Reborn, I refuse the bond to my mate

Grace's face flushed with embarrassment as she swatted Carson's arm. "You little punk, what are you blabbering about? This is the miracle cure I busted my butt to find for you!"

I turned to Grace, keeping my voice steady. "You see it, right? Carson doesn't need fixing. Mention Willow, and his so-called muteness vanishes. Just let him bond to her, and he'll probably live to a hundred."

"As for that longevity saint crap? It's just rumors gone wild. Grace, you're too smart to buy into that superstition."

Grace sighed, caught between a rock and a hard place. I wasn't budging, and Carson sure as hell wasn't on board. She couldn't exactly tie me up and force me.

Still, she latched onto my other suggestion. "What about bonding with Yuri, Xandra?"

I didn't even look up, shooting it down flat. "No thanks. You know my condition. I'm not out to screw anyone over."

Grace had no comeback for that. She just nodded, looking defeated.

Carson and Yuri, though? They clearly didn't see that coming. Both of them whipped their heads toward me, eyes wide.

Yuri reacted the hardest, stepping forward like he had something to say. But I spun on my heel and walked out. Just being near those two made my skin crawl. This time around, I wasn't standing in their way-I'd even handed them their happily-ever-after on a silver platter. They should be thrilled to have their little trio forever.

But I barely made it to the door before Carson charged after me, blocking my path. "Xandra!"

I kept walking.

"Xandra, stop right there, damn it!" His voice was hoarse, racked with coughs.

I turned, wondering what the hell he wanted. With his frail body, I half-expected him to keel over and pin the blame on me.

Carson's face was smug, his eyes glinting with triumph. "Mom's already agreed to let me bond to Willow. So you can quit dreaming about me, Xandra. Longevity saint? Please. It's just a cheap trick you cooked up to climb the social ladder. Bet you even paid off that quack who said I was dying, huh?"

Oh, really? Funny, because in my last life, he sure didn't mind crawling into my bed every night, relentless like it was his job. Back then, I thought it was love. Later, I realized he was just testing if I could really keep him alive-for Willow's sake. What a wolf.

I stared at him, calm as a summer breeze. "Congrats, then."

Carson blinked, thrown off by how chill I was. "Go ahead and play it cool. I know you're scheming to sabotage me and Willow. Newsflash: it ain't happening!"

Then he started hacking, his coughs rattling his chest.

I smirked. "Worry about yourself, Carson. Keep your cool and maybe you won't drop dead on your bond night."

His face twisted with rage. He lunged to slap me, but I dodged, and he ate dirt, sprawling on the floor, too weak to get up.

Yuri, who'd been watching like it was a damn soap opera, finally stepped in, motioning for someone to haul Carson away.

Then he turned to me, his dark eyes locking onto mine like a predator.

His first words made my fists clench. "Xandra, why won't you bond to me? You're reborn too, aren't you?"

I stared at him, shocked, my hands trembling with hate for this wolf. In this new life, I wanted nothing to do with Carson-let fate deal with him. But Yuri? I wanted to grind him into dust. In my last life, he played me for three years, earning my trust so I'd willingly let them drain my blood. He had me so fooled that I fell for him, only to end up strapped to an operating table, watching my life bleed out as I aged from eighteen to eighty in hours.

I heard their cheers as Willow woke up, while I lay there, waiting for death.

My blood only bought her a temporary reprieve, though. To keep her conscious, Yuri raided our pack, rounded up every last person, and locked them in a secret lab, turning them into living blood banks. All so he could harvest a bowl of fresh blood daily to keep Willow awake.

To hide the hate burning in my eyes, I looked down. "I don't know what you're talking about. We've never even met. Why would I bond to you?"

Yuri let out a relieved sigh. To him, no memories of my past life meant I was an easy mark.

He grabbed my hand, just like he did a million times before, all smooth and charming. "Xandra, I fell for you the moment I saw you. Love at first sight. Don't push me away. Bond to me, please?"

I yanked my hand back, covering my mouth to keep from gagging. I looked into his fake, lovesick eyes, wondering why he still wouldn't leave me alone.

"No thanks. I'm done with bond for good."