Share

45| ELIJAH

Author: Purpah
last update Last Updated: 2025-03-23 22:39:26

He took a step forward, shoes crunching against the dry grass and then… his fist met my face.

I stumbled back, the full force of an Alpha’s blow wasn’t someone anyone could stand least of all me in my intoxicated state.

I rubbed a hand over my jaw, I was half sure it was broken and I could taste a metallic tang of blood in my mouth—the only reason I wasn’t sure if my jaw was broken was because I was numb somewhat, pain didn’t make sense and I could barely pinpoint the sensations in my own body.

“I apologise, Father,” I spoke, not because I was genuinely sorry, but because it was a reflex at this point.

I looked up at him when he gave no reply and found him standing a few feet away, staring at me with absolutely no emotion on his face. I struggled to focus on his features, it was like when he’d hit me he shook about the fog that was clouding my thoughts.

The world was still thick with Vellum’s haze, dulling the edges of my reality, but not enough, not enough that I couldn’t feel t
Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App
Locked Chapter

Related chapters

  • ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE   46| LENORA

    The entire school was in chaos.Whispers filled the halls, rippling through every corridor like an unstoppable current. Students huddled in small groups, heads bent close, murmuring in hushed, urgent tones. The energy in the air was restless, charged with something I couldn’t quite name—excitement, fear, maybe both.I noticed it first thing in the morning when I walked in and caught the way people turned toward each other, leaning in as if sharing a secret too heavy to speak aloud. Then again during my classes, where I practically had to raise my voice just to cut through the distraction. Even in the faculty lounge, tucked away in a corner with Morgan, I watched the professors speak in quick, animated bursts, their hands moving wildly as if the words alone weren’t enough.They couldn’t stop talking. And yet, I had no idea what they were talking about.I wouldn’t call myself nosy—I never cared much for gossip, not that I’d ever had anyone to gossip with before Morgan—but there was some

    Last Updated : 2025-03-24
  • ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE   47| LENORA

    By the time lunch rolled around, I still hadn’t shaken the feeling.I sat in the cafeteria with Morgan, pushing my food around my plate, only half-listening as she talked about something that had happened in her morning class.Around us, the cafeteria was nearly deafening—louder than usual, especially on the students’ side. It was as if Elijah’s presence at school had amplified the gossip, and I still had no idea why.See, I wasn’t usually one to dwell on things, but for some reason, Elijah’s complete and utter dismissal of my presence refused to leave my mind.It shouldn’t have mattered. It was clear that something had happened to him this past week, something that had knocked him completely off his axis. I was the one who had insisted I was nothing but his professor. He didn’t owe me anything.And yet… I was hurt that he hadn’t even looked at me.I was a fool.“Good afternoon, Professor.”I looked up at the sound of Sophie’s voice.She stood with her tray in hand, an awkward smile p

    Last Updated : 2025-03-24
  • ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE   48| LENORA

    And then, without another word, he turned sharply on his heel and stormed out of the cafeteria. No one moved. No one spoke. I didn’t realize I had already made my decision until I was already on my feet. Morgan shot me a look, but she didn’t say anything as I grabbed my bag and followed. — “Elijah!” My voice rang through the empty hallway, but he didn’t stop. If anything, he picked up his pace. I hurried after him, weaving past stray students lingering near their lockers, my heartbeat quickening as the distance between us grew. He was fast—too fast. It was like he didn’t even hear me, or maybe he just didn’t care. “Elijah, wait!” I nearly tripped as I rounded a corner, my breath coming in short bursts. My pulse pounded in my ears as I caught sight of him again, but then— He was gone. I skidded to a stop, scanning the empty corridor. Silence pressed down around me, thick and suffocating. For a moment, I thought I’d lost him completely. And then I felt it—something subtle, a

    Last Updated : 2025-03-25
  • ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE   49| LENORA

