Chapter 4
Lina's POV
Brielle tightened her grip around Kain's arm the moment she saw me.
She leaned into him like she belonged there and lifted her lips into a provocative smile. "Hi, Lina," she said sweetly. "You're late."
My fingers curled into my palm, forcing myself not to lose my cool. At that moment, all I could think about was how easy it would be to punch her, just one hit was enough to wipe that perfect smile off her face and ruin that annoyingly flawless nose.
I didn't look at her again, instead, I turned my attention to Kain.
The hall was completely silent as I stepped closer. Every movement I made felt heavy as all eyes were on me.
I stopped in front of him, close enough to feel his warmth, close enough to smell the familiar scent that once made my heart flutter. Fuck him, now I just hated the smell.
I leaned in intentionally, letting my lips brush near his ear."I'm sure you must have felt it by now," I whispered quietly. "That I'm your mate."
I sensed his body stiffened, but he didn't push me away.
"Hey, Lina… stop," Brielle said sharply, panic flashing across her face as she reached out and tried to pull me away from him.
I shoved her hand off without looking at her.
"Let me fucking talk, you slut," I snapped.
Brielle gasped like I'd slapped her instead, clutching Kain's arm tighter. My words echoed through the hall, people who knew me started in disbelief , not expecting my reaction.
Previously, I was always known to be timid, the old me did everything to avoid trouble, I couldn't even bring myself to be rude to anyone. But well, people change.
I straightened and turned back to him, a slow smirk tugging at my lips as I sarcastically stared at his arm which Brielle clutched tightly."I can see you've already found someone else," I said calmly. "Happy for you. So why don't I save you the trouble?"
Kain's jaw tightened, not getting my point."What do you mean?" he asked. His deep voice echoing through the hall now silent Hall.
I didn't hesitate, "Kain Winston," I said clearly, loudly enough for everyone to hear, "I, Lina Vale, reject you as my mate."
The reaction was instant. Gasps filled the hall. Shocked whispers erupted. People stood from their seats. No one could believe what they had just heard.
And to everyone's utmost surprise, Kain suddenly grabbed his chest, his face twisting as he staggered forward. Pain ripped through the bond as it broke. Sweat broke out on his forehead as he struggled to breathe.
Brielle screamed and rushed to support him.
"Kain! What's wrong?" she cried, holding him up. Then she looked at me, horror written all over her face.
"Are you insane?" she shouted. "Do you realize what you've done?"
I tilted my head and smiled sarcastically.
"What?" I said. "Shouldn't you be grateful that I took the initiative to break the bond?"
Suddenly, when I least expected it, a sharp sound cut through the noise. Someone had slapped me.
My head snapped to the side as pain burned across my cheek. The hall went silent again.
"You imbecile!" my mother screamed. "How dare you disgrace our family like this!" She was breathing hard, her face red with rage. I'd never seen her look so enraged.
I let out a short laugh, of course, I should have expected such reaction from her.
Slowly, I turned my head back to face her. I brushed my hair away from my cheek, ignoring the sting even though my face still burned.
"You're done, Lina," she hissed. "Completely done."
Before I could respond, Alpha Winston stepped forward, his presence overwhelming, his expression filled with obvious disappointment."You filthy, ungrateful girl," he growled. "You humiliated my son in front of the entire kingdom."
His mate, Kain's mother followed him, her eyes full of disgust."We welcomed you," she snapped. "We honored you. And this is how you repay us?"
"You will apologize," Alpha Winston ordered. "Now."
Apologize? I laughed again, dry and hollow.
"No." I said without hesitation.
The word alone sent another wave of shock through the crowd. My mother turned on me again, slapping me even harder. I didn't resist, as my last form of respect. "You've gone insane Lina ?" she yelled. "You've just ruined your life."
I ignored her, turning my face to a different direction. I couldn't bear to look at their pretentious faces, these same people didn't give a damn while I was being beaten to death in my past life.
They're all heartless beings who have not even a shred of sympathy. I had nothing more to do with them.
Accusations from the crowd filled the air, Insults came from every direction. I just stood there, unmoving, letting them shout.
But out of nowhere, I felt my chest tighten. What was this familiar feeling?
I froze, instantly recognizing what it meant.
Another mate pull. My breath caught.
How was that possible? I had just broken the bond with Kain. I had felt it snap. I could still feel the emptiness it left behind.
So why was this happening?
My heart started racing as the pull grew stronger, dragging at my chest, demanding my attention.
"Carla…" I whispered inside my head.
"That's not Kain," she quickly responded, tense. "There's someone else."
"What? You mean I have two mates?" I asked, unable to believe what I was hearing. The most common possibility was a male werewolf having two and more mates, but it was extremely rare for a female werewolf to have more than one mate. How was this happening.
I stopped listening to everyone. My eyes scanned the room, faces blurred past me as I searched, the pull guiding me like a leash.
Till it let me to him. Louis Winston, Kain's twin brother.
He stood near the edge of the hall, dressed in black suit and coat, his eyes locked on mine, like he'd been searching for me too.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
Why in the world was he here?
In my past life, he never attended this ceremony. He'd been gone for years, away from the kingdom. Some people didn't even know what he looked like anymore.
Yet there he was. Did this mean, somehow....fate was changing?