Page 41 of A Broody Mate for the Human

Luca clears his throat. “We were in the area, and we got worried. Jun said you wanted to meet Matthew today…”

I’m so relieved I told him. Best decision of my life. I don’t say anymore. My mind is still going in all kinds of directions. My heartbeat might have calmed down, but my thoughts and emotions are racing through me. I can barely feel anything at the moment because it’s just so much.

At one point, I notice Ella coming in and talking to Annie before settling down on the floor next to us. She wraps her arms around me and Annie, and I’m so glad to have my two oldest and best friends with me right now.

Chapter fifteen

Nightmare II

*DAVE*

Idon’tknowhowmuch time passed, but eventually I wake up on the sofa again. I feel like I should cry, like I should have cried myself into sleep, but it feels like the shock sat so deep I couldn’t even do that.

Annie is on the phone, talking to someone she calls Jace, and I remotely remember that’s what Matthew’s alpha is called. Luca, meanwhile, shuffles around in the kitchen, preparing something for us to eat. The poor kid… he basically stumbled over this whole drama here, and then has to help clean up the mess.

Ella sits down next to me on the sofa, making me lift my head a bit before resting it in her lap. She is a tough young woman, and a strong warrior. She isn’t Annie’s beta for nothing. But she also has a very kind side to her.

“You have a side-cut now,” I muse, suddenly fascinated by her new look. She always had her hair in a cute pixie cut, but now she has it slightly longer and a side-cut at one side, and it looks great on her. “You rock it.”

“Thank you." Ella smiles, before her smile falters. “I’m so sorry this happened to you, Dave.”

I sigh, struggling a bit to get up to a sitting position. My head hurts, and I can feel some of my bones aching from where Matthew grabbed me, but overall, I just feel numb. “I think I haven’t quite realized it yet,” I admit. “What happened?”

Ella nods tentatively. “I know what you mean. Sometimes it’s just so hard to accept that this is really happening.”

“I should have told you and Annie,” I admit quietly. “I guess a part of me knew what you would tell me, and that you would intervene.” I pause. “Jun said he had some people spying on Matthew. Did he find something?”

“Does it matter now if you knew?” Ella asks quietly.

“I guess not.” I turn my head slightly when I hear footsteps approaching, feeling instant warmth flooding me when Annie comes back into my living room. She carries a tray with glasses filled with…

“Piña Colada,” she says with a smile.

Luca follows right behind her. “And some sandwiches.”

Both of them settle down on my sofa and sofa chairs. I’m so relieved they are here now and not leaving me to wallow in my misery. After a while, Annie starts inspecting my wrist.

“Is it broken?” Ella wants to know.

“I’m not sure,” she mutters.

To our surprise, Luca scoots closer. “I can take a look at it, Luna,” he offers. “I… I have experience with broken arms.”

My heart instantly aches for him. He probably always had to nurse himself. Luca didn’t exaggerate, though. He really seems to know more about first aid than the basics. Soon he nods contentedly. “It’s not broken, just strained. But we should bandage it, or you might break it next time you make a wrong movement or fall down.”

Ella jumps up and hurries to my bathroom, going through the cabinet until she returns with a first-aid kit. Luca goes to work immediately, wrapping up my wrist into a tight bandage, which indeed makes it feel a bit more secure.

None of them pushes me to have my other bruises treated, though, which I really appreciate. While Luca goes back to nibble on his sandwich, and Annie hands me another glass with rum, I sigh. “Why did your goddess do this?” I mutter, not able to hide the miserable tone in my voice. “Mate me to that asshole?”

“I believe you were supposed to have him show his worth,” Annie says quietly. “But he didn’t… he didn’t deliver.”

“I think he is deeply scarred,” I say. “I don’t want to defend him, but there were many signs of how much he hated being gay. He hates himself so much. He has issues.”

“That’s not an excuse though,” Ella grumbles.

“It’s not,” I agree. “It’s… just, in a way, I understand. But yes, it’s not an excuse.”

“And now?” Annie asks. “What are you going to do now?”