Chapter 8
Lina's POV
The servants' quarters were nothing like the rooms in the main estate.
The walls were plain stone, the air slightly damp, and the place looked painfully familiar. I'd stayed here once after all.
The maid who led me here didn't say much, she just pointed to my room and left like I didn't exist. The room they gave me was small, bare, and smelled faintly of old wood and soap. One narrow bed. A cracked mirror. A single chair shoved into the corner
I sat down slowly, the mattress dipping under my weight.
And then, all the conversation I'd just had with Brielle came crashing back.
You seduced him.
You shamelessly fucked him.
My fingers dug into the fabric of my dress.
"That's not possible," I muttered.
I stared at the floor, my mind reeling with questions.
But why would I ever seduce Louis?
In my past life, that man had barely been a presence. We didn't talk. We didn't interact. He was distant, cold, and more importantly, he had been away from the kingdom for years.
Yet now, everyone was saying he had always been here.My breath grew shallow.
"How in the hell is that possible…?"
Nothing was lining up. This world felt wrong. Not shattered, but rearranged. Like someone had taken my life, shifted a few key pieces, and dropped me back in without warning.
First it was the mate bond. In my past life, I had only one mate, one mistake, one path that ruined me. Now there were two, that alone should've been impossible.
And then there was last night. Louis mentioned it. Brielle mentioned it. They both spoke like something had happened, yet my mind was blank.
Cold crept up my spine. Things were starting to get creepy.
"…Carla," I called internally.
My wolf stirred immediately, responding to my call.
"Yes, Lina?"
"I'm missing part of my memory," I said slowly. "Not fragments, but whatever happened yesterday before I was reborn, I remember nothing." My throat tightened. "What's wrong with me?"
"I don't fully understand it either," Carla admitted. "But I know one thing for certain."
My chest tensed. "What?"
"You weren't reborn today."
My heart skipped. "What do you mean?"
"You've been here since yesterday, Lina, as the new you."
"…Since yesterday?" I whispered, unable to believe what I just heard.
"Yes."
My hands trembled on my lap. "Then why don't I remember even a tiny bit of what happened?"
"I don't know," she said. Then hesitated..."And there's something else."
A knot formed in my stomach. "Say it."
"I didn't want to mention it before, but… you've been marked."
Everything inside me froze.
"…Marked?" What the hell?
"Didn't you notice the bite on your neck?"
My heart slammed violently against my ribs. I hurriedly lifted a hand and touched my neck, trying to feel any sting or scar, but I felt nothing.
"There's nothing there," I said, panic creeping in. "Carla, are you sure?"
"Dummy, check the other side."
My fingers moved there immediately, and as soon as I touched the exact spot, I felt a sharp sting. I sucked in a breath upon realization. "Fuck...I thought that was an insect bite."
"I saw it," I whispered, dread flooding in. "I thought it was nothing. Ana even asked me and I—"
I shot to my feet and rushed to the mirror.
My hands shook as I pulled my hair aside.
There it was.Faint but unmistakablely a bite mark.
My breath hitched painfully.
"No… no, no, no." I gripped the edge of the mirror. "Carla, how could you keep this from me?" My voice cracked. "What am I supposed to do now?"
I swallowed hard.
"…Was it Louis?"
"Yes."
My knees nearly gave out upon hearing her confirmation. A Winston had marked me? How in the world had that happened? Was I drugged or bewitched?
"That's why the mate pull was so strong," Carla continued. "That's why you can feel his emotions so clearly."
"I don't care," I snapped, backing away from the mirror. "I want nothing to do with the Winstons. I'll reject him."
"You can't Lina, you've already been marked by him. Unless he willingly rejects you, you can't reject him."
I laughed in disbelief, . "Then I'll make him reject me."
"Are you insane? Do you want to lose your wolf once again?"
Before i could answer, a knock hit the door.
I stiffened. Who could that be? My mom? Another knock came again, harder this time.
I moved to open it, but froze.
Kain stood there. His eyes were dark, and could sense his rage and anger.
"Fuck," I muttered, panicked. If i knew he was the one, I wouldn't have opened the door. I immediately tried to shut the door, but he shoved it open with brute force, stepping inside.
"Kain, get out—"
He didn't even give me a second to process my next words before his hand shot out and wrapped around my neck.
The impact slammed me against the wall, the air leaving my lungs in a sharp gasp.
"How dare you try to ruin me," he growled, his aura shimmering.
"K—Kain," I struggled, my fingers clawing at his wrist. "You're… cho—king me.
"You had no damn right," he snapped, tightening his grip. "Do you have any idea what you've done?"
My vision blurred as he squeezed harder..
I couldn't speak. Was this how I would loose my life again to this pathetic fool?
Carla, I screamed internally. Help.
Instantly, power exploded out of me.
The force was violent, uncontrollable, and raw.
Kain was thrown backward like he weighed nothing, his body slamming hard into the wall.
I collapsed against it, coughing violently, dragging in air. "Were you trying to kill me, you bastards?" I barked hoarsely. Even when we were no longer mates, he was still after my life.
He stood slowly, his eyes widening in disbelief. "You're not supposed to be that strong," he said. "A lowly wolf like you shouldn't have power like that."
Then his eyes tensed in realization, "Unless…"