Chapter 83: [Golden Ticket Bonus - ] Stalker
"The night belongs to whoever isn’t afraid to claim it."
~ Rebel Beast
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"Where are you going now?" Dimitri asked as Maverick reached for his boots.
"Patrolling the academy."
Maverick slipped them on.
"We’ll finish this conversation later."
"Or do you mean you’re going to stalk your mate?" Dimitri asked with a knowing look.
Maverick slowed as he headed toward the door.
"For someone determined to avoid her," Dimitri continued, "you certainly seem intent on remaining within walking distance."
Maverick looked back over his shoulder.
"I’m making sure the academy remains secure. I wouldn’t be stupid enough to think Rhydian and Caelis don’t have a trick up their sleeves."
But the look on Dimitri’s face made it abundantly clear he didn’t believe a word Maverick had just said.
Maverick held his gaze for another second before opening the door. Whether Dimitri believed him or not no longer mattered.
At least, that was what he told himself.
Because regardless of the excuse he chose to hide behind, there was only one place his feet intended to take him.
Aria was downstairs, and until he convinced himself she was truly safe, sleep wasn’t an option here.
Maverick closed the door behind him and stepped into the corridor outside his suite.
His quarters occupied the fifth floor of House Therion, reserved for alphas and beasts at the top of the House’s hierarchy.
He walked toward the elevator without hurry, and moments later, the doors slid open on the second floor.
The corridors remained surprisingly lively despite the late hour. Groups of students wandered between rooms, some returning from runs and training while others chatted outside their doors before curfew finally drove them indoors.
No one paid Maverick much attention. The Alpha professor’s presence at odd hours had long stopped surprising anyone. His footsteps slowed as he approached the suite assigned to Aria and the others.
Two members of House Therion’s patrol stood outside, quietly conversing until they noticed him.
Both immediately straightened.
"Alpha Maverick."
He acknowledged them with a nod, his gaze briefly lingering on the door behind them.
Dimitri.
Of course he’d actually assigned guards.
The realization should have eased the lingering knot inside Maverick’s chest. Instead, it only loosened it slightly.
"Everything good?" he asked.
"One attempted prank from a few rat shifters earlier," one of them answered, his brows arching when he saw the way Maverick’s expression suddenly darkened.
He quickly added, "Beta Dimitri handled it personally. Nothing since."
"Good."
Maverick barely kept his composure. Without another word, he turned and walked away before he summoned every rat shifter involved and dealt them a punishment of his own.
He took the stairs this time, descending to the ground floor before stepping outside into the cool night air.
Bestiaris never truly slept. Patrol teams crossed the courtyards at regular intervals, exchanging greetings whenever they passed one another.
"Alpha."
"Alpha Maverick."
He returned each greeting with little more than a nod. Just as before, no one questioned why he was there. He had always patrolled the academy from time to time, especially during the first weeks of a new term.
Tonight appeared no different. At least to everyone else.
If only they knew.
Maverick slowly circled the perimeter surrounding House Therion, his sharp eyes sweeping across every rooftop, pathway, and shadow.
There were no dragons, no serpents, and nothing remotely suspicious. The grounds were exactly as they should be.
Maverick should have been comforted.
Instead, his thoughts drifted back upstairs.
To the second floor.
Aria.
He stopped walking.
The balcony connected directly to her room, and it wouldn’t be difficult to scale it.
His hand unconsciously slipped into his pocket where the master key rested against his palm.
He had the key to every room in House Therion.
Maverick closed his fingers around the cool metal.
No. Absolutely not. That crossed every line.
Aria deserved privacy, trust, and respect.
Slowly, he released the key.
Then another thought quietly found its way into his mind.
He wasn’t going there because he wanted to see her. He only wanted to make sure she was comfortable and confirm she truly felt safe. That was all.
The justification sounded reasonable enough that even Feral fell suspiciously silent.
Maverick looked around the courtyard.
Left.
Right.
Then above.
No one appeared to be watching.
The next moment, his knees bent, and he disappeared from the ground in a single powerful leap.
The first-floor balcony came into reach.
Maverick caught the edge of the balcony floor instead of the railing, his fingers locking around the concrete lip. With a single pull, he lifted himself onto the balcony before immediately setting his sights on the level above.
A second leap carried him high enough to seize the underside of the next balcony. His body moved with the ease of someone whose strength far exceeded that of an ordinary man, and moments later, he pulled himself onto the second-floor balcony in complete silence.
Finally.
Maverick glanced down into the courtyard below, making certain none of the patrol teams had witnessed his ascent. Not that he owed anyone an explanation. Still, if rumors started spreading that Professor Maverick Nightshade had been sneaking into a female student’s quarters in the middle of the night, the damage would fall far more heavily on Aria than on him.
Satisfied that the courtyard remained empty, he turned his attention to the room beyond the glass doors. His hearing stretched through the suite, picking apart every sound within.
There was nothing. No footsteps, whispered conversation, or restless movement beneath the sheets. Only the slow, steady rhythm of four sleeping hearts.
His gaze settled on the balcony door. It was locked. A faint sense of satisfaction stirred within him. She’d remembered to secure it before going to bed.
Good girl.
The possessive approval that immediately rumbled through Feral made Maverick’s jaw tighten.
No.
He forced the wolf deeper into the recesses of his mind. If he was doing this, it would be on his terms, not Feral’s.
His hand slipped into his pocket and closed around the master key. Then he stopped.
Dimitri had been right.
He’d insisted he wasn’t going to stalk Aria, yet somehow he’d ended up standing outside her balcony in the dead of night with a key in his hand.
Maverick stared at the lock for a long moment. He should leave, but unfortunately, he had already crossed too many lines to pretend this was still a good idea.
Slowly, he slid the key into the lock, and the mechanism turned with a soft click. Maverick went completely still.
What if Aria opened her eyes and found her professor standing inside her room in the middle of the night? How exactly was he supposed to explain that?
He waited. The rhythm of breathing inside the room never changed. Only then did Maverick carefully press down the handle and ease the balcony door open, wincing inwardly at the faint creak of the hinges.
When no one stirred, he slipped inside and quietly closed the door behind him.