Chapter five

Maya POV

​I woke up the next morning and realized I was holding tightly on Adrian’s shirt. For the first time in a long time, I hadn't suffered from any of those haunting nightmares. 

I took a deep breath, clutching the soft fabric. I really needed to return this shirt to him.

​

My phone suddenly beeped. I picked it up and stared at the notification on the screen, my eyes widening in shock.

​Congratulations Maya Hart, you have been admitted to Ravencrest University.

​"Oh my goodness..." I gasped out loud, my heart leaping. "I’m finally going back to school."

​I knew Margaret had to be behind this. She was probably terrified that I would expose her dirty past—especially the secret that I was her daughter, whom she is ashamed of. She definitely wasn't doing this out of love. 

Margaret had never paid a single dime for my tuition before. In fact, she used to do everything she could to stop me from going to school. I was always the one working grueling nine-to-five jobs just to survive, until the bills became too heavy and I was forced to drop out.

​Then Lucian came into my life. He helped me pay some of those fees back then, and I had loved him genuinely, completely blind to his true intentions.

​Just thinking about Lucian made my stomach churn with disgust. I shook my head, forcing the bitter memories away. Right now, I just wanted to enjoy the sweet victory of finally having the upper hand over Margaret.

​I bathed and dressed up quickly and headed downstairs, feeling my stomach rumble with hunger.

​"Good morning, ma'am," the maid greeted me with a warm, genuine smile.

​"Good morning," I replied, smiling back.

​"Please sit down. I'll bring your breakfast right away," she said, pointing toward the large dining table.

​"Thank you."

​I sat down, and she shortly returned to set the table just for me. I wondered where Margaret and Adrian were, but I quickly brushed the thought aside. I certainly wasn't in the mood to deal with Margaret’s poisonous insults this morning.

​

The maid poured a fresh glass of juice and stepped away. I ate quickly, savoring every single bite. The food was absolute perfection. 

When you know what it feels like to starve and beg for meals, you learn to truly appreciate every bite of good food.

​After eating, I stepped outside. Several luxury cars were parked in the grand compound, but I simply ordered an Uber and headed straight to campus.

​When the driver pulled up to Ravencrest University, my jaw completely dropped. 

Ravencrest has always been my dream school. It had state-of-the-art medical equipment, and medicine was my passion.

​I stepped onto the campus, my nerves buzzing as students walked past, chatting and laughing. Since classes hadn't started yet, I asked for directions and found the main administration office.

 Everything had already been paid in full, so I collected my official documents and student supplies.

​As I was standing near the window, a familiar figure passed by outside. My breath instantly caught in my throat.

​I rushed out the door to look, praying my eyes were deceiving me. But I wasn't hallucinating.

​It was Lucian.

​

He was walking with a slim, beautiful girl, holding her hand tightly as they chatted happily. Her hair was pulled up into an elegant bun, making it impossible to miss the fresh mark etched into her neck.

​He marked her?

​My heart shattered all over again, the agonizing pain returning in full force as his cruel words echoed in my mind:

​“Did you really think I was going to spend my life with you?”

​“The mark was never a permanent bond. It was only a temporary claim—a way of letting other wolves and humans know you were taken until I found my true mate.”

​“I wanted you in my bed, Maya. That’s all it was.”

​I dug my fingernails into my palms until the pain made me wince. I had promised myself I would never waste another tear on Lucian. He didn't deserve my pain. But my traitorous eyes filled up anyway, and hot tears spilled down my cheeks.

​My mother had never allowed me to have friends growing up. Lucian had been the only person I held close for two whole years. He made me feel seen, loved, and wanted—until Margaret found out about us and ripped it all away. She had always sworn she would take everything from me, and she meant it.

​When I first caught them, I confronted Lucian, desperately hoping he would tell me Margaret had set him up or manipulated him. I don't mind him lying, i would have believed anything.

 But he didn't even deny it. He openly admitted to the affair with my own mother. To make it worse, he brutally severed our bond and unmarked me, declaring that a weak human like me was never worthy of being a werewolf's mate.

