Chapter 6 She knows me

Selena

Lilith's voice was smooth but distant. "Your classes start at eight. Everything you need is on your desk. If I can't guide you tomorrow, I'll assign someone else. Rest well."

She left, the door clicking shut behind her. Silence fell, heavy and suffocating.

I opened my suitcase, halfheartedly unpacking, when a note slipped out of a lunch bag tucked inside.

I know you'll be tired on your first day. Eat this for strength. You'll overcome your fear.

Alpha Kingsley.

Warmth flickered in my chest. He had always looked out for me, shielding me after my father's death. My protector. My anchor.

I ate the biscuits with trembling fingers, though each bite weighed heavy on a nervous stomach. By the time exhaustion claimed me, I barely remembered crawling beneath the covers.

The clang of a bell shattered my sleep.

I bolted upright, heart pounding.

Where? Oh. Right. Lycanwood.

The bell screeched again, merciless.

Six a.m.

I groaned, shoving a hand through my hair. Lilith had said classes started at eight. Why the hell were they dragging us out of bed now?

The dorms were already alive doors creaking, footsteps pounding, voices echoing.

I scrambled, showered in record time, yanked on my uniform, and ran.

7:30.

"Shit, shit, shit."

Students rushed everywhere, tying ties, adjusting collars, sprinting toward buildings. I spotted a group heading into a glass-walled hall and followed, praying I was going the right way.

The moment I stepped inside, I knew I wasn't.

This wasn't a classroom.

The air crackled, thick with power. Rows of students stood in formation, shoulders tense, eyes sharp. The training hall.

I slid toward the back, desperate to disappear.

That's when she walked in.

Dark hair pulled into a sleek ponytail. Training gear hugging lean muscle. Every movement deliberate. Calculated. Dangerous.

I felt her gaze before it landed. Cold. Predatory.

And then she smirked.

"You there."

Her voice cut through the hall like a blade.

Every head turned. My breath caught.

She was pointing at me.

"Yes, you. Step forward."

My legs felt like lead, but I moved.

She looked me over, eyes gleaming with amusement. "New." Not a question.

"Yes, ma'am."

Her lips curled. And then

"Selena."

My blood iced.

How?

Only Delilah and Lilith knew my name.

She tilted her head, satisfied with my shock. "I see recognition. Good. Saves me the trouble of introductions."

The walls felt closer, the air thinner.

"My name is Julia."

No. No, no, no.

Stephen's girlfriend.

The one person I couldn't afford to meet.

She circled me slowly, a predator savoring its prey. "You already know who I am, then. That makes this easier."

Her gaze sharpened. "I wonder... why would a girl from the palace end up here?"

My chest constricted. Did she know? Did she suspect?

No. Impossible.

Julia stepped closer, eyes glittering. "I heard you can fight. Show me."

My breath snagged.

I shook my head. "No, ma'am."

Her smirk only grew. "Are you refusing your teacher?"

I didn't answer.

Her voice sliced the air. "Fight me."

The world tilted.

If she forced me to shift... if anyone realized

I had no wolf.

And the moment they found out?

I was dead.