Chapter 4

ZANA’S POV

The first thing I noticed about the academy was the silence.

Not the peaceful kind. No—this was the heavy, suffocating silence of people watching.

The chains on my wrists clinked with every step as the guards dragged me through the massive iron gates of Prescot Academy. My head was held high, but my body ached from the journey, and my throat was raw from holding back the howl clawing its way up my chest.

Dozens of students were gathered at entrance of the school, just mingling and talking. Their uniforms glowed white and gold under the sun. They smelled of power—pure-blood wolves, witches with magic in their veins, vampires with sweet scents. The elite.

And then there was me. Their eyes widened when they saw me.

The whispers started instantly.

“A rogue? Here?”

“They’ve lost their minds bringing her inside.”

“Look at her—filthy.”

“Why isn’t she muzzled?”

I smirked and snapped my teeth at a boy who leaned in too close. He stumbled back, pale, clutching his books.

“Keep staring, pretty boy,” I teased, “I might take an eye with me.”

The crowd gasped. Some girls covered their mouths; a few boys laughed nervously. Phones flashed. I saw one of them take a picture, no doubt eager to post about the feral rogue dragged into their sacred academy.

Good. Let them see me. Let them remember.

One girl sneered. “She doesn’t belong here.”

“Neither do you,” I shot back.

The girl’s cheeks burned red. She turned away.

Inside, though, my chest tightened. I could hear every word, feel every stare. They wanted me to break, to cry, to shrink. I refused to give them that satisfaction.

We entered the academy itself, and my jaw clenched. The halls were large. The marble floors looked like they were polished until they shone. Golden chandeliers glittered on the ceilings.  . My rags dragged across the floor, leaving a trail of dirt and blood on their spotless world.

“Move,” one guard barked, shoving me forward.

“Where are you taking me?” I demanded.

He smirked. “The private wing. Reserved for the heirs of the strongest packs. You’d better behave yourself, mutt.”

I growled low in my throat. “Touch me again, and I’ll rip your hand off.”

He raised his fist to strike me, but another guard stopped him. “Don’t. She’s not ours to damage. Not yet.”

Not yet.

The words made my skin crawl.

At last, they shoved me into a room. My eyes widened despite myself.

It wasn’t a cell. It wasn’t even close.

The chamber was enormous, with velvet curtains, a chandelier dripping with crystals, silk sheets covering a massive bed, and golden coverings over the furniture. It was… beautiful. I had never imagined a beautiful room like this.

I turned to them “Why here? Why not the dungeon? This isn’t for the likes of me.”

The guard smirked. “Behave yourself, rogue. This is where the elites stay. Consider it… an honor.”

Then they slammed the door shut, and I was alone.

I walked round the room. It was gorgeous, yes, but it was still a prison. My chains clinked with every movement.

We need out, my wolf growled in my head.” They want to break us”

“I know,” I whispered back “But I won’t let them.”

“ Good. Then when they come, we’ll show them our teeth”

I was about to answer when I heard it. Voices. Male voices.

The guards outside straightened immediately.

“Alphas,” one said.

My stomach tightened. So these were the Alpha’s sons.

Their footsteps echoed. I pressed my back against the wall.

The door opened, and the room filled with their presence before I even saw their faces. I was hidden in a corner so I couldn’t see them. I didn’t want to. But I could feel the power, and dominance in their auras.

I couldn’t see them clearly from my corner, but I caught their voices.

“Remove her chains,” one commanded.

“Alpha—she’s dangerous,” a guard protested.

“I said remove them.”

The guard walked to me and removed my chains. I rubbed the raw skin, glaring at the shadows of the boys.

“And get rid of those filthy rags,” another voice added. “She looks like an animal. Put her in silk.”

“Silk?” I spat. “Dress me up like your pet?”

There was a pause. Then the first voice spoke again. This time, his voice was lower and more dangerous. “You’ll do as you’re told.”

I wanted to lunge at him, to bite and claw and make him regret it. But I didn’t move. Not yet. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of seeing me desperate.

When the door shut again, I was left seething in silence. Humiliation burned hotter than the chains ever had. I wasn’t afraid, but for the first time, I felt… exposed. Vulnerable.

And I hated it.

-

Later, two girls entered the room.

They looked like they’d stepped out of a magazine. They were both tall with glowing skin and hair that looked too perfect to be real. They carried makeup kits and dresses over their arms.

I eyed them “Who are you?”

They exchanged a look. One rolled her eyes. “We’re here because the Alphas sent us.”

“To do what?”

“To make you presentable,” the other said.

I snorted. “Don’t waste your time.”

They ignored me, pulling me into a chair. “Sit.”

I bared my teeth. “I don’t take orders from you.”

“Then take it from the Alphas,” one snapped.

My chest rumbled with a growl, but I sat. Not for them—for me. I needed to know what game they were playing.

They brushed through my hair, pulling and tugging until my scalp burned. They painted my face with powders and oils, muttering under their breath the whole time.

“She’s hopeless.”

“Not anymore. Look at her skin—”

“Still a rogue.”

I clenched my fists. My wolf howled in my head. Let me out. I’ll claw their pretty faces off.

“Not now,” I whispered to her.

When they finally stepped back, they shoved a gown into my hands. It was red silk. It felt soft as water against my skin. I slipped it on reluctantly, hating how it clung to my body.

They turned me toward a mirror. And I froze.

The girl staring back wasn’t me. Her hair shone in waves, her skin glowed, her lips were painted red. She looked like one of them. I didn’t recognize her.

“You clean up nice,” one girl said with a smirk.

I wanted to smash the mirror. Instead, I said coldly, “Get out.”

They laughed and gathered their things. “Dinner’s soon. Try not to embarrass yourself.”

The door closed behind them.

I ripped the necklace from my throat and tossed it across the room.

-

At midnight, I made my move.

The guard outside my room yawned. His back was slouched against the doorframe.

Perfect.

I crept forward silently, grabbed the vase from the table, and smashed it against his head. He fell to the floor instantly.

My wolf purred. Good.

I slipped into the hall. My heart was pounding. Every sense of mine was alert. Patrols stalked the corridors, but I ducked behind columns, crawled through shadows, and moved like smoke.

Freedom was so close.

I could feel the night air on my skin as I neared the outer wall. I could almost taste the forest, feel my wolf pulling me forward.

“Almost there,” I whispered to myself.

And then—

Guards stepped out of the shadows, blocking my path.

I froze in shock.

Oh no.

One smirked. “Going somewhere, little rogue?”

My wolf snarled inside me. Run! Fight!

But their numbers doubled as more appeared from behind.

“The Alphas said you’d try this,” another guard sneered. “They predicted every move.”

My stomach dropped.

They knew. They knew.

My freedom had been a game to them.

And I’d walked right into their trap.