Maverick met my gaze head-on, and our eyes locked. “That’s what the bites mean. We’re fated.”
I stared.
He stared back.
“I’m going to need you to explain with more details,” I finally said.
“Werewolves can trade bites to become mates without fate’s approval, but occasionally, fate decides to butt in and match a werewolf with a mate.”
“Sofatepushed you to bite me twice? Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds?” I was trying to breathe steadily. It wasn’t easy. I wasn’t succeeding, either.
“When fate steps in, instinct takes over and a werewolf is pushed to bite their mate. The first bite I gave you was driven by fate, and out of my control. The second was just possessiveness.” Maverick set his hands on the desk.
My gaze was drawn to them, but I tried not to look too closely. I had yet to see a part of the Alpha that I wasn’t attracted to.
“The connection doesn’t necessarily mean anything,” he added.
“Other than us beingmated?” I shot back.
“We’re not mated. Just… fated. The bond won’t be permanent until we both bite each other within a few days.”
“So we’re not married?”
“More like engaged.”
“Thank fuck.” I sagged against the back of my chair in relief.
Maverick chuckled.
My momentary relaxation faded over the next few seconds.
Engaged was still bad.
Being fated sounded almost as permanent as being mated.
“Does this frequently happen between werewolves and vampires?” I asked.
“It’s rare for someone to be fated to a vampire, but yeah, it happens.”
“So how do we call it off?”
“A mate bite usually fades in three or four days if it’s not reciprocated,” Maverick explained. “We’re not sure why yours are still there.”
It didn’t pass my attention that he referred to both wounds as mate bites. The first bite might have been the instinctual, fate-driven one, but he considered both of them as part of the connection.
“When the bite wounds heal completely, the temporary bond will be broken,” Maverick said. “We’ll be drawn to each other for two or three weeks after the initial connection, but fate won’t force anything again.”
“I’ll heal after I feed. All we have to do is ignore the connection until then, and we’ll go back to normal after that?”
He paused a beat before answering. “Technically, yes.”
I wasn’t going to ask for the technicalities. It sounded like being fated mates didn’t particularly matter outside of the original biting thing and the part where he smelled amazing. I was going to roll with that.
Especially if the alternative was being mated to the werewolf in front of me. I’d known I would have to pick a mate fairly young since I was a kid, for the sake of having a steady blood source, but that didn’t mean I wanted to bind myself permanently to the Alpha.
“Great.” I stood up. “Glad we figured that out. Can I go home now?”
“Yup.” Maverick stood too, handing me the messenger bag he’d been carrying when he came to my room, followed by my phone.
