Page 61 of A Broody Mate for the Human

“Is she your mate?” I ask carefully.

He shakes his head. “My wolf is not talking to me because we went rogue for too long, but I know.”

“How can you be so sure?”

He throws me a long gaze. “I know,” he says with insistence.

“Okay,” I give in. “Anything else?”

“She drove a car.”

“The crying woman?” I want to know.

“No, Stella…”

I perk up a little. “Do you know what kind of car she drove?”

“An old one,” he muses.

Wow, yeah… well, at least he didn’t say a new one, I guess. “An old-timer?”

“Probably? It was red…”

“Raffy,” I sigh. “You’re not making this easy for me.”

*RAFFY*

I try not to look at Dave while he Googles something on his notebook, his beautiful hands gliding over the keypad. I’m not even sure why I’m putting so much faith into him, but something drew me to him. When I saw him at the gas station, surrounded by those punks, I could swear I finally heard my wolf again.

Nero has been quiet for a while now. He is still there, but he has lost touch with his more human side due to being a rogue. We can’t communicate with each other anymore. At least I still know his name. Having forgotten my own, it surprised me that he still remembered his name back then when I woke up in the middle of nowhere.

I don’t know how much time passed… months… or years. I just remember waking up in the middle of a forest, only clad in some basic clothes, a small bag with a knife, a scarf, a rope, and a…

“Bracelet.”

Dave looks up at me, his deep brown eyes looking at me curiously now. “A bracelet?”

“Yes, I had one in my bag when I woke up and realized I can’t remember anything anymore.” I pause, frowning. I didn’t deem it important back then, although I clung to it because it’s been the only piece that looked like a memorial. Eventually I got frustrated with it because no matter how long I kept looking at it, it didn’t trigger any memories.

“Can you show me?” Dave asks, looking motivated and pumped again. “Maybe it will help!”

“You think so?” I mutter skeptically, but since there is no harm in trying, I decide to humor him. I don’t believe he will be able to help me, but it’s been a while since someone talked to me or looked at me like a person and not a monster. Besides, there is something in the way he looks at me and smiles, the way his body radiates warmth. It draws me in, almost like there is something between us.

I rummage in my backpack before handing him the small bracelet.

“Thanks.” Dave beams, stretching out his hand. The sleeve of his sweater pulls up a bit. It’s then that I see dark bruises around his wrist and lower arm. He is wearing a bandage covering his other hand.

I can feel an unknown anger washing over me, Nero suddenly flashing into my mind and growling.Hurt,he growls.

I almost drop the bracelet, shocked to hear Nero’s voice. As fast as it happened, though, the moment passes again.

“Raffy?” Dave mutters. He has pulled his arm back, recoiling a bit, like he is scared.

Why is he scared? I could never hurt him. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t. I don’t understand why, but it’s an instinct telling me I need to protect him. “My wolf,” I say gruffly.

“Your wolf?” Dave relaxes visibly, eyeing me curiously now.

“He stopped talking months ago. He just said something.”