Page 81 of Claim Me
"This year, internships will be entirely unpaid. That will ensure that only those who genuinely want to work for Malden and don't see us as a punishment will come to learn."
The alpha stares at him, fury burning in his eyes.
"You fucking eunuch—"
He doesn't finish, because I punch him.
Yes, I know, I probably should not have.
Dragging alpha aggression into an academic discussion in a dean’s office only proves the primitive nature of our kind, but I’m not about to feel ashamed of it.
Blue and I may not be on the best terms right now, but that doesn’t mean I’ll allow an omega and the victim of a horrible accident to be belittled in such a degrading way.
The dean and the beta professor, who had barely spoken until now, both jump to their feet.
The second alpha lunges at me, driven by instinct, but he doesn't stand a chance.
He’s over fifty, and with a simple jiu-jitsu move, grabbing his shoulder and twisting it, I shove him to the floor.
As he hits the ground with a heavy grunt, my eyes lift and lock onto Blue.
On the surface, his face is still impossible to read, but I don’t even need to try anymore, because whatever had been broken between us suddenly mends itself in that single brief moment. I feel a subtle, electric shiver run through me as our fragile ‘bond’ slips back into place, letting me sense what he’s feeling again.
Wow, this is super strange.
Did he allow it to happen, or did it reconnect automatically the moment my actions pleased him, opening him up to me just like that?
What I feel from him is a peculiar… inner satisfaction!
The dean mutters a curse under his breath and then says,
"I believe this situation has gotten out of control. I suggest we postpone this discussion until later, and I would like only Professor Martinez," he gestures toward the beta, "and myself to be present. For now, we have had enough alpha energy."
"I cannot agree more," Blue says coolly as he stands. "Send the meeting data to my assistant."
Then he turns and walks out, followed closely by Adams, who looks like he has just witnessed a murder, shaky and disgruntled.
I follow them, fully aware that my involvement only escalated everything.
We walk through the college corridors in silence, heading toward the parking lot where the limousine driver is waiting.
The head of development gets into the car, still wearing that same worried expression. Blue is about to follow when I speak:
"Can I have a word with you for a second, Mr. Lowen?"
Blue raises an eyebrow slightly but nods. He leans into the car and says, "Please, wait a moment," then closes the door and steps a few yards away with me.
"Yes?" he asks briefly, his face impassive.
"I wanted to apologize for escalating the situation. I probably should not have interfered, but I could not stand it. That man was going too far."
"If I hadn’t wanted your intervention, I would’ve stopped it immediately. And by the way, you didn’t escalate the situation. You simply asked him to stop interrupting me, and then he was the one who started throwing insults around. These professors are incredibly entitled, and the students they send us are some of the worst. This is supposed to be an elite college, yet it’s full of spoiled brats who have no understanding of what honest work actually means. A lot of them are influencers’ children, convinced that success means doing silly things online. I don’t owe them anything. In fact, I’m doing them a favor. At this point, I’m seriously considering limiting admissions from their college and expanding our already existing programs for disadvantaged students from poorer neighborhoods instead."
"That sounds great." I clear my throat. "So… are you still angry with me?"
"Not about that," Blue says, and I know exactly what he means.
But is this actually true?
