Home / Werewolf / ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE / Kabanata 61 - Kabanata 70

Lahat ng Kabanata ng ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE: Kabanata 61 - Kabanata 70

103 Kabanata

61| LENORA

By the time the last student left my class, I was ready to fall apart.I didn’t let myself. I smiled, stacked the graded assignments with aching precision, and turned off my laptop and projector as properly as I could. I took my time. I stayed long after the lecture had ended, alone in the classroom with the fluorescent lights buzzing overhead like bees inside my skull. The silence should have helped. It didn’t.The day had started badly and snowballed into something worse. I’d barely made it to class on time, and the moment I stepped into the lecture hall, I knew the rumors hadn’t died.They’d grown teeth.Someone near the back had whistled under their breath when I walked in. Another muttered something about parties and princes, loud enough for half the room to hear. A third leaned toward me and interrupted during an explanation, just to ask with a smirk if I’d be willing to pick him up from the next party too—or was that service reserved for royalty only?The entire room had snicke

62| ELIJAH

And deal with it, I did. Football practice was over, and after a short speech, Coach Burke dismissed us… or, well—everyone except me. I stayed behind, dragging my feet across the dew-damp grass as the others dispersed with laughter and shoulder bumps. I could hear Hunter’s voice somewhere in the distance, too loud and too smug. I ignored it. Coach Burke’s office was the only place on campus that felt remotely like a safe space. Cluttered with the smell of sweat, old wood, and varnished leather, it was messy in a way that didn’t ask anything of me. I stepped inside and took a long breath. The shelves were still lined with trophies from generations before me, with faded photographs of former players pinned up like aging ghosts. Medals, ribbons, a cracked hockey puck with someone’s initials carved into it—everything was packed in there. The couch was more of a suggestion than an actual seat. I opted for the chair in front of his desk, nudging aside a stray basketball with the toe

63| ELIJAH

Burke didn’t keep me in his office for much longer. Since I’d skipped previous practices and team meetings, he gave me a basic rundown for the next month—information I should’ve already known as captain. Information he’d already shared with the others.The faculty gala was coming up and, as usual, on the final day there would be a football game between our school and another college from our pack. Burke handed me the papers detailing the plays, then gave me the kind of scolding that didn’t raise his voice but somehow still made me feel ten inches tall.I took it. Quietly.After everything, I deserved worse. Any other coach would have had me kicked off the team given how often I missed practice. Before letting me go, he handed me a bottle of iced coffee—cold enough that condensation slid over my fingers—and muttered, “Fix things with Luka. Whatever the hell’s going on, it’s not helping either of you to be at odds.”I didn’t say anything in response, mostly because I didn’t know if I c

64| ELIJAH

I was out of pills again. I pulled out the top drawer in my room and yanked out the pill bottle, scowling when I found it empty. With a curse, I threw it atop the many other bottles and took a step back, falling onto my bed. Luka had come an hour ago to grab his things. I’d considered using that time to talk to him and take Burke’s advice to “fix” it, but I’d ended up just hiding in my room while he and Neil packed. When they were done, Luka left immediately, and Neil stopped by my room to tell me in a small voice that they were leaving. He also told me about Luka’s recent issues with his father. When Neil left, I’d walked out to see what was left of Luka’s room—and it was almost nothing. A few of his clothes were still there. A few t-shirts, a pair of sneakers, a watch, a couple empty notebooks. But none of the things that really made the space his. Not the weird cactus-shaped lamp, not the horror movie posters he used to tape onto the wall with surgical precision, not the worn-o

65| LENORA

With the gala drawing closer and closer, I had less and less time to do anything other than sit through faculty ‘meetings’ that were really just a congregation of Evelyn’s most devout followers swapping basic ideas and acting like it was groundbreaking. Anytime someone other than her dared to speak, they were shut down explicitly—but none more so than me.Though I was silenced rather rudely most of the time, I was also the one forced to run most of the errands and do all the actual planning. When I asked why, an older professor looked me dead in the eyes and said it was because I was the newest addition to the faculty, therefore it was only right.And who was I to argue?I did as asked—made calls, ran around campus, juggled my classes and sessions with Elijah—all while enduring every backhanded comment with gritted teeth. And yet, as expected, there was no gratitude. Not from the faculty members, and certainly not from the Dean, who nitpicked everything I did.In short, I was tired. T

