The Professor's Mate Clause novel Chapter 81

CHAPTER 81

ADRIAN’S POV

The attack comes at dawn.

Twenty wolves. Maybe more. Hitting our northern border hard and fast. Not reconnaissance. Not testing. Full assault.

Retaliation for Emma’s rescue. For Lyra’s execution. For every time we’ve defied him

I’m there in minutes. Shifted. Running. Kael demanding blood. Demanding we protect our territory. Our pack. Our mate.

The battle is already in progress when I arrive. My wolves fighting. Holding the line. But they’re outnumbered. Outmatched. Asher’s wolves are fresh. Aggressive. Coordinated.

Islam into the nearest enemy. Teeth finding throat. Crushing. Killing. Moving to the next before the first hits the ground.

Marcus fights beside me. Clara covering our flank. Everyone working together. Fighting as a unit.

But we’re still losing ground. Still being pushed back. Asher’s wolves keep coming. Wave after wave. Like he has an endless supply.

“Fall back to secondary positions!” I command through pack link. “Controlled retreat. Don’t let them scatter us.”

My wolves obey immediately. Pulling back. Regrouping. Creating a defensive line that’s harder to break.

Asher’s forces pursue. Aggressive. Overconfident. Thinking we’re running scared.

That’s when we spring the trap.

Wolves emerge from cover on both flanks. Surrounding Asher’s forges. Cutting off their retreat. Turning hunters into prey.

The tide shifts. Now we have advantage. Now we’re the ones pressing. Now they’re the ones dying.

I target the largest wolf. The leader. Take him down hard. Fast Brutal. Send a message to everyone watching. This is what happens when you attack my pack. This is what happens when you threaten what’s mine.

The enemy wolves start retreating. Breaking formation. Running for their lives. We let them go. No point pursuing. We made our point. Proved we’re not an easy target. Proved attacking us costs more than Asher can afford.

When the last enemy wolf disappears into the woods I shift back to human Survey the damage. Three of my wolves down. Two dead. One critically injured. Dr. Chen is already working on her.

“Casualties?” I ask Marcus.

“Two confirmed dead. Four injured. The female Dr. Chen is working on might not make it.” His expression is grim. “But we killed eight of theirs. Injured at least six more. They paid for this.”

“Not enough.” I look at the bodies. More wolves dead because of this war. More families destroyed. More blood on my hands. ” This was just the opening move. A test. Asher wanted to see how we’d respond. How prepared we are.”

“And now he knows.” Clara joins us. She’s covered in blood. Not all of it hers. “He knows we’re ready. That we’ll fight back. That taking us won’t be easy.”

“Which means he’ll come harder next time. Bring more wolves. Better strategy. More violence.” I run a hand through my hair. ” This is just the beginning.”

Freya appears at the edge of the clearing. She must have run here the moment the alarm sounded. Her eyes are wide. Taking in the carnage. The bodies. The blood. The reality of war.

She comes straight to me. Doesn’t flinch from the blood covering me. Just wraps her arms around me. “Are you hurt?”

“No. I’m fine.” I hold her tight. “But we lost two. Maybe three. Asher made his move.”

“This is because of Emma. Because we rescued her. Because I pushed for it.” Guit floods her scent. “More wolves dead because of me.” 

“No. More wolves dead because Asher is a monster who thinks people are disposable.” I tilt trer face up. “You saved Emma. That was the right thing to do. Asher chose to retallate. That’s on him. Not you.”

She nods but I can see she doesn’t fully believe it. Just like I don’t fully believe it when people tell me deaths aren’t my fault. Leadership means carrying guilt whether you deserve it or not.

“Help Clara with the wounded.” I tell her. “I need to speak with the scouts. Figure out where Asher’s forces came from. How they got so close without detection.”

Freya finds nie again. Takes my hand. Doesn’t say anything. Just stands beside me while I give orders. While I comfort grieving pack members. While I pretend to be strong when I feel like breaking.

When everything is handled. When the bodies are prepared. When the wounded are stable. When the pack finally disperses. She pulls me toward our room.

“You need to clean up. Rest. Process.” She starts the shower. “Come on. Let me take care of you.”

I’m too tired to argue. Too drained to resist. Just let her strip off my blood-soaked clothes. Guide me into the shower. Wash away the blood and gore and death.

She doesn’t join me. Just stays close. Handing me soap. Making sure I’m okay. Being present without being intrusive.

When I finally emerge she’s laid out clean clothes. Made the bed. Created a sanctuary where I can fall apart safely.

“Two more dead.” I say as I dress. “Two more families destroyed. Two more wolves who trusted me to keep them safe and I failed.”

“You didn’t fail. Asher attacked. You defended. You saved everyone else. That’s not failure.” She helps me with my shirt. “You can’t save everyone Adrian. You’re Alpha, not god. Sometimes people die. Sometimes there’s nothing you can do. That doesn’t make you a failure.”

“It feels like failure.”

“I know.” She guides me to the bed. “But it’s not. You’re doing everything right. Everything possible. Asher is just… he’s too strong. Too determined. Too willing to sacrifice everything to destroy us.”

“Then I need to be more determined. More willing. More everything.” I lie down. Exhausted. “Before he destroys us all.”

She curls up next to me. “Sleep. Rest. Tomorrow we train harder/Fight smarter. Become stronger. But today you need to recover. Need to let your body heal. Need to give yourself permission to just… exist.”

I close my eyes. Her warmth seeping into my cold bones. Her heartbeat steady against my chest. Her presence the only thing keeping me from drowning in guilt and rage and grief.

“I love you.” I whisper. “Don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“You’ll never have to find out.” She kisses my chest. “I’m here. I’m staying. Forever.”