i've come to the realization

Maverick would scarcely breathe until Venom had confirmed that she was okay and unharmed. A thousand different scenarios of what could have been wrong to bring the Ashen alphess out to his isolated camp in the dead of night had flooded his overactive imagination. Her words soothed his anxiousness and the dire brute breathed a sigh of relief, his posture visibly relaxing when she assured him she was fine. But that still begged the question of what she was doing out here. It was dark and cold, and far too lonely for the Empress to be prowling about on her own. Not that he didn't trust her to handle herself, but he definitively did not trust the rest of the world with her. She padded her way closer to him, her sunset eyes lingering on his mouth as the space between them diminished. He didn't withdraw or pull away, he never would from her. Once they were practically upon one another, she stopped and reclined into a sit, silver haunches meeting snow as she confessed that everything wasn't all right.

Anxious concern twisted up Maverick's gut while he scrutinized Venom's expression, desperate to figure out what was plaguing her brain. She looked insecure and uncertain, but about what, the vagabond couldn't even begin to guess. He took a cautious step closer, his every breath forming a translucent cloud of steam from his nares while he waited for her to extrapolate further. Again those eyes that captured the essence of twilight lifted to meet his, stealing his thoughts and his breath while he lost himself in them, feeling as if he were peering into the Empress' very core through those stained glass windows of her soul. She spoke his name, hesitating with what she wanted to say. Maverick felt his heart wrench and sink when he realized what this was. This was Venom breaking off their unconventional relationship. This was the end of their escapades together. He swallowed hard, jaw setting as he prepared to throw on the mask that concealed the raw emotions he buried inside and hide the pain as he had always done.

But the blow to his heart never came. Instead, Venom spoke words that took him fully of guard. She didn't want him to leave. She didn't want to spend another night alone without him or continue to hide their relationship to the world. She was tired of sneaking around to see him and she didn't want to say goodbye. The shock painted on his face was impossible to hide when she said she wanted him to be hers, calling back to their first meeting when she called him "her ruffian". As frightened as Venom was, Maverick was equal parts taken off guard. His chest felt tight with the conflicting emotions. He'd had women beg him to stay with them before, but none he felt anything for even a fraction as much as the way Venom made him feel. When he was with her, it didn't feel like he was playing a game. It felt like he was just cutting loose, being himself. He'd seen Venom grow from a cold, broken effigy of herself into the lively and vivacious ruler sitting before him now. He'd invested into her in ways he'd never done with any casual flings before. But did that mean he was ready to be hers? Was he capable of being a steady, monogamous wolf?

For a few moments, Maverick stood there, mouth agape as he opened and closed his mouth over and over again. His brain told him this was the best opportunity to find stability and happiness. His heart told him this was everything he wanted and needed. But his spirit, that untamed and indomitable spirit that yearned to run and play and explore didn't know how it would take to being domesticated. To being a house husband, the consort to the Empress. Although he did have to admit, Prince Consort Maverick did have a tempting ring to it... "Ven... Venom..." Maverick began, his mouth slowly beginning to form the words his brain and heart desperately wanted to say. "Do you mean it...? Are you sure this-" He gestured to himself with a paw. "-is what you want? I'm not some noble lord or highborn wolf. I don't have accolades or fame, titles or treasures. I'm just the scruffy hooligan who showed up on your doorstep."

When they'd first begun to hook up, Mav had fully believed that their trysts would be temporary. After all, she was an Empress, and he was an unaffiliated rascal. The more time they spent together, the more attached he had become, and he'd even dared to let himself fantasize a world where he might have been good enough for her. But that had always felt like what it was—a fantasy. She deserved someone more worthy of her. Someone who belonged at the side of a monarch. A prince, not a scoundrel.

"Maverick"