Chapter 4 My nightmare 2

Stephen

The phone buzzed for the fifth time. I let it ring until the screen went dark. Again. And again.

I knew my father wouldn't stop. He never did.

Finally, with a growl, I snatched it up. "What?"

"Why have you been ignoring my calls?" His voice was calm, measured as always. But beneath it, I heard the strain.

I leaned back in my chair, staring at the ceiling. "I've been busy training recruits, Dad. Some of us actually work."

Silence. Heavy, expectant. It should've made me uneasy. It didn't.

"Selena is on her way to Lycanwood Academy."

I smirked. Of course she was.

"Still wolfless, or has the Moon Goddess finally decided to pity her?"

A sharp crack rattled the speaker. I pictured his fist slamming into his desk. The thought pleased me.

"She is your sister," he snapped. "You should protect her."

A laugh scraped out of me, cold and hollow. "She's your experiment, not mine. Don't expect me to babysit the daughter of a murderer."

"She's innocent," he shot back. "She had no part in what happened."

I clenched my jaw. He still didn't get it.

"She's alive because you allow it," I said flatly. "That's the best you'll get from me."

A long, weary sigh. "Thank you, son."

I didn't answer. My gaze had already shifted out the window.

Below, trainees sparred in the courtyard, steel clashing, grunts carrying through the air. But I barely noticed.

A black car rolled to a stop at the gates. Dust curled around its tires.

And then her.

Selena stepped out.

Not the scrawny child I remembered. Her dark hair spilled down her back, her figure graceful, her fists clenched at her sides. Even from here, I saw the tension in her shoulders.

Good. She was afraid.

She should be.

My father's voice dragged me back. "The full moon is approaching. How will you manage?"

I stiffened. He hadn't asked me that in years. Not since I was fifteen, when I stopped screaming into the night.

"I'll handle it," I said flatly.

"You don't have to do it alone, Stephen. I"

Click.

I ended the call.

Outside, Selena hefted her bags, staff hesitating nearby, unsure whether to help or avoid her. I made a mental note: I'd remind them of their place.

A soft hand slid over my shoulder.

"What are you thinking about, honey?"

Julia.

Her scent wrapped around me, sharp sweetness curling like smoke. I turned, letting my fingers trace her waist. She shivered, exactly as I intended.

"Nothing important."

Her gaze drifted past me, out the window. She spotted Selena instantly. The sneer was immediate.

"I thought she was staying with your father," she murmured, nails dragging lightly across my chest.

"Apparently, she's here to train."

Julia pulled back, frowning. "Why here? She had the royal training grounds at her disposal."

I hated that I had no answer. "She'll be in your class."

Julia blinked. Then her expression sharpened.

"I want you to train her," I continued. "Push her. Break her. No one can know who she really is."

Julia's smile curved darkly. "Why hide it? Unless..." Her eyes narrowed. "You still care about her."

I froze.

"What?"

"Four years ago," she murmured, "when we visited your father I saw the way you looked at her. At night, when no one watched, you sat by her bed. You guarded her."

Heat flared in my chest anger, denial, something worse. I turned away. "That was nothing. I don't love her."

Her smile widened, cruel and knowing. "Then prove it."

My eyes narrowed. "How?"

"Make her life hell."

I said nothing.

Down below, Selena crossed the courtyard, whispers trailing in her wake. She walked into the academy with her head held high.

Brave. Stupid.

She had no idea what she'd just walked into.

And I smiled.

Let the game begin.