Chapter 4 Only the Best
Sienna
The second my eyes snapped open after a decent nap, I remembered that I had to update my big brother.
I reached for my pocket and pulled out my phone—which, honestly, I’d completely forgotten I was even carrying.
That’s when I noticed it: “No service.”
I sat bolt upright in bed. No signal? I practically sprinted to the balcony and stretched my arm out as high as humanly possible. When that failed, desperation set in. I actually climbed onto the railing, holding my phone up to the sky, staring at it like I could will even a single bar of service to appear.
“Sien.”
A low voice from below startled me. I looked down and saw Sev, sitting comfortably in the garden right below the balcony, sipping his coffee. He was looking up at me with a smirk that said, 'You look ridiculous.'
“I’m afraid what you’re doing is useless,” he added, setting his coffee cup down.
I frowned at his comment, then realized I was still perched on a railing like some kind of idiot pigeon trying to find Wi-Fi. I quickly scrambled back down and leaned over the railing to peek at him.
“Why?”
Instead of answering, he just looked up, his smirk widening slightly. “Care to join me down here?”
Before heading down to the garden, I popped into the walk-in closet. It was huge, full of dresses and shoes. I grabbed the most simple-looking outfit I could find and changed quickly. As soon as I was decent, there was a neat knock at the door.
It was Jordan. “Miss, I'm here to escort you.”
“Thank you,” I said, genuinely grateful. I would absolutely get lost trying to find the garden on my own.
Once we arrived, Jordan gave a silent bow and left.
“The dress suits you,” Sev started the second I walked up to the table. I slid into the chair opposite him, trying desperately to hide the blush I could feel creeping up my neck, and the ridiculous thumping in my chest from the compliment.
“Thank you.”
"I trust you rested well?" he asked softly, pushing a cup toward me and pouring coffee into it. The warmth in his voice made me instantly remember how utterly cold he had been with the woman earlier.
I know I shouldn’t read into it, but come on, women are pros at over-analyzing everything. Yes, I admit, I’m an Assumer with a capital A.
Finally, I answered. “Yes, but the signal is really bothering me.”
“About that. Here.” He slid a box containing a brand-new smartphone across the table. “We have a private tower specifically for the Pack. It only allows messages and calls within our borders.”
“What?” I asked, disbelief written all over my face. “How are you supposed to get help from another Pack? I can’t even contact Dante?”
“He knew about this, don’t worry. Unfortunately, we still follow the old ways, and the Pack members are used to it—they’re willing to keep it that way.”
“What about entertainment?” I demanded.
“It’s available, of course. Within the Pack network.”
“So the only content creators are people here? That sounds incredibly boring.”
He chuckled. “We are a very large Pack, Sien, don’t worry. I’ll make sure you’re well entertained. Besides, you’re here to study and focus. Think of it as a bootcamp.”
Oh, I was definitely thinking of it as a bootcamp, alright. A super attractive, dominant Alpha bootcamp. Thankfully, Sev would be here, and I was sure I'd be more than just entertained.
“Alright!” I replied, giving him a big smile.
“You move on quite quickly.”
“Since you’re here, I’ll be fine.”
He chuckled again, tilting his head slightly. “That’s good to hear.”
I felt my heart beating loudly, the way his voice was, his chuckle, his looks, it was like he never aged at all.
When I was fourteen, Sev visited my brother for the first time. I was the one who opened the door, and I was completely mesmerized by him. His dark hair and those intense gray eyes were so captivating that I honestly couldn't remember anything he said beyond his name.
It turned out he was one of Dante's long-time Alpha friends, staying over for a major tournament Dante was hosting at our Pack. The tournament lasted for months, and thank God for that, because it meant we were constantly graced by Sev’s presence.
Since then, I knew I was gone for him, despite the eleven-year age gap. Age is just a number, people!
“Sien?”
“Oh, uh, yes?” I stuttered, snapping my attention back, realizing I hadn't been listening to a word he was saying.
“Once you finish your coffee, let’s head over to the academy.”
Right. Studying.
“Sure.” I picked up the small cup and finished the contents in one big gulp. “Ready.”
We spent the entire afternoon touring the academy. Sev said it was "to make sure you wouldn’t get lost."
But I knew there was no amount of touring that would prevent me from getting completely lost in this place.
The exterior looked like a ridiculously old castle, but the inside was totally modern. We walked past huge lecture halls with cushioned chairs and lecterns on elevated platforms, making every classroom look like a mini performance stage.
I was feeling nervous. I’d been homeschooled my whole life, and the only 'friends' I usually made were at a bar. So, you can imagine how great my social skills were.
“Why Health Sciences?” I suddenly asked as we walked past another one of those huge libraries, they had so many.
“I remembered how much you wanted to become a healer when you were younger.” He paused, looking suddenly uncertain. “Was I wrong?”
To be completely honest, becoming a healer was the last thing I could actively remember wanting, and right now, my only career goal was to rot peacefully in my extremely comfortable new bed.
“Of course, I still do! I just didn’t really have the chance to,” I replied, managing to pull off a pretty convincing smile.
“That’s good to hear.”
“So, education is a huge deal for you and the Pack, then?” I asked as we kept moving.
“Yes, unfortunately, good education was taken away from the Pack a long time ago.”
“And it was the Alpha who created the blueprints for this esteemed academy.” A deep, older voice cut in from right behind us, making us both spin around.
Wait. Sev created the whole blueprint for this place? Seriously? I knew it, he was just ridiculously impressive.
“Headmaster,” Sev said, acknowledging the old man after he got a friendly pat on the shoulder.
“I take it this is our new student?”
“Yes.”
“You should prepare yourself, young lady,” the Headmaster told me. He was going for a joking tone, I think, but with the look he gave me, it felt like a total warning.
“This Academy only accepts and creates the best.”