My Alpha Husband Rejected Me, So I Returned as a Warrior

In my past life, I spent nearly ten years by Alpha Edward’s side, living in what I thought was perfect harmony. But when I turned twenty-eight, he suddenly confessed that he had fallen for a witch who came to our pack to sell herbs. I thought it was just a passing infatuation, so I stubbornly refused to accept his rejection. Unable to take my place, that woman left the pack. Not long after, news came that she had married someone else. On the day she left, Edward was so distracted that he made a fatal error during a border patrol. It left a gap in our pack's defenses, allowing a rival pack to launch a surprise attack. As the Luna, I did everything to calm the pack members and organize medical aid for the wounded. Yet, he blamed the entire defeat on me. Eventually, he found the perfect excuse to publicly reject me in front of the entire pack. Stripped of my Luna title, I was exiled from the territory. I tried to contact David, but Edward had blocked all my lines of communication. A lone rogue female couldn't survive long in the wild. I died on a freezing winter night. No one knew, and no one came to bury my body. When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the exact day Edward made his confession. I started setting up the grill in the backyard at six in the morning. I marinated the meat, tossed the salad, shucked the corn, and mixed the sauces. For the entire day, I was trapped running back and forth between the yard and the kitchen. Who would have thought I was once one of the strongest young warriors in the pack? Edward had headed to the Pack House early in the morning, claiming he had an important meeting to attend. So, I spent the whole day working alone. My son, William, was the first to return. The moment he walked in, he ran straight to Edward—who had just gotten home—and excitedly pulled a drawing out of his backpack. "Dad, look! I drew this in art class. The teacher said it was the best one!" Aside from basic werewolf lore and combat training, the pack school also offered some recreational classes. It seemed today’s class was art. I glanced over and saw three people in the drawing—William, Edward, and the blurry silhouette of a woman. Edward patted his head. "Nice job, son. You're getting better." My daughter, Sophia, walked in behind him, holding a lollipop. She ran over and squeezed herself onto Edward's lap, saying in her sweet little voice, "Dad, I want that barbecue you made last time." I stood by the kitchen door, watching them. In this warm, picture-perfect family scene, I was the only outsider. Soon, the meat sizzled on the grill, and dinner was served. William was the first to raise his glass. "Dad, a toast to you! The tips you gave me for the game worked. I beat Tom!" Sophia raised hers, too. "Dad is the best!" After emptying her cup, Sophia took a bite of a grilled chicken wing and frowned. "Mom, this chicken is too dry." They seemed to have completely forgotten that they were supposed to be celebrating my birthday tonight. After dinner, while the kids watched TV in the living room, Edward called me out to the backyard. He was silent for a long moment before speaking. "Claire, there’s... something I need to tell you." "I’ve fallen in love with someone else." I squeezed the beer can in my hand so hard it nearly crumpled. "It’s Rachel," he added. "The witch who sells herbs to the pack. We’ve been seeing each other for a while now. I want to... make things official with her." I stared at him, keeping silent. After what felt like an eternity, I found my voice. "Do the kids know?" "Not yet." He avoided my eyes. "But I want to get this sorted out as soon as possible." I clenched my fingers around the fork in my hand. Before I could say anything, William wandered out and asked curiously, "Dad, who are you talking about?" "It's Rachel!" Sophia chimed in, running up behind him. "She took me to the amusement park last time and bought me balloons!" "Whoa, Rachel is that nice?" William's eyes lit up. Sophia clapped her hands. "Rachel said she’s going to be our new mom!" The three of them virtually toasted to each other. I just stood there with my head down, feeling like a complete stranger in my own home. "Mom, don't be like that. Rachel is really sweet," William said. "Yeah, Dad found someone he loves. Shouldn't you be happy for him?" Sophia added. Their eyes were filled with judgment, looking at me as if I were being unreasonable. I looked down at the cold barbecue on the table and let out a self-deprecating laugh. Then, I looked up and spoke calmly. "Fine. I agree."The backyard suddenly fell dead silent. Edward clearly didn't expect me to agree so easily. He couldn't hide the excitement in his voice. "Claire, are you serious?" I looked at him, letting my silence be his answer. My calmness actually made the three of them look a bit flustered. Edward opened his mouth to say something, but in the end, he just nodded. He could tell I didn't want a single thing from him. This house was mine before we even got married. I would renounce all of our marital assets except for half of the savings. I had my own nest egg anyway, so I wouldn't struggle to survive. But mostly, I just didn't want to waste another second on him. Edward took a deep breath. In front of the kids, he officially declared the rejection. The moment the words left his mouth, I felt something snap violently in my chest. A sharp, agonizing pain shot from my heart to my limbs, as if a part of my soul was being ripped out. It was the excruciating pain of a breaking mate bond. Edward’s face turned pale for a second. He had clearly felt it too. But he quickly