66| ELIJAH

“You’re driving?” I heard Lenora ask from behind me. I only turned my head to the side slightly as I replied, “Yeah, it’s kinda far.” I heard her mumble something under her breath, and a smile almost graced my lips—almost. There was silence for a moment… then, “Should I be worried?” This time, I chuckled and turned around fully, regretting the action almost immediately. I could still feel the heat of her palm cradled in mine, and with her looking like that—her dark hair loose and curly, falling all over her shoulders—it was taking the little self-control I had left not to grab that hand again, yank her to me, and make a mess of what was left of her lipstick. It was such a fucking ridiculous idea to hold her hand. Lenora’s eyebrow jumped up, and she reached up to push back the errant strands of her hair that fell across her face. In the process, the collar of her shirt shifted, and I caught sight of her mark again. Irritation filled my throat. “I’m not going to hu

67| LENORA

As awed as I was by the sight before me—the sea of wildflowers stretching into the horizon, catching the golden light like something out of a dream—I couldn’t help but notice that Elijah had gone still. Not with wonder, but with a strange, distant vacancy. His body was here, but something in his eyes… wasn’t. I looked down at him from where he held me. “Are you okay?” He didn’t answer right away. His gaze remained fixed on the field, his features emptied of the emotion that had softened it ever since we left the library. There was a beat of silence, then, slowly, he nodded and bent to set me down. The flowers swayed gently beneath my feet, brushing my shins like whispers. The earth was soft—unlike the sharp stones and hard paths I’d expected. I glanced down at the delicate blooms, admiring the colour and fragileness of them. I looked up to say something to Elijah, but when I turned back to look for him—he was gone. Not entirely. Just… walking away. “Elijah!” I called out, hea

68| LENORA

I dreamt of Elijah that night.And I didn’t want that dream to end.It had just been us, wrapped in the stillness of that wildflower field. The warmth of his skin pressed against mine, the sunlight in his smile, the way his golden eyes had softened just for me—it had all felt so real. So safe… he’d leaned forward, hand ghosting against my upper arm, our lips were so close, barely a hairs breath away from each other…But then the sound of my phone ringing jolted me right out of that dream. I groaned, flinging my hand toward my bedside table. My fingers scraped uselessly against the surface until, finally, I found the phone and dragged it to my chest, squinting blearily at the screen in the early morning gloom.Izaak.The name alone was enough to chase away any trace of comfort. My stomach twisted as I sat up and answered before the next ring.“Professor Monroe,” Izaak’s lifeless voice drawled. “So nice of you to respond so quickly.”My face went pale with fear, then flushed red with a

69| LENORA

I gasped and Victor stirred with a slow, rasping breath. His eyelids twitched before opening, dull whites streaked with red. Then he smiled—slow and cruel, as if he’d been expecting me all along.“You didn’t expect to see me like this,” he rasped, his voice scraping against the air like gravel against stone. Even like that he managed to sound amused. I didn’t respond.I couldn’t.My stomach churned, and something cold and slick crawled up my spine. Seeing Victor like this—pale, shirtless, and fragile-looking—should have made me feel powerful. It didn’t. It made me feel sick.My eyes dipped to the center of his chest, to the blackened, gaping wound that sat there like a festering brand. The skin around it was veined with sickly green and gray, pulsing ever so slightly like it breathed on its own.I swallowed hard. “What kind of magic could possibly hide something like that?” I whispered.He leaned forward slightly, wincing with the motion. “That’s not for you to know.”Before I could

70| LENORA

At first, there was nothing. Just the silence of the room pressing in on me and the heavy weight of two gazes boring into my back. Victor’s curiosity felt sharp, like the tip of a blade resting against the back of my neck, while Adora’s stare was calmer, but no less intense.Unease rippled through me.It had been a while since I’d used my abilities—really used them. Even before I’d forced myself to shut everything down, it had already stopped being second nature. My gift had become something I tiptoed around, something I feared. Now, faced with the rotting wound on Victor’s chest, I couldn’t even remember how to tap into it.Another second passed.Then another.Still nothing. No flicker of heat. No spark. Not even the faintest pulse from deep within me.I swallowed thickly, my chest tightening with panic.Victor wouldn’t give me a second chance.And if he didn’t… Jessie was as good as dead.I clenched my fists, trying to summon something—anything—but my fingers trembled instead.“I’m

PREV

...

...

NEXT

I-scan ang code para mabasa sa App

DMCA.com Protection Status