Reborn, I Chose His Uncle

The next week was the Blood Moon, the day I was supposed to form a mate bond with Nyxen Stormborn, the future Alpha of the Eclipse Pack. Instead, I stood before the Pack Elders, slicing my palm to void the contract. In my past life, I had been Nyxen’s ultimate weapon. I used my Pack's strong background to fight his wars, expand his borders, and secure his throne. I took silver blades to the chest for him, believing his whispered promises that I was his ultimate mate. But as I lay dying in the pack hospital from a poisoned rogue blade, he didn’t rush to my side. Through the glass, I saw him holding Aphra—a fragile, scentless Omega orphan my family had sheltered. He looked at my fading body with absolute disgust, muttering to her, "Finally, the obstacle is dying. I can finally give you the Luna title she stole from you." The gods must have heard my dying curse, because the moment my heart stopped, I woke up in the past—one week before the Blood Moon. The very night he organised a whole week bachelor's party and openly romanticized Aphra, humiliating our bond before everyone. “I’m taking you as my mate, Lucy. But my body will always belong to the she-wolf I love. I’ll be spending the night with Aphra tonight. So, I can't pick you up for the party. You come by yourself and better get used to it.” It was only then that I realize Nyxen was reborn too. In our previous life, he had confidently lied that I was the only one in his life. It was because I had loved him like crazy in our previous life that he was so certain I would never leave him, and he dared to confess his love for Aphra so openly. "Are you certain of this, Catherine?" the High Elder asked, his voice shaking as he looked at the mate arrangement I had selected from the sacred parchment. "I am certain," I said, my voice cutting through the stone chamber like ice. "Bind me with the rogue prince, Alieus Stormborn instead.” Chapter 1 The bass from the Eclipse Pack’s grand ballroom vibrated straight through the soles of my boots, but inside my chest, there was only a freezing, hollow silence. One week. I had exactly one week until the Blood Moon. In my past life, this was the night I had dressed in crimson satin, waiting like a naive fool for Nyxen to pick me up. Instead, he had left me behind, showing up to his own pre-mating bachelor gala with Aphra on his arm. I had swallowed the humiliation back then, putting on a brave face to defend his honor, convinced by his whispered lies that it was "just politics" and that I was the only she-wolf who truly held his heart. What a joke. I pushed open the heavy oak doors of the ballroom, stepping into the lion's den. The party was in full swing. Alcohol flowed, wolves danced, and right at the center of the VIP lounge sat Nyxen Stormborn. And draped across his lap, looking small and fragile in a pale white dress, was Aphra. Nyxen’s hand was wrapped possessively around her waist. He was whispering something into her ear, making her blush and giggle, completely ignoring the fact that his betrothed—the woman he was supposed to bind his soul to in seven days—had just walked into the room alone. "Look who finally decided to show up," Jaxon, one of Nyxen’s closest enforcers, sneered loudly enough for the surrounding tables to hear. "The fierce warrior princess. Careful, Nyxen, she looks like she's about to challenge Aphra to a duel." A ripple of mocking laughter broke out among the inner circle. Aphra shrank back into Nyxen’s chest, her eyes wide and watery, playing the part of the defenseless victim to perfection. "Nyxen... maybe I should leave. I don't want Lucy to be angry with me. I'm just a scentless Omega; I don't want to cause trouble..." "Stay right where you are," Nyxen said, his voice laced with Alpha authority. He didn't even stand up to greet me. Instead, he looked up, his dark eyes meeting mine with a mixture of cold disdain and absolute certainty. "Don't worry about her, Aphra," Nyxen said smoothly, loud enough for the gathering crowd to hear. "Lucy knows her place. She understands that I’m forming our mate bond for the sake of our Pack's alliance; my heart belongs to you. She’s mature enough not to throw a tantrum." He expected me to flinch. He expected me to argue, to demand respect. Instead, I just walked over to the bar, picked up a glass of champagne, and took a slow