Chapter 90: My Wolf Is A Murderer
"The hardest part of loving someone is believing they’ll still choose you after they know the truth."
~ Rebel Beast
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Maverick Nightshade stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking House Therion, his hands clasped behind his back as he stared into the distance, lost in thought.
"You are unfashionably late again, Alpha Maverick. I don’t suppose this is going to become a habit?" Dimitri remarked as he stepped into the room. A knowing smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Then again, I imagine sneaking off to visit your mate in the middle of the night must have quite the relaxing effect on—"
He stopped short because Maverick had turned to face him.
A scowl darkened his features, and as his fingers flexed at his sides, the fading bruises across his knuckles suggested they had recently borne the brunt of his temper.
"You don’t look relaxed at all," Dimitri finished, studying him more carefully. "What happened this time?"
Maverick’s expression hardened even further.
"Feral is taking advantage of the mate bond," he said flatly. "He invaded Aria’s dream."
Dimitri stiffened at once.
Expecting the worst, he asked, "What did he do to her? Did he hurt her?"
"He didn’t hurt her," Maverick answered through gritted teeth. "At least... not in a way she didn’t want."
Dimitri’s brows drew together.
His mind immediately leaped to an unpleasant conclusion, but he wisely kept it to himself. The last thing he needed was to provoke his hot-headed nephew any further.
"So," he said cautiously, "what did he do?"
Maverick held his gaze.
"It was an erotic dream, Uncle."
"Oh."
Dimitri slipped a hand into his pocket, doing his best to sound surprised. Truthfully, who was he kidding? He had suspected something like this the moment Maverick mentioned the dream.
Maverick continued, his voice rough with mounting frustration.
"By the time I woke up, that damned animal was still in my head." He jabbed a finger against his temple. "He’s taunting me. Playing games with me. He enjoys every second of this. He wants me to lose control. He wants me to stop fighting him and hand him the reins."
"Maybe... handing him the reins wouldn’t be the worst idea," Dimitri ventured carefully. Even as the words left his mouth, the uncertainty in his expression betrayed how dangerous he knew that suggestion was.
Sure enough, Maverick’s face darkened like an approaching storm.
"Are you kidding me?" Maverick stared at him in disbelief. "If I let Feral take the reins, he’ll have me balls-deep inside Aria before the night’s over!"
"Then tell her the truth, Maverick, or I swear to the Goddess, I’ll do it myself and let this whole mess be over. Consequences be damned!"
"Sure, go ahead. Tell her my wolf is a murderer!" Maverick snapped, his eyes blazing as the veins in his forehead stood out with the force of his outburst.
Just like that, a heavy silence settled between the two men.
Dimitri let out a weary sigh, pity flickering across his face.
"Maverick, you know that wasn’t your fault. You were only a child. That bitch got exactly what she deserved."
"And I ended up transitioning with a powerful wolf I can’t control because of it," Maverick shot back bitterly. "A wolf I can’t even trust around my own mate."
"We don’t know that," Dimitri countered. "So far, Feral’s reaction to Aria hasn’t been violent. If anything, it seems to be the possessive instinct every wolf has toward their mate and the overwhelming need to claim their other half."
He met Maverick’s gaze, his expression turning solemn.
"You can’t keep fighting this forever, Maverick. That’s not a battle you’re going to win."
"I just need time!" Maverick’s voice rose once more. "Why can’t he understand that? She’s human. I’m a beast. She doesn’t understand our world. Aria needs time to understand the bond... to accept it. Otherwise, she might reject me before we’ve even had a chance."
"Then tell Feral," Dimitri suggested. "Talk to him. One on one. Like Asher always says, there has to be balance. You and Feral need to come to an understanding."
"Easier said than done," Maverick scoffed, dragging a hand through his hair. "The next time he tries to take over, you’ll be the one trying to stop me."
"In that case, I’ve done everything I can for you, Maverick. The rest of this battle is yours." Dimitri’s voice softened. "But if push comes to shove, I’ll do whatever it takes to save you even if that means telling Aria the truth or calling your father for help."