recovered, looking as if a massive weight had been lifted off his shoulders. William looked at us with curiosity, not fully understanding what was happening. "Dad, is Mom leaving?" he whispered. Sophia tugged at Edward’s shirt. "I don't want Mom to leave. I want her to tuck me in and read me bedtime stories..." Edward knelt down and spoke to her gently. "Rachel will read you stories from now on, okay?" Sophia thought about it for a second, then nodded. "Okay, then." I watched the scene, my face entirely expressionless. "It’s getting dark. You all should leave." I said "you all." Meaning all three of them. William's hand, which was reaching for a piece of meat, froze in mid-air. Sophia's smile instantly vanished. After they left, I pulled out a bottle of premium whiskey that Edward had been hoarding. I poured myself a glass and drank it down, ignoring the table full of leftovers. I didn't feel like cleaning up, so I just left the mess. I went to bed. Without the sound of someone tossing and turning beside me, and without anyone waking up in the middle of the night, I slept more peacefully than I had in years. The next morning, I slept in until I woke up naturally. I changed into activewear and went for a run along the countryside road. When I returned, I took my time tidying up. I toasted two slices of bread, fried two eggs, and brewed a cup of black coffee. In my past life, after being rejected, I lost my status, got kicked out of the pack territory, and became a rogue. I had to hide in the wilderness, unable to even get a hot meal. Before I could even nurse my wounds, I had to run from other packs and dodge rogue hunters. It was an endless, grueling nightmare. I hadn't enjoyed a peaceful, carefree morning like this in a very long time. I opened the closet and packed all of Edward’s things into boxes. Once I finished, the closet held only a few worn-out, outdated clothes of my own. In my past life, Edward had once told me: "Claire, as the Alpha, I have to set an example for the pack. We must live a humble, simple life." Because of that, I wore the same coat for eight years and the same pair of jeans for six. Yet, when he got engaged to Rachel, he bought her a diamond necklace without even blinking. After shipping out his boxes at the post office, I headed straight to the town's shopping mall. For the rest of my life, I refused to neglect myself ever again. I didn't expect to run into Rachel there, with William and Sophia tagging along beside her. When they saw me, their smiles stiffened, and they looked incredibly awkward. It was Rachel who spoke first. "Claire, long time no see! Are you out shopping too?" "Oh, look at these two kids. I told them they didn't have to come, but they insisted on tagging along." "Will spent quite a bit of money on me today." I looked at the bags in William's hands. They were all from Rachel's favorite high-end brands. Thinking about the cold barbecue from last night, I felt nothing but pure irony. Rachel walked over and snatched the dress I was looking at right out of my hands. "Oh, this color would look so good on me! How much is it? I’ll take it!" "I saw it first," I said, holding back my anger. "Mom, Rachel looks way better in that dress anyway!" William chimed in immediately. "Yeah, Mom. Don't try to steal it from Rachel," Sophia echoed. Rachel pretended to play peacemaker. "Don't be like that, kids. Everyone has their own style. But Claire, honestly, I just don't think this dress suits you. Clerk, can you wrap this up for me?" "Wait," I called out. I could let her have my mate. I could even abandon my children. But this dress represented my rebirth and transformation. For some reason, I refused to back down. But just as I was about to pay, Sophia suddenly ran over and shoved me hard. I lost my balance and crashed right into a clothing rack behind me. An old back injury flared up, sending a wave of agonizing pain through my spine. William took the opportunity to quickly pay for the dress. He turned around and saw me lying on the floor. A brief flash of hesitation crossed his eyes, but he still said coldly: "Mom, why do you have to pick a fight with her? It's just a dress." With that, the three of them turned and walked away, shielding Rachel. Eventually, the sales clerk helped me up and asked with concern if I needed to go to the hospital. I shook my head, bracing my lower back as I slowly stood up. My werewolf healing factor was already kicking in, and I could feel the injury beginning to mend, though it would take some time and a high-protein meal. "I'm fine. I just need to go home and rest." The clerk still looked worried, but I insisted and walked out of the store.As I walked out of the mall, I spotted the three of them waiting for an Uber. When they saw me approaching, William and Sophia instantly stepped in front of Rachel to shield her. I ignored them and walked to the curb to hail my own ride. But Rachel smiled and called out, "Claire, do you want a ride? Will ordered an XL." "No, thank you." "Don't be polite..." Rachel stepped closer, lowering her voice. "Did you know? Your kids have already started calling me Mom." "You are so pathetic. You couldn't keep your mate, and your own kids despise you. If I were you, I’d be too ashamed to stay alive." Looking at her young, smug face, I couldn't stop myself from raising my hand. Years ago, when she first came to the pack to sell herbs, I pitied her for being homeless. I used to invite her to dinner, gave her money, and helped her get customers. I never expected her to bite the hand that fed her. And now, she had the nerve to brag right in my face. Before my hand could land, William grabbed my wrist. His grip