Page 169 of A Broody Mate for the Human

Fenris growls.Then think of something, he is your mate! You have a bond between you.

Wow, thanks for the meaningful advice! As if I don’t know that. Awesome, lycan-dude! But fuck, I can’t fail Raffy now. I don’t want Liam to force himself into his mind. I know he can shift. He has marked me, and our bond is strong… maybe it doesn’t exist fully yet, but it’s there. I love Raffy, and I know he knows it. Maybe if I relied on this knowledge I could help.

I tilt my head. Right, I felt him through the bond, and I still feel him.

He will feel me too.

I close my eyes, imagining Raffy in front of me, the way he looks at me, how he kept watching out for me all this time, and not once lost his patience with me or disrespected me. He accepted me the way I am, and he loves me the way I am.

So do I. I love my supposed axe-murderer hobo and my grumbly broody mate, just like I love his kinky side and the more polished version of him.

A smile curls my lips when I think of our first kiss. I was disappointed back then, but now it’s such a sweet memory.

Nero whimpers slightly.

And that chase when I teased him and he chased me through the garden of the landlady. It was the first time we both admitted to something being there between us. From then on everything happened a lot faster. My most meaningful memory is when we went to visit my aunt.

I don’t need any toxic family. I have my family here, with my friends, with the pack and with Raffy.

I try to pour it all into the bond, my love for him, my trust, and my gratitude, but also my loyalty to him.

It’s working,Fenris’ voice reaches me.Go to him now.

I nod, walking past Fenris, and approach my mate. Nero is lying on the ground now, eyeing me tentatively. He is growling slightly, but I’m not scared. “Hey, big black wolf,” I say. “Hello, Nero.” I kneel down in front of him.

Bare your neck,Fenris commands.He is a beta wolf with alpha blood. He likes your submission.

I do as he said, baring my neck to him—the side which carries my mark. I can feel his snout coming closer, sniffing at my neck. “Remember?” I whisper. “When you and Raffy marked me?”

Nero growls slightly.

“I remember too. I saw you.” I reach out my hands to touch his fur. “I know you won’t hurt me,” I say while I nuzzle my face into his neck.

Please come back to me.

I blink, not sure what’s going on, but something inside me tugs, but not in an uncomfortable way. It’s almost like a space that was empty is suddenly filled with something else, with a new presence.

Mate!Nero growls, suddenly filling a part of my mind.

I gasp at the unfamiliar feeling of having another presence linked to mine. Suddenly, I can feel strong arms wrapping around me.You will get used to it,a well-known voice promises.

“Raffy!” I exclaim, drawing back a bit.

Raffy nods and leans his forehead against my shoulder. While I’m still trying to grasp what happened, Liam approaches me. He has shifted back and is dressed in his pants. He squeezes my shoulder. “You did well,” he acknowledges. “Fenris is a bit pushy. It’s his strategy.”

“Well, sometimes a kick in the ass is what we need,” I say. “Thank you, Alpha.”

“Alright,” Liam gets up and retreats again. He tosses a gaze towards Dante, who nods.

“Raphael,” Dante approaches us. “Now that you successfully shifted back, we’ll try it again.”

“What?” I blurt out, my voice high-pitched.

Dante remains unfazed. “You remember the feeling now, and it’s fresh in your mind. We’ll need to build on it.”

Before I can protest, Raffy squeezes my arm. He moves back and places a kiss on my forehead. “It’s alright,” he says. “Beta Dante is right. I can do it now.”

Dante looks at me shortly. “You can stay if you want.”