Home / Romance / Fated to My Professor / Chapter 8 : Hell All Over Again

Share

Chapter 8 : Hell All Over Again

Author: Amelie Bergen
last update Last Updated: 2024-09-11 14:04:30

Astrid

The sound of my phone ringing pulled me from a deep sleep. It took me several seconds to realize where I was.

The short, white dresser across from me was covered with stuffed animals that were staring back at me blankly. The sight scared me at first, but once I remembered where I was, my heart rate slowed slightly.

I sat up and snatched my cell phone from the nightstand.

The screen was displaying “Charles” in big black letters. Part of me wanted to throw it across the room, but despite my better judgment, I answered it.

“Astrid?” he asked hopefully.

“What do you want?” I snarled.

“Thank god you finally answered. I’ve been worried sick about you! I haven’t been able to get a hold of you for days!”

I rolled my eyes. He knew exactly why I hadn’t been answering his calls. Now, suddenly, he was pretending to care about me? What a joke. He must really think I was stupid.

“What do you want?” I asked again. “I don’t have time for this, so unless this is some kind of an emergency, I’m hanging up.”

I was kicking myself for answering. I should have blocked his number. Nothing good could come of this.

“Look, I recognize that what I said before was insensitive and I’m sorry that you were upset by it,” he started. “But I still need your help. This project is my chance–”

“Are you joking?” I whisper-shouted. “I’m hundreds of miles away helping my grieving father to settle my dead mother’s affairs and you’re calling me because you want me to do your work for you and let you take credit for it?!”

My wolf was growing in my mind. The anger that I felt was so sudden that it almost knocked the breath from me.

“That’s not– look. You owe me. I took care of you so you could get your promotions, you need to–”

I gasped in disbelief. He never did a thing to take care of me. I did all of the cooking and cleaning in our apartment. The only thing he did was pay half of the bills. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to force myself to sound more calm than I felt.

“Charles, I don’t know how to make this any clearer, so listen carefully. I never want to hear from you again. Stay out of my life!”

I heard a growl come from the other end.

“You’re going to regret that decision,” he said calmly.

A chill ran up my spine at the tone in his voice. All of the false concern and anger had vanished in an instant. I could hear him starting to say more, but I hung up before he could.

I sat my phone on the nightstand beside me and put my hands over my eyes.

“This was not the wakeup call I needed,” I muttered as I looked at the time. Great, five minutes before my alarm.

I got out of bed and took a quick shower. Normally, a hot shower helped to improve my mood, but not today.

I got dressed and started to get ready for the day. It was my first full day of classes today, so I didn’t have a lot of time to mess around.

As I was brushing my hair, there was a knock on my door.

“Come in,” I called out.

The door opened and my dad walked in. I forced a smile at him.

“Good morning,” he said cheerfully. “Breakfast is almost ready if you want to join me.”

I shook my head. Talking to Charles had soured my mood and ruined my appetite. Dad looked disappointed, but he shrugged.

“In a hurry to get to class?”

“Something like that,” I replied. “I’ll make a smoothie before I go, if that’s alright.”

“Of course,” he stated. “Help yourself to anything in the kitchen. I’ll see you at dinner?”

“Sure,” I noted with a tight smile.

He hesitated before turning to leave.

‘Things are awkward between you,’ my wolf pointed out as the door shut.

I sighed and put my hairbrush down.

“I’m well aware,” I answered her. I loved my wolf, but sometimes, she could be demanding.

I grabbed my shoulder back and went down to the kitchen. I threw some fruit in a blender with some milk and ice and poured it all into a large cup with a straw. With my breakfast ready, I hurried out the door. I wanted to stay busy. If I kept my mind occupied, then I wouldn’t have time to be anxious.

I didn’t recognize the driver that took me to campus, so it was a quiet drive. I was grateful to get out of the car when we arrived.

Campus was busier than it had been last night. I kept my head down as I walked, hoping that no one would give me a second look. I knew that word of my return had most likely gotten along by now.

The crowd outside of the student commons was so thick that I had to keep my head up and avoid walking into anyone.

