Page 3 of A Broody Mate for the Human

I grin. “True.”

When the waitress brings us our food, we dig in right away. The good thing about Jun is that I feel so comfortable around him. Jun was the longest I’ve ever dated someone. It did miss the major sparks, and I wasn’t necessarily head over heels for him, but I trusted him, and I had fun with him.

Jun is telling me funny stories about Annie and her newborn children when the door swings open again. I don’t even notice it properly; just out of the corner of my eye, I’m catching the frame of a tall, athletic guy. I don’t really mind him, though, more focused on what Jun’s telling me. The guy, however, seems to stop and turn to us before hurrying to us with long, confident strides.

Jun stops talking altogether, leaning back and staring at the guy in surprise. The latter halts right in front of us, taking a deep breath, his eyes flashing to black for a second.

Goodness gracious, that’s probably Jun’s mate! He found him!

A part of me is scared that I will lose him as a friend, but for the most part, I’m just happy for him to have found his mate.

Jun stares at said guy. “Matthew?”

I turn my head in surprise. “Wait, you know him?”

Jun tilts his head, not saying or doing anything, just showing me a little smile. The look in his eyes is one of shock and surprise, but he also looks a bit curious.

“So, you are one of Jun’s friends?” I eye the young man with a bright smile, noting that my first impression was true and that he is quite tall and definitely easy on the eyes. He has high cheekbones, beautiful blue eyes, and light brown hair, wearing it above his ears. The type of hair girls like to ruffle through. Fuck the werewolf genes, those lucky bastards. “I’m Dave!”

I stretch out my hand towards him.

But he just grabs my hand and tugs me up instead. I can feel slight tingles at his touch, and an unfamiliar warmth fills me. It almost feels like something is pushing me towards this man.

“Mine!” Matthew growls.

Chapter two

First Impressions

*DAVE*

Istareattheguy in front of me in shock. Wait … what… WHAT!? WHAT, WHAT, WHAT? I’m his mate!? Talk about things happening fast… I thought if it ever happened, it would be to Jun, not me. I swallow slightly, feeling a well-known feeling of anxiety crawling over my back. I can feel tingles where he just touched me, and something seems to naturally draw me to him, a force I can’t quite understand. It doesn’t erase my other feelings of confusion, slight anxiety, and shock, but it puts something new in me, something strong that pulls me towards this unknown man.

“Matthew,” Jun warns. “He is human. You can’t claim him like that. It doesn’t work like that with humans!”

Matthew frowns, his gaze turning to look at me again. I try to catch something in his eyes, something that tells me who this man is. There is turmoil in his eyes, anger, pain… and a certain coldness. I’m not sure if I like what I’m seeing, but then I probably don’t look too welcoming either. Maybe he is just mirroring my own expression.

I take a deep breath, trying to collect my senses. He is my mate. I know about mates… I’ve seen how my friends found theirs and how happy it made them.

“Would you please let go of me?” I try it with my brightest smile. “My fries are getting cold. Why don’t you join us?”

Matthew frowns and lets go of me. He glares at Jun now.

“I’ll leave you two alone now,” Jun says with a sigh.

“Wait, you don’t have to leave,” I point out, feeling instantly bad for Jun. It’s just not… nice to ditch him like that.

“You are my mate,” Matthew huffs. “He should fuck off.”

“Careful.” something in Jun’s eyes flashes. “I’m just retreating out of respect for the mate bond and because I know it’s an intense and special moment, not because you scare me off.”

“I’m a gamma’s son,” Matthew snarls.

“Fantastic,” Jun says cooly. “And IamRed Claw’s gamma, so you better behave.”

For a moment, they stare each other down until I clear my throat. I need to take the heat out of this moment. Wolves are territorial beings, I know it, and they like their hierarchy. “Maybe we should pay and leave instead?” I offer. “Matthew, we could go for a walk instead.”

Jun looks a bit worried but nods at my suggestion. “I guess it’s best for us all to leave. I’ll pay. It’s my turn, anyway.” He pauses, looking at me with an insistent glance. “I’ll leave you two alone,” he says, and it’s more like a question.