Page 54 of A Broody Mate for the Human

“We haven’t heard back from Prince Finn,” I admit. “It’s been a day now.”

“Do you think something happened on his mission?” he asks, worried.

“We aren’t sure. The alphas who organized the mission got together today to discuss the possibilities, but it doesn’t need to mean that something happened,” I hurry to reassure him. “They are in the snowy north, and there might be a blizzard that cut the connection. Anything is possible.”

Dave leans back a bit, furrowing his brows. “Finn’s one of my best friends,” he mutters. “I need to make sure.”

“How?” I ask curiously.

He looks at me innocently. “You don’t need to worry about how I’m going to find his location,” he says sweetly.

Going by how innocent he sounds, I just know he is going to do something I won’t like. It’s the typical mischievous look he gets when he has an awesome and reckless new idea.

Chapter nineteen

The Axe Murderer

*DAVE*

IfthewolvesthinkI’m going to sit by idly and wait for them to save Finn, they are wrong. He is my friend, too, and I’ll show them how capable a human can be.

What Jun said struck something in me… about how I’m not alone and how I’m part of their world.

He’s right. I’m part of their world. Now it’s about time to figure out my place. I know Annie is already trying to bend the rules for humans on their pack grounds. Now it’s on me to show them that a human can help one of their kind.

Besides, Finn is one of my best friends. I have a special bond with him, even more special than to Jun. Jun is my ex-lover who became my friend. I love him, but it will always be a bit awkward between us. Finn, however, we have known each other since his first day in college, and although he looked like a punk back then, he was so open-minded to befriend a gay human, I’m still surprised. I know he has a soft spot for me, and I have the same for him.

For Finn!

I pack my bags with stuff I need for a few days, including my notebook, and grab some of Sugar’s toys, a huge amount of his treats, dog food, and some other things I need for him. I dismantled the back seats of my small car to stuff everything into it and still have enough space for Sugar’s crate.

Sugar readily jumps into the car and lies down, looking at me expectantly. “We’re making a road trip, my boy,” I say, grinning when he barks excitedly.

I’ve just written my friends a short message in our WhatsApp group about going on a short trip. It’s not unusual for me, so they don’t ask any inquiring questions. It’s already evening when I drive off, but I don’t mind driving at night. On our way out of town, I stock up on snacks and soda for myself and buy a cute penguin-shaped toy for Sugar before heading off.

The first real stop is a gas station where I not only refuel my car but also buy a map of the area Finn is supposed to be in. It’s mostly mountains and the wild, icy ocean. Comfy place, really. I grab myself a cup of coffee and a croissant and peek at the map while heading outside and towards my car.

Before I can stop myself, I’ve run against a soft chest, stumbling slightly and emptying my cup of coffee on them. “Fuck,” I curse slightly. “I’m sorry.”

I look up a bit, noticing a tall guy glaring down at me. Right behind him are a bunch of his friends. They look like the cliché biker group minus their bikes, so they are probably not bikers but a group of hooligans. Seriously, I want the bikers.

These dudes here probably can smell my gayness judging by the disgusted way they look at me. I have no problem standing up to strangers, but admittedly, being beaten up in a corner of a gas station isn’t too high on my list.

“You think sorry will do?” one of them huffs.

“Well, yes,” I say, not able to shut my mouth as usual. “I don’t think there is anything else I can offer you but an apology.”

The guys need a while to catch the underlying meaning of my words. One of them steps closer. “You think you’re so funny, you little fag!?”

For real, do these guys normally have a gaydar, or how do they always know that I’m not straight? Maybe wishful thinking from their side? Because I certainly don’t run around with a pride flag attached to my head. “I’m just passing through,” I say calmly. Couldn’t I have run into them in the shop where I paid? At least there are cameras there.

“You won’t pass anything tonight,” one of the guys sneers. “You—”

We get interrupted by some rustling from the bushes next to us. I swear, this is the last time I stop at a gas station in the middle of nowhere at night! I almost expect an axe murderer to jump out and kill us all, but it’s just a man. A tall man, bulky, with wild, long hair and an equally wild beard. He seems to have been out there for a while, going by his torn clothes and his messy hair.

Maybe the axe murderer reference isn’t too far off…

He easily towers over all of us and furrows his bushy brows.