Chapter 16
Gabriel
Wolfswood is getting ready for Christmas.
I look out my office window at the snow-covered grounds—eerie and beautiful, like the setting of an old film.
Everything outside has turned to black and white: the land, the buildings, the trees.
But inside, the staff has started putting up decorations.
Strings of warm lights, garlands, little fir trees in corners. The contrast feels almost surreal.
I focus back on reviewing student essays, but there’s a knock on my office door. A student walks in. Her face is serious, almost apologetic. I get a sense that something is wrong. And in that moment, my thoughts go straight to Rose.
"Professor Thorn? Headmistress Velmont wants to see you immediately."
I stop writing. Mrs. Velmont never calls professors to her office without warning. When she does, it's bad news.
"Did she tell you what this is about?"
"No, sir. Just that it's urgent."
I put down my pen and fix my tie. Whatever this is, I need to be careful. Mrs. Velmont runs Wolfswood like a dictator. She doesn't put up with anything that makes the school look bad.
Her office is at the top of the admin building. I take the private elevator up, the ride feels too long, and I realize I’m nervous. Once I’m at the top, her secretary waves me toward the big doors without saying anything. Another bad sign.
I knock twice and go in. She doesn't look up and just keeps reading some file in front of her, on her desk.
"Sit down, Professor Thorn."
I do as she asks me and take the chair across from her desk. Her office always feels like a courtroom—everything in here is so sharp and cold. The windows open onto the campus, but today it looks more like a prison than a school.
She finally closes the file and looks at me.
"Gabriel." She only uses my first name when she's about to ruin my day. "We need to talk about some rumors I've been hearing."
My stomach drops, but I keep my face blank. "What kind of rumors?"
"The kind that could destroy this place." She purses her lips and stares at me like I'm a bug. "The students are talking about professors having inappropriate relationships with some of the girls."
The words hit me hard, but I try not to show it.
"That's definitely a problem," I reply neutrally.
"It is." She taps her fingers on the desk. "Especially when these rumors are about you."
My head starts to buzz, and I feel like I might throw up. But I keep looking at her. "Me?"
"Don't play dumb, Gabriel. I've been running this school for fifteen years. I know when something's going on."
"Headmistress, I promise you that I keep things professional with all my students. These rumors aren't true."
"Are you sure about that?"
"Completely. I would never do anything to hurt my position here or a student's future."
"I hope not." She opens another file. "Because if I find out that any teacher here has crossed that line, they're finished."
"Of course."
"The teacher would be fired immediately. Their career would be over. Any plans they had for politics would be dead."
Each word hits me like a punch. She knows about my plans to run for senate, and she's making sure I understand what I'll lose.
"And the student?" I ask, even though I don't want to know.
"Expelled. Forever. Her reputation would be destroyed, and her future would be gone. A young woman's whole life could be ruined because one teacher couldn't control himself."
"Do I make myself clear?"
"Very clear."
"Good." She snaps the file shut. "I'm glad we understand each other, Gabriel. You can go."
“Just a question. Who is the student? I mean, the rumors are not true, but who is it about?”
“I haven’t been able to find out yet. But what difference does it make? Oh, well…” she corrects herself. “Unless it’s the Devereaux girl. She has to graduate to get her inheritance. But she won’t if she breaks the rules. The Devereaux family is adamant about that.”
I stand up on shaky legs and walk to the door. Every step feels like walking through mud.
"Oh, Gabriel?"
I turn around.
"I'll be watching you very closely now. Very closely."
I nod and leave her office. I press the button of the elevator with shaky hands, but I try not to let the stress get the better of me.
Back in my office, I close the door and lean against it. The conversation plays over and over in my head. Mrs. Velmont knows something, but not all. If she had proof, I'd be packing right now.
Everything I've worked for could disappear. My job, my research, my political career—all of it hanging by a thread.
And Rose. If Velmont finds out about us, Rose's life is over. She'll get kicked out of Wolfswood, and her reputation will be destroyed.
I sit down behind my desk and put my head in my hands to try and think. We need to be more careful. Much more careful. Maybe even stop seeing each other completely, until she graduates.
But the thought makes my heart hurt.
