The Professor's Mate Clause

Her scent was driving me insane.

I stood at the bar getting drinks and tried to focus on anything except the way Freya smelled. Sweet. Intoxicating. Mine. The emerald dress clung to every curve. Every male in the room had noticed. I watched them watch her and fought the urge to rip out their throats.

Claim her. Mark her. Make them all know she belongs to us.

Kael was snarling in my head. Had been since we walked into the venue. Being this close to our mate without claiming her was torture. Every instinct demanded I take her somewhere private and finish what the bond had started.

But I could not. Not yet. She still did not understand what she was. Still thought this was just a fake date to make her ex jealous.

If only she knew.

I grabbed the champagne and turned back toward where I left her. Froze.

Asher Brooks was talking to her.

My hand tightened on the glasses hard enough to crack. I forced myself to walk calmly toward them. Not run. Not shift. Not tear Asher apart in front of two hundred witnesses.

"Asher." I kept my voice level as I handed Freya her drink. Pulled her against my side. Possessive. "I did not expect to see you here."

The lie was obvious. This was his son's wedding. But I wanted him to know I was not afraid of him. That having Freya on my arm in his territory was deliberate.

"Professor Metcalfe." Asher's eyes were cold. Calculating. "How nice of you to bring a date. Kelvin mentioned his ex girlfriend attended the university. Small world."

He knew. Of course he knew. Asher made it his business to know everything.

"Very small." I kept my hand firm on Freya's waist. Could feel her heartbeat through the thin fabric. Fast. Nervous. "Enjoy the evening."

I guided her away before Asher could say more. Before Kael could make me do something stupid.

*He knows what she is. Knows she is awakening. We need to get her out of here.*

Not yet. We needed to be seen first. Needed Kelvin to suffer. Needed to make our presence known.

The dance floor was filling up. I led Freya into the center. Pulled her close. Too close for a fake date. But I could not help it. The bond was pulling. Demanding.

"Everyone is staring," she whispered.

"Let them." I slid my hand lower on her hip. Felt her breath catch. "You look incredible. They should stare."

Tell her. Tell her she is ours. That this is not fake. That we will never let her go.

I could not. Not here. Not like this. She needed the truth in private. Needed time to process before I dropped the mate bond on her.

Dancing with her was agony and bliss. Her body fit perfectly against mine. Like we were made for each other. Because we were. Fate had designed her specifically for me and I had waited years to find her.

Now she was here. In my arms. Wearing my colors. Smelling like me.

Mine.

Ours.

Then Kelvin approached. Asked to cut in. Every cell in my body screamed no. Screamed to break his hands for even suggesting he touch our mate.

But I let him. Watched him put his hands on her waist. Watched him lean close and whisper things I could not hear.

Kill him. Rip his throat out. He has no right to touch what is ours.

Soon. Not here. But soon Kelvin Brooks would pay for everything. For touching Freya. For killing her mother. For existing.

When I saw his grip tighten on her waist I was done. Moved between them and shoved him back. Let him see the wolf in my eyes. Let him know exactly what would happen if he touched her like that again.

Freya asked to go outside. I took her to the gardens. Away from prying eyes. Away from Asher and Kelvin and all the threats circling.

For a moment it was just us. Just me and my mate under the stars. I almost told her then. Almost said the words. You are mine. I am yours. This is real.

Then we heard voices.

Kelvin and Asher. Talking about Freya's mother. About the plan to kill Freya. About the awakening.

I felt her go rigid in my arms. Felt her heart stop then start racing. She heard everything. Every terrible truth.

And there was no taking it back now.

The wolves came seconds later. Asher's enforcers. Sent to kill us both.

Finally. Let us kill them all.

I shoved Freya toward the car. Told her to run. Then I let Kael take over.

The shift was relief. Like finally scratching an itch that had been building for weeks. My bones cracked and reformed. Fur sprouted. My senses sharpened to painful clarity.

Three wolves. Young. Stupid. Thinking they could take down an Alpha.

