Chapter 1 After being reborn, Luna June Blackwood found herself back at 27, with a son and daughter in tow, mated to Alpha Nicholas Blackstone-the most powerful werewolf in North America. He ruled the largest pack territory from the Rockies to the Great Lakes, had been featured on the cover of Supernatural Weekly as "Alpha of the Century," and even the European Royal Packs had tried to arrange marriages with their daughters. Everyone said she'd hit the jackpot, but the first thing June did was grab the mate dissolution papers and head straight to his first love. She slid the documents across the table to Megan Silvermoon and said calmly, "I want out of this bond. Nicholas is all yours, and you can have the pups too." Megan stared at her in shock, hardly believing that the woman who'd been Luna of the Blackstone Pack for six years was just handing over the title like that. June added coolly, "Since they all prefer you anyway, I'll make it easy. Just get Nicholas to sign, and once the pack elders approve it, I'm gone." This time, she refused to repeat the same mistakes, to keep playing the ignored mate any longer. Megan's fingers traced the rim of her coffee cup, her perfectly manicured nails clicking against the ceramic. "June Blackwood, what kind of game are you playing?" June watched the uncertainty flicker across Megan's face and said steadily, "I'm not playing games. I'm just done." "June, do you have any idea how many she-wolves would kill to be mated to Nicholas Blackstone?" "I know," June said, meeting her eyes directly. "That's why I'm giving it to you." A crack finally showed in Megan's composure. She stared at the papers for a long moment before scooping them up. "Fine, if you're being this generous, I won't hold back." "But remember," she added, her voice dropping to almost a growl, "once I claim something, I never let it go." "Don't worry," June replied with a bitter smile. "I won't regret it. After all, I've already lived through a lifetime of being second choice once before." Megan stood and moved to another table in the Starbucks, then pulled out her iPhone with a graceful swipe. When the call connected, her voice turned honey-sweet: "Nick, I'm at the Starbucks on Fifth Street. Could you come get me?" June sat in the corner, a bitter taste filling her mouth. In the past, whenever she'd called Nicholas, nine times out of ten, his beta answered instead. And yet here he was, walking through the door in less than twenty minutes-the man who was always "handling pack business." Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, June watched him stride in, his powerful frame moving with predatory grace, his designer jacket doing nothing to hide the raw strength underneath. Their six-year-old son, Kai Blackstone, and four-year-old daughter, Cora Blackstone, spotted Megan and ran over, throwing their arms around her. "Aunt Megan!" Cora squealed, rubbing her cheek against Megan's like a happy puppy. Nicholas set a bakery box on the table, his large hands sliding it toward her. "Your favorite-red velvet cupcakes, low sugar, just how you like them." Megan's eyes lit up. "You always remember the little things." June sat there watching, her nails digging crescents into her palms. After six years of being his mate, Nicholas had never bothered to learn what she liked. In her previous life, when she'd been sick and craving chocolate chip cookies, he'd sent his assistant to grab whatever was available, and it ended up being oatmeal raisin-the one flavor that made her gag. "What sounds good for dinner?" Nicholas asked, his voice that low rumble that used to make her knees weak. "Italian or sushi?" Megan smiled and pulled the dissolution papers from her purse. "Before we decide that, there's something I need you to look at." She flipped to the signature page. "I've been eyeing this penthouse in Manhattan, but I'm a little short on the down payment right now. Could you-" Nicholas took the pen and signed without even reading what it said. "Between us, why make it complicated?" "Aunt Megan's getting a new place?" Kai asked, looking up with bright eyes. "Dad, you should get the one next door! Cora and I want to live with her-we're tired of being stuck with Mom all the time." Nicholas's jaw tightened, but seeing the kids' hopeful faces, he nodded. "Alright, we'll look into it." "No need to go to all that trouble," Megan said quickly. "I'll make sure there are three bedrooms-for Kai, Cora, and you. You can stay over whenever you want." The children cheered, and Cora threw her arms around Megan's neck, planting a kiss on her cheek. "Aunt Megan is the best! Way better than Mom!" June's chest felt like someone had reached in and squeezed her heart with a fist. She caught the slight smile playing at Nicholas's lips-warmth he'd never once shown her. Unable to watch anymore, she grabbed her bag and walked out. The moment she stepped onto the sidewalk, memories from her past life hit her like a truck. In that life, she'd been mated to Nicholas through pack politics, had two pups, and dragged on until she was 62 without a single happy day. All because Nicholas's heart had always belonged to his first love, Megan Silvermoon. After they'd broken up, he'd gone on a three-day drinking bender, but his pride kept him from going after her. Instead, he'd gone through with the arranged mating to June. Nicholas had been her teenage crush-gorgeous as a movie star, the fantasy of every unmated she-wolf in the territory who dreamed of catching the Blackstone Alpha's attention. When she'd heard about the engagement, she thought she'd won the lottery. But after the mating ceremony, no matter how hard she tried to love him, all she got back was coldness and indifference. Then Megan came back from studying abroad in London. He never talked about breaking their bond, but his eyes never left Megan. Even worse, the pups started gravitating toward Megan, pulling away from her completely. In her final years, June had developed early-onset dementia, and Nicholas had her moved to the old family cabin upstate under the excuse of "getting some peace and quiet." On her 62nd birthday, she'd called her mate and pups with shaking hands, only to find out they were all in the Bahamas with Megan. She'd tried to make herself a simple birthday dinner, but her confused mind made her forget about the gas burner... As the flames consumed everything, the last thing June remembered was the cold look in Nicholas's eyes when he'd placed the mating mark on her neck all those years ago. In agony, she'd closed her eyes, wishing that if there was a next life, she'd never waste it on him again. When June got back to the pack house, it was already dark. She didn't even pause to rest. Instead, she went straight to work clearing everything out-Nicholas's clothes, the kids' toys, family photos-shoving it all into boxes. "What the hell are you doing?" Nicholas's voice cut through the silence from behind her. June turned to see him standing in the doorway with the children, his face twisted in annoyance. "Mom, why are you throwing our stuff away?" Cora ran over, her face going red when she saw her stuffed wolf in the donation box. Kai glared at her with pure anger. "We just went to hang out with Aunt Megan for a little while. Is that really worth freaking out over?" Nicholas looked at June like she was some stranger causing trouble in his house. "The kids like spending time with Megan. Is that really something to have a meltdown about?" "I'm not having a meltdown," June said quietly. "Liar!" Cora screamed. "You're just jealous of Aunt Megan! That's why you're throwing away my wolf-you're the worst mom ever!" "When I grow up, I'm moving in with Aunt Megan," Kai snarled, grabbing his sister's hand. "And I'm never coming back to see you again!" Nicholas didn't even try to stop them. He just stood there with that familiar frown, looking at June like she was nothing more than an annoying problem to deal with. "Enough," he said, his voice carrying that natural authority as he straightened his watch. "I've got a conference call with the West Coast packs. Do whatever you want, just keep it down." The door slammed behind him, and June's tears finally came. Her heart felt like it was being ripped apart, every breath burning in her chest. She wiped her eyes and looked around at the mess, then let out a hollow laugh. Fine, she thought. She wouldn't bother him anymore-not for the rest of her life.