    “Alright, that’s it for today,” I announced, closing my textbook with a decisive snap. The room filled with the familiar sounds of rustling papers and scraping chairs as students gathered their things. I let out a small breath of relief, it was a miracle in and of itself that I’d managed to complete today’s class without passing out in fatigue. I didn’t get a wink of sleep last night, my thoughts had been occupied by a certain golden-eyed Alpha Prince and the bruises that marred his body. I let my gaze sweep across the room and found him in the same place he sat in yesterday. A front seat, tucked away in the corner of the class, like the others he was shoving his materials back into his book bag. Unlike the others, his movements were just a little bit jerky, a small indicator of the horrifying wounds hidden beneath his sweater. I gave myself a moment this time, trying to figure out what my actions would look like to him. But no matter how I tried to push it aside, my actions s

    Last Updated : 2025-03-25
  • ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE   50| ELIJAH

    I spent the entirety of the day before high as a fucking kite, which meant I’d woken up this morning with a splitting headache and a mouth as dry as sandpaper. But still, by six a.m., I was up and ready for today’s bout of succession training—which included a sparring session with Luka and an “opportunity” to sit in on a council meeting. Or, as I liked to call it, a front-row seat to corruption in HD.The council was meant to be a system of checks and balances, a governing body that ensured the Alpha and Luna didn’t wield absolute power. In theory, they were supposed to be the voice of the people, holding leaders accountable, ensuring justice. But that only worked when the council wasn’t rotten to its core.Most of them were deep in my father’s pocket, their loyalty bought with power, fear, or the simple promise of indulgence. They turned a blind eye to his worst atrocities, some even partaking in them. I’d seen their faces at his events, standing in the shadows, sipping expensive whi

    Last Updated : 2025-03-26
  • ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE   51| LENORA

    I decided to call in sick for the next three days while I figured everything out.Technically, it wasn’t a lie—I was sick. Sick to my stomach, staring at the picture of Jessie, bruised, battered, and covered in blood. I stared at it for a long time, as if, if I just kept looking, the image would shift, distort—until suddenly, I’d realize it wasn’t really her.But no matter how long I sat in the middle of my living room, gripping my phone so tightly my fingers ached, the picture never changed. If anything, the longer I stared, the more I became convinced that the woman in the image was Jessie. And the sicker I felt.I tried texting the number back several times, but none of my messages went through. The number was private, untraceable—I couldn’t call it, nor could I get someone else to track it.I was lost.And after exhausting every option I could think of, I realized I had only two left.One: I could give up, return to Marcus, and face whatever punishment he had waiting for me.Or tw

    Last Updated : 2025-03-27
  • ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE   52| LENORA

    This might be the longest week of my life.The days dragged by, each one slower than the last, as I counted down to Saturday. Every morning, I woke with the same thought: One day closer. And every night, as I lay awake staring at the ceiling, the same questions turned over in my mind. How was Victor planning to get Jessie out? Would he even follow through? And what would he want from me once he did?I was relieved he’d agreed to help—I had no other options, and I knew that without him, Jessie’s fate was sealed. But that relief was laced with unease, a steady undercurrent of anxiety that never fully left me. I owed him too much already. The only reason I was still here, still breathing, was because of him. How much more would he demand?I could imagine the possibilities. Maybe he’d ask me to keep an even closer watch on Elijah, to report on more than just his grades. Maybe he’d expect me to use my position, to influence people on his behalf. Or maybe it would be something worse—somethi

    Last Updated : 2025-03-28
  • ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE   53| LENORA

    After assuring Morgan that I was fine—and mostly unaffected by what I dismissed as a childish attempt to rattle me—she reluctantly let it go. She muttered one last string of curses for the “unfortunate bastards who thought they were funny” before heading home.I watched her go, a small smile tugging at my lips despite the tension still coiled in my chest. I wasn’t used to having someone stand up for me so openly, to have someone express their anger for me instead of at me.The only person who had ever looked out for me before was Jessie. But even then, her concern had always been cautious, hidden beneath careful words and fleeting glances. Our friendship had been something fragile, something that could only exist in stolen moments—moments when we were sure Marcus or his people weren’t watching, when we knew we wouldn’t be punished for it.Outside those moments, Jessie could only watch with pitying eyes as I was yanked around and abused.Long after Morgan had left, I remained at my des

