The night before her claiming ceremony, Ruby discovers that the man she has loved for ten years has secretly been in love with her sister, Scarlett. Noah never considered Ruby his true choice, and now he wants to use their public ceremony to hide his affair and protect Scarlett's reputation. Betrayed by her fiancé, sister, and even her own parents, Ruby refuses to remain their sacrifice. As secrets, evidence, and a shocking pregnancy threaten to destroy the Calder and Mercer families, Ruby makes one final choice—to walk away from the life that betrayed her and make them pay for everything they took from her.
The day Elena used six years of savings to buy a house for her fiancé, her best friend was already his legal wife. She discovered the truth at the closing table when their marriage certificate appeared in front of her—registered eight weeks earlier.
For years, Elena had managed Luke's finances, repaired his credit, supported his dreams, and even let her best friend Maya live in her townhouse rent-free. She believed she was building a future with the man she loved.
Instead, Luke and Maya had secretly built a future together and expected Elena to pay for it.
When Luke pressures Elena to sign the house papers, she refuses. She ends their engagement, freezes his access to her money, and begins taking back everything she sacrificed for them.
But walking away is only the beginning.
As Luke and Maya fight to protect their secret and their carefully planned future starts collapsing, Elena discovers just how much they took from her—and how much more she can build without them.
He thought she would keep funding their lives.
He was wrong.
This time, Elena isn't saving their future. She's choosing her own.
I got my hands on tickets to the World Cup final—the match Matteo wanted more than anything. I went to find him, buzzing with excitement, only to stop outside the door when I heard one of his friends pleading with him. “Celeste cleared her entire schedule for this, and she moved heaven and earth for those tickets. You’re taking Chiara instead? That’s a seriously bad look, man.”
Matteo exhaled a cloud of vape smoke, his voice a study in casual indifference. “It’s no fun with her. Besides, Chiara and I have a tradition. We watch every World Cup final together.”
No fun. A tradition.
The words were clean, sharp, and they went straight through me.
Twelve years. Three World Cup finals. He’d gone to the first two with Chiara. I’d brought it up with him more than once. I’d even lost my temper over it. And every single time, he’d coaxed me into submission.
“Chiara and I grew up together. It’s just habit. Before you, she was always the one with me. Come on, be good. Let this one go. Next time, I promise, it’ll just be you and me.”
I believed him. I waited four years.
And this time, I still wasn’t his choice.
I glanced down at the tickets in my hand, let out a short, sharp breath that might have been a laugh, and tore them in half. I let the pieces flutter into the trash can.
For twelve years, I had been the one chasing him.
Now, I was done.
An accident at an engagement dinner led to me sleeping with my sister's fiancé. To bury the scandal, our two families scrambled to swap the marriage arrangements. I married Nolan Pierce, the man my sister, Chloe, loved with all her heart. Chloe, meanwhile, was sent to the Ironwood Pack, where she was meant to marry a dying old Alpha in a desperate hope that the union would awaken his dormant wolf. On the day of the wedding, Chloe poisoned herself and died. From that moment on, Nolan hated me to his very core. Through thirty years of marriage, he neglected me, humiliated me, and stood by as everyone else shut me out. Even when I died alone in a hospital, the only message he sent was this: "Laurel Jennings, stay the hell away from me in your next life." When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the dinner where everything had gone wrong. Before I could do anything, Nolan smashed his wineglass on the floor. Shards of crystal scattered at my feet. His gaze was glacial. I knew then that he had come back, too. In this life, he finally got what he wanted. In front of the Alpha of the Riverbend Pack and the elders of both families, he didn't hesitate. "Move the wedding up," he announced. "I want to marry Chloe as soon as possible. As for Laurel... she was the original choice for the Ironwood alliance anyway." The banquet hall fell silent. Every eye in the room turned to me. I met his gaze calmly. "Fine. I'll marry him."
Seven days before her wedding, Zinnia Vitale realizes that she has once again been pushed out of her own life.
