Daddy’s wild girl

Chapter 18

Bella collapsed onto her bed, still dripping with the foul-smelling fish water. Her uniform clung to her skin, scales stuck in her hair, and her scraped knees burned. Tears streamed down her face as she tried to catch her breath.

Molly grabbed a towel from her closet and handed it to her, sitting on the edge of the bed with a worried frown.

“Talk to me,” Molly said gently. “What the hell happened?”

Bella wiped her face with the towel, but it only smeared the mess. Her voice came out shaky and broken between sobs.

“I… I was just walking back from class, minding my own business. Then this group of girls started staring at me weirdly. I tried to ignore them and kept going, but someone tripped me. I fell hard — my knees…” She lifted the hem of her skirt slightly to show the bloody scrapes. “They all started laughing. Saying stuff like ‘serve her right’ and ‘who does she think she is?’ One of them even said I talked to her ‘husband’ that way — I think she meant Ethan.”

Bella’s shoulders shook harder as she continued.

“Then, before I could even stand up, they dumped a whole bucket of fish water on me. It was disgusting — cold, slimy, with actual fish in it. Everyone just laughed louder. I yelled at the girl who did it, and she shoved me. Her friends were gathering around like they were about to jump me… so I ran. I just ran all the way here.”

She looked up at Molly, eyes red and puffy, voice cracking with frustration and fear.

“I didn’t do anything wrong, Molly. I just said bullying is stupid. That’s it. Now the whole school hates me. Ethan and Scott both looked like they wanted to kill me in the cafeteria, and now their little followers are coming after me. I can’t even walk down a hallway without getting hurt or humiliated. This place is a nightmare. I want to leave. I want to go home. I don’t belong here.”

Molly sighed heavily, rubbing Bella’s back in slow circles.

“I warned you,” she said quietly, though there was no judgment in her tone. “This academy isn’t built for nice girls. It’s built to break the weak ones and turn the strong ones into monsters. Ethan’s family basically owns this place, so his crew feels untouchable. And Scott… he might act like he’s above it, but he’s just as bad. They both have loyal packs that will do anything to stay in their good graces.”

She paused, then added more softly, “You stood up for that omega in the cafeteria. That was brave… but bravery gets you targeted here. The fastest way to survive is to keep your head down, stay quiet, and let the strong ones do whatever they want. If you keep fighting back, they’ll keep coming harder.”

Bella sniffled, hugging the towel to her chest. “So I’m just supposed to let them bully me? Let them humiliate me every day until I break?”

Molly gave her a sad smile. “Or you find someone stronger to protect you. Like Reyes. Or you learn to fight dirty and become one of the monsters yourself. Those are pretty much the only two options here.”

Bella stared at the floor, fish scales still clinging to her hair, tears still falling.

“I don’t want to become a monster,” she whispered. “But I’m not sure I can survive if I stay the way I am.”

Molly squeezed her shoulder. “Then you’ve got a choice to make, Bella. And you’d better make it fast. Because from what I saw today… Ethan and his crew aren’t going to let this go. They’re just getting started.”

Bella closed her eyes, the weight of the day crashing down on her. The academy felt like a cage, and every path forward looked darker than the last.

She had no idea what she was going to do.

—

Bella sat on the edge of her bed in the dark dorm room, still damp and smelling faintly of fish water despite the quick shower she’d taken. Molly was already asleep in the bed across from her, breathing steadily. The only light came from Bella’s phone screen as she dialed her mother’s number with shaking fingers.

It rang twice before her mother picked up.

“Sweetheart! How’s my girl doing at the academy?” Samantha’s voice was bright and cheerful, the way it always was when she wanted to sound like the perfect mom.

Bella swallowed hard, trying to keep her voice from cracking. “Mom… I don’t feel safe here. Today was awful. People are bullying me — shoving me, tripping me, dumping fish water on me in the hallway. Ethan and Scott are targeting me because I spoke up in the cafeteria. I’m scared. I want to come home.”

There was a short pause on the other end.

“Oh, Bella,” her mother sighed, sounding more tired than concerned. “It’s only your first day. These things happen at Lycaon. It’s for your own good, honey. The academy is designed to toughen you up. You need this to learn how to control your wolf and become strong.”

Bella’s grip tightened on the phone. “Mom, you’re not listening. They’re not just teasing me — they’re hurting me. I got shoved to the ground, and then they poured disgusting water all over me while everyone laughed. I’m covered in bruises and I smell like fish. Please, can I please come home?”

She could hear movement in the background — footsteps, a low masculine murmur. Then her mother let out a soft, breathy little moan, quickly muffled.

Bella frowned deeply, her stomach twisting.

There was the unmistakable sound of kissing — wet, intimate, and far too close to the phone.

“Mom?” Bella’s voice sharpened. “Are you even listening to me?”

Samantha cleared her throat, sounding slightly flustered. “Of course I am, darling. But you have to bear it. Within time, you’ll become strong. You’ll learn to wolf out properly and stand up for yourself. This is exactly what you need. I love you so much, okay? We’ll talk soon.”

Another soft moan slipped through before her mother quickly added, “Goodnight, sweetheart,” and hung up.

The line went dead.

Bella stared at the phone in her hand, tears silently rolling down her cheeks. She could still hear the echo of that moan and the kissing sounds in her head. Her mother was back home, kissing and moaning with Collins — her stepfather — while she was here getting humiliated and hurt.

They were having fun. Enjoying their perfect married life. And she was suffering alone in this nightmare of a school.

Fresh tears fell as she curled up on her bed, trying to cry as quietly as possible so she wouldn’t wake Molly. The pain in her chest felt heavier than the bruises on her body.

She whispered to herself in the darkness, voice thick with tears and quiet determination:

“I have to get through this… even if it means becoming a monster.”