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 meant to bring any pack member to their knees. But for the first time in my life, I didn't bow. My wolf bared her teeth inside me, snapping the invisible chains of his authority. I bolted through the back exit and ran to the parking lot. The Mustang’s engine roared like a wounded beast as I floored it. I didn't know where I was going; I just needed to drown out the void in my chest. I drove for an hour until I stopped in front of a high-end lounge, a place of neon blue lights and pulsing music. 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 atmosphere shifted drastically. The air in the club seemed to freeze, and the chatter of the crowd turned into a fearful whisper. The Alphas standing near the entrance instinctively lowered their heads, clearing a path as if a deity had just walked in. He wasn't just a man; he was a storm contained in a tailored suit. A scent of snowstorms, noble wood, and something purely feral sliced through the alcoholic haze, hitting my nostrils so violently it completely erased Kai’s lingering stench from my senses 'MATE! MINE!' Liana howled with an intensity that nearly knocked me off my stool. I turned slowly, scanning the bar frantically until I saw him. At the far end of the counter, sitting alone with a crystal glass, was a man in a perfectly tailored dark suit. His hair was black as midnight, and his jawline looked like it had been carved from stone. He was dangerously handsome, with sharp features and eyes that seemed to read the secrets of my soul. He turned in my direction. God. His eyes were deep, filled with a cold intelligence that ignited into flames the moment our gazes met. Desire shot down my spine like lightning. "Make him claim us right now," my wolf whispered, abandoning all caution. Without a second thought, I slammed my empty glass on the bar and began walking toward him, driven by a hunger that the alcohol had only managed to unleash. I didn't know who this man was, but I felt a visceral, primal need to touch him, to let his hands erase every trace of Kai’s betrayal. I wanted him to mark me right here, right now.