Page 29 of My Broken Mate (Healing Bonds #1)

“For tutoring. Yes, I know. But he pretty much confirmed with you that you don’t need his help anymore, yet he is willing to come just to meet you.” Ayden grabs me by my shoulders. “Girl, this is really good. It’s time for the next step in your plan.”

“I don’t have a next step… actually, I don’t have a plan,” I admit before it strikes me. “I don’t have a plan, although I should have one! I didn’t expect him to be so nice today. I thought he would immediately reject my ass!” I take a deep breath. “So, next step! What should I do?”

“I can’t believe I am doing this,” Ayden mutters. “Anything for you, Kat, seriously, you owe me.” With that, he hands me a flyer. “Someone handed this to Fi. I think she really wants to go.”

It’s an indie rock band playing this coming Saturday.

I know them. I’ve seen them once during a college party, and they were really fun and good.

I love this kind of music. I also know the place they are holding it, and it’s certainly not a top-notch place, but rather a crowded underground garage.

However, it’s also not a rundown, creepy or gross place.

Better indie bands with a good following usually play there.

I’ve gone to a few concerts there. But I have no idea if this is the type of music Remy even likes.

I don’t know anything about him. “Do you think Remy will like this?”

“Does it matter?” Ayden says bluntly. “It’s going to be a relaxed atmosphere. It’s crowded, so you will stay close to each other. I doubt he will be able to resist the bond if you are basically at his chest.”

“But if I invite him to it, it will sound like a date. What if he shoots me down?”

“That’s where the ’you-owe-me’ part comes into play,” Ayden says.

“Fi and I will come, too. Then we are a little group. It’s always easier that way.

If things are going well, you can just ditch Fi and me.

And as for him turning you down and not even coming, we need to nip that in the bud before he can even say no. And I just know how.”

“How?”

“We’ll ask Eve to give his friend Gabriel a call.

They are buddies, and from what I heard from Fi, the brothers are very traditional, also in the way they treat each other.

Remy would never disobey his older brother if he told him to go to this concert, especially now that Alpha Sean and Joel have struck a deal.

You know, it’s all about tightening the bonds between our two packs. ”

I gape. “What are you, a master brain?” I ask. “That’s so sly, and kind of mean.”

“So what? Obviously, you are not getting anywhere with how things are going now.”

“And how are we going to ask Eve for help without him getting suspicious?”

“Let me do that,” Ayden says with a smirk.

“Goddess,” I mutter. “You have a manipulative streak to you, Ayden.”

He grins. “You’re welcome, my love.”

Ayden grabs the flyer and confidently marches out of my room, towards Eve’s atelier.

I follow him hot on his heels, curious how he is going to pull it off.

Eve hasn’t started painting yet, so it’s a good time to talk to him.

Ten minutes later, Ayden has successfully convinced Eve that we also need to win Remy over if we want our packs and families to get along long-term.

Something about winning the younger generation and thinking outside the box.

I have no idea how this type of logic works on Eve, but the fact is, it does.

“Gabe told me that Remy is quite distant from everyone. He wants him to be more outgoing and to have more fun with his peers,” Eve says while inspecting the flyer closely.

“I know this group. I designed the art for their newest single. The artists are shifters. I think this is exactly what Gabe had in mind when he set Remy up to tutor Kat.”

“What do you mean ‘set us up’?” I ask.

“We all had our own reasons for putting you two together,” Eve says.

“Joel and I just wanted to help you kickstart your potential future career.” He smiles at me.

“I am very proud of you. You stuck to your word.” He pauses.

“As for Alpha Sean and Gabe, I can only guess their reasoning for telling Remy to tutor you.”

Their own reasons? Now that Eve mentions it, I realize I have never even asked what’s in it for Remy and why he agreed to do this.

Eve is right, he is always distant. Even during the gala, he was mostly with his two friends.

I saw him talk to others, but he always had that polite smile on his lips. Not a genuine, warm smile.

If it’s true that his brothers want him to come out of his shell more, it raises even more questions.

At the very beginning, I thought he might be shy, but nothing about him indicates that he is shy.

Then I believed he might be introverted, and then later I thought he was just arrogant, but it seems his distant behavior comes from somewhere else.

Eve hands us back the flyer, and I take a look at it again.

Is this really a good idea? I don’t want to force Remy into something that makes him feel uncomfortable, especially seeing how we brought his brother into the game now.

I’ve only seen them interact briefly, but it’s incredibly hard to tell how close they truly are. They all seem so serious.

“What’s wrong, Kata?” Eve asks.

“I am wondering if we are doing the right thing,” I admit.

“You mean by asking Gabe to set Remy up a second time?” Eve asks.

I nod.

“You are way too kind for your own good,” Ayden sighs.

“It’s just, I don’t want him to feel cornered.”

Eve tilts his head, a thoughtful expression on his face. “From what I know, every situation seems to corner him,” he says. “Gabe set him up with these tutor sessions because you are such a kind person, Kata. He was hoping that he would come out of his shell.”

“Is that true?” Ayden asks, surprised. “I mean, not that I have any doubts about Kata’s ability to draw people out, but to have one of the infamous Temple brothers set such a plan into motion, is just…” he thinks.

“Unusual?” Eve helps.

“Yes.”

“Gabe can’t show it, because unfortunately that’s the person he is, but his family means the world to him, and he is just deeply worried about his brother.

” He gestures towards the flyer. “They want to corner him, Kata. This is not on you, but on his brothers. I will call Gabe and tell him everything, and if he decides to go through with it, then it’s his decision.

I have no intention of manipulating him into anything. Does that make you feel better?”

“Yes,” I say.

“And you think Gabriel will agree?” Ayden wants to know.

“I am certain he will,” Eve says. “He is desperate enough to try anything at this point.”

I stare at my brother, my heart aching at the thought of how unhappy Remy must truly be. He is my mate, and I was so busy thinking about myself that I didn’t even realize how deeply hurt Remy must be. Who hurt him like that, though? “What happened in this family?” I finally ask.

“I don’t know much,” Eve says quietly.

“Gabriel is your best friend. Did he never say anything?”

“Gabe doesn’t talk about his past at all,” Eve explains. “But his father was very abusive.” He pauses. “It’s not for me to tell their secrets, though. Try to help Remy, Kata. If he hates the concert, you can always leave and go to another place or just have dinner somewhere.”

Ayden and I exchange a glance. This talk didn’t play out the way we thought it would, instead, it showed us something much more important.

Maybe the reason Remy doesn’t act on the mate bond isn’t me, but something else.