Page 13 of My Broken Mate

As the evening progresses and the others start to mingle, he nudges me. “Let’s grab a drink at the bar?”

“Sure,” I say. “My treat.”

“It was my idea; I need to pay.”

“No, you are new here,” I say. “It’s common courtesy that I pay for our first round.”

He beams. “So, there will be a second round?”

This man… really. He has slightly messy blonde hair and the deepest blue eyes I have ever seen on anyone. I’ve known I wasn’t into girls since I was a teen, I just hid it very well, aware that my father would have killed me had he known. I’m not mate material, though, and I have no plans looking for a fated or chosen mate.

Out of reasons that have nothing to do with my sexuality.

But Joel is attractive. There is no denying that.

“Why me?” I say, when we settle at the bar.

“Huh?” He blinks.

“There are so many alphas here, some of them are quite powerful, and there are certainly many who are nicer and more approachable than I am.”

He rubs his temples. “I don’t know about that,” he says. “You might not remember it, but I saw you once a few years ago. Your father visited our pack with you, and everyone was on alert. He was known for being…” he seems to search for words.

“Brutal?” I help. “Manipulative? Aggressive?”

“Not quite what I was going for,” Joel admits. “But… yes. I thought his son must be like him. I still remember the look in your eyes when you left the office,” he says.

I try to remember that meeting. It was one of many where my father used to show his superiority and his elitist views. No one knows better than my brothers and I what kind of man he was. First, I tried to voice my opinion, but it would normally lead to me getting beaten by him, so I learned to shut my mouth and keep my thoughts to myself. The only good thing is that I learned to keep my expression in check, my feelings and the look in my eyes. Everyone keeps saying how emotionless I look. I learned how to tread on difficult political terrain and be sly and cunning. “How did I look?” I want to know.

He shrugs. “The others said you looked cold. But… I’m not sure you are aware of it,” he stares right into my eyes. “But your eyes can change their color.”

“Yes,” I chuckle. “When my wolf is on the surface.”

“No, not like that. They change with your mood. They are lighter when you are happy, and darker when you are angry or sad.” He pauses. “They were clouded that day. But then you went outside, and some of the pups were playing football. They kicked the ball in your direction, and it hit you. For a moment, I was terrified you would lash out at them, and I was ready to defend them, but you just picked up the ball and handed it back to them, then you even showed them how to kick properly. You said you have two younger brothers and that they learned that from you, too.”

I’m not sure what to say, speechless at his description of me. Coming from someone else, it might sound creepy to a point, but this guy is so sincere and open, he just sounds genuine.

“I just found that really inspiring,” Joel admits. “And at that moment, I thought you must be a really good person.”

“I don’t deserve your praise,” I say quietly. “I’m not a good person.”

“Well, I disagree,” he grins. “Because I heard a lot about you in advance, and your pack seems to really respect you… in a healthy way, not in a ‘wah-he-is-scary’ way.”

I chuckle. “You are one of a kind.”

“I’m hearing that a lot,” he says. “So, since we are working together more in the future—”

“We are?” I ask.

“Aren’t we?” He returns the question. “Our talk during lunch pretty much covered a lot of topics already.”

He isn’t wrong. I’m just not used to having business talk in such a casual manner. “My brother Gabriel and I will have a few business meetings this week. But I do have a few free hours. Why don’t you and your beta officially come over, and we actually work on a treaty and a contract?”

“Sounds good,” he says. “My brother is my beta at the moment. Is that a problem?”

“Not at all,” I smile.

“Okay,” he grins. “Enough business talks. Let’s change the topic.”