Page 38 of A Broody Mate for the Human

I don’t want to ask too many questions yet, as we just started dating, but I hope I’ll manage to make him open up a bit with time. I want him to trust me, and if it means going slow and not hurrying into anything, then Akio and I will oblige.

I wish his father were still alive,Akio growls.I would have loved to rip him into pieces.

Everyone who abused him is dead,I mutter.We have no chance to get any revenge for him, but we can be there for him now and help him heal.

When I see the waitress approaching us with our food, I wave at my mate. “Luca, food!”

“I’ve actually worked up an appetite,” he admits, much to my joy, ogling the pizza with hungry eyes.

Hopefully he will look at us like that one day,my wolf muses. For a wolf who normally is rather quiet, he is suddenly pretty chatty. I can’t blame him. There is no bigger happening for our wolves than finding their mate.

Luca tries all the food I offer him, though he still doesn’t eat a lot, but I’m happy with how genuinely he tries. He seems to like the pizza and fries in particular, and I make a mental note to remember what he likes.

“I was sad first,” he suddenly says. “Because Marcel left today.”

I know Marcel. He is one of Moon Blood’s elite warriors, and his sister is the mate of Aryanna, Liam’s second beta. “You are friends?”

“He is like a big brother to me,” Luca explains. “He took me in when…” he looks down at his fingers. “When my father was killed, and I was finally freed.”

“I’m so glad you had Marcel to watch out for you,” I say softly.

“Do you have family?” he asks shyly.

“No,” I try not to sound too sad, for I don’t want him to feel guilty for asking, but I can’t help the numbing feeling of pain I feel whenever I think about my sister. “My parents died when I was a child, and my sister died four years ago.”

“I’m so sorry,” he stutters. “I didn’t mean to—”

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” I reassure him before he can panic. I show him the tattoo on my underarm. It says Yuka Noshimuri in her handwriting. “This is her name,” I explain. “I wanted to keep a part of her, to make sure I never forgot.”

“I’m sure you were a great brother,” Luca says softly.

“Not good enough to protect her,” I say bitterly.

Luca reaches out his hand to touch mine. His skin feels warm on mine, and his touch soothing. I hardly talk about Yuka. I try to avoid the topic as much as I can because she is my biggest failure. Had I protected her better, she would still be alive.

“Maybe one day we can share our past with each other,” Luca says into the silence. “I… I know your old alpha was a tyrant. I know it had to be rough with him as alpha… I’ve heard some of the stories. I’m sure you did all you could.”

I smile a bit at him. “Then let’s promise never to hide our pain from each other, even if we think it’s ugly.”

Luca nods. “Even if it’s ugly.”

Chapter fourteen

Nightmare

*DAVE*

I look down at my wrists, noticing the fading bruises there from the time Matthew grabbed me during the fair. I don’t think he wanted to hurt me on purpose; he probably just doesn’t know his strength and was upset.

But does it matter?

Fact is, I’m hurt.

I can’t believe I was so desperate to be loved that I allowed it to come that far. My stomach churns slightly at that thought. Damn it, I just want to be loved. Why can’t I find someone who loves me? What is wrong with me?

Before my inner eyes, I can see myself growing older and ending up alone. Nothing terrifies me more than my own loneliness.

I swallow thickly. This is not the right time to have doubts or let my anxiety get the better of me. I don’t want to stay with a guy who emotionally abuses me just because I feel lonely.