He Rejected Marking Ceremony, I Upgraded Mate

He Rejected Marking Ceremony, I Upgraded Mate

The very first thing I decided to do after being reborn was to reject the marking ceremony with my Alpha mate Ethan.

In my previous life, when Ethan tried to postpone our ceremony for the thirty-second time, I threatened him with the sacred laws of the Moon Goddess.

Ethan eventually caved. To pacify my rage, he promised that nothing would interrupt us again.

But that was the night his Omega mistress Ivy died.

From that moment on, Ethan hated me with every fiber of his being. When I told him I was pregnant, he drowned me in the freezing North Sea.

"You and that abomination in your belly deserve to die for her," he spat as he held my head under the water.

I died in despair. But when I opened my eyes, I was back at the altar.

Ethan looked impatient. "Selena, Ivy says her chest hurts.. We need to postpone the mark again."

He expected me to beg. Instead, I unclasped the ceremonial collar and threw it in his face. "Go to her. I quit."

Ethan sneered, "Stop acting. Without my scent, you’ll be back crawling on your knees in a week."

He didn't know that an hour later, I was knocking on the door of his mortal enemy—Damon, the Tyrant of the North.

When I posted a photo of the Winterborn Alpha’s ring on my finger with the caption "Upgrade my mate," Ethan went mad…

The very first thing I decided to do after being reborn was to reject the Marking Ceremony—the same ceremony that had already been delayed thirty-two times.

In my past life, when Ethan tried to postpone our union for the thirty-second time, I finally snapped.

I acted like a raving lunatic. I threatening him with the sacred laws of the Moon Goddess, even threatening to take my own life if he walked away.

Ethan eventually caved. To pacify my rage, he promised that nothing would interrupt us again. He severed his mind links, turned off his phone, and under the gaze of the full moon, he completed the ceremony. It wasn't an act of love; it was an act of vented anger and resignation.

But that was the night Ivy died.

Ivy. The fragile, helpless Omega he had rescued from the battlefield. The kind of girl who looked like she would shatter if you breathed on her too hard.

When she found out we were finally sealing our bond, she had a mental breakdown and ran straight into the dangerous Rogue territory. She called Ethan nineteen times, begging for help.

Because I had forced him to cut off contact, Ethan missed every single call.

By the time our ceremony ended, all we found was Ivy’s cold, lifeless body.

From that moment on, Ethan hated me with every fiber of his being.

On the surface, he remained my Alpha. We maintained a facade of peace for the pack. That is, until the day I told him I was pregnant.

He took me to the freezing waters of the North Sea.

"Selena, go down there and keep her company."

As the bone-chilling water flooded my nose and mouth, I stared in disbelief at the man I had loved my entire life.

He held my head under the water. There was no warmth in his eyes, only the twisted satisfaction of revenge.

"If you hadn't forced that damn mark on me, Ivy wouldn't be dead."

"You, and that abomination in your belly, deserve to pay for her life."

I sank into the dark, suffocating depths, carrying my unborn child and drowning in despair.

And now, I was back.

"Selena, it’s Ivy. She says her chest hurts. It might be a flare-up from her old injuries."

Ethan looked at me, his handsome face marred by a hint of impatience. "I’ll smooth things over with the Elders. The Marking Ceremony... can we push it back one more time?"

Staring at him, I didn't scream. I didn't go hysterical like I did in my past life.

We were standing at the Silver Moon Pack’s altar. Below us stood the entire pack, waiting to witness the union of their Alpha Heir and his future Luna.

Ethan was the future of our pack. I was his childhood sweetheart, the woman the Moon Goddess had explicitly chosen as his Fated Mate.

And yet, just because Ivy had a headache or a phantom pain, he was willing to humiliate me in front of everyone.

In the past, I would have felt wronged. I would have felt furious. Anyone with eyes could see the injustice.

But Ethan didn’t see it.

In his mind, I was strong. I was independent. I was born to be a Luna, so I could take the hit. I could handle the humiliation.

Ivy, on the other hand, was a bottom-tier Omega who wasn't qualified to lead. She was pitiful, weak, and seemingly incapable of surviving without him holding her hand.

Beside us, the officiating Beta couldn't watch anymore. He whispered a warning, "Alpha, the auspicious hour has arrived. If we delay again, we risk the Moon Goddess’s wrath."

Ethan’s brows furrowed deeply, a flash of disgust crossing his eyes.

You see? He was always like this.

Whenever Ivy was involved, all principles, laws, and logic went out the window.

In my last life, this was the exact moment I lost my mind. I blocked his path, I cried, I screamed, and I threw away my dignity to secure the mark that eventually led to my murder.

But this time?

I just wanted to live. I wanted to get as far away as possible from this man who would eventually kill his wife and child.

I watched him anxiously checking his phone, and suddenly, I smiled.

In that moment, my heart was dead ash, but I felt lighter than I had in years.

I nodded. In front of the Elders and the entire gathered pack, I calmly reached up and unclasped the ceremonial collar meant to symbolize our eternal vow.

"Sure, Ethan."

I shoved the collar into his chest. My voice was soft, casual, as if I were commenting on the weather.

"Since she can't live without you, go to her."

"And about the ceremony? You don't need to worry about rescheduling it for today."

"In fact," I said, meeting his eyes, "you never have to worry about it again."