All Chapters of ALPHA PRINCE’S FORBIDDEN DESIRE: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

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

Football practice was going as well as one could expect. So far, I’d only dropped the ball twice, and Coach Burke had only yelled at me three times—two less than yesterday.Progress, I guess?“North! What are you doing?!” Coach Burke’s voice boomed across the field, the veins in his neck bulging with frustration.Make that four times. At this rate, we might even surpass yesterday’s record. No progress, then.“Sorry, Coach!” I called back for the umpteenth time.Maybe I should’ve skipped practice today, like I had been doing ever since I lost the game two weeks ago. But after a strongly worded text from Coach Burke two days ago—chock full of typos and not-so-idle threats to kick me off the team—I figured I’d run from the consequences of my actions long enough. If I stayed away any longer, he might’ve dragged me here by the hair.I had to face my teammates at some point. Avoiding them was cowardly. We had a game in about a month, and I’d convinced myself I could redeem myself in their e

“Elijah,” she called, her voice sugary sweet, her smile so wide I almost expected it to stretch too far. Her eyes flickered to Luka for a fraction of a second before they locked back on me, completely dismissing him. It was as if he were invisible. Luka scoffed and walked off, muttering something under his breath that sounded like, “Good luck,” but it was clear he didn’t need to stick around for this. I didn’t blame him. She stopped just a few feet from me, the space between us suddenly feeling too small, too heavy. Before I could even open my mouth, she leaned forward. Her arms slid around my neck, and her body pressed against mine with a familiarity that made my skin crawl. I stiffened instinctively, confusion mixing with an unsettling sense of repulsion I couldn’t shake. It wasn’t disgust, not exactly, but it was the last thing I wanted—her. Not now. Not anymore. When she pulled back to look at me, she tried to close the gap again, her lips parting, but I leaned back, instin

After double checking to make sure the doors were properly locked, I packed up my things and made my way back to my apartment. It was as dark as you’d expect it to be at 9pm. The streets were only dimly lit by the streetlights hanging overhead and barely anyone was out and about except a few people walking their dogs or the occasional car speeding past. Maybe I would have found the combination of all of these things scary if my mind wasn’t in a whole other place entirely, a place it probably shouldn’t be—back in the library with Elijah leaning forward to grab my hand. I tried to shake off the memory by visibly shaking my head as if that could dislodge it—anyone who walked past me right at that moment would probably think I was crazy—but not matter what I did, I could still feel the warmth of his hand against mine. The tantalising sparks, the smoothness of his skin when he cradled my palm in his and I could remeber the temptation I felt… the temptation to beg him to let his arms tr

“Of course,” Elijah murmured to himself when we were forced to stop at a red light.My eyes unconsciously trailed over to him as his muscles flexed and bunched when he maneuvered the gear shift, then lifted a hand to run it through his hair. Unruly dark strands fell over golden eyes that darted in my direction—like he could feel my stare—and then crinkled when he realized he’d caught me staring for what might have been the fifteenth time in what was supposed to be a short drive.My eyes narrowed at the thought. This was supposed to be a short drive.“Somehow, the drive there seems a lot longer than when I’m walking,” I said pointedly.He grinned, utterly shameless. “Strange, isn’t it?”I should have been more irritated that he was deliberately delaying our arrival at school, but something about the thought of spending more time with him didn’t seem so thoroughly unpleasant—even though I wanted to convince myself that it was.“You never did answer my question, Professor. How come you’r