Chapter Six
Talon Maverick She bowed gently, and moved to the only open chair, near the front. Of course. Of all the places to sit, it had to be where I'd see her every time I looked up. Where I couldn't avoid her. My chest tightened as she took her seat, flipping open her notebook like she had been here all along. I noticed how her lips parted slightly, as though she wanted to say something but didn't. Her presence was a reminder of the moments I let go, of the moment I lost my discipline. I just hoped I was seeing wrong. There was no way I buried my head between the legs of someone who was supposed to be my student? A lower ranked wolf. This wasn’t just going against the soothsayer’s instruction, but also against my rules. I had sworn not to ever get involved with any student, or anyone who could be lower ranked. But no matter how hard I tried to convince myself that I had made a mistake, I couldn’t deny the tingling of my breath and the sparkles that flies through my body when she looked into my eyes and pressed her lips together, reminding me of how she took my cock between those sexy lips of hers. I swore under my breath. My cock was beginning to twitch just by the thought of that. Why was this happening to me? I had never felt this way before. To me, women were just an object for sexual satisfaction, but something about this irresistible muse was driving me to the edge. I took in a deep breath, forcing my eyes away from her, trying to regain focus. I couldn’t afford to be distracted by her… a mere student, when there were other ladies out there willing to please me. But it was too late. It would have been better if I never had a taste of her juicy folds. Those wet and slick, folds that clenched around my tongue. Heck! Just one taste, and I already got addicted with the thought of her. What had she done to me? This wasn’t me! The image of her, from minutes ago, flashed in my mind again, clear and vivid, as though it was happening again. The feel of her lips, the way her tongue wrapped around me, the way she moaned beautifully, music to my ears. I gripped the podium, struggling to keep my composure. I had vowed never to touch any of the girls here. They were beneath me, not worth the trouble, not part of the big world I belong in. They were young, naive, unaware of what it meant to cross paths with someone like me. And yet...this one... something about her was different. The way she walked, the way she smells, the way she carried herself -like she knew exactly what kind of effect she had on me. No woman had ever made me feel this way. She was a no go area, but my urgent need for her was undeniable. I could feel the heat rising in my chest, spreading down lower, igniting something primal inside me. My gaze flickered back to her as she shifted in her seat, and her boobs bounced. I knew I shouldn't be looking at her like that. She was off-limits, a part of this world I was only meant to observe from a distance. But the memory of her from minutes ago-the way her mouth had taken me in, the way her pussy clenched around my fingers, the feel of her fingers digging into my skin-it all came rushing back, fueling my hunger for her. My cock stirred in my pants, and I cursed inwardly. I was in the middle of a damn lecture, and here I was, thinking about her in ways I shouldn't. “She is a student, for fuck's sake, Talon! Get a grip of yourself!” I whispered to myself. But that didn't stop the surge of desire that hit me like a wave, strong and relentless. Fuck! This girl was making me lose every control I had over myself and my always horny wolf. I wanted her, I wanted to have her again, against every single rule I had. I watched her, trying to figure out what was happening. Did she know? Did she remember me the way I remembered her? Was she as haunted by the few minutes we just spent together as I was? But she sat there, eyes focused on her books, flipping through pages, completely unaware of the storm raging in my head. How could she sit there so calm, so innocent, when I was going completely insane with the memory of her? The way she had moaned, the way her lips felt against the skin around my cock, the way she… I clenched my jaw again, my grip tightening on the podium, forcing the thoughts away. I had to stay in control. I had to. But the problem was, I couldn't. Not with her so close. Not with the constant reminder that I had already broken the one rule I swore I'd never cross, and there’d be no harm in going further. I shook my head, as though shaking the thoughts off, and resumed to the lecture. Even with that, I lost concentration. I was just speaking, but wasn’t sure of what I was saying. I found myself slipping, just as before. My focus kept shifting back to her, back to the way she had felt beneath me. Her scent, her voice, her body. Damn it! This wasn't supposed to happen. She wasn't supposed to be in my world, in my life, not this way. But here she was. And the worst part? I wanted her again. I ended the lesson just minutes later, and the students whined… it was the shortest lecture I had ever taken, but I needed to go away, so I could find back my balance. I dismissed the class, and immediately rushed out. Usually, the students would ask me questions, but I was in no mood for that. As soon as I entered my office, I slammed the door behind me and rushed to my table leaning against it, trying to steady myself. My mind was racing, still filled with thoughts of her. What the hell was wrong with me? “What the hell is wrong with you, Alpha Talon Maverick Ashford? She’s a fucking student!” I yelled at myself, but it made no difference. I had never let anything like this get under my skin before, and yet here I was, on edge, losing control. Control was supposed to be mine, not hers. I needed to focus. I needed to remember why I was here. This wasn't just some meaningless assignment; it was about protecting my kingdom. Finding the threat before it tore everything I had built apart. I had no time to get distracted, especially by a student who just joined this school from heaven knows where. Just as I tried to pull myself together, there was a knock at the door. My heart skipped a beat, and I already knew who it was before it came open. Thalina stood there, a small smile on her lips as she stepped inside without waiting for an invitation. I rushed to the door, looked to the sides, before I closed it and locked it immediately. Being with her this way wasn't just forbidden; it was a mistake that could cost me more than just my reputation. It could ruin everything. No one should see us like this. “You shouldn’t be here.” I growled, trying to send her away, but it didn’t seem to be