Page 110 of My Broken Mate

“Don’t!” I blurt out. “Too many shards.”

Before I can even fathom what just happened – I must have come swinging right through Remy’s window into his room like a complete lunatic – the door rips open and Sean jumps inside, his eyes dark in anger. “Get away from my”—he halts abruptly—“brother.”

“Hi,” I say awkwardly. “I can explain!”

Sean’s stare moves from me, still sprawled on the ground, to the broken window, and then to a very shocked Remy on the other side of the room.

“Are you insane?!” Sean blurts out. “What are you doing? What happened?”

“He just came flying into my room,” Remy says.

Sean stares at me. “What?”

“I found the old rope ladder and wanted to give it a try,” I say, realizing how stupid all of this sounds. What was I even thinking? I must have been possessed.

“Are you telling me that you went to the attic, found that old thing and then decided to climb out the top window of the packhouse without even testing the ladder beforehand?”

“If you put it like that, it sounds a bit stupid.”

Sean walks over to me, pushing the shards away and pulling me up. He looks me over, frowning when he sees the cuts on my arms. “What are you, the tornado of destruction?”

“I was just trying to—”

“Oh please, shut up and sit down away from this mess. Remy, you too, keep an eye on him!”

Remy looks like a deer caught in headlights. He was about to gather some of the shards but drops them again.

Sean pulls us both to the furthest corner of the room, away from the mess, before he leaves, returning with a broom and bucket, starting to gather the shards.

“We can help,” I suggest.

Sean glares at me.

“On second thought, I am fine where I am,” I say.

“You are such a chicken,” Remy mutters.

“Excuse me,” I splutter. “If you hadn’t been all dramatic like an emo-teenager and hid your mate, I wouldn’t have—”

“—played Tarzan?” Remy ends my sentence. “And swing down from the roof into my room?”

I am not sure what to say when, to my surprise, Sean suddenly chuckles. I can’t remember the last time I actually heard him laugh. I am inclined to believe he’s having a nervous breakdown. Remy must feel similarly because he eyes Sean anxiously. “Are you… alright?”

“By the goddess,” Sean grins. “Remy is right. What were you thinking? You literally swung into his room. Where is your Jane, Gabriel?”

A smile curls around Remy’s lips, and I suddenly feel like a weight has lifted off my shoulders. I didn’t even know it was there until now that the weight feels less. All it took was seeing my brothers laugh and realizing how little fun we have together, despite living next to each other.

“You two are insane.” Sean puts the broom aside and walks over to us. Kneeling down in front of us, he pulls us into a hug. It comes as such a shock that I can only stare at him. “I know we are dysfunctional, and any therapist would have a field day with us,” Sean says. “But you are my brothers, and I love you. That's all that matters.” He gazes around the room. “And I am afraid you will need to move into one of the guest rooms, Remy.”

A rare smirk curls around Remy’s lips. “Maybe I like the fresh air? And Kata can visit me secretly that way. Apparently, Gabriel found a way to do that.”

“The first part gets a veto from me,” Sean says. “You can sleep anywhere but here. However, Katalina is welcome any time.” He gets up. “Let’s get out of here,” he says. “I will prepare us a drink and call the pack doctor to check on Gabriel.”

“How are you going to explain that to him?” Remy asks.

“At times like this, it’s beneficial to be the alpha. One look and no one asks questions.”

*REMY*