One Night With My Alpha Professor by Eve Above Story

Chapter 174 Audrey

I was suddenly thrust back into the present, gasping as if I had just been underwater,

Edwin was still holding my wrist, his grip tight but not painful. We were still standing in the middle of the training room, the fluorescent lights harsh against my eyes after the darkness of Edwin's memory. My heart was racing, and I could feel a thin sheen of sweat on my skin. The room suddenly felt too warm, too small, as if the walls were closing in on us. Edwin's chest was heaving, and he released my wrist as if it had burned him.

"Well, now you know," he said softly, unable to meet my eyes. His voice was rough, as if he had been shouting "Now you know why I won't let you fight. Why I won't fight"

I stared at him, my mind reeling from what I had just witnessed.

*Edwin, I.... that wasn't your fault." I assured him, taking a step forward. "You were young, you

didn't mean to

"It was my fault, Edwin interrupted, his voice sharp enough to make me flinch. "I lost control. I seriously hurt someone. Audrey. Forlife. That man.. he wound up losing his eye because of me." I didn't know what to say.

He ran a hand through his hair, frustration and shame evident in every movement. I could see his fingers trembling slightly. That's why I hate fighting. I'm terrified of losing control again. My father.." He paused, swallowing hard. I could see the muscles in his jaw working as he struggled to continue. "My father always said I had a dark side. That I lacked self-control."

I reached out to touch his arm, but Edwin flinched away. The rejection stung, but I tried not to let it show. "Well, your father) was wrong, Edwin. You're not-

"What if he wasn't?" Edwin's voice was hardly more than a whisper, but in the silence of the room, it might as well have been a shout. "What if he was right? What if there's a monster just beneath the surface, waiting to hurt someone again?"

one of the cardboard boxes in the corner. He kicked one with the toe of his

He shook his head, turning and crossing over to one sneaker, and I heard a faint jangling inside.

"Your medals..."

Edwin scoffed wryly. "I used to take so much pride in them that despite everything. I couldn't bring myself to fully throw them away. My d**n ego kept me from doing it. I should have burned them." "You used to work so hard," I said. "It's okay to have pride in your achievements. One bad thing doesn't negate all of that."

into my other hobby instead: sewing. In my mind, I was better off

for a moment, processing his words. The pieces were starting to fall into place-his reluctance to teach me offensive moves, his aversion to violence of any kind. His love

had happened that night. It was an accident. A horrific one, yes, but

He hung his head in his hands, his shoulders slumped in defeat. "I'm sorry you had to see that monstrous memory," he muttered. "I've tried to keep

08:39 Sat, Sep 21

Chapter 174

even myself,

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fingers through his dark, sweat-damp hair over and over again. Even now, through our bond, I could feel a profound guilt radiating out

strode up to him and crouched, cupping

"Edwin, look at me."

head to meet my gaze. His eyes were red-rimmed, and I could see the pain and

acceptance I could muster into our bond. I knew he could feel it down

"Audrey-"

wrapped my arms around him in a tight hug. I felt some of the tension leave his body as he returned the embrace, his arms encircling me with a desperate kind of need. I could feel his heart beating rapidly against my chest, and

ebb away, replaced by shafts of silver light on the fullest night of the moon. After a long moment, he pulled back. His eyes were clearer now, though still a bit troubled. "I think... I

smile, tomorrow is Christmas Eve. We still have a tree to cut down and a house

small smile of his own. "I did promise we could do that, didn't

stop

breakfast greeted us-eggs, bacon, and freshly brewed coffee. Hadley was just setting out

timing." Hadley said with a smile, his cheerful demeanor seeming to relax Edwin even more. "Breakfast is still

coffee. Hadley's aging eyes flicked across Edwin's troubled face as he sat, but

and crisp-bacon soothing our nerves and tired muscles. I propped my foot up on his leg beneath the table, and

I couldn't help but imagine the two of us here, just like this, for years

to cheer him up, and Edwin startled slightly. A small smile touched his lips, his eyes flicking-up