Page 147 of A Broody Mate for the Human

I look at him sympathetically, noting the one or other bruise on his neck and shoulder. “Hard training?”

“It’s been a while since I had proper training,” he admits. “I was originally supposed to become beta, but the training was nothing compared to how the wolves here train.” He sighs. “But hey, no pain, no gain.”

“I said the same thing today.” I chuckle.

Raffy kisses me softly before getting up to fetch himself something to eat. We just met for our lunch break. Red Claw offers a buffet-style lunch for its pack members for those who want to eat in the pack house. Dinners are normally served, offering a few choices which we are supposed to pick each morning via an app. Ella told me that they first let everyone decide right at dinner but soon figured the numbers were getting too high, and it’s easier for the kitchen staff to know beforehand what to prepare.

Seeing how this is a pack full of wolves, I was a bit scared they’d only serve meat, but to my surprise they always have a vegetarian option. Like today, a perfect potato gratin, and they offer a vast choice of salads.

“Hey, Dave,” Noah greets me all of a sudden. “Is it okay if we sit with you and Raphael?” he asks, pointing at himself and a friend.

“Sure, the more the merrier.” I can’t believe people talk to me here and that I’m not seen as a complete outsider.

When Raffy returns, he smiles too. “Hey,” he greets Noah.

“Hey, man.” Noah grins. “I can’t believe you held it up against the beta today.”

“Well, holding it up against him is a huge exaggeration.” Raffy grins. “Beta Dante is no joke.”

“One day I want to be good enough to join the elites.” Noah sighs dreamily. “Alpha Liam leads that class.”

They chat about their training for a bit, when I see Esme and Hayden approaching us, and right behind them, Stella and Portia. The whole table turns a lot livelier all of a sudden with them joining us, everyone chatting and asking questions.

“It’s good to see you, Hayden.” I beam at him. “Thought you might be on kitchen duty.”

“No, I have the evening shift.” He chuckles. “Esme and I are trying to match our schedules as well as possible.” He smiles happily. “This is a very good pack.”

“He’s right.” Stella, who’s sitting next to me, squeezes my shoulder. “Thanks, Dave, for bringing us here.”

“Won’t you miss your coven?” I ask her softly.

She sighs. “I will miss them, but I’ve already talked to the ancient witch of this area, Jade Carmine, and she’ll welcome me in her coven. And I kinda like the challenge of working for an alpha, for a lycan alpha in particular.” She takes a spoonful of her lunch and tilts her head. “Alphas are known to be stubborn and demanding, but they get things done, and I will be able to use a lot of my powers and further polish and grow them.”

“And you, Portia?” I ask her. “I hope you will be happy here too…”

“I’m happy as long as I’m with Stella,” she answers simply. “The alpha approved of her making a portal for me to go to the club regularly. I’m thinking about opening a branch in this area too.”

“I can pitch this to Annie,” I offer. “Maybe she’d like to invest in it. From what I know, many wolves love clubbing.”

“That’s what I was hoping for,” Portia admits. “I do have some solid finances to do it myself, but with a pack behind it, it would make things so much easier in terms of audience and advertising.”

“Wolves like to party hard and wild.” I grin. “You can do the one or other fetish night that way.” I pat Raffy’s chest. “I know at least one person who really was into it.”

Esme almost drops her spoon into her soup while Noah grins. “I want to hear more about that and the club.”

Raffy grumbles at the whole attention being on him but then shrugs.

Portia elegantly puts one of her legs above the other and smirks. While she is dressed more casually here, she’s still mostly in dark colors. “I own a special establishment for adults who want to test a couple of fetishes.”

“Are singles allowed too?” Noah’s friend asks curiously.

“Of course!”

“And you were there?” Noah asks me and Raffy curiously.

“It was the moment I realized that no one else can have Dave,” Raffy says to my surprise.

“Cute.” I grin. “A bit serial-killer-ish in how you said it, but cute in a weird and twisted way.”