sip. "You don't need to worry, Aphra," I said, my voice remarkably calm, cutting through the ambient noise of the party. "I'm not angry. In fact, I couldn't care less." The laughter at the table died down a little. Jaxon scoffed, crossing his arms. "Oh, come on, Lucy. Save the tough-girl act. You walked in here alone while your future mate is openly holding another woman. You're practically radiating fury." "I'm really not," I replied, turning my gaze directly to Nyxen. The future Alpha was frowning now, clearly displeased by my lack of tears. I gave him a small, cold smile. "I'm not hurt because I have no intention of mating with him. The Blood Moon won't be binding us." A heavy silence dropped over the immediate area, followed quickly by a wave of hushed whispers. Nyxen’s grip on Aphra’s waist tightened so hard she gasped. His eyes narrowed, a flash of irritation crossing his face before it was replaced by a smug, knowing smirk. He stood up, gently putting Aphra aside, and took a step toward me. "That's enough, Lucy," Nyxen said, his voice dripping with fire. He thought I was throwing a tantrum. He thought this was my desperate attempt to get his attention. "I know you're upset that I didn't pick you up tonight. I know it hurts your pride to see me with the woman I truly love. But playing these childish games and threatening to break a sacred Pack contract? It’s beneath you." Chapter 2 "She’s just trying to save face," one of the she-wolves in the circle whispered loudly. "As if she'd ever give up the chance to be the Luna of the Eclipse Pack." "Exactly," Jaxon chimed in, laughing. "We all know you’ve been trailing after Nyxen since we were kids, Lucy. You'd swallow broken glass before you let another woman have him. Nice try on the reverse psychology, though." Nyxen took another step closer, leaning in so only I could hear him, his breath hot against my ear. "You think your pathetic act would earn my attention?" he whispered, his tone venomous. "You love me so much that you can even die for me, Lucy. You're incapable of walking away from me. Stop embarrassing yourself, accept that Aphra will be by my side, and perform your duties." He pulled back, offering me a patronizing hand, waiting for me to take it and prove to the room that he had me tamed. He wasn't wrong, though. In my previous life, I had believed all his pathetic lies; no one would just because he would offer me some comforting words and had been gentle to me ever since we mated. I believed it was our mate bond that had changed his heart and he could finally see my efforts. It was only when I was looking for a new villa on a hillside to secure a place for our old age that I witnessed him making a snowman with a little wolf who called him ‘Daddy’. Not long after, a familiar figure appeared, wrapping her hands around his waist as she whispered, “Hubby, I’m cold.” It was Aphra. He kissed her passionately and said, “Go inside. After distracting our pup, I’m coming to warm you, sweetheart.” That was when I realised Nyxen had never changed his heart. In his heart, it had always been Aphra. Ten years of my devotion meant nothing to him. He had built his own family, and I was just a puppet to show the world. That was why he never agreed to have kids with me. I was never meant to be. That memory—was the last thing that clawed through my mind as I lay dying in the hospital, the poisoned blade I had taken for him still burning in my chest, while he and Aphra stood by, waiting excitedly for my death. I looked at his outstretched hand, then looked up into his arrogant, reborn eyes. I didn't take it. Instead, I raised my glass to him in a mocking toast. "Believe what you want," I said softly, the ice in my voice sending a visible shiver down the spines of the wolves closest to me. I walked to the corner of the hall and sat alone while he openly flirted with Aphra, kissing and caressing her thighs. But watching me so relaxed and completely unaffected by the affection he was showing Aphra, he groaned in frustration. Unable to bear it, he wrapped Aphra in his arms and walked up to me. “Lucy. Aphra and I are going to the southern cottage… to enjoy the night. You come with us. Now.” My hands pause. The southern cottage was a secluded, luxurious guest lodge on the edge of the pack lands, built only for the Alpha couples of the pack. “Why?” I replied coldly.If