The Professor's Mate Clause novel Chapter 132

Chapter 132

FREYA’S POV

Aurora’s first day of pack school arrives with more drama than I anticipated.

She’s been excited for weeks, taiking nonstop about learning with other kids, making friends, showing off her shifting abilities. But this morning, standing in her new clothes with her backpack almost as big as/she is, my brave daughter is terrified.

“What if they don’t like me?” she whispers, gripping my hand.

I kneel to her level, brushing dark hair from her face. “They’ll love you. You’re smart, kind, and interesting. What’s not to like?”

“But I’m different. I shift faster than other kids. Dr. Chen says I’m advanced.” Her golden eyes, so like Adrian’s wolf form, shimmer with unshed tears. “What if different means weird?”

My heart breaks a little. Five years old and already worried about fitting in, about being too much or not enough. I recognize this fear intimately. I lived it for years before Adrian.

“Different means special,” I tell her firmly. “It means you have gifts other kids don’t. And yes, some might not understand at first. But the right friends will think it’s amazing.”

“Did you have friends when you were little?”

The question catches me off guard. “Not many. I was different too, remember? Hybrid. People didn’t always understand.”

“But you’re happy now.”

“Very happy. Because I found people who loved me for being different, not despite it.” I touch her cheek. “You’ll find those people too. And you already have a whole pack who adores you.”

Adrian appears in the doorway, Kai on his hip and Ember toddling beside him. “Ready, Aurora?”

She takes a deep breath, squaring her small shoulders. “Ready.”

The school is a new building, constructed two years ago when our pack youth population exploded. Bright, welcoming, designed with shifting kids in mind. Reinforced walls, open spaces, teachers trained in managing young wolves whose control is still developing.

Emma runs the early childhood program, her youthful energy perfect for wrangling a classroom of five and six- year–olds. She greets us at the door with a warm smile.

“Good morning, Aurora! I’ve been waiting for you.”

Aurora hides slightly behind my leg. “Hi, Miss Emma.”

“Want to see your cubby? I put a special name tag on it just for you.” Emma extends her hand, patient and kind.

Aurora looks up at me, seeking permission. I nod encouragingly.

“Okay.” She takes Emma’s hand, then glances back. “You’ll pick me up, right?”

“Right here at three o’clock,” I promise. “I won’t be late.”

Chapter 132

Chapter 132

FREYA’S POV

Aurora’s first day of pack school arrives with more drama than I anticipated.

She’s been excited for weeks, talking nonstop about learning with other kids, making friends, showing off her shifting abilities. But this morning, standing in her new clothes with her backpack almost as big as/she is, my brave daughter is terrified.

“What if they don’t like me?” she whispers, gripping my hand.

I kneel to her level, brushing dark hair from her face. “They’ll love you. You’re smart, kind, and interesting. What’s not to like?”

“But I’m different. I shift faster than other kids. Dr. Chen says I’m advanced.” Her golden eyes, so like Adrian’s wolf form, shimmer with unshed tears. “What if different means weird?”

My heart breaks a little. Five years old and already worried about fitting in, about being too much or not enough. I recognize this fear intimately. I lived it for years before Adrian.

“Different means special,” I tell her firmly. “It means you have gifts other kids don’t. And yes, some might not understand at first. But the right friends will think it’s amazing.”

“Did you have friends when you were little?”

The question catches me off guard. “Not many. I was different too, remember? Hybrid. People didn’t always understand.”

“But you’re happy now.”

“Very happy. Because I found people who loved me for being different, not despite it.” I touch her cheek. “You’ll find those people too. And you already have a whole pack who adores you.”

Adrian appears in the doorway, Kai on his hip and Ember toddling beside him. “Ready, Aurora?”

She takes a deep breath, squaring her small shoulders. “Ready.”

The school is a new building, constructed two years ago when our pack youth population exploded. Bright, welcoming, designed with shifting kids in mind. Reinforced walls, open spaces, teachers trained in managing young wolves whose control is still developing.

Emma runs the early childhood program, her youthful energy perfect for wrangling a classroom of five and six- year–olds. She greets us at the door with a warm smile.

“Good morning, Aurora! I’ve been waiting for you.”

