My Werewolf Professor (31 page)

Teodoro, the last Council member, spoke up, his tone condescending as he drawled, “Can you not see this is another sad case of history repeating itself, Giovanni? This young man has been influenced by his older brother’s radical views.” A contemptuous glance at Domenico. “He’s
fallen
for that human, and his emotions have turned him into a dog just like Domenico Moretti.”

The old Alessandro Moretti would have been out of his seat before Teodoro would have finished speaking. The old Alessandro would have had Teodoro by the collar, back against the wall, feet dangling in the air while he debated how to best make him suffer before knocking the other Lyccan unconscious.
 

In fact, his own brothers expected it, too, by the way their hands had automatically clamped down on Alessandro’s shoulders the moment the balding, middle-aged Council member hurled out his insult.

But that was then.

This was now, and sitting there, listening to Teodoro speak the usual lies about Domenico, Alessandro realized that he no longer gave a damn. It was an untruth, and lies only had the power to hurt when one allowed it to.

As such, when Teodoro finished speaking, Alessandro only nodded before promptly changing the subject, pointedly ignoring the Council member as he said quietly, “I have complete faith in Ms. Summers. She
will
be my mate.”

Placido grimaced. “Your faith is commendable, but it’s not enough to reassure us. We will give you 48 hours starting now to have her mated to you or bound by a blood oath. If not…” He let his voice trail off, knowing that he didn’t have to explain what the penalties were.

For crimes such as this, only death would suffice.

****

Forty hours before the execution.

Domenico paced the length of his office, impatiently waiting for a call from his younger brother that would let him know there was nothing to worry about anymore. Alessandro had told him he would make sure that Kassia agreed to a blood oath, but his younger brother had also refused to promise he would say anything about the Council’s threat.

Thirty-six hours before the execution

Fuck it
, Domenico thought. His brother’s honor could go to hell. He was not going to stand by and do nothing while Alessandro’s life was on the line.

Snatching his phone from the table, he made a call to Kassia, whose number he had in his possession the moment his security team had discovered her relationship with Domenico’s brother.

Kassia answered on the fourth ring. “Hello?” Her voice was wide-awake and dead at the same time, and Domenico took comfort from it. If she was still bothered about Alessandro’s actions last night, then that was a very good thing.

“This is Domenico, Ms. Summers.”

Kassia jerked up to a sitting position on her bed, unable to comprehend why one of the greatest werewolf princes in the
world
would have a need to talk to her. Surely it wasn’t to plead the professor’s case?

“I apologize for intruding on your time, but I have an urgent need to speak with you about Alessandro.”

So her suspicions were right
, Kassia thought. Strangely, she was disappointed by it. She had thought the professor was better than this. Wasn’t this proof he wasn’t the man she believed he was?

“Ms. Summers?” Domenico asked tensely when the silence lengthened on the other end of the line.

Kassia swallowed. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think it’s right that you’re the one talking to me about…
us.
”

“I know that,” Domenico surprised her by acknowledging. “However, these are special circumstances, and I’m simply not the type to do nothing when a member of my family’s life is at stake.”

Kassia blinked in confusion. “I don’t understand—”

“When my brother confessed to you in the presence of all members of our race,” Domenico told her tightly, “he took a very great risk. We are only allowed to speak the truth about our race’s existence to two types of humans—”

She remembered the professor’s earlier warnings and said jerkily, “I k-know. He told me about that.”

“
Good.
Because when you left him hanging, your actions placed his head on the chopping block.”

Shock warred with betrayal. Was Domenico truly saying the truth? What if he was in this with the professor and the Moretti brothers were men who simply loved playing cruel pranks on naïve human girls like her?

“Ms. Summers, my brother was given
forty-eight hours
to send our Council proof that your loyalty is with us. If he fails, they
will
try to execute him and force us into war.”

She knew what she was hearing, but still the doubts persisted. Once burned, twice shy, the saying went, but for Kassia, it was more than that. She was tired of trying to figure out where she stood, tired of guessing whether people were telling her the truth or not.
 

Love was supposed to be simple and sweet, not painful and complicated.
Wasn’t it?

“I’m sorry, Your Highness,” she heard herself say. She was proud at the way her voice remained steady throughout. “I just c-can’t make myself believe you. The Professor’s played with me too many times.” Kassia’s fingers tightened around her phone as she readied both mind and heart for her last words. “I d-don’t want to have anything to do about him again.” She ended the call without waiting for the werewolf prince to answer.

On the other end of the line, Domenico stared for a long hard moment at his phone before slowly slipping it into his pocket. He closed his eyes, and the image of his wife drifted in his mental vision.

Misty, what do I do now?

What you always do best,
his wife lovingly answered.
 

Domenico’s fists clenched against his sides.
So be it
, he thought. He believed in Alessandro. If his brother had faith in the human girl’s love for him, so be it. However, he refused to be idle. There had to be contingencies in place, and his decision made, the werewolf prince prepared for war.

****

Kassia chewed at her lip indecisively while staring at her phone. She had been doing this for ten full minutes now, ever since she had put the phone down on Domenico in fact.
God. So. Stupid.
 

