Chapter 115 CHAPTER 115
By the time the final bell rang, Lisa felt the weight of the day settle into her bones.
She had managed to avoid Sebastian completely; a quiet victory she hadn’t expected to feel so satisfying. Ella had stayed close - walking with her between classes, sitting with her at lunch, filling the empty spaces with easy conversation that never once circled back to titles or politics. For a few blessed hours, Lisa had almost felt ordinary.
Liam had come by once, checking on her with that careful concern he carried like a second heartbeat, but she had smiled and urged him back to the library. She could see it in his eyes - the exhaustion, the determination. He wanted answers, not just for her, but for Celia, for Kael, for everything that had begun to fracture beneath their feet.
“I’ll be fine,” she had told him softly. “Really.”
And she had been.
Now, as the sun dipped lower and painted the school grounds in gold, Lisa and Ella walked side by side toward the parking lot, their footsteps unhurried. The campus was quieter, students peeling away in small groups, laughter trailing behind them like echoes.
“This place feels different in the evening,” Ella said. “Less… watchful.”
Lisa nodded. “I like it better this way.”
They were almost at the edge of the lot when hurried footsteps sounded behind them.
“Lisa… wait!”
The voice was breathless. Urgent.
Lisa stiffened.
Sebastian caught up to them, slightly out of breath, his hand landing on her shoulder before she could step away. The contact sent a sharp spark of irritation through her, not fear, but a deep, simmering anger that had been building all day.
She turned slowly.
Sebastian gave a nervous chuckle, trying to smooth the moment into something lighter than it was. “We didn’t get to finish what we were talking about this morning.”
“First of all,” Lisa said calmly, stepping just out of his reach, “I am not Lisa to you.”
Sebastian blinked.
“As Commander Blackthorne told you,” she continued, her voice steady and clear, “you will refer to me as Your Highness. Only my friends are allowed to call me by my name. And I would not consider you my friend.”
The words landed cleanly, without cruelty, without apology.
Sebastian frowned. “What? We’re more than friends.”
He glanced at Ella then, clearly uncomfortable with the audience. “Could you give us a moment?”
Ella hesitated, looking to Lisa.
“It’s fine,” Lisa said quietly.
Sebastian straightened, seizing the opening. “You can’t tell me not to call you by your name when everyone else can. I’m not just anyone.” His voice dropped, urgent now. “I’m your… mate.”
The moment the words left his mouth, something shifted in his expression - panic flickering behind his eyes. He remembered too late the warning given to him the night before. Don’t remind her. Don’t bring it up. Don’t push.
The word hung between them, heavy and unwelcome and it was too late for Sebastian to go back.
“No,” Lisa replied immediately. “You rejected me.”
Sebastian’s jaw tightened. “ But the bond…. You…” he could not find the words buried deep in his heart.
Lisa watched him carefully.
“The goddess may have bound us,” she said evenly, “but there is nothing between us. We are not friends. And we will never be together.”
Sebastian swallowed hard.
“I know we treated you badly,” he said quickly, desperation creeping into his tone. “I know I was wrong. And I want to apologize - for everything.”
Before he could say more, footsteps approached from behind them.
“Lisa.”
She turned to see Liam striding toward them, his expression tight with concern. He stopped at her side instinctively, his presence a solid wall between her and Sebastian.
“I looked for you at the classroom,” Liam said. “Why didn’t you wait for me?”
“We were walking out together,” Lisa replied gently, nodding toward Ella. “I thought I’d meet you here.”
Liam’s gaze flicked briefly to Sebastian, then back to Lisa. “Next time, wait for me. I feel better walking you out myself.”
Sebastian cleared his throat. “Commander Blackthorne, if you’ll excuse us, Lisa and I were in the middle of something.”
Liam didn’t answer.
Instead, he reached forward, gripping Sebastian by the collar and pulling him close with controlled strength. A low growl rumbled in his chest – Kane stirring just beneath the surface.
“I understand you’re young,” Liam said quietly, his voice calm but dangerous, “but I don’t know how basic respect is so difficult for you. I told you this morning not to address her by name. She is, and will always be, Your Highness to you.”
Sebastian’s breath hitched. Without his wolf, without Kael’s grounding presence, the raw power in Liam’s grip was overwhelming. He raised his hands immediately. “Okay…okay. I’m sorry.”
Liam released him and stepped back. “The next time you want to speak to the Princess, you do it when I’m present. Is that clear?”
Sebastian nodded quickly and backed away, his confidence shaken, his face pale.
Liam turned to Lisa at once. “Are you alright?”
She nodded. “I’m fine. I could have handled it.”
“I know,” he said softly. “But it’s my job to make sure you don’t have to.”
They continued toward the car, the tension easing with each step.
Liam opened the door for her, and as they settled inside, he glanced at her with a faint smile. “I feel more like your boyfriend when I’m protecting you from bullies like him.”
Lisa laughed quietly, the sound easing something tight in her chest. “You do it well.”
As the car pulled away, she asked, “Did you find anything in the library?”
Liam shook his head, fatigue lining his features. “Not yet.”
She could see it then - how hard he was trying to stay strong, how the weight of unanswered questions pressed on him. She reached for his hand and squeezed it gently.
“Let’s go somewhere,” she said suddenly. “Somewhere without kingdoms and rituals and bonds. Just for a little while.”
Liam glanced at her, surprised - and then smiled. “I know just the place.”