His Obsession, Her Doom: Forbidden Flame

Chapter Eleven

Kayla

There was an eerie silence, every one of them froze in shock at the sight of him. This was exactly what I feared. What I had tried so hard to avoid. Being seen with him. And now, I have been exposed.

I tried to stand, to go away unnoticed, but Alice yanked me back down with a smug smirk.

“I asked a question, didn’t I?” Prince Leonard said, his voice calm, but the restrained anger behind it was unmistakable.

“Leo, what are you—”

He raised a hand, cutting Alice off mid-sentence. But what shocked me the most wasn’t his reaction. It was the fact that she had addressed him by his name. Which means there is something between them. Probably he had slept with her too.

“It’s Prince Leonard to you,” he said coldly.

Alice swallowed hard and glanced at her brother, who immediately stepped forward, placing himself protectively in front of her.

“Sorry, my prince, but I don’t think you should interfere. This is a pack matter, and I can handle it,” Aiden said confidently, his voice firm. Emily stood beside him, nodding in agreement.

I sat there silently, unsure how to react to Aiden’s words. My only prayer was that Prince Leonard wouldn’t mention our bond and wouldn’t reveal that I was his mate.

But to my surprise, he moved closer, reached out, and gently helped me to my feet. Without a word, he led me toward the table. Then he turned to face them, calm but clearly brewing with restrained fury.

“Is this how you treat members of your pack?” he asked coldly. “You bully them just because they’re omegas?”

“Prince Leonard, we don’t treat people this way,” Alice said, her tone turned defensive. “But omegas have no place in the pack. They’re slaves and should be treated as such.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Why are you even defending her? You never interfere in pack or school affairs.”

The sting of her words burned through me. I couldn’t take it anymore. I started to rise from my seat, ready to speak to leave, but Prince Leonard’s firm hand on my shoulder gently pushed me back down.

“Sit back down.”

I didn’t move. My legs were already halfway to standing, my heart pounding. I didn’t want to hear another word. I just wanted to leave this hellhole and disappear.

“I said, f*****g sit down.” His voice cracked through the air like a whip.

My body responded before my brain could catch up. I sank back into the chair as if some invisible force had pulled me down.

He wasn’t speaking like some arrogant jerk anymore.

No, this was something else.

He was using his authority. His dominance. And though it should’ve terrified me…

It didn’t.

For the first time in my life, someone else was standing up for me. Someone other than Sadie.

And I hated how that made my heart flutter. How the tension in my chest began to melt.

Across the room, Emily stepped forward, arms crossed tightly over her chest, her eyes darting between the prince and me.

“My prince, you shouldn’t be seen with an omega,” she said stiffly. “It is forbidden.”

Prince Leonard didn’t even blink. He turned toward her with slow, calculated precision, his jaw set, eyes cold enough to freeze fire.

“And who said she doesn’t belong here?” he asked, voice low and razor-sharp.

He moved slightly in front of me, shielding me without touching me. “She’s my guest. I brought her here. Which means you will show her the same respect you would show me. Your prince.”

The room went still, and I could see the color drain from Emily’s face. Aiden stiffened beside her, his fists clenched but not moving. And me, I just sat there, trying to process the whirlwind of emotions crashing through me.

The words hung in the air.

The words filled the room like a sudden storm. I felt the mood shift instantly. It was like the air had turned colder. Everyone’s wolves tensed beneath their skin, uneasy and unwilling to accept what Prince Leonard had just declared, but they couldn’t fight it.

It was an order.

“She’s from my pack and from a family with no name,” Emily spoke up suddenly, stepping forward with a bitter look, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder. “Maybe you don’t know, but I do. I know her very well. She’s not the kind of girl you’d want to associate with, Prince Leonard.”

Leonard didn’t even flinch. His smirk curled lazily, but the chill in his voice was evident.

“And who are you?” he asked, his tone flat, dangerous.

Emily’s smile widened, misreading his interest. She straightened proudly, chin tilted high. “I’m Emily Martin. Daughter of the Moonlight Pack’s Beta. Aiden’s future Luna. His mate.”

Leonard’s gaze shifted to Aiden, who still stood off to the side, arms crossed, face tight with anger.

“This,” Leonard said with disdain, “is who you left her for?” He shook his head, disgust flashing in his eyes. “Two sides of the same rotten coin,” he hissed.

“Well, Emily,” Prince Leonard said sharply, “when I don’t ask you a question, you don’t speak. And as for the rest of you, Kayla is with me. Like I already said, she belongs to me, and you will show her the respect she deserves.”

None of them dared to challenge him. They knew better than to cross Prince Leonard. One by one, they muttered apologies in my direction.

But I wasn’t relieved. I knew I was still in trouble and that thought sat heavy in my chest.

Just then, the manager rushed over, his eyes wide as he took in the mess and the cold fury on Leonard’s face.

“These three are banned from this restaurant, starting today,” Leonard said without looking at them.

The manager nodded quickly, then called security to escort Aiden, Emily, and Alice out of the building. None of them said a word as they were led away.

Once they were gone, Prince Leonard sat back down, but his eyes stayed locked on me.

I didn’t look at him. I couldn’t. I was too embarrassed.

I knew I should thank him for standing up for me, for protecting me. But deep down, I also knew he had just made everything more complicated for me.

I sniffed and wiped at my eyes before finally gathering the courage to look up at him.

“Please… I want to go,” I said softly, my voice barely above a whisper.

“But you haven’t eaten anything yet,” he replied, concerned in his tone.

“I don’t want to. I just want to leave.”

This time, he didn’t argue. He simply nodded and stood up. I followed him out and got into his car.

The silence between us stretched as he drove. Then, after a while, he spoke quietly. “I’m sorry.”

I shook my head, blinking fast to keep the tears from falling. “You don’t have to apologize. I’m used to it,” I said, my voice shaking.

He glanced at me, then reached over and handed me his handkerchief.

“Omega or not, no one deserves to be treated that way.”

I took the handkerchief, holding it tightly in my hands. I didn’t speak. I just stared out the window, wondering when I’d stopped believing those words myself.

After a while he pulled up in front of a mall. He stepped out without a word, and I followed, confused.

“What are we doing here?”

“You’ll find out. Just follow me,” he said, grabbing my hand and leading me toward the entrance.

Inside, we were immediately greeted by a man in a sharp suit. He smiled politely, though his eyes flicked toward me and scanned me from head to toe. I didn’t need anyone to spell it out, I could tell what he was thinking and I hated the feeling.

“Prince Leonard,” the man said smoothly, “it’s an honor to have you in our mall today.”

“Luca,” Leonard replied, “I need you to help her shop. Anything she wants and change her dress.”

“Of course, Prince Leonard,” Luca said with a practiced smile, then gestured for me to follow him.

I hesitated, glancing back at Leonard. He simply shrugged and sat down.

With no other choice, I turned and followed Luca toward the dressing rooms, my nerves already rising.