Page 33 of A Broody Mate for the Human

Jun laughs. “Hello to you too!”

He sounds like he is in a great mood. I sit up straighter. “Okay, you need to spill the beans. I know something happened!”

“I…” he seems to hesitate.

“You killed someone?” I ask dryly. “And need me to hide the body for you?”

“No, you crazy nutcase.” He chuckles. Another pause that makes me just more curious. “I just wanted you to hear from me… and not from someone else…”

“You found your mate,” I interrupt his rambling. It can only be that. He sounded happy first and then insecure, like he didn’t know how to tell me.

“Yes,” he stutters.

I let out a scream, hearing some clacking sounds from the other side of the line before Jun’s voice interrupts me. “Fuck, Dave, I just dropped my phone.” He laughs. “Don’t scream into my ear.”

“You need to tell me everything,” I demand.

“Sure, I’m going to pick him up on a date later. You up for a quick coffee? I’d like to tell you in person. It feels weird to talk about it on the phone.”

“I can be at Starbucks in ten minutes,” I offer. It’s the closest coffee shop to my apartment, although I don’t particularly like it. I do like their cakes though.

“Great, I’m close by too. Meet you there.”

With that, he hangs up, and I stand, closing my notebook and grabbing my keys and wallet. I’m still wearing my baby blue fuzzy comfort sweater, but for Jun, I don’t need to change into something more dignified. He never minded my choice of clothing. Neither he nor Ye-Joon ever judged me for anything I did or liked.

I’m so eager for Jun to spill the tea that I manage to arrive earlier than anticipated, making it in just eight minutes. Jun’s already sitting at one of the small tables, his head perking up when he sees me. He grins. “Did you run here?”

“Don’t blame me for being curious.” I chuckle.

“Just sit down. I’ll grab us something,” Jun offers. “You want cake?”

“They have strawberry shortcakes, don’t they?”

Jun nods. “I’ll grab you a piece. Coffee, the usual?”

“Yes, thanks.” I drop down on my seat, allowing my rapid breath to calm down. Wow, my stamina sucks. I bet the grandpa from across the street has better stamina than I do. I really should work out more.

Fortunately for me, there is not a long line in front of the cashier, so Jun is back in a few minutes. He got himself his favorite cheesecake while I have my strawberry cake.

“It was the last piece,” Jun says.

“Lucky me.” I sigh happily before I look at him, pointing my fork at him. “Now, stop stalling.”

“Alright, alright.” He smiles slightly, then starts to tell me how he visited Celine’s pack today and coincidentally scented that sweet smell, following it to this super sweet guy. I beam at him when he tells me the guy seems to be sweet and kind. I’m so happy for him. I always hoped that he would find a nice person one day. He deserves the best. “His name is Luca, by the way,” he finished. “He just turned eighteen recently and—”

“Luca?” I blink. “Wait a minute… shy boy, very kind, but trauma written all over him? With these nasty scars around his neck? Very pretty and cute, super-sweet guy?”

“You know him?” Jun asks in shock.

“I tutored him last year and helped him finish high school.” I laugh, relief filling me all of a sudden. I didn’t know how anxious I was until now. Deep inside, I feared that Jun’s mate would hate for him to be friends with a human like me. But Luca is such a great person, and I consider him a friend too. “I’m so happy for you, Jun. Luca is such a sweet guy. And he is lucky to get you as his mate.”

Jun smiles warmly. “I know I need to take it very slow with him.” He tilts his head. “Most werewolves don’t take it particularly slow.” He chuckles. “But Luca still doesn’t have his wolf fully, so I’ll court him like a human.”

His last words give me a jab like someone just punched me in the chest.

Jun looks at me, clearly noting my sudden change of mood. “Dave…” he mutters. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“No, this is not about me. This is about you,” I urge. This is not the freaking Dave pity party, it’s the Jun-got-his-mate ultimate celebration.