Chapter 56: She’s Into You
Chapter 56: She’s Into You
"The wolf didn’t fear touching her. It feared never wanting to let go."
~ Rebel Beast
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Maverick stationed himself in the hallway instead of waiting inside the common room. It was the closest point to the staircase leading to the girls’ rooms while still keeping a comfortable distance from Charlotte.
While Karen retreated to her room to continue her tantrum, the other girl remained frozen where he’d left her. Maverick wasn’t in the mood to look her.
The last thing he needed was another reminder of how close he’d come to losing control. Better to stand out here than look at Charlotte again and feel the temptation to finish what he’d started.
Unfortunately, there was one small detail he’d overlooked in his grand plan to relocate fourteen human girls. Girls took forever to pack.
Not that he minded waiting.
He certainly wasn’t staring toward Aria Aspen’s closed bedroom door every few seconds. Nor was he paying attention to the muffled voices drifting through the hallway. It was not his fault wolves had excellent hearing.
And yes, they were talking about him.
That wasn’t exactly unusual. People had been talking about him for years. Students and professors gossiped. Even strangers who’d never met him somehow found things to say.
So why, in the name of the Goddess, was he suddenly interested in listening to a bunch of human girls doing the exact same thing?
"Okay, are we all just going to pretend nothing happened downstairs?" Brittney’s unmistakable voice rang out from behind the door. "Because Maverick Nightshade is ridiculously hot, and I’m not even talking about his face this time. Girl, if a man defended me like that, I’d happily dedicate my life to him."
Maverick rubbed the back of his neck. Well, that was unexpectedly flattering. Nonetheless, his attention lingered, and it wasn’t because of Brittney. He was waiting for another voice.
One in particular.
"I admire his morals," another girl said thoughtfully. "But don’t you think he’s a little intense?"
Maverick immediately recognized Alek, the smart one. His brows furrowed. Intense? How exactly was he intense? Compared to the rest of the beasts, he considered himself remarkably restrained.
As though sensing his silent objection, Alek continued.
"I don’t know. It’s just a feeling. The way he looks at Aria..." She hesitated. "I swear half the time he seems like he wants to protect her, and the other half he looks like he wants to eat her alive."
Maverick slowly dragged a hand down his face before letting out a quiet groan.
Wonderful. This was entirely Feral’s fault.
Had his wolf not chosen the worst possible moment to rear its head, none of this would’ve happened in the first place.
His gaze drifted back toward Aria’s bedroom door and found himself waiting for her voice. To hear what she thought of him. Did she agree with Alek? Did she think he frightened her?
The answers shouldn’t have mattered, yet somehow, they did.
Maverick let out another quiet groan.
Goddess above. How was it possible to become this fascinated by a girl he’d only met yesterday?
"I’d say he’s giving intentional man!" Brittney squealed with the excitement girls had whenever they thought they’d uncovered something scandalous.
"He knows exactly what he wants and isn’t afraid to go after it. Geez, Alek, the man has a smoldering gaze hot enough to melt a girl’s panties. Maybe that’s what confused you."
Against his better judgment, the corner of Maverick’s mouth twitched. Brittney Thorne had just earned herself a place in his good books.
Unfortunately, her words weren’t the ones he was waiting for. There was still one voice he hadn’t heard.
"I think we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves," Trisha said this time. "The last thing we should do is pressure Aria, especially when she might not even feel whatever this strange tension between her and the professor is."
Interesting.
Maverick’s expression remained unchanged, but inwardly, that single sentence caught his attention.
So she felt it too, that pull between them. Then why hadn’t Aria said anything?
For the first time since leaving the common room, an uncomfortable feeling settled in his chest. What if she’d hated the entire encounter? What if Feral had frightened her more than he’d realized?
That would be... rather unfortunate.
At last, Aria spoke.
"Let’s just pack our things. I’m sure we’ve already wasted enough of the professor’s time."
Silence followed. Maverick’s ears perked up even further. That wasn’t what he’d been waiting to hear.
Oddly enough, he didn’t mind them wasting his time, even though he had a bazillion things waiting for him. Only the Goddess knew whether those uncultured beasts had torn the academy apart in his absence. Yet, right now, he’d rather stand in that hallway for another hour if it meant hearing what Aria Aspen truly thought of him.
Instead, she’d neatly avoided the subject altogether. It was only then Maverick realized that being unable to read Aria’s mind was both the most frustrating and strangely exhilarating challenge he’d ever encountered.
"Having fun eavesdropping on the girls?"
Maverick’s eyes opened immediately. He didn’t startle like a man who’d just been caught doing something embarrassing. Instead, he calmly turned his head toward his uncle before pushing himself off the wall he’d been leaning against.
"It wasn’t intentional," he said.
"Mmm-hmm." Dimitri’s expression made it abundantly clear he didn’t believe a single word of that.
"It was simply an interesting conversation." He claimed.
"I never took you for a narcissist." Dimitri told him. "Standing outside listening to people gossip about you. Should I be worried?"
Maverick let out a wary smile. "This really isn’t the time, Uncle."
Apparently, Dimitri disagreed. He wandered over until he was leaning against the same wall beside Maverick, perfectly invading his nephew’s personal space without the slightest hint of shame.
"If you’re trying to figure out whether the girl likes you," Dimitri said casually, "the answer is yes."
Maverick frowned.
"I may have accidentally overheard the conversation myself."
"Accidentally?"
"I have wolf ears too."
That was actually fair?
"Aria Aspen is very attracted to you," Dimitri continued. "Frankly, I don’t know what you’re so worried about."
Maverick’s concern wasn’t that Dimitri had overheard the girls. It was the fact his uncle somehow knew exactly which girl he cared about.
Dimitri caught the realization almost immediately and rolled his eyes.
"Oh, please. You honestly think you’re subtle with the way you’ve been looking at that girl like a dog salivating over a bone?" He gave Maverick a sideways glance. "It’s completely unlike you."
Maverick leaned back against the wall once more.
"...Yeah."
The word left him almost absentmindedly.
"It is unlike me."
Silence settled comfortably between them as Maverick allowed himself to think about his wolf, instincts and the overwhelming urge to keep Aria close. None of it made sense.
After several moments, he finally spoke.
"Uncle..."
Dimitri looked at him.
"Do you still remember how my parents knew they were mates?"