For seven years, I'd followed Zane Reed like a shadow, tutoring him day and night until he finally scored high enough to qualify for Alpha Academy. The night the results came out, he stood at our gathering and casually announced. "Enroll in Meadowbrook Academy with me, Selena. I need to stay with Sophia." Alpha Academy, the most prestigious institution, meant only for the strongest Alphas. Its graduates became pack leaders, council members, and commanders. They were the elite who shaped the society's future. Meadowbrook Academy—a school for ordinary werewolves, nothing special. All these years, I'd given him everything he asked for—obedient, desperate, pathetic. I'd even knelt before him in public, humiliating myself just to see him smile. Everyone called me his lapdog, betting I'd never leave Zane's side for as long as I lived. Now they waited eagerly to see how I—qualified for Alpha Academy where future elites were forged—would pathetically agree to waste my life at Meadowbrook academy alongside ordinary wolves. But this time, my expression was cold as I looked at him directly. "Fuck you. You're insane, but I'm not." The air in the private room seemed to freeze. *Did Selena just... curse at Zane?* *She's always been so desperate, so servile. What changed?* Zane's face turned dark as storm clouds. "Say that again," he growled. Sophia Lane, who'd been draped over his arm, gently tugged his sleeve. *"**It's okay, Zane. How could I possibly ask you and Miss Ashford—both destined to be future elites to attend Meadowbrook Academy with someone like me?**"* Her eyes slid toward me with barely concealed challenge, though her voice remained sweet. Zane's expression grew even darker at her words. He turned to me, his voice sharp with command. "Selena, kneel and apologize. Now." Before, I would have dropped to my knees without hesitation. Because any resistance meant the curse's punishment—sharp thorns wrapping around my heart, squeezing tighter and tighter until I couldn't breathe. The witch's revenge, suffocating me into obedience. I waited. Two seconds. Three seconds. Nothing. No thorns. No crushing pain around my chest. The curse had lifted!!! I glanced at my phone quickly. 12:01 AM. Zane had turned eighteen just one minute ago—the exact moment the results were released. After seven years of servitude, the witch's curse was finally broken. My wolf-Lola stirred, no longer cowering but growling with fierce approval. We were free!!! The realization made my mood soar. I stepped back, putting distance between us, my tone lazy and unbothered. "No. Why should I kneel for you?" The more pathetic I'd been before, the harder I pushed back now. Zane's face flushed with rage. "Fine. Fine. Selena Ashford," he bit out. "From today on, I'm not coming back to Ashford Family. Don't expect to see me again!" I nearly laughed. I'd be thrilled if he never came back. He clearly thought he had me cornered, waiting for me to break down and beg. Instead, I was mentally planning my vacation. Maldives? Or maybe skiing in Switzerland? When I didn't immediately kneel and beg him, Zane looked ready to explode. Sophia laughed softly and wrapped her arm around his. "Zane, don't fight with Selena over me. Not going home isn't good for you." She paused, her voice turning wistful. "Though I've never lived in such a big manor before. I really envy Selena." Her words were like a spark to kindling, instantly igniting the crowd around us. "Yeah, Zane, we've never seen it either!" "Let us check it out!" Surrounded by eager voices, Zane's vanity swelled visibly. He waved his hand grandly. "Why not? Come on, I'll take you all to my manor! Stay as long as you want this summer!" My eyes narrowed. "Excuse me? Zane, that's my home. I don't give you permission!" He shoved me roughly to the side. My shoulder slammed into the doorframe, pain shooting through it. "I say it's fine, so it's fine! Don't push your luck, Selena!" Seven years of my bottomless indulgence, combined with my father treating him like a potential son-in-law because I supposedly loved him, had made Zane forget a crucial fact. He was just an adopted orphan. He'd long since come to believe that everything the Ashfords owned—including me—rightfully belonged to him.
By the time I reached my home, chaos had already taken over. My father's prized vinyl records were being tossed around like frisbees. Several girls posed with my limited-edition handbags, taking selfies. Fury shot straight to my head. I pulled out my phone to call the police, but just as I hit confirm, someone slapped it from my hand. It crashed to the floor with a sickening crack. Sophia stood before me, her expression perfectly innocent and wounded. "Selena, I know you look down on me—that you think ordinary wolves like us don't deserve to enter your home." Her voice trembled. "But how can you call the police on us just for visiting Zane's house? What did we do wrong?" Her words instantly ignited everyone's anger. "It's just a visit! Is calling the police really necessary?" "Pretending to be kind but what a vicious heart!" Zane raised his hand and struck me hard across the face. Twice！ "You really think you're something special, don't you, Selena!" My cheek burned. I tasted blood in my mouth. Sophia covered her mouth, her eyes glistening with fake sympathy. "This is all my fault. If it weren't for me, everyone wouldn't have made Selena unhappy." She sighed dramatically. "Rich wolves like Selena naturally look down on ordinary wolves like us. It's normal." Again. Her tried-and-true class warfare routine. Sure enough, her words changed everyone's expressions. "Damn it, I hate people who think money makes them better than everyone else!" "Stop talking to her! Let's teach her a lesson!" Two men immediately grabbed my arms, roughly forcing me to the ground. Zane picked up a bottle of red wine, his eyes glinting with cruelty and satisfaction as he approached. "Selena, I think you're not thinking clearly today. Let me help you clear your head." Dark red liquid poured over me from above, soaking my clothes and hair in sticky humiliation. The wine blocked my vision while their laughter and jeering filled my ears. "Come on, let's see if she's still so arrogant now!" They laughed, taking photos and videos, immortalizing this moment as my permanent shame. Anger and frustration boiled inside me. The curse had just been lifted, leaving me weakened and unable to resist. "Hey, what are you doing? Let go of Selena!" Sophia called out halfheartedly, making no move to actually stop anyone. She walked to Zane's side, linking her arm through his, her voice sweet. "Zane, that's enough. I'm sure Selena knows she was wrong now." She turned to me, her eyes full of a victor's gaze. "Selena, just apologize to Zane and this will all be over. We're all friends—no need to make things too ugly." My eyes fixed on the pendant around her neck. "Sophia, take that off. Now!" "That was my grandmother's! You have no right to wear it!" My grandmother had left it to me before she died, calling it a family heimloom I should guard carefully. Every night before bed, I'd take it out and look at it, as if Grandmother was still beside me. Sophia blinked innocently, touching the necklace with one hand, her voice carrying a hint of grievance. "This necklace... Zane gave it to me. He said it looked beautiful on me." A flash of guilt crossed Zane's face before his expression hardened again. He ran his hand through his hair irritably. "It's just a necklace. Do you have to make such a big deal out of it?" "Selena, can you stop being so unreasonable for once!" "Your grandmother's been dead for years. Who I give it to is my business!" His words drove into my heart like knives. I couldn't control my emotions anymore. I wrenched free from the two holding me and staggered to my feet. "Zane Reed! Do you have any conscience at all!" "That's my grandmother's keepsake!" "How dare you give it to someone else!" "After my family sheltered you for seven years, at least give it back!" Zane's face twisted into something monstrous. CRACK— A sharp slap sent my head snapping to the side, ears ringing. Zane hated when anyone mentioned his past as an Orphan. It shattered what little self-esteem he possessed. "Who told you to bring that up!" "You really do look down on me, don't you!" "Selena Ashford, you've always thought of me as your family's dog!"
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