Luca Harrington Isn't Accepting My Existence
831 Words
The moment I stepped back from the table, my knees felt weak, as though the ground beneath the school courtyard had subtly shifted. I turned and walked away, keeping my head low just as Suzanne had instructed, but I could feel Leo's presence behind me like a blade pressed between my shoulder blades.
Only when I crossed the stone archway leading back into the school building did my lungs finally draw a full breath.
My heart was pounding far too loudly.
Bella stirred again, softer this time. Did you feel that? He was watching us.
I didn’t answer her
.
Inside the building, the silence felt different from the courtyard. It was quieter, heavier, as if the walls themselves were listening. Sunlight streamed through tall windows, glinting off polished floors and railings, yet none of it brought warmth. Everything here was perfect, controlled just like him.
Suzanne found me near the corridor, her shoes clicking sharply as she approached. One look at my face and her eyes narrowed slightly.
“You’re flustered,” she said. “That won’t do.”
“I’m sorry,” I replied quickly, lowering my gaze.
She studied me for a moment before turning away. “Follow me. You’ll learn the routine.”
She walked briskly, and I hurried after her as she explained the school rules in clipped, precise words.
“student must wake up early. You must follow your schedule exactly. No improvisation. No opinions. You are here to learn, not interfere.”
Each sentence felt like another weight added to my chest.
We passed students along the way classmates, assistants, monitors but none of them looked at me with curiosity or friendliness. Most avoided my gaze entirely. A few glanced at me briefly, their expressions unreadable, before moving on.
They already knew. They knew who I was. They knew I was the rejected mate.
The realization burned more sharply than Leo's cold words.
Suzanne stopped outside a small classroom tucked away near the back of the building. Compared to the rest of the school, it was modest simple desks, narrow shelves, plain chairs.
“This will be your base,” she said. “You are not to wander the school unless instructed. I will call for you if I need you, and I need you to come immediately. If I doesn’t, you stay in your class.”
I nodded. “Yes.”
She paused at the door, her hand resting on the frame. “One more thing, Aria.”
I looked up.
"Remember you are here to learn and I want you to focus and not let anything distract you is that understood" she asked
"Yes, I understand" she replied nodding her head
With that, she left.
The door clicked shut behind her.
I stood there for a long moment, staring at the empty classroom, my fingers curling slowly into my palms. The reality of it all finally settled in, heavy and suffocating.
This wasn’t temporary.
This wasn’t a misunderstanding.
I was here because Leo wanted me here and that frightened me more than being rejected ever had. Bella shifted uneasily. I don’t like this place.
Neither did I.
I sat on the edge of a chair, the stiffness of the seat unfamiliar beneath me. My thoughts spiraled back to the courtyard to the way Leo's eyes had lingered, to that brief flicker I couldn’t forget.
Why bring me here?
If he despised me so much, why not cast me out completely?
The question echoed without answer.
A sharp knock on the door jolted me upright.
“Yes?” I called.
A student assistant opened the door slightly. “Alpha Leo requests your presence. Immediately.”
My heart dropped.
Bella straightened inside me, alert and eager. He’s calling us already.
I stood, smoothing my uniform with trembling hands. Each step back toward the courtyard felt heavier than the last. The school no longer felt merely imposing it felt alive, watching, waiting.
When I reached the courtyard, Leo was standing now, his book gone, his jacket draped over the chair. He turned as I approached, his sharp eyes locking onto me with unsettling focus.
“You took too long,” he said calmly.
“I’m sorry,” I replied at once, lowering my head not knowing why exactly I'm apologizing. He stepped closer. Too close.
I could feel the heat of him, the restrained power beneath his calm exterior. My wolf stirred instinctively, reacting before my mind could stop it.
Leo's gaze darkened.
“Control it,” he said quietly. “Or I will.” The warning was soft but absolute.
I swallowed hard. “Yes, my lord.” For a fraction of a second, his jaw tightened.
Then he turned away. “You’ll accompany me today. Observe. Listen. Learn.”
I blinked in surprise. “Accompany you?”
“Yes.” He glanced back at me, his eyes unreadable. “If you’re going to be here, you’ll do more than sit in class.”
- Writer