Her fiancé, Lachlan, has spent months prioritizing her younger adopted sister, Cleo—letting Cleo change the wedding music, choose the makeup arrangements, take over the bridal photos, and even plan a room for herself in Zinnia and Lachlan's future home. Every time Zinnia objects, she is told to be mature, stop being difficult, and let her sister have what she wants.
Zinnia has spent most of her life giving in. After losing her parents at sixteen, she learned to stay quiet, avoid conflict, and put Cleo first. She believed Lachlan would finally be the person who chose her without hesitation.
She was wrong.
When Lachlan forgets her yet again just days before their wedding, something inside Zinnia finally goes quiet. She ends her lease, returns what belongs to him, packs her belongings, and begins preparing for a future none of them know about.
While Lachlan, Cleo, and everyone around them continue planning a wedding as though Zinnia's presence is optional, they fail to notice one important thing:
The bride has stopped planning to be there.
This time, Zinnia isn't fighting for Lachlan to choose her.
She's choosing herself.
The day before the Fourth of July, I dragged my suitcase downstairs. My fiancé, Callum Reid, and I were supposed to drive back to his hometown in Maine. Our families had been planning this engagement party for months.
I had turned down my biggest client. Pulled an all-nighter to finish a proposal. All just to squeeze out a week off for the holiday.
Mom started prepping the smoked brisket three days in advance. She rubbed in the spices over and over, slow-smoking it at a low temperature. She wanted to leave a flawless impression on Callum's family.
The SUV was parked outside. The trunk was wide open. It was packed to the brim with camera gear.
I did a quick headcount. Callum. His childhood best friend, Miles. Miles's girlfriend, Willa. Callum's business partner, Delaney Cross. Delaney's cat. Two massive cases of photography equipment.
A seven-seater SUV. Not a single spot was left for me.
He rolled down the window. "Maren, be a good girl and take the Amtrak. I already checked. There are plenty of tickets left."
"Delaney brought all her gear to shoot our engagement short film. We can't have her crammed in there."
A soft meow came from Delaney's arms. The cat carrier was sitting right in my seat.
"Alright. Drive safe."
He looked incredibly pleased.
"That's my girl. I knew you'd be reasonable."
The SUV pulled away. The bass from the stereo shook the street.
I dragged my suitcase back upstairs. Dug out the car purchase contract.
Seven years together. He couldn't even save me a seat.
It was a long road ahead. But some rides just weren't worth taking anymore.
My son Andy is dying in the hospital after a drunk driver hits him, but his mother, Gwen, chooses to stay beside another man. When I discover that she secretly used our son's blood to save her coworker, Andy doesn't survive. Even after his death, Gwen refuses to believe me and continues protecting Pierce.
When the truth finally comes out, I realize I sacrificed my career, my dreams, and everything I had for a family that never valued me. Now I have only one thing left to do: walk away, expose every lie, and take back everything that was stolen from my son and me.
Three years after Evelyn Hall and Keller Blake sealed their betrothal oath, Keller finally arrives in Silver Fir territory with the bonding gifts meant to make their mate bond official. But before he even reaches her door, he turns the entire convoy around to recover a wolf-fang pendant for Lydia Vaughn—the woman he has chosen over Evelyn again and again.
It is the third time Keller has sacrificed their future for Lydia. What he refuses to understand is that thirty-six full moons have now passed. Under Lunar Council law, his failure to deliver the promised bonding gifts automatically dissolves their oath.
Keller is certain Evelyn will forgive him. After all, they grew up together, the entire North believes she belongs to him, and after waiting three years, who else would dare take her?
Evelyn decides to answer that question herself.
She returns Keller's tokens, burns the keepsakes of their childhood promises, and accepts a formal mate request from Ronan Grey, a respected Grey Ridge commander who offers her something Keller never did: clear terms, equal standing, and the freedom to choose.