you need security, call the enforcers.” A low, arrogant chuckle vibrated through his lips. “I don’t need security. I need the Lunar Lily extract from your family’s private greenhouse. Bring the scent-suppressing oil version. Bring it right now.” The breath caught in my throat, a familiar, agonizing ache flaring up in my chest before I ruthlessly crushed it. The Lunar Lily extract. It was a rare, highly guarded herb that my family cultivated. When refined into an oil. It had many benefits. Two of them were that, when applying to she- wolf’s private part, it acted as a powerful fertility block and comfort, ensuring a male wolf could spend the night with a female without any accidental shifting or hurting her. In my previous life, he never used that oil on me. Once when I was sick, and his wolf was unstable, I requested him to let me apply on me. But he refused coldly, saying he liked it rough. But now with Aphra, he chose her comfort over everything. And the audacity… he was asking his betrothed—to act as his personal courier so he could safely spend the night with another she-wolf. Chapter 3 I shouldn't be so surprised, though. I had encouraged him by delivering anything he demanded within seconds, no matter how many miles I had to run just to get his errands done. He had once asked me to deliver sanitary pads to the luxurious motel once. I walked over to the medical cabinet, pulling out a small, velvet-lined box containing the soft pads. Twenty minutes later, I arrived at the location. The lights inside were dimmed to a soft, warm amber. Through the sheer curtains, I could see two shadows. Nyxen was sitting on the edge of the bed, his shirt unbuttoned, while Aphra sat close to him, her head resting against his shoulder. I walked inside. Aphra gasped, instantly pulling the silk sheets up to her chin, her eyes darting to me in manufactured terror. "Lucy! I—we didn't mean to trouble you. It was an accident—" "Quiet, Aphra," Nyxen said gently, rubbing her arm before turning his gaze to me. He didn't look a bit guilty. In fact, his eyes gleamed with a dark, twisted satisfaction. He loved this. He loved seeing the fierce, unbreakable warrior princess brought low, serving his desires. He extended a hand, tilting his head arrogantly. "You brought it. Good. Put it on Aphra's panty and leave.” Jaxon’s words pulled me back from the memories of past as he joked, “You are literally asking your mate to deliver lubricant for you having sex with your lover, Nyxen aren't you being too harsh on Lucy? What if she complains?” “She would better not!” Nyxen added, his eyes darkening as he added, “If she really wants me to show up on the Blood Moon and not leave her humiliated before the guests.” “Come on, what are you thinking, Lucy?” One of his female friend chuckled, “You would not want Nyxen to have unprotected sex with Aphra, do you? If she gets pregnant, it would be even more difficult for you to win Nyxen’s heart back.” They laughed while making fun of me. But I remained quiet for the time enough to drive Nyxen crazy as he groaned, “Have you not listened to me, Lucy? Go get me the oil.” “Ask your own omegas to fetch it,” I replied, my voice flat. “The omegas talk, and the elders are already watching me,” Nyxen’s voice dropped, laced with that smug, possessive certainty he always carried. “You’re my future Luna, Lucy. No one questions what you carry across the pack grounds. Besides, you know exactly how to handle the extract without spoiling it. Don't keep me waiting. Aphra is cold.” "Cold?" I asked, my voice carrying a sharp, echoing clarity that cut right through the remnants of their laughter. "Then perhaps you should have thought twice before stripping down for someone else's mate in the middle of winter, Aphra. Or does the heat of your desperation usually keep you warm?" Aphra flinched as if struck. Her bottom lip trembled, and within seconds, beautiful, heavy tears began to roll down her flushed cheeks. "Lucy... how can you say that?" she sobbed, burying her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking violently. "I didn't... Nyxen, tell her! I didn't mean to—" "Lucy! Shut your mouth!" Nyxen roared, his face contorting into a mask of pure fury. The smug, arrogant satisfaction he had been wearing moments ago vanished, replaced by a violent rage at seeing his precious, fragile lover reduced to tears. Losing