Chapter 3

SELENA

I take a minute to look around. I'm in an attic bedroom in the same tower as the basement cell. It's actually a nice small space, with French doors that lead to a balcony and little nooks for a desk and a vanity dresser. There's even a tiny bathroom, with a claw foot bathtub, a wobbly shower, a toilet, and the world's smallest sink. I decide to take a shower, and it works surprisingly well. I brush my teeth and put on a black midi skirt with a matching sweater set. I clip my hair back with a gold floral clip, letting some strands inevitably fall. Then I use the colored lip balm Nox once bought me as a Christmas present to stain my lips even more red and make them sparkle a little. I use some of the lip balm on my cheeks and blend it in as natural blush. Then I use some Vaseline on a q tip on my eyelashes to make it look like I'm wearing mascara on my naturally black eyelashes. And that's the extent of the makeup I'm allowed to own. 

Not that I own anything. Everything I have can be taken away for any reason. This skirt and sweater set are hand me downs designed to make the ruse of me being Nox's girlfriend more realistic. Some of my other clothes were given to me by Luna Margaret so I wouldn't make Nox look bad. 

Nobody thought of makeup. Why would someone like me need any? Or care about it?

Or have any girlish dreams at all?

I can't believe Crankypants is my fated mate. I grumble to myself as I put on some sensible kitten heels in black and off-white. It couldn't have been someone nicer? More patient? Someone who liked me?

How can I even prove to him we're mates? It's hopeless.

There's a knock on the door, and two girls, one with white-blonde hair, the other brunette, both perfect, step into the room with the command of Alpha she-wolves. I've known their kind before.

“Can I help you?” I stand up.

“We have the chore chart,” the blonde says, smiling. “Since you're the newest, you're on toilet scrubbing.”

“Once a week, don't forget. Better start tonight,” says the brunette. “Come on, Amber.” They walk out of my room together after I've signed my name to the chart.

Great, toilet scrubbing to look forward to.

There's another knock. I open the door to find Crankypants dressed now in a designer pair of jeans and a sweater. “Are you ready or what?”

“Do you have a name?” I ask, tired of his bullshit.

“Dominic. Didn't you know that? You sure are dumb.” And with that, we're flying down the stairs.

“Where are we going?”

“I told you, breakfast. Then we'll be going to your first class. Then your next class.”

“Wait, ‘we’?”

“Yeah, little bird, we. You and I. As long as you're under our roof, you get a chaperone. Me. Your schedule is incredibly boring. Child psychology, early childhood education, teaching literature? How big of a nerd are you? That's rhetorical.”

I answer anyway. “I'm just as big a nerd as you are a whiny little bi-”

“Dominic!” A girl I recognize as Billie Black waves at us. “Bring the new girl over here!”

We go to sit at their table after I grab a banana and Dominic grabs scrambled eggs and sausage. I sit awkwardly across from the girl two of my Alphas–two men I'd had sex with–tried to kill but failed spectacularly. I was glad. I liked knowing Hyde was in jail, and Spader–Spader fucked like a serial killer. He was terrifying and I'm glad he's gone. 

All of this is running through my head as I eat my banana and stare at Billie Black eating her yogurt. I have so much to thank her for.

“Don't be rude,” Dominic grumbles.

He's right. “Thank you,” I say to Billie Black.

“What for?” she asks, head tilted.

“For more than you'll ever know,” I say.

Dominic puts his fork down and stares at me. Billie has her mouth open. Finally, she says, “Okay, I'll take it.”

I nod and finish my banana. 

Dominic keeps staring.

“What?” I ask him.

“Are you real?” he asks me.

I put his hand on my arm. “See? You should know, you're the grabby one.”

“You can't be real,” he says.

“Dom,” Billie says.

“Sorry to disappoint you, big guy. If you wanted a fainting maiden, you should have pseudo kidnapped someone else,” I tell him, trying to be nice.

“Wait, you guys didn't actually scare her last night like you were talking about. I know you didn't do that,” Billie warns.

“It was just a little hazing, my Luna. You know I would never do anything against you.”

“I do know you, Dom, and I know Tristan, too. This isn't over. And don't even think of letting her go anywhere without a bodyguard. I'm holding you personally responsible if our enemies attempt to hurt us through this innocent girl.”

“With my life, Billie. She'll be protected.”

Lunacy splintered into three groups. Ours was the only one trying to make nice with Black Rose Pack. They had other enemies.

Enemies that would love to make them look bad. 

With one last look of sympathy at me, Billie leaves to find her mate, probably to give him a similar lecture. 

“You sure are a lot of fucking trouble. And don't even think of using Billie socially. If you lie to that girl even once, you'll have me to answer to. If she wants to make friends, you make fucking friends, but you keep your mouth shut.”

“Back to being an asshole. Should've known. Your kind never changes.”

“My kind?” he asks.

“Bullies. You're all the same.”

He scoffs at me. “Don’t you have class to get to before you clean some toilets?”

I flip him off and walk away.

It only took 24 hours of being out from under Nox's thumb for my inner rebel to come out. And she's ready to play.