Chapter 3

Eliana didn't know when, but somewhere in the night, exhaustion finally claimed her, and she drifted into an uneasy sleep. The loud blaring of an alarm jolted her awake. She shot up, heart hammering in her chest, eyes darting wildly around the small, unfamiliar room.

The door suddenly unlocked with a mechanical click and swung open on its own. Then, a voice echoed through unseen speakers:

"Everyone report to the main hall! Everyone report to the main hall! Everyone report to the main hall!"

Eliana had no idea where the main hall was, but she could hear footsteps outside, probably other recruits. She had two options: follow them and find out what the hell was going on, or stay here. But something told her that staying put wouldn't end well.

With a sense of urgency, she opened the wardrobe, hoping to find shoes. Last night, she had been too stressed to check properly. Relief flooded her when she spotted socks and sneakers. Hastily, she pulled them on and stepped out of the room.

The hallway was filled with people walking in the same direction. They all wore the exact same clothes as her. Men, women, young, old—it was a diverse crowd. But what struck her most was their expressions. No fear. Just determination. Unlike her, they seemed to know exactly what was going on.

Eliana followed them into the same massive hall where she had woken up yesterday. Everyone lined up in perfect order. She mimicked them for now, wanting more information before making a move.

At the front stood the five men from yesterday. The ones who ran this place.

Isaak's voice boomed through the hall. "Today marks your first day at the Assassin Academy. This year, we have fifty recruits, but only a handful will survive the three years of training."

Eliana's stomach twisted at his choice of words. Survive? What could happen, that there is a chance that she won't survive??

"You will undergo rigorous training in six core areas: Strategy, Medicine, Fitness, Combat, Weapons, and Seduction." His gaze swept over the recruits. "Your mentors will provide more details in your respective classes. Now, step forward to receive your schedules."

The recruits formed an orderly line, each stepping forward to take a slip of paper from Theodore. Eliana hesitated but eventually took her place at the end of the line. This all felt surreal. An academy for assassins? She could understand most of the training areas, but… seduction classes? Seriously?

When her turn came, Theodore handed her a small slip of paper with a smile which she wanted to punch off his face. The other recruits immediately moved toward their assigned classes, but Eliana remained rooted in place, gripping the schedule tightly. Her mind was screaming at her to say something.

"I…" Her voice wavered, but she forced herself to continue. "I'm not supposed to be here. And I will not play along with this bullshit. You can't force me. I demand to be allowed to go home."

She tried to keep her voice steady, but her hands trembled. She couldn't hold their gazes, so she stared at the floor instead.

Soft footfalls. A shadow. Then a firm hand tilted her chin up. Her eyes locked onto Isaak's.

"Of course, you can leave," he said smoothly. "We won't force you to do anything."

Hope flared in Eliana's chest. Maybe they weren't as deranged as she thought. Maybe she had misjudged them. Maybe—

"But," Isaak continued, "if you leave, we'll have to kill you. We can't risk you talking about this place."

The hope died a brutal death.

"We don't know who sent you here, but you are here now. You have two choices: die or become an assassin." His voice remained calm, almost amused. "No one will force you."

Her nails dug into her palms. This was unfair. Completely fucking insane. Who had kidnapped her and sent her to this nightmare of a place?

But… maybe there was a loophole. She could stay for now and just won't attend the classes, bide her time, and find a way to escape.

"Okay." The word left her lips coolly, deliberately. She turned on her heel to leave, planning to fake cooperation until she had a plan.

"Ah, but one more thing." Isaak's voice stopped her in her tracks. "If you stay here, you will train. We don't provide food and shelter for free."

Eliana's fists clenched. A boiling rage surged within her. "You say you won't force me, but that's fucking forcing!" she snapped.

She tore off her shoe and hurled it at him.

The room fell into stunned silence for a heartbeat, then Damon chuckled darkly.

"Oh, wrong move, stupid girl." His tone dripped with amusement.

Damon and Cobra strode toward her. Before she could react, Damon yanked her arms behind her back, gripping her wrists with bone-crushing force. His other hand twisted into her hair, pulling hard enough to make her wince.

"When you disrespect us, disobey us, or act defiant, you get punished," Cobra said casually.

Then his fist slammed into her stomach. Once. Twice. Five times in rapid succession.

The air left her lungs in a violent gasp. Her legs gave out, and when Damon released her, she crumpled to the floor, struggling for breath.

Isaak stood over her, as composed as ever. "You want to live? Then you will stay, attend the academy, and follow the rules."

With that, he stepped over her and headed for the exit. The others followed.

Eliana barely had time to regain control of her breathing before Isaak paused at the doorway.

"Oh, one more thing."

She wanted to scream. Wanted him to shut the fuck up forever. Every word out of his mouth only made things worse.

"We know where your family lives. We know their names, their schedules—everything." His voice was pleasant, almost casual. "It would be easy to send one of our assassins to take care of them."

Eliana froze. Ice crawled through her veins.

"I wouldn't recommend an escape attempt."

And with that, they were gone, leaving her on the cold, unforgiving floor.

Her breathing came in ragged gasps. The pain in her stomach burned, her limbs trembled, but none of it compared to the white-hot rage building inside her.

A scream tore from her throat, raw and filled with every ounce of helpless fury. Her fists slammed into the ground, pain shooting through her knuckles, but she didn't stop. Tears burned her cheeks as she let everything out, every ounce of frustration, every drop of fury.

This wasn't over.