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11| LENORA

Author: Purpah
last update Last Updated: 2025-02-10 21:24:06

“Thank you, Dean Smith,” I said with a smile.

The man gave me a dismissive wave as I shut the door behind me. The moment I was out of his sight, my smile faded, and I became acutely aware of the envelope tucked inside the folder he had given me.

I moved swiftly, slipping away from the main hallway until I found a quiet corner. With quick, precise movements, I tore the envelope open.

Two items slid into my palm.

A card detailing a dress code and a name.

And a letter.

I scanned the card briefly before turning my attention to the letter, expecting Victor to finally call in his debt. Instead, it was a dinner invitation—blunt and to the point. I was to be at his house on Saturday at 6 p.m., no later.

There was no mention of who else would be there or the purpose of the dinner.

Just the summons.

I exhaled sharply and leaned against the wall, falling into the same stance I had found Elijah in just an hour ago.

Elijah.

I thought back to the way he had looked—shoulders tense, breath
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    As much as I would have loved to ignore Victor’s dinner invitation, I knew better than to test the Alpha’s patience. So, at 4 p.m. on Saturday, I got dressed and went to the address printed on the back of the card. It was a boutique. Just from the name alone, I could tell it was the kind of place I would have been able to afford in my past life—but certainly not in this one. So, I walked in without a sense of wonder and gave the woman at the front desk the name written on the card. She quickly directed me to a private dressing room tucked away in the farthest corner of the boutique, and within minutes, they got to work. My hair was styled into an elaborate updo, my face dusted with makeup and some kind of powder that made my skin glow. Then, they spritzed me with perfume before slipping me into a black dress, paired with matching black heels and earrings made of shiny black diamonds. By the time they were done, I barely recognized myself. The stylists seemed pleased, mistaking th

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  • ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE   13| ELIJAH

    “I’m sure most of you at this table are acquainted with Professor Monroe by now?” Victor spoke, his voice laced with an emotion I couldn’t place, nor did I care to. I was too busy gripping my spoon, trying to contain the emotions raging within me.I’d spent most of yesterday trying to figure out what was in that letter my father had sent to Lenora. Now, it seemed like I had my answer.An invitation to dinner. Not just any dinner, but one of these dinners—overly dramatic events where he picked apart Sophie and me like carrion. But what was he playing at? Did he know what had happened between Lenora and me? Or did they know each other? And if they did, what was their connection? Why didn’t Lenora give any indication?The questions swirled in my head, overwhelming me so much that I didn’t even realize my father had asked a question until Luka replied.“Yes, Alpha,” Luka said, his eyes snapping to me, wide and begging me to respond.I nodded stiffly, struggling to keep my emotions in chec

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  • ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE   14| LENORA

    “No!” The word burst from my lips before I could stop it. Beneath me, I felt Victor tense. Inwardly, I cursed and scrambled off him, ignoring the ghost of his fingers skimming my waist as I pulled away. The moment my heels met the cool tile, a tight knot of tension unraveled in my chest. I could breathe again. Pleased to finally be away from him—this cruel, unpredictable man who had spent the last hour tearing into Elijah and Sophie—I forced myself to stand tall. I wasn’t a stranger to cruel parents, far from it, but Victor was something else entirely. The rage I’d felt watching him dismantle them with nothing but words, the helplessness of sitting there while he chipped away at them, had only been swept aside by the sheer audacity of his latest command. Now, my body trembled for an entirely different reason. “I apologize, Alpha,” I said, dipping my head in a show of remorse. “But I’m afraid I can’t do as you ask.” “Oh?” Victor’s voice was mild, but something in it made my stoma

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    “What was she doing here?” Luke muttered as we made our way up the winding steps of North Manor and to the hallway where the bedrooms were. “And what did your father mean when he mentioned a debt?” “I don’t know,” I muttered, lost in thought and worry. “Elijah,” Luka clasped a hand around my arm, stopping me. His bright grey eyes bore into me, reading every thought, every worry, every emotion hidden beneath my skin. Luka was the only person who could read me like that, well, Luka and Lenora. Who was still in the dining room with my father? My father brought her here, to announce that she would be my tutor. But that still didn’t answer the new questions that cropped up in my head, who was she? Clearly, not just a professor if she was in his ‘debt’. “Who is she?” Luka asked. “I don’t know. My father didn’t—” “No, I mean to you,” he interrupted. “I’m not blind, I could see the way you were looking at her. And in class that day—” “Luka,” Beta Sharpe’s baritone voice carried dow

