Page 70 of A Broody Mate for the Human

“Hm,” Raffy hums, sniffing the air slightly once we get closer. I almost expect him to wag his tail. Good thing I brought Sugar to a doggie daycare today, or I would have truly pulled all the attention on me.

I take his arm and lead him closer to the tables, ignoring the warmth I feel when touching him. There is just something about him that lures me in, and it scares me a bit not to know what it is. I felt it when I met him at the gas station—it’s the true reason I asked him to accompany me, although he was a stranger and looked like an axe murderer.

“Burger,” he mutters under his breath. “Fries. Ham. Eggs.”

I nod, ordering a burger with ham, bacon, egg, and barbecue sauce for Raffy and one with a veggie patty for me, plus a major load of fries and onion rings.

“Are you trying to lessen the blow?” Raffy asks, looking at me with amusement. It’s the first time I see a small smile curling his lips. “Where exactly are you dragging me to tonight?”

“Well, I need you to be in a good mood,” I admit.

Again, Raffy’s lips tug in amusement, and it sends a shiver of anticipation down my spine. What the heck was that? My body is reacting to him in a way it hasn’t done in a while… and we aren’t even doing anything.

To distract myself I start munching on my fries, desperately so, and poke at my burger. It looks delicious, and soon I find myself indulging in its taste.

“You don’t eat any meat?” Raffy asks while taking a huge bite from his burger.

I shake my head. “I’m a vegetarian,” I say, my anxiety rising instantly. The last time I told someone I didn’t eat meat I was ridiculed and—

“Oh, okay,” Raffy says with a shrug. “As a werewolf, I need meat, but your veggie burger looks good too.”

“Want to have a bite?” I offer.

“You don’t mind?”

“Not at all.” I shrug and soon regret letting him, because Raffy’s bite basically takes away half of my burger. “Hey!” I complain.

“Sorry,” he deadpans while not sounding sorry at all. “Tastes good.”

I can’t help but laugh, and instead of getting pissed at him for eating half of my food, I decide to order seconds for us. Raffy also has some additional potato wedges, chicken wings, and salad. Once again, I’m surprised at how much these wolves can eat. Jun and Matthew were also huge eaters… Jun’s a gamma, and Matthew of gamma blood too, but Raffy almost eats as much as Liam, who is an alpha. It’s almost like his metabolism is burning through the food.

For the first time since I met him, I compare him to the other male wolves I know, realizing he is indeed tall and very muscular. “You can’t remember your rank, can you?” I ask carefully.

Raffy seems to be surprised by my question but answers nevertheless. “No, I have no idea. My wolf doesn’t communicate with me anymore.” A pause. “Going by size, I’d say… beta, maybe?”

“Hm,” I tilt my head. “Possible.”

Raffy puts his plates and tissue aside and takes a last sip of his soda, indicating that he is finished with lunch. I pay for the both of us, ignoring Raffy’s complaints. “You can pay for me once you have a steady income,” I tell him.

“Alright, that’s a deal.” He nods.

Neither of us comments on the fact that we just set a date for the future, although we don’t even know where the future takes us. These thoughts take me right back to our task ahead… we still have Finn to track down, and then find out about Raffy’s past.

“Alright!” I beam. “Let’s hit our last shop!”

“I don’t even dare to ask where you’re dragging me to,” Raffy mumbles.

I ignore the suspicious glances he throws at me and lead him to the top floor of the mall… and to the furthest corner.

“They still have shops here?” He blinks.

“They do.” I nod, pointing at the store right in front of us. The door is in a subtle black, and the windows are tinted to keep away prying eyes.

“That’s a shop?” Raffy asks.

I nod, opening the door and leading him inside. Next to me, I can feel how Raffy basically stills. He just keeps staring at the interior, his eyes wide. I don’t blame him, I was shocked too the first time I came here… and I knew beforehand what kind of shop this is. The furniture is subtle, floor black, and walls clad in a red velvet fabric.

The shop clerk smiles knowingly at us. “Do you need help?”