Feral Bonds: Claimed By Rogue Alpha Brothers
Chapter 63: Summoned by the Alpha

Chapter 63: Summoned by the Alpha

Evaline:

The night was cool. Stars were littering the sky like scattered salt, and laughter echoed off the stone walkways of the Academy as we walked back toward the dorms.

Noah was animatedly retelling a story about how one of the second-year students accidentally turned his eyebrows into moss during class, and both Ria and Mallory were nearly in tears from laughing. Even I found myself smiling, the weight of the Council and River was temporarily forgotten in their easy company.

Then my phone buzzed in my pocket.

I fished it out and blinked at the name on the screen: Professor Kieran.

Are you free for a moment? I’d like to speak with you in my office.

"You alright?" Kyros asked when I halted in my steps.

"Yeah." I slid the phone back into my pocket. "I need to stop by Professor Kieran’s office. He wants to talk about something."

"You want me to come?" he offered, all casual and unbothered, but I could tell from the slight crease between his brows that he was serious.

"No, it’s probably nothing," I said with a faint smiling. "I’ll meet you guys later."

He nodded, though his eyes lingered on me as I turned and walked away.

The halls were quiet as I made my way to the staff wing. The lamps were glowing softly, casting long shadows along the polished floors. Professor Kieran’s office door was ajar, and the light was spilling into the hall like a golden invitation.

Once there, I knocked lightly.

"Come in," came his voice, calm but... weary.

I stepped inside and closed the door behind me.

He was seated behind his desk, surrounded by open folders and glowing scrolls. His hair, always neatly pulled back, was now slightly loose near his temples, and shadows were clinging to the skin under his eyes. He looked... tired. Not just physically, but like something had been eating at him from the inside.

"You wanted to see me, Professor?" I asked cautiously.

He looked up at me, and his eyes visibly softened. "Yes. Please, have a seat."

I sat, suddenly more alert. His energy wasn’t like usual, it was heavier, quieter.

"I heard what happened at the Council," he began gently, folding his hands on the desk. "With my brother."

My stomach tensed. I nodded once. "I handled it."

"I’m sure you did," he said with a small smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. "Still... I want to apologize. Both as your Professor and as River’s brother. I thought the Council would be neutral ground... I was wrong."

I blinked at him, stunned not just by the apology, but the guilt in his tone. "You are not responsible for his behavior."

"I put you there," he said, his voice quieter now. "It was part of your reward. I should have made sure to supervise the assignment till the very end."

He was silent for a moment before adding, "If you want me to change your position, or the reward entirely, it can be done."

"I appreciate the apology," I said softly. "But I don’t want to change it. Everyone knows now. If I back out, it’ll raise suspicion. Questions neither of us want."

He studied me for a moment, and I felt it - his worry, like a quiet current flowing under the surface. Then he nodded. "You are right. You have already handled it with more grace than most seasoned wolves would."

I hesitated, then leaned forward slightly. "Are you alright?"

He looked up, clearly caught off guard by the question.

"You look... tired," I added. "More than... tired."

He exhaled slowly and rubbed the back of his neck. "The full moon’s is coming soon. It always makes me feel like I’m wearing skin that doesn’t quite fit."

I frowned. The full moon was still a week away. Still, I asked,9 "Is it... painful?"

"No," he said, shaking his head. "Just... heavy. Like a constant hum beneath my skin. My wolf gets more restless. More aware."

I didn’t know what to say to that. I didn’t even have a wolf. But I could sense that he wasn’t telling me everything. There was something in his voice that hinted at a deeper burden. One he wouldn’t share. Not yet.

Still, he leaned back in his chair and gave me a small smile, the tension in his shoulders softening just a bit.

"You didn’t have to check on me," he said.

"I wanted to," I said, surprising even myself.

Something shifted in the air between us. He tilted his head, studying me the way he did in class when I gave a particularly interesting answer - curious, gentle, focused.

"You remind me of someone," he murmured.

I raised a brow. "Hopefully someone competent."

"Someone brave," he corrected. "Someone who tried to fix things even when the world told them they couldn’t."

I swallowed the lump rising in my throat. No one had ever said that about me before. Not even my mother.

"I’m just trying to survive," I said honestly.

"Sometimes survival is the bravest thing of all," he said quietly.

We sat in silence for a moment. The kind that wasn’t awkward, but... warm. Like the flickering calm after a storm.

Then he stood, coming around the desk and offering his hand. "Come here for a moment."

I looked up at him, uncertain, but placed my hand in his. His fingers were warm and calloused, surprisingly gentle as he guided me toward the small window overlooking the Academy grounds.

"Do you see that?" he asked, pointing to the training fields where a few late students were still sparring under the moonlight.

I nodded.

"You belong here," he said. "No matter what anyone else says."

My breath hitched. Not because of his words, but the way he said them - with such quiet certainty, like he had seen straight through me and still wanted me here.

I turned to face him.

He was closer than I expected. Taller. Warmer. And for the first time, I didn’t see him as just my professor or one of the Rogue Alphas.

Instead, I saw the man underneath. The one carrying guilt not meant for him. The one offering me space in a world that wanted to push me out.

"Thank you," I whispered.

He looked at me a moment longer, then stepped back. The moment broke, but the warmth lingered.

"Get some rest," he said softly. "You have got classes tomorrow."

I nodded and slipped out of his office, heading back to the dorm.