The Professor's Mate Clause novel Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

FREYA’S POV

My heart is racing. His words should annoy me. Should make me angry. Instead they make me feel warm. Wanted. Like maybe I am not just another responsibility.

“I do not know what I feel.” The admission comes out quiet. “Everything is so confusing. Every time I look at you I do not know if what I feel is real or just this bond thing pulling at me.”

“The bond amplifies feelings. Makes them stronger. But it does not create them from nothing.” He finally closes the distance. Takes my hand. His palm is warm. Rough. “What you feel is real Freya. I promise you that.”

I should pull away. Should remind him that I do not trust him. But I do not. I just sit there holding his hand across the counter. Feeling the warmth of his skin. The strength in his fingers.

“Why me?” I ask. “Out of everyone in the world why me?”

“Because fate chose you. Because some higher power decided we belong together.” He squeezes my hand gently. “But also because you are strong. Brave. Beautiful. Because you fight even when you are terrified. Because you survived losing your mother and built a life anyway. Because when I look at you I see everything I never knew I needed.”

The words wrap around me. Sink in. Make my chest feel tight.

“Adrian-”

“You do not have to say anything. I am not asking you to forgive me. Or trust me. Or feel the same way I do.” His thumb traces circles on my palm. “I am just asking you to give me a chance to prove it. To show you this is real.”

We sit there. Hands connected. Eyes locked. The kitchen is quiet except for our breathing.

I do not know what I am doing. Do not know if this is smart or stupid or just the bond making me weak. But I do not pull away. Do not break the moment.

“I am still angry at you.” My voice is barely a whisper.

“I know.”

“And I do not forgive you.”

“I know that too.”

“But…” I bite my lip. Try to find the right words. “But maybe I want to understand. Want to know if what I feel is real or just magic.”

Something flashes in his eyes. Hope maybe. “I can work with that.”

He stands slowly. Comes around the counter. Stops right in front of me. Close enough that I can feel the

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heat coming off his body. Smell that clean dark scent that makes my head fuzzy.

“Can I try something?” His voice is low. Rough.

“What?”

“Something that will help you figure out what is real and what is the bond.”

My heart pounds harder. “Okay.”

He reaches up slowly. Cups my face with both hands. His palms are warm against my cheeks. His thumbs trace along my jaw. The touch is gentle. Reverent. Like I am something precious.

“Close your eyes.” He murmurs.

I do. My whole body is tense. Waiting.

“Now tell me what you feel. Not what you think you should feel. Not what makes sense. Just what is true.

I focus on the sensation of his hands on my face. The warmth. The slight roughness of his palms. The way my skin tingles where he touches me.

“I feel…” I struggle to put it into words. “Warm. Safe. Like maybe everything could be okay.”

“Good. What else?”

“I feel pulled toward you. Like there is a string tied around my chest pulling me closer.”

“That is the bond. What else? What do you feel that has nothing to do with magic?”

I think hard. Try to separate the supernatural pull from everything else.”

“I feel curious. About you. About who you are when you are not being an Alpha or keeping promises.” The words come easier now. “I feel attracted to you. To how you look. How you sound. The way you

move.”

His breath hitches. “Keep going.”

“I feel scared. Because wanting you means being vulnerable. Means trusting someone again after being hurt.” My eyes are still closed. “And I feel angry. Because you lied. Because everyone lied. Because my

whole life has been a lie.”

“Okay. Open your eyes.”

I do. He is so close. His face inches from mine. His blue eyes are dark. Intense.

“Everything you just said. The curiosity. The attraction. The fear. The anger. All of that is real. All of that is you. Not magic. Not the bond. Just Freya feeling things.” His thumb brushes across my bottom lip.” The bond does not make you want me. It just makes you brave enough to admit it.”

My breath catches. His thumb is still on my lip. His eyes drop to my mouth. Linger there.

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“Adrian.” His name comes out breathy. Needy.

“Tell me to stop.” His voice is strained. “Tell me to back away and I will.”

I should. Should push him back. Should remind myself that this is too fast. Too soon. That I am still

angry.

But I do not want him to stop. Do not want him to back away.

I want him to close the distance. Want to know what his mouth feels like. Want to stop thinking and just

feel.

“I-” The word barely starts before his phone rings.

The sound shatters the moment. Adrian closes his eyes. Curses under his breath. Steps back.

The loss of his warmth is immediate. My skin feels cold where his hands were.

He pulls the phone from his pocket. Looks at the screen. His expression goes hard. “I have to take this.”

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