabella left to seek greater power, Ethan was silent for a few days.

But proud as he was, he never stooped to win her back.

Instead, he accepted the mate bond arranged by the Moon Goddess.

Ethan was my teenage Alpha dream.

Powerful as a war god.

Every female wolf in the Northwest dreamed of being his Luna.

So, when I learned the Goddess had chosen us as mates, I was ecstatic.

But after we bonded, I gave him all my love, only to get his constant distance and coldness in return.

Until Isabella came back.

He didn't ask to break our bond.

But his eyes, his scent, never left Isabella for a moment.

What made me despair even more was that my own Mason and Maya naturally preferred Isabella and grew distant from me.

In the end, drained of life by the broken mate bond, I died alone on a full moon night.

Ethan had isolated me in a rundown house at the edge of the territory, saying I "needed rest and to avoid disturbing the pack's energy."

On the last full moon of my life, I trembled, using my last bit of strength to try and mind link my mate and cubs, only to sense they were vacationing with Isabella in the northern mountains.

I tried to draw some moonlight for myself, but my body was failing, my consciousness fading. My wolf soul eventually scattered…

As my wolf soul left my body, my last memory was of Ethan's cold, decisive severing of the mate bond.

I closed my eyes in pain, my only wish: if there was a next life, I would never, ever throw my life away for him again.

It was late when I got back to the pack house.

But I didn't rest. I went straight to clearing things out.

Ethan’s Alpha ceremonial robes, the cubs’ wolf toys, family scent markers…

I threw them all into boxes, one by one.

“Aria, what are you doing? Have you lost your mind?” Ethan’s low voice came from behind me.

I turned. He was standing in the doorway with the two cubs.

His golden wolf eyes looked particularly cold in the moonlight, his brow furrowed.

“Why is Mother throwing away our hunting practice dummy!” Maya ran over, her little legs pumping.

When she saw her favorite little deer, woven from wolf-tail grass, tossed into a basket, her face flushed red with anger, and her wolf ears even perked up warily.

Mason also bared his pup fangs at me, snarling, “We just went to Auntie Isabella’s place for a little while. Do you have to challenge Father’s authority like this?”

Ethan’s sharp gaze landed on me, like he was examining a disobedient, lower-ranking wolf. “The cubs like being close to Isabella. As the pack’s Luna, are you going to cause a scene over something so small and disturb the whole pack?”

“I’m not causing a scene,” I replied calmly, my voice flat.

“Liar!” Maya shrieked. “You’re just jealous that Auntie Isabella gets Father’s attention! That’s why you threw away my toy! You’re a bad mother!”

“After my coming-of-age ceremony, I’m moving to Auntie Isabella’s place,” Mason said, grabbing his sister’s hand and growling fiercely. “And I’m never coming back to see you!”

Ethan didn’t stop the cubs’ rudeness, just frowned slightly, his deep wolf eyes sweeping over me.

It was the look he’d give a strange, petulant wolf.

“Enough.” His lips barely moved, his low voice carrying the natural authority of an Alpha.

His long fingers idly adjusted his wolf-tooth necklace. “The council of elders has an important meeting. Throw away whatever you want, just don’t make too much noise and disrupt the pack’s harmony.”

The moment the door closed, my tears finally fell, silent.

My heart felt like it was being ripped apart by wolf claws.

Every breath was a stab of pain.

I wiped my tears and looked at the mess all over the floor.

Suddenly, I laughed.

Don’t worry, I won’t bother him.

Not for the rest of my life.

…

Ever since Ethan had put his mark on that contract, I’d stopped taking care of any pack business.

I no longer got up at dawn to mix herbal juices with morning dew to strengthen the cubs.

I no longer waited up late for Ethan to return, to prepare moonflower dew to restore his energy.

All those things I used to see as my Luna duties were now neglected.

At first, no wolf in the pack noticed anything wrong.

Not until Mason was late for cub combat training because he was out of energy and got a harsh scolding from the Beta instructor.

Not until Maya couldn’t find her special prayer bone at the Moon Goddess sacrificial ceremony.

