"This isn't your decision," Regina reminds me.
"The hell it isn't." I turn to face her fully, letting her feel the full force of my conviction through our bond. "You spent years being Kyle's magical vending machine.Yearshaving your power rationed and exploited. I'm not letting you walk into another arrangement like that. Sure as fuck not overus."
"It's not the same?—"
"It'sexactlythe same. You're offering to trade pieces of yourself for something we need. That's what he did. That's what they all did." I look at Villeneuve, not bothering to hide my contempt. "We'll figure something else out. Find a way to stay a pack even if I have to take on the Council itself."
The room goes silent. Regina's frustration bleeds through our bond, hot and sharp. She thinks I'm being unreasonable. Thinks I'm letting my hatred of Villeneuve override practical necessity.
Maybe she's right.
But I don't give a fuck. Some lines don't get crossed.
No oneis taking advantage of my mate. I swore that the day I first laid eyes on her, and I'll never break that promise.
"We're done here." I move toward the door, not waiting to see if Regina follows. "Thanks for nothing, professor."
"I'll do it."
The words stop me mid-stride.
I turn slowly. Villeneuve is still seated behind his desk, that infuriating calm expression firmly in place. But there's something else in his eyes now.
"You'll... do what?" Regina asks, clearly as confused as I am.
"Sponsor your pack." He says it like he's discussing the weather. "I'll serve as faculty advisor for Lupe Tau for the remainder of their probationary period."
"Just like that?" I ask suspiciously, my eyes narrowing at him. "No conditions? No demands?"
"I'm saying I don't want the services Ms. Cook is offering." Villeneuve rises from his chair, moving around the desk with that unnatural grace. "I never said I wanted nothing at all."
Here it comes.
The catch.
The trap hidden beneath the generous offer.
"What do you want?" My words come out as a growl.
Villeneuve stops in front of Regina, close enough that I have to fight every instinct not to physically insert myself between them. "I want the opportunity to guide your abilities, Ms. Cook. To help you understand the full scope of what you're capable of." He pauses, letting that sink in. "And I'd like to offer you a position as my teaching assistant in the Department of Ancient History and Occult Studies."
Regina's shock ripples through our bond at the same time mine does.
Wait, what the fuck?
"Your teaching assistant?" she repeats, blinking.
"You have exceptional potential. Potential that was wasted in your previous coven, squandered on menial magical labor for an organization that didn't deserve you." Villeneuve's voice softens, taking on an almost gentle quality that makes my wolf bristle. "I can help you develop that potential. Give you access to resources and knowledge that most practitioners never encounter. And I seem to recall that you said it was once a goal of yours to attend graduate school, which is something I could fast track if you're my assistant. It would give us a solid case for keeping the pack together."
Regina opens her mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. I can feel her disbelief through the bond. And her excitement, which is the only thing keeping me from letting my suspicions fly loose in the form of fists all over Villeneuve's face. He'd probably wave a hand and turn me inside out, but it'd be fucking worth it.
I can give her anything money can buy, but not this, and I fuckinghatehim for it.
But not enough to stand in her way.
"Why?" I grit out, choosing my words carefully, for her sake. "Why would you do any of this?"
Those dark eyes meet mine, and for just a moment, I see something beneath the mask. Something old and patient and utterly foreign that makes my blood run cold.
