Page 26 of A Broody Mate for the Human

Matthew waits for him to leave before he grabs me by my wrist and drags me back into the corridor. He looks around before he targets a door with STAFF ONLY written there. He ushers me inside. “Who the hell was that?” Matthew hisses.

“You mean Ye-Joon?” I blink. “I just introduced you to him. He is a friend.”

“He doesn’t look like a friend,” Matthew huffs.

“Matthew,” I say softly. “I have known Ye-Joon for years. He isn’t interested in me in the slightest.”

“You think I’m stupid!?” Matthew tugs at my arms, his grasp around my wrists tightening. “I saw how he was looking at you!”

His grip around my wrists is so tight that I’m scared it might leave bruises. My heart speed picks up. He wouldn’t hurt me, would he? “You’re hurting me,” I mutter.

Matthew stares at me, his gaze hard, before he lets go of my wrist. “Fuck it,” he curses. He tears his gaze away and opens the door, heading out of it.

I watch how Matthew walks away from me, his posture grim and angry.

I did it again, I think sadly.

Chapter ten

Setting Actions

*JUN*

Thealarmgoesoffway too early. I groan slightly, noticing how Ye-Joon gets up instantly, his ever-so-earnest face lighting up with a smile. He has the typical body and mindset of a dancer and is used to practicing early and for long hours.

I’ve been staying at his place since yesterday. I was trying to spy on Matthew a bit and roamed the clubs he is said to frequent. Tomorrow is my day off, so I decided to stay at Ye-Joon’s place because it was closer.

“Say.” Ye-Joon switches on his coffee machine while I head to the bathroom. “Dave’s seeing someone, right?”

I nod. “Yes, he just started dating a guy. His mate.”

Ye-Joon frowns. “I saw him.”

“Who?” I blink.

“Dave with his boyfriend… or mate,” Ye-Joon shakes his head. “I don’t like him.”

“What?” I peek out of the bathroom door with my toothbrush in my mouth.

“I don’t like him,” Ye-Joon repeats. “I don’t like the way he looks at Dave, and I also don’t like how Dave was nervous when he talked to me and saw him approaching. He was freaking out.

I return to the bathroom to swiftly finish getting ready before returning to the kitchen.

“I’ve been wondering about that too…” I admit. “It’s just, I don’t think… you know… that Dave is the type to allow a guy to control him.”

“That’s a bit naïve to say,” Ye-Joon says and hands me a cup of coffee. “Sometimes things just happen, and suddenly you are a victim without realizing it. There are a lot of people who were mentally in a good place, and nothing was wrong in their lives, yet they ended up in an abusive relationship. We don’t know the power this guy has over Dave. We don’t know Dave’s mental state.”

“You think he is abusing Dave?” I ask, alarmed.

“What did you think?”

“That he is cheating,” I point out, dread settling in me. I thought Matthew was cheating on the bond and being an ass, but if it goes further than that, then Goddess be with him because I’ll kick his pathetic ass then.

“It’s just a feeling,” Ye-Joon says quietly. “I didn’t encounter him hitting him or anything, but there are certain red flags… and I’ve only seen the guy once, for a few minutes.” He pauses. “I’m sorry if I’m asking something that’s probably very basic knowledge to you wolves, but I genuinely don’t know: is it cheating when they aren’t a couple?”

“Absolutely,” I say with emphasis. “It’s the worst to betray the mate bond. It means the other person feels you are betraying them every time, and the pain is excruciating.”

“Even when they are mated to a human?” he asks.