‘Don’t want a repeat of yesterday,’ I thought. Falling on top of Tristan was probably the most embarrassing thing that I’d ever done. I didn’t know how I would ever face him again.

As if on cue, I felt a pull in my chest. I cursed softly and looked around. I spotted him ahead of me in the crowd. He was walking towards me.

I felt my face heat up as I dropped my chin and looked down at the sidewalk. I walked slowly forward, hoping that he wouldn’t see me.

I watched the legs of the people around me as they passed hurriedly. I thought that I was in the clear, but when I lifted my eyes he was standing just a foot in front of me.

“Astrid?” he said in surprise.

“Good morning, Dr. Ward,” I said politely.

He smirked slightly. “Where are you heading?” he asked.

“Thermo dynamics,” I answered. I think it’s in–”

“Harper Hall,” he answered. “I’ll walk you there.”

I wanted to argue that I could find my way, but honestly, I wasn’t sure I could. I nodded my agreement. “I really appreciate that, thank you.”

“It’s not a problem,” he replied. “I’m heading there, anyway.”

I felt my eyes go wide. “Is it your class, too?”

“It is,” he confirmed.

I bit the inside of my cheek to hide my reaction.

He motioned forward and I started to walk that way. He kept pace with me and we walked on in silence for a few minutes.

I really should have looked more carefully at the classes I was signing up for. Even if I had, I wouldn’t have guessed that T. Ward was the same Tristan I had grown up with.

“It seems like we’ll be spending a good deal of time together,” he said thoughtfully.

“I don’t think I’ll be in town for long,” I answered quickly. “I’m only staying until my dad can find someone else to take over my mom’s duties.”

He inhaled deeply. “I’m sorry—about your mother. It’s good of you to come back to help out the pack.”

I shrugged. I could feel myself blushing at his compliment.

“It’s not a big deal,” I said softly.

He must have picked up on my unease, because he quickly changed the subject.

“Where have you been living?”

“Great Falls,” I answered.

Tristan hummed. “I see. What’s it like in a big human city?”

“It’s a mid-size city, really. It’s nice once you get used to it. It probably helps that I’ve been living out there for so long.” I wasn’t sure how to talk about the human world with other shifters. I was young when I got there, so it was second nature to me.

He wasn’t looking at me while we walked, so it was hard to know what he was thinking. At least he couldn’t see me blushing like an idiot. My wolf

“You don’t really know what it’s like to live in a shifter city do you,” he asked softly. “You left before your wolf emerged.”

I stared at him in surprise. I wasn’t sure if he was taking a shot at me or if it was just an observation. His expression was impossible to read.

“That’s true,” I noted.

“What do you do?” he asked. “For work.”

“I’m a projected engineer at White Mountain Motors,” I explained. “Though, I’m in the running for a big promotion to a director position. The company wants me to get my degree before they officially offer it to me.”

He nodded thoughtfully. “That’s impressive,” he said. “I often wonder if I made the right move by teaching instead of working in the field.”

“You’re a good teacher,” I stated. “I mean, from the little experience I have and everything that I’ve heard about you. It sounds like you’ve put a lot of work into it.”

He glanced at me and smiled. “You don’t think it’s just a calling? That’s what everyone always says about good teachers.”

I shrugged. “I mean, maybe. I think it’s more likely that teaching is like any other job; if you work hard at it then you’ll be good at it.”

“I agree,” he said.

We finally reached Harper Hall and Tristan opened the door for me. I thanked him as I walked into the building.

I was surprised by how easy it was to talk to him. He seemed rough around the edges yesterday, and when we were kids, I always found him too intimidating to talk to. Then again, he was just being polite right now. He was speaking as my professor.

‘That’s all he is,’ I reminded myself. There was nothing else between us. This was just professional small talk.

“Thank you for walking with me,” I noted.

“You’re welcome,” he replied. “It can take a little time to learn to navigate the campus.”

I nodded. “I should have prepared a little better,” I admitted.

He shrugged. “You’ve had a lot going on,” he said. “We’re here.” He stopped and opened the classroom door for me.

I took note of the room number, then went inside. Tristan followed after me.

