Page 30 of A Broody Mate for the Human

“Just give it time,” Garret reassures me. “Your senses have already improved so much. I’m sure you’ll meet your wolf soon.”

“And then I’ll be able to shift,” I say.

“Exactly.” Garret smiles at me. “Care for some lunch? It’s almost noon.”

I’m not really hungry, but I remember what Marcel told me about how I need my strength. I promised him to watch out for my health. “Yes, I’d love to.”

Garret and I walk back towards the pack house. The new cottages are going to be built close to the forest, at a safe distance from the borders. It’s going to be a beautiful place to live. I stretch a bit, enjoying the warmth of the autumn sun on my skin, and, for the first time in my life, I actually feel optimistic about the future.

One day, I’ll be able to leave my past behind. It might take a while, but for the first time, I have people who care for me and a place that feels like home.

While Garret and I walk side by side silently, I can hear the leaves rustling in the wind. Garret is right; my senses are a bit sharper now. There is the scent of petrichor in the air, a hint of pine trees and oranges… such an amazing scent. I take a lungful of it, sighing in joy.

“It smells so nice today,” I finally break the silence.

Garret blinks at me. “What do you—”

He doesn’t get to finish his sentence because our path gets suddenly blocked by a tall, athletic man. I’ve never seen him before, but the scent seems to grow stronger around him. He’s the most handsome man I’ve ever laid eyes on. He has thick black hair, wearing it rather short, sharp cheekbones, and deep brown eyes that keep looking at their surroundings earnestly. He is Asian and definitely of higher rank, going by his strong aura. His eyes linger on me for a long while.

“Gamma Jun,” Garret greets him with a welcoming smile. “It’s good to see you again!”

Jun is his name? Somehow, that revelation makes me almost giddy.

“Same, Gamma Garret.” Jun smiles a bit. “This just happened to turn into a very good day.”

Garret looks at him, his eyes widening, before he tosses him a knowing glance. “Well, I will leave you two alone,” he says with a wink.

I watch him leave before turning my attention back to Jun.

Jun is looking at me now. “And you are?” he asks, his tone gentle.

“Luca,” I stutter.

Jun stretches out his hand for me to shake it, and I carefully take it, feeling sudden sparks shooting through my body. I can feel something in me stir… my wolf… Jun’s presence seems to be calling to him.Mine,he whispers, barely audible. That’s… impossible! He just spoke to me, he talked!

“You’re not a human.” Jun smiles at me kindly. “You’re a fellow wolf.”

“Yes, but my wolf was suppressed until only recently,” I stutter, still completely spellbound by the beautiful man in front of me.

“Luca,” he says softly. “Do you know what we are?”

I feel the light tingles where he holds my hand, and I blush. “Mates?” It can’t be, can it? Why would the Moon Goddess curse such a beautiful, strong, kind man with me as his mate!? But I can feel it inside me, I can feel the pull… light and barely there, but I can feel it. And my wolf just made his presence known, if only for a short while.

“I’m very happy to meet you,” Jun says with a welcoming smile.

“I’m sorry,” I blurt out. “I’m just so confused. And I have not much to offer and…” my voice trails off.

“Is there food somewhere?” he asks me.

“Yes… I can take you to have lunch,” I say.

“See”—he flashes me a grin—“you have something to offer.” His gaze is soft when he looks at me. “Don’t worry, Luca, I’m sure you have plenty to offer. But we don’t need to rush anything. I’m a patient man. I just want to see you happy. How about we have lunch and then go from there?”

I nod excitedly. I’ve heard that wolves go super-possessive over their mates, but the fact that he wants to adapt to my excruciating slow pace just warms my heart. “I’ll show you the dining hall,” I say, not even contemplating that as a gamma of another pack he might already know that.

His hand feels warm in mine, and for a moment I think I should maybe let go of it because it’s probably weird to drag him along by his hand. But he just smiles at me, and I swallow down my insecurities and instead bask in the feeling of warmth.

*JUN*