The first lesson

I hadn’t slept. Not for a second.

The bed in the room Damien had given me was luxurious, far more comfortable than anything I’d ever laid on, but it didn’t matter. I couldn’t shut my eyes, not when I was surrounded by vampires—by him.

The entire night, I stayed curled up beneath the thick blankets, listening to the sounds beyond my door. The muffled voices, the occasional footfalls in the hallway. I wasn’t safe here. I knew that. No matter the deal I had made, I was still a werewolf trapped in a den of vampires.

So, I kept my back against the headboard, staring at the door, my muscles tense and ready—just in case.

By the time morning came, I felt like a ghost of myself. My limbs ached, my head was heavy, and exhaustion clung to me like a second skin. But I pushed it aside as I forced myself out of bed and dressed in the same clothes I had arrived in.

I had just finished pulling my hair back when a sharp knock sounded at my door.

Before I could answer, it swung open.

Damien leaned against the frame, arms crossed, his sharp crimson eyes immediately taking me in.

“You look terrible,” he said, voice laced with amusement.

I glared at him. “Thanks.”

His gaze drifted lower, assessing the stiffness in my stance, the slight tremble of my fingers. “Didn’t sleep?”

I folded my arms. “Would you, if you were in my position?”

His smirk was lazy, infuriating. “You should have rested. You’ll need your strength.”

A sharp pang of unease twisted in my gut. “For what?”

He pushed off the doorframe and took a slow step into the room, his presence making the space feel smaller. “You’ll find out soon enough,” he said, his voice smooth as silk.

I clenched my jaw. I hated how he did that—how he always left things unsaid, as if he enjoyed watching me squirm.

Damien tilted his head slightly, as if considering something. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small silver pendant, the chain dangling between his fingers.

“Wear this,” he said, tossing it to me.

I caught it, barely, and frowned down at the pendant. It was simple, engraved with symbols I didn’t recognize. “What is this?”

“A precaution,” he said. “As long as you’re here, you wear it.”

I narrowed my eyes. “And if I don’t?”

His expression darkened, all traces of amusement vanishing. “Then you won’t like the consequences.”

A heavy silence stretched between us before I exhaled sharply and clasped the necklace around my throat. The metal was cold against my skin, sending a strange pulse through me.

Damien’s lips twitched again, satisfied. “Good girl.”

I gritted my teeth.

He turned toward the door but paused. “Get dressed properly. I’ll be expecting you downstairs in ten minutes.”

“For what?” I asked again.

His gaze slid to mine, unreadable. “Consider it your first lesson.”

And just like that, he was gone, leaving me standing there with nothing but exhaustion, unease, and the sinking feeling that I had just stepped into something far bigger than I could have imagined.

I took a moment to gather myself after Damien left, but it didn’t do much to settle the unease coiling in my stomach. My fingers lingered over the pendant resting against my skin, the cold weight of it sending a shiver through me. I didn’t know what kind of magic was laced into it, but I had no doubt it was there for a reason.

I changed into the clothes that had been left in the wardrobe—black pants, a fitted long-sleeve shirt, and boots that laced up to my calves. The fabric was softer than I expected, but durable. Functional. I wondered if this was Damien’s way of preparing me for whatever was coming next.

After a deep breath, I squared my shoulders and left my room, making my way downstairs.

The moment I stepped into the large hall, I felt the weight of their stares.

Several vampires—men and women alike—were gathered near the main chamber, speaking in low murmurs that immediately fell silent when they noticed me. Their gazes were sharp, assessing, and some held an unmistakable glint of disdain.

I swallowed down the instinct to bare my teeth. I wasn’t stupid. I knew what I was to them. An intruder. A werewolf who didn’t belong.

I kept walking, ignoring the whispers that followed me like a shadow.

But then, one of them spoke.

“She shouldn’t be here,” a woman’s voice cut through the tension, filled with open hostility.

I stopped.

Turning my head, I found the source— she was tall, with long, dark auburn hair, piercing blue eyes, and an expression carved from ice. She didn’t look at me like I was an enemy. She looked at me like I was filth.

Damien, who had been waiting near the grand staircase, barely spared her a glance.

“And?” he said, his tone calm but laced with warning.

She crossed her arms, her sharp gaze never leaving mine. “You should have killed her the second she stepped onto our land. She’s a werewolf. She’s not one of us, and she never will be.”

I clenched my fists, but I said nothing. I wasn’t about to pick a fight with a vampire in the middle of their own territory—especially not when I was already one breath away from being torn apart by the rest of them.

Damien exhaled a slow, almost bored sigh and finally turned his full attention to her.

“I don’t recall asking for your opinion Ava,” he said, his voice smooth but edged with something dangerous. “Or have you forgotten who’s in charge?”

Ava’s jaw tightened. “Of course not, my Lord,” she said, her words laced with something sharp, something bitter. “But—”

“But nothing,” Damien interrupted, stepping closer, his presence suffocating. “I do whatever I want. I keep whoever I want. And you—” his voice dropped, a slow smirk playing at his lips “—will mind your business.”

Ava’s fingers twitched, her nostrils flaring slightly. But after a long, tense silence, she finally dipped her head.

“Yes, my Lord.”

Satisfied, Damien turned back to me, his crimson gaze flicking over my expression like he was searching for a reaction.

I didn’t give him one.

“Follow me,” he said simply, then walked past me, expecting me to obey.

I hesitated for only a second before forcing my feet to move, ignoring the burning glares at my back.

I had the sinking feeling that surviving here was going to be much harder than I thought.