It sounds ridiculous

"I never have," Balthazar admitted.

"You’re using the wrong bait," I said with a smile. "Tell me when you’re coming next. I’ll bring you some bait."

The dark room never scared me. Drystan always made me face my fears. Sometimes I wonder if there was a bigger reason for that. Thane’s words reverberated in my mind. He’s protecting me; I’m his weakness. Forget his face? Never. I remember every detail, the curve of his lips, the way they felt against mine. Tears flowed down my cheeks. Missing him hurts all the time. I held his gaze without flinching. "Sometimes I fish, watch the sunset, swim in the river. Run. I’m a free spirit," I said, shrugging.

"Alright, let’s try this again. I believe you will do all that. But the nurse reported missing antibiotics, painkillers, and sutures," Balthazar said, leaning forward.

"Oh, that. I cut myself…" He slammed his hand on the desk.

"The truth, Victoria."

"Fine. I helped a wolf. It was hurt; it had a huge gash. It would have died if I hadn’t helped."

Balthazar examined me. "Did it survive?"

"Yeah, it did," I said, a small smile appearing through.

"I see."

"Nothing happened. I’m still a twenty-year-old virgin," I said, my face reddening.

"Shit," Balthazar muttered. "I’m responsible for you, Victoria. I want you to be…"

"What, the perfect student? I can’t." Tears spilled over, and I wiped them away, angry at myself.

"Victoria, I must punish you for this. One day confinement and one day kitchen duty."

"Got it," I said, standing up.

"Did you ever catch any fish?" he asked suddenly.

"Of course. I love fish."

Then there’s Thane. I feel drawn to him, but maybe it’s simply physical. I’ve never been with a man, so I can’t be sure.

I suddenly laughed at the times we’d made. I probably looked crazy, crying one moment and laughing the next.

Drystan went into revenge mode, building his own empire. Me? I would have been happy with just him. But men are different, driven by ambition. Now he’s a king, with packs bowing to him and women probably lining up for him. Whatever.

Tired, I finally lay down and fell asleep.

The door squeaked open, and Balthazar walked in. “We’ve got a guest. Go line up,” he said.

Great. Another celebrity, I thought, rolling my eyes.

I counted eight girls, all around my age. Sienna was smiling.

Why is she so happy? I wondered, rolling my eyes.

The door swung open. Drystan. I stopped breathing for a moment. The years had changed, his shoulders were broader, his chin line sharper, and his dark hair curled at his collar. Every part of me wanted to run to him, but his eyes moved past me. I felt something between hysteria and heartbreak rise inside.

He moved slowly, stopping in front of each girl for a moment. When he finally reached me, he looked into my eyes with no emotion or recognition at all.

"Mr. Balthazar," he said coldly, "I’ll take them." He pointed to three girls, who giggled and followed him. How many times can a heart break? Mine felt like it had disintegrated into dust.

He didn’t say a word, didn’t smile, didn’t even look at me. Anger rose inside me, hot and strong. I wanted to hit something, break something. Instead, I went to the bedroom, sat on the bed, and let myself cry.

Then I felt something slithering onto me. A snake. Its gaze fixed on mine. “Hey, Sienna’s an idiot,” I mumbled. “I like snakes. I like all animals. What the fuck, I’m talking to a snake now?” I laughed, half-hysterically, as Kara burst into the room.

“Victoria, there’s a snake in your hand!” she screamed, freezing in place. “It’s a "Yeah," I said, my voice unsteady. "Sienna put it in my bed."

 I stood up, angrily, and walked out while Kara shouted after me. Everything else dimmed away: her speech, the room, the world.

Sienna sat at a table, laughing with her friends. She stood up when she saw me, but I was already there, pushing her down. One hand pinned her neck while I held the viper carefully in the other.

I sat on top of her, watching the snake coil around her neck. Her screams diminished into the background. "Tighter," I said softly to the viper. Its eyes stayed on me as I bent closer. "Tighter," I repeated.

Everything else disappeared: the room, the noise, the people. My anger was endless. Someone was whispering in my ear, but I couldn’t make out the words at first.

“Victoria,” Balthazar’s voice cut through the haze. “Release the snake.”

I looked at the snake, and it slid away. The other girls' screams filled the room again. Sienna’s face was red, and she grabbed her throat, coughing and gasping.

Balthazar pulled me to his office. "Sit!" he shouted. I looked at my shaking hands. The room whirled, and I collapsed.

I closed and opened my eyes, and the first thing I heard was Balthazar yelling into the phone. He spotted me, hung up suddenly, and turned his full attention my way.

“Victoria,” he said, his voice keen. “What the hell happened out there?”

I attempted to sit up, my head pounding. "Sir," I began, holding my head as if it might fall off. He came to my side, his stern look softening a little.

“You choked Sienna with a viper.”

I laughed, even though it sounded a little wild. "It sounds ridiculous when you say it out loud, doesn’t it? Sorry." I met his eyes, daring him to look away.

“Why are you so angry?” he asked, his tone milder now but still probing. “Because Alpha Drystan didn’t pick you? Did you want to be in his bedroom?”

“Yes, I did!” I shouted, “Yes, I did!" I shouted, then quickly took it back as tears spilled over. "No." I covered my face, my anger turning raw and exposed. I felt arms around me. Balthazar. The man who never showed emotion was hugging me. I didn’t hold back; I sobbed like a kid who’d just dropped her ice cream. When I finally stopped, he pulled away, his usual mask slipping back into place.

“If you ever tell anyone,” He warned, his voice subdued, “I’ll punish you harshly.”

I wiped my face and smirked. "Never, sir."

He leaned back, folding his arms. “Now, how the hell did you get a viper?”

“It was in my bed,” I said, shrugging.

“Sienna put, "Yeah, she did," I said, my voice steady. "But here’s the thing, sir. Animals don’t scare me. Dark rooms, spiders, whatever, it doesn’t matter. Nothing scares me. Bring it on. Bring it on.

Punish me. I’m not sorry.”

Balthazar stared at me, his face completely unreadable. How does he do that?