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  • ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE   16| ELIJAH

    “Fuck you, Luka!” She finally managed to rip herself away from him and ran toward the door. I moved toward her, but she yanked it open before I could stop her—only to freeze when she saw someone standing right outside. I looked over her head and caught sight of Lenora, standing motionless in the doorway, her expression surprised. She took a step back, eyes darting between my sister and me. “I… I’m sorry. I was just about to knock.” My gaze latched onto Lenora, scanning for any signs that she might be hurt. There were none—except her hair was distinctly unbound, like someone had run their hands through it. My jaw clenched. My wolf stirred, irritated by the sight. Sophie’s body tensed. Before she could pounce on the professor, I grabbed her arms and gently pushed her toward Luka. “We’ll talk later.” She parted her lips, maybe to scream at me or curse again, but I would never know. I walked out and slammed the door behind me, leaving only Lenora and me in the hallway. “I’m sorry,”

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  • ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE   17| LENORA

    “And that will be all for today,” I said cheerfully, much to the relief of everyone seated in the lecture hall. “Make sure to read pages eight through twenty-five of your textbooks before our next class. I expect active participation.”The sighs of relief quickly turned into tormented groans.“Professor, I lost my textbook…” a student piped up over the grumbles, batting his eyelashes at me in an exaggerated display of innocence. “May I be exempt from the discussion?”“You can borrow one from the library, or you can borrow mine,” I replied pleasantly, extending my textbook as he passed.He grumbled and took it, much to the amusement of the rest of the class.A small smile crept onto my lips but faded just as quickly when a certain golden-eyed student walked past my desk.Elijah.The moment of hesitation stretched between us before I called out, “Elijah North, please wait. I want to have a word with you.”He froze mid-step. His friends—most of them grinning—nudged him as they left, maki

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  • ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE   18| ELIJAH

    “…and now, on your father’s orders, my responsibility. Of course, I was worried about your absence.” I had to get out of there. I didn’t even remember walking out of the lecture hall—only that my body moved on instinct, carrying me as far from Lenora as possible. Now, standing in the middle of the hallway, I braced myself against the cold wall, pressing my hand over my mouth as my breath came in shaky bursts. Fuck. What the hell was that? My reaction had been completely irrational—volatile. Lenora hadn’t even said anything that should have set me off. It was just a simple statement. But the moment she mentioned my father and called me a “responsibility,” something inside me snapped. It was like a switch flipped, and I’d lost all control. I couldn’t even begin to untangle the mess of emotions swirling inside me. At the time, everything had been in a haze. But now that I was far enough from her, my wolf had retreated, and clarity had hit me like a brick. “Elijah!” Luka’s vo

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    “I’m so sorry… Marcus, please, please,” my voice was small—so small—as I pleaded, but my words fell on deaf ears. Before I could say anything else, a sharp blow struck the side of my face, sending me sprawling onto the marble floors.Around me, the party went silent. The music stopped. The crowd of dancing guests stilled, and all eyes turned to the center of the room—where Marcus and I were.I kept my gaze on the floor as the throbbing pain in my cheek intensified, swelling rapidly.“Didn’t I tell you never to call me by my name? It’s Alpha Marcus to you, filthy bitch,” he sneered. Then, without hesitation, he slammed the sole of his boot into my ribs. I crumpled with a sharp gasp, my arms wrapping around my aching torso.He had struck the same spot as last time. And with the Millow Root in my system, I wasn’t healing as quickly as I should have.Or at all.The pain was enough to jolt my wolf to life—briefly. A small growl of anger escaped her inwardly before she faded again, her pres

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  • ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE   75| ELIJAH

    Connor was asleep when Sophie came barrelling into the shack.“Connor! Connor!” she yelled, Luka coming in behind her.I turned to tell her to lower her voice, but Connor’s eyes were already fluttering open. They immediately locked on Sophie and, almost automatically, he sat up and reached for her.Sophie threw herself on him, burying her face in his neck, sobbing and shakily muttering a string of apologies and questions about his well-being. Connor kept his arms tightly wrapped around her, his face calmer than I’d ever seen it. He responded softly, stroking her back and rocking her from side to side until her shaking and sputtering subsided into careful, intimate quiet.Her hands cradled his face, touching him like she couldn’t quite believe he was real. Connor was no different—his slender fingers stroked her cheek and gently tucked her hair away as he peppered kisses wherever his lips could reach.I looked away, feeling like I was intruding on something private. Mates were always li

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    Luka was right. What existed between Elijah and I wasn’t safe, and I’d almost forgotten that—with the hand holding, him carrying me, the touches that were purely reflexive. Hell, half of our physical contact was reflexive. I had no idea I was doing it until I already was. It was like I’d completely abandoned my resolve to steel myself against Elijah, letting everything I was feeling—trying not to feel—shine through once more. I needed to put a stop to that. I uncorked the vial of potion and downed it in one hasty gulp. The burn and bitterness made my tongue feel heavy, but I was used to it by now. I relaxed into the feeling of my mind emptying once more. My wolf had been persistent against the borders of my mind the entirety of yesterday morning—it only retreated after I’d used my ability, forcing it to shrivel back from exhaustion. I’d almost lost my mind this morning when I woke up to the damn thing yapping and snapping in my head. Today marked the first day of the weeklong ev

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    “Elijah…” the scrawny blond man spoke, his voice soft and raspy like it hadn’t been used in a long time.By the time I was done rolling my pants down and slipping on my boots, I turned to look at Elijah, a question at the tip of my tongue—but he was already watching me, reaching for me, dragging me away.“Elijah!” I yelped, stumbling after him.He paused, then turned back to the man I’d pegged as ‘Connor.’ “Stay there. I’ll be right back.”“Elijah…” Connor wheezed again, shoulders slumping like they couldn’t hold his weight anymore.That’s when I saw it—the tortured look on Elijah’s face—and it hit me hard, right across the chest.“Wait! Isn’t he Sophie’s—” I hissed, but Elijah cut me off, tugging me closer and staring down at me with wide eyes.“You… know?” His grip tightened slightly, and I saw it then—the flicker of fear in his gaze.A small part of me ached at how fast suspicion had come, but a bigger part of me understood. So I softened my voice and held his eyes. “I know because

  • ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE   72| ELIJAH

    I liked holding Lenora’s hand.Her palm was warm and a little smaller than mine, but it was firm, smooth, and it fit perfectly into the curve of my own. Like we were meant to always be that way.“Where are you taking me?” she asked as we stepped out through the mansion’s back door.I turned to face her. Already, she looked less suffocated than she had indoors. The morning sun fell softly across her face, and I couldn’t help but drink in the sight of her—surrounded by trees and bathed in golden light.She was wearing a green turtleneck sweater that matched the exact hue of her eyes, and black tights that clung to her smooth, shapely thighs. Her boots came up to her knees, sleek and practical. Her hair was pulled back in one of her usual, smooth, controlled buns—but nothing about her today looked particularly controlled.I kept thinking about the look in her eyes back inside—raw frustration and despair flashing across her face as she argued with Izaak. I’d only caught the end of it, jus

  • ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE   71| LENORA

    I sat on the cold marble floor, arms wrapped tightly around my knees, eyes fixed on nothing. I wasn’t crying, but somehow, it felt worse. At least tears would have brought some relief. Instead, there was just this… hollowness. A gaping space inside me where hope should have been.Part of me wanted to get up. March back into that room and demand that Victor take me to Jessie. Shake the smugness out of his bones, claw at the door if I had to. But I couldn’t. I’d probably just end up gagged and chained in some dungeon until he decided I was useful again. My only hope now was helping him more so he could keep up his end of the deal. A feeling of despair pressed against my chest. But at that there was a high likelihood that even if I did heal him—fully, completely—he could just keep Jessie locked away forever anyway. I squeezed my eyes shut. What would I even do then?Victor was good—no, a master—at planting seeds of helplessness. And now, I was choking on them. I duh my fingers into my

  • ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE   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

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