Chapter 11: The news

We step out of the Law classroom in silence. Not a single word passes between us. We’re on opposite ends of the spectrum—me, simmering with fury and humiliation; him, exuding quiet control. And yet, I have no choice but to stay close to him.

This is my life now.

The first student sees us—more accurately, he sees me. His eyes go wide the moment they land on the collar around my neck. His gaze sweeps over my body before it locks onto Aiden, who walks a half step ahead of me like some untouchable shadow.

We pass without a word.

Then we enter the cafeteria.

Where most of the students are.

It’s like my nightmare has bled into reality.

The moment we step inside, every voice goes quiet. Conversations halt mid-sentence. Dozens of eyes turn toward us. The air thickens with judgment, curiosity, approval, disapproval and something far worse—hungry desire.

My skin crawls.

Aiden doesn’t flinch. Doesn’t hesitate.

He moves with casual confidence, and I trail behind him like a reluctant shadow.

That's what I am now. A shadow. His shadow.

The whispers begin to rise again as we cross the room—soft at first, then louder, like a wave building just before it crashes. We reach the food line. Aiden grabs a plate, stacks it high with food, and adds a single apple to the top.

Then, he turns.

And we walk straight toward the boys’ table.

Henry is already there.

And he’s seething.

David, Lucas, Noah, Daniel… all of them stare at us like they’ve just seen a ghost. No—like they’ve seen a bomb strapped to my neck. Their eyes lock on the collar, then on the intimate distance between Aiden and me. I don’t even dare look at Isla.

“Morning,” Aiden says casually as he sits, placing the food down in front of an empty bench. He points at it like a man pointing at a dog bed.

“Sit.”

I’m already halfway through sitting—because that’s what I usually do—but his command makes it feel like obedience. Like submission.

I clench my jaw but lower myself down without a word.

Big mistake.

The bench slices into my ass with brutal pressure. Pain screams through me, raw and immediate. I nearly yelp, but I bite down on my lip, drawing blood, and dig my nails into my palm just to stay seated.

“What the fuck is this?” Henry snaps, rage thick in his voice.

For a moment, his anger distracts me from the pain.

Emma sits beside him, her eyes lowered. A fresh black eye blooms across her face.

“Morning, Henry,” Aiden replies, unbothered. He nudges the plate of food toward me with two fingers.

“You’ve got the untouchable as your submissive?” David blurts, disbelief etched across his face.

“Untouchable for you,” Aiden answers smoothly.

Then he wraps an arm around my hip.

I freeze.

He pulls me close—so close our hips touch. His hand slides possessively up to my waist. He knows what he’s doing. He knows everyone is watching.

And they are. The entire table feels like a live wire, snapping with electricity. Silent shock ripples from one end to the other.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Henry growls, spitting with fury. “She should be mine. I won the right to own her.”

Aiden’s warmth presses against me like a brand. His hand remains firm on my waist. I want to burn it off. I want to scream. I hate this. I hate the touch. It makes me feel bought. Traded. Like consent was never part of the equation.

Henry looks ready to erupt.This is the worst I've seen him.

“Well, Henry,” Aiden sighs, his thumb stroking slow, deliberate circles into my side, “While you were busy playing your pathetic little game, I decided to take what I wanted. Maybe that’s what you should’ve done in the first place.”

Silence.

Utter silence.

“All this shit about claiming her as your sub. Actions speak louder than words. I acted,” he adds coolly. The final nail in the coffin.

Something he's mastered. The always quiet, controlled Aiden, the sadist who takes no submissive, has taken the untouchable.

He turns to me like we’re the only two in the room. “I know you’re in pain, Ombra. But you have to eat.”

The direct order crashes into me like cold water.

Eat.

How the hell am I supposed to eat like this?

“What did you do to her?” David asks with curiosity. “Why is she in pain?”

Henry’s fists shake against the table. Lucas watches us with hunger in his eyes, devouring the sight of Aiden’s hand on my body. Daniel holds Isla beside him, tense and waiting.

Emma is still a statue. Pale. Quiet. Unmoving.

Isla glances at me through her lashes—concern shining through.

“I gave her her first spanking,” Aiden says with a nonchalant shrug.

Gasps echo around the table.

“Her first?” Noah says under his breath.

“A very first spanking,” Lucas repeats, eyes wide. “How many?”

I almost roll my eyes. My jaw clenches shut tightly. A submissive virgin. What a joke.

“Thirty,” Aiden replies, picking up the apple and offering it to me.

“Thirty?” David nearly yells.

Thirty-two, actually.

The apple hovers near my face. I sigh—loud enough for everyone to hear—and take it. At least I can manage fruit. I always have an apple in the morning.

“She likes it rough,” Aiden says with obvious satisfaction. “Honestly, you guys were right. She’s as hard as she looks. Shame you’ll never get to experience it.”

I want the ground to open up and swallow me whole. I'm RIGHT HERE!

“This one isn’t weak,” Aiden continues. “She’s one to cherish.”

Then he brushes his nose against my cheek—a shockingly soft, almost sensual gesture.

I don’t understand him.

Is he just staking a claim in front of everyone? Or is this something else? What is he doing? He can't severely hurt me the one minute, and then sensually touch me the next.

“Cherish?” Henry spits, voice drenched in mockery. “Didn’t you drop all your previous subs?”

“With good reason,” Aiden answers coolly.

A dropped sub means a sub with no dom. No dom means no education. No education means no marriage, or a future. It's a dead-end.

“But—”

“Henry,” Aiden cuts him off, voice as casual as ever, “if you want her so badly, challenge me for her. She’s mine. I’m going to touch her tonight. Her skin’s like silk.” His hand moves—up my waist, down again—sending shivers along my spine. “Did you know she’s never been touched by a human?”

I almost choke on my apple.

Even I look at him.

He’s smirking. And the other Doms are staring like he’s a god.

Aiden pulls me closer. “I’m the first,” he says, grinning at Henry. “I can shape her exactly how I like.”

“You can’t touch her sexually,” Henry snaps.

“Says the Dom who raped his last submissive,” Aiden fires back, sharp and deadly.

My head whips toward Henry.

He glares at me, breath ragged. I don’t look away.

He raped his previous submissive?

“You can’t look other Doms in the eye, Danika,” Henry hisses, voice low and commanding.

I sit up straighter.

Fury welds my bones together.

“You don’t get to tell me what to do,” I snap, venom in every word.

The table goes rigid.

Henry looks like he’s about to lunge. His face darkens. Normally, this is where he’d explode—snap at me, hit me, try to touch me.

Even Aiden goes still. Watching. Waiting. He's looking at Henry with watchful eyes, expecting him to do the usual thing. Which is getting as close to me as possible.

“Aiden,” Henry growls, never breaking my gaze. “Leash your sub.”

Three seconds pass.

The tension is a noose tightening around us.

I glare at Henry. My blood sings with rage. I have so much anger inside me from the past few hours, I'm ready to unleash it on him. I want to rip into him. I want to scream, to hit, to destroy.

“Dani.”

Soft fingers curl under my chin. Aiden tilts my face toward his, forcing me to break eye-contact with Henry. I'm too frazzled to flinch away from his touch. I look into his hard green eyes.

“Apologize,” Aiden orders—loud enough for everyone to hear.