Chapter 4 Let's Be Friends

• Averin's POV
• I hadn’t left the packhouse in three days.
• Not once.
• Ever since the incident at Moonveil Pack, I had confined myself to the four walls of my office. I didn’t want to hear the gossip, I didn't want to see the questioning looks and I didn't want to sit through yet another lecture from the elders on how I should go about fixing the mess I apparently made.
• I knew exactly what they wanted.
• The messages they had left me made that painfully clear.
• Pick a bride. Set your wedding date. Shut down the gossip before it gets out of control.
• As if it were that simple.
• All the attempts they made to talk to me, I had refused. Every knock on my door, every call, I answered none. They could seethe. They could discuss how stubborn an Alpha I was among themselves. It doesn’t matter.
• I just wanted to be left alone.
• I sank back in my chair and breathed out as I looked at the reports that were untouched on my desk. I was to be looking at territory updates and trade agreements, but I could not concentrate.
• This was because no matter how much I wanted to bury my head and pretend it did not happen, the rumours were out and there was no way of stopping them.
• I had always known there were people who suspected things about me. I had spent my entire ignoring it, but now the gossip wasn't just speculation.
• Now, there was confirmation. Because what better proof was there than the mate bond?
• I had tried to avoid it. To act like it didn’t matter at all, but it did. It had changed everything.
• A sharp knock on the door interrupted my train of thought. I sighed, massaging my neck. “I told you, I’m not seeing anyone.”
• A pause. Then—"It’s me."
• Dain.
• I exhaled and sat up properly. “What is it?”
• There was another brief hesitation before he spoke again. “Maverick Blackwell is here to see you.”
• I went completely still. I must have misheard him. “What?” I said, slowly.
• “You heard right, sir,” Dain confirmed, “He just arrived at the packhouse, and he’s asking for you.”
• A cold shock ran through me, and I stared at the door, my mind racing. Maverick Blackwell. The same man who has shown the same level of disgust at the bond as I did.
• Why was he here now—three days later when the rumors about us were at their worst?
• Dain cleared his throat. “So. Do I turn him away, or—”
• “No,” I said immediately, surprising even myself.
• Silence.
• Then, after a beat, “You want to see him?”
• I hesitated for only a second before nodding. “Let him in.”
• I had to know why he was here, and what in the world Maverick Blackwell wanted from me.
• The knock on the door came three minutes after Dain had gone to get Maverick.
• I did sit up a little in my chair, taking a deep breath. I had no idea what he wanted, but I needed to remain calm.
• “Come in,” I called.
• The door swung open, and Maverick Blackwell stepped inside.
• I hadn’t even given him more than a passing glance at the Moonveil Pack’s party. That night had been a mess in every way, and my head had been spinning with what had happened, but now, I was able to look at him properly.
• And I wasn’t thrilled by what I saw.
• Because unfortunately, he was better looking than I remembered.
• I had known he was attractive before, but now, standing in my office, dressed neatly in a dark shirt and fitted trousers, I realized he was dangerously good-looking, and that was a problem.
• I had accepted a long time ago that I could never be in a relationship. I could never experience attraction, love or desire the way that other people did. There was no way that could be possible in my life. Not when I had a secret to keep.
• I had thus, for the most part, learned to disregard the physical appearance of a man. I had shut them down, shut them out before they could even develop, but with Maverick it wasn’t so easy.
• Because he was my mate.
• The bond between us didn’t allow me to just ignore his presence the way I had done with others.
• It made me aware of him in a way that I had never been aware of any other person. It made something settle low in my stomach, something that was unfamiliar and uncomfortable.
• I hated it.
• Maverick cleared his throat.
• I blinked, snapping myself out of whatever the hell that had just been.
• Without missing a beat, I got up and nodded at him, “Sovereign Prince Blackwell.”
• “Just Maverick is fine.”
• I raised a brow, but I didn’t have to argue. Instead, I told him to sit in the chair in front of me. He paused for a moment before moving, and then he sat down.
• The silence was there between us. Not awkward, but sort of… tense.
• I decided to just cut right to the chase.
• “I’ll admit, I’m surprised you’re here,” I said, leaning back in my chair and folding my arms. “Considering the rumors have only gotten worse, I expected you to be avoiding me.”
• Maverick ran a hand over his face before looking back at me. “Trust me, I thought about it.”
• I jerked my head to the side a bit, intrigued. ”And yet, here you are.”
• “Here I am,” he muttered, almost like he couldn’t believe it himself.
• I watched him carefully. He was relaxed, but he was uncomfortable, and I didn’t blame him.
• Finally, he took a deep breath and looked me directly in the eyes. ”To be honest, I've been trying to figure out why the Moon Goddess would choose me to be with…” He paused, as if considering what to say, before continuing, ”Another man as my mate.”
• I raised my eyebrow. “And?”
• Maverick’s jaw flexed slightly. “And I’ve been thinking about it. This whole time.”
