Chapter 4

Eliana POV:

I was passing the Alpha's study on my way to the library when I heard my name.

My wolf hearing, usually dull due to my suppression, pricked up. I stopped, pressing myself against the oak paneling.

"...she's getting defiant, Jax. It's not a good look," said Mason, the pack Beta.

"Let her have her tantrums," Jax's voice replied, dismissive and arrogant. "She's weak, Mason. She needs to be broken down before she can be built up as a Luna."

My breath hitched. Broken down?

"Is that why you're parading Catalina around?" Mason asked.

"Exactly," Jax laughed. It was a cold, calculating sound. "I don't love Catalina. She's a toy. But Eliana... Eliana is too soft. Too proud. I need to tame her. I need to show her that she is nothing without me. Once she learns to submit, completely and utterly, then I'll mark her."

I covered my mouth to stifle a gasp.

It wasn't just cruelty. It was a strategy. He was using psychological warfare to turn me into a docile pet. He didn't want a partner. He wanted a slave.

A low growl vibrated in my chest.

I hurried back to my room, my hands shaking.

When I got there, Jax was leaning against my doorframe. He held a thick envelope in his hand.

The logo on the envelope was unmistakable: Empire Moon Academy, New York.

My heart stopped. Elder Sal had come through.

"Going somewhere?" Jax asked, waving the letter.

"Give that to me," I said, reaching for it.

He held it out of reach. "New York? Don't be ridiculous. You'd be eaten alive in the city. You're a country mouse, Eliana."

"It's my life, Jax."

"It's my life!" he shouted, stepping closer. "You belong to the Iron Claw. You belong to me. I've decided you're going to the West Coast branch. It's a smaller school. Easier. And I have men there who can keep an eye on you."

"I'm not going to the West Coast," I said firmly.

"You will go where I tell you to go!"

Suddenly, his phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen.

"It's Catalina," he muttered. "She says she hears a Rogue near the perimeter."

I scoffed. "We live in a gated compound, Jax. There are no Rogues here. She just wants attention."

"You don't know that," he snapped. "I have to go."

He looked at the letter in his hand, then at me.

"This is the last warning, Eliana. Stop dreaming."

He tossed the letter onto his desk, not bothering to destroy it-he was that confident I wouldn't disobey. Then he turned and ran down the hall, rushing to save the girl who was crying wolf.

I stared at the letter.

He chose a lie over my future. Again. But he made a mistake. He assumed I was still the girl who asked for permission.

I bent down and picked up the envelope.

"You're right, Jax," I whispered to the empty hallway. "I won't survive a week."

I opened the door to my room and pulled out my suitcase.

"Not if I stay the girl you think I am."