Page 2 of A Broody Mate for the Human

After years of friendships with wolves and after dating one of them for a while, I know that there is no stop to their libido. Annie’s mate always looks at her like she is his favorite dessert. All my female friends have already found their mates, and all the dudes are always looking like they could devour them on the spot.

“You’re living a dangerous life with your teasing,” I point out with a grin. “I didn’t have my fries and beer yet.”

Jun laughs slightly, which is always nice to see. When I met him, he was such a serious man, now he is so much happier. We sit down, waiting for the waitress to approach us. “What can I bring you?” she asks with a beam.

“Fries.” I grin. “Lots of fries. Do you have chili fries? Oh, and a salad, or I’m getting an earful again about not eating enough greens. No meat though.”

I think for Jun the concept of someone being a vegetarian is still mind-boggling. As a wolf he loves meat. But he is not pushy and never intervened with my dietary choices.

“Anything for you, sweetie,” the waitress says. She turns towards Jun. “And you, hun?”

Jun just chuckles in amusement. He hates pet names normally, but this is our favorite pub, and we know the staff by now. They get a free pass. “A beer,” he says. “And chicken wings for me.” Once she leaves, he turns to me and grins. “Who gives you an earful about not eating enough greens?”

“You,” I state dryly.

He chuckles. “Once, Dave! I pointed it out once when you were on your mac and cheese phase… for three weeks!”

I smirk. “You fed into my insecurities though and guilted me into eating vegetables.”

He rolls his eyes. “Right,” he mutters.

We both chuckle before we chat a bit about what’s been going on recently. Jun is the gamma of Red Claw, the same pack my best friend Annie is luna in. It’s been a funny twist of fate that all my friends happen to be werewolves, but I met Annie and my other best friend, Ella, in Middle School, where I was a pitiful, bullied outsider. It’s not fun being gay in school, especially when you are surrounded by tough wolves… not that I knew that at first.

Annie couldn’t care less about my sexual orientation, and she didn’t mind me being a human either. Instead, she befriended both Ella and me, who was an equally bullied kid. Annie has a thing with collecting stray pups and giving them a chance in life, as Ella and I often point out teasingly. The only reason I know so much about the wolves’ world is because of them. Then step by step our circle of friends expanded, and suddenly we were a whole bunch of wolves, including a female alpha and a lycan prince, and obviously me, the human guy.

These people were more welcoming towards me than the fellow humans in my life. My true family is them.

“Say,” Jun said. “Did you think about what to do next? You mentioned you were still contemplating your choices concerning your future.”

“Yes.” I nod with a smile. “I’ll continue with a postgraduate study. I like my studies, and I think it’s going to help me in the future.”

“Oh, that’s great, Dave! What’s your main subject going to be?”

“Psychology,” I tell him.

“So you are thinking about actually going to work at university?” he concludes. “One day you will be Professor Dave.”

“Sounds hot, doesn’t it?” I grin. “My next guy needs to call me that in bed.”

“Now you’re just being delusional.” Jun chuckles.

Silence lingers around us. “Does it feel awkward to you?” I finally ask. “Talking about someone else going to bed with me?”

“I don’t know.” Jun shrugs. “You were literally my first boyfriend. It feels a bit weird, but I think it’s good that we are getting there. I would hate if you held back what you think and feel just because we were a thing.”

I nod. “The same goes for you. I just hope you won’t drop me entirely as a friend once you find your mate.”

“I would never do that,” he says calmly. “Granted, I would never betray my mate, but friends are friends. I know being friends with an ex is a touchy subject, but you have always been more than a simple hook-up. Without you, I would probably still hate myself. I owe you a lot, Dave, and I won’t ever drop you as a friend.”

I feel relieved at his words. Jun’s one of the best guys I’ve ever met. His future mate is going to be so lucky. I wonder when it will happen that he finds his mate… I bet he will be fated to a good man.

“What about you?” he asks. “What if your future boyfriend won’t like you being friends with the guy you once fucked with?”

“Same,” I tell him. “Friends are friends. I know it’s not easy to accept… I mean I would be pretty annoyed, too, if my SO met his ex, but I think with mutual understanding and honesty it’s doable. I just would want to meet them to see for myself, I guess.”

I know it sounds fucked up for some to remain friends with their ex, but Jun did something to me. He was the first guy I was with who truly respected me. In a way he made me realize that I deserve to be treated with kindness and respect. I will never forget how he helped me.

“Good.” Jun smiles. “Besides, you’re my luna’s best friend. Our paths have to cross eventually.”