I Kissed My Professor And He Liked It

Ella’s POV Colton quickly sat up in bed and looked atwith narrowed eyes. | sat up as well, trying to maintain a strong composure, but | always felt so weak when he looked atlike that. | felt my face reddening from the intensity of his stare.

“I'm not taking you to see that monster,” he said through his teeth, and | knew from his tone that there wasn’t going to be a discussion about it.

“I need to see him,” | said firmly, folding my arms across my chest. “I have to ask him questions of my own.” “Tellthe questions and I'll ask him,” Colton said, keeping his eyes locked on mine.

I shook my head, frowning at him.

“This is something | need to do,” | told him. “Can’t you trust me?” “Of course, | trust you, Ella,” he said in return. “It’s him | don’t trust.” “It's not like I'll be alone, Cole. I'll have you withand sof the gammas that are keeping guard of him. I'll be safe.” “Having you anywhere near him isn’t safe,” Colton said, pressing his lips firmly together. “I don’t understand why you want to see him suddenly. What answers could he possibly give you? Do you even think he’d tell you anything? He's been through the wringer, and he hasn't a word to any of us other than his usual nonsense.” “That's what | mean though. What if what he’s saying isn’t nonsense?” | asked, furrowing my brows together.

“What if he is trying to tell us something?” “Ella, he’s not trying to tell us anything. That's the issue,” he said, shaking his head at me. “Why are you pressed about this?” “Because | had a dream about him,” | admitted, looking down at my hands and tugging at my fingers nervously.

“A dream?” Colton asked; | could feel his eyes still on my face. “What kind of dream?” “I don’t even know if it was a dream,” | said, looking back up at him. “It felt so real....” “What happened in this dream?” He sounded suspicious, but curious at the stime. He wasn’t angry, but he also wasn’t pleased if that makes sense.

“I think | was skind of ghost or spirit,” | explained; trying to recall every moment of the dream.

“You were dead?” “Not dead, no. But nobody could see me,” | explained. “I was in the dungeon watching my father beating Xander and asking questions.” Colton’s body froze as he continued to stare at me; | could tell he was struggling with his thoughts.

“You watched that happen?” He sounded strained.

| nodded and met his eyes.

“Yes, and Xander kept saying that | was in danger. My father thought he was threatening me, but maybe he wasn’t. Maybe he was warning me.” Colton raised his brows at my statement and then after a moment, he shook his head.

“He kidnapped you, Ella. Who knows what he’d do if we didn’t find you,” Colton said in return.

“But he kidnappedand dumpedsomewhere. Before | passed out, | remember him saying something aboutescaping the inescapable. It was like skind of test or something,” | said, recalling my last real moments with Xander when he was my professor.

He was tough onand slowly poisoningeach day. He madefight without my wolf and strengthen my human. He kept tellingthat if | didn’t learn this stuff, | would find myself in a situation where it was life or death. He told| needed to be prepared for all sorts of situations. Even then, it felt like he was preparingfor something.

But he was such an asshole that | saw past it. My main concern was finally beating him at his own gand winning a battle against him.

| didn’t actually stop to process his words; not until now at least.

| wasn’t sure how to explain any of that to Colton though. He was set in his ways, and | knew he wasn’t going to letsee him that easily.

“He’s dangerous, Ella,” Colton said, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb and pointer finger as if he was getting a headache from this conversation. “I don’t know how else to say that.” “You don’t have to say it any other way,” | breathed, gazing downward. “I know he’s dangerous. But Colton, | know what I'm capable of. | know | can handle myself in front of him. But | also won't be alone.” l inched closer to him, placing my hands on his chest as | peered up at him.

“My big strong Alpha will be with me,” | added, dropping my voice so it cout flirtatious.

A smile twitched at the corner of his lips, and he bent down so he could kiss me. | leaned into his kiss, loving how he tasted.

“5 minutes,” he whispered against my lips. “You get 5 minutes with him and you aren’t going into his cell.” “Thank you,” | said, throwing my arms around him to hug him.

Colton called for a couple of extra gamma warriors to stand guard while we went to the dungeon to speak with Xander. | had to admit, | was way more nervous than | thought | was going to be.