As I’m trying to wrap my head around that thought, I notice a piece of paper on my desk that wasn't there before. Someone slipped it under my door while I was with Mrs. Velmont.
I open it, and immediately recognize Rose’s handwriting.
Gabriel,
I need to see you. Something happened at the party last night, and I can't stop thinking about it. Meet me in the tower attic at ten. Nobody goes there. I'll be waiting.
Rose
This is the worst possible thing I could do. After Mrs. Velmont's warning, meeting Rose anywhere on campus would be insane. It's career suicide.
But Rose sounds upset. Something happened at that party, and she needs me. I can't ignore that.
The thought of her hurting causes me physical pain. Rose isn't like the other students here. She doesn't hide behind bravado or calculation. When she's hurt, she feels it fully. And whatever happened last night unsettled her enough to risk sending me this note.
I want to protect her from whatever made her feel this way. I want to pull her close and tell her everything will be okay. I want to hear what happened and find a way to fix it.
She trusts me enough to reach out when she's vulnerable. How can I let her down now?
I fold the note and put it in my jacket. I'll go, but only to make sure she's okay. And tell her about Mrs. Velmont's warning. We'll figure this out together.
My office is far too silent. And there are still a few hours left before I have to meet Rose. Feeling morose, I focus back on my essays, but my mind is already elsewhere.
***
The tower is across campus from the admin building. I take the long way, staying in the shadows and avoiding the main paths. A few students are still out, coming back from evening classes, but no one sees me.
As usual, the tower door is unlocked, and I can slip in easily. I climb the narrow stairs to the attic, holding on to the wooden railing as I go.
I reach the top and push open the heavy door. It gives way with a long, reluctant creak.
Rose is waiting for me in the middle of the room.
She's completely naked.
My brain stops working. She is standing there with a type of confidence I've never seen from her before. The Rose, who wasn't sure of herself, who questioned everything about Wolfswood, is gone. This Rose knows exactly what she wants.
"Rose, I got your note. But I…”
"I hoped you'd come."
I should turn around and leave right now. I should tell her about Mrs. Velmont's warning and explain why we can't be together.
Instead, I step into the room and close the door.
"What happened at the party?"
“I’ll tell you later. Right now, all I know is that I need you. I want you.”
"Rose, we need to be careful…”
"I know. And I also know that we have to pretend. But I learned at that party that this world is not what it seems. I just need you. Please…”
Every instinct tells me to pull her close, to give in to what we both want. But Mrs. Velmont's words echo in my head.
"If we get caught, there will be trouble."
"We won't get caught." She looks up at me with complete certainty. "But I won't spend another night wishing you were here."
The battle between what I want and what I should do rages in my head. I know I should leave. I know this is dangerous.
But Rose is standing here, offering herself completely to me, and I'm only human.
"How can I spend a single minute without you, Rose? How do I tell my mind and my heart that this can’t happen? When all I want is you…"
My last bit of resistance breaks. Whatever happens, whatever it costs, I can't walk away from her right now.
So, all I can do is give in. My cock is hard already, seeing her body, her soft curves, and pale skin, waiting just for me.
I cross the room, grab her face gently, and kiss her hard.
She presses herself against me, and I can feel her breasts against my chest. They’re full, hard, and elastic, with delicious nipples that drive me insane.
Damn, I want her so bad it’s killing me.
I run my hands over her back, and cup her ass tightly. She gasps and drags her nails lightly across my shoulders over my jacket. I pull back a bit and notice her lips are swollen and her cheeks are flushed.
“Rose, you’re a dream…”
“And you’re a fantasy come true,” she replies.
I take off my jacket and drop it on the stone floor. Then I unbutton my shirt, while Rose watches my fingers move. She reaches for my belt, but I stop her hand softly.
“Not yet,” I say, and guide her down carefully. She kneels on the floor and looks up at me.
I unzip my trousers, and pull out my cock. I’m so turned on by our affair that my cock feels almost painful. I wipe a little precum off the tip and feed it to Rose. She sucks my fingers eagerly and swallows hard, like a perfect student.
