Page 47 of A Broody Mate for the Human

“What do you want to do?” Annie wants to know. “I’ll deliver your message back to Alpha Jace.”

I lean back a bit. I might feel sorry for Matthew, but when I think about meeting him, a shiver goes down my spine. However, I’ll need this meeting to finally be able to make the cut properly. And if he truly wants to apologize, I kind of want to hear it. “Tell him I’ll meet him briefly. In a public place. But I don’t want to go alone.”

“You want a guard?” Ella asks carefully.

“Ella could do that,” Annie says. “You can meet him in a café, and Ella will guard the place from a distance so that you can have your privacy.”

“Really?” I ask, surprised. Ella is my friend, but she is also Annie’s beta. To have Annie lend me her beta… just shows how much I mean to her. “Thank you,” I mutter, standing up to approach my two favorite girls and hugging them. We stay in the group hug for a while before finally letting go. I feel more relaxed now that Annie told me everything, and even more so that I can talk to Matthew with Ella as my backup.

*JUN*

“Alpha.” I come to his office, ready to present him with my reports when the cork of a bottle of champagne almost hits me in the face.

I jump a bit, my good reflexes avoiding me from getting hit, when my eyes land on Liam, Dante, and some of the male and female elite warriors I work with mostly. “Congrats, man,” they basically scream and clap.

Dante smiles at me while Liam hands me a glass of champagne.

What is that for, Alpha?I link him to ask carefully.

To my shock, Liam basically bursts into laughter. I can only blush in embarrassment… I must have said something weird. Liam needs a while to regather his senses, and I can see Dante looking at him curiously. Their eyes gloss over for a moment, indicating their mind link, then Dante grins too.

“Really?” Dante asks me dryly.

Liam clears his throat. “Well, let me make this official,” he looks at me with a smile. “In the meeting room adjacent to my office, we have prepared a little buffet for our party. There are cocktails too. We all want to congratulate you on finding your mate.”

I feel my cheeks turning warm. Now I understand why he found my question so funny. “Thank you,” I stutter a bit bashfully. I’m not used to being the center of attention. “I’m very happy too,” I admit.

Dante saves me from my embarrassment. Thankfully, he is more of a private type of person too. “Come, everyone, let’s raid the buffet.” He shows everyone to the next room while Liam and I follow a bit slower.

Liam puts his hand on my shoulder. “Luca is a good guy. I’m truly happy for you.”

“You know him?” I ask curiously.

“Yes, do you remember what happened last year? Valerie, from Moon Blood, was abducted by Luca’s father. Luca stuck to her and helped her despite having to fear his father’s wrath. He is such a brave young guy.”

I feel pride filling me. I heard the story, like all of us did, but I didn’t connect the dots yet. It takes a lot to stand up to your own family and to your abusers, and the fact that Luca did that despite being so weakened by silver and wolfsbane is amazing.

“I’ll make sure to protect him,” I tell Liam. “He needs time, though. But I’m willing to give him as much time as necessary.”

Liam nods contently. “Make sure you visit him regularly. Dante and I will take over some of your duties so that you can spend some time with him.”

“I would never ask you to—”

“You’re not asking, we are offering,” Liam interrupts me in a no-nonsense tone. “Especially at the beginning, your bond will be weaker. You need to spend time with him as much as possible.”

I decide to take him up on the offer. It’s an enticing idea to be able to spend more time with Luca rather than letting my sense of duty get the better of me. “Thank you, Alpha,” I say.

“And as your mate, he can visit the pack grounds whenever he wants to,” Liam adds. “You don’t need to register him as a visitor,” he explains. “I talked to his alpha, too, and Alpha Celine said the same goes for you.”

“That’s fantastic.” I can’t help but feel joy filling me. I always try to remain composed and stoic, but I can’t help but beam at Liam now. “Thank you so much, Alpha!”

Liam looks slightly touched at my joy and smiles brightly. “Drinks now?”

I return his smile. “Yes.”

I celebrate with the group for an hour or two until everyone returns to their duties. I actually have a date with Luca this evening, and with Dante taking over my patrol shift, I can stay longer than intended.

It makes it all so much easier now that I don’t need to ask Alpha Celine officially to announce my visit. I can just go to see Luca directly. He has invited me to his home, or rather Marcel’s home, which he house-sits while he is away.