Chapter 9
Lina's pov
Kain rushed forward, grabbing my face, tilting my head.
"You've been marked?" he snarled. "By who?"
Normally, female wolves got most of their powers from their destined mates, their powers naturally increased once they'd been marked by their male mates.
The stronger the male was, the more advantage it was to to female wolf. That was the reason Carla didn't respond to defend me at first till I had to call for her help. She knew Kain would immediately find out due to the obvious increase in my strength. I wonder why she lied to me this morning saying it was because I'd been reborn.
I slapped Kain's hand away. "Don't touch me." I hissed in defiance.
"You fucked someone else and still rejected me?" he roared. "Who is he?"
"How does that concern you?" I shot back. "You're no longer my mate.why won't you leave me alone?"
He smiled, his expression dark and twisted... almost creepy. "Oh, you think rejecting me ended it? Maybe you don't know much about how rejection works, but it's more complicated than you think Lina. I, Kain Winston, reject your rejection."
He had to be kidding, he had to .....but to my biggest surprise, pain tore through me as the bond snapped back violently, dragging itself into place.
I gasped."Fuck—no, I—"
I couldn't finish my words before he crushed his mouth against mine, pinning me as he kissed me violently. I struggled, pushed, thrashed...but he was stronger.
Desperate to get him off me, I bit him hard.
He pulled back with a snarl, blood on his lip.
"You can't get rid of me, Lina," he said coldly. "You started this."
He leaned close, his voice low and cruel.
"I'll make you regret tonight. I'll make your life hell. You'll beg to be mine, because that's the only way you'll ever be free from the slavery you chose."
He licked the blood from his lip and walked out, slamming the door behind him. Jerk!
I stood there shaking from the intensity of everything, my chest heaving, disgust crawling over my skin.
I wiped my lips hard.
"Bring it on," I muttered. "You son of a bitch."
The next morning, I was woken up by a loud banging on my door. After kain had left last night, I immediately hurried to lock my door before he changed his mind and came back.
I sat up lazily, brushing hair off my face.
"Open the damn door." A female voice barked. Goodness, I recognized that voice. My heart raced and I hurriedly rushed to open the door.
As soon as I did, a hot roasting slap landed on my right cheek, and I swear my neck cracked from the force.
"I don't care about your previous status or who your parents were, but now that you're here...you must follow our rules. Understand?" Madam Kate barked.
I sighed in surrender, raising my head to look up at her before nodding in response. "Yes ma'am."
This woman, I wouldn't call her a woman. She was a literal wild beast. At least she was exactly the same with the one from my past life.
"You're to wake up around 5am, before the sun is up. Just look at the time." She continued.
"It's not even that late." I muttered under my breath, then faked a smile that looked disturbingly genuine..."I'm sorry ma'am. It won't happen again." I apologized bowing my head one last time.
Madam Kate sighed, then turned around to leave. "Clean up and come to the kitchen immediately." She yelled before disappearing into the hall way.
As soon as she left, I heaved a sigh of relief. If I wanted my life here at the servant quarters to move smoothly, I needed to gain her favor. I'd failed to do that In my past life, but I planned to succeed this time.
I washed up quickly, had my bath and changed, before rushing to meet the other servants in the kitchen.
The moment I stepped into the annoyingly familiar place, the heat hit me.
Large pots sat over open flames, steam rising thickly into the air. The place smelled of spices, boiled meat, and sweat.
Servants moved around hurriedly, each focused on their assigned tasks. No one welcomed me. No one even spared me a second glance, which was fine by me.
"Don't stand there," a sharp voice snapped. "Grab an apron."
I reached for one hanging by the wall and tied it around my waist. My movements were calm, I didn't even have the energy for all this right now after everything that happened yesterday, but what choice did I have.
"You," madam Kate barked as soon as she sighted me, "You'll help with chopping. And don't slow everyone else down."
"Yes ma'am," I replied, keeping my head lowered.
She scoffed and turned away.
I moved to the counter and picked up a knife. My hands worked automatically, slicing through vegetables. I had grown used to this after my past experience.
I remember how hard it had been to adapt previously, always making me end up on had terms with madam Kate, making my life here a living hell.
Servants whispered occasionally, their voices low but my senses were sharp enough to hear them even though I didn't want to listen.
"That's her."
"The one who rejected Prince Kain."
"She used to be someone important, didn't she?"
"How does it feel? To fall from grace just because of a foolish decision she made."
I ignored them all.
If I reacted, they'd only enjoy it more.
Time passed slowly. My arms began to ache, but I didn't stop.
Madam Kate walked past occasionally, her eyes darting to my station, searching for mistakes. Each time, she said nothing and moved on, and I smiled in triumph. That alone felt like a small victory.
I was placing the chopped vegetables into a bowl when the door to the kitchen door suddenly jerked open.
The sudden creak cut through the noise, and everyone's head turnes.
A young servant boy stepped inside, breathing slightly hard like he'd rushed here. His eyes scanned the room nervously before landing on me.
"Miss Lina," he called.
My spine stiffened.
"Yes?" I replied, turning to face him.
He swallowed. "Prince Kain has summoned you."