Chapter 84: What if.....?
"The road to truth often begins where comfort ends."
~ Rebel Beast
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Something was wrong.
Aria felt it before she understood it. Her eyes flew open only to find a shadow looming over her bed.
A scream surged toward her throat, but before it could escape, a large hand covered her mouth while the weight of a body settled over hers, pinning her gently but completely against the mattress.
"Don’t scream."
What did he mean, don’t scream?
Someone had broken into her room in the middle of the night. She should’ve been terrified. She should’ve been fighting. Instead, Aria found herself nodding.
The response shocked her almost as much as the intruder himself. Somewhere beneath the confusion, an impossible sense of familiarity settled over her. Her racing heart gradually slowed instead of speeding up, and rather than panic, an inexplicable feeling of safety wrapped itself around her.
She had officially lost her mind.
"I need to turn on the bedside lamp," the husky voice murmured. "Nod if you’re alright with that."
Once again, she nodded.
The hand slowly lifted from her mouth. A quiet click followed, and warm golden light spilled across the room.
Aria blinked several times, then her eyes widened.
"You..." she gasped.
It was Maverick Nightshade—no, Professor Maverick Nightshade.
Her mind immediately descended into chaos.
What on earth was he doing inside her bedroom?
A thousand questions collided inside her head, yet strangely, fear wasn’t among them. If anything, the strange tension that always surrounded him seemed even stronger now that they were alone.
He was so close.
His head tilted slightly as he looked down at her, strands of his purple hair falling across his forehead. The amber light softened the hard lines of his face without diminishing the intensity in his eyes. Up close, he looked almost unreal, like one of the ancient gods she’d read about in storybooks who wandered into the beds of mortal women under the cover of night.
Aria suddenly became very aware of how difficult it was to breathe. Thankfully, common sense hadn’t abandoned her completely.
"What are you doing here, Professor?" she whispered, her voice still unsteady.
Maverick blinked as though only just remembering where he was.
"I came to apologize."
Aria stared at him.
"In my bed?" One corner of her mouth lifted despite herself. "In the middle of the night?"
For the first time, Maverick seemed to register their position. He was leaning over her, one arm braced beside her head, close enough that she could feel the warmth radiating from his body.
Any reasonable person would’ve moved immediately.
He didn’t.
"I also wanted to make sure you were alright."
The answer sounded strangely sincere, yet it was also the poorest excuse she’d ever heard.
Aria knew it.
Judging by the faint tightening of his jaw, Maverick probably knew it too. Still, neither of them acknowledged it.
Silence settled between them.
It should have been uncomfortable. Instead, it felt strangely peaceful. Aria became aware of the reassuring weight pressing lightly against her and hated herself for realizing she didn’t mind it.
To be honest, she liked it.
The realization was so absurd that Aria immediately blamed it on waking up too suddenly. That had to be it.
Then another scent drifted toward her. Something uniquely... him.
"What perfume do you use, Professor?" she asked before she could stop herself.
Maverick looked genuinely puzzled.
"Perfume?"
Understanding slowly crossed his face, and a smile ghosted across his lips.
"I don’t wear any."
His gaze lingered on her for another heartbeat.
"I was about to ask you the same question."
His voice dropped almost unconsciously.
"You smell..." He drew a slow breath. "...incredible, Aria."
The words settled over her like sunlight.
Without thinking, Maverick leaned closer. It was not enough to touch, but enough to breathe her in. The cool scent of lavender and mint surrounded him once more, and for a dangerous moment, the rest of the world simply disappeared.
A shiver raced down Aria’s spine. Every instinct told her this had gone far beyond anything that should ever happen between a professor and his student.
She should tell him to leave. Instead, she remained exactly where she was, looking into his eyes as though the rest of the academy no longer existed.
Perhaps this was only a dream. That had to be it. Because if it wasn’t, then neither of them had any idea how they were ever going to walk back from this.
Maverick seemed to regain a measure of control because he jerked away with a pained groan, as though he were fighting a battle within himself.
"I’m sorry for kissing you earlier." His voice was rough.
"Oh."
The single word left Aria before she could stop it. To her own surprise, disappointment settled inside her chest.
"I kissed you against your will. Well... not me exactly," Maverick tried to clarify, forcing each word out as if it cost him something. "But my wolf is still a part of me, and whatever he does is still my responsibility."
He took a deep breath.
"The point is, I’m truly sorry. It won’t happen again."
Aria stared at him, trying to make sense of what she was feeling. Her head was reeling.
A strained breath escaped him.
"Goddess help me..."
He finally forced himself off the bed, taking his warmth with him. Only then did Aria realize how comforting his presence had felt.
Maverick turned away, dragging a hand through his hair in frustration.
"I shouldn’t have come here."
He laughed once under his breath, though there wasn’t an ounce of humor in it.
"This was a mistake."
How desperately he wished he could read her mind and know what she was thinking.
Surely, she thought he was some kind of pervert for breaking into her room and standing over her while she slept.
"I’ll leave," Maverick said.
Just as he turned to go, a hand closed gently around his wrist. Maverick stopped and looked back.
Aria was sitting upright now, still holding onto him. For several long seconds, neither of them spoke.
"What if..." She found her voice, only to lose it again halfway through.
Maverick waited.
"What if I wasn’t upset?"
His brows drew together.
"Aria."
"What if I wasn’t angry that you kissed me?"