Page 46 of A Broody Mate for the Human

Ella wiggles her brows, making him laugh slightly.

When he takes his leave, I turn to look at Ella. “It’s so good to see you happy,” I admit. “He really is a good guy, isn’t he?”

“He is perfect,” she admits. “I was his second chance mate after his first one passed away, and he is such a gentle and loving person.” She looks a bit flustered. “Sorry, Dave, I didn’t want to rub it into your face that—”

“El.” I squeeze her arm. “You didn’t rub anything in my face. Just because it didn’t work out for me doesn’t mean I can’t be happy for you.” I pause. “Do you know anything? About Matthew, I mean? I know Jun brought him to his pack, but I was asleep when he returned to pick up Luca.”

Ella nods. “We’ll tell you what we found out.”

Annie opens the door for us. “What are you doing here, standing in front of the door, talking without me? Come in and involve me in your gossip.”

Ella gasps. “Should the luna gossip?”

“If it’s with her beta, then yes.” Annie smiles and opens the door further for us.

We both eagerly step inside, and I notice in awe that she had plenty of snacks prepared for us… the greatest one, an assortment of cakes. Ella seems hungry, too, and the both of us basically raid the little buffet Annie put together. After a while of eating and chatting, I look at my favorite women. “So, I’m ready, tell me.”

Annie puts her plate aside and intertwines her fingers. “I honestly think you should know,” she says. “Though I hope it won’t make you feel so much pity that you go back to him.”

I sigh. “So, there is something to feel pity about?” I ask. “I had a feeling, so I doubt you’re going to surprise me.”

“What does your feeling tell you?” Annie wants to know, serious now and more regal. I love her in her luna role.

“At the beginning, I thought he didn’t like me because I’m human, but with time I came to realize it’s because I’m a guy. He hates that I’m gay, which means he must hate that about himself.”

Ella and Annie stare at me in surprise.

“It’s true, isn’t it?” I sigh. “When he attacked me that day, I think something I said triggered him. In no way am I excusing what he did, but when I told him he was not sick or wrong, he suddenly forgot himself.” I pause. “So, who was it? Who brainwashed him so much that he almost attacked his mate because of it?”

“His father,” Annie explains quietly. “Alpha Jace interrogated Matthew personally, and at first, it looked like they wouldn’t get anywhere until they managed to make Matthew snap. It’s been years of abuse, it seems, and his father sent him to two shady camps.”

“Camps?” I ask.

Ella nods. “Deacon, that’s the beta of his pack, tracked the bank records and transactions, and apparently, at age sixteen and seventeen, Matthew spent half of his summer vacation in one of these camps that try to heal you, as they call it.” She shivers slightly. “And not just any camp, it’s one for werewolves, a fucking shady one where they use wolfsbane on the kids. That is strictly forbidden.”

“Both of them are forbidden,” Annie clarifies. “Using substances on kids, plus meddling with their sexuality. The mate bond is sacred to us… normally… If the Goddess chooses a mate of the same gender for you, who are we to judge her?”

I feel my chest tighten at what they tell me. Poor little Matthew. I can almost see him in front of me, a young teenage boy just learning about love and his sexuality, being excited about his first crush, and then having it all destroyed by his father.

No surprise he couldn’t handle the fact I was his mate. I rub my temples thoughtfully.

“What are you thinking?” Annie asks silently.

“I feel sorry for him,” I admit. “I… I can sympathize. My parents weren’t as awful as his, but there is a reason the only person in my family I was in contact with until her death was my grandma. However… as much as I feel sorry for him, I just can’t go back.” Had I met him broken and ready to work on himself, I would have easily stood by his side, but now… “I feel like I woke up from a nightmare,” I admit again. “And I can’t go back to that. This makes me a pretty bad person, doesn’t it?”

“Not at all,” Annie exclaims. “Some burnt bridges can’t be repaired again.”

“You don’t need to go back,” Ella says in a matter-of-fact tone. “Actually, Annie and I were worried that you and your kind heart would take so much pity on him that you would go back without thinking twice.”

“Maybe a few years ago I would have done that,” I admit. “But with you as my friends, and Jun and Ye-Joon and the other people around me, I’m not that desperate anymore.”

Looking down at my hands, I look at the dark bruises there, and one is still bandaged. I want to be loved, but not at this price.

“Matthew wants to meet you and apologize,” Annie tells me further. “He told us you have a new phone number, which is why he can’t reach you. He says he isn’t going to demand anything.”

I sigh. “My phone number is the same, but he doesn’t need to know.”

“Sly,” Ella grins.