working. I stepped closer. "What happened between us… it never happened. Do you understand?" | said, my tone more ruthless than I intended. But I needed to make it clear. She had to know the boundaries. Though I wanted her, I couldn’t sabotage my own success with this. “You need to leave, and forget everything that happened.” A naughty smile curled up her lips and she stared down at me, right at my groin, and my fucking cock didn’t stop stirring hard in my pant. She looked into my eyes. “I’m sure you don’t want me to leave. If so…” she closed the gap between us, her hand finding it’s way to my chest, and God! The effect of her hands on me alone made me was to pin her down and fuck the shit out of her. “You wouldn’t close the door and lock us in… I’m sure you want me.” Fucking hell! I was losing it.Chapter Seventy Thalina He had to be joking. This had to be a terrible joke. There was no way Fenris had already found the Alpha King. No way he had figured out that Professor Maverick was the Alpha King. I shook my head, struggling to believe it. “You’re joking, right?” “No, Lina,” he said, his eyes lighting up with a victorious smile. “We finally found the Alpha King. We can finish this mission and go back home—back to where we belong.” He grabbed my shoulders, grinning from ear to ear, but there was nothing amusing about what he’d just said. He found the Alpha King? He found Professor Maverick? What was he going to do now? Run to Father? Set another trap to use him? No. I couldn’t let that happen. There was no way I’d just stand by and let them hurt him. I had to protect him. I had to stand by him, even if it would be the last thing I’d ever do. Finish the mission and go home. That’s what Fenris said. But the truth was—I had never belonged there. Home had
Chapter Sixty-nine Thalina I must have heard wrong. I must have been too carried away to have thought Professor Maverick said that. I must have been too lost in my thoughts, too overwhelmed, to have misunderstood what he just told me. There was no way he was the Alpha King. No way he was the man I was sent to kill. Right? There was no way he was the exact reason I was here—the reason I was sent to this college in the first place. Right? Right, Thalina? But I knew the truth. I knew the unshakable, inescapable truth. I had been thrown into a forest of thorns, and there was nowhere to turn. No escape. No salvation. The man I was deeply in love with—the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, the man I never wanted to be without—was the very same man I had been sent to kill. The man I had tried to kill—not just once or twice—was the man I had been searching for all along. And yet, he had been right beside me the entire time. What do I do now? How do I even
Chapter Sixty-eight Talon Maverick Today was the day—the day I never saw coming and never thought would arrive. Today was the day I planned to tell Thalina everything I had been keeping from her. I needed to tell her to finally feel at peace with myself. After what happened last night—what we shared—I couldn’t shake the guilt of having lied to her. The sincerity in her eyes when she spoke those words to me shattered me into pieces. Hell, I couldn’t keep lying to her. I couldn’t even look into her eyes knowing that all I had done was deceive her. She didn’t even know the most important thing about me. She didn’t know who she was really with. She didn’t know my true identity. If I wanted forever with her, like I said, it would have to be without lies. I wanted a forever filled with peace, love, and everything Seraphina could never give me—everything I thought I would never have again. Lina had changed me. She had changed my belief about love, and hell, she had turned me into a
Chapter Sixty-seven Thalina The gentle words he spoke, the affection and admiration in his eyes, the deep promises woven into every syllable—he didn’t just make me realize how much he wanted me, how much he missed me. He made me feel it. And that quiet wish for forever at the end? That was what undid me every time I thought about it. I had always believed that whatever this was between Professor Maverick and me would fade into nothing—a fleeting fling, a temporary indulgence. I thought I was just another woman he wanted for the moment, someone he’d eventually move on from. But what did he say? “You’re my woman, Lina. The only one I want. The only one I need.” Even now, my heart thundered and flipped with uncontainable joy at the memory of those words. And suddenly, it didn’t matter that I couldn’t feel the mate bond the way others did, didn’t matter that my wolf remained silent when she should have stirred. What mattered was that I knew. Professor Maverick was my ma
Chapter Sixty-six Thalina Maverick took a couple of steps backward, his gaze never leaving mine as he reached for the shawl that had fallen to the ground. Without uttering a word, he spread it out, smoothing the fabric over the neatly laid grass. Then, still holding my stare, he began to unbutton his shirt. Slowly. Deliberately. Taunting. My breath caught in my throat as each button came undone, revealing inch by inch of his sculpted chest, the ridges of muscle flexing beneath his skin. And when he finally shrugged the shirt off and let it fall, I gasped. Had he somehow grown even bigger in the days since I last saw him like this? Was that even possible? His arms, his chest—every part of him looked impossibly defined, carved like a god. Had he spent the past few days we weren’t speaking at the gym just to torment me like this? I barely had time to recover from that before he moved again, his fingers finding his fly. The sound of the zipper sent a shiver through me, ant
Chapter Sixty-five Thalina He loves me. Professor Maverick loves me. He’s said it over and over again, his voice thick with raw emotion, his gaze holding the kind of affection I never thought I’d see directed at me. My heart felt like it could burst, and if I wasn’t already breathless from his confession, I would have let out the loudest squeal of my life. But before I could, he crushed his lips to mine, claiming me in the most breathtaking kiss I had ever experienced. A kiss that was a testament to the love we shared. A kiss that held every single thing I had ever wished for. A kiss that made my knees weak and my toes curl in my shoes. He kissed me like he wanted to melt into me, and I kissed him back with just as much need. He was mine. Professor Maverick is mine—not Selina’s, not any other woman’s. Today was the best day of my entire life, and I didn’t care about the absence of a mate bond, didn’t care that I couldn’t feel my wolf calling to his like others could. Wha