---
đź–¤ The Tension Breaks...
Aurora didn't kiss her again.
She stepped back, abruptly. Too fast. Like she didn't trust herself.
Elara leaned forward, lips parted, aching for more—but Aurora turned her face away.
"I said you don't understand," she whispered, voice hoarse. "I've broken people. Girls with bigger hearts. And now you…"
She laughed darkly. "You make me soft. That's dangerous—for both of us."
Elara's chest ached. "Then stop running."
Aurora's eyes snapped back to hers. "You think this is running? This is restraint."
Elara didn't look away. "Then lose it."
It was a dare.
But Aurora didn't rise to it. She grabbed her coat instead.
"Get dressed. You're coming with me."
---
đź’„ The Party
The club pulsed with bass-heavy music, all expensive perfume, velvet walls, and flashing lights. VIP tables, champagne towers, and people who wore wealth like armor.
Aurora owned the room.
She always did.
But tonight, she made sure everyone saw her.
And her girl.
Elara.
In a tight, backless red dress Aurora had picked for her. It clung like sin, and Elara hated how much it made her body burn—how powerful and exposed she felt under Aurora's gaze.
They sat at the private booth—Aurora lounging like a queen, one arm lazily thrown around Elara's shoulders, manicured fingers tracing her skin like she owned her.
Because she did.
But Elara wasn't the same girl anymore.
She leaned away slightly, just enough to make Aurora's grip tighten.
"You're in a mood," Aurora said.
"I thought I was a secret. Now I'm your showpiece?"
Aurora smiled coolly. "You're mine. I want them to know."
And then she kissed Elara's jaw—slow, deliberate—locking eyes with the girls across the room.
One of them? Mia.
Watching. Jaw clenched.
Elara flinched. "You did this for her?"
"No," Aurora said, voice like silk soaked in poison. "I did it for you. So you'd remember your place."
"I'm not a possession."
Aurora's hand tightened on her thigh. "Then stop acting like you belong to anyone else."
Elara swallowed. The air was thick, suffocating. Heat and want and something darker swirled between them.
---
🔥 Back at the Penthouse
Aurora shut the door behind them, kicked off her heels, and walked straight to the bar. She poured whiskey, took a sip, then tossed it all back like it burned more than her insides.
Elara stood in the center of the room, fists clenched.
"Why do you push me away and then pull me in?"
Aurora slammed the glass down. "Because I don't know how to want someone like this. I want to own you. Every inch. Every thought. Every goddamn breath."
Elara stared. "That's not love."
"No. It's need."
And then, with no warning, Aurora grabbed her by the waist and spun her around.
Elara gasped, her back hitting the wall again, but this time there was no kiss.
Just breathless silence.
Aurora's fingers curled into her hair, her lips brushing just near Elara's. Close—but not touching.
"You drive me insane," Aurora whispered. "And I like it too much."
Elara's lips trembled. "Then do something about it."
"I could ruin you."
"I'm already ruined."
Aurora growled softly, her lips grazing Elara's neck. "You don't even know what ruin tastes like yet."
Then—nothing.
She stepped back.
Left Elara burning and untouched.
A punishment.
---
🎠Next Day – Academy Grounds
Whispers.
Always whispers.
"Isn't that Aurora Vale's girl?"
"She was all over her last night."
"She must be really good in bed."
Elara felt every eye, every smirk. But she walked with her head high.
Until Mia stepped in front of her again.
"You looked... overwhelmed last night," Mia said with a faux-concerned smile.
"I wasn't."
"You sure? Because Aurora's known for breaking girls just like you."
Elara met her eyes, steel in her voice. "I'm not like them."
"Oh, honey. You're worse. You think she'll love you."
Elara's jaw tightened.
Behind them, a familiar voice rang out—sharp, deadly.
"She doesn't think. She knows."
Aurora.
Standing just behind them, leather gloves in hand, her eyes locked on Mia like she could tear her soul apart.
"Touch her again," Aurora said, "and I'll show you what obsession really feels like."
Mia paled.
Elara's breath caught.
Aurora turned to her then—softening, slightly.
"Come. I'm skipping class."
"Why?"
Aurora offered her hand. "Because I want to lie beside the girl who makes me forget I'm a monster."
Elara took it.
---