Chapter 9: Headmaster.. Again

My heart thunders.

 

The bruise blooming across my cheek still throbs with pain, but I know it’s nothing compared to what this sadist is capable of..

 

"Yes..." I murmur, barely meeting his eyes. They’re sharp, unreadable—but I see it. The seriousness behind his words. “Sir,” I finally force out through clenched teeth.

 

A flicker of victory flashes in his eyes.

 

"Avert your gaze, Danika. This is the last time I allow eye contact. In the presence of males, you bow your head."

 

My jaw tightens. He sees it. Of course he does—and it pleases him. He wants to break me.

 

And the headmaster is watching. I can feel the weight of his gaze from behind the desk, analyzing every move, every breath. He has the power to throw me out if I don’t claim a dom within the hour—and Aiden will never let me choose another. Not now.

 

Fine. For now. I’ll escape him later. I can switch doms anyway.

 

I drop my gaze, focusing instead on the intricate veins of the marble floor. The grand, masculine office feels colder, darker. Mocking me.

 

Aiden drops his arm, the one blocking my way, and I walk into the office with reluctant steps.

 

Mr. Miller sits behind his desk, fingers interlocked, studying us with disbelief. It’s the first time I’ve seen him shaken. His control slips—barely—but it slips. His eyes widen slightly at the sight of me beside Aiden.

 

When his gaze lands on me, I immediately look away.

 

“Mr. Abbott,” he says slowly.

 

“Headmaster,” Aiden replies evenly.

 

“What brings you here?” Mr. Miller’s voice is lined with suspicion. But we both know he already knows.

 

Aiden clears his throat. “Danika Addison has accepted me as her dom.”

 

A ripple of stunned silence spreads through the room. My head remains bowed, my hands stiff by my sides. I feel pathetic. Powerless. But I don’t dare make a sound.

 

“Really?” the headmaster says after a beat. He sounds genuinely surprised. “Aren’t you... a bit too sadistic for a complete novice like her?”

 

I close my eyes tightly. That's not exactly the words I want to hear.

 

“I’m sure we can work around our differences,” Aiden responds, calm and composed, as though this is just any other meeting.

 

“She’s never been a submissive before, Mr. Abbott. You’ll have to teach her everything.”

 

I hear Aiden’s posture shift beside me, a subtle tightening.

 

“I’m confident she’ll be a quick learner.”

 

My jaw clenches so tightly I feel my molars ache.

 

“She has to stay alive, Aiden,” the headmaster says sharply.

 

That has me snapping my head up, heart stalling.

 

What did he just say?

 

The headmaster stares at Aiden with unsettling seriousness.

 

“If she listens, she will,” Aiden growls. The bite in his voice is meant for me. I glance at him quickly, then look away again.

 

“I will not have a blemish on this school’s record,” the headmaster continues, voice cold and hard.

 

“And you won’t,” Aiden responds smoothly.

 

“Henry Miller would be better for her. He’s trained novices before.”

 

The air turns to ice.

 

I feel it. The tension. The testosterone. It crashes like a wave against the walls of the office.

 

“With all due respect, Mr. Miller,” Aiden says, still infuriatingly calm. “She accepted me as her dom. And if your son wants her, he can challenge me for her. Danika Addison is my submissive.”

 

I wait for three whole seconds. I want to crawl out of my skin.

 

“Very well, Mr. Abbott,” Mr. Miller eventually sighs. “Collar her as yours.”

 

I whip my head up. No. Not the submissive collar.

 

Aiden reaches into his pocket, and dread rises up in my throat like bile. I can barely breathe as he retrieves a small, shimmering chain. Golden, delicate, studded with tiny rubies that catch the light. It’s beautiful.

 

I hate it.

 

I wanted something simple. Leather. Minimal. Not a jeweled display of ownership.

 

Aiden takes a step toward me.

 

I instinctively step back.

 

“Danika,” he says softly. Too softly. That tone does nothing to soothe me. I’m spiraling—panic, fury, disgust swirling in my gut. That collar is the embodiment of everything I’ve tried to resist. I don't want to wear it, I don't want to see it.

 

He steps closer again, and my back hits the bookcase.

 

“It would reflect very poorly on your dominant capabilities if you can’t even collar your own submissive, Mr. Abbott,” the headmaster says sternly.

 

“She’ll listen,” Aiden says, voice now edged with steel.

 

He’s staring at me—I can feel it, even though my eyes are locked on the sparkling chain. That chain that gleams like a promise I never wanted.

 

Another step forward. I flinch and stumble sideways, trying to get away.

 

“Mr. Abbott!” the headmaster barks. I flinch. As he stands, his chair screeches backward and crashes to the marble floor. The thunderous echo fills the office. He grabs the thick book from his desk—the one he’s used on me before—and storms toward me.

 

“No!” I scream and dive for the door.

 

But he’s too fast. His face is twisted with rage as he comes at me. He looks at me like he's genuinely going to kill me. My life flashes before me when I see the book in the air. I avert my head, knowing this is going to hurt, and hold my breath so I don't make a sound when the inevitable pain hits me.

 

It never comes.

 

Aiden steps in front of me, one hand shooting up to catch the book mid-air.

 

Everything stops for a second. All I see is Aiden's body in front of me, and a seething headmaster right in front of him, book still in the air.

 

“Mr. Miller,” Aiden says, voice like sharpened steel. “This is my submissive. No one touches her. No one punishes her. Not even you.”

 

The headmaster is livid. His eyes bulge with fury. I’ve never seen him so exposed. Every single time I was in here, he was able to do with me whatever he wanted. And now, that has been taken away from him.

 

“You can’t even collar her, Aiden,” he spits. “She needs a dom stronger than you. Leash her. Control her. Or be discarded like the rest. I’ll be watching you. Mr. Abbott.”

 

“I’m looking forward to proving you wrong,” Aiden sneers—a real sneer. It’s the first time I’ve heard his control slip.

 

And it terrifies me.

 

“You,” Mr. Miller snarls at me. I stiffen. My heart stops. “If I hear one complaint about you—if you breathe wrong—I’ll release the dogs. I’ll erase you. The second you stain my university, you’re finished.”

 

“Yes, Sir,” I whisper quickly.

 

“Get out. Both of you.” His voice is final, filled with loathing. “Perfect behavior. Nothing less. Mr. Abbott, she’s your responsibility now. Fail her, and you’ll never teach again. You're out.”

 

“Understood,” Aiden grinds out.