Page 42 of A Broody Mate for the Human

“I don’t think there is a chance for us anymore,” I say.

For a while none of us says anything, then I take a deep breath. “Could we watch a movie, something funny? I don’t want to sit here all night and think about Matthew.” I pause, feeling my chest tighten painfully and the first tears burning in my eyes. “Truth is, I already made my decision. And now I would love to get drunk and watch a stupid trash movie.”

“Three-Headed Shark Attack?” Annie offers. “I’m sure we could stream it somewhere.”

“Is that a thing?” Ella asks in disbelief.

Annie smiles. “It’s a trash movie about a shark with three heads, randomly attacking people.”

Ella grins. “Sounds like the movie for the night.”

“We could order something in,” Annie offers. “Something unhealthy and greasy.”

I feel my spirits being lifted a bit. “Sounds like the perfect idea.” I smile. “How about an assortment of pizzas, Chinese takeaway, sushi, and donuts?”

“Great,” Ella agrees. “I’ll order some stuff. It’s on me this time.”

“I hope you don’t mind Luca?” I ask him, not wanting him to feel obliged to watch a stupid movie with us.

He looks a bit flustered but smiles. “Actually, I have never done something like that… have a movie night with trash movies and unhealthy food.”

I chuckle. “Then it’s about time.”

In a way, it feels like a burden was lifted from me. I know what Matthew and I had wasn’t healthy. At the same time, I feel sad and guilty for failing the mate bond and for not being able to help Matthew. I know that tomorrow I’ll need to deal with the aftermath of everything. I’ll need to deal with Matthew again and with my reality, and I need to think of a way to heal myself from the trust and self-confidence that Matthew broke. But for tonight, I just want to switch my mind off.

*ALPHA JACE*

I pinch the bridge of my nose after I sent my beta, Deacon, off to bring in Matthew for further questioning. I’m fuming so much that I feel like a freaking steam engine, and the fume is just coming out of my ears.

Around twenty minutes ago, I got off the phone, and what Annalise, the luna from Red Claw pack, just told me was truly shocking… to say the least. I could barely believe it at first. I only know Matthew as a nice kid and a diligent warrior. I know that after school, he started to hang out with the louder kids and went to parties, but he is only nineteen. None of his behavior struck me as questionable.

He is my gamma’s son, for Goddess’ sake!

But Annalise is a luna and a friend of my family, and her mate, Liam, is like a nephew to me. His father and I are old school friends. I know her accusations of what Matthew did to his mate and the mate bond are true. I might not want them to be true, but I know she didn’t lie to me. If anything, she might not even know the full extent of the damage that was done.

“Jace?” Janice approaches me and wraps her arms around my middle. I pull her closer to me. Nothing works better on my nerves than to have my mate close. “We’ll need to find out why Matthew did what he did,” she reminds me quietly.

“Can there be an excuse for treating your mate that way?” I growl. “He could have killed him today.”

She tilts her head, the look in her eyes thoughtful. She is always like that… quiet, regal, controlled, and considerate. “There might not be an excuse for it,” she says after a while. “But there always is a reason, and we need to determine his punishment over his reasons.”

“Should I tell Franc?” I ask her, furrowing my brows. “He is Matthew’s father, after all.”

“The gamma?” Janice shakes her head. “No.”

I’m surprised by how fast she dismisses him. “Why not?”

“A feeling,” she admits. “A bad one.”

“Then I’ll leave him in the dark,” I decide. Janice’s gut feelings are one of the most reliable constants in my life. If she doesn’t trust him, then she has her reasons. “Only Deacon and the both of us know what happened.”

As if on cue, Deacon links me.We are back. Matthew looks a bit beaten up, but nothing too bad. He didn’t put up a fight when he arrived at pack lands, so I didn’t restrain him.

Keep him without restraints,I tell him. I don’t need to tie a child up in silver if they aren’t even putting up a fight. We can deal with him without having to beat him up.Take him to one of our interrogation rooms. I’ll meet you there in ten minutes.

Yes, Alpha.

Janice looks at me curiously. “Was that Deacon?”