Page 57 of Alpha's Hated Mate

“I’m saying I need to know you’ve considered the cost.” Her bright blue eyes bore into mine. “I’m not afraid of what the future holds, but I’m also not going to watch you lose everything because of me.”

After my last class ends, I find myself walking toward the faculty residence area rather than my dorm. It’s a cluster of large stone buildings with apartment-style quarters.

I’m not really sure what I’m doing here until I’m in front of Professor Robertson’s quarters. My sub-conscious knows she might have insights I need right now. I’m in such a daze. Is this what sleepwalking feels like?

I knock on her door, half expecting her to not be back yet from her own classes. To my relief, she opens it almost immediately.

“Aydan.” Her eyes widen slightly. “Is everything alright?”

“I’m sorry to disturb you, Professor. Do you have a minute?”

Her quarters are warm and inviting—bookshelves lining the walls, comfortable furniture, and the scent of cinnamon tea in the air. She gestures to the couch and offers me a cup. I don’t know if I said yes or no.

Before I realize it, I have a warm teacup in my hands and she has the summons from my pack council in hers. She reads it carefully, her expression giving nothing away.

“I see.” She sets the paper down on the coffee table. “When do you leave?”

“That’s actually why I’m here.” I grip the teacup tightly. “Saffron wants to come with me.”

Professor Robertson settles into her chair. “And you don’t want her to.”

I rehash my previous conversation with Saffron to the professor. “You understand, right?” I ask when I’m finished.

“It sounds to me that all she really wants is foryouto understand.”

“I’m trying to protect her.”

“Are you protecting her, or are you protecting yourself?” Her question hangs in the air.

“What do you mean?”

She sighs. “In all of recorded wolf history, there has never been a Scarlet Luna.”

“Never?”

“Not one.” She adjusts her glasses. “Given the hatred for Scarlets and how rare a Neutral Alpha is, it’s not that surprising. What you and Saffron are attempting is unprecedented. The backlash you’ll face won’t be small or temporary.”

“So you agree I should go alone?”

“I didn’t say that.” She leans forward. “Aydan, do you understand what it means to take a mate? In particular, a Scarlet mate?”

“I love her.”

“Love is the beginning, not the end.” She sets her cup down on the coffee table. “When you marked Saffron, you didn’t make a private choice—you made a political statement whether you intended to or not. Especially given your family name.”

Her words sink in. “So what do I do?”

“That’s the simple part. You do exactly what she’s asked you to do.”

I wait for her to continue.

“Have you considered that Saffron might understand the situation better than you think?” Professor Robertson’s tone softens as she folds her hands in her lap. “She’s lived with prejudice her entire life. You’re only beginning to experience what she’s always known.”

I frown into my tea. I know being a Scarlet makes Saffron’s life hard . . . “But won’t all that change once she’s my Luna?”

Professor Robertson shakes her head. “Think about the Alpha King. No one likes to admit it, but your sister isn’t alone in her feelings about him taking a hybrid—even a powerful celestial hybrid—as Luna Queen. Some still believe that only a pure wolf should give birth to the heir of Clarion’s throne.”

“I will protect Saffron. She knows that.” I hear defiance in my voice, but damn it, it’s true. “I’d move mountains for her. I don’t understand why that isn’t enough.”

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