The Professor's Mate Clause novel Chapter 67

CHAPTER 67

FREYA’S POV

I barely sleep.

Every time I close my eyes I see tomorrow. The Council. Their faces. Their judgraent. Adrian forced to choose between me an everything he’s built.

And I know what he’

ose. He already told me. He’ll choose me.

Which means I’

st him everything.

His pack. Hi won’t let

The gu

Mar

his

acy. Everything his father built. Everything he’s sacrificed for. Gone. Because of me. Because he

in my stomach like broken glass.

Disappear before the meeting. Save him from having to make that choice. Let him keep his pack and

know I won’t. Can’t. The bond won’t let me. My heart won’t let me. And Adrian would hunt me down me and drag me back and probably lock me in a room until I promised never to leave again.

tective, impossible man.

ch it physically hurts.

His voice rumbles against my back. I’m curled against his chest. His arm around my waist.

hand spreads over my stomach.. “Thinking too much”

omorrow.”

ie there in the darkness. Both awake. Both thinking. Both terrified of what comes next.

Adrian.” I turn in his arms. Face him in the dim light. “What if I went alone? Faced the Council myself. You could stay aere Star afe.”

“Not happening.”

“But-

“Freya. No.” His voice gets that Alpha edge. The one that makes wolves submit. “We face them together or not at all and before you argue, remember that I could literally command you to stay here. Make it impossible for you to go without me!

“You wouldn’t ”

“I would if it meant keeping you safe.” His eyes meet mine. Dead serious. “But I won’t because we’reporters quals Woma decisions together. We face consequences together Together.”

“Even if it costs you everything?”

Especially then ” He pull

worth it. Terinise you

fucking world.”

Meyes!

CH

“Then we’ll build something new. Together. From scratch. Just you and me.” His forehead presses against mine. “I don’t care about the rest. As long as I have you nothing else matters.”

“You’re insane.”

“Probably. But I’m your kind of insane.” He kisses me.”Now stop worrying and try to sleep. We need to be sharp tomorrow. Ready for whatever they throw at us.”

I don’t think I can sleep. But I close my eyes anyway. Let his heartbeat bull me. Let his warmth surround me. Let the bond between us hum with life and love and unbreakable connection.

And somehow. Eventually. I drift off.

Morning comes too fast.

We dress carefully. Adrian in a suit. Black. Perfectly tailored. Looking every inch the powerful Alpha he is.

I choose a dress. Dark blue. Simple but elegant. Clara helped me pick it out last night. “Look strong but not aggressive. Confident but not threatening. Like you belong there.”

My hands shake as I zip it up. Adrian notices. He always notices.

“Hey.” He catches my hands. Steadies them. “We’ve got this. We have ammunition. We have leverage. And we have each other. That’s all we need.”

“What if it’s not enough?”

“Then it’s not enough. But at least we tried. At least we fought.” He kisses my knuckles. “I’d rather lose everything fighting for you than win everything without you.”

Marcus drives us. The Council chambers are two hours away. Two hours of silence and tension and preparation. We go over our strategy one more time. What to say. What to reveal. When to threaten. When to back down.

But strategies only work if the other side plays fair. And the High Council is known for changing rules mid-game. For twisting laws to suit their purposes. For destroying anyone who challenges their authority.

We’re walking into the lion’s den. And we might not walk back out.

The chambers are impressive. Massive stone building. Ancient. Imposing. Designed to make visitors feel small. Insignifican Powerless.

Inside is worse. Marble floors. Vaulted ceilings. Guards everywhere. All watching us. All waiting for us to make a wrong move so they can strike.

We’re led to a waiting room. Told the Council will see us shortly. Shortly turns into an hot then two. Classic power play. Make us wait. Make us nervous. Make us sweat.

But Adrian doesn’t sweat. Just sits there. Caim. Collected. Holding my hand. Occasionally squeezing it. Silently toassuring t Finally a guard appears. “The Council will see you now.”

74

We stand. Walk through assive double doors. Into the council chamber itselt

“You stupid girl.” Nathaniel’s face reddens. “You have no idea what you’ve just done. What you’ve started”

“I know exactly what I’ve done. I’ve leveled the playing field.” I look at each Council member. Let them see I’m serious. Let them see I won’t back down. “Leave us alone. Let us be together. Or watch your whole system collapse under the weight of your own corruption.”

Then Nathaniel laughs. Actually laughs. “You think you’re the first to try blackmailing the Council? We’ve been doing this for centuries. We know how to handle threats.”

“Then handle this one.” Adrian steps forward. Phone in his hand too. “Because if anything happens to either of us that information releases automatically. We’ve set it up. Multiple fail-safes. You can’t stop it. Can’t contain it. Can only choose whether to let us live in peace or watch everything burn.”

More silence. Council members exchanging looks. Having entire conversations without words. Deciding our fate.

Finally Nathaniel speaks. “You have your thirty days. But know this. We don’t forget. We don’t forgive. And one day. When you least expect it. We’ll collect what you owe for this insolence.”

“We’ll take our chances.” Adrian takes my hand. “Come on. We’re leaving ”

We turn. Walk toward the door. Every step feeling like it might be our last. Like guards will tackle us. Chain us. Drag us to sume Council prison where we disappear forever.

But nothing happens. We reach the door. Step through. Keep walking. Down the hallway. Out of the building Into the sunlight

Marcus follows. Doesn’t speak until we’re in the car. Until we’re driving away. Until the Council chambers are distant in the rearview mirror.

“That was either the bravest thing I’ve ever seen or the stupidest.” He looks at us through the mirror. “Possibly both”

“It was necessary.” Adrian leans back. Exhausted. “They would have destroyed us anyway. At least now we have leverage Have

chance.”

“A chance.” Marcus doesn’t sound convinced. “Or a death sentence on delay.”

Neither Adrian nor I respond. Because Marcus might be right. We might have just signed our own death warrants. Baght ourselves time but guaranteed eventual destruction.

But at least we’re together. At least we’re fighting. At least we refused to give up without a battle.

We drive in silence. The weight of what just happened settling over us. The realization that we declared war on the moar powerful wolves in existence. That there’s no going back now. No undoing this. No sale path forward

Only forward. Together. Into whateve: hell cones next.

When we finally return to the safe house the pack is waiting. All of them gathered in the common area All of them wanting fo

The thirty days. Our threat Our leverage. The Council’s reponse

st “A month til they try to remove you Unless we figure as another wat

is heavy “This was always going to be the outcome The Coil doesn’t alway

We knew that going in.”

arks “Dp we fight? Do we

“We prepare.” I answer before Adrian can. “We use the thirty days. We build alliances. We gather support. We make ourselves too valuable to destroy. Too connected to eliminate without consequences.”

“And if that doesn’t work? Another voice.

“Then we fight.” Adrian meets every eye in the room.