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20| LENORA

Penulis: Purpah
last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-02-19 20:46:05

“For the goddess’s sake! You’d think I was grading the work of kindergarten students, not college seniors!” Morgan exclaimed, leaning back in her chair with an exasperated sigh.

I smiled and took a sip of my coffee—extra milk, very little sugar.

We were at one of the cafes she had mentioned the first day we met—one of the few that wasn’t overflowing with grouchy older professors. After spending nearly a week here and accidentally walking into Tatianna’s Tarts—the cafe across the street that was the complete opposite—I was beginning to see the importance of that distinction.

The sun had barely risen, so the cafe was mostly empty. The few people who were here were professors from other faculties, trying to get their morning coffee while squeezing in some last-minute grading or reviewing material for their upcoming classes.

“I still don’t understand why you refuse to get a teaching assistant,” I said, eyeing the large stack of assignments in front of her. “It’d significantly reduce y
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  • ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE   21| LENORA

    I replayed my interaction with Elijah more times than was probably decent. It was easy to lose myself in the coziness of the café—the quiet hum of conversation, the rich aroma of coffee, the illusion of a temporary escape. But as more people filtered in—groggy students rushing for their morning caffeine fix, their chatter growing louder—the peaceful atmosphere dissolved. Taking it as my cue to leave, I finished the last sip of my drink and gathered my things. After exchanging polite greetings with a few students who recognized me, I stepped outside and began the short walk to campus. The crisp morning air helped clear my head, but my thoughts remained tangled in the memory of that fleeting moment with Elijah. Just as I reached the manicured campus grounds, my phone buzzed with an email from the Head of my Department, summoning the faculty for an impromptu meeting before classes began. With a sigh, I changed course toward the faculty lounge, already bracing myself for what awaited

    Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-19
  • ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE   1| ELIJAH

    The ball blurred in my vision, bouncing erratically, almost as if it had a mind of its own. My hands felt disconnected from my body, slippery and uncooperative. My heart pounded, not with adrenaline but with a frantic, disjointed rhythm that made my chest tight and my breathing shallow. The stadium air felt stifling behind my helmet, the lights glaring down like a spotlight on my every mistake. My legs were heavy, like they were sinking into the polished wood floor. My head swam, the edges of my vision darkening as I struggled to focus. “Move, Elijah!” Lukas’s voice cut through the haze, sharp and commanding, but it sounded distant, as though he were shouting from underwater. Move. Move, I told myself. We were a few seconds away from winning or losing and with one right move, I could change the odds. I always did that, it was something that I was good at. But not right now, not in this state. I forced my feet to respond, to push forward, to do something. But my body betray

    Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-16
  • ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE   2| ELIJAH

    “Who the hell plays football high?” Lukas’s voice boomed through the locker room, ricocheting off the metal walls. He was pacing like a caged animal, his eyes blazing with frustration. I rubbed my temples, the remnants of the game still pounding in my head. I certainly wouldn’t have played football high, but there was a meeting with my father the day before and I needed something to numb the emotions. “Keep your voice down, man.” “Don’t ‘man’ me,” Lukas snapped, spinning to face me. “Do you even know how bad you looked out there? You cost us the championship, Elijah! You put the whole team at risk! What if you’d gotten tested before the match?! What do you think your father would have done? What the hell were you thinking?” “I don’t need the lecture,” I muttered, slumping onto the bench, I rolled my shoulders back, the weight of Luka’s stare digging into my back. “And I’m not high.” “Are you fucking kidding me? You’re actually trying to lie to me?” He took a threatening ste

    Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-16
  • ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE   3| LENORA

    “What’s a beautiful woman like you doing alone in a place like this?” The man’s voice was smooth, low and confident. I rolled my eyes and turned, ready to shoot down another hopeful suitor when my words got thoroughly stuck in my throat. He was younger than me—barely in his mid-twenties, I guessed—wavy black hair that fell over his forehead and just nearly brushing over his eyelids, his face was beautifully sculpted, high cheekbones, sharp jaw, slender nose all joined together to create a masculine and yet somewhat feminine look. Beneath his oversized hoodie, I could tell he was well built and even with the multicoloured lights bouncing about the walls of the bar, his gold eyes managed to shine even though it was faintly. But it wasn’t his good looks that got to me, it was him, as a person. Something within me stirred at his presence, I wanted to get closer to him, I wanted to know everything about him, my body seemed to burn from him and there was this movement under my skin

    Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-16
  • ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE   4| LENORA

    The room was dark, the soft hum of a distant city filling the silence. I stirred slowly, my body aching with a dull, persistent ache. My head throbbed as my memories began to surface—vivid, haunting, and unmistakable. The bar. The music. The dance. Him. The weight of it all pressed down on me, suffocating and relentless. I opened my eyes, my breath catching as they settled on the man next to me. His golden eyes were closed, his dark hair tousled, his expression soft in sleep. He looked peaceful. Elijah. A jolt of panic ran through me. What had I done? What had we done? I sat up quickly, the blanket slipping from my shoulders. My heart pounded in my chest, my breath uneven. I grabbed the edge of the blanket, clutching it tightly around me as though it could protect me from the memory, from him. My memories of last night were vivid, but it felt like I was watching someone else do all those things. The conversation, the dance, the desperation I felt, the need, the sex, the way

    Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-16
  • ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE   5| ELIJAH

    I woke up to an empty bed and an even emptier feeling in my chest. Ignoring the pounding headache hammering against my skull, I sat up and scanned the room, searching for any sign of the woman I’d spent the night with—Lenora. Flashes of her came rushing back: long, curly black hair, hazy green eyes, soft lips, and breathless moans. I groaned, dragging my hands down my face. I wasn’t surprised she’d left before I woke up. Hell, I half-expected it. But the disappointment that settled in my chest was deeper than it should’ve been. This wasn’t just post-hookup blues. It was… something else. Something I couldn’t make sense of. Lenora. I didn’t even know her last name. No idea where she worked or lived within the pack. Just a beautiful mystery who’d crashed into my life and left before I could begin to understand why she’d felt so important. Her scent still lingered faintly on the sheets—a mix of citrus and wildflowers. It teased me, fading by the second. My wolf stirred, claw

    Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-07
  • ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE   6| ELIJAH

    “Elijah?” Luka’s voice cut through the haze clouding my mind at Lenora’s presence. It took effort to tear my gaze away from her, but I managed. “Hm?” “What was that?” Luka asked, brow furrowed as he glanced back at Lenora shuffling through her papers, jaw tight. “Do you know her? The professor.” I opened my mouth to answer but stopped short. Slowly, I closed it again and shook my head. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Luka—or even Neil, who was now leaning forward to scrutinize me. But how could I explain something I didn’t fully understand myself? Whatever lingered between Lenora and me—if it even existed—felt fragile, like a thread stretched taut, ready to snap under scrutiny. This wasn’t just a night to laugh off. Something deeper simmered beneath the surface, a restless energy under my skin whenever she crossed my thoughts. It was unsettling, and the last thing I wanted was to expose it before I could untangle its meaning. And then there was her. Poised at the front

    Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-07
  • ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE   7| LENORA

    “And that marks the end of our first class together,” I said, forcing a tight smile as I glanced out at the room. My gaze deliberately skipped over the seat I was painfully aware he was sitting in. Elijah. His name echoed through my mind, bringing with it an intoxicating rush of awareness. I could feel his gaze on me, heavy and unrelenting, and it made me both self-conscious and emboldened. His words from last night drifted through my thoughts like a whisper I couldn’t ignore. “You seem competent. I think you’ll do great at your job.” If only either of us had known that my job would involve tutoring him until he graduated. Fuck. The word had been a constant refrain in my head since I walked into the lecture hall. It was the only thing that adequately captured how I felt. Perfectly and utterly fucked. Not just because of last night—but because of now. Because of the inexplicable pull I felt toward him. A pull that made me want to keep stealing glances his way, just to see

    Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-08

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  • ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE   21| LENORA

    I replayed my interaction with Elijah more times than was probably decent. It was easy to lose myself in the coziness of the café—the quiet hum of conversation, the rich aroma of coffee, the illusion of a temporary escape. But as more people filtered in—groggy students rushing for their morning caffeine fix, their chatter growing louder—the peaceful atmosphere dissolved. Taking it as my cue to leave, I finished the last sip of my drink and gathered my things. After exchanging polite greetings with a few students who recognized me, I stepped outside and began the short walk to campus. The crisp morning air helped clear my head, but my thoughts remained tangled in the memory of that fleeting moment with Elijah. Just as I reached the manicured campus grounds, my phone buzzed with an email from the Head of my Department, summoning the faculty for an impromptu meeting before classes began. With a sigh, I changed course toward the faculty lounge, already bracing myself for what awaited

  • ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE   20| LENORA

    “For the goddess’s sake! You’d think I was grading the work of kindergarten students, not college seniors!” Morgan exclaimed, leaning back in her chair with an exasperated sigh. I smiled and took a sip of my coffee—extra milk, very little sugar. We were at one of the cafes she had mentioned the first day we met—one of the few that wasn’t overflowing with grouchy older professors. After spending nearly a week here and accidentally walking into Tatianna’s Tarts—the cafe across the street that was the complete opposite—I was beginning to see the importance of that distinction. The sun had barely risen, so the cafe was mostly empty. The few people who were here were professors from other faculties, trying to get their morning coffee while squeezing in some last-minute grading or reviewing material for their upcoming classes. “I still don’t understand why you refuse to get a teaching assistant,” I said, eyeing the large stack of assignments in front of her. “It’d significantly reduce y

  • ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE   19| LENORA

    “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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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,”

  • ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE   15| ELIJAH

    “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

  • 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

  • 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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