My Forbidden Mate is My Professor

MAREN’S POV I did it! On my 18th birthday, I got my dream college acceptance letter. Happiest day of my life! I can't wait to tell Kai—my love, my boyfriend, the Alpha's son. We've been together since we were sixteen, always close. Even though I'm an Omega, he never cared about that. He was looking forward to today just as much as I was, 'cause today's the day we find out if we're mates. But he said it didn't even matter if we're not—he'd still claim me no matter what. We were always meant to belong to each other. I know the past few days I've been kinda distant 'cause I was stressing over the acceptance letter, and he's been bummed he couldn't see me 'cause he's been busy. But now everything's perfect. I'm going to the same school as him—he's gonna be so happy. Tonight I'll give him what I promised, our first time together, perfect and real. Then we'll finally mark each other. ​With my heart galloping with excitement, I straightened my sky-blue sundress, the one I reserved for special occasions, and raced toward the marble stairs of the high-ranking quarters where Kai’s room was located. ​I took the steps two at a time, laughing to myself, imagining how proud Kai would be of me as our lives began to change! ​However, as I approached his door, I felt Kai's scent was tainted with something else. Something sickeningly sweet and drenched in pheromones. "Ah... Kai, harder... mark me now..." The sound of rhythmic thuds and breathless moans hit my ears like a sledgehammer. I leaned in, praying this was just a nightmare. "Kai?" I whispered to myself, my hand trembling as I turned the doorknob. When the oak door swung open, my entire world shattered. The sight inside was like acid searing my soul. Tina, a Beta with lush curves and a malicious smirk, was arching her back. She was wearing a silver necklace that Kai had promised me a year ago, glittering against her sweaty skin like a stolen trophy. "f**k, baby... always so delicious..." Kai growled, his voice thick with lust. The air left my lungs. The pain intensified as I watched Kai tilt his head, his fangs lengthening, seeking the exact spot on Tina’s neck to seal the bond. He was completing the link with a Beta while I was waiting for him to celebrate my life! I couldn't take it anymore. I slammed the door open with a violent bang. "Kai?" My voice cracked like broken glass. Kai jerked away from Tina, spinning toward me. For a split second, I expected an apology, a look of remorse. Instead, he let out a savage growl I had never heard before. "Maren?" There was no shame in his golden Alpha eyes, only the haze of satisfied lust. "Kai? What the hell is this?" My voice cracked as I held the acceptance letter with trembling fingers, the paper crinkling under my grip. "It’s my eighteenth birthday! You promised... you promised you would claim me today!" Suddenly, everything made a twisted, cruel kind of sense. The ignored calls, the weeks of coldness, and that icy distance... were simply because he was already busy tasting another.​ Kai let out a dry, cruel laugh as he pulled on his pants. “Maren, look at me. I’m an Alpha. I need someone with strength and beauty... like Tina. You’re just a weak Omega; mating with you would be like condemning my bloodline to mediocrity. I simply couldn't resist my instincts for a real woman." Tina smirked over her shoulder, her triumph masking her lack of intellect. "You’re an Omega, Maren. Did you really think an Alpha like him would settle for so little?" "Shut up, Tina," Kai growled, before turning back to me with a look of pity and annoyance. "Don’t be jealous, Maren. You’re an Omega; you should be grateful I let you stay by my side this long. Grow up and accept your place." Those words were the final blow. The steel thread that had held me together through years of obedience snapped with a deafening sound. "You’re right, Kai," I said, my voice turning ice-cold. "It’s nothing personal." I didn't let him speak. I turned my gaze to the table by the door and, in one swift motion, snatched the keys to his new silver Mustang, his most prized possession. 'Maren, stop!' Kai roared, using his Alpha Command. It was a frequency designed to break any member of the pack. But for the first time in my life, I didn’t bow. My wolf bared her fangs inside me, shattering the invisible chains of his authority. I bolted through the back door and ran toward the parking lot. The Mustang's engine roared like a wounded beast as I floored the accelerator. I didn’t know where I was going; I only needed to drown out the emptiness in my chest. I went in and ordered a drink, then another. The liquid burned my throat, numbing my senses and momentarily silencing the echo of Kai’s voice. I was drunk, but for the first time in eighteen years, I felt alive. Suddenly, the air in the bar seemed to freeze and the chatter of the crowd turned into a fearful whisper. The Alphas near the entrance instinctively lowered their heads, clearing a path as if a deity had just entered. I tried not to think much of it, but a scent of snowstorms and something purely wild cut through the alcoholic haze, hitting my nostrils with such violence that it completely erased Kai's scent from my senses. I turned slowly, scanning the bar with my gaze until I saw him. Walking toward the bar with a crystal glass, there was a man in a perfectly tailored dark suit. “MATE! MINE!” Liana howled with an intensity that almost knocked me off the stool. There was a man in an impeccably crafted dark suit. His hair was black as night and his jaw seemed sculpted from stone. He was dangerously handsome, with sharp features and eyes that seemed to read the secrets of my soul. “Make him claim us right now,” my wolf whispered, abandoning all caution. Without a second thought, I slammed my empty glass against the bar and began to walk toward him. I didn't know who this man was, but I felt a visceral and primal need to touch him, to let his hands erase every trace of Kai's betrayal. With a bravery that could only have been born from the bottle of whiskey burning in my stomach, I reached out. I pressed my small, burning palms against his chest, right above his heart, which beat with the same strength as mine. He turned toward me. God. His eyes were deep, filled with a cold intelligence that ignited into flames the instant our gazes crossed. “Mate,” he said, his eyes going wide with that masculine expression. “I...” I didn't even let him finish. I tangled my fingers in the lapels of his jacket and dragged him toward the shadows of a secluded corner. My legs were failing from the alcohol, but the contact with his body was like an electric shock that kept me upright. He wrapped his arms around my waist, squeezing me against his body with a force that made me let out a sigh. I felt how my curves fit perfectly in his hands, as if I had been designed to be right there. “I don't know who you are,” I stammered, my voice heavy with an urgency that set my blood on fire, “but you smell... delicious.” I leaned toward him, brushing my nose against his, feeling his hot breath millimeters from my lips. Desire hit me like a tsunami, mixing with the dizziness of the alcohol. He buried his nose in my neck, and I could feel the pressure of his fangs against my skin, an agonizing heat that made me vibrate. In that moment, Kai did not exist. There was only this man and my need to belong to him. “Mark me...” I moaned vehemently, throwing my head back to give him full access. “Please, mark me right now.”