I tore into the first one before it could reach Freya. Felt bones snap under my jaws. The taste of blood. The satisfaction of protecting what was mine.

The second one tried to flank me. I caught it mid leap. Slammed it into the ground. It did not get back up.

The third was smarter. Faster. It aimed for my throat. We rolled across the grass snarling and tearing. I finally got my teeth in its neck and bit down hard.

Silence.

I shifted back. Human again. Naked and covered in blood. Freya was in the car staring at me like I was a monster.

Maybe I was.

I got dressed and drove us back to the city. She did not speak. Did not look at me. Just sat frozen staring out the window.

At the penthouse I told her everything. Werewolves. Packs. The mate bond. Her mother's murder. The binding. All of it.

Watched her world shatter piece by piece.

Comfort her. Hold her. Tell her we will keep her safe.

I tried. Reached for her. She flinched away.

That hurt more than any wound I had ever taken.

"I need to leave." Her voice was small. Broken. "Please."

Everything in me screamed to say no. To lock the doors and keep her here where she was safe. Where I could protect her. Where she belonged.

But I saw the panic in her eyes. The fear. If I forced her to stay I would lose her forever.

So I let her go.

You fool. She is running. Our mate is running and you are letting her.

I called Marcus. Told him to follow her. Keep her safe from a distance. Do not let her out of his sight.

Then I stood in my empty penthouse and tried not to destroy everything in reach.

She was out there. Alone. Vulnerable. With Asher's people hunting her.

And I had let her walk away.

Go after her. Track her. Bring her back.

I wanted to. Wanted to shift and follow her scent across the city. Wanted to throw her over my shoulder and lock her in my room until she understood she was mine.

But she needed space. Needed time to process. Forcing her would only push her further away.

My phone rang. Marcus.

"She ran." His voice was tight. "I followed her to a park but when I tried to approach she bolted. I lost her in the streets."

Ice flooded my veins. "Find her."

"I am trying. Her scent is everywhere. She doubled back multiple times. I think she is heading toward her apartment."

Her apartment. Where Asher knew she lived. Where his people were probably already waiting.

"Get there now. I am on my way." I grabbed my keys and headed for the elevator.

Faster. We need to move faster. She is in danger.

I knew. Could feel it through the bond. A pulling sensation. A wrongness.

The drive took ten minutes. Felt like hours. I parked two blocks away and shifted. Tracking was easier as a wolf. Her scent was faint but there. Fear and sadness and something else. Determination maybe.

I followed it to her building. Up the stairs. Down the hallway.

Her apartment door was open.

The wrongness intensified. I shifted back. Pulled on the clothes I had grabbed. Moved silently toward the door.

Voices inside. Male. Threatening.

"Hello Freya. We have been looking for you."

Rage exploded through me. White hot. Blinding.

Kill him. Kill them all. Protect our mate.

I burst through the door. The man turned. I recognized him. One of Asher's enforcers. Derek. Mean. Cruel. Enjoyed hurting people.

He had Freya backed against the wall. Her eyes were wide. Terrified.

She saw me and something flickered across her face. Relief. Then anger. Then confusion.

"Metcalfe." Derek smiled. Showed teeth. "Right on time. Asher said you would come running."

"Step away from her." My voice came out barely human. More growl than words.

"Or what? You will fight me? Here? In front of the human?" He laughed. "She does not even know what she is yet. This will be entertaining."

"Last warning. Step away."

Derek lunged at Freya instead.

Kael took over before I could think. The shift was instant. Brutal. I hit Derek mid leap and we crashed through the coffee table.

Freya screamed. Scrambled backward.

I did not care. Did not care about anything except ripping Derek apart.

He shifted too. Smaller wolf. Gray fur. Yellow eyes. He went for my throat. I dodged and bit down on his shoulder. Tasted blood.

We fought across the tiny apartment. Destroying furniture. Breaking things. The sounds were inhuman. Snarling. Snapping. Bones crunching.

