Chapter 5 A Constant Presence

• Averin's POV
• I jerked back the second I realized that Maverick's lips and mine were still a little too close, stumbling a step away from him as if I’d been burned.
• “What the hell was that?” I snapped, my voice sharper than I intended.
• I needed to sound furious and offended— anything other than completely disoriented by the fact that he had actually kissed me. Because that was exactly what I was—disoriented.
• Completely and utterly thrown off.
• I had been trying to test him, to see if he would pull away like a coward the moment things became too real. Instead, he had flipped the entire situation on me, and I was stunned. Very stunned.
• He let out a soft chuckle, the deep sound vibrating in his chest as he slowly stood from his chair.
• I tensed.
• Even though I was tall—standing at 5"11'—I still felt the difference between us when he fully straightened to his full height. He was maybe three or four inches taller than me, but somehow, it felt like he was towering over me.
• I hated that feeling, and I hated the way my breath hitched slightly in response.
• He took a slow step toward me, and my instincts screamed at me to hold my ground, but my mind was scrambling for something—anything—to say that would make this situation less awkward.
• Nothing came.
• Maverick’s green eyes were still filled with amusement when he tilted his head slightly, studying me.
• “You know,” he mused, his voice far too calm, “I’m a little confused.”
• I clenched my fists. “About what, exactly?”
• A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. “About what you were expecting when you got up, walked around your desk, and started talking about controversial lines.”
• I opened my mouth—then closed it. Because, if I were being honest, I had been expecting him to panic. To backpedal. To rethink everything he had just said about wanting to get to know me.
• Instead, I was the one backpedaling. I was the one scrambling for a way out of this conversation.
• Maverick took another small step forward, his voice dropping slightly. “I was simply giving you an example of one of those lines.”
• I swallowed, suddenly very aware of the mate bond between us that kept pulling us closer like an invisible thread.
• Maverick’s lips curled into something dangerously amused. “Since we’re mates, after all,” he added smoothly.
• I didn’t like the way those words settled inside me, and I liked even less that I had no idea how to respond to him.
• I exhaled sharply, forcing myself to regain control of the situation. I had to say something—anything—before he took this ridiculous game of his any further.
• “Still, you shouldn’t have kissed me,” I said, my voice firm, though I wasn’t entirely sure if I was trying to convince him or myself.
• Maverick merely shrugged, completely unbothered. “And why not?”
• I narrowed my eyes. “Because it wasn’t right.”
• He tilted his head slightly, as if considering my words. Then, his lips curled into a smirk. “Not right… according to whom?”
• I clenched my fists at my sides. “You know exactly what I mean.”
• Maverick crossed his arms, his green eyes practically glowing with amusement. “I do,” he admitted, “but I also know that the only reason it wasn’t ‘right,’ according to you, is because we’re both men.”
• My jaw tightened.
• “And because,” he continued, “if anyone outside this office found out, we’d be the topic of conversation for ages. Especially you—since you’re already rumored to be gay for rejecting so many women.”
• I scoffed, ignoring the way my stomach twisted at the reminder of those rumors. “If you already knew that, then why the hell would you come here? You’re the Sovereign Alpha’s heir, Maverick. You should be avoiding controversy, not walking straight into it.”
• He didn’t even hesitate.
• “Because, like I said earlier, I’m curious.”
• I frowned. “Curious about what, exactly?”
• Maverick leaned against my desk, completely relaxed, as if he wasn’t discussing something that could very well ruin him in the eyes of our world.
• “Curious to understand,” he said slowly, “why the Moon Goddess would pair me with a man… and not a woman. I really do want to understand her reasoning.”
• I fought the urge to laugh—really, truly laugh—because, if only he knew.
• If only he knew that this entire crisis of his—this existential questioning about whether he had been playing for the wrong team all along—was completely unnecessary.
• Because he hadn’t been.
• Because I wasn’t actually a man, but of course, he couldn’t know that. So he’d have to live with the confusion, the doubt, and the idea that perhaps he had been misunderstanding himself his whole life.
• I smirked, crossing my arms. “So what? You think you’ve unknowingly been playing for the wrong team all these years?”
• Maverick let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head. “I don’t know,” he said, his voice laced with genuine intrigue. “But maybe, just maybe, I’ve been following the expected standard without ever really questioning it.”
• I bit the inside of my cheek, barely suppressing the laughter threatening to escape me. This was—without a doubt—the most ridiculous situation I had ever been in.
• I let out a long, frustrated sigh, rubbing my temples as I tried to process this entire ridiculous conversation.
• “Maverick,” I said, leveling him with a look, “just because you want to understand the Moon Goddess’s decision doesn’t mean I want the same thing.”
• His eyes gleamed with amusement, as if he found my resistance entertaining.
• “I’m not obligated to try and be your friend just to figure out why we were mated,” I continued, crossing my arms over my chest. “I don’t owe you that.”
• For a brief moment, I thought he might actually take the hint and let it go, but I should’ve known better.
• He stepped forward, closing the distance between us again, and I had to resist the urge to take a step back.
• The way he carried himself, the way he moved, and the way he looked at me—it all had the ability to make anyone feel cornered if they weren’t careful.
• A smirk pulled at his lips as he tilted his head slightly. “Whether you like it or not, Averin,” he murmured, his voice dangerously calm, “I’m going to be a constant presence in your life.”
• I tensed.
• “So,” he continued, “for your sake, I’d advise you to just accept my suggestion now and stop caring about the rumors that already exist in the first place.”
• I hated the way his words sank into my skin, the way they made me feel unsettled—not because of what he was saying, but because he wasn’t wrong.
• The rumors about me had existed long before he entered the picture. People had already been speculating about why I never showed interest in women, why I avoided the idea of marriage, and why I never so much as entertained the elders’ suggestions.
• Maverick's existence in my life now would only add fuel to a fire that was already burning, and he knew that. Before I could snap back, he took a step back, giving me space once again.
• “I’ll give you time to think about it,” he said casually, as if he hadn’t just bulldozed his way into my life uninvited. “When you’re ready, you can reach out to me.”
• He turned to leave, and before I could say anything, he winked at me.
• Winked. And then he walked out of my office like he hadn’t just thrown my entire world into chaos.
• I stood there, stunned, my brain struggling to catch up with everything that had just happened. I should have been furious. I should have been livid, but instead, against my better judgment… I was intrigued.