    Last Updated : 2025-03-29

Latest chapter

  • ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE   97| LENORA

    When I was sixteen, I made the mistake of trying to carve out a path for myself.One of the routes I took involved working toward my PhD and falling for a man—or rather, a boy. He was only two years older than me, with sandy blonde hair, freckles, and the kindest smile I’d ever seen. He treated me better than anyone ever had.All my life, I’d been told I was destined for someone else—the son of the Alpha. But why? Why was I supposed to bind myself to someone I didn’t even love? Someone who didn’t love me either? Someone who wasn’t even my mate?So, for a little while, I decided to defy that destiny. That was how I ended up with my first boyfriend.He was the son of the pack doctor. We met at school shortly after my sixteenth birthday. Unlike everyone else, he didn’t shrink away from me, cowed by my title or the weight of what I was. He saw me eating alone one day and approached with the brightest smile. He introduced himself and waited for me to do the same—something I’d rarely done,

  • ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE   96| ELIJAH

    The garden smelled like lavender and fresh earth.I was small again—maybe seven or eight—kneeling in the flower beds beside Mum. The sun hung low and golden, spilling warmth across the hedges and blooming petals. Bees buzzed lazily in the distance, and windchimes clinked from the porch like tiny bells. I could hear the steady snip of her garden shears, rhythmic and familiar, like a lullaby wrapped in sound.She wore her straw hat, the one with the frayed brim and blue ribbon I used to tug when I wanted her attention. Dirt streaked her forearms, her fingernails packed with soil, but she looked radiant—like the sunlight itself loved her.“There we go,” she said softly, reaching down to pat my back. “Your hands are gentle. That’s why the flowers like you.”I grinned, my heart blooming with pride. “I wanna help every day.”She glanced sideways, her eyes warm. “I’d love that. Maybe you can teach your sister how to do this.”I giggled, still elated at the thought of having a little sibling.

  • ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE   95| LENORA

    Elijah hadn’t shown up to class. Again.At first, I tried to tell myself it wasn’t anything new. He skipped sometimes—especially when things got bad at home. I didn’t expect him to come back right after being punished for goddess knew how long. But that realisation did nothing to settle my erratic thoughts, all it did was breed more worry. What if he was actually hurt and weak and unable to come to class because of that, what if he wasn’t even released from Victor’s clutches yet. The worry had bloomed into something tighter—something close to panic.It’s been days. Nearly a week since I saw him last. I dismissed the class and gathered my things slowly, lingering at the front as the students trickled out.Then I saw him—Luka—headed toward the door, his hoodie half-zipped, a satchel slung over one shoulder. He didn’t look at me as he passed by the lectern, and his steps were clipped, his shoulders rigid. He always lingered when Elijah was around. Now he seemed like he couldn’t get ou

  • ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE   94| ELIJAH

    I didn’t even remember walking through the door.One minute I was in hell—my father’s brand of it, brutal and endless—and the next, I was here. In the apartment I used to share with Luka. Still technically shared with him, I guessed. His hoodies still hung on the hooks by the door. There was a toothbrush by the sink, an unopened energy drink on the counter. Signs of life. His life. But not mine.I locked the door behind me and didn’t leave again.The curtains stayed drawn. The lights stayed off. Time bled out around me, thick and directionless. The world outside stopped existing. I moved through the apartment like something dead but too stubborn to rot all the way through. I wasn’t thinking. I wasn’t even feeling. I just… existed. Barely.My back throbbed with every breath. The skin was raw, tight, like it had been stitched together too quickly. Every time I shifted, it pulled and burned. I hadn’t changed out of the shirt I threw on that first night—it clung to me now, damp with old s

  • ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE   93| LENORA

    The cup was cold in my hands. I raised it slowly, and the smell hit me first—rotten fruit and metal and something sharp that made my nose sting. My stomach turned. I closed my eyes, braced myself, and drank. The moment it touched my tongue, I gagged. It burned going down, thick and syrupy, like swallowing hot tar. My throat seized, and I doubled over slightly, coughing as my stomach twisted in revolt. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, breathing hard. My eyes watered. Adora didn’t blink. She just watched me like a scientist observing a test subject. Victor chuckled weakly from the bed. “Such dramatics. You’d think she was being poisoned.” Wasn’t I? My limbs felt heavier now. My thoughts slower, dulled at the edges. But I knew the next part. I’d done this before. Too many times. So I stepped forward, finally, my feet dragging like I was wading through water. My hands were shaking again—but this time, it wasn’t just fear. It was power, building beneath my skin in

  • ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE   92| LENORA

    The gala went on as planned the next day—a glittering illusion I drifted through like a ghost in borrowed skin. Laughter filled the air, light bounced off crystal glasses, and the string quartet played a song I couldn’t remember even as I stood there listening. Everyone seemed enchanted by the atmosphere—the silk gowns, the polished shoes, the delicate scent of white lilies clinging to every surface.But I couldn’t breathe.The dress I wore might as well have been made of lead. My smile ached. My chest felt like an empty cage. I moved when someone spoke to me, I nodded, I thanked them for compliments I didn’t hear, but I wasn’t there. Not really. I was somewhere else entirely.I was thinking about Elijah.And myself.Mostly myself.The worry had lodged itself in my throat and hadn’t moved since yesterday. It was the kind of worry that gnawed slowly, not loud or sharp but constant—a dull ache behind every thought. But I didn’t have time to wallow for too long, Victor had summoned me a

  • ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE   91| ELIJAH

    I didn’t go to any more classes.Instead, I climbed the stairs to the top of the old building by the botanical gardens and sat on the roof, staring out across the trees. I could see the football field in the distance. Birds circled lazily overhead. A few students walked below, but no one looked up.I stayed there for hours, staring down at everyone and everything, until eventually, I couldn’t linger anymore. When I finally dragged myself to the field, I heard the whispers even louder this time. Like they’d had most of the morning to curate whatever brand of gossip they’d been spreading the whole day and make it into something more explosive. Sure enough, heads turned the second I stepped into the light.“Well, if it isn’t our beloved prince,” Hunter said, loud enough for the entire field to hear. His voice carried across the grass like a whip, sharp and mocking. “Back from royal exile.”I didn’t respond. I kept walking, my boots crunching over the turf, the weight of the stares press

  • ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE   90| ELIJAH

    I didn’t want to be here.My head was splitting, my eyes felt like they were vibrating in their sockets, and I hadn’t slept—not unless you counted thirty minutes of my eyes being shut as real sleep. After leaving Lenora’s office last night, I’d wandered for hours before crashing back at the apartment with nothing but silence, leftover regret, and whatever was left of Lenora’s scent from two nights ago to keep me company. I’d reached out to my dealer the second I was alone, hands trembling as I asked him to give me something. Just anything, as long as it would numb the pain. He couldn’t get me more than a couple of pills, and they’d already worn off by morning.But at least I didn’t have to spend the rest of the night drowning in my own emotions. I’d considered skipping school—after all, I really didn’t want to be here. But I didn’t really have a choice in the matter. I didn’t need to give anyone any more things to use against me than they already had. Anyway, now I was here, on campu

  • ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE   89| LENORA

    “I still can’t believe that just happened,” Morgan muttered beside me as we made our way through the near-empty hallway that led toward the faculty wing.Neither could I, honestly.The building had emptied quickly after the chaos of tonight’s game. Most people had remained in the stadium, stunned into silence or milling about in disbelief. Others had left quietly, unsettled. Now, it was just the sound of our footsteps echoing off the tiled floor, the overhead lights buzzing faintly in the quiet.“I mean—Elijah North?” she said, still stunned. “Beating the crap out of another player? Right there on the field? I always pegged him for the jovial, cheeky type. I never thought he’d do something like that. That… that was scary.”She wasn’t wrong.It had been terrifying. But not in the way she meant.I wasn’t scared of Elijah. I was scared for him.The look on his face during the fight hadn’t just been rage—it had been darker, deeper. Something twisted and broken, something barely tethered.

Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status