I was bigger. Stronger. Older. Derek did not stand a chance.

I pinned him finally. Jaws around his throat. He went still. Submitted.

Kill him. End him. He tried to hurt our mate.

I wanted to. Wanted to feel his life drain away under my teeth.

But Freya was watching. Pressed against the wall. Shaking. Her eyes huge.

I released Derek. Let him scramble away. He shifted back to human. Blood pouring from multiple wounds.

"This is not over." He backed toward the door. "Asher will not stop until she is dead."

"Tell Asher if he comes near her again I will declare war. Full war. And I will burn everything he has built to the ground." I let my eyes flash blue. Let him see the Alpha. "Now get out."

Derek ran.

I shifted back. Stood there naked and bloody in the ruins of Freya's apartment.

She stared at me. At the destruction. At the blood on the walls.

"Are you hurt?" My voice was rough. "Freya. Look at me. Are you hurt?"

She shook her head slowly. Could not seem to find words.

I grabbed the blanket from her couch and wrapped it around my waist. Moved toward her carefully. Like approaching a wild animal.

"It is okay. You are safe now. I will not let anyone hurt you."

"You knew." Her voice was hollow. "You knew about my father. About the promise. This whole time you knew."

My stomach dropped. The journal. She found her mother's journal.

"Yes. I knew."

"So this was never about me. Never about chemistry or attraction or fate. You were just keeping a promise to a dead man."

"No. Freya no. That is not-"

"Get out." She pushed past me toward the door. "Get out of my apartment. Get out of my life. I do not want your protection. I do not want anything from you."

"You do not understand. The promise was before. Before I knew you. Before the mate bond-"

"There is no mate bond." She was crying now. Tears streaming down her face. "There is just you doing what you were told. Just me being another responsibility. Another obligation."

"That is not true."

"Then what is true Adrian? Tell me. What part of any of this was real?"

"All of it." I moved closer. She backed away. "Everything from the moment I recognized your scent was real. Yes your father asked me to watch over you. Yes I promised to help when you awakened. But the bond. The pull. The way I feel when I am near you. That is all real."

"I do not believe you."

"Then feel it." I grabbed her hand before she could pull away. Pressed it against my chest. Over my heart. "Feel how it races when you are near. Feel how my whole body responds to you. That is not obligation. That is not a promise. That is fate."

She stared at our hands. At my chest. Her fingers flexed against my skin.

For a moment I thought maybe she felt it too. The bond humming between us. Pulling. Demanding.

Then she jerked her hand away. "I need time. Space. I cannot think when you are near."

"No. Not again. You are not running again." I moved between her and the door. "It is not safe. Derek will report back to Asher. They will send more. Better prepared. You cannot fight them alone."

"Then I will leave the city. Disappear."

"For how long? Forever? You think you can hide from what you are?" I gentled my voice. Tried to sound reasonable. "Your wolf is awakening Freya. With or without me that will happen. And when it does you will need help. Training. Protection."

"I do not want your help."

"Too bad. You have it anyway." I crossed my arms. "You can hate me. You can think this is all fake. But I will not let you get yourself killed because you are too stubborn to accept reality."

We stared at each other. The apartment was destroyed around us. Glass everywhere. Broken furniture. Blood on the carpet.

"Fine." She said it through gritted teeth. "I will come back with you. For now. Until I figure out what to do. But this does not mean I trust you. And it does not mean I believe anything you say about mates or bonds or fate."

"Understood."

"And you sleep somewhere else. Away from me. I do not want you near me."

Each word was a knife. But I nodded. "Whatever you need."

She grabbed her duffle bag from the floor. The journal was sticking out the top. "Let's go before more of them show up."

I wanted to touch her. To comfort her. To promise her everything would be okay.

But I had no right. Not anymore. Not when she looked at me like I was the enemy.

So I just led her out of the destroyed apartment. Down to my car. Back to the penthouse that suddenly felt more like a prison than a home.

Because I finally had my mate.

And she wanted nothing to do with me.