​"Ma'am? Can you please sign here?"

​The clerk's voice snapped me out of the nightmare. I wiped my eyes, stepped forward, and signed the final papers.

​I was officially a student. I held my books tight, praying I wouldn't bump into Lucian. For all I know he wasn't a student. He must have been here because of the lady.

​I stepped out into the quiet hallway, but before I could take five steps, a strong hand grabbed my arm and violently dragged me into an empty classroom. The door slammed shut with a loud bang.

​I opened my mouth to scream, but a heavy hand slammed firmly over my lips, smothering my voice. A large body towered over me, making my heart race in pure terror.

​I looked up—and met Lucian’s dark eyes.

​Instantly, I bit down on his fingers as hard as I could.

​"Ouch!" he hissed, pulling his hand back with a wince.

​"How dare you touch me?!" I snapped, my eyes burning with fury.

​"Come on, Maya," he sneered, smoothing his jacket. "Shouting like that isn't good for your health."

​I rolled my eyes and turned to grab the door handle, but he yanked my arm back and slammed me hard against the wall. He glared down at the university materials clutched in my hands, his brow furrowing.

​"Are you actually a student here now?" he asked, genuine disbelief in his voice.

​"It’s none of your business, Lucian," I spat, staring him down.

​"Maya, I know your mother," he growled through gritted teeth. "She would never pay a dime for your tuition not to talk of an elite university like this. Tell me... who have you been sleeping with to afford this place?"

​A cold rage washed over me. I took a deep breath, trying to keep my composure. "I am nothing like you, Lucian. I don't sleep around."

​Lucian let out a mocking laugh. "So that’s what 

this angry little attitude is about? You’re still bitter about what happened between me and your mother? 

Come on, Maya. Margaret is young, attractive, and eager—unlike you, who wouldn't even let me touch you even after I marked you!"

​

He leaned in so close his breath brushed against my skin, making my flesh crawl. I couldn't believe I had ever loved this monster.

​I slammed my hands against his chest and shoved him back with all my strength, but his solid body barely budged.

​

"Keeping myself from you was the absolute best decision of my life!" I shouted, tears of frustration gathering in my eyes. I had been planning to give him everything on our second anniversary—only to catch him in bed with my own mother.

​

"Just accept my offer, Maya," Lucian purred softly, pinning me right back against the wall. "Accept it, and you won't have to sleep around to pay your bills."

​His former words sliced through my mind like a fresh blade:

"Unless you're willing to be nothing more than my sex tool. I will take care of all your bills"

​

Even after marking another woman, he still wanted to degrade me.

​"You will never have me, Lucian," I snarled, glaring into his eyes. "Not in this life, and not in the next."

​Lucian’s expression turned sinister.

 "Soon, Maya. Very soon, I will marry Aria and take my place as the future Alpha of the Grey Moon Pack. And when that happens, you’ll come crawling to me on your knees. A weak human like you could never dream of standing beside an Alpha."

Aria?.

The realization hits me. Her father was the powerful Alpha of the Grey Moon Pack, a pack that had been in constant rivalry with the Red Moon Pack for years.

Of course. Lucian wasn't marrying her because he loved her. He was marrying her because of what came with her name—the power, the position, the chance to become Alpha.​

He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a dark threat. ​"You have no idea what these pack males do to unprotected human girls on this campus, do you? They won't be as gentle as I was. Let me put a claim on you, Maya. Not because you deserve it after how you treated me, but because I'd hate to see what's left of you by the end of the semester.”

​

For a split second, his threat struck a deep chord of fear in my chest. I knew the hell of being an unmarked human in a world ruled by wolves. A mark meant safety. It meant survival. But I won't ever accept Lucian Manipulative Mark. He won't ever claim me again.

​Courage surged through my veins, and I shoved him away with every ounce of power left in my body.

​"If your mark is the only thing that can protect me, Lucian, then I'd rather suffer!" I yelled at his face. "Now step back right now, or I swear I will scream this entire building down!”