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Chapter 15 

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My chest feels like it’s being crushed in a vise, my mind spinning with so many thoughts and emotions at once it feels like my body might actually short-circuit. 

I stop looking at Gabriel altogether, focusing instead on the pounding in my ears, the rising heat in my face, the unmistakable warning signs of a panic attack creeping in. 

My first in almost a year, but it’s happening, right here, right now. 

The irony isn’t lost on me. 

All those years of palace training, of maintaining composure under pressure, of being the perfect prince, and I’m about to completely lose it on a random sidewalk because my bodyguard might have feelings for me. 

“I’m so fucking tired,” I whisper, my voice coming out in a broken stammer, trembling, cracking under the weight of it all. “Tired of the games. The responsibilities. Tired of playing a part every second of my life.” 

The words are spilling out now, raw and unfiltered, and I can’t stop them. 

“I just want to be myself for once. Not the prince, not the heir, not the perfect little royal project. Just… me.” 

My voice catches as hot tears spill down my cheeks, and I hate myself for it. 

Princes don’t cry on public sidewalks. Princes don’t have panic attacks. Princes definitely don’t fall apart in front of their bodyguards. 

But I’m not really a prince right now, am I? 

I’m just a nineteen-year-old kid who’s been pretending to be normal for months, only to discover that even my fake normal life is a lie. 

We’re standing in the shadows near the stadium, tucked away from sight. 

No cameras, no curious stares. Just the two of us-alone in the dark. A small mercy. 

At least no one else will see me unravel like this, though part of me wants to scream loud enough to make the entire world listen. 

Before my racing mind can spiral out of control, Gabriel closes the distance between us in one swift, predatory stride. The motion is so deliberate, so charged with tension, that it slices through my panic like silk over skin. 

“Gods, Leo…” His voice spills out low and rough, thick with frustration and something darker- something hungry. 

His hands cradle my face, fingers threading into my hair with sinful ease, holding me there like I’m something precious-and breakable. 

I m something precious-and breakable. 

But his eyes… his eyes devour me whole. That smoldering gaze strips me bare, revealing every hidden crack beneath my practiced defiance. 

We hover there, breath mingling, the air between us heavy with all the things we’ve never dared to say. I see it now-the heat, the restraint, the dangerous want simmering beneath his polished 

exterior. 

And then-Gabriel’s mouth crashes onto mine. 

The kiss is hot, possessive, impossibly reckless. My first wild thought is-have I lost my mind? But no. This is real. His lips are fire against mine, his tongue teasing with infuriating skill, and I give in without hesitation. 

I melt into him, pulling him closer, my body reacting on instinct-desperate, aching, craving everything his kiss promises and everything it shouldn’t. 

The world around us vanishes-no panic, no watchful eyes, no impossible rules. Just his mouth on mine, claiming, coaxing, undoing me entirely. 

When we break apart, I’m breathless, heart pounding, lips tingling from the contact. My voice barely works, rough with need. 

“Gabe…” I whisper, his name slipping out like a secret, heavy with every forbidden desire burning between us. 

Gabriel’s smile curls, sharp and dangerous in all the ways I’m not ready for. “Your Highness,” he replies, voice low, teasing-but there’s more beneath it. 

Tension. Want. Restraint stretched thin. 

The way he says it—my title-should remind me of all the reasons this is impossible. Instead, it sends heat racing through my veins. 

There’s something about the way he claims it, owns it, that makes it sound less like a reminder of duty and more like a promise. 

We stand there for a beat longer, the weight of the kiss, of every stolen glance, lingering heavy between us. The air feels charged, electric with possibility and danger in equal measure. 

Then Gabriel’s gaze flicks toward the campus lights in the distance, practical as ever. “You should go home. Wouldn’t want you collapsing on the morning run.” 

I 

groan softly, scrubbing a hand through my hair. “Way to ruin the moment.’ 

“1 

His eyes glint under the stadium lights, dark with want but edged with that familiar control. “Discipline first. Chaos later.” 

“You’re lucky I like you,” I mutter, but there’s no real bite to it. 

“Am I?” The question comes out serious, loaded with everything we’re not saying. “Lucky?” 

I look at him—really look at him—and see the uncertainty hiding behind his confident exterior. He’s just as lost in this as I am, just better at pretending otherwise. 

“Yeah,” I say quietly. “You are.” 

With one last glance, we start walking, side by side. 

The silence is electric-shoulders brushing, fingers grazing-close enough to touch, careful not to break whatever fragile, dangerous thing has just begun. 

For the first time in months, I fall asleep fast-and deep. No tossing and turning, no lying awake replaying conversations or worrying about tomorrow’s schedule. 

Just peaceful, dreamless sleep that feels like a gift. 

But it’s not the alarm that wakes me. It’s the sharp buzz of my phone and Gabriel’s voice on the other end, formal and distant in a way that makes my stomach drop. 

“Good morning,” Gabriel says, his tone measured, professional. “Go for your run without me today.” 

The line clicks dead before I can respond. 

Before I can ask why, before I can process what just happened, before I can even say good morning back. 

My body jolts awake, pulse spiking. Gabriel doesn’t want to see me? After that kiss? After everything? My mind immediately starts racing through possibilities, each one worse than the last. 

Was that just damage control? A distraction? A calculated move to stop a breakdown? 

Did he report it to my parents? Is he getting reassigned? Did I completely misread the situation? 

chest. 

The unanswered questions swarm me, crawling under my skin, twisting tight around my My breaths come short and shallow, my hands trembling as the panic returns full force. 

Across the room, Jake still sleeps soundly, completely oblivious to the fact that I’m about to completely lose my shit. I grip the edge of the bed, gasping for air-barely holding myself together. 

Because if last night was just Gabriel doing his job, if that kiss was just him managing a crisis, then I’m more alone than I’ve ever been. 

And I don’t know how to come back from that. 

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