There were several people in the room already, but it was quiet. A couple of people were chatting, but most were on their phones or resting their heads on the tables.

I spotted Lilian sitting at a table in the center of the room. I started to walk towards her, but I quickly realized that there was a dark look in her eyes. She was staring at Tristan, but as I approached her, her glare turned to me.

I was surprised to see how angry she seemed. So, I decided that it was a better idea to sit by myself today.

But the thought wouldn’t leave my mind. Was she really mad at me?

I sat down and looked at Tristan as he prepared for class. Lilian was looking at him, too. Was that the problem? Was she angry that we showed up together?

No, she couldn’t be—could she? She didn’t seem too phased yesterday. Only, then I remembered the look she gave me when I was leaving class and my heart fell into my chest.

I felt an odd sensation move up my spine. I looked out of my peripheral vision and saw Lillian’s eyes narrowed in on me again. I didn’t move, but I kept my attention on her. Even as Tristan’s voice filtered into my ears and the lecture began, Lillian held her gaze on me.

And it was then that I knew, somehow, I’d made an enemy, and life here was going to be hell all over again.

Related chapters

  • Fated to My Professor   Chapter 9 : There Has to be Something More

    AstridFocusing on class was more difficult than I wanted to admit. I ended up staring at the textbook most of the time so that I wasn’t looking at Lilian or Tristan. I could still feel her eyes on me every so often, and every time I looked at Tristan, I sensed her tense. The last thing I needed was trouble with a pack member. Either that, or I found myself daydreaming—and that was not something that I could allow myself to do. When Tristan started to talk, the entire room fell silent. The only sounds were pens scratching against paper and the hum of the overhead projector. His introduction to this class was very similar to yesterday’s. We went over the syllabus, he took questions, then he gave us a breakdown of what to expect from the course. Soon enough, I found I couldn’t take my eyes off of him, no matter how hard I tried.He rolled his sleeves up when he turned to write on the board and I found myself admiring his forearms. I remembered what it felt like when he wrap

    Last Updated : 2024-09-11
  • Fated to My Professor   Chapter 10 : After Hours

    TristanWalking to class with Astrid seemed like a good idea, but after taking in her scent in such close proximity, my wolf was all riled up and I was finding it difficult to put 100% of my focus on teaching. It didn’t help that every time I let my gaze drift to her, she was looking back at me. My wolf was practically preening at the attention. He took it as a sign of her interest. ‘She’s just an attentive student,’ I reminded myself. She wasn’t looking at me for any other reason. I didn’t even know if she could feel the pull in the same way we could.But despite that thought, I kept finding my eyes drifting to her. She wasn’t doing anything distracting. She seemed to be taking notes or paying attention to me whenever I looked at her. I was reading into it, which was ridiculous. I knew that nothing was going to happen between us, so the thrill I got just from knowing she was looking at me was something that I needed to repress. I couldn’t allow these feelings to grow and I c

    Last Updated : 2024-09-11
  • Fated to My Professor   Chapter 11 : Do You Feel it Too?

    Astrid My first week in Bridgewater was coming to an end and I couldn’t be more grateful. I kept expecting it to get easier being around Tristan, but so far, it hadn’t. I had trouble keeping my eyes off of him and I found it difficult to focus on what he was actually saying. So far, it hadn’t impacted my performance in class, but if things continued this way, it would. Outside of class, I had spent my time pouring over all of the project documents in mom’s office. I filled an entire notebook with notes to help myself keep it all straight. Dad had informed me that he was hosting a formal dinner in order to introduce me to the pack members that mom had been working with on all of these projects. I was nervous about it, but he insisted that it was just a formality. He didn’t understand that him telling me not to be concerned only made me more concerned. The dinner was tonight, and I’d been pacing around the packhouse all day. I felt like the slightest thing could push me int

    Last Updated : 2024-09-11
  • Fated to My Professor   Chapter 12 : She'll Kill Us All