the last vestige of his control, Nyxen raised his hand, his palm cutting through the air, aimed squarely at my face. I braced myself, refusing to close my eyes. But the strike never landed. A hand caught Nyxen’s wrist mid-air. "I suggest you lower your hand, nephew," a deep, velvety voice purred, laced with a terrifying undercurrent of absolute authority. "Unless you want me to snap it off." Nyxen gasped, his face draining of color as he looked at the man who had effortlessly blocked him. "U-Uncle..." Alieus Stormborn, Nyxen's uncle, a man I chose to mate with. He was the only man Nyxen was afraid of. Alieus didn't look at Nyxen. His piercing, midnight-blue eyes were fixed entirely on me, scanning my face for any signs of harm. Satisfied that I was untouched, he let go of Nyxen's wrist with a dismissive flick. "Come, Lucy," Alieus said softly, his voice a stark contrast to the ice he had just spit at his nephew. "You don't belong in the mud with dogs. I’ll drop you at home.” As Alieus led me out, Nyxen and his friends only watched me, stunned. Alieus’s reputation had been formidable in the pack. It was highly unusual for him to remember any she-wolf’s name, let alone give her a lift in his car. Even in my previous life, I had never had any conversation with him. It was only one night that I stood outside Nyxen’s office waiting, soaked wet in rain, to surprise him for our anniversary. Outside because he never allowed me inside his workplace. The outcome was that I ended up in the pack’s infirmary while the healers talked behind my back that he was busy training Aphra the entire night in his office. Even the next day, when he came to hear about me, he simply left me a message through our mind link that he had some important meeting and was unable to pick me up. No apologies for hanging me the entire night. No apologies for forgetting our anniversary. Just a mechanical update of his work. That day, it was Alieus who surprisingly came to pick me up from the Pack's infirmary. He also had a bouquet of lavender in his hand. When he dropped me at my home, he pushed the bouquet into my hands and said, “I wish I could say ‘Happy’ mating anniversary to you.” Chapter 4 One question that had been bothering me was whether he knew we were going to bind our souls on Blood Moon. But before I could ask it, he said it himself. “Tomorrow our parents will finalize the arrangements for our mating ceremony. Are you… okay with it?” A genuine smile appeared on my lips as I said, “More than just okay, I’m happy.” *** Later that night, Aphra connected me through a mind link and let me hear the voices of their absurd groans. She said, “Since you didn't deliver the lubricant, Nyxen said he didn't care if I get pregnant with his child; he will take care of me and my baby.” “From this night on, I’m moving to Nyxen's pack, Lucy. Tell your parents to erase my name from their pack’s register. I belong to Nyxen now.” I only smirked at her. The little show she was letting me watch– only to feel jealous of her? We will see who is going to have the last laugh when she finds out the man she is so proud of is only an adopted child while the man I’m going to mate with is the true heir. *** The morning sun did little to thaw the icy tension that had settled deep in my bones. Walking across the pack grounds the next day, the whispers followed me like a physical weight. The sight of Alieus Stormborn—the pack’s most formidable, untouchable warrior—escorting me away from Nyxen’s little circus had sent shockwaves through the hierarchy. I kept my chin high, my steps deliberate. In my past life, these whispers would have broken me. Today, they were just background noise. Until a shadow blocked my path. Nyxen stood near the training grounds, flanked by Jaxon and a few of his usual sycophants. The smug arrogance he usually wore was absent, replaced by a tense, sour expression. "Look who it is," Jaxon chuckled, though his voice lacked its usual confidence as his eyes darted around, as if expecting Alieus to materialize from the trees. "The future Luna herself. Tell us, Lucy, did the Alpha's uncle give you a comfortable ride home last night? He seemed very concerned about your safety." "Shut up, Jaxon," Nyxen snapped, his jaw clenching so hard I heard the bone click. "Come on, Nyxen, we're just stating the obvious," one of the other fighters chimed