Why do you keep staring at her?"
The words sliced through the crowded cafeteria like a knife. Rachel's tone was sweet on the surface, but every syllable carried sharpness, meant to wound.
Mia froze mid-bite, her fork trembling in her hand. She didn't need to look up to know Rachel was speaking. And she didn't need to ask who "her" was.
Rachel was standing at Leon's side, her manicured hand wrapped around his arm possessively. Eliose giggled nearby, whispering to another girl, eyes darting between Mia and the Lycan Prince.
Mia's stomach twisted. Her mother's warning echoed in her mind: Stay invisible. But how could she be invisible when Rachel had dragged her into the spotlight?
Leon didn't answer immediately. He was leaning back in his chair, his expression calm, but his stormy eyes flicked briefly—too briefly—toward Mia. She dropped her gaze instantly, heat rising to her cheeks.
Rachel noticed. Of course she noticed. Her lips curved in a smile that wasn't really a smile. "See? She can't even hold her head up. Pathetic."
Laughter bubbled from Eliose and the others at the table.
Mia swallowed hard, gripping her tray. Her food had no taste. Her hands itched to flee, but if she ran again, she'd only prove Rachel right. So she stayed, silent, her chest tight, her fork scraping against her plate in shaky movements.
Rachel tilted her head, eyes gleaming. "I don't understand why the school lets humans in. A scholarship? Really? Taking up space that belongs to wolves." She leaned closer to Leon, her voice dropping low but not low enough. "Don't you agree?"
For a moment, the air grew heavy. Everyone at the table leaned forward, waiting for Leon's reply.
His jaw tightened, his gaze hardening—not at Mia, but at Rachel. "I don't waste my time on insignificance."
The words should have cut Mia in half. They should have let her shrink back into invisibility. But the way his voice deepened, the way his hand curled into a fist under the table, told another story.
Rachel, however, only smiled wider. "Exactly," she purred, though her eyes flashed with irritation. She tightened her grip on his arm, as if to remind him of his place beside her.
Mia pushed back her chair quietly, unable to stay another second. The sound drew only a few glances—most students were too focused on Rachel and Leon—but Mia could feel Rachel's eyes follow her as she left the cafeteria.
Her steps quickened once she was out in the hallway. She had to get away, far from their stares, their whispers. But no matter how far she walked, Leon's words rang in her ears. Insignificance.
Why did it hurt, when she knew it was supposed to?
By the time classes ended, Mia was exhausted. She walked home slower than usual, her shoulders heavy with the weight of the day.
Laura opened the door as soon as she heard footsteps. "Mia." Relief washed across her face, though worry lingered in her eyes. "You look pale."
"I'm fine, Mom," Mia whispered, forcing a smile.
But Laura wasn't convinced. She guided her daughter inside, making her sit at the small table. Their apartment was simple—two rooms, a tiny kitchen, peeling paint—but it was safe. Or at least, it used to be.
"Tell me," Laura urged gently.
Mia shook her head. She couldn't. If she told her mother about Rachel, about the cafeteria, about Leon… it would only make things worse. So instead she whispered, "I'll be careful."
Laura's eyes softened, though sadness flickered in them. She reached across the table and squeezed Mia's hand. "You don't have to fight alone, you know."
Mia smiled faintly, but deep down, she knew she did.
The next day, things grew worse.
Rachel wasn't content with whispers anymore. She wanted proof. Proof that Leon's strange gaze toward Mia wasn't just her imagination.
It started in class, when Rachel deliberately dropped her pen near Mia's desk. "Be a dear and pick that up," she said sweetly, her eyes daring Mia to refuse.
Mia hesitated, heat creeping up her neck. But before she could move, Leon's voice cut across the room.
"Focus on your work, Rachel."
The entire class froze. It wasn't just what he said—it was how he said it. Cold. Sharp. Like a command.
Rachel's smile faltered, but she forced a laugh. "Of course, Your Highness."
The tension lingered long after. And Mia's heart beat louder with every passing second.
By lunchtime, the rumors had already begun.
"Did you see the way the Prince spoke to Rachel?"
"He never talks to her like that."
"Maybe he likes someone else."
Mia tried to keep her head down, but whispers always found her.
"She's human."
"No way."
"Imagine the Lycan Prince with… her?"
Her tray trembled in her hands. She wanted to disappear, to vanish into nothing. But fate had other plans.
Rachel's footsteps echoed before Mia even saw her. She appeared at the end of the table, arms crossed, Eliose at her side.
"Enjoying your meal, scholarship girl?" Rachel asked, her smile sharp.
Mia forced herself to stay calm. "I just want to eat."
Rachel's laughter was soft, mocking. "Of course you do. But tell me something—why does Leon look at you like that?"
Mia's fork clattered against the tray. Her chest tightened. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh, don't play dumb." Rachel leaned in, her eyes gleaming with dangerous amusement. "You think I haven't noticed? The way his eyes follow you? The way he—"
"Enough."
The voice wasn't Rachel's.
Mia's head snapped up. Leon stood a few feet away, his expression unreadable, but his eyes—those stormy, unyielding eyes—were locked on Rachel.
The cafeteria went silent.
Rachel blinked, caught off guard, but quickly recovered. "Leon, I was just—"
"Leave her." His tone left no room for argument.
Rachel's lips parted, her face pale with shock. For the first time, she seemed at a loss for words.
Eliose tugged at her arm nervously. "Come on, Rachel."
But Rachel's gaze shifted to Mia, her eyes blazing with fury. "This isn't over," she hissed before storming out, her heels clicking like thunder.
Whispers erupted instantly.
Mia sat frozen, her pulse racing. Every eye in the room was on her. And Leon—Leon was still watching, his gaze unreadable.
For a moment, their eyes met. Heat surged through her veins, and her breath caught in her throat.
Then he turned, walking away without another word, leaving chaos in his wake.
That night, Mia lay awake, staring at the ceiling. The bond—though she didn't understand it—pulled at her like an invisible thread. Leon's command, his gaze, his presence… it was inescapable.
And Rachel… Rachel wouldn't let this go.
Mia clutched her pillow, whispering her mother's words again. Stay invisible. But deep down, she knew the truth.
The Lycan Prince had already seen her.