Not until Ethan’s Alpha mark, the totem representing his power and authority, somehow started to dim, losing its usual shine.

The Omegas in charge of daily pack life were scrambling, but they just couldn't meet the previous Luna's standards.

The kitchen sink was piled with unwashed dishes.

The cubs’ toys were scattered around the living room.

Even Ethan’s Alpha ceremonial robe, which needed to be scented with special herbs, always carried a strange smell.

This pack house, once so orderly under my care, filled with my healing Omega scent, gradually became a mess, thick with chaos and anxiety.

When Ethan pushed open the wooden door to my side bedroom, I was by the window, reading an ancient werewolf herbal guide.

Moonlight streamed through the window, casting dappled shadows on me.

“How long are you going to keep testing my limits?” He stood in the doorway, his voice low.

I closed the book and looked up at him, my eyes calm and empty. “I’m not testing your limits.”

“Then why aren’t you doing your duties as Luna anymore?” He took a few steps closer.

His familiar Alpha scent filled the air, but it just made me feel suffocated. “Still sulking about Isabella?”

“I’m not sulking.” I put the guide aside. “I just don’t want to do it anymore.”

Ethan narrowed his dangerous golden wolf eyes, his long fingers tapping lightly on the stone windowsill. “Reason.”

“I’m tired,” I said calmly. “There are plenty of Omegas in the pack. If I don’t do it, someone else will be willing to.”

I remembered my past life, how I’d get up before dawn every day, using my healing wolf ability to harmonize the pack's energies.

Ethan’s drinking water had to come from the place where the moonlight was strongest.

His roasted meat had to be the tenderest elk heart.

The cubs’ fur had to be washed with specific flower and herb juices.

Even the grass they played on had to be purified with my scent to ward off evil spirits.

And what did I get in return? Ethan’s undisguised gentle scent for Isabella.

The cubs’ complete reliance on "Auntie Isabella’s" sweet Omega scent.

My lonely death on a full moon night at sixty-two, my wolf soul scattering.

“Aria.” His voice turned cold, carrying an Alpha’s warning. “If you have a problem, solve it the werewolf way. Don’t act like an immature cub throwing a tantrum.”

I curled my lip in a sarcastic smile. “I’m not throwing a tantrum. I just want… to rest.”

Before I finished speaking, the door was thrown open violently.

Mason and Maya stormed in, their little faces full of anger towards me.

“Mother is too lazy!” Maya shrieked, her voice almost a howl. “We want Auntie Isabella to take care of us! Her scent is the most comfortable!”

Mason chimed in, “Auntie Isabella is nicer than you, stronger than you, a million times better than you! She’s the real Luna of our pack!”

Ethan’s eyes stayed locked on my face, as if waiting for me to give in, to release my calming Omega scent again.

But I just took a deep breath and said softly, “Since you think she’s so great, then bring her to the main house. I have no objection.”

The air instantly froze.

Even the moonlight seemed to stop moving.

Ethan’s face darkened completely.

The Alpha’s pressure was almost suffocating.

“Are you sure?” he asked, one word at a time, a storm brewing in his golden wolf eyes.

I fought against the pressure, taking a difficult but firm deep breath. “Very sure.”

“Father, let’s go!” Maya tugged at Ethan’s clothes impatiently. “I want Auntie Isabella to come over right now! Her place is too small!”

“With Auntie Isabella, we don’t need you!” Mason made a snarling face at me. “You can leave! Leave this pack! Our pack has no use for a worthless Omega!”

Ethan gave me one last look.

Seeing I was still unmoved, not even batting an eyelid, he finally turned and strode away with the two cheering cubs.

I stood there, listening to their retreating footsteps and the cubs’ excited yips, and gently closed my eyes.

Soon, I would give them what they wanted.

I would leave them completely, leave this pack, leave this suffocating mate bond.

The first day Isabella moved into the main house, she was already bossing around the lower-ranking Omegas, redecorating the living room Ethan’s mother had left.

"This black leather seating is too gloomy." Her slender fingers brushed over the leather, then she turned to Ethan with a soft smile. "Ethan, what if we switch to moonlight vine woven furniture? It would suit your Alpha status much better."