Even after Grey Ridge's bonding gifts arrive at Evelyn's home, Keller remains convinced she is only trying to make him jealous. He even takes Lydia under an archaic consort oath while casually assuring Evelyn that she can still become his primary mate later.
By the time Keller finally realizes Evelyn was telling the truth, the woman he expected to wait forever is already preparing to belong to no one without her consent.
The oath may have expired after thirty-six moons, but some marks are much harder to erase.
When my fiancé kissed my pregnant sister in front of everyone and my family expected me to step aside for her, I didn't cry. I just walked away. They wanted me to give up my wedding, my wedding date, my lake house, and everything I had built for my family while continuing to pay their bills and solve their problems. But this time, I refused. She could have the wedding. She could have the lake house. She could have the man. But my money, my time, and my labor were no longer theirs. Before sunrise, I began taking back everything I had sacrificed for them—and leaving them with nothing but the life they had chosen.
In the fifth month of the fake breakup Cole had asked me to play along with, I stood outside the private room with a handmade birthday cake and heard his friends making bets about me. "A three-day act turned into five months, and Mara is actually still keeping her cool. She can really endure it." Elise laughed and linked her arm through Cole's. "Don't say that. Mara is just too accommodating." Cole didn't pull away. He just corrected them mildly, "She can't leave me." Amid the roars of laughter around the table, someone asked him when he planned to end this act. He blocked a drink that someone tried to force on Elise and said carelessly, "We'll see when Elise is completely over it. Mara will throw a fit for a couple of days, and I'll just coax her a bit. She'll be fine." So everyone knew I was his girlfriend, and they all knew this fake breakup should have ended a long time ago. They just shared a tacit agreement to watch me back down, watch Elise replace me step by step, and then laugh at me for not being able to bear leaving. I pushed the door open and placed the cake in front of Cole. "You bet wrong." "From now on, there's no need to act anymore."
They made my son's parentage the butt of a joke. So I made them submit to a three-generation DNA test. On the night of my mother-in-law Celeste's sixtieth birthday, she and her husband, Adrian, used a forged paternity test to turn my five-year-old son into the evening's “surprise entertainment.” My sister-in-law, Tessa, had hidden cameras set up in advance, waiting to capture my reaction when I was accused of cheating. Adrian knew the report was fake, but in front of dozens of relatives and friends, he still called my son a bastard and shoved a prepared divorce agreement at me. After the video went viral, people plastered my son's face across the internet, dug up the name of his preschool, and found the company where I worked. I lost the project I'd spent a year building. My son started waking from nightmares, asking me why Daddy didn't want him anymore. When the truth finally came out, Adrian said, “We just wanted to scare you a little, see if you'd act guilty. It was just a family prank. Why did you have to ruin everyone over it?” In my previous life, I tried desperately to explain myself. In the end, their edited videos and fabricated evidence cost me my child, my property, and my reputation. I died alone on a forgotten winter night. When I opened my eyes again, I was back in that restaurant, one minute before the fake report flashed onto the screen. This time, I didn't argue. I held my son tighter and looked at my father-in-law, Graham. “Celeste is right. Owen isn't your biological grandson.”
I died on the day I was supposed to receive the Silvermoon Devotion Medal from the pack. My family, though—they were busy celebrating my little sister winning the "Pack's Best Neighbor" award at her birthday party. While she made her wish for the whole family to love her forever, I dialed my fated mate, Alpha Theodore, begging for help. He cut me off with an impatient snap— "Diana, this is the most important moment of Elara's life. Quit pulling those petty stunts for attention." It was the ninety-ninth time he'd chosen her over me. But there won't be a next time. Because I'm already dead.
For over thirty years, Harlan's wife Janet pretended they were struggling financially while secretly spending her money on her ex, Connor Sackett. When their son Asher lands in the hospital, Harlan struggles to find the final fifty dollars for his medical bill, while Janet claims she has nothing to give. After Harlan's mother sacrifices her own medicine to help him, Harlan discovers proof of Janet's secret wealth and her relationship with Connor. What hurts even more is learning that Janet secretly gave away his factory job and pension to Connor decades ago. After thirty-five years of sacrifice, Harlan finally decides he has had enough and files for divorce, determined to reclaim everything Janet took from him.
