Page 27 of My Broken Mate

“Huh?”

He smiles. “You said there will be a next time.”

“I did,” I admit, feeling torn. Joel doesn’t seem to be the type of person to play around with. And in a way, I do appreciate him for who he is. He is kind, smart, funny and confident. He has very rare attributes for an alpha, and I like how he can pull it off without appearing weak. But I can’t see myself in any type of relationship. “We don’t know each other,” I say. “You don’t know me.”

“Listen,” he says. “I’m not going to trap you in any way. This here was amazing, and I’m just saying we can be friends who occasionally hook up. I don’t know you either,” he admits. “And after the drama with my fated mate, I prefer something more casual.”

I look at him for a while. “Are you sure?” I ask. “Are you sure this is what you want?”

He stretches, showing off his nice muscles. I’m not made out of steel, and his body is very attractive. There is no denying that. Also, he knows some of my quirks by now. Despite only knowing him for a few days, I’ve already shared some of my darkestthoughts with him. It would be a lie to say that I wouldn’t want a friend-with-benefits thing between us.

Joel nods. “I’m all in for this.”

Chapter seven

Mates?

*KAT*

Icall it “Mission: Unravel Remy”.

Unfortunately, it seems to be a failed mission before I have even started fully.