in, smirk widening. "Alieus doesn't even remember the names of the high-ranking elders, yet he knew exactly who Lucy was. He practically threatened to dismember you for her. Are you sure your uncle isn't trying to claim what's yours?" "I said, shut up!" Nyxen roared. The power of his Alpha-blood rippled through the air, forcing his friends to instantly drop their heads, their smiles vanishing. Nyxen turned his furious, dark gaze onto me. He took a heavy step forward, invading my space, his chest heaving with a mixture of wounded pride and possessive rage. "What the hell is going on between you and my uncle, Lucy?" he demanded, his voice dropping to a harsh, venomous whisper. "Why is he playing your knight in shining armor? You think you're clever, trying to use him to make me jealous?" I looked at him, completely unmoved by the storm brewing in his eyes. "I don't need to use anyone, Nyxen. Your uncle simply possesses something you severely lack: basic manners." My calm response only fanned the flames. Nyxen grabbed my upper arm, his grip tightening into a bruising hold. "Listen to me carefully," he hissed, his face inches from mine, his scent turning sharp and aggressive. "You are my destined mate. You belong to me, and you will represent this pack as my Luna. If you think you can use my family name to humiliate me, you are dead wrong. I will not accept a she-wolf who is fooling around with other men—especially not under my own roof. If I catch you so much as looking at Alieus again, I will reject you so fast the entire pack will watch you crawl away in shame. Do you understand me?" I looked down at his hand on my arm, then looked back up into his enraged eyes. A cold, sharp smile touched my lips—a smile that visibly caught him off guard. "Then I suggest you start drafting the words for your rejection, Nyxen," I said softly, my voice laced with a terrifying calm. "Because you are vastly underestimating how little I care about what you accept.” Chapter 5 Nyxen’s face contorted with rage, his grip tightening on my arm until it bruised. "You should know your limits!" Aphra suddenly stepped out from behind the training shed, letting out a soft, mocking sigh as she placed a comforting hand on Nyxen’s tense forearm. "Lucy just wants your attention, Nyxen. Stop wasting your energy on her," she purred, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction. Then, she pulled out her phone and held it up for the surrounding pack members to see. "Look, everyone. This is the new training obstacle I built for my tracking pup. Isn't it clever?" I narrowed my eyes at the screen. The smooth, obsidian stone base and the intricate silver-runed binding leather used to secure the hurdles looked texturally and elementally unique. "Where did you get the leather and the runed stone for that?" I asked, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "Oh, I found an old crate of ceremonial binding regalia in Nyxen’s pack-house quarters," Aphra replied smugly, tilting her chin up. "I thought the materials looked sturdy, so I dismantled them to reinforce my pup's agility course." I tightened my fists until my knuckles turned white. Those weren't just random materials—that was the sacred Moon-Blessed Harness, hand-carved and blessed by my mother and the pack elders to connect a true Alpha pair's life forces during the Blood Moon ritual. In my previous life, Aphra had "accidentally" dropped the harness into a silver-acid vat on the morning of the ceremony. Left with no choice, I had to use a common, painful iron chain provided by the pack house at the last minute. The physical and emotional scars had lingered for years. After I was reborn, I changed my destiny as I had intended, but my family's sacred heirloom was still targeted. To make matters worse, they had turned a priceless pack treasure into a playground toy for a pet. I turned my freezing gaze to Nyxen. "That ritual harness was supposed to be safely stored under a locking ward in the Alpha vault. Why did you take it out and hand it over to Aphra?" Nyxen looked completely unfazed, his expression dripping with arrogance. "We're finalizing the union arrangements today anyway. Who cares about a few old ceremonial straps? So what if I gave them to Aphra? She needed durable materials for her training, so I let her have them." I stared at the butchered remains of my family's