For five years, I let my husband’s fated mate take whatever she wanted. My place beside him. His time. His attention. The tenderness that used to belong to me. I even told myself I could survive watching my own son choose her over me, because a broken family had to be better than no family at all. It wasn’t. On the tenth anniversary of the bond my husband and I chose for ourselves, he canceled our ceremony and told me his fated mate would be taking my place beside him. Then my son gave her the Luna necklace his father had once given me and told me she was his real mate. That was the moment I finally understood something I should have learned five years ago. No matter how much of myself I gave to that family, I would never be the woman Adrian chose. So I filed for the dissolution of our bond. None of them believed I could really walk away. My husband thought I was bluffing. His fated mate thought she had won. My son didn’t even look back. Then, three days later, a call came from Moonfall Island: Adrian Blackwood’s Luna was dead. This time, I left them with nothing but my ashes.
The year my girlfriend, Maisie Summers, and I were supposed to get married, I broke up with her. Later, she made it big and used every means necessary to force me to marry her anyway. Everyone says we're destined to be together from the start. Yet no one knows that after we got married, she's been bringing different men home every so often. I never react and pretend as if I don't see anything. While she sleeps around night after night, I silently count how many days I have left to live.
At our first anniversary celebration, my wife publicly announced that she was divorcing me to marry her true love. My past mission targets coldly watched me, thinking I would cause a ruckus and trouble Ivan Lowe like I always had. However, I merely walked over to a nearby lake and jumped into it. Unbeknownst to them, Serena Gale was my very last mission target. If I failed, I was supposed to go home. So, why did they only begin to regret their choices after I finally died?
On the day Sebastian officially inherited the Silver Moon Pack as its Alpha, he took only two people with him when he left. One was our son, Leo. The other was Elena, the woman who had saved his life. Leo, who had inherited his pure Alpha bloodline, was a gift Sebastian refused to let languish in a human town. And Elena had saved his life. He owed her a debt, a promise he had to keep. To me, he only said, “Faye, wait for me. Once I’ve stabilized things in the territory, I’ll come back for you.” In my last life, I clung to that promise, waiting for him in that shabby rental house, year after year. In the end, I died alone in that room, and he never returned. But the Moon Goddess gave me a second chance. I drew my last breath on that cold mattress. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day Sebastian’s bloodline awakened. I was back three years in the past. Back when I still had time. This time, I wouldn’t wait. I picked up my backpack and walked toward the highway without a single look back. From now on, he could be the Alpha, and I would live my own life. Our paths no longer needed to cross.
After my sister's marriage ended and she returned to the capital, Gavin Mercer—Alpha heir to the Redoak Pack and an official on the Royal Council—postponed our wedding for the third time. "Evelyn just finalized her divorce," he said. "If we get married now, it'll only upset her. People will say you have no regard for your own sister." I was silent for a moment, then I nodded. The first time, he said he was going to the Lakewood Pack for an advanced degree and stayed there with Evelyn while she recuperated for three years. After Evelyn got married, he applied for a transfer to the northern border, claiming he needed to build his career. In truth, he was only staying close to her as she followed her husband to his post. Three years, and then another three. I had gone from a sixteen-year-old girl to the biggest joke in the capital's high society. This time, I didn't want to wait anymore. I asked my grandmother to submit my name to the Royal Castle. Princess Helena was leaving for the Highmoor Royal Sanctuary to oversee a three-year national peace service program. She would choose ten women from the various Packs to accompany her, and once they entered the Sanctuary, they would not be allowed to return home for three years. On the day I left, I sent the papers dissolving our engagement to the Mercer family's private estate. Later, I heard that Gavin, a man who was always so calm and self-possessed, stood outside Highmoor's gates for an entire month, just for the chance to see me.
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