    Astrid When dinner was announced, we all took our seats at the table. It felt incredibly strange for me to have the staff serving us. When I was a kid, I never thought twice about it. Now, I understood how rare it was to have this kind of service. It made me feel out of place. I made sure to thank each member of the staff and they seemed amused by it. I didn’t mind that. It was better than being rude. I could tell that Tristan was also amused by my behavior. He was looking at me with a poorly concealed smile. I shrugged at him and he looked away quickly. I couldn’t tell if he was embarrassed I caught him looking, or if he was trying to hold back a laugh. Once we were all served, the conversations started. I was glad that people weren’t discussing business. This dinner was about getting to know those that I would be working with, so it made sense. “How is your daughter?” Bruce asked Deb. “I heard that she’s found her mate, you must be thrilled!” Deb beamed with pride.

    Last Updated : 2024-09-11
  • Fated to My Professor   Chapter 13 : Who Did This to You?

    Astrid Halfbreed. The word cut straight through me. I hadn’t been called that since I left the pack. The word had always hurt, but back then, I was used to it. Now, it struck a raw nerve. I had never heard Solomon say anything like that about me. He’d called me a pain and talked about how inconvenient it was to have me around all the time as a kid, but I had never heard him outright insult me like this. Had he said things like that to my dad before? I didn’t hear dad respond. He didn’t yell. He wasn’t angry. ‘How could he allow someone to talk about me like that?’ I thought in shock. The lack of response from him only deepened the sting of the insult. Tears sprung to my eyes and I turned and rushed away from the door. I didn’t want to risk either of them catching me there. I hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but that didn’t mean that they would forgive me for overhearing. I couldn’t go back into the dining room. I couldn’t cause a scene in front of the guests. If I tried t

    Last Updated : 2024-09-11
  • Fated to My Professor   Chapter 14 : In Comes Another

    Astrid My heart nearly stopped as the kitchen door opened. I pulled away from Tristan so quickly that I stumbled backwards into the counter. We were standing by the kitchen island in the center of the room, so we were easily visible from either doorway. The door that I was facing was the door that led to the dining room. The one that had opened was to the hallway. I looked up at Tristan and I saw a strange expression flash across his face, but it was gone before I could identify it. There was no mistaking what had been going on here when the door opened. My face was flushed and Tristan was standing very close to me, despite my attempt to put distance between us. Whoever was standing in the doorway knew what they had just walked in on. Or at least, then knew that they had just interrupted an intimate moment. I was terrified to see who it was. I might be able to convince Sigmund or Crystal to keep this a secret, but Victoria or Solomon would tell my dad immediately. He w

    Last Updated : 2024-09-11
  • Fated to My Professor   Chapter 15 : The Wolf at the Lake

    Tristan It was late by the time I finally got home from the formal dinner. It had been far messier than I had imagined. My plan to sneak out early was completely destroyed when Astrid ran into me. I kicked my shoes off and tossed my jacket in the general direction of the coat hook. I was too tired to worry about putting things back in their proper place. My wolf had been so riled up for the past few hours that it had zapped every ounce of my energy just holding him in check. I walked into the kitchen and collapsed into a dining chair. “This was supposed to be easy,” I grumbled. It was supposed to just be dinner and some small talk. I wasn’t even going to directly interact with Astrid. I should have been able to fulfill my obligation to the Alpha and get home without any undue stress. Of course, things didn’t pan out that way. I thought that I had pulled it off when I managed to sneak into the kitchen without anyone noticing my absence. But, I couldn’t possibly leave

    Last Updated : 2024-09-11
  • Fated to My Professor   Chapter 16 : Secrets and Devastation

    Astrid I woke up the next morning with a complex mixture of emotions clouding my mind. The dinner party last night had not ended on a positive note. To my relief, no one had asked where I had disappeared to. I wasn’t sure what I would have said to them if they had. I was sure that they assumed the conversation about my mom had upset me and I went to get some air because of that. That wasn’t far from the truth. It was probably the reason that no one commented on my depressed state for the rest of the evening, too. I couldn’t bring myself to look at Tristan for the rest of the party. He was practically radiating anger for the entire night. As far as I knew, he didn’t speak a word to anyone until he excused himself and left about an hour after I rejoined the party. I couldn’t help but feel like I had upset him. I hadn’t done anything, and I knew logically that it was silly to blame myself. But that did nothing to make me feel better. I showered and changed into a pair of jea