The two men held each other’s gaze for a long moment before Maverick was the first to look away.
"It won’t come to that," he said quietly.
Dimitri nodded, though the worry never left his eyes.
"Let’s hope not."
An uneasy silence settled over the room once more until Dimitri finally broke it.
"Well, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, what do we do with the girls? You can’t rescue them from their little human dormitory prison only to lock them away in a gilded cage. Which is where my brilliant idea comes in."
Just like that, Dimitri was back to his usual cheerful self.
"I was thinking the girls could eat at the dining hall—"
At the mention of the dining hall, Maverick’s eyes narrowed. Before he could object, however, Dimitri was already one step ahead.
"I know exactly what you’re going to say. They could be attacked. But most of the students are already in class by now."
"Most students," Maverick corrected.
"The girls need to be introduced to the academy. They need to become familiar with their surroundings before classes begin... whenever you’ve decided that’s going to be."
"Monday," Maverick replied. "I want them to officially resume on Monday. The same goes for the other houses the remaining human girls ended up in. Let the beasts play the rest of their games until then, but come Monday, all of that ends."
He continued, "And you won’t be the one showing them around. I need you here, Dimitri. There are mountains of paperwork and emails waiting because of this damned program, not to mention everything that’s come in from back home."
"Is that so?" Dimitri replied, though there was something oddly deflated about his tone.
Maverick didn’t seem to notice.
"Have Valerie and Variant do it. They’re both sociable enough to make the girls feel welcome. Just make sure they have adequate security. I don’t know what game Rhydian is playing, but it’s Caelis who concerns me the most. Make sure they don’t take their eyes off Aria."
"Of course," Dimitri agreed. "In that case, I think I should meet with Valerie and Variant first to explain just how important this assignment is. At the same time, I should be the one to introduce them to the girls. They already trust me, and they’ll be far more willing to open up to Valerie and Variant if I’m the one making the introduction."
Maverick regarded him thoughtfully.
"Hmm... okay." A slight frown tugged at his brow. He couldn’t quite explain it, but something about his uncle’s sudden enthusiasm felt suspicious.
"Good." Dimitri grinned, looking far too pleased with himself. "Then I’d better get going. I’ll be back."
He had barely taken a few steps toward the door when Maverick called after him.
"Dimitri!"
Dimitri stopped and turned back with a raised brow.
"Something wrong?"
Maverick didn’t answer immediately. His eyes slowly traveled from Dimitri’s shoes to his face before settling on his hair.
"Did you jerry curl your hair?"
Dimitri instinctively reached up, his fingers brushing through the loose curls that now fell over his forehead.
"Oh, this?" He smiled as though it were the most natural thing in the world. "I thought I’d change things up a little. The humans already saw me yesterday with one hairstyle. I can’t have them thinking I’m the beta who only knows one look." He nodded toward Maverick. "That title already belongs to you." He ended with an awkward laugh.
Maverick only stared at him.
The silence stretched just long enough for Dimitri to realize his explanation had done absolutely nothing to clear the confusion written all over Maverick’s face.
"Well..." Dimitri pointed a thumb toward the door. "I’d better get going."
Before Maverick could stop him, Dimitri slipped out of the room and shut the door behind him. Left alone, Maverick continued staring at the door for several long seconds.
What in the Goddess’s name had just happened?
Then Dimitri’s words echoed back to him.
The one hairstyle...
His gaze slowly drifted toward the mirror across the room.
Maverick walked over to it and studied his reflection. His hair had always been swept neatly to one side like his father’s. He had never given it much thought before.
Almost absently, he slid a hand through it, pushing it back from his forehead.
Would a slick back suit him better?
No...
Maybe a messy pompadour.
Or perhaps a fade...
His brows drew together as he tilted his head from one angle to another.
What would Aria like?
The thought hit him like a bucket of cold water.
Maverick Nightshade froze. Then he shut his eyes and let out a slow, defeated sigh.
He was finished. Completely and utterly finished.