was so tight it felt like he was going to crush my bones. "Don't you dare touch Rachel!" "William, do you have any idea what she just said to me?" I straightened my back and stared directly into his eyes. "She said you two already call her Mom, and she called me a pathetic loser!" William froze. A flicker of guilt crossed his face, but he quickly hardened his expression. "Rachel treats us great! She takes us to the amusement park and buys us gifts. What do you do? All you ever do is nag us about homework!" Even though I was completely done with them, hearing my own son say those words still felt like a punch to the gut. Just then, an out-of-control semi-truck came hurtling toward the sidewalk. In that split second, driven by pure maternal instinct, I reached out to push William out of harm's way. But instead, he and his sister threw themselves over Rachel to protect her. They even shoved me out of the way, throwing me straight into the road because they thought I was blocking them. As I crashed onto the asphalt, I heard their panicked screams: "Mom—!" ... As my consciousness faded, old memories began to flash before my eyes. Shortly after I gave birth, Edward used "pack duties" as an excuse to live at the Pack House almost full-time. Back then, he was just a young, inexperienced Alpha who had newly taken over the pack. To secure his position, he was never home. When he did return, it was only to sleep before running off again. At that time, I was still an active warrior in my prime, with a promising career ahead of me. But because Edward needed a stable home front, I chose to step down, focus on raising our kids, and support him as his Luna. I thought it was my duty. I thought it was my choice. Only later did I realize that once you make certain sacrifices, there is no turning back. When William was little, he got into a nasty fight at school and almost blinded another kid. The other family was furious and demanded severe punishment. I had to step in as Luna, using all my connections and resources to smooth things over. But once word got out, pack members started whispering that I was a terrible mother who enabled her children's bad behavior. Even Edward blamed me, claiming I had embarrassed him. When Sophia was young, she was scratched by a rival werewolf’s poisoned claws during a border skirmish. The toxin resisted werewolf healing and slowly corroded the host's veins. When Edward heard the treatment required immense effort, he turned his back, saying it wasn't worth it for a girl. Without hesitation, I went to the pack elders and performed a blood sacrifice ritual, transferring half of the poison from Sophia's body into my own. The toxin had lingered in my body for years, flaring up every full moon, which was why my back injury never fully healed. When they were small, both kids clung to me. But somewhere along the way, they slowly began to favor Edward. Though it broke my heart, I never blamed them. Until one day, I accidentally overheard them talking to Edward. "Dad, you've worked so hard. If I had to put up with her for all these years, I would have lost my mind," William had said. "Dad, you deserve someone better. If you want to reject her, Sophia and I have your back," he continued. "But before you reject her, make sure you have a plan. Who's going to run the house? At least she keeps the place clean for now." At that moment, my hands went ice-cold, and a shiver ran down my spine. It turned out that to the children I sacrificed everything to raise, I was nothing more than a free maid.When I woke up, I was in a guest room in the Ridge Pack territory. My injuries had already been treated by the pack healers. Werewolves heal fast, but broken ribs still take time to mend. A female warrior walked in carrying a glass of water. Seeing me awake, she let out a sigh of relief. "Your brother brought you here. I have to say, your kids are something else. Their biological mother was dying, yet they demanded the doctor treat that young witch first. And all she had was a tiny scratch." "Honestly, if those were my kids, I would have disowned them a long time ago." I gave her a weak smile. "It's fine. You're right." She blinked, clearly surprised by my reaction. Sometimes, outsiders see things much more clearly. A week later, I was able to get out of bed and walk around. Werewolf recovery speed really was a blessing. As I was figuring out my next steps, my phone rang. It was William. His voice was dripping with annoyance. "Mom, Lily said you haven't come to pick me up all week." "Lily's house is in chaos right now, and you're just out here enjoying yourself. Aren't you embarrassed?" "I'm giving you two hours. If you're not back by then, you'll regret it!" With that, he hung up on me. Then, a text from Sophia popped up: [Mom, how long are you going to slack off? My room is a total pigsty! Come back and clean it up right now. Also, I want mushroom soup!] Standing by the window and looking out at the vast territory of the Ridge Pack, I hesitated for a moment before dialing a number. The call connected instantly, and a deep, slightly emotional voice answered: "Claire, I've been waiting for this call for so long." My eyes welled with tears. "David, I’ve made up my mind. Come pick me up." "Okay. Send me your location." A few minutes later, a pickup truck pulled up outside my guest room. The driver got out and opened the door for me. Sitting in the passenger seat was a face both familiar and dear. Looking at him, my voice cracked. "David..." "It's okay now." He patted my hand, his voice low and firm. "Since you’ve made your decision, you can't go soft on them ever again." I nodded. "I won't." Never again.