Chapter 53
“The strongest wolves don’t win by force alone. They win because no one realizes they’re hunting until it’s too late p>
~ Rebel Beast
For a long moment, an awkward silence descended between them. Aria hurried back to Brittney’s side without daring to look behind her.
“Are you okay?” Brittney asked as soon as Aria moved to stand beside them.
“I’m fine,” Aria answered a little too quickly, rubbing her hands up and down her arms in a futile attempt to chase away the lingering warmth clinging to her skin.
Brittney, Alek and Trisha exchanged puzzled glances. That wasn’t the reaction they’d expected.
For once, the talkative Brittney resisted the temptation to tease her. Whatever had just happened between Aria and Professor Nightshade had clearly shaken her far more than any of them had anticipated.
So none of them pressed her, choosing instead to give her a moment to gather herself.
Aria welcomed the silence. She needed it.
Her breathing had steadied, yet she could still feel the phantom weight of Maverick’s hands against her face. Worse still, every now and then the scent of dark roast coffee and vanilla seemed to drift through her memory all over again, making her stomach twist into unfamiliar knots.
A deep frown settled between Aria’s brows as her gaze drifted back to Professor Maverick Nightshade. Something about that man wasn’t normal. He unsettled her in ways she couldn’t begin to explain.
Maverick’s expression had returned to its usual unreadable mask, but the slight tightening of his jaw suggested his thoughts were elsewhere. He flexed his fingers, almost as though trying to rid himself of the memory of her soft skin lingering against his palms.
Then he looked up and found his next target with unnerving precision.
“Next on the list, Karen Donovan,” he said, his voice once again calm and professional.
Karen nearly jumped out of her skin as the color drained from her face.
“What about Aria, Professor?” Charlotte asked urgently. “What did you see in her memories? Was she right or was she mistaken p>
Maverick slowly turned his head toward her.
“Why?” His voice remained deceptively calm. “So you can all adjust your thoughts before it’s your turn p>
Charlotte’s eyes widened.
“N-No, that’s not what I meant p>
Around her, the confidence she’d borrowed from the other girls began to crack. One by one, uncertain glances were exchanged.
Maverick ignored her and shifted his attention to Karen Donovan. Unlike Aria Aspen, Karen’s mind was complete chaos.
Fear had stripped away every barrier she’d unknowingly built, allowing fragments of her thoughts to brush loudly against his consciousness without him making the slightest effort to reach for them.
Can people really control what they think?
No think about something else. Anything else.
What if he already saw it?
Stay calm, Karen. Stay calm.
A low chuckle escaped Maverick. The sound alone made Karen’s blood run cold.
“Go ahead,” he said, folding his arms across his chest. “Manipulate your thoughts p>
Karen’s breathing hitched.
“Yes, I know exactly what you’re trying to do p>
Cold sweat gathered across her forehead. How had things escalated this far?
Charlotte made a desperate move.
“Professor p>
Maverick didn’t even spare her a glance.
“You’ve spoken enough p>
He lazily flicked two fingers, and a thin ribbon of ice wrapped itself around Charlotte’s mouth, sealing it shut. Her eyes widened in horror as muffled protests became the only sounds she could make.
The room fell deathly silent. Only then did Maverick continue the interrogation, his eyes fixed on Karen with terrifying patience.
“Now, answer my question p>
He took one deliberate step toward her.
“Did you p>
Another step.
He stopped directly in front of her.
Karen tried to hold her ground, but the pressure finally became too much. Her composure cracked.
“What was I supposed to do?” she cried, her voice rising into near hysteria. “There was chaos everywhere! We were all trying to survive! Philippa stumbled in front of me and… and I just reacted p>
She shook her head frantically, tears spilling freely now.
“I didn’t mean for any of this to happen! The both of us could’ve died, but I survived. Shouldn’t that count for something p>
As though sensing the room slipping away from her, she hurried to defend herself again.
“It only lasted a second! I didn’t kill Philippa! The claws did! You’re all making it sound like I murdered her p>
“That selfish bitch! This time I’m actually knocking her teeth out p>
Brittney lunged forward without another thought, but Alek and Trisha caught her by both arms before she could reach Karen.
“Let me go p>
“No p>
“She deserves it p>
Karen continued crying, but the tears had long since lost whatever sympathy they might’ve earned.
Maverick remained completely unmoved.
He’d seen enough minds to recognize the difference between remorse and self-preservation. Karen wasn’t mourning Philippa. She was mourning herself.
His voice was cold. “Even beasts know better than to abandon one of their own on the battlefield p>
The words echoed heavily through the room. Disgust flickered openly across his face. As a wolf shifter, protecting their pack wasn’t what they were taught, they were born with it.
“You’re all frightened girls trapped in a place determined to kill you, yet instead of standing together, you chose to sacrifice one of your own for another heartbeat of survival.” Maverick just couldn’t understand it.
Karen collapsed to her knees.
“I’m sorry!” she sobbed. “I didn’t mean to! Everything happened so fast! I panicked p>
Unlike several of the girls, whose expressions had begun to soften beneath the tears, Aria wasn’t moved in the slightest. She saw the performance for exactly what it was.
“Whether I like it or not, every one of you remains my responsibility while you stay at this academy.” Maverick announced to them, holding their gazes.
“That responsibility includes protecting you from beasts and from each other. That is why His expression hardened. “I will not tolerate this again p>
Maverick paused just long enough to leave the girls in tension.
“Karen Donovan will be punished p>