Aurora hides slightly behind my leg. “Hi, Miss Emma.”

“Want to see your cubby? I put a special name tag on it just for you.” Emma extends her hand, patient and kind.

Aurora looks up at me, seeking permission. I nod encouragingly.

“Okay.” She takes Emma’s hand, then glances back. “You’ll pick me up, right?”

“Right here at three o’clock,” I promise. “I won’t be late.‘

+1 R. US

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

She walks inside, backpack bouncing, occasionally looking back to make sure I’m still watching. When she finally disappears around a corner, Adrian wraps an arm around my waist.

“She’ll be fine,” he says.

“I know. I just remember what it’s like being the different kid. I don’t want that for her.”

“She has advantages you didn’t. A family who celebrates her differences. A pack that values uniqueness. Teachers who understand advanced development.” He kisses my temple. “She’s going to thrive.”

Kai tugs on Adrian’s shirt. “When do I go to school?”

“Two more years, buddy.”

“That’s forever!”

Adrian laughs, hoisting our son higher. “Come on. Let’s get breakfast before Ember decides the floor is food.”

Our youngest is indeed examining something on the ground with intense concentration, reaching to put it in her mouth. I scoop her up just in time.

“Nice try, baby girl. We don’t eat rocks.”

The day passes slowly. I try to focus on work, on meetings and decisions that need attention, but my mind keeps drifting to Aurora. Is she making friends? Is she being kind? Are the other kids accepting her or making her feel strange?

At 2:45, I’m already at the school, unable to wait any longer.

Other parents arrive gradually, chatting among themselves while we wait for dismissal. I recognize most of them, pack members who’ve chosen to raise their families here, drawn by our values and community.

A woman I don’t know well approaches, her smile friendly. “You’re Aurora’s mother, right? Alpha Freya?”

“Just Freya is fine.”

“I’m Maya. My daughter Lily is in Aurora’s class.” She pauses. “I wanted to thank you. For everything you and Alpha Adrian have done. My mate and I came from a traditional pack. We weren’t allowed to bond equally. Being here, seeing our daughter grow up knowing she can choose her own path, it means everything.”

The gratitude in her voice makes my throat tight. “That’s what we fought for. So kids like Lily and Aurora could have choices we didn’t.”

“Well, you succeeded. And from what Lily told me at lunch, she and Aurora are already best friends.”

Relief floods through me. “Really?”

“Really. Apparently they both like the same books and Aurora showed Lily how to shift her claws without shifting fully. Lily thinks it’s the coolest thing ever.”

The doors open and children pour out, a chaotic stream of energy and noise. I spot Aurora immediately, her hand clasped with another little girl’s, both of them laughing.

“Mama!” She runs to me, the other girl following. “This is Lily! She’s my new best friend!”

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** A

“Hi, Lily.” I smile at the shy child half–hiding behind Aurora.

“Hi,” Lily whispers. “Aurora is really cool. She can do things I can’t.”

“Lily can draw really good,” Aurora counters loyally. “She drew me a picture. See?” She pulls out a crayon drawing of two stick figures, one with yellow hair and one with black.

“It’s beautiful,” I say honestly. “Are you two going to be in class together tomorrow?”

“Every day!” Aurora announces. “Miss Emma said we can sit next together if we promise to pay attention.”

“We promise,” Lily adds solemnly.

Maya collects her daughter with a wave, and Aurora chatters the entire walk home. About her day, her new friend, what they learned, what games they played. The fear from this morning is completely gone, replaced by excitement and joy.

That evening, after the younger kids are in bed, Aurora sits with Adrian and me in the living room.

“Did you like school?” Adrian asks.

“I loved it. Miss Emma is really nice and I learned letters and we played outside and Lily wants to come over sometime, can she, please?” The words tumble out in a rush.

“Of course she can,” I assure her.

“And nobody cared that I’m different. Some kids thought my shifting was cool. Tommy asked if I could teach him but I said I can’t teach it, you just know how.” She yawns, fighting sleep. “I want to go back tomorrow.”

“You will,” Adrian promises. “Every day.”

She falls asleep on the couch between us, her small body relaxed and content. I look at Adrian over her head, seeing my own emotions reflected in his eyes.

Pride. Relief. Hope.

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