The Professor's Mate Clause novel Chapter 50

CHAPTER 50

+25 Bonus

FREYA’S POV

My shoulder is killing me. Every movement sends sharp pain down my arm. But I refuse to take the pain medication Adrian left outside my door. Refuse to do anything he suggests right now.

He called me a liability. Said I would get people killed. After everything we have been through. After I proved myself today. He still sees me as weak.

I am furious. And hurt. And exhausted. And completely done with being treated like glass.

A knock interrupts my spiral. Soft. Hesitant.

“Go away Adrian.” I call out.

“It is Clara. Not Adrian.”

I hesitate. Then drag myself to the door. Open it. Clara stands there with ice packs and that look she gets when she knows I am

falling apart.

“I heard shouting.” She walks in without asking. Starts arranging pillows on the bed. “Sit. Tell me what happened.”

“He is trying to bench me. Says I am too injured to go tomorrow night.”

“Are you?” She hands me an ice pack. “Too injured I mean.”

“I do not know. Maybe. But that is not the point.” I press the ice against my shoulder. “The point is he does not get to decide for me. We are supposed to be partners.”

“You are partners. Which means he gets to worry when you are hurt. Gets to want to protect you.” Clara sits next to me. “That does not make him controlling. It makes him scared.”

“He called me a liability Clara. Said I would get people killed.”

“He said that because he is terrified. Because watching you train today and seeing you get hurt probably shredded him inside.” She takes my good hand. “Adrian has lost people. Important people. He cannot handle losing you too.”

“Then he should trust that I can take care of myself.”

“Can you? Tomorrow night? With that shoulder?” Clara’s voice is gentle but firm. “Be honest.”

The question makes me deflate. “I do not know. It hurts. Bad. But I cannot stay behind. I cannot let him go withou “Why? Why is going so important to you?”

“Because I need to prove I am not weak. I need to show him I can stand beside him. I need…” I trail off. Cannot finish.

“You need to stop running from the people who love you.” Clara says quietly. “You are terrified that if you do not prove yourself constantly he will realize you are not enough. So you push yourself past breaking. Past safe. Past sane.”

The words hit too close. Make my chest tight. “I am not doing that.”

“Yes you are. You have been doing it since your mom died. Trying to prove you deserve to exist. That you are worth keeping around.” Clara squeezes my hand. “But Freya. You are already enough. You do not have to break yourself to be worthy of love

Tears burn my eyes. “How do you know that?”

Clara goes quiet. Her face shifts. Guilty. “I need to tell you something Something I should have told you years ago.

“What?”

+25 Bonus

“I knew your mother.” She says it fast. Like ripping off a bandage. “Before she died. I knew her.”

The world tilts. “What are you talking about? You never met my mom. You did not even know me before college.”

“That is not entirely true.” Clara stands. “Your mother contacted me three months before she died. Asked me to watch over you. To be your friend when the time came. To protect you.”

“You are lying. That makes no sense. Why would my mother know you?”

“Because I am from your father’s pack. I knew him. Knew your parents’ story. When your mother realized she was in danger she reached out. Asked for help. Asked for someone to be placed near you just in case.” Clara’s eyes are wet now. “I was young. Just turned eighteen. I said yes.”

My brain cannot process this. Cannot make sense of what she is saying. “You have been watching me since I was a teenager? On my mother’s orders?”

“Yes. And on Adrian’s orders after your mom died. But Freya I swear the friendship was real. Everything between us was real. I just started it under false pretenses.”

“False pretenses.” I laugh. It sounds broken. “That is one way to put it. You lied to me for years. Made me think you were just some random girl who wanted to be friends. When really you were a spy sent by my dead mother.”

“I was not a spy. I was protection. There is a difference.”

“Not to me.” I stand up even though my shoulder screams. “Get out.”

“Freya please. Let me explain.”

“Explain what? That my entire life has been manipulated? That everyone I trust has lied to me?” Anger replaces the hurt I was feeling fre minutes ago. “My mother. You. Adrian. All of you decided what was best for me without ever asking what I wanted.”

“We were trying to keep you safe.”

“I am so tired of that excuse.” I move to the door. Open it. “Everyone uses safety as a reason to control me. To lie to me. To treat me like I am too stupid or weak to handle the truth.”

“That is not what we were doing.”

“Then what were you doing? Because from where I stand it looks like everyone in my life has been playing puppet master. Moving me around like I am some pawn in a game I did not even know existed.”

Clara’s face crumples. “Your mother was my friend. She trusted me with her most precious thing. You. I was trying to honor that. To keep you alive. To give you a chance at life.”

“By lying to me for years? By pretending to be someone you are not?”

“I never pretended about caring for you. About being your friend. That part was always real.” She moves toward me. “I know you are angry. You have every right to be. But please do not shut me out. Not now. Not when you need people on your side.”

“Maybe I do not need anyone. Maybe I am better off alone where at least I know who I am dealing with.”

“You do not mean that.”

“Do I not? Everyone I love has secrets. Has hidden agendas. Has reasons for being in my life that have nothing to do with actually caring about me.”

“So yeah. Maybe I do mean it. Maybe I am done with all of you.’

“Freya…” Clara reaches for me.

I step back. “Did my mother say anything else? Before she died? Any other secrets you are sitting on?

#

+25 Bonus

hesitates “the left me a letter”

“A letter, another letter

“To give to you when the time Wow right ”

“When is the right time Clara? When I am dead? When everyone else who knew her is gone?”

“When you are ready to hear it. When you can handle what it says without breaking.”

“I am already broken. So give me the letter.”

“Not tonight. You are angry and hurt and exhausted. Tomorrow. After the steel mill. After everything calms down. Then I will give it to you. I promise.”

“Your promises mean nothing to me anymore.”

The words land hard. Clara flinches like I slapped her. “I understand. And I am sorry. For everything. For lying. For waiting too long to tell you the truth. For being just another person who hurt you.”

She leaves. The door closes softly behind her.

1 amalone. Again. With more questions than answers. More betrayal than I can process.

My mother knew werewolves existed, which was forgiveable,. Knew my father’s pack I forgave her, now Arranged for Clara to watch me!!! Howwww.Died with secrets I am only now discovering.

Everyone has lied. Everyone has manipulated. Everyone has decided they know better than me what I can handle.

I am so tired. Of fighting. Of being strong. Of pretending I am okay with being controlled by people who claim to love me.

My phone buzzes. Adrian,

Please come downstairs. We need to talk. I am sorry.

1 almost ignore it. Almost throw the phone across the room. But my feet move before my brain catches up. Down the stairs. Into the living room where he stands by the window.

He turns when I enter. His face is wrecked. Destroyed. “I am sorry. For what I said. For trying to control you. For not trusting you can handle yourself.”

“Clara told me.” The words come out flat. “About my mother asking her to watch me.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify