Chapter 2 Hard To Believe

• Averin's POV
• The hall was quiet. A suffocating silence. The kind that only happens when something so unbelievable, so outrageous, has just happened and no one has any idea what to do.
• Every eye in the room was on me, and him.
• I felt it, the dozens of eyes staring at me, at us. The whispering began almost right away—first it was subtle, then it grew louder, travelling through the audience of Alphas, Betas, and high-ranking wolves.
• Two men. Mates.
• It was unthinkable, and I had been the one to say it first.
• My own voice still echoed in my head, that single whispered word, barely more than a breath. Mate. I had said it out even before I knew it, before I actually understood what was going on and now, it was too late to take it back.
• If the situation were different, I might have laughed at it. I, who had repelled every woman who had come my way, started a rumor because I did not want to choose a mate, was now standing here declaring another man as my fated one.
• The irony would have been enough to make me laugh if I weren’t already well and truly fucked.
• The man in front of me, my mate, looked as shocked as I felt. His brows were furrowed, his green eyes clouded with confusion. I could see the tension in his jaw, how his shoulders had gone tight as if getting ready for something impossible.
• He was tall and commanding—exactly the type of man who seemed to be used to having control, and yet, in this situation, he looked as if his entire world had just tilted sideways.
• I noticed he was going to speak. His lips parted, his breath shallow, and then—
• “No,” he said, his voice firm, but with something that sounded almost scared. “This can’t be real.”
• Of course. He was turning this down.
• Turning me down.
• It wasn’t a surprise. The moment I opened my mouth and said that word, I knew what it was going to mean for him. He was a man after all, and from the look on his face, I could tell that he had never even contemplated being with another man.
• He had likely imagined his mate as a woman, a future with a woman, heirs, the life that everyone expected of an Alpha, and now, fate had handed him me.
• The confusion in his eyes was evident, but there was something else there too—discomfort. As if he couldn’t even fathom the idea of this being real. As if his primal instincts had let him down by recognizing me as his own.
• I clenched my fists at my sides, forcing myself to stay composed.
• I couldn’t react. Not here, and not now.
• It would be a disaster if I showed any feelings. I exhaled slowly, forcing the tension out of my shoulders before I finally spoke.
• “This has been… unfortunate.”
• What I said came out like a weak attempt at trying to cover up a mess that was now unsalvageable.
• I looked at Dain, who was still in shock, and that was something. Dain has seen me handle some pretty tough situations, but even he hadn’t expected this.
• I looked at him pointedly. “We’re leaving.”
• Dain blinked, then quickly nodded, recovering his composure. Whatever fallout this night would bring, I’d deal with it later—on my own terms.
• I shifted, attempting to move around the man in front of me, my mate. Just the thought of it filled me with frustration, but I wouldn’t think about it. The bond was there, but that didn't mean I had to accept it.
• But as I moved, he reached out and grabbed me by the arm, pulling me back.
• A whisper could be heard in the crowd at the daring act, and my breath hitched—not at the touch itself, but at the arrogance of it. He didn’t just stop me. He touched me.
• When I looked at him, his face was contorted in fear and confusion. His green eyes stared into mine, desperate for an answer that he clearly wasn’t ready for.
• Then in a low voice that only I could hear, he asked, ”Are you really a man?”
• A muscle in my jaw twitched.
• I looked at him with a frown and a slight nod of the head. “Well,” I said drearily, “isn’t that obvious?”
• I watched as the color drained slightly from his face, as if he was struggling with the part of his instincts that said he already knew the answer and the logical part of him that just couldn’t accept it.
• He held on to my wrist for a second before his eyes slipped from mine and settled downward, and he realized what he was doing.
• He let go. Immediately.
• I kept my eyes on his face for a moment longer, looking at the full range of emotions evident there—disbelief, anger, and fear.
• Then, without another word, I turned away, and the moment I stepped past him, I refused to look back.
• This will spread. There will be rumors. The elders—I shut the thoughts down before they could take root. None of that mattered right now. What was important was to get out of here before I lost further control of the situation.
• Dain was already walking in front of me and parting the way.
• When I got to the entrance, the car was already there, and the driver was standing with the door open. I climbed in without hesitation, sliding into the backseat.
• The second I was inside, I let out a long sigh, pressing my fingers to the bridge of my nose.
• Dain slipped into the passenger seat, glancing back at me but saying nothing. He knew I wasn’t in the mood to talk.
• I turned my attention to the driver. “Straight to the packhouse.”
• He nodded, closing the door and then moving around to the front. As the car started to move, I took one last glance at the estate and closed my eyes.
• The car rolled smoothly along the road leading back to Ravenshadow Pack’s territory. I leaned back against the seat, staring at the ceiling, trying to will away the tension in my gut.
• This night had been an absolute disaster, and it wasn’t just the scandal that would follow me back to my pack. No, the worst part was the mate bond—the impossible, infuriating bond that had decided to tie me to a man.
• I had to know who he was.
• With a slow exhale, I turned my head slightly toward Dain. “Do you know him?” I asked. “The man from the hall.”
• Dain hesitated. I narrowed my eyes. “You do.”
• He exhaled through his nose, his fingers tapping against his knee. ”I do,” he admitted. ”And you’re not going to like it when you find out who he is.”
• That immediately made me frown. “Why wouldn’t I like it?” I asked, straightening in my seat. “Who is he? Someone important?”
• Dain took a deep breath and let it out, like he was already preparing for me to lose my temper.
• ”That was Maverick Blackwell,” he said finally. ”The son of the Sovereign Alpha of Ironfang Pack.”
• For a second, I just stared at him. My brain seemed to stall, as if it simply refused to process the words that had just left his mouth.
• Then, a dry, humorless laugh escaped me. “Oh, for the love of the Moon,” I muttered, shaking my head. “Could this day get any worse?”
• Maverick Blackwell.
• The heir to the most powerful pack in the region. The son of the Sovereign Alpha, the Alpha who had power over all the other Alphas and held absolute authority over matters between packs.
• And, surprisingly, he was my mate.
• Unbelievable.