    Last Updated : 2024-09-11

Latest chapter

  • Fated to My Professor   Chapter 80 : An Announcement

    AstridThe festival had continued the next morning just as Solomon promised, but it was obvious by the increased guard that something was going on. The visiting Alphas and Lunas had arrived that morning at the packhouse demanding answers, and Solomon was the one to give them. He explained that the threat had been neutralized and that he gave his personal guarantee that there wouldn’t be any other issues. He offered to arrange a guarded escort for anyone who wanted to leave early. After a private conversation with Slade, it was decided that everyone was staying. I didn’t ask Solomon about what else was said, I was just glad that he was able to handle it. That night, while the party raged in town, I met with Solomon and dad alone. I wanted Tristan to be with me, but I understood why he couldn’t be there. Having Solomon there was going to have to be enough. I sat alone in the chair across from dad’s desk. Solomon was standing near me with his arms folded tightly across his ches

  • Fated to My Professor   Chapter 79 : Confession

    AstridVictoria was handcuffed to a wooden chair in dad’s office. There were guards outside of the window and the door and a patrol was rotating outside of the building in case any more of her creepy friends showed up. The house had been cleared room by room, so we knew no one was hiding inside and waiting for a signal to attack. We were all standing in the office in tense silence. I had no idea what was going to happen next. I was confused and scared. That attack was aimed at me. I had no idea why she would go to such lengths to try to hurt me. I had cleaned the blood off of myself, but I could still smell it and it made me nauseous. Tristan had his arm firmly around me, but he didn’t say a word. I couldn’t imagine how hard it was for him to face Victoria right now after everything that she did to him. Dad stood awkwardly In the middle of the room. He hadn't made eye contact with anyone since we entered and I wasn't sure what to make of that. The only person who seemed le

  • Fated to My Professor   Chapter 78 : Fighting Back

    AstridThere were dozens of people gathering in the garden. It was hard to see what was going on ahead of us, but I knew from the sickly sweet smell of perfume that Victoria was here. I hadn’t realized how strange it was that she wore perfume until Tristan had pointed it out. He said that he smelled it during his kidnapping and it was the thing that tipped him off to his kidnapper's identity. “It took a while to figure out where I’d smelled it before, but almost no one in the pack wears perfume. The artificial smell is too abrasive,” he explained. It hadn’t struck me as strange because perfume is so common in the human world. I was used to it. But Tristan was right—wolves often didn’t wear perfumes or colognes. The smell was too overpowering.I cursed internally. If I had realized it was strange earlier, I might have figured out that something was going on with Victoria before it got this far. She must be using the scent to cover up something, probably the toxic herbs she w

  • Fated to My Professor   Chapter 77 : A Scream

    AstridIt was a cool autumn day and the garden was still in bloom. The scent of foliage was carried across the city on a gentle breeze. The streets were buzzing with excitement as the Lunar Festival officially got underway. Tristan had spent the better part of the morning preparing the garden for our presentation. Dean Parker had arrived early in order to help him. I was busy inside greeting the Alphas and Lunas that were going to be watching the presentation, and hopefully agreeing to take part in the program. “Welcome to Bridgewater,” I said for the sixth time in a quarter-hour. “Thank you so much for joining us for the festival this year.” “Thank you for having us,” a tall, robust woman with dark hair said. She was the Luna of Moonriver, Gwendolin. I had met her once before when I was a little girl and I remembered being struck by how strong and beautiful she was. I felt the same way seeing her now. Almost a little starstruck. “It’s our pleasure,” I assured her. “And