Ethan didn't even blink, just told the Beta steward beside him, "Do as Miss Isabella says."

I stood on the landing of the stairs leading to the second floor, watching as strong pack warriors carried out the traditional wolf blanket I’d woven myself six months ago.

I’d made it from snow wolf fur, decorated with glowing moss, to celebrate the cubs successfully completing their first trial.

Mason and Maya trailed after Isabella like little shadows, excitedly pointing things out, their high-pitched voices calling out, "Auntie Isabella, this cushion made of starflowers needs to go too! Mother's weaving is so ugly and not soft at all!"

Isabella gently stroked their heads, her voice sickeningly sweet. "Alright, we'll change it all."

My fingers tightened slightly, nails almost digging into my palms, but then I relaxed them.

Those blankets and cushions…

I’d woven and stitched them myself, thread by thread, infusing them with my healing wolf ability while I was pregnant with them, enduring the discomfort of the new mate bond.

They were filled with the softest snow rabbit down and calming moonflower seeds because, as pups, they were allergic to many common materials.

Now, they were being thrown into the trash without a second thought.

Over the next few days, this once-familiar main house became increasingly strange, filled with Isabella’s overly sweet Omega scent.

Ethan and the cubs absolutely doted on Isabella, as if she were the true Luna of this pack.

"Isabella, you shouldn't be touching these rough tasks." Ethan stopped Isabella as she was about to tidy up some clutter, his long fingers gently resting on her delicate wrist, his tone softer than I'd ever heard. "Your hands are for mixing rare herbs and caressing the cubs, not for this."

"Auntie Isabella, I'll carry this basket of moon berries for you!" Mason eagerly took the basket from Isabella's hand, his fawning expression something I'd never seen on my proud Alpha cub's face.

"Miss Isabella just needs to rest well and tend to her Omega scent, to prepare for... the future." The Beta steward respectfully handed her a pair of slippers made from snow fox fur.

" Leave it to us."

How ironic.

I once thought I was this pack's Luna, silently protecting every member with my healing ability, but they took it for granted, never noticing.

And Isabella walked in, did nothing, and became the princess everyone doted on, every wolf carefully pampering her.

The Omegas whispered among themselves.

Their mind links were discreet, but my lingering Luna senses could still catch snippets.

"The Alpha is so good to Miss Isabella. That look in his eyes, so gentle it could melt you. He was never like that with Madam Aria."

"Yeah, and the cubs only cling to her, calling 'Auntie Isabella' this and 'Auntie Isabella' that all day. I reckon this pack will have a new true Luna soon enough!"

My heart was already dead.

I ignored all of it, just quietly packed my few personal belongings, waiting for the full moon night.

Until that afternoon, my phone, which I used for non-urgent pack messages, started vibrating non-stop.

It was all messages from Isabella, sent through the pack's public group chat.

A stream of photos and short videos, taken on her phone, documenting her so-called "fun times" at the cub training camp.

In the videos, Mason and Maya stood proudly among a group of cubs, introducing Isabella, who was beside them: "This is our… new mother! She's a very powerful she-wolf!"

Gasps of envy rose from the other pack cubs. "Wow! Your new mother is so pretty! Her scent smells so good!"

"Your Alpha father is handsome and strong, and your new mother is beautiful and gentle. Your pack is so lucky!"

"So who usually takes care of you at the main house, prepares your food and herbal baths?" a cub from a smaller affiliated pack asked curiously. He clearly hadn't figured things out.

In the video, Mason and Maya's expressions stiffened for a moment, their little wolf ears twitching uncomfortably.

Then they mumbled, "Oh, that's… that's an omega in our pack who looks after us. She's not high-ranking."

My hand suddenly trembled, and the warm water infused with calming herbs in my cup spilled all over the floor.

I slowly crouched down, looking at the wet leaves on the floor, and suddenly laughed, a laugh filled with endless desolation.

So, all these years, in their hearts, I was nothing more than a convenient, low-ranking omega—a glorified nanny.

But it didn't matter.

This "omega nanny" was about to resign.

From now on, let their "true mother," with her noble bloodline and sweet scent, take care of them.