Chapter 3 A Cruel Joke

• Maverick's POV
• I was freaking out.
• There was no other way to put it. In the space of a single night, my world had been turned upside down, and no matter how often I tried to make sense of it, it didn’t make any damn sense.
• I hadn’t slept. Not really.
• I had spent the entire night awake, turning and tossing, trying to make sense of it. My mate, for whom I had waited twenty-seven years to find, was a man. Not just any man.
• Averin Ravenshadow. The Alpha of the Ravenshadow Pack.
• The moment I’d heard the word mate come out of his mouth, I was completely and utterly rigid with shock.
• It had to be some kind of mistake, or the Moon Goddess playing a cruel joke on me. I had no issue with men who are into other men, but I wasn’t one of them. I have never in my life looked at a man and felt even the slightest bit of interest. I had only ever desired women.
• So why—why—did fate seem to have other ideas?
• I ran a hand through my hair, grabbing the strands in annoyance as I walked back and forth in my room. And the worst part? The whole damn world probably knows by now.
• It was the thing that had played over and over in my head from the night before. The gasps, the stunned whispers, the sheer effrontery of it happening in public and in front of every Alpha and high-ranking werewolf from across all regions.
• Two men? Fated mates? The future Sovereign Alpha and Alpha Averin?
• I saw how they looked at us. I knew what they were thinking, and if I knew anything about the way news travels in our world, then by now, the rumors would have spread to every pack within miles.
• A knock at the door caused me to stop in my tracks. I inhaled sharply, attempting to calm my nerves. “Who is it?”
• “It’s me, Roman” said my bodyguard and right-hand man.
• I sighed, rubbing my temples. “What is it?”
• It was quiet for a moment. Then—“Your father has called for you.
• I stopped breathing. It was like my mind went completely blank. My father. The Sovereign Alpha had called for me.
• Panic set in.
• I had been so consumed by my own shock and frustration that I hadn’t even thought about him. About how he would react when he heard the news, and of course, he had heard the news. There is no way he wouldn’t have.
• I exhaled a slow, controlled breath, but it didn’t help the sudden congestion in my chest. “Did he say what it was about?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
• “No,” Roman said. “But I think you already know.”
• Of course, I did.
• My father was Magnus Blackwell, the Sovereign Alpha of Ironfang Pack, the man who governed over all the Alphas in the region. He was also a man who had brought me up to very strict ideas of what I was to do in life.
• A mate bond with another man was not part of it.
• As I made my way towards my father’s office, I let out a frustrated sigh and ran a hand through my already messy hair before pulling myself upright.
• When I finally got to the doors of the office, I hesitated.
• 'Take a deep breath and stay calm.'
• Roman sighed, throwing me a side glance before muttering, “Good luck.”
• I gave him a glance, then opened the doors and walked in.
• My father was sitting behind his desk with a straight back and no emotions on his face.
• I immediately bowed my head in respect. “Father.”
• He didn’t return the greeting, but his eyes bored into me with the typical sharpness. “Have a seat.”
• I did as he said, lowering myself into the chair across from him, my back rigid.
• For a few moments, he simply studied me, with his hands steepled together and his face without any emotions.
• Finally, he spoke, “I’ve heard the news.”
• I barely held back a sigh. Of course, he had. I lifted my gaze, meeting his neutral expression with a tired one of my own.
• “I don’t even know what to say,” I said, leaning back a bit. “I still have no idea what is going on."
• My father remained silent, waiting.
• I clenched my jaw before continuing. “And as for the rumors, I'll shut them down as soon as I can. I'll also break the mate bond that I have with Averin.”
• The words felt strange in my mouth, but it was the only solution that made sense. This bond—whatever it was—couldn’t be real. I had no intention of being tied to another man for the rest of my life, and I certainly was not going to let this situation get out of control.
• But before I could even finish my sentence, my father stopped me by raising his hand.
• “Before you do that,” he said, his voice still calm, “why don’t you try to use it for our own benefit first?”
• I frowned. “What are you talking about?”
• He leaned forward slightly, the seriousness in his eyes growing more intense. “Instead of breaking the bond, you should accept it. For now.”
• For a few seconds, I just stared at him since his words didn’t even make sense.
• “You… want me to accept it?” I said with a rather slow voice as if my brain needed some more time to register the fact that what he was proposing was insane.
• He nodded once. “Yes.”
• “Father,” I said carefully, not letting my irritation get the best of me, “I don’t think you know what it is you’re asking me to do. I—”
• “I understand perfectly,” he interrupted. “You don’t need to explain it to me, Maverick. I know what this means, and that’s exactly why we should use it.”
• I clenched my jaw. “Use it for what?”
• “Averin of Ravenshadow Pack is one of the Alphas in this region that has always been just out of my reach. He has never been openly rebellious, but he has never been subservient to our rule either. He does things the way he wants, makes decisions on his own, and controls packs that should be answering to us.”
• My father leaned forward slightly. “And yet, despite his distance, no one dares to challenge him. That should tell you something.”
• I already knew what it told me. Averin was stubborn, self-reliant, and not easily persuaded. His pack was within the boundaries of the Sovereign’s domain but not completely under his control, and that had obviously annoyed my father for years.
• “And what?” I scoffed. ”Do you think this mate bond is some sort of divine way to spy on him?”
• My father just waved it off as if the solution was right there. “Maybe that’s how the Moon Goddess provides what we need. A way in.”
• His lips formed a thin line. “Averin is cautious. He does not readily trust, but if he is tied to you, if he accepts you, then he will allow you to enter, and that, Maverick, is a chance we cannot fail to seize.”
• I shook my head, an amused but skeptical laugh escaping me. “This is crazy.”
• My father raised a brow. “Is it?”
• I clenched my jaw as anger started building up inside of me. “Father, let me be very clear—I have zero interest in pursuing a mate bond with Averin. None. I didn’t ask for this. I don’t want this, and I doubt he does either.”
• “And that’s exactly why you should be wise to this,” he said as casually as if he were talking about the weather. “If you try to force him, he’ll resist, but if you play this right, if you make it seem like you’re just trying to work through this bond… he might just let you in, and once he does, we’ll be able to tell where his loyalties really lie.”
• I exhaled slowly in frustration. This was a game to him, a political game, and he expected me to be the one to play it.
• I hated it.
• I hated every damn thing about this, but the alternative—going against him? That was even worse.
• I had spent my entire life under my father’s rule, being trained to one day take his place as the Sovereign Alpha. Every action I took, every decision I made, was measured against his expectations. I knew exactly what would happen if I disobeyed him now.
• Therefore, I clipped my rage, clipped the reply that was sitting on my tongue, and instead, I said, “I understand.”
• My father looked at me for what seemed like a minute, his eyes piercing through mine to see if I meant it. Then, finally, he gave a slow, subtle nod. “Good.”
• “You’re excused,” he added, already shifting his focus back to the documents on his desk.
• Just like that, I was dismissed.
• He didn’t ask if I was okay with this arrangement. He didn’t care. In his mind, this was just another necessary step toward strengthening our rule, and I was simply a means to an end, as always.