Chapter 171: You’re Ashamed Of Me

Maverick knew even before his eyes opened who was in his arms. Just as he had discovered the first time he touched her, there was that silence again.

It wasn’t the same silence the suppressors provided, stripping everything away only to leave that aching emptiness behind. No, this was peaceful. Nothing had been taken from him, and yet for once, there was no restlessness beneath his skin. There was only a strange sense of completeness, as though after years of wandering, he had finally stumbled upon the rest heaven had always promised him. He was home.

Aria.

He already had his arm wrapped around her, bringing her even closer than she already was. She smelled divine, that familiar blend of lavender and mint teasing his senses with every breath. Maverick buried his nose against the curve of her neck and inhaled deeply, greedy for more, while his teeth ached to sink into skin he already knew would yield so sweetly beneath them.

His bare chest pressed against her warm, soft body as he rubbed his aching erection against her ass. Aria made an unintelligible sound in her throat, still caught somewhere between sleep and wakefulness, before her body responded instinctively and she pushed back against him. The movement sent a rush of pleasure through Maverick, and he ground against her again, only to suddenly become still.

Bare chest. Aria’s soft body. Raging Erection.

Feral.

Maverick’s eyes snapped open at once, finally taking in the woman stirring in his arms. Horror struck him so quickly that he pushed himself away from her with enough force to send himself tumbling off the edge of the bed. He landed hard on the floor but was back on his feet almost immediately, staring at Aria as if she was responsible for putting him there.

Having been thoroughly awakened by his dramatic departure from the bed, Aria slowly turned onto her back and stared at him through narrowed eyes.

"Let me guess," she said. "Maverick?"

Maverick’s eyes widened slightly. "You know?"

Aria gave him a knowing smile as she propped herself up on one arm. "Feral was quite a delight."

Maverick stared at her for a moment before his gaze dropped over her body, searching for any indication of what exactly had happened while Feral had control. Then he looked down at himself and the ridiculously small shorts clinging to his body, which quite obviously belonged to the woman lying in front of him.

"Did we...?"

He didn’t need to finish. Aria could already tell exactly what he intended to ask.

"No, we didn’t."

Relief like no other washed over Maverick. Although he wasn’t entirely certain whether he could technically call himself a virgin after that incident, Maverick knew one thing for certain. If he and Aria ever crossed that line, he wanted their first time to be something he was actually present for, something special.

More importantly, the thought that Feral might have taken things too far or hurt her while he had no control over his own body made his stomach twist. He would never have forgiven himself.

"Although," Aria added, drawing his attention back to her, "I didn’t see it, but I can’t exactly say I didn’t feel it." Her eyes deliberately lowered to the front of his shorts to emphasize exactly what she meant.

Heat rushed into Maverick’s face so quickly that Aria had to press her lips together to keep herself from laughing. Last night, Feral had teased her without an ounce of shame. Apparently, the wolf had forgotten that eventually he would have to hand the body back to Maverick, and Aria saw no reason why the poor professor shouldn’t inherit the consequences along with it.

"You don’t remember?" Aria questioned.

Maverick’s expression turned almost sheepish as he glanced away from her. "I don’t. Whenever Feral takes over, he decides whether to let me in on the memories afterward or keep them to himself." His gaze returned to the tiny shorts he was wearing before he released a quiet breath. "I’m guessing this is one of those times."

Aria decided to sit up this time, finding herself more comfortable in that position. Having a half-naked Maverick standing in the room with her should have bothered her, but after last night, something had changed. She felt more comfortable around him now, more confident too, although she wasn’t entirely sure when that had happened.

Not to mention there was suddenly this ridiculous need to impress him. Did he like what he saw when he looked at her? Aria knew she wasn’t unattractive. She was tall, had been told more than once that she had a nice ass, and she liked her face well enough.

But compared to someone like Trisha, who had the body of a model and was so insanely hot that even Aria could admit it, there wasn’t anything particularly remarkable about her. She had a pretty face and a slim body. Beyond that, she was still the same weirdo everyone had spent most of her life reminding her she was.

What did Maverick even see in her? What qualifications had the Moon Goddess, or whatever gods wolves worshipped, found in Aria Aspen before deciding she should be mated to someone like him? It still didn’t make sense to her.

And while she was willing to give this thing between them a chance, there was still a small part of her that couldn’t stop wondering how much of Maverick’s interest was truly his. The mate bond had chosen her for him. Feral obviously wanted her. But if there had been no bond and no wolf whispering inside his head that she belonged to them, would Maverick have looked twice at Aria Aspen?

"Yeah, I can see why he’d be mad at you," Aria said. "Feral wasn’t exactly as dangerous as you made him out to be."

"Don’t be conceited," Maverick suddenly said. "Feral is as feral as his name. Why do you think I’m averse to every other woman’s touch?"

Aria immediately perked up. "It’s about that story, isn’t it? The one he wouldn’t tell me. Feral said you wouldn’t like it if he told me and that you’d be the one to tell me the truth."

Maverick stiffened. For one terrible moment, his heart nearly leaped out of his chest because he thought Feral had told her everything. Then her words properly registered, and he realized the wolf had apparently retained some measure of loyalty after all.

Aria was his mate, and a part of Maverick knew she wouldn’t judge him for what had happened. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to tell her yet. What if something changed between them afterward? What if she looked at him differently?

He had spent years dealing with people’s assumptions because he couldn’t stand a woman’s touch, with some regarding him as damaged while others simply thought there was something wrong with him. He could tolerate that from anyone else. But if Aria learned the truth about the abuse and began to see him as tainted, as less of a man because of what had been done to him, Maverick wasn’t sure he could bear it.

Something was wrong. Aria sensed it the moment Maverick’s body went rigid. Whatever had happened to him was far more serious than she initially thought, and judging by the sudden guarded look in his eyes, it wasn’t something he was ready to talk about. So rather than push him, Aria changed the subject.

"I’m willing to give us a chance."

The instant she said it, Maverick’s eyes widened with such disbelief that Aria almost smiled.

"You are?" he asked, as though he couldn’t quite believe he had heard her correctly.

Aria nodded. "You should probably give Feral some credit. He put on quite a convincing show of why turning the two of you down might be a terrible decision."

"Oh, is that so?" Maverick was impressed.

So his wolf had managed to accomplish something more useful than dropping bodies. Then again, Maverick knew better than to mistake Feral’s behavior last night for proof that he had suddenly become harmless. Perhaps that gentleness existed only where Aria was concerned.

"However..." Aria added, and Maverick immediately became wary of the word. "There are still some rules to this, and I want them respected."

"What rules?"

Aria hesitated briefly before answering. "For now, I want us to keep the mate bond a secret."

At the mention of that, the light in Maverick’s eyes dimmed almost immediately.

He should have known there would be a catch.

Only moments ago, she had told him she was willing to give them a chance, and like a fool, he had allowed himself to believe that meant she was finally ready to accept him. Apparently, accepting him privately and being seen with him publicly were two entirely different things.

"You’re ashamed of me?"

"What? No!" Aria’s eyes widened, immediately realizing where his mind had gone.

"That’s not what I mean at all. I don’t want people knowing about the bond yet because I want the two of us to have a chance to figure this out without everyone else getting involved."

She held his gaze, wanting him to understand. "I want to get to know you, Maverick. Not Professor Nightshade, not the Therion Prince, and not the man everyone expects you to be because I’m supposedly your mate. Just you. And I want you to have the chance to know me the same way before the entire academy starts tearing whatever this is apart. You have to believe me."