Chapter 33 A MISSING HEARTBEAT
Asher's POV:
Hours had crawled by since I stepped into my office this morning, and I still hadn’t set foot in that classroom.
Not after realizing who was roaming the college grounds freely - boldly - like she had any right to be here.
The moment I sensed her scent on these hallways, that truth slammed into me like a punch.
So, I locked myself in my office.
If she wanted the entire course, the entire student body, hell - the whole damn building - she could have it.
I buried myself in paperwork, finishing attendance logs and student evaluations just to keep my mind occupied.
But one thought kept circling back, refusing to loosen its grip.
Clara.
Elsie had already shown she was capable of anything, and the idea of her crossing paths with Clara sent a cold spike through my chest.
But then again… Clara and I had been avoiding each other — or rather, she had been avoiding me. I felt it the moment my eyes interlocked with hers, the same way a wolf senses a shift in the wind.
My mind dragged me back to the last time we were alone in this office.
The air had been thick, tense. She’d been close - too close - and after everything that happened that night, after the heat and emotions neither of us talked about… I’d felt something rise in me I wasn’t ready to face.
Something dangerous.
I shut it down by pressing her with questions I knew would make her pull away. It worked — barely.
Because if it hadn’t… if I hadn’t forced distance between us… things would’ve spiraled fast, which involves me taking her hard and fast against this desk, and just the mere thought of it was enough to make me hard.
And with the reason I came to Cleveland College still hanging over me - with Elsie Silver back in the picture - I didn’t need more chaos.
So, keeping Clara at arm’s length wasn’t just necessary.
It was the only way to keep everything from slipping out of control.
The door clicked shut.
My pen stopped mid-stroke.
Of course.
Speak of the devil.
I lifted my gaze, jaw ticking the second Elsie stepped inside. She had a sly, pleased little smirk carved onto her face and a file tucked under her arm.
“Now why do I feel like you’re avoiding me?” she drawled, leaning against the door. “For a minute, I thought you didn’t come in today.”
I said nothing. Just shifted my eyes back to the documents on my desk.
From my peripheral vision, I caught it — the small frown tugging at her brows before she smoothed it into another knowing smile.
She pushed off the door, gliding forward.
“Anyway,” she said lightly, “here’s the attendance for today… and a few things I handled while you were locked up in here.” She held out the file.
I forced myself to look at it, not her, and reached for it.
Her grin widened instantly - triumphant, pleased, like she’d scored a point in a game I refused to play.
She slid into the chair directly across from me, crossing her legs slowly, deliberately.
I leaned back and opened the file.
And damn it… she’d done it right. All of it. Precise handwriting, correct entries, properly arranged sheets - things most assistants struggled with after weeks.
The fact that Elsie of all people had managed it this neatly within a few hours was… unsettling.
I lifted my gaze.
She was watching me with her chin propped on her hands, eyes bright, studying every shift in my expression.
I quickly looked away, closed the file, and set it on my desk.
I’d go through it properly later - double-check who was present, who wasn’t. Right now, I needed space from her. From all of this.
The moment my eyes dropped back to my work, her smile slipped.
Her lips pressed into a thin, irritated line before she let out a sharp huff.
“Seriously, Asher?” she scoffed. “This is what I get? Not even a thank you?”
I exhaled slowly, tiredly.
“You do realize,” I said without looking at her, “you’re wasting your time.”
Silence. Then her chair creaked as she leaned forward.
I met her eyes this time.
“No matter what you do, I won’t acknowledge any of it,” I said calmly.
“You’re a stranger to me now, Elsie. And if you’re expecting praise from me? You need to rethink why you lowered yourself to this level - chasing someone who clearly doesn’t care.”
Her expression didn’t crack. It never did.
I continued, voice even:
“At this point, your work will be acknowledged by the school management. Not me.”
For a beat, she said nothing.
Then her smile returned - slower, deeper, and far more chilling.
Her smile widened slowly, stretching into something far too pleased.
“Complain all you want, Asher,” she murmured. “I’m not going anywhere. If being stuck here means being near you, then I don’t mind one bit.”
She tilted her head, eyes glinting. “Also, the fact that we’re mated? That makes it even more worth it.”
I stared at her for a few seconds.
She seems to forget that being mated means absolutely nothing to me when the feelings are gone.
I shook my head and tore my gaze away.
Elsie hummed softly, settling back into the chair and running her fingers over her freshly polished nails as she scanned my office like she owned every inch of it.
I ignored her and reopened the file, dragging my pen down the attendance list - ticking off those who were present, marking those who weren’t.
Jake Williams.
Absent.
I didn’t give it a second thought. Tick. Move on.
But then—
Clara.
Absent.
My hand paused.
The pen hovered over the page.
At first, I almost marked it without thinking… but the coincidence snagged at me, sharp and insistent.
Jake and Clara? Both absent?
My brows pulled together.