The more time passed, the clearer it became to her that her words had been prompted purely by hurt pride.
God. So. Petty
. The strength of her feelings for the professor again reduced her mental vocabulary into nothing, and when she realized she was already crying, she furiously wiped the tears away.
 

She had said those things to make her sound strong and in control for once, but it hadn’t made her happy at all. Instead, it had turned her into a churning mass of fear because at the back of her mind, a panicky voice was telling her it was
not
like the professor or his older, world-weary brother, Domenico Moretti, to joke about life and death. Such actions were childish, and for all the professor’s faults, he had never been immature in that sense.

The more she thought about it, the more she was convinced that everything Domenico spoke of was true.

But if it was…why hadn’t the professor contacted her?

Didn’t he have barely a day left to give the Council proof of her fidelity?

She was about to call the professor when the phone in her hand suddenly vibrated, and she dropped it in her shock. Her heart banged against her chest at the thought that it might be the professor, and she quickly bent down to pick her phone up. “H-hello?” she answered breathlessly.
 

But it was not the professor.

“Kassia, this is your mother.”

Kassia could feel the blood leeching off her body as her mind gradually took the words in.
Her mother.
It was shock after shock, and her fingers unconsciously started gripping the bed sheets, as if she needed something to anchor herself to.

“W-why are you calling?”

Her mother’s voice broke. “I need to speak with you, darling. I’ve been diagnosed, and it’s…
bad.
It’s made me think, and I just really need to speak with you.”

Kassia mentally reeled at the words.
First the professor, and now her mother
, she thought numbly. “Where are you right now?”
 

Her mother answered vaguely. “The clinic’s not easy to find. I can have my driver with you in five minutes. He can bring you to me.”

“Alright, I’ll be waiting outside the gates.”

“Thank you, darling. You don’t know how much this means to me.”

There was an odd note in her mother’s voice that made Kassia hesitate. It almost sounded like
glee,
but it was such a preposterous thought she told herself she must have been imagining it. “I’ll see you in a bit then. I’m sorry this had to happen.”

“Don’t be, darling. I’ve come to accept that some things are just meant to be.” The words shouldn’t have sounded off, but it did, and Kassia found herself guiltily mulling over her mother’s words as she took the quickest shower and put on a new blouse and jeans. Hurrying towards the gates, she told herself she was being paranoid, first with Alessandro then now her terminally ill parent.
 

Taking her phone out, she sent a quick message to the professor.
 

I’m sorry for not trusting you, Professor. Please tell me what to do to prove I love you. Because I do.

It was extremely sappy, but she told herself desperate straits called for desperate measures. For all she knew, the text message could be used as evidence to the Council. She had no idea how police investigations worked with werewolves, but she was willing to give anything a try.

“Ms. Summers?”

A man suddenly appeared in front of her, and she jumped back in surprise. He was of medium height and dressed in a plain black suit. Most girls would probably think he was attractive, but for someone who grew up with strong characters like Kassia, the first thing she noticed was the weakness on his face.
 

“Sorry for frightening you, Ms. Summers,” the man apologized with a grimace. “I am your mother’s driver, Rocco.”

“I s-see.” She tried to get rid of the wariness inside her, but the way he couldn’t seem to meet her eyes didn’t help.

“This way to the car, miss.”
 

He took her to a limousine, and for some reason, the sight of it filled her with fear.
God. So. Paranoid.
Ignoring the way her stomach churned with apprehension, she made herself thank Rocco for opening the door and stepped inside the limousine.

Rocco took the driving seat and as the car started to move, the glass partition between them slid up, surprising her.

“There’s no need—”

But the driver didn’t seem to hear her, and the partition went all the way up, effectively separating them. She was about to reach for the intercom when she realized she was feeling sleepy.
 

Why
was she feeling sleepy when she was so full of adrenaline a while ago? It…didn’t…make…sense.

When Kassia woke up, she found herself tied to a chair, hands behind her back and a separate set of ropes tying her feet together. In front of her was Rocco, who still couldn’t meet her gaze. Beside him was a man with watchful eyes, dressed in a pinstriped suit and a silk kerchief peeking out from his breast pocket. And finally, separated from the other two was her mother, dressed in a gray pantsuit and a pair of Valentino’s.
 

All three were picture perfect in their elegant clothing, but somehow the fact frightened Kassia even more. That they could still show care about their appearances despite having kidnapped her made everything feel too…premeditated. It made her think all this was routine and ordinary…to them.

The light swinging directly above them like a giant pendulum made the rest of their surroundings darker, but Kassia figured they were in some kind of warehouse. Her first instinct was to struggle out of her restraints, but common sense kicked in a moment later, and she knew that not only would it be pointless, it would also make her feel more a victim.
 

She forced herself to look at Kimberley, and the way her mother smirked made Kassia almost wish she were as odd as her parent. Striving to keep her voice even, she asked, “What’s the meaning of this?”

Mel grinned at the question. “You obviously don’t know your daughter that well, sweetheart. Look at her,” he couldn’t resist taunting his lover, “asking so sensibly even when she’s woken up bound in an unfamiliar place and in the presence of the world’s greatest hired killers.” His lips twisted in a satisfied smile at the flash of fear in the girl’s eyes.