• I leaned forward slightly, my curiosity piqued. “And what conclusion did you come to?”
• "I've decided to accept it."
• I blinked at him, completely shocked. I didn’t know what I expected Maverick to say, but it wasn’t that.
• “You’ve decided to…I accept it?” I asked.
• Maverick held my gaze, his expression unreadable. “Yes.”
• I stared at him for a moment, completely lost. Then, with a slight narrowing of my eyes, I leaned forward slightly.
• ”Do you realise what you are saying?” I asked. “You’re saying you're ready to take a man as your mate.”
• His eyes stayed on mine. ”That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
• I sat back in my chair, still digesting his words. He couldn't be serious. Something wasn’t adding up.
• I spoke in a low tone; skepticism was evident in my voice. “Come on, Maverick, be honest with me.” I leaned towards him. “You secretly like men, right?”
• The question lingered there, and then, when I least expected it—Maverick laughed.
• It was the first time I had heard him laugh since we met and the sound was warm and surprisingly natural. My shock grew when I saw the dimples that appeared on either side of his mouth when he smiled.
• Dimples. Of course he had dimples.
• I mentally shoved that thought aside and focused as he finally answered.
• “No,” he said. “I’ve never been into men.”
• I frowned. “Then why—”
• “I’ve always been into women,” he interrupted as he leaned back in his chair. “That much is true. But…” He stopped, looking like he was trying to collect himself and piece his words together to form a sentence. “I’ve also never been anyone's mate before, and I don’t think the Moon Goddess makes mistakes.”
• I exhaled slowly, watching him. “So you think this is happening for a reason?”
• He nodded. “Exactly.”
• I wasn’t sure whether to get angry or to praise him for the ease with which he was conceding to something that had left me totally clueless for the past three days.
• “So what?” I asked. “You’re saying we should just… go along with it?”
• Maverick gave a small shrug. “Not exactly. I’m not saying we should start acting like we’re in some kind of relationship.” His lips quirked slightly, and I wasn’t sure if it was amusement or something else. “But we should get to know each other, and maybe we'll find out why we're mates.”
• The moment the words left his mouth, I couldn’t help it—I laughed.
• It wasn’t the reaction I had planned to have, but it was the only one that felt authentic. Because, honestly? This whole situation was so ridiculous, so unbelievable, that laughing was the only way to deal with it.
• Maverick watched me, his face giving away nothing. ”What’s so funny?” he asked, his head tilting ever so slightly.
• I shook my head, the corner of my mouth twitching up. ”You.
• He raised a brow. “Me?”
• “Yes, you.” I stood, pushing my chair back and then walking around my desk towards him.
• Maverick’s eyes followed my movements, his body going still as I approached. He wasn’t tense, exactly, but I could tell he was trying to figure out what I was doing, and, to be fair, even I wasn’t entirely sure what I was doing.
• All I knew was that if he was serious about this, if he really thought we should get to know each other, then I wanted to see for myself.
• So I decided to test him.
• I stopped right in front of him and grabbed the sides of his chair.
• Maverick slightly tensed up, his eyes showing his confusion. ”What are you—”
• I leaned down, my face just inches from his. “You said you want to get to know me,” I murmured, my voice low.
• He didn’t move, but his breathing changed slightly. “I do.”
• I tilted my head, watching him. “You do realize that as mates, we’re automatically drawn to each other, right?”
• Maverick didn’t even blink. “I’m aware.”
• “That means,” I continued, “that if things get—heated? We’d end up crossing a very controversial line.”
• I thought he would flinch. Or hesitate. Or suddenly change his mind about what he was saying, but instead, something I didn’t expect to happen.
• Maverick’s lips quirked slightly, and to my absolute shock, he actually looked amused.
• “Controversial line?” he echoed.
• I narrowed my eyes slightly, waiting for him to back down, but he doesn’t. Instead–his hand moves, gently gripping the back of my head, and before I could react, before I even had time to process what was happening, his lips were on mine.
• My eyes widened, my entire body freezing in pure shock.
• I had been testing him.
• I had thought he would crumble, or stutter, or back away.
• I didn’t think he would kiss me, and, more than that—I didn’t think it would feel like this.
• His lips were warm, confident in a way that made it even worse, and there was nothing hesitant about it. It was effortless, as if he had done this a hundred times before.
• As if it wasn’t new to him, but it was new to me.
• This was my first kiss.
• My first kiss.
• I had never—not once—allowed myself to be in this position before. I’d never risked anything that could reveal my secret, and yet here I was, in my office with Maverick Blackwell kissing me like it was the most normal thing in the world and I had no idea what to do.
• When he finally pulled away, his grip on my head loosened. He looked at me with an unreadable expression, and then he smirked.
• “Like this?” he asked, his voice low.
• I stood there with my mouth wide open, not knowing what to say.
• It was like my brain fried, my body still trying to catch up with what just happened. I had no words, no witty comeback, no reaction at all. For the first time in my life, I was completely and utterly dumbfounded.