I lifted my eyes.
“Elsie,” I said, keeping my voice steady, “Why were Jake Williams and Clara Bennett absent today?”
She froze mid–air as she was blowing on her nails, then looked up at me blankly.
“Jake Williams and Clara Bennett?” she repeated. “Who are they?”
I pressed my palm to my forehead.
Of course she wouldn’t know.
She tapped her chin, then suddenly perked up. “Oh - could it be the white-haired girl?”
My eyes flicked to her instantly.
Elsie’s stare sharpened with interest. “I don’t know,” she continued carelessly.
“This is a college, Asher. Students skip all the time. Shouldn’t be that deep.”
I rolled my eyes and looked back down at the file - but my mind wasn’t letting it go.
The coincidence felt wrong. Off. Too pointed.
And worse—
For some strange reason… I couldn’t track Clara’s scent today.
Where the hell was she?
Before I could spiral further, Elsie let out a thoughtful hum.
“Hmm. Maybe she agreed to the date with him.”
My head snapped up so fast the air practically cracked.
…huh?
I narrowed my eyes. “What do you mean by that?”
Elsie had that fake-thinking expression she used when she wanted attention, her brows drawn slightly as if she was trying to piece something together.
Then she noticed I was still staring.
“Oh.” She blinked, then shrugged. “Well, I’m not entirely sure. But I saw her with some guy in the hallway the previous day. And I think he asked her out on a date.” She waved a hand dismissively.
“I didn’t stick around to hear her answer. Not my business.”
My heartbeat thudded once - hard.
Fucking hell.
Could she have actually agreed?
Jake had been the only guy chasing her around this college since day one.
It didn’t take a genius. I didn’t need to question Elsie further.
Her vague description was enough.
Enough to know exactly who she was talking about.
Enough to know Clara wasn’t here.
Enough to know she was likely—
With him.
A sharp, unwelcome heat shot through my chest.
Jake.
And Clara.
On a date.
I clenched the file so hard the edges curled.
A few seconds passed.
I forced my eyes back onto the file, tried to pretend the words weren’t blurring together.
Tried to convince myself this was good - that Clara being with Jake was none of my business, that it was better if she kept her distance.
Better if she forgot whatever happened between us.
Better if she moved on.
But every attempt at logic snapped like a thin wire.
What were they doing?
Where had they gone?
Did she actually agree to the date?
And if she did… did that mean—
I didn’t let the thought finish.
My chair scraped violently against the floor as I shot to my feet.
Elsie’s head jerked up immediately, her polished smile faltering.
A thin frown pulled her brows together.
“Asher?” she said slowly. “What’s the problem?”
I didn’t answer her.
Didn’t spare her a look.
I rounded my desk in two quick steps and headed straight for the door, my pulse hammering in my ears.
The hallway hit me with near-darkness - I’d been so buried in work I hadn’t realized the sun had set.
But that didn’t matter.
Nothing mattered except one thing—
Find Clara.
My wolf was strangely silent, like someone had shoved cotton in my senses.
Everything felt muted, off, wrong.
“Asher!” Elsie’s heels clicked sharply behind me, each step echoing through the empty corridor.
“Where are you going? Why are you acting like this?”
I ignored her voice.
She had no idea how big of a problem this was.
No idea what could’ve happened.
No idea what Jake was capable of.
My chest tightened painfully.
Please let her be okay.
Just as I rounded the corner, I halted.
A figure stood at the bottom of the staircase.
Small.
Still.
Unsteady.
My eyes narrowed, trying to make sense of the shadows swallowing the hallway.
The person swayed - a slow, disoriented tilt - and limped forward with steps that weren’t steady at all.
A girl.
Well-dressed, but weak.
Dizzy.
My heart slammed hard against my ribs.
I knew that hair.
Even dulled by the dim light, it glowed in a way I’d only ever seen on one person.
Clara.
Relief punched me in the chest so sharply it almost hurt. But relief twisted instantly into anxiety the moment I saw her face clearly - pale, unfocused, her breathing uneven.
“Clara—”
She missed a step.
Her foot slipped backward.
And before I even realized I had moved, I was already there.
I caught her by the arm just as she lost her balance, pulling her firmly into my chest.
Her hands pressed weakly against me, and her head dropped onto my chest like her body had simply given up fighting gravity.
My hands settled at her waist instinctively - grounding her, steadying her.
“Clara,” I breathed, voice low, controlled only by force. “Easy. I’ve got you.”
Slowly, she lifted her head.
The moment her eyes met mine, she froze - stiffening in my hold, breath catching at the back of her throat.
“P… Professor Asher?” she whispered, stunned, like she couldn’t believe I was real.
Her voice cracked.
My jaw tightened.
Because whatever this was - whatever had happened to her - it wasn’t nothing.
And whoever had been with her tonight…
My hands tightened around her waist.
Jake Williams was so fucking dead.