Page 154 of A Broody Mate for the Human

I can hear screams coming from the other side of the rooftop and the screeching of car wheels. I squeeze my eyes, noticing how one of the guards has Tom, and Ella has captured one of the other men. Cabbage-head and the others seem to have made it to a huge van though another one is driving it. Wow, they came prepared and were ready to leave fast.

Matthew jumps in front of the van to do… god knows what the idiot thought he was doing! Ella pulls him back at the last moment so that he won’t get hit by the van with full force. Matt gasps in pain when the side of the van hits him, fortunately not upfront.

The warriors seem to be ready to chase the car. “Don’t!” Annie commands, and her voice has that regal tone to it again.

“But Luna—” one of the men stutters.

“We captured two of the men,” Annie says. “And we know where they came from. It’s not necessary to chase them through the town in bright daylight and alert even more humans.” She pauses. “We have a code red here. There is a dead body, and we need to clean up fast.” She looks at Ella. “Beta!”

Ella nods, turning to the warriors and going into work mode immediately. “Follow the usual protocol. I will put up the mental blockade, meanwhile clean up fast, check for witnesses. Dave screamed loud enough for us to hear him, but it shouldn’t have been loud enough for the human ear. We still need to verify, though.” She fires out commands towards the warriors, having them clean up fast and bringing one of their cars up to the rooftop. It has an adjacent parking lot, which I originally wasn’t aware of.

When everything is set into motion and the body of the attacker and the prisoners are hidden from prying eyes, Ella approaches Annie. “The car will be here in a minute. And Cameron and Matthew are getting attended to.”

“Were they hurt severely?” Annie asks.

“Cameron got it a bit worse, but he is going to be alright. As for Matthew, I pushed him out of the way before worse things could happen. He just has minor injuries. No idea what he was planning to do.”

“A knee-jerk reaction, probably,” Annie muses.

Ella looks at her. “That was a very dangerous scheme, Luna,” she mutters.

“Yes.” Annie tilts her head. “But I saw them from the toilet window. None of us had the spray with us. I instructed Cameron not to put up too much of a fight so that we can buy some time. They would have gotten Esme otherwise, seeing how prepared they were.”

Ella frowns. “Still…”

“I know.” Annie smiles a bit. “I bet I will get an earful from the alpha for it.”

“You were right when you said I should learn self-defense,” I mutter. “I felt fucking helpless.”

“Dave.” Annie sighs. “Against wolves, you will always have a disadvantage. But I’m proud of how fast you reacted and how you screamed for help. We all were able to react that fast because you screamed for help.”

“I’ll make sure you learn more about self-defense,” Ella encourages me. “Annie’s right though. You have nothing to blame yourself for. You did great. Had you stepped into the fight, it might have been even worse, as Annie would have needed to protect you too. Sometimes it’s better to stay back.”

I’ll probably need some time to wrap my mind around everything, but for now, I nod my agreement before getting up and walking towards Matthew. He looks disheveled but seems to be alright otherwise.

“What did you think you were doing?” I ask him quietly.

“I heard the commotion and knew something was going on,” he explains, avoiding my gaze. “Red Claw is an ally of Emerald Moon. We are obliged to help in case of an emergency and—”

“That’s not what I’m talking about,” I ask sharply. “You and I both know why you jumped in front of that car.”

“It wouldn’t have killed me,” he mutters.

“Maybe not, but it would have hurt you,” I huff. “Do you really want to leave, just like that? You have a whole fucking life to live. Stop the self-pity party and make something out of it.”

“The twins are saying the same,” he mutters.

“The twins?”

“The future alphas of my pack and my best friends,” he explains. “I told them what I did, and yet they stayed my friends and told me they will make sure to help me through this.”

“As good friends should do,” I exclaim. “Okay, listen, I know you think you don’t deserve a second chance, and I know how it is to deal with a serious depression, but I forgave you long ago, Matt. I think you deserve forgiveness and a real second chance, but it’s on you to take it.”

Matthew looks at me, shocked. “You have truly forgiven me?”

“Yes, I’m happy as fuck. Being with you might not have been a great experience, but it led me to Raphael. And I know that despite everything you think now, it will also lead you to your future and your mate. Even I can see how you’re putting effort into redeeming yourself to your pack and even to me. Give yourself some credit. Stop wallowing in self-pity and allow yourself to move forward. Someone out there is waiting for you, and they deserve the best version of you that you can deliver.”

He stares at me wide-eyed. “Okay,” he whispers.