Wolf Shadow Academy

Chapter 6: Threads of Control

Elena’s POV

I woke up to a sharp knock on my door, the sound reverberating through the silence of the dorm. My heart jumped, adrenaline surging before I could even comprehend why. It was too early—barely dawn, judging by the dim light creeping through the narrow windows.

“Open up, Elena,” a voice called from the other side.

Tristan.

I felt the familiar weight of dread settle over me. After our conversation last night, I hadn’t been able to sleep. His words circled endlessly in my head: This is your chance to stop being the victim.

Victim.

Was that all I was now? The academy made sure to remind me every single day. They had stripped away any dignity I’d once clung to, leaving me raw and exposed. And Tristan... Tristan had offered me a way out, but his deal felt more like a trap.

The knock came again, louder this time. “Don’t make me break the door down,” he threatened, his tone calm but laced with annoyance.

I scrambled off the bed, my feet tangling in the thin blanket as I stumbled toward the door. My hands trembled as I unlatched it, and when I finally opened it, Tristan stood there, arms crossed, his sharp eyes scanning me from head to toe.

“You look worse than usual,” he said bluntly, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation.

“Good morning to you too,” I muttered, closing the door behind him. I pulled my sweater tighter around myself, suddenly hyper-aware of my disheveled state.

“Get dressed,” he ordered, ignoring my attempt at sarcasm. “You have somewhere to be.”

“Excuse me?” I blinked, caught off guard. “What do you mean?”

“You didn’t think the deal was just talk, did you?” Tristan’s smirk was infuriatingly smug. “I told you, Elena. Things are going to change. But only if you hold up your end.”

“And what exactly is my end?” I asked, crossing my arms to hide the growing unease spreading through me.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” he replied cryptically. “Now, hurry up. I don’t have all day.”

I wanted to argue, to demand answers, but the look in his eyes stopped me. There was no point. Tristan thrived on keeping people off balance, and right now, I was just another pawn in his game.

Resigned, I grabbed the first decent outfit I could find and disappeared into the tiny bathroom to change. My reflection in the cracked mirror was almost unrecognizable. Hollow cheeks, dark circles under my eyes, and a dullness in my gaze that hadn’t been there before. The girl I used to be was gone, buried beneath layers of shame and pain.

Focus, I told myself. You can survive this. You’ve survived worse.

When I stepped back into the room, Tristan was lounging on my bed, scrolling through his phone like he owned the place. He didn’t even look up as he spoke. “Finally. Let’s go.”

“Where are we going?” I asked, following him out into the hallway.

He glanced over his shoulder, his expression unreadable. “To class. Or did you forget this is an academy?”

Class. The word felt foreign to me now. I hadn’t attended any lectures since the incident with Carte. The thought of walking into a classroom full of judging eyes made my stomach churn, but Tristan didn’t give me a choice. He led the way with a confidence that bordered on arrogance, and I trailed behind like a shadow.

The hallways were bustling with activity as students made their way to their respective lectures. Conversations buzzed around us, but every so often, I caught snippets of whispers—my name muttered under breath, followed by laughter or sneers.

I kept my head down, my gaze fixed on the floor.

“Don’t let them see you flinch,” Tristan said suddenly, his voice low enough that only I could hear. “They feed on weakness.”

Easy for him to say. Tristan was untouchable here. No one dared to cross him, and he knew it. I, on the other hand, was an easy target.

We reached the lecture hall, and I hesitated at the door. The room was already packed, the noise level high as students settled into their seats. Tristan noticed my hesitation and nudged me forward.

“Go on,” he said. “This is part of the deal.”

Reluctantly, I stepped inside, the sudden silence making my skin crawl. All eyes turned to me, and for a moment, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. The weight of their stares was suffocating.

“Take a seat,” Tristan said, his voice cutting through the tension.

I spotted an empty chair near the back and quickly made my way toward it, my heart pounding in my chest. The whispers started again, louder this time, but I forced myself to ignore them.

The lecture began, and for a while, I managed to lose myself in the professor’s words. It was a welcome distraction, a temporary escape from the chaos of my reality. But it didn’t last.

Halfway through the class, a folded piece of paper landed on my desk. I hesitated before opening it, my hands shaking slightly. The message inside was simple, but it made my blood run cold.

“You don’t belong here.”

I crumpled the note in my fist, my nails digging into my palm.

“Everything okay?” Tristan’s voice startled me, and I glanced over to see him watching me from across the aisle. His expression was unreadable, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes—amusement, maybe? Or curiosity?

I didn’t answer, just shoved the note into my pocket and focused on the lecture. But the words lingered in my mind, a constant reminder of my place in this world.

After class, Tristan cornered me in the hallway.

“You did good,” he said, his tone almost… approving? It was hard to tell with him.

I didn’t respond, too drained to engage. But Tristan wasn’t done. He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper.

“Tomorrow, you’ll start fighting back,” he said, a hint of a smirk playing on his lips. “And when you do, they’ll wish they never underestimated you.”

Before I could ask what he meant, he was gone, disappearing into the crowd like a shadow. I stood there, trying to make sense of his words, but the more I thought about it, the less it made sense.

What was he planning? And why did I feel like I was walking straight into a trap?

That night, as I lay in bed, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was about to change. Tristan’s deal was supposed to make things better, but so far, all it had done was drag me deeper into the mess I was trying to escape.

I closed my eyes, exhaustion pulling me under. But even in sleep, I couldn’t find peace. My dreams were filled with shadows and whispers, with faces I couldn’t escape and voices I couldn’t ignore.

And somewhere in the darkness, a familiar voice spoke, clear and cold:

“Are you ready to pay the price?”

I woke with a start, my heart racing heavily, the voice from my dream still echoing in my ears and around the room. But as I sat up, I realized I wasn’t alone in my room at the moment.

I moved my head slowly to where the shadow was coming from; someone was in my room.

And i’m pretty sure he wasn’t here to talk.

How long has he been here? Was he watching me sleep? Did he hear all the things I was saying in my sleep?