With each step we made down the stairs, my heart was pounding in my chest.

| hadn't seen Xander since he kidnapped me, besides my dream, of course. | wondered if he looked as bad as he did in my dream, or if that was my mind making up scenarios. | also wondered if that dream was sent toby a bigger force, or if Xander was calling out to me.

These were sof the questions | needed to ask him, but as we got closer to the dungeon door, the questions were quickly escaping my mind.

Colton kept his hand entwined with mine and | stayed close to his side.

My father stood outside the dungeon doors and his arms were folded across his chest as he stared at me. | couldn't read his expression and then he sighed and dropped his arms to his side.

“You are just like your mother,” he murmured. “She would be doing the sthing.” | couldn’t help but smile at him.

“That's the best compliment you could ever give me,” | said in return; it was an honor to be compared to my mother.

Maybe that meant | would be a good Luna someday.

My father let out a small and low laugh as he rubbed his fingers through his blonde hair.

“Neither Colton nor | am leaving your side, Ella Bean,” my father said firmly. “You only get 5 minutes with him and then we are dragging you out of there. Any signs of danger and we will drag you out of there as well.

Understood?” “Yes,” | said with a nod. “I understand, father.” He nodded in return and then looked at Colton.

“If he even looks at her funny—" My father began to say but Colton stopped him with his own words.

“Ill kill him myself.” My father and Colton gave one another knowing looks before nodding at one another.

Before my father opened the door that separated us from the dungeon cells, he glared down at me.

“Just know, it’s not going to be a pretty sight. He's been beaten pretty badly and with the cuffs that we put on him, he wasn’t able to heal properly.” I nodded, swallowing the lump that formed in my throat.

“I know,” | said in return, trying not to sound as nervous as | felt.

After another moment, my father turned and unlatched the door, pushing it open.

Instantly | smelled the metallic scent of blood and rust. | nearly froze before entering the room because the scent was so forceful, | had to cover my nose with my hand. | had never been in this dungeon before, but | didn’t like how gross it smelled.

| noticed mold growing in the corners of the concrete walls and mildew forming on the concrete grounds. It was grey and gloomy with very little light. Only a small window on the top of the dungeon wall provided a little bit of natural light. But for the most part, the entire dungeon was lit by only a couple of lights that were hung on the walls.

“It looks so depressing in here,” | said, looking around.

“It’s a dungeon, Ella. It’s not supposed to be pretty,” Colton told me.

I didn’t have any argument for that, but | wished it didn’t look so grim and lifeless. We followed my father past the empty cells. | was glad that Colton didn’t keep many prisoners here; | was told that these were only considered holding cells until they could figure out what to do with them. Most of the tthey get transported to prison to serve their lifelong sentence.

| shuddered at the thought of what kind of monsters and criminals Colton and his pack had imprisoned in here.

My father finally stopped walking and he glared into a dark cell.

| took a deep breath, trying to steady my rapid heartbeat as | went to stand beside my father. Colton grabbed onto my hand to stop me, and | looked up at him with a curious frown.

“I'm serious.... 5 minutes,” he said in a low tone for only my ears.

I nodded and gave him a grateful smile, but | knew it didn’t reach my eyes. | was too nervous, and Colton knew this.

He released my hand, and | went to stand next to my father, peering into the dark cell as well. For a normal wolf, it would have been difficult to see into the cell, but for a Volana, it was easy. It was as if we were in broad daylight.

Just like in my dream, Xander lay in a pile of his blood and filth. His face was badly beaten, and it didn’t even look like he was breathing. He must have just been beaten recently.

| knew they beat him until he almost died, and then they loosen his cuffs to allow him to heal.

My father stepped toward the cell and unlocked the door, stepping inside.

He went to Xander to loosen his cuffs and | watched with fascination as Xander groaned miserably and turned over onto his side. He coughed up a big mound of blood, makingwince. | tried not to react much, but it couldn't have been helped.

It was disgusting.

“You have someone who needs to speak to you,” My father said in a tone that | barely recognized.

Xander lifted his head and stared atthrough his bruised and swollen eyes. | saw a glimmer of recognition in his eyes and then a hint of a smile on his cut lips.

When he spoke, his voice cout rough and gravely; he spoke between breaths of air.

“About.... time.... you showed... up.”