  • Fated to My Professor   Chapter 76 : A Moment of Calm

    Tristan The amount of time that had passed without answers about Victoria's whereabouts was concerning at this point. The Alpha was operating under the assumption that she had fled into another territory. This put him in a difficult position because as much as we needed to find her, he had no desire to alert the other packs of what was happening. Reporting her as missing would look almost as bad as reporting her as being on the run—there was no way to address the problem without causing a scandal. So, with the Lunar Festival fast approaching, the packhouse was focused on preparations rather than the missing fugitive that had killed the Luna and kidnapped me. It was maddening to everyone in the packhouse except for Alpha Anthony. He was the only one who seemed confident that Victoria wouldn’t show her face. I was grateful for the Alpha's decision to allow me to stay in the packhouse because I didn't think that I could handle being away from Astrid right now. I was having a h

  • Fated to My Professor   Chapter 75 : Bed Rest

    AstridAfter Tristan's rescue, it became clear that he was not going to be able to finish the semester. Dean Parker agreed to approve medical leave for him and Dr. Sanchez agreed that he would take over his classes for the remainder of the school year. The Dean was disturbed to learn that Tristan had been kidnapped from campus, and as a result of that and the incident in the bathroom with Lilian, the school was investing in a series of new security cameras. They were also considering updates to campus security and increasing the number of emergency call boxes on campus.Dean Parker was a lot more willing to implement changes than dad was. Unfortunately, the only change he’d agreed to make was to allow Tristan to temporarily stay in the packhouse.Solomon was taking things a lot more seriously. I was grateful that he was willing to take matters into his own hands when necessary. I couldn’t believe how incredibly stubborn dad was about this. Lilian had confessed that Victoria was

  • Fated to My Professor   Chapter 74 : Never Letting You Go

    AstridDad brought down the full force of the pack on Bethany's house. Within 10 minutes of our phone call, the guard had filled the house. Dad was personally interrogating Bethany in a side room. I couldn't hear anything but the occasional sob from her. I'd seen him angry before. I knew how he could be and even I had never faced him in the state he was in now. I wasn't entirely certain that Bethany was going to walk out of that room. The healer arrived shortly after dad. She came directly to Tristan and knelt in front of him. I moved aside to allow her to work. Her long, thin fingers moved deftly as she checked his eyes, looked into his mouth, and checked his vitals. The look of concentration on her face was as emotionless as a statue. About 20 minutes after the guard arrived, there was a commotion from upstairs. I heard a woman shrieking and men shouting. The side room opened and dad stepped out. “What the hell is going on?” he demanded. Just at that moment, a guard came

  • Fated to My Professor   Chapter 73 : Time To Pay

    AstridTristan was in this house. His scent was strong, and I knew deep down, that he was still here somewhere. I should have gone for help, I should have waited for dad or Solomon, but I just couldn't. I'd been looking for him for days. There was no telling what state he was in. Bethany would be suspicious about my coming here. They would move him as soon as I left, I was sure of it. I couldn't take the risk. ‘Take me to him,’ I told my wolf. ‘Quickly.’ My body moved at her discretion. We went down a side hallway to a locked door. I twisted the knob as hard as I could, but the lock wouldn't give way. I growled in frustration, but this wasn’t going to stop me.I slammed my shoulder into the door, not caring if Bethany heard. The sound was dull and muffled. I did it again and again. I put my full body weight and strength into the wood of the door. It cracked and then flew off of the hinges. A dank, damp smell met me as I looked down a set of wooden stairs into a dark basemen

  • Fated to My Professor   Chapter 72 : Family Resemblance

    Astrid I was even more tired than I realized, and I slept until the next morning. When I did get up, I quickly dressed, and then I groggily made my way down to the kitchen. My stomach was growling. I hadn't eaten anything in over a day. I wasn't sure what I was going to find, considering Solomon's promise yesterday about having everything replaced. What I hadn't expected was to see that he had taken my comments about pre-packaged food very seriously. Everything in the freezer, the refrigerator, and the pantry was in an individually sealed packet. But that didn't guarantee that Victoria couldn't tamper with anything. It sure made it a lot more difficult for her, though. I gratefully took a freezer pack of smoothie mix and made myself breakfast.Once I ate, I found it a lot easier to think clearly. I should have waited for Solomon, but I couldn't. That didn't mean I had to be careless about how I went about this. I knew that there was something about Victoria that I didn't know.

Scan code to read on App
DMCA.com Protection Status