Page 134 of A Broody Mate for the Human

“Then there are parts of a pack humans cross over,” Ella points out. “Like when they go hiking. We can’t prevent them from visiting some of our places. Celine’s dad met his chosen mate in a coffee shop that humans also go to; although it is technically not on pack grounds, it is very close to the border.”

Raffy grins. “We are not a cult,” he teases.

“This is new for us too.” Annie smiles. “You’re the first human to live in Red Claw. Actually, Moon Blood and Silverlake have no humans either. It means new rules for all of us. But I think it’s an important step. We’ll probably misstep from time to time, but we’ll try again and do better.”

I’ve been used to living alone and being on my own, so I know this will be a big change for me, but at the same time, I dread nothing more than feeling lonely. I’ll never be alone here. A part of me might feel anxious about what’s coming, but the other part is looking forward to finally belonging somewhere.

“Humans have a difficult standing in the supernatural world, but particularly with the lycans,” Ella explains. “But Dave’s not just any human. He is the best friend of a royal luna.”

“You’re hoping Dave might become politically important?” Raffy asks her, his voice a bit tense.

“Not immediately,” Ella reassures him.

“We want the both of you to settle in first and adapt to pack life, everything else we’ll figure out with time,” Annie says.

“Will I be allowed to learn about everything?” I ask them carefully. “Or will I be prevented from certain knowledge and places?”

Annie smiles. “You will be a normal pack member, and as a normal pack member, you’ll have the same rights as everyone else.”

“Really?” I beam. “No hiding. I can roam the pack lands, visit the library, and I can ask questions?”

I can feel Raffy’s strong arms wrap around me from behind and lean against his back. “No secrets,” he says gently. “I will answer any question.”

“Oh gosh, you two are so cute,” Ella coos.

“I can’t believe you said ‘oh gosh’!” I say in horror. “What happened to the good old Ella and her cynical comments and cursing?”

“She had to tone it down, or her alpha would get upset for cursing in front of the babies,” Ella deadpans. “I curse inwardly now.” She smirks. “And in bed.”

“That’s how it should be.” I chuckle.

Before any of us can answer, I hear someone call my name. I know instantly who it is. “Jun!” I exclaim, turning around to see Jun and Luca walking towards us. “Luca.”

Luca approaches me swiftly, giving me a short hug. I can instantly see the mark on his neck, my heart skipping a beat in joy for these two. Jun greets me warmly but makes sure not to hug me or touch me. If out of respect for his own mate or mine, I can’t tell, but I appreciate it.

He reaches out his hand towards Raffy. “It’s good to finally meet you, Raphael. Now you’ve stopped being a mystery.”

Raffy fortunately doesn’t disappoint me and politely shakes Jun’s hand. “Thank you for the warm welcome.”

“No kidding, you were such a mystery.” Ella chuckles. She and Jun begin to discuss the various theories they had concerning Raffy while I can feel Raffy’s hand on my waist.They’re good people,he says, and sounds shocked.

You sound surprised.

My old pack wasn’t necessarily all bad,he explains.But not good either. I never had a luna like your friend. And the ranked members would have never joked with those of lesser rank. That’s initially what I am now, a wolf without a rank and without a strong wolf spirit.He pauses.Yet, they welcomed me.

His surprise grows even more when Annie excuses herself, saying she wants to check on Esme and Hayden, and then see how far Stella’s screening is.

Get used to it.I smile, allowing him to hug me.And thanks for being so civil with Jun.

Raffy shrugs.He was respectful too. There was no reason to embarrass you or him.He pauses.Not that I like him being around you.

Don’t worry, I just have eyes for my broody hobo and his hot counterpart, Nero.

Very funny,Raffy grumbles.

Raffy and the others don’t have many things to transfer to the pack, but Stella and I do. I have my whole apartment to move to the pack area. Well, technically, Hayden, Raffy, and Esme do have stuff at their homes, which they had to leave behind.

Liam decided it’s safer to wait until the threat is dealt with before the others can retrieve their things. Alpha Troi knows where Stella lives now and is probably monitoring Raffy’s pack too. So, for now, it’s just my things we need to move. It takes us almost the whole next day to transport everything to the pack. Fortunately, Annie and Ella have organized some of the pack warriors to help. Jun and Dante volunteered too, though I guess in Dante’s case it’s less so to do me a favor than to hang out with El.