They wanted a villain, so I became one. 

Publicly humiliated and cast aside, Lina became an easy target after she was rejected by her fated mate, Kain, the Alpha's son. Used by those in power, blamed for things she didn't do, and abandoned when she needed protection the most, her first life ended violently and unfairly.

But that wasn't the end.

She was reborn into several years in the past with the memories of her death intact, and was aware of everything that would happen.

Lina refuses to make the same choices again. This time, she keeps her distance, hardens herself, and stops trying to be good for people who never valued her.

But no matter how careful she threads, fate still tied her down to the same person. Only this time, she had two fated mates instead of one, Kain's twin brother, Louis. And despite having rejected her and ruined her life previously, Kain is now desperate to reclaim her. 

However, as the saying goes, once bitten, twice shy. Lina refuses to fall back in her old ways again. He may want her back, but it doesn't mean she will still be there, waiting for him.

Excerpt (Lina's POV)

"You want an answer right? Fine…" I shot back, my expression hardening. "I feel nothing for you. Besides, aren't you already engaged? What more do you want from a lowly slave like me?" my words came out harsh, not because I meant to sound harsh, I just….I couldn't take the risk, not with a Winston. My fate could end up just like before, if I dared to let myself waver. 

I noticed his expression harden, his eyes turning cold as he quietly moves away to let me pass. I didn't waste another second there. I rushed out of his quarters, my eyes burning as I tried to hold back my tears. The emotions welling up inside me, so much pain than I've ever felt before, sadness….these couldn't be mine. 

I froze where I stood, clutching my chest as the emotions overwhelmed me. It was at that moment that it dawned on me. He was actually in love with me. But how? When? I don't understand. What in the world is going on, why had events become so unpredictable, so many things had changed I don't even know what to do anymore. 

If Louis was in love with me, then…maybe I finally had a chance to use him to change my fate. Carla has already proposed this, but I was afraid I'll end up being betrayed, used and then cast aside just like the past. 

But this was different now, he loves me.That makes him a risk… and an opportunity.... I just needed to use him to change my fate, I didn't have to love him back. 

Using him meant crossing a line I swore I never would.
It meant becoming something I despised.
But what was the alternative?

I don't know what came over me, but I turned around, heading back into the room where I found him laying on the bed. 

He sat up in a hurry as I barged into the room, his eyes wide with surprise. He obviously wasn't expecting me to come back. 

"You—" he stopped himself, pushing himself upright. "Why are you here?
"
I didn't answer immediately. I stood there, staring at him, noticing the tension in his shoulders, the way his jaw clenched like he was bracing himself for rejection all over again.

"I lied," I said finally.

Karina knocked aggressively on Lina's door, the wooden panel rattling under the force of her fist.


"Get out of that room right now. For how long do you plan on ignoring your mother?" Karina barked. 


 Receiving nothing but dead silence from the other side, her impatience boiled over. She grabbed the handle, shoved the door wide, and barged into the room.


She scanned the space, her eyes darting from the neatly made bed to the empty washbasin. Lina wasn't even inside.


"Ana!" Karina's voice echoed down the hallway, sharp and impatient.


Footsteps rushed frantically toward the room. Ana burst through the doorway, her hands trembling as her eyes locked onto the empty bed. Terror instantly seized her chest. Madam had realized Lina was gone. Ana swallowed hard, her mind wildly spinning to figure out how to explain her mistress's whereabouts without landing Lina in deep trouble once again.


Chapter 49 - Chapter 49