All Chapters of The Professor's Second Chance Mate: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

***Lara ***After he left for work, I dragged myself out of bed and shuffled toward the shower. The desire to stay cocooned in his lingering scent and relive the memories of the night before tugged at me. Maya seemed to echo that sentiment, yearning to immerse herself in his intoxicating aroma, to roll and frolic in it like a Labrador in the snow. A soft chuckle escaped me as I entertained the playful image. We would need to go for a run soon to satisfy her restless spirit. I’m sure Knight feels the same as she does.Kelton had thoughtfully left out a towel for me, and my mind, ever the traitor, ventured into wild imaginings of us sharing the shower… steam swirling around us as our bodies intertwined. Yum.The mere thought sent a shiver down my spine, a delightful anticipation that danced through my veins. Though I knew I’d see him again soon, it didn’t feel soon enough.Oh, girl, you’ve got it bad, Maya sung.I don’t need an I told you so, but yes, you were right. I replied with a sm

Nerves skittered through me as I walked to class the next morning. For a moment, I thought I saw Haden in the middle of the courtyard, but when I turned to look, he was gone. At this early hour, only a few sporadic students dotted the lawns of the wide-open courtyard, all of them were headed somewhere, though none of them were Haden. He simply vanished. If he was here, there was no way he could have disappeared that fast. There was nowhere to hide. Obviously, I’d imagined it. I was on my way to Kelton’s class anyway. Despite the nerves fluttering within me at the thought of seeing my mate again, that prospect put my wandering mind at rest.Besides, Haden didn’t do anything to me. He’s been sweet, actually. A little flirty maybe, but harmless. It’s just that there’s something odd about him. He gives off an air of absolute confidence, like nothing in the world could harm him. Like an Alpha, or a king. Only he doesn’t smell like a shifter. Sounds odd, but he smells of power. Raw power. L

As I closed his office door, I looked up and noticed the girl from the first day of class was approaching, the one who - not so subtly - asked about private tutoring. I do not like her. If I had hackles in this form, they’d surely be raised. I sensed Maya’s annoyance with the girl, though I made an effort not to show it. I think she knew though. She smirked at me, like she knew what we’d been doing in his office, or like she suspected what I wanted from him. Goddess, I hoped the guilt of it wasn’t shining through to my face. Can she smell the sex on me? Would she smell it on him? A were would, but would a human? How could I be so stupid? She doesn’t even have to know for sure what’s going on, just the accusation would ruin him. Not only could a scandal like this get Kelton fired but it could affect his business and thus his pack. My breath came faster and shallower as I felt an invisible weight on my chest. I really don't like her.“What were you doing in there?” The girl sang in a te

My brain seemed to stop functioning as I stared at the words on the screen.Unknown: Hello, gorgeous. What are you doing?Obviously, I should have just blocked it. The thought was fluttering in my mind just outside of reach, like a butterfly you can’t catch.When the three-dot ellipsis appeared, indicating that the unknown person was typing again, I still didn’t move. I simply stared at my phone watching those little dots move, waiting to see what popped up on the screen.Unknown: We need to talk.Blocking and ignoring it would be the smart thing to do. But did I? No.Oh, hell to the no, I typed back, my common sense completely failing me.Judging by the lack of emoji’s and full words, I assumed these weren’t from a student. One of Kel’s friends, I wondered. Maybe they weren’t as accepting as I’d thought when we met earlier. Thinking back to that moment though, they all appeared genuinely happy for their friend. My years of living as an outsider in my pack sent paranoia to come back t

The next few days passed with a flurry of activity, during which I lived with not only Kelton, but his four visitors. Uncle Keith, Sam, Max, and Kilani. It was strange being in close proximity to that many people and being included, after just existing in the perimeter at home. It was both wonderful and weird.The men stayed for two nights. Yet, all of them were kind, welcoming, and respectful. Still, I was concerned more than I’d ever been about the age gap between Kelton and I. Though, when Uncle Keith said I’d always been an “old soul”, that helped put me at ease. Since I didn’t grow up as a typical teenager, I had been forced to act like an independent adult long before most people my age. It wasn’t in my nature to act like a demanding, entitled brat. Kiren had that covered.Given my life so far as an eternal loner, at first I felt uncomfortable and awkward to be suddenly living with a group of people, mostly older men. Plus, I felt like a dirty spy sneaking in and out of Kelton’s