Page 13 of Alpha's Hated Mate

My mouth goes a little dry as I remember how Saffron’s entire body glowed crimson as she locked on me and the air grew thick around us.

“You see,” the professor goes on, “wolves don’t inherently have any real connection to magical energies unless they are a hybrid of some sort. You know, my son, Chadwick? His Luna, Yarra, is a very unique hybrid. Human, wolf,andwitch. She is capable of great magic when she puts her mind to it.”

I nod and try to feign some interest. I couldn’t care less about her son and his Luna right now.

“But Scarlets,” she says, “they are, at the heart of their biological makeup, wolves. Therefore, they should have no connection to magical energies. And yet, they generate a massive amount of energy when they reach a certain level of . . . excitement. There’s something about the act of sexual climax that triggers a sort of cataclysmic reaction.”

I frown a little, piecing together what I do know about Scarlets. “Except when they sleep with Neutrals.”

“Exactly. And if your friend isn’t a Neutral, he should definitely steer clear.” She gets up and walks over to one side of the room where a teapot sits. She reaches into a cupboard above it and asks, “Would you like some tea?”

“No. No, thank you.”

She starts preparing her cup of tea while she talks. “Your friend’s situation reminds me of an incident during the early days of my tenure. A young wolf fell head over heels in love with a Scarlet during his first year. At that time, information about Scarlets was even scarcer than it is now, but the one thing we were aware of was the inherent danger they presented during mating. When he was warned about having relations with her, he decided to ignore it, thinking it was all mere myth instead of fact. One night after a big dance, he snuck out with her into Lamedia Hall on the north side of campus.”

I frown. “Lamedia Hall?”

“It’s gone now. Back then, Moonhelm was separated between males and females. Lamedia was the female dorm.” She has a somber look on her face, her eyes lost in some ancient memory. “The result of that union was . . . catastrophic. Lamedia Hall burned to the ground. Embers within its ruins continued to glow brightly for an entire year after, no matter how much we tried to put them out . . . like a warning to those who would consider such foolishness again.”

My stomach turns at the image. In my lust-madness, I never even considered that we might destroy an entire building and everyone in it along with ourselves. “Are you telling me that Scarlets can . . .explodewhen they have sex?”

“No,” she laughed. “Nothing so dramatic. However, they do tend to . . . overheat at a rate that has been known to do quite a bit of damage given the right environment. It’s more like drapes being too close to a fireplace than a bomb going off.”

I swallow hard, but my mouth has gone as dry as a desert. Suddenly, I’d love something to drink.

“So,” she says, “as I said, if your friend isnota Neutral, I highly advise that you convince him to pursue other interests ASAP. Scarlet relations are a very,veryserious matter.”

“I don’t think . . . well, the thing is that he’s not a Neutral because he’s actually an Alpha.”

Her mouth stiffens, but she says, “Go on.”

I sigh. “He thinks that it might be possible to be a Neutral and an Alpha. Odd . . . right?”

“Very,” she says. She walks over to her desk and sits on the edge of it, looking down at me with careful consideration. “Whether that is possible is unproven, and your friend shouldn’t fool with such uncertainties. I understand the want to experiment in your youth, but there are some things that carry far too many risks.”

She goes quiet, and for a moment, I think she’s figured me out. I guess it’s pretty obvious. Finally, she stands up and walks back around the desk and sits down. “Tell your friend about Lamedia Hall,” she says. “That should scare him well enough.”

I nod and stand up. “Thank you for the advice.”

“Hold on,” she says, reaching into one of her drawers. She pulls out a folder and opens it. “Since you’re here, we need to talk about your grades.”

Again with my grades. I sigh and sit back down. “I’m not failing anything.”

“No, but you’re just barely passing. Now, we both know that you’re far more intelligent than you’re letting on. What’s the problem?”

I really don’t want to talk about this. Mostly because, for me, it seems obvious. I don’t belong here. “I’m already an Alpha.”

“So are a lot of students.”

“But I am supposed to lead my pack.Now. I’m not a presumptive Alpha. My father has passed, and the Moon Goddess has chosen me. And now I’m supposed to . . . to come here andlearnhow to do something I’ve been preparing for my entire life? It’s ridiculous.”

She shakes her head, a little smile playing at the corners of her mouth. “You know what I think you would benefit from? A little lesson on the history of the royal line.”

“I know all about the royal line.”

“Then you should have no problem writing a research paper on it. Choose one Alpha King. Let’s say, three thousand words on my desk by the end of the semester?”

“Are you serious?”

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