CHAPTER 7

Selena

The impact came fast a sharp crack against my jaw, and before I could blink, I was on the floor.

Pain exploded across my face, radiating through my skull like fire. My vision blurred, and the world tilted sideways. The cold floor bit into my skin as I tasted blood, metallic and warm, sliding down my lip. Murmurs swelled around the training hall like a rising tide whispers, gasps, hushed voices but no one moved.

No one helped.

I pushed myself up, fingers trembling as I brushed the blood from my nose with the back of my hand. A dizzy wave swept over me, and I blinked through it, steadying my breath.

Julia stood a few feet away, shoulders rolled back, her stance casual—too casual for someone who’d just hit me like I was her enemy. Her eyes gleamed with something darker than just pride. She looked like a predator who hadn’t even started hunting yet.

“I told you to fight, Selena,” she sneered, stepping toward me. “Show me your moves.”

My heart stuttered in my chest. I could fight I had fought before but this was different. Julia wasn’t just another student. She was Stephen’s girlfriend. And Stephen already hated me.

What would he do if I laid a hand on her?

I scanned the hall, hoping begging for a familiar face, for someone brave enough to step in. But all I found were eyes darting away from mine, faces turned, backs stiff with avoidance.

I was on my own.

A surge of panic climbed my spine.

What am I thinking? I’m new here. No one cares if I survive this or not. And if I don’t fight back, Julia might actually kill me.

I swallowed hard and locked eyes with her. I had no choice.

“That’s it. That’s what I want, Selena,” Julia said, a wicked grin curling on her lips. “Fight me.”

Her hand began to shift before my eyes—the smooth skin twisting, bones cracking, fur sprouting until her fingers were claws and her arm belonged to a wolf. My stomach dropped.

No. Not that. Anything but that.

I was wolfless.

How could I fight her like this?

My breath hitched as I closed my eyes, bracing myself for impact, for claws, for pain.

Then… I felt it.

A presence. In front of me.

Solid. Fierce.

“Enough,” a voice snapped.

Familiar. Deep. Dangerous.

Stephen.

I opened my eyes, slowly, like peeling back the edge of a nightmare.

He stood between us, his hand wrapped around Julia’s shifting wrist. His glare was locked on me, sharp and cold like winter steel. I felt his gaze crawl over my skin, judging, dissecting. Julia’s hand shifted back to human with a snap, and she recoiled, furious but silent.

I dropped my eyes, ashamed, confused, afraid. Why was he here? Why was he looking at me like that?

Please, someone do something.

“Sir, she’s new,” a voice called out behind me. Lilith. “I’ll train her. She didn’t mean any harm.”

Lilith’s presence was a thread of hope, but it was thin, fragile. If only she knew the truth Stephen knew exactly who I was.

“You can go,” Stephen said.

I looked up in surprise. Did he mean me?

“Thank you, sir,” Lilith said quickly, reaching for my hand.

We were two steps from freedom when his voice came again deeper this time, laced with warning.

“Not you, Selena. I meant Lilith.”

The words struck like ice water. My stomach sank.

Lilith turned to me, guilt etched across her face. I tried, her eyes said before she was gone, leaving me alone with him.

I kept my gaze fixed on the floor, but I could feel his eyes still on me.

“Follow me,” he said.

I didn’t hesitate. I knew better than to argue with Stephen. As we walked through the hall, all eyes followed. I felt the weight of their stares like a thousand pounds pressing down on me. My head stayed low. I couldn’t face them. I could barely breathe.

His office door slammed shut behind me, and then his fist slammed into the desk. I jumped, heart racing.

“Second day here,” he barked, “and already you’re in trouble.”

I opened my mouth, but the words caught in my throat. I didn’t do anything, I wanted to scream. It was her. She attacked me. But all I could say was, “I’m sorry.”

“Look at me, Selena.”

I froze. No. Anything but that.

“I won’t repeat myself.”

My spine stiffened. That voice. That tone. I knew exactly what came next if I didn’t obey.

Slowly, painfully, I lifted my gaze. Our eyes met, and the breath left my lungs.

God. He was infuriatingly beautiful. That jawline, those piercing storm-colored eyes. No. No. No. Not now.

I slapped my cheek lightly to snap out of it and looked away.

“I’m sorry,” I said again, quieter this time. “I won’t cause any more trouble. Besides... I didn’t even do anything wrong,” I added under my breath.

He stepped closer. I instinctively backed away.

“It seems like you’re always trouble,” he said, his voice low, dangerous. “I don’t know why my father sent you here. But if you bring any more problems my way, I swear I’ll make your life a living hell.”

He leaned in. “And just so you’re clear—Julia is mine.”

“Good for you,” I muttered, not thinking. “You’re both psychos.”

My blood ran cold the moment I realized I’d said it out loud.

Stephen froze.

I slapped my hand over my mouth, eyes wide, panic flooding in.

His expression darkened. That cruel, unreadable glint returned to his eyes. The one I hated. The one that scared me.

He grabbed a fistful of my hair, not yanking, but just enough to make me gasp.

“So I’m a psycho, huh?” he murmured, voice chillingly calm. “Fine. I’ll show you just how psycho I can be.”

He leaned in, his lips brushing the shell of my ear. “You’re moving into my house tonight. From now on, I want to see every step you take. I want you under my roof, where I can watch you. Teach you what real chaos feels like.”

Tears slipped from the corners of my eyes. I didn’t wipe them. What was the point?

He was doing this on purpose. Because he could. Because I spoke when I shouldn’t have. Because I dared to exist in a world he thought he owned.

I should’ve stayed with Alpha Kinsley. Should’ve stayed in that quiet corner of the world where I had a little peace.

Now… now I belonged to Stephen.

And he was going to make sure I never forgot it.