Page 115 of A Broody Mate for the Human

“The alpha doesn’t even want your sister anymore, just so you know,” the other one spats. “The beta doesn’t want what’s used. You and your family are like a curse.”

I pull Dave behind me when the both of them approach us again. Something is shimmering in their hands, and I can only assume it’s a silver knife. Please, I think, please, Moon Goddess… a miracle….

There are growls and grunts to be heard.

“What… the… fuck…” Dave mutters behind me.

I try to blink the fog away to see what’s shocking him so much. In front of my blurred vision, I could swear that Sugar suddenly grows two sizes, his teeth elongating and weird tentacles moving towards our attackers. One man screams and scrambles backwards, and the other tries to hit back with his knife but gets pierced by a tentacle.

I must be dreaming. I’m hallucinating. This isn’t real. I failed Dave, and now we’re both passing away. I failed him. After I wasted so much time as a young man following my father’s twisted views and almost losing my sister, I’ve been granted a second chance by the Goddess.

And fuck, I know, I didn’t deserve it.

Yet, I blow this too.

My strength leaves me, making me drop to the ground. I can feel warm hands on my forehead and a gentle voice calling me.

Mate,Nero whispers.Mate.

Tingles and sparks shoot through my body.

I wake up to something cool resting on my forehead. My eyes and body feel heavy as if my bones are made of lead. At least the blinding headache has calmed down, only a hint of a throbbing remaining.

“Shhh,” a calm voice says to me. I sniff. It’s not Dave, but he’s close. “Take the right turn at the next crossing, Dave,” the voice says.

I know her… her scent is familiar. An image flashes in front of my eyes of my sister hugging me and a woman standing next to her. She has curly red hair and a small frame. “Stella?” I mutter.

“I see,” she murmurs. “Your memory is returning.”

I flail my arms around in the hope of grasping something and pull myself up. “Dave?” I mutter, not able to trust my voice, but I need to hear him to know he is safe.

“I’m here,” Dave’s voice is soft and warm. “I’m driving, Raffy, everything’s alright.”

“What happened to”—I drop back onto my back, and Stella puts the cool cloth back onto my forehead—“the men? And I swear tentacles came out of Sugar.”

“We should save this talk for another day,” Dave says. Why is he so evasive? Is it because I got knocked out?

“What happened to my head and body?”

Now it’s Stella who jumps in to explain. “It’s the spell I used on you when you brought your sister to me. Today you were getting closer and closer to the truth, and your body attacked the spell.”

“Why would you do that?” I huff. “Curse me!?”

“I didn’t curse you,” she says quietly. “You asked me for it. You even wanted a permanent spell while I secretly used a terminal one. It was supposed to wear off, eventually. Recent happenings have encouraged the speed of your recovery.”

“What kind of happenings?” I want to know.

Idiot…Nero stirs slightly, his voice still low, but his presence feels marginally stronger.Mate.

“Because I met Dave?” I ask.

Stella’s fingers squeeze my shoulder, and I know I got it right this time. I met my mate, and although Nero was dormant and my senses weakened, something drew me to him. The magic of the mate bond worked, although I couldn’t even feel it at that time.

“Can I sit up?” I want to know. The last thing I want to do is add motion sickness to this slightly traumatic experience.

Stella nods, helping me to an upright position. While my head still feels dizzy, I can feel my senses returning to me again. I force my eyes open, and the first thing I notice is Dave, who is holding the wheel tightly in his hands, his fingers trembling slightly. I realize it instantly, sadness filling me. Being attacked shocked him, but he tries not to show it.

Other than that, I also feel immense pride for him. I should have been able to protect us, but due to Stella’s magic, I wasn’t able to, and Dave took it upon himself to stand up for me. He is a human, yet he wasn’t afraid to stand between me and two werewolves. I know that a couple of years ago I might have rejected a human mate like him because I would have found him not worthy enough, not good enough for a wolf, but fuck, he would have been more than worthy to be the beta’s mate.