CHAPTER 6: Control

When I pushed open the dormitory door, two unfamiliar faces greeted me, along with two others from the Hollow Pack I hadn’t expected to see, and one of them was Luna Rosalia. 

They were all seated on the couch, but the second I stepped in, their heads turned toward me in unison. 

“Where have you been?” Vada asked immediately. She was a vow-maid in my pack. 

My pulse quickened. What were they doing here? 

“I assume she’s the daughter you were looking for?” one of the unfamiliar girls asked, clearly cautious around Luna Rosalia. 

“She’s not my daughter!” Luna Rosalia’s tone was sharp. She rose from the couch and fixed her eyes on me. “Let’s talk in the bedroom.” 

Without waiting for a response, she walked into one of the rooms. I had no choice but to follow. 

“What are you doing here?” I asked, keeping my voice cold. “It’s a six-hour journey to this place. I never imagined I was important enough to warrant a personal visit from the Luna.” 

The corner of her mouth curved slightly. “I’m here to help Vada get into the Lycan Academy, not for ‘anyone’ else.” 

“Helping her?” I let out a humorless laugh. “Or watching me? Making sure I don’t stand out, don’t score too high?” I stepped closer. “You want those words to stay on me; disgrace, unworthy, worthless!” 

Her expressions hardened. “Don’t twist my words into accusations! I help every she-wolf in my pack!” 

“Except me!” I shot back, my teeth grinding. 

A soft knock interrupted us. 

“Is… everything alright in there?” one of the girls asked gently from outside. 

Luna Rosalia’s hand shot out and gripped my arm, yanking me closer, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “Remember what I told you, I’m the one keeping your mother safe, Gwen. Do something reckless, and I will make sure you never see her again!” 

Rage exploded in my chest. I wrenched my arm free, stumbling back a step. 

“Is that even true, Luna Rosalia?” I challenged. “When have I ever seen my mother for you to claim she’s in your possession? You’ve been repeating the same lie for years!” 

In response, she calmly pulled out her phone and made a call, switching it to the speaker so I could hear every second. 

“My dog isn’t following me and doesn’t believe what I’m saying…” Luna Rosalia said flatly. “Cut ‘that’ woman’s finger!” 

A scream pierced through the line. 

“No, don’t come near me! You’re monsters! The Moon Goddess is watching…” 

My body trembled as the sound echoed in my ears.  

“Let me go, please, let me go!” 

“Stop!” I shouted, my voice breaking. 

Every instinct told me to shift, to fight, but the academy’s magic held that door shut. No one within these walls could shift or use abilities of any kind. It was meant to keep things fair among students from different packs. Right now, it has only kept me helpless. 

Luna Rosalia lowered the phone and looked at me. The corner of her mouth lifted when she found what she was looking for in my face; the fear she never seemed to tire of collecting. 

“You see?” she murmured as she stepped closer “You’re still as pathetic as ever, Gwen.” 

“Listen carefully, Gwen. You may stay and finish your studies here, I prefer you out of the pack, frankly… but you will not be leaving this academy with anything to be proud of. Are we understood?” 

She walked out without waiting for an answer. 

I stood there, breathing through the anger that had nowhere to go. 

She knew I was a threat, especially since she had no wolf heir of her own to take my father’s place as alpha eventually. My existence, however inconvenient she made it feel, was a problem she couldn’t simply ignore. And so, she found another way to keep me in line. 

And no one knew the truth, not even Rumi. 

The first time she manipulated me, I told my father she was hiding my mother, but I was the one who got punished. Rosalia played the innocent, twisting everything until I became the liar, the illegitimate daughter who dared to accuse her.  

The way she acted in front of my pack was nothing like how she was when we were alone. 

I had learned, slowly and painfully, that no one was going to believe the difference. 

“Where were you last night?!” Vada’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. “Our roommates said they didn’t see you.” 

“Our?” I repeated, frowning as realization settled in. “Rosalia sent you here to watch me.” 

“And what if that’s true? At least I can use this chance to get into the academy…”  

I studied her for a moment before asking, “Be honest with me… do you know where Luna Rosalia is hiding my mother?” 

Her throat moved as she swallowed. The silence stretched a beat too long. 

“Remember, I’m not here as your friend, Gwen! And I think it’s better for both of us if it stays that way!” Vada said before turning and leaving the room. 

I’m certain she’s hiding something. I saw it in her eyes, that same fear I recognize in my own whenever my mother is mentioned. This time, it was reflected in hers. 

I need to watch Vada more closely… and find something I can use to pull her onto my side.