After My Rebirth, I Gave My Mate to My Stepsister

The familiar scent of vanilla and cinnamon hit me as I stepped through the front door of the Wren family townhouse. Home. Or at least, what had passed for home in my previous life. The warm lighting from the crystal chandelier cast everything in a golden glow, but the scene unfolding in the living room made my stomach clench with recognition.

"Axel, you actually left my sister to come keep me company," Maren's voice drifted from the plush cream sofa, sweet and melodic with just the right hint of guilt. "Won't she be angry?"

I froze in the entryway, my hand still on the brass doorknob. Through the archway, I could see them—Axel perched on the edge of the coffee table, leaning toward Maren who was curled up on the sofa like a delicate flower. She wore one of those oversized sweaters that made her look impossibly small and vulnerable, her honey-blonde hair falling in soft waves around her face.

"I can spend time with her anytime," Axel replied, his voice carrying that gentle tone he reserved only for her. "But when your cramps are this severe, how could I leave you alone?"

The words were a knife between my ribs. In my previous life, I'd heard this exact conversation through the thin walls of our bedroom while I waited in that silk nightgown, counting the hours until he'd remember he had a wife.

Maren's laugh tinkled like wind chimes. "But after you marry my sister, will you still treat me this well?"

"Of course." Axel's response came without hesitation. "If your sister ever treats you poorly, I'll divorce her."

The casual way he said it—as if our marriage was nothing more than a contract he could tear up on a whim—sent ice through my veins. I pressed my back against the door, memories flooding back like a dam bursting.

We'd been eight and ten when the Wren family took us in, two orphaned wolf pups whose parents had died defending the pack borders. I remembered that first night, how Maren had crawled into Cordelia Wren's lap during dinner, tears streaming down her cherubic face as she whispered about missing our mama. Within a week, she'd become the family's little princess.

I'd tried a different approach—helping with chores, studying hard, being the responsible older sister. But responsibility, I'd learned, was far less charming than helplessness.

By the time we were teenagers, Cordelia had made her preferences crystal clear. "Maren would make such a lovely Luna," she'd sigh while watching Maren practice piano. "She has such a gentle spirit. Perfect for supporting an Alpha."

But Maren had been cleverer than any of us realized. When Axel finally worked up the courage to confess his feelings—to her, not me—she'd given him that sad, wistful smile and said, "I could never compete with my sister for your affections. She's loved you for so long."

The perfect deflection. She'd made Axel choose me while keeping herself positioned as the noble, selfless sister who'd stepped aside for love. What none of us understood then was that she was simply waiting. Axel was just a warrior's son at the time—promising, but not the Alpha heir she'd eventually set her sights on.

"Ivy?" Axel's voice snapped me back to the present. He was standing now, concern creasing his brow. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Just got in." I forced my voice to remain steady as I headed for the stairs. "Don't mind me."

Maren's eyes met mine over the back of the sofa, and for just a moment, I caught something that made my breath hitch. A flash of calculation, quickly masked by her usual sweet smile. "Sister, you look tired. Did the paperwork take long?"

She knew. Somehow, she already knew what I'd done.

"It was fine." I climbed the stairs without looking back, my heart hammering against my ribs.

In my room—the same room I'd shared with Axel in my previous life—I pulled out my laptop and navigated to the Crescent Ridge University website. The prestigious institution's homepage featured sprawling Gothic buildings and students who looked confident, powerful. Awakened.

Crescent Ridge wasn't just any university. It was where the most promising wolves went to unlock their dormant potential, to transform from ordinary pack members into something extraordinary. The admission requirements were brutal: top academic performance, leadership experience, and a personal statement that could convince the review board you were worth their investment.

In my previous life, I'd been accepted. Full scholarship, early admission, the works. But I'd turned it down to stay here, to be Axel's perfect Luna-in-waiting.

What a fool I'd been.

I pulled up the application portal, my fingers flying across the keyboard. The deadline was in two weeks—tight, but manageable. My grades from high school were still on file, and my volunteer work with the pack's youth programs would count as leadership experience.

A soft knock interrupted my research. "Ivy?" Axel's voice carried through the door. "I brought you some dinner."

I glanced at the clock. Nearly nine PM. They'd been talking for hours.

"I'm not hungry," I called back. "I ate out."

Silence. Then the doorknob turned, and Axel stepped inside carrying a bowl of what smelled like Cordelia's famous chicken soup. His hair was mussed, and he wore that slightly guilty expression I remembered so well.

"You ate out?" He set the bowl on my nightstand, frowning. "But you never spend money on restaurants. You always say it's wasteful."

The casual way he catalogued my habits—my frugality, my self-denial—made something twist in my chest. "Things change."

"I guess." He shifted awkwardly, glancing at my laptop screen. "What are you working on?"

"College applications."

His eyebrows shot up. "College? Ivy, we're getting married in three months. I thought we agreed you'd focus on Luna training with my mother."

Agreed. As if I'd had any real choice in the matter.

"About that." I closed the laptop and turned to face him. "I need you to pay me back for the wedding expenses I covered."

Axel's face went pale. "The wedding expenses?"

"The deposits on the venue, the caterer, the flowers. It was about three thousand dollars from my savings." I kept my voice level, businesslike. "I have the receipts if you need them."

"Ivy, that money..." He ran a hand through his hair, not meeting my eyes. "I used it to buy Maren those limited edition sneakers she wanted. The ones for her birthday."

Of course he had. Three thousand dollars—money I'd saved from years of part-time jobs and careful budgeting—spent on shoes for his precious adopted sister.

"I see." I stood up, moving toward the door. "Then I'll need you to get it back from her, or pay me back yourself."

"Ivy, come on. Don't be like this." His voice took on that pleading tone that used to make me cave instantly. "You know how much those shoes meant to her. She'd been saving up for months, and I just wanted to surprise her."

"And I wanted a wedding." The words came out sharper than I'd intended. "But I suppose we can't all get what we want."

Axel stared at me as if I'd grown a second head. "What's gotten into you today? First you're weird at the registration office, now you're being petty about money. This isn't like you."

Petty. There was that word again.

I looked at him—really looked at him—and saw not the love of my life, but a man who'd never truly seen me as anything more than a convenient choice. A safe option. The responsible sister who'd never ask for too much.

"You're right," I said quietly. "This isn't like me at all."

I stepped back and closed the door between us, the soft click of the latch sounding like the end of everything I'd once believed in.