legacy on the screen. The sheer shamelessness of the future Alpha line was staggering. "That harness was forged with consecrated midnight silver, and blessed with hundreds of fasting priests," I said coldly. "Since the two of you destroyed it, you will compensate for my pack’s sacred loss by fasting for a whole week." Nyxen slammed his fist against a wooden training dummy, the wood cracking under his strength as he snarled. "Are you done, Lucy? If you keep behaving in such an unreasonable, paranoid manner, I'll call off the entire Blood Moon alliance!" he roared. I finally lost the last shred of my patience. "I already told you," I said flatly, stepping out of his space. "You're not the person I'm binding my soul to. What alliance are you even canceling?" Nyxen didn't believe a single word. Instead, a mocking laugh erupted from his chest. "You were talking big a second ago, but the mere mention of calling off the union scared you into making up wild stories, didn't it?" he sneered. "A hundred fasting priests? Fine. I'll have a thousand slaves to fast for the blessings. Are you happy now?" He stepped closer to Aphra, adding, "Now, apologize to Aphra. You've been rude toward her since yesterday. Look at how shaken she is. Apologize, and I'll consider forgiving your disrespect." He was utterly convinced that I would do anything to secure my place by his side, believing I would always bow to his demands just to retain the title of future Luna. Beside him, Jaxon and the other sycophants couldn't help but mock me too. "You're such a bitter, controlling mate, Lucy, and the ritual hasn't even happened yet! At this rate, you'll lose your mind when Nyxen grants Aphra high-ranking status in the pack right in front of you!" Amid the cruel laughter and teasing, Nyxen proudly took Aphra’s hand, staring down at me with absolute authority. "I don't care if she's jealous. As the future Alpha, I won't let anyone bully Aphra!" He continued, "Lucy, if you still want to hold the Luna title next to me, you will beg Aphra for forgiveness right now and prove you're sorry. You've crossed a line, do you understand?" Aphra lifted her chin triumphantly, already acting as if she ruled the pack grounds. I fell silent, stunned not by hurt, but by the sheer, staggering depth of their stupidity. Everyone stood around eagerly waiting for me to break down and embarrass myself. But right at that moment, heavy, commanding footsteps echoed from the path. Alieus Stormborn appeared, flanked by his Alpha brother and my parents. "What is going on here?" Alieus’s deep, baritone voice cut through the courtyard like a blade, instantly silencing the crowd. All eyes turned toward the powerful warrior. "Oh, it's nothing, Uncle," Nyxen said quickly, his dominant posture instantly deflating as he let go of Aphra's hand. "Greetings, Alpha. Hello, Uncle and Aunt." Then he added awkwardly, gesturing to the she-wolf beside him, "This is Aphra. She's just a friend of Lucy and me." My parents gave Aphra a brief, dismissive nod before the elders walked toward the pavilion table to sit. My mother flashed me a gentle, loving smile. "Did you inspect the ceremonial binding harness I prepared for you, Lucy? I wanted it to be perfect for the Blood Moon alignment." Before I could even open my mouth to speak, Nyxen cut in smoothly, "Lucy and I aren't really concerned with outdated traditional relics, Luna Stacy. There's no need for you to go through the trouble of worrying about custom artifacts." Both of my parents froze, shooting Nyxen an incredibly bizarre, questioning look. Standing tall beside me, Alieus's eyes narrowed, his aura flaring slightly as he spoke softly, "Lucy is only binding her soul once. It is entirely right that her family ensures the sacred artifacts for her union are flawless." Feeling his pride pricked, Nyxen frowned deeply at his uncle. "It's one thing for you to meddle in pack training, Uncle Alieus. I can't believe you're overstepping into my mate's ceremonial decisions, too. Don't you think you're crossing a line?" "Shut your mouth, Nyxen!" His father, Alpha Edward, slammed his hand onto the stone table, the shockwave causing the surrounding warriors to flinch. He glared at his adopted son with utter fury. "Your uncle Alieus is the mate she chose to bind her soul to tomorrow. Why are you inserting yourself into their mating ceremony?”