Page 45 of A Broody Mate for the Human

“You can remain in the pack and stay at Deacon’s place. But I have conditions. First, you need to get counseling. Second, until I get the okay from your counselor, I don’t want you out of the pack grounds at night. No partying or drinking. Third, you can’t become a gamma… it’s too much of a risk for me. However, I will allow you to return to warrior training and become a warrior if you also start helping out in the infirmary. Your task from now on will be to protect those who need protection. In a few months, we can discuss your future again.”

My original idea was to have him do community service in the human town. I thought his issue was with humans, but it seems like he has no problems with humans at all. I will have him see a therapist and start returning to a normal life under Deacon’s and my watch.

The worst punishment he is probably going to face soon anyway, and that’s the loss of his mate.

“We cannot help you with your mate,” Janice says sadly. “David is a human. Humans do feel the mate bond, but it’s a bit different.”

“I know,” Matthew says dejectedly. “It’s what I deserve,” he mutters.

It is. No matter his reasons, what he did was still wrong, and unfortunately, nothing can change the wrong he did.

Chapter sixteen

A Choice

*DAVE*

Thenextfewdayspass in a blur. I thought I would spend my days sulking on the sofa, but to my utmost surprise I feel… freed. I thought the bond would tie me down forever and that I would need to abide by it, but now I understand that I was so desperate to be loved I used it as an excuse.

I have a choice.

I spend my free time being more social again, meeting my friends, hanging out with Ye-Joon and watching his new performance, meeting Jun and Luca, and endlessly teasing them for being cute. It’s so easy to make them uncomfortable with one or another sexual joke. And I hang out with Annie and Ella again. Annie even managed to convince her mate to allow me on pack grounds. Unmated humans are still prohibited from entering werewolf land, but Annie does her hardest to use grey areas and has me visit occasionally.

“Your pack is amazing,” I whisper when Ella leads me through the pack house and to the alpha suite. When I visit, they make sure there aren’t many pack members around, and unfortunately I can’t just walk through the whole area. But this is already amazing.

Change comes slowly, and I truly appreciate how much she and Ella are trying.

On our way up, we meet Ella’s sugar daddy… aka her mate, Dante.

She turns to me, almost like she can read my thoughts, that scary woman! “I swear if you say anything, I’m going to kick you.”

“No daddy comment?” I ask, wiggling my brows.

Dante looks at me, horrified, while Ella narrows her eyes. “If you push that daddy kink on us one more time, I’ll make sure you never set foot on the pack grounds again.”

Uh, she is not kidding. I smile innocently at her. “Who would ever push kinks on anyone? Me? Never!”

Ella rolls her eyes before taking Dante’s hand and entwining their fingers.

“It’s been some time, Dave,” Dante greets me politely. Despite his strength and size, he is always polite, like a true gentleman. Once more, it shows that Matthew was just trying to push this dominant image. Men like Dante and Jun are easily able to take it up with him, and none of them displays his amount of possessiveness and anger.

“Do you guys have everything?” Dante wants to know while he accompanies us up the last floor to the alpha suite, where Annie and Liam live.

“Yes, thank you,” Elle smiles, squeezing his hand. “We’re settled. Annie had the kitchen staff prepare some things for us.”

Dante turns to look at me. “How are you holding up, Dave?”

I haven’t seen him a lot, as I mostly meet Annie and Ella on their own, but it touches me that he looks truly concerned now. “I am…” I sigh. “I know I should feel worse, but I don’t.”

“You feel liberated,” Dante mutters. “It’s understandable.”

“It’s like waking up from a nightmare.”

Dante smiles at me and nods. “It’s good to see you looking well.”

“Exactly, and now”—Ella lets go of her mate and grabs my arm—“it’s a mate-free zone!” She makes a shooing gesture with her hand. “Go and play with Liam for a while.”

Dante grins. “Only if you promise me we’ll play later.”