Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder novel Chapter 501

Chapter 3: I'm Being Expelled?

*Lena*

The dean's office was located on the edge of campus, situated on the shore of the massive lake that separated the small city of Morhan from the sprawling metropolis of Breles. I could see the water from where I sat. The deep blue water was glistening beyond the ceiling-height windows in the dean's office, blocked by the figure of Assistant Dean Redmon, who was seated behind the dean's desk.

"Dean Weatherford couldn't be here today," Assistant Dean Redmon murmured, flipping a page of the file he was holding-my file. I could see my name printed at the top.

"Why am I here?" I asked, stifling the tremble in my voice. I'd never been in trouble at school before, not once in my entire life.

The assistant dean glanced up at me, his eyes fixated on mine for a moment. He was an older man, slight of build with short, wispy Slate hair. But his eyes, a strange sea- green color, were kind, which I was thankful for. He looked somewhat sorry for me as he glanced down at his watch and then turned his focus toward the door.

"There was a report of misconduct between you and an adjunct professor."

I knew it. I'd had a glimmer of hope that whoever had made the report had made it against Slate, and I was only here to corroborate it and give my side of the story.

But to my horror, Slate walked through the door, looking as smug as could be. He leaned against the wall, facing me with a smirk on his face. Assistant Dean Redmon looked him up and down before sighing heavily and turning his attention to my file once more.

"Morhan College's code of ethics firmly states that students and professors are strictly forbidden from entering into any kind of intimate relationship. You signed the code of ethics, Lena, so I'm not going to ask you if you're familiar-"

"I know," I said firmly, feeling a blush rise to my cheeks.

"Slate Tamlin reported to Dean Weatherford that you have made several advances toward him over the last quarter, including waiting outside the first-year building for his classes to dismiss, if this is correct?"

I almost choked. I looked from Assistant Dean Redmon to Slate.

"I'm sorry, what?“

"Professor Tamlin," Slate corrected, looking down at his manicured fingernails. "It's professor-"

"Is it true, Lena, that you have been pursuing a romantic relationship with-"

"No!" I exclaimed, gripping the armrests of my chair hard enough to turn my knuckles white. "Whatever Professor Tamlin told you is not even close to the truth. I'd like to talk to you privately, Dean Redmon, please?" My voice was shaking, but at the moment I didn't care. Slate looked entirely pleased with himself. He chuckled lightly as he rolled his eyes, looking at Redmon.

"It's an expellable offense," Slate said smugly, turning his eyes back on me. 'Isn’t it, Lena?"

"Dean Redmon, please," I said as I rose from my chair. "I haven't been trying to pursue a relationship with Professor Tamlin, not in the slightest. In fact, I've been trying to avoid him at all costs. He shows up at my apartment-"

Assistant Dean Redmon raised his hand, demanding quiet. I snapped my mouth shut, breathing heavily through my nose as I glanced over at Slate. He looked somewhat nervous as he waited for Assistant Dean Redmon to speak.

"My uncle said-" Slate began, but Assistant Dean Redmon waved his hand in dismissal.

"Your uncle can counsel you at a different time about the accusations brought forth against you, Professor Tamlin. For now, I'd like to speak to her alone." It wasn't a question, and I could see the look of surprise, and anxiety, flash across his face.

Slate hadn't expected Assistant Dean Redmon to want to speak to me alone. He'd probably asked to be here, and because he was Dean Weatherford's nephew and didn't let anyone forget it, his request was quickly granted.

But I had thrown his accusation back in his face by telling the truth, and Assistant Dead Redmon couldn't ignore that.

Slate left the room, giving one last parting look of marked disapproval before slamming the door on his way out.

I swallowed hard, looking up at Assistant Dean Redmon expectantly.

"What exactly happened between you and Professor Tamlin?" he asked, sighing as he closed my file. He leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest.

"A friend, and her boyfriend, invited me to go to dinner with them in Breles and Professor Tamlin was there. Her boyfriend didn't know he was a professor at our school... and I didn't know he was going to be there. It was a double date. I can admit that. But it was a blind date, I wasn't interested in taking things further. I denied any advances he made toward me during that weekend, which was over the summer break, and... when I came back to campus, he continued to bother me. He has recently started showing up at the apartment I share with my roommates, throwing pebbles at my window at all hours of the night. I have to walk by the first-year building on my way to the greenhouses, and he waits until I walk by, trying to talk to me. I try to plan it so... so he's still in class when I walk by, but it doesn't always work."

I ran my tongue along my lower lip, looking down at my lap.

"Earlier today," I continued, "he stopped me outside of the first-year building. He is under the impression we're mates. We aren't. I'm not twenty-one yet, but I know he is not my mate, and won't be when I come of age, but he is insistent-'

"This isn't the first time he's done something like this," assistant Dean Redmon said as he ran his hand over his face, pinching the bridge of his nose as he gathered his thoughts.