Defy The Alpha(s) 2: Rebel Beast

By the time Dimitri returned to Maverick’s quarters, he found him drinking. Except instead of drowning himself in alcohol like any reasonable person would after having a love confession go that spectacularly wrong, Maverick was sitting in the living room, drinking tea.

That was one thing about the Nightshade Dimitri had never been able to understand. He knew why Maverick didn’t drink. Alcohol muddled the senses, weakened control, and made people do things they would never consider under normal circumstances.

But sometimes Dimitri wondered if that wasn’t exactly the point. Maverick had inherited his father’s obsession with discipline and carried it into nearly every aspect of his life, always composed, always controlled, always determined to remain several steps ahead of everyone around him.

Dimitri wondered if Maverick realized how stifling that had to be. If your heart got broken, you were supposed to drink too much, curse fate, make a few terrible decisions, and wake up the next morning regretting at least half of them. There was practically an unspoken rule about these things.

But Maverick Nightshade, apparently, hadn’t gotten the memo.

"What happened?" Dimitri asked, even though he already had a pretty good idea of how spectacularly downhill everything had gone.

"Disastrous," Maverick answered in a voice as calm as still water. "She probably hates my ass and never wants to see my face again."

"She’s only scared," Dimitri corrected him.

"My mate doesn’t want to be with me, Uncle." Maverick’s voice rose just enough to betray the frustration beneath all that carefully maintained poise. His eyes met Dimitri’s, and he paused, visibly reining himself in before his emotions could get the better of him.

Dimitri studied him for a second before walking over to the sofa and sitting adjacent to him. There was little point telling Maverick not to take Aria’s reaction personally when the entire concept of a mate made rejection about as personal as it could possibly get.

"So what’s your next plan?"

"I had the brilliant idea of kidnapping her somewhere private and letting the mating fever hit us both until she couldn’t deny the bond anymore," Maverick told him.

"Taking a Chapter out of your father’s notebook, eh?" Dimitri teased.

Everyone who knew Asher Nightshade knew the stories. The man had fallen for Violet at first sight and proceeded to do everything within his power, including several things no sane person would recommend, to make her his. If Maverick intended to follow his biological father’s example, Aria was in for one hell of a courtship.

"Except that would be stupid." Maverick took another sip of his tea, apparently recognizing the rather significant flaw in his brilliant plan. "If she panicked because she felt trapped, kidnapping her would only prove every fear she has about this bond."

"Exactly. Aria isn’t your mother, Violet. She comes from a broken home—"

"And isn’t receptive to anything that threatens her independence," Maverick finished for him. There was a trace of sarcasm in his voice when he added, "You don’t think I looked into my own mate?"

Dimitri lifted both hands in surrender. He might have taken it upon himself to help these two idiots get together, but he had no intention of becoming collateral damage in their love war.

"Okay. In that case, you’ve got it all handled, then."

"I’ll seduce her."

Dimitri’s eyes shot up. "Eh?"

"She’s not afraid of intimacy," Maverick explained, setting his cup aside. "She’s afraid of what comes after it. She can kiss me, want me, even allow herself to enjoy being with me, as long as she believes she can walk away afterward. The moment I told her the bond was forever, she panicked."

There was a tic in his jaw. "My mate grew up watching the people who were supposed to love her fail her. She doesn’t know the identity of her father, and her mother dates deadbeat men, further traumatizing her. Now I’m promising her forever as if the word is supposed to comfort her. She doesn’t understand what forever means to a mate because she’s never had any reason to trust it."

A determined glint entered Maverick’s eyes. "I wanted to court her the human way because I thought giving her time would make this easier, but that’s where I went wrong because the mate bond isn’t mundane. So I’m done hiding it from her. I’ll give her all the freedom she needs to choose me, but I’m going to make damn sure she understands exactly what she’s choosing between."

A slow confidence settled over his features. "I’ll tear down those walls one by one, and by the time I’m done, forever won’t be the thing she’s running from. It’ll be the thing she wants."

While Maverick was speaking, Dimitri had somehow become distracted imagining inspirational music swelling dramatically in the background. Maverick certainly had the expression for it, sitting there delivering his grand declaration with the conviction of some legendary hero preparing to ride into battle.

Dimitri became so entertained by the image that he completely missed the moment Maverick stopped talking and continued staring at him like a moron.

"What do you think of it?" Maverick asked.

"Huh?" Dimitri blinked.

Realizing he’d been caught not listening, he grabbed the first relevant thought that came to mind. "And what about the dragon?"

Just like that, Maverick’s eyes darkened.

"Rhydian Drakhar is probably fooling around. There isn’t a single documented case of a dragon mating with a human."

"Well..." Dimitri began carefully. "It’s technically only been twenty years since the barriers fell, and considering how little interaction there has been between dragons and humans, it’s not surprising there isn’t enough research to know whether—" He trailed off when he noticed the murderous look steadily forming in Maverick’s eyes.

Dimitri immediately changed course. "But of course, it could also be another tactic by Rhydian to mess around with Aria. With those damn parrots in his service, he must have sensed that you feel something for Aria, so this could be his way of getting back at you."

From the way Maverick’s eyes narrowed, it was obvious he was actually considering that angle. Dimitri caught the reaction and immediately became impressed with his own deduction. "Goddess, I’m brilliant." He clapped for himself.

"Good thing I’ll be teaching the bastard a lesson tomorrow night," Maverick said, rising to his feet.

Without another word, he carried his cup into the kitchen, washed it, and returned to the living room while Dimitri waited. Whatever amusement had been on Maverick’s face earlier was gone by the time he came back.

"I need suppressor shots."

Dimitri stiffened immediately. He looked Maverick dead in the eye. "What for?"

"Feral will go after Aria tonight," Maverick said. "I can’t let that happen. She needs time and space for today, and Feral isn’t going to understand that."

"Only tonight, right?" Dimitri asked, his tone becoming serious because they both knew the consequences of using that stuff.

Suppressor shots restricted wolves from surfacing or taking control of their human counterparts. They were primarily used on rabid or dangerously unstable wolves that couldn’t be controlled through ordinary means, but prolonged use was toxic to the wolf itself, which was why access to them was strictly monitored.

Maverick had already been given more than enough doses as a child when his family struggled to control Feral, and Dimitri wasn’t about to stand by and watch him start self-medicating again.

"Just tonight," Maverick assured him, his expression hardening with determination. "Come tomorrow, I’m going after my mate."

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