Rejected by Destiny, Chosen by Ambition

My mate got into Oxford, but he decided to repeat a year of high school instead. As an Alpha, Luca Stone had the privilege to choose his path, but I encouraged him to pursue his studies at Oxford. Later, we both went abroad for our master's degrees and returned to lead a successful and fulfilling life within our packs. But then, after his high school sweetheart, Adrianna Sullivan, was beaten to death by her husband, he ended up killing me.

"It's all your fault, Gabrielle, for pushing me to go to Oxford," he growled, his Alpha tone cutting through the air like a blade. "If I had stayed back with Adrianna, she would have marked me, and she wouldn’t have suffered from the abuse."

So, she was his true mate all along. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back at the time right after the college entrance exams, my memories intact but my heart heavy with the knowledge of what was to come.

"Gabrielle, I'm thinking about repeating the year," Luca said, his deep voice carrying the weight of his Alpha authority, though he tried to soften it for me.

"Go ahead," I replied, my tone steady despite the turmoil inside me. My wolf stirred faintly, a quiet whisper of unease, but I pushed it aside. This was a path I had walked before, and I knew where it led.

Luca was pleased to hear my support. "Adrianna is going to repeat the year too. With my scores, I can request to be in the same class as her. There shouldn't be any issue."

I nodded in agreement. After all, a top score was quite impressive, even for an Alpha. Luca muttered to himself, “So it’s settled.”

Then he suggested, “How about we catch a movie later?”

“No, thanks,” I replied, holding his gaze, because there was something else I needed to say. “Luca, let’s break up.”

“…”

Luca was stunned for a couple of seconds, but then he regained his composure, his Alpha mask sliding back into place as he hid any emotion behind a cool indifference. “Fine, let’s break up.”

“It’s just as well. I wasn’t keen on a long-distance relationship anyway; we would have split eventually.”

I nodded and turned to leave, my heart heavy but resolute. My wolf whined softly in the back of my mind, a faint echo of the bond we had once shared, but I silenced it. This time, I would choose a different path—one that didn’t lead to tragedy.