The Professor's Mate Clause novel Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 13

FREYA’S POV

“Do you want me to leave?” Adrian asks quietly. “Give you privacy?”

“No. Stay.” I sit down and pull the box closer. “I might need you.”

He sits across from me. Quiet. Patient.

I take a breath and open the lid.

Inside are papers. Lots of papers. Letters tied with string. Photographs. A journal. Smaller than my mother’s but similar. And at the bottom a flash drive.

I pull out the photographs first. My hands are shaking.

The first photo is of a man. Tall. Broad shoulders. Dark hair. Blue eyes. He is smiling at the camera. Happy. Young.

“That is your father.” Adrian leans forward. “Alexander Reed. One of the greatest Alphas who ever lived.”

I trace my finger over his face. He looks like me. Same eyes. Same smile. This man is my father and I never got to know him.

The next photo is him with my mother. She is laughing. He has his arms around her. They look so in love it hurts to see.

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There are more photos. Some of just him. Some with other people I do not recognize. One of him in what looks like a formal setting. Other men and women surrounding him. All of them powerful looking. Important.

“That is the High Council.” Adrian points. “Your father sat on it. Made decisions that affected all werewolves in this region.”

I set the photos aside and pick up the letters. There are at least twenty. All addressed to my mother in neat handwriting.

I untie the string and open the first one.

My dearest Helen,

I know I should not write these. Know it is dangerous. But I cannot help myself. I need you to know how much you mean to me. How every moment away from you feels like dying.

The pack does not understand. They think mating a human makes me weak. Makes me vulnerable. They do not see what I see when I look at you.

Strength. Courage. Love that transcends everything we are.

1/5

+25 Bonus

I am fighting for us. Fighting to change the laws so we can be together without fear. But it is slow. The old ones resist change. They cling to tradition even when tradition is cruel.

Be patient my love. Soon. Soon we will be together. Soon I can claim you properly. Soon our child will be born into a world where love matters more than blood.

Yours always,

Alexander

Tears blur my vision. I wipe them away and open another letter.

Helen,

Something is wrong. I can feel it. The opposition is growing stronger. More organized. They know about you. About the baby.

I have made arrangements. If anything happens to me Adrian Metcalfe will watch over you both. He is young but capable. Trust him.

There is a witch. Powerful. She can bind the child’s wolf if needed. Hide what she is until it is safe. I hate

asking this. Hate taking away part of our daughter. But her safety matters more than anything.

Do what you must. Protect her. Even if it means she never knows what she is. Even if it means she never

knows me.

I love you both more than life.

Alexander

The next letters are shorter. More desperate. He knew something was coming. Knew his time was

running out.

The last letter is dated three days before he died.

Helen,

This is goodbye. I can feel it. They are coming for me. The ones who hate the laws. Who want war.

I am not afraid to die. But I am terrified of leaving you. Leaving our daughter.

Everything I have done was to make the world safer for her. To give her a chance at life without fear. I pray it was enough.

Tell her about me someday. When she is ready. Tell her I loved her. That I would have moved mountains

to keep her safe.

The box contains everything she needs to know. Documents. Proof. Names of allies and enemies. Everything.

Be strong my love. Raise our daughter to be fierce. To be brave. To never apologize for what she is.

2/5

MAI FR13

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And know that even in death I will love you. Forever.

Alexander

I cannot read anymore. Cannot see through the tears. My father loved us. Loved us enough to die for us. And I never got to meet him.

Adrian reaches across the table and takes my hand. Squeezes gently. Does not say anything. Just holds on while I fall apart.

After a few minutes I wipe my face and pick up the journal. This one is not my mother’s handwriting. It is my father’s.

I flip through pages. Names. Dates. Meetings. Decisions. It reads like a log. A record of everything he did as Alpha.

Near the end is a section labeled ENEMIES.

I read through the list. Most names mean nothing. But one jumps out.

Asher Brooks.

Next to his name my father wrote: *Dangerous. Ambitious. Lost his son’s mate to the human laws. Blames me. Will seek revenge. Watch him carefully.*

My father knew. Knew Asher was a threat. And he was right.

“What else is in there?” Adrian asks.

I pull out more documents. Legal papers about pack territories. Treaties between different groups. Maps with markings I do not understand.

At the very bottom is the flash drive. Small. Black. A piece of tape on it with one word written in my mother’s handwriting.

TRUTH.

“We need to see what is on this.” I hold it up.

Adrian nods. “We can look at it back at the penthouse. My computer is secure.

I start putting everything back in the box. The letters. The photos. The journal. My hands are steadier

now. More certain.

These are my answers. My history. Everything my parents wanted me to know.

And mixed with the grief is something else. Anger. Determination.

Asher killed my father. Killed my mother. Tried to kill me.

But I am still here. Still alive. And now I know the truth.

3/5

742

+25 Bonus

“Ready?” Adrian stands and holds out his hand.

I take it. Let him pull me up. “Yeah. Let’s go home.”

We gather everything and head back to the main area. Return the box. The woman smiles blankly at us like she does not remember anything.

Outside the sun is higher. Brighter. The city feels different now. Like I am seeing it with new eyes.

I have a father who loved me. A mother who sacrificed everything. And a history that explains why my

life has been chaos.

Adrian opens the car door. I slide in with the box on my lap. He gets in the driver’s side and starts the

engine.

“You okay?” He glances at me.

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