“You’re such a good girl. Now show me those perfect breasts. Push them together for me. Yes. Perfect. Now play with your nipples for me. Yes, yes… Mmm…. God…”
She’s on her knees. Naked, and playing with her nipples. The sight is incredible. Her eyes are already wide, and she’s looking up at me with that soft, obedient look I always get hard for.
“Spread your thighs, and rest your hands on them.”
“Yes, Professor.”
“Tell me, Rose, have you been playing with yourself?”
“Yes, Professor.”
“How? Show me.”
She lowers one of her hands in between her thighs and inserts her fingers in her pussy.
“Did I give you permission to touch your pussy?”
“No, Professor.”
“Of course not. You know your pussy belongs to me, and only me. I guess I’m going to have to punish you.”
“How, Professor?”
“You can pleasure me.”
I move my hand up and down my cock in front of her. She parts her lips, expecting it in her mouth.
But I don’t give it to her. Not yet.
Instead, I press my cock to her chest. She lifts her arms and pushes her breasts together, which tells me she knows what I want.
“Hold them like that.”
“Yes, Professor.”
I fuck the valley between her breasts with slow and heavy motions. Rose slips her fingers to her nipples and rolls them in front of me. She’s teasing herself now, in slow, small circles.
I groan under my breath. Her tits are warm and soft around me. The head of my cock slides through the top of her cleavage, and the sensation is insane.
“Look at me.”
She obeys and opens her mouth, reaching for the tip of my cock. I allow her to lick it a little, and she savors the precum forming there.
“You’re my filthy student. My wonderful, dirty student… My fantasy-come-true.”
“Don’t stop playing with your nipples. I want you to touch yourself while I use you. I want you to get so hot and horny that you won’t be able to sit for a week without your pussy hurting.”
“Yes, Professor… Yes…”
“Keep your breasts tight.”
She squeezes her breasts around my cock and I fuck them hard. I can feel the pressure and her pulse under my cock.
“Say my name.”
“Gabriel…” she moans.
I push deeper through her breasts, and my rhythm grows rougher. Her fingers twist her nipples, and I know that she’s showing off for me. I can see her lose control. She’s desperate to be used. Desperate to please me.
“Tell me what you want from me, Rose.”
“I want to… finish too. I want to…”
“You know you’re not allowed. You touched yourself without my permission.”
“Then I want you to cum on me, Professor. If I can’t have your cock, then at least I want your cum all over me.”
“Such a good girl....”
I fuck her harder, allowing all my senses to go wild. She opens her mouth, breathing faster now, and her whole body is shaking.
“I want it. Please. I want to feel it.”
“Good girl.”
I feel the heat build. My cock throbs between her breasts. I grab her chin and hold her head up, so that she can catch it all. Then, I cum across her face and chest in thick, hot lines. She doesn’t flinch. She just moans for it. Her tongue touches her lip like she wants more.
She looks perfect like this, on her knees, and covered in my cum.
And still waiting for whatever I want to give her next.
I take her chin between my fingers, and she leans into the touch.
Her eyes are hazy, and her lips are wet.
Slowly, I wipe a streak of cum from her cheek with my thumb and drag it down, over her throat, and across the top of her breasts.
I press it to her nipples and rub. Her back arches, and she closes her eyes, moaning.
Her nipples tighten under my thumb like they’re begging for more.
“Hands behind your back, Rose. That’s a good girl.”
She obeys instantly and lifts her chest. Her nipples stand out, flushed and slick, while I smear another line of cum across her breasts.
“You touched yourself without permission,” I tell her. “You didn’t get to cum.”
“Yes… I’m sorry…”
“But I’m going to let you cum now. Right here, and just from this nipple play.”
I cup her breasts in both my hands, and her whole body shifts toward me. I keep going, circling, pressing, and teasing her nipples, and I watch her fall apart one breath at a time.
“Are you close?”
“Yes,” she breathes.
“You’re going to cum just from your nipples. That’s what you get, nothing else…”
She starts to shake. She’s right on the edge.
“Do it,” I tell her. “Now.”
I watch as her head falls back and she cums hard, while her nipples throb in my hands. Her whole body is shaking as the release runs through her.
“Thank you, Professor. That was so good…”
Maybe too good. Maybe we’re pushing this too far.