Alpha Professor's Forbidden Affair

IN THE CLUB

HIRAM’S POV:

Getting wasted is one of the top-tier things I live for. When I say wasted, I mean getting so high that the hangover doesn’t completely wear off until the evening of the next day. That’s where I’m at the moment.

When I get enough rest, I throw my eyes open to see that Alex is gone. Lazily, I stretch my arms, tapping around the bed until my hand lands on my phone. I pick it up and bring it to my face to check the time.

It’s six in the evening. There are missed call notifications, so I hurry to check them, but my expression falls when I see that none of them are from Juniper.

I let out a sigh and push my feet out of bed. What did I expect from someone I told I didn’t want commitment? As I head to the bathroom to take a bath, I wonder if she thought about me, because she is all I have on my mind. About an hour ago, I could swear she was in this house—her scent clouded my mind.

Once I’m done with the bath, I throw on my sweatpants and a shirt, then make my way downstairs to have dinner.

Sitting there chewing on my beef alone with Winston standing in a corner makes me realize how lonely my life is. I wish for nothing more than to be home with my family. I miss my little sisters, Hera and Hana. There’s a three-year age gap between them, Hera being the older one. She cried so much the first day I left the pack. It broke my heart, but then I felt good knowing I was someone’s favorite at home because I always felt I didn’t belong.

Hollis had his duties as the first son, and Hu—Hu has been invisible since birth. He has it worse than me as the middle child, but at least he didn’t get pressured to marry, as he’s only eighteen. The age gap between me and the rest of the children after me is crazy. It’s like Mum had Hollis and me, then decided to take a decade-long break before popping out the remaining three. It’s almost as if she knew when I was ten that I’d never conform to her rules, so she had to have other minions besides Hollis.

“Is there a problem, sir?” Winston’s voice breaks through my thoughts, and I stare down at my meal to see I haven’t even eaten half of it.

I push the plate away, as it’s obvious I don’t have any appetite. My life is a sad one, and I need something to pump my adrenaline. Alcohol and women always did the trick. But recently, I only have alcohol to hold on to because only one woman could keep my blood pumping, and I didn’t know if having her around all the time is a good idea.

I push the seat back and get to my feet.

“Realized I’m not very hungry,” I say to Winston, and he glares at me.

“It’s not the food. You don’t need to fire any staff. They’re doing a great job.”

He nods when I say this, then I attempt to leave the dining room but pause for a bit.

“Winston,” I call out, and he turns to face me. “You’ve been my butler since I was a kid, so I trust you know me well, and I trust your instincts because I see you as a wise man.”

“Thank you, sir,” he answers cordially.

I take a deep breath, letting out the question in my chest.

“What do you think of Juniper?” His eyes narrow slightly when I ask. “Do you think I’m capable of a relationship?”

He lets out a sigh.

“Well, I think she’s good for you. You seem a lot calmer, and it hasn’t even been two weeks since you met her. Plus, you no longer have that look of fear you had when you decided to move here permanently a month ago. But...” He pauses, and I raise a brow. “Speaking from the perspective of being an alpha prince, it’s not advisable because Luna Holly won’t approve it. A human and an alpha prince—it’s taboo.”

He finishes, and I scoff.

“Thanks for the insight, Winston, but in case you haven’t noticed, I don’t really care what your queen thinks. If I did, I’d be home with my wife, Vera, planning to give her a grandchild like her golden son, Hollis,” I say, then I turn to leave.

I make my way down the hall to my drawing room. For now, it’s the only place that feels right. Maybe because I’ve made a lot of changes—filling the entire room with paintings of June. A part of me can’t wait to see the look on my mother’s face when she sees this room and knows Juniper is human. I can almost hear her voice saying I’m sending her to an early grave.

A smile hangs on my lips as I stand in front of the door, but as soon as I push it open, the smile falls. The open painting staring back at me tells me someone has been here. My eyes dart around the room, landing on the book on the floor. I walk into the room, looking at the book, my heart hammering in my chest.

Tales from Shakespeare. The same book she took from my table. She was here.

Crouching slightly, I grab the book, then my eyes land on the open painting as I stand up. It hits me. She’d seen it all. I hadn’t meant for her to find this place, let alone know about it.

I don’t want to believe it, so I storm out of the room, my feet heavy against the floor as I head to the dining room, hoping Winston will tell me it’s a lie.

“Winston!” I call out when I spot him. “Did Juniper come by?”

Winston gives me a cool, assessing look. “Yes, sir. About two hours ago, but she didn’t stay long. She left in a hurry and seemed upset.”

Upset. Of course, she was, because I’m an i***t.

“She didn’t say anything? Anything at all?”

“No, sir. She wouldn’t speak to me.”

Everything makes sense now. What I felt today was real, and she was here, but I was too hungover to realize.

Without wasting time, I rush up the stairs to my room. I grab my phone and place a call to her at once. She doesn’t pick up. I try to hold down the emotions swirling in my chest because I can’t get angry every time I lose control of her. I call again, and she doesn’t pick up.

“f**k!” I groan, tossing my phone onto the bed.

It beeps almost immediately, and I grab it again, my heart beating too fast as I unlock the screen. There’s a text from her:

“Can’t talk now. I’m at a party.”

The words sting, causing my chest to tighten. I feel like I’m holding my breath when I see the image that follows. Her hand is holding up a drink beneath the flashing neon lights of the club. She looks so carefree and distant from the chaos I’m feeling inside. The caption underneath—might get wasted—strikes me like a punch to the gut. She is trying to get to me, and it is working perfectly. My grip on the phone tightens, my knuckles turning white.

I walk to my table, reaching for my car keys, then I rush out the door, getting into my car and placing a call to her. This time, she picks up.

“What?” she drawls. She is drunk!

“Where the hell are you, Juniper?” I ask, and she scoffs.

“What is it to you? It’s not like you care about me, so I can be wherever I want to be.” Her words are a slur. Realization hits me—she is never going to tell me, but I know I can find her.

I end the call at once, then I decide to trail her with her scent. I shut my eyes for a moment, trying to concentrate, then I inhale deeply, pushing the breath down into my lungs, feeling the sharp ache of her scent swirl inside me. It’s faint, but there.

Slowly, I follow the trail, and soon the scent becomes clearer, guiding me until I come to a halt at a random apartment building in the city. This is no club, but my wolf says she is here, so I step out of the car, making my way to the entrance. As I walk up the stairs, her scent intensifies, settling in front of a door.

I take a deep breath, then I place a knock on the door.

“Coming!” a familiar voice comes from behind. When the door is slightly opened, I come eye to eye with Rhea, whose eyes widen like she has seen a ghost.

Relief washes over me, knowing Juniper isn’t in a club, but it is slowly replaced with anger. She keeps playing with me, and I keep falling.

“Professor Hiram, it’s…”

“I know Juniper is in there,” I cut her short, and she sighs, opening the door properly.

I walk into the apartment to hear music blasting from a room.

“Rhea! Who is that?” I hear June’s voice. “I think I should send him another picture. Come on, we should take one together!” she yells, and I glance at Rhea with a brow raised. She looks away.

I follow Juniper’s voice, making my way down the hall to a bedroom, which is slightly open.

I stand there, watching her record with her phone in front of a TV showing people in a club while she dances to the music in the background. It doesn’t take long for her to notice me. She screams, causing her phone to drop to the ground, then she picks it up. With a scoff, I walk out of the room while Rhea walks into it.

“He took me by surprise too,” I hear Rhea say. I head to the living room, standing there with my eyes on the hallway.

I take in her form as she stands in front of me, her arms folded tight against her chest. My heart races as the thoughts swirl—anger, frustration, name it. She plays me, but I can’t seem to stop myself from falling into her trap. Every time she runs, I chase.

“Do I deserve an explanation?” I ask, and I watch her lips curl into a soft smirk. She enjoys how much she controls me, and I can tell.

“Depends,” she answers casually.

I scoff, my patience running thin.

“Depends on what?” I step closer. I’m standing just inches away from her now, close enough that I can feel the heat from her body.

She stares up at me, but I don’t give her time to speak. Instead, I command, “My car. Now.”

She stands her ground, not backing down an inch. The stubborn look in her eyes tells me she’s not about to just fall into line.

“No. I’m not going anywhere with you.”

Rhea, standing in the background, suddenly speaks up.

“She doesn’t have to. If she doesn’t want to go, she doesn’t have to.”

I shift my gaze to Rhea, my eyes narrowing slightly.

“Fine,” I say, my tone harder than intended. “If she doesn’t want to leave, we can talk about our business here, right in front of you.” My gaze shifts to Juniper, who glances back at Rhea.

She walks past me without saying a word to Rhea, whose gaze on me lingers for a while, before I walk away, following Juniper, who makes her way into my car, slamming the door shut..