The Professor's Mate Clause novel Chapter 73

FREYA’S POV

I wake up to someone talking.

“-need to try again. Just small shifts. Don’t force it. Let your wolf coree forward gradually.”

Clara’s voice. Patient. Encouraging. The kind of tone you’d use with a child learning to walk.

I open my eyes. I’m not in the medical bay anymore. Some kind of training room. Padded walls. Open space. Clara sits cross- legged in front of me.

“Welcome back.” She smiles but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “How do you feel?”

“Like I got hit by a truck. Then the truck backed up and hit me again.” I sit up slowly. Everything aches. “What are we doing here?”

“Training. You need to learn control. How to shift deliberately instead of having it forced on you.” She stands. Offers me a hand. “Dr. Chen and Adrian agreed. You’re stable enough to start practicing.”

Adrian. The memory of last night floods back. Him bringing me to orgasm. Multiple times. Then refusing to mark me. Again. Leaving me frustrated and desperate and dying.

“Where is he?”

“Pack business. Some dispute on the northern border. Marcus needed his Alpha authority.” Clara helps me stand. “He’ll be back in a few hours. In the meantime we’re going to work on your wolf.”

“I don’t want to work on my wolf. I want Adrian to mark me and fix this.”

“I know. But until he does we need to manage your symptoms. And that means teaching you control.” She walks to the center of the room. “Come on. I’ll walk you through it.”

I don’t want to. Want to curl up in bed and wait for Adrian. Wait for him to finally give in. Finally complete the bond. Finally end this nightmare.

But Clara’s right. Sitting around waiting isn’t helping. Might as well try to gain some control over the thing trying to kill me.

I join her in the center. “What do I do?”

“Close your eyes. Focus inward. Find your wolf. Not the feral creature that’s been fighting you. The real wolf. The one that’s part of you. Part of your soul.” 1

I close my eyes. Reach inward. The wolf is there. Pacing, Angry. Frustrated. But less feral than before. More aware.

“Found her?”

“Yeah. She’s pissed.”

“That’s normal. She’s been suppressed her whole life. Finally free but can’t fully emerge. Of course she’s pissed.” Clara said calmly. “Now ask her permission. Ask if you can shift. Don’t demand. Don’t force. Ask.”

I reach out mentally to my wolf. “Can we shift? Just a little? Just to practice?”

She snaris. Distrusts me. Thinks I’m trying to cage her again.

“I’m not trying to hurt you. I’m trying to help us. Help both of us. Please.”

Slowly. Grudgingly. She agrees. Just a partial shift. Just to see if I can control it this time

I feel the change start. Bones shifting. Fur erupting. But different this time. Slower. More controlled l’in guiding it instead of being swept along by it.

My hands change. Claws extending. Fur covering. But not painfulty. Not violenthy Just… transforming

“Good.” Clara’s voice. “That’s really good. Now try to hold it there. Don’t let it progress Don’t pull back. Just maintain.”

Holding it is harder than starting it. My wolf wants more. Wants full shift. Wants freedom. But I push back gently. Firm but not harsh.

“We can’t go full wolf yet. Not until the bond is complete. But this? This we can do.”

She settles. Accepts the compromise. The shift stabilizes. I open my eyes. My hands are wolf paws. Claws sharp. Fur white gold But the rest of me is human.

“I should go.” Clara heads for the door. “Let you two talk. Freya, sarne time tomorrow? We’ll work on holding the shift longer.”

“Yeah. Thanks Clara. For everything.”

She leaves. Closes the door. Leaving us alone.

Adrian doesn’t let go. Just holds me. His face buried in my hair. Breathing me in. “I was so scared. Thought I’d lost you Thought you’d never be able to control it. That you’d be stuck like this forever.”

“Hut I’m not. I’m getting better. Learning. Adapting.” I pull back to look at him. “I’m going to be okay Adrian. With or without the mark. I’m going to survive this.”

Something in his expression shifts. Relief mixed with guilt raixed with determination. “You shouldn’t have to survive it You should thrive. Be strong. Be safe. Be mine completely.”

“Then mark me.” The words come out before can stop them. “I’m stable now. Learning control. This is me choosing you Freely, Consciously. Without duress or desperation. This is me asking you to complete what we started.”

He’s quiet for a long moment. Just looking at me. Reading my expression. Searching for any sign that I’m still too vulnerable. Still not ready.

But I’m not. I’m ready. Have been ready. Will always be ready for this. For him. For us.

“Not yet.” He finally says. Voice rough. “Not until you can full shift. Not until your wolf is completely stable. Not until there’s no risk that completing the bond will hurt you instead of help you.” 2

Disappointment crashes through me. “So when? When will I be ready enough? Strong enough? Stable enough?”

“Soon. I promise. Soon.” He kisses my forehead. “But right now we celebrate your victory. You learned control in one day. That’s incredible. That’s worth celebrating.”

He’s changing the subject. Deflecting. Avoiding the real conversation we need to have. 1

But I’m too tired to fight. Too drained from training. Too emotionally exhausted from wanting something I can’t have.

So I just nod. Let him lead me back to our room. Let him hold me while I fall asleep. Let myself believe that soon actually means soon and not just another way of saying never.