Page 160 of A Broody Mate for the Human

Raffy clenches his teeth. “I know many of them.”

“Good. I want you to go to the dungeons with Dante and check our prisoners. See if you know them,” Liam commands.

“Yes, Alpha.” Raffy takes a deep breath. He looks like he wants to say something but doesn’t dare to.

Liam catches on himself though. “You don’t need to remain cool down there. Just don’t kill anyone,” he says, nodding towards Dante to send the both of them off. I watch Raffy leave with mixed feelings. I know facing the guys who tried to hurt both me and Esme won’t be easy for him. Something in my stomach twists slightly. Ever since we sat down here, I felt an ache in my chest. I rub it absent-mindedly.

“It’s the mate bond,” Liam tells me calmly, catching onto my uneasiness. “You can feel if he is hurt or restless. The more intense the feeling, the more you’ll feel it.” He pauses. “Raphael is a strong beta. His wolf might not be at full strength, and maybe he never will be, but it doesn’t change the fact that he was trained his whole life to become a high-ranking wolf.”

“What are you getting at by telling me this?” I ask.

“That his protective instincts are stronger than for… let’s say… an omega wolf or a weaker beta. Not to say the others don’t feel protective, but for someone of his strength, it’s sometimes hard to keep control.” Liam rubs his temples. “I will admit you have a surprisingly good hand for him and his emotions.”

I let his words sink in. “Really?”

“Yes.” He nods. “You naturally understand what he needs and how to calm him down, even if it means teasing him.”

“It’s probably the mate bond,” I muse.

“No, the mate bond just pulls us together, but being mates is like any other relationship: it needs work.” Liam shows me one of his rare smiles. “I’m glad you’re here, Dave. Annalise is beyond happy.”

“I’m happy too,” I admit.

“If you ever have troubles or feel overstrained because of the pack life, don’t hesitate to ask me or her.” He gets up. “So, while the others are down there with the prisoners, how about we grab something to eat?”

“Oh yes.” I sigh, following Liam to the comfortable sitting corner of his office. “I’m starving.”

Liam nods. “I’ll have someone bring us some leftovers from dinner.”

I look at him thoughtfully. “You’re not mad at Annie, are you?”

Liam blinks at me, then he laughs—very surprisingly so. “I can never be mad at my mate,” he says before he clears his throat. “I don’t like her getting in danger, but she is right. She is the luna of this pack and has a responsibility towards it. I’m very proud of her, actually. She is amazing.”

“Make sure to tell her,” I say quietly. “I think coming from you, she might really appreciate it.”

He looks at me for a moment, then he nods. “I will. Any more relationship advice?”

“Yep, put the toilet lid down,” I tell him.

Liam snorts, leaning back to rub his temples. “You’re the perfect mate for a broody man like Raphael,” he finally states.

I’m not sure if that’s supposed to be a compliment or if he wants to tease me, but I decide to go with the first option.

Chapter fifty-two

The List

*DAVE*

LiamandIspentan hour with each other, eating some late dinner and chatting with each other. It’s the first time that I get to talk to him like that, and to my surprise, he is a very thoughtful person. Not that he came off as a brute before, but he is very stoic usually, which makes it hard to read him.

I guess as an alpha, he has to remain in control and ooze power.

When Raffy and Dante return from the dungeons, I notice Raffy has changed his shirt, making me wonder what he did to sully his other one. Well, I don’t need to know it all. Raffy confirms what we all already guessed. “They are indeed Troi’s men,” he says, clenching his teeth. “The one who attacked the luna, Tom, he is the gamma.”

Liam looks at him in surprise. “He’s Troi’s gamma?”

Raffy nods.