The Professor's Mate Clause novel Chapter 79

Chapter 79

ADRIAN’S POV FLASHBACK CHAPTER

200 Years Ago

“Focus Adrian. An Alpha who can’t control his shift is useless to his pack.”

My father’s voice. Strong. Commanding. The voice that taught me everything about being Alpha. About leadership About

sacrifice.

I’m Fifteen years old. Still learning. Still making mistakes. Still thinking I have time to figure it all out.

I don’t. I have five years before he dies. Before leadership falls on my unprepared shoulders. Before I learn that nothing prepares you for being Alpha. Not training. Not bloodline. Not anything. 1

“Again.” He stands over me in the training yard. “Partial shift. Just your claws. Control it.”

I try. My whole arm shifts instead. Fur. Elongated limb. Claws but not the way he wanted.

“Too much. You’re letting the wolf control the shift. You need to control the wolf.” He demonstrates. Smooth. Perfect. Just his claws extending. Then retracting. “Like this. Precise. Controlled.”

I try again. And again. And again. Until finally. Hours later. I manage it. Just claws. Just control.

“Better.” He actually smiles. Rare for him. “You’ll be a good Alpha someday Adrian. You have the strength. The dedication. Just need to master the control.”

“When will I be ready?”

“When you stop asking that question.” He heads toward the house/’An Alpha who’s ready doesn’t need confirmation. He just knows.”

I don’t know. Won’t know for years. Won’t feel ready even when I have to step up anyway.

***/********

190 Years Ago 1

My father is dead.

Killed in a territorial dispute with the Northern Pack. An ambush. Dishonorable. Unexpected.

And now I’m Alpha at Eighteen years old. Barely trained. Definitely not ready.

But the pack needs leadership. Needs someone to guide them. Protect them. Make decisions.

So I step up. I take the title. I become Alpha whether I’m ready or not

The first pack meeting I lead is a disaster I’m nervous Unsure Every decision questioned. Every command doubled

Marcus pulls me aside after. “You need to be stronger More confident. They can smell tear on you.”

“I am afraid I don’t know what I’m doing ”

“Then fake it until you do An Alpha can be uncertain inside but never shows it outside He grips my shoulder “You’re the Alpha now. Act like it. Believe it Make them believe it”

So I do. I fake confidence. I make decisions quickly enforce pack law without hesitation 1 besome the Alpha they need even though inside I’m terrified of failing them

It works. Slowly. The pack accepts me Respects me. Follows me

And I learn. Every day. Every decision. Every mistake. I learn what if theans to lead. What it costs. What it demands.

150 Years Ago

I’ve been Alpha for forty years now. Confident Experienced. Respected throughout the supernatural community.

But lonely. So fucking lonely.

I watch other Alphas with their mates. Watch them complete bonds. Build families. Have partners who share the burden of leadership.

And I wait. Alone. Wondering if my mate even exists. If the Fates forgot about me. If I’m destined to lead alone forever.

“You could take a chosen mate.” Marcus suggests one night. We’re drinking. Celebrating another successful year. Another threat defeated. “Someone strong. Someone who could be Luna even without the bond.”

“No.” I don’t even consider it. “I want my true mate. Not a substitute. Not a convenience.”

“What if she never comes? What if you wait forever and she doesn’t exist?”

“Then I wait forever.” I drain my glass. “I’m not settling Marcus. I’d rather be alone than be with someone who isn’t mine. Not truly.”

He doesn’t understand. How could he? He found his mate at nineteen. Bonded at twenty. Has a partner who shares everything with him.

I have no one. Just leadership. Just responsibility. Just the endless weight of carrying a pack alone.

But I keep waiting. Keep hoping. Keep believing that somewhere out there my mate exists. And one day the Fates will bring her to me.

**

100 Years Ago

War breaks out between packs. Multiple territories fighting over resources. Over power. Over old grudges finally erupting

My pack is caught in the middle. We have to choose sides. Have to fight. Have to survive.

I lose thirty wolves in the first year. Good wolves. Friends. People I swore to protect.

Their blood is on my hands. Their deaths are my responsibility. I’m the one who chose which side to support. Which battles to fight. Which risks to take.

And they paid the price. Their families paid the price. The pack paid the price.

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