Page 25 of My Broken Mate

“He cheated on her?” I ask quietly.

He nods. “I think he also kept his fated mate somewhere as a side piece. Don’t get me wrong, he was a great father to us. He was kind, smart, and very involved. He was also a great friend, a genuinely good friend. But I just think as a mate and husband, he sucked. My mother deserved better. He is dead now, and I hate that despite the fact that I love him, I can’t forgive him for how he treated my mother.”

I look at Joel, for the first time, seeing a certain vulnerability in his eyes. “I never told anyone I was gay,” I hear myself say. “Iknew if I did, then I would have ended up dead. The alpha would have killed me… without any doubt.”

“But your father was the alpha, wasn’t he?” he asks.

Silence stretches between us before I nod. “Yes.”

“I came out to my siblings a while ago,” he admits. “Did you tell them?”

“No,” I say. “Did you meet your mate? Why did it go wrong?”

Joel stares at me. “How did you know?”

“The fact that you are here flirting with me,” I say. “You just condemned your father for being a cheater. I doubt you would do the same. You strike me as the person to wait for their mate.”

“I met my mate,” he admits. “But it didn’t end well, and well… a chosen mate it will be for me.”

I nod. “Sounds familiar.”

“Wait, what?” he exclaims.

“Do you think I am the type of guy to flirt with others and disrespect my future mate?” I ask bitterly. When I met my mate back in the day, I was beyond happy. I was ready to do everything to protect him, but things didn’t turn out as planned. As usual!

“No,” Joel says. “I actually think you are very genuine. So, we both didn’t have any luck. Sucks, huh?”

“Yes, but I think this is a story for another day,” I say evasively.

“I agree.” Silence stretches around us again. “Sean,” Joel asks quietly. “Why did you ask me out today? What happened?”

“Remy,” I say sadly.

“Your youngest brother?”

“Occasionally, he has the same look in the eye his mother did before she took her life. I’m so worried about him.”

I don’t know what has come over me to say it. It’s a truth I have never said out loud, too scared it will turn into reality then.

Joel stares at me, his eyes wide in shock. Instead of reassuring me that everything is alright or that it will be alright, he reachesout his hand, squeezing my arm slightly. “Fuck,” he says. “That’s some serious shit.” He pauses. “We will make sure to keep an eye on him.”

“I hope spending time with your sister will help him,” I admit.

“Did you think about sending him to therapy?”

I don’t know what to say. Remy is going to plenty of doctors regularly, and yes, there are therapists involved. It’s because he can’t shift. I feel like I can’t add anymore to his emotional baggage.

“You don’t need to answer that,” Joel says. “You are a great brother, Sean. I’m sure about that.”

“I’m not so sure,” I say. “All I can do is try.”

“Same,” he chuckles. “Most of the time, I think they might believe I’m insane.”

“I’m absolutely certain they love you a lot,” I say.

“There is room for improvement concerning my skills,” he says. “Both as a brother but also as an alpha.”

“Doesn’t that apply to everyone?” I ask. “I don’t think I’m in any way close to perfect.”