Rooming With the Grumpy Biker Alpha

Chapter 019

LAYLA'S POV

Edward’s gaze lingers on my face for a few seconds, his jaw ticking and I didn’t think the sight of his usually stoic face could make my chest ease like this. Slowly, his attention shifts to Ginny, to my father, his expression darkening with each glance.

He steps fully into the room and shuts the door behind him.

The mood shifts instantly, and it’s unmistakably clear which way the scale of authority is tipping so I move closer to him, letting his frame swallow the direct line between me and my father.

“Edward Strout,” Mr. Thomas says, a note of urgency slipping into his tone and his gaze flicks briefly to me. “We don’t have an appointment.”

“I know.” Edward says dryly, and turns to me again. His eyes do a quick sweep from my face, to my shoulders and hands. “Are you hurt?”

I shake my head. “No.”

He holds my gaze for half a second longer, and then faces them. “Can someone explain what’s going on here?”

Mr. Thomas shifts. “Do you mean—”

“Why is she being withdrawn when her tuition is paid and she hasn’t broken any rules?” Edward cuts in, stepping forward. “That’s what I want to know.”

Mr. Thomas shoots my dad one look and the message is clear that he’s on his own. I never imagined the Dean could look small, but standing in Edward’s shadow right now, he does. I shift even closer behind Edward.

“This is a family issue.” Dad squares his shoulders. “So I’d prefer to keep it within the family. Since you’re not one of us, I’m afraid I can’t share the details of what has happened between my daughter and I.”

“You seem to forget who you’re speaking to.” Mr. Thomas chips in.

“Oh, I know who he is.” Dad retorts, and the confidence in his voice makes my stomach sink a little. “But the law sits above everyone, and it states that the final decision for an unmated woman rests on the parent’s shoulders. No one else.” He fixes Edward a stern look. “If you must know, I’ve already signed her withdrawal letter so that is final.”

For a tiny second, doubt creeps in. Maybe I shouldn’t have called Edward here. Maybe it won’t change anything. Maybe my dad is right and there’s nothing left I can do.

Then Edward scoffs.

“Can I see this letter?” He extends his hand.

Mr. Thomas hesitates, his gaze dropping to Edward’s hand before lifting to his face, and back to his hand before extending the letter.

Edward barely glances at the document before tearing it straight down the middle. The sound is sharp in the quiet room, and instead of stopping, he continues, ripping it again and again until it’s nothing but uneven pieces in his hands before pouring them on the desk.

He turns to my dad. “What letter were you talking about?”

Dad’s nostrils flare, his eyes darkening almost instantly. “You have no authority in this matter,” he snaps. “This is an abuse of power. The punishment for what you just did is—”

“Fifty strokes in public.” Edward finishes for him. “I’m very familiar with the rules.” He steps closer, not stopping until he’s glaring down at my dad, who suddenly looks every inch of how much shorter he is. “I paid her tuition.”

Ginny’s sharp inhale is audible and her eyes widen.

“And I did it,” Edward continues, his gaze not leaving my father’s face, “because you intended to destroy her future as punishment for defying you. That makes this no longer a private family matter, so yes, I have every right to speak here.”

“I have paid her tuition for three years,” Dad fires back. “That makes me completely and unquestionably in charge of her education. You cannot do it once for whatever reason and override my rights as her father. If this matter reaches the Council and it will, you will be held responsible regardless of your status.”

“The council?” Edward’s voice drops and his hands curl into fists at his sides. “What exactly has she done that you’d take it that far? Has she killed someone? Stolen from you? You’ve lost nothing and yet you’re treating her like a criminal.” His eyes don’t leave my dad’s face. “Why?”

“With all due respect, you cannot tell me what to do,” Dad responds. “I respect your position as Alpha Strout’s son, but you are overstepping.”

Silence settles over the room.

I can hear my own heartbeat and the anger rolling off Edward is thick enough to feel and I believe that any second now, someone is getting a fist to the jaw. I genuinely hope it’s my dad. Or Ginny. Either works.

“Edward,” Mr. Thomas says carefully. “Mr. Foster is correct. I understand your intention, but he holds the final authority in this matter. Even the Council would not override a parent’s decision in a case like this.”

Ginny’s smile twitches and she exhales slowly, as if she just got the best news of her day.

That does it.

Anger floods my chest so fast my hands shake, and right behind it, desperation claws up my throat because we’re back to square one. Edward can’t override my dad because he’s not family. There’s no legal loophole, no technicality, and no—

A thought hits me so hard I physically flinch.

Someone notices and heads turn. Edward’s gaze snaps to me and I’m already stepping back, my mind sprinting three steps ahead of my body, turning the idea over, poking at it, and looking for the part where it falls apart.

Except it doesn’t fall apart.

That’s the problem.

There is only one law they cannot dismiss, not my Dad or the Council. The mate clause.

No, this idea is insane. It’s the kind of decision you make when you’re cornered and out of options and slightly unhinged, but I am currently all three. I am.

Edward is still watching me, and somehow his eyes being on me makes the idea more real, and more unavoidable.

Don’t, Layla.

But my dad will never budge. And Ginny is standing with that smile, just waiting as patient as a vulture for the moment my life finally collapses.

I open my mouth and there’s a split second where I see exactly how this ends if it backfires: Edward’s face, the fallout, every consequence lined up neat and brutal. It’s terrifying.

But I still blurt it anyway.

“The law also states that when a person is mated and marked, their mate reserves the right to overrule final decisions in their favor.” The words tumble out fast, my fingers clenched at my sides. “It’s written in the official pack and order handbook. It gives even an omega official authority over matters concerning their mate, regardless of status.”

Ginny rolls her eyes. “You’re unmated and unmarked. How is this even—”

I grab Edward’s arm before she finishes and the words die in her mouth.

Edward stiffens and looks down at me slowly, the expression on his face the dictionary definition of you have lost your mind.

But maybe I have. I tilt my head up at him and give him the smallest, most urgent squint I can manage. Please, I am begging you. Just go with it.

Then, because he looks like he might actually open his mouth and ruin everything, I pinch the inside of his arm. Hard.

His jaw tightens and I widen my eyes at him before turning back to my dad and Ginny with the most composed smile I have ever constructed in my life.

“We are mated.” I announce, leaning into Edward.

The collective jaws of everyone in the room drop in perfect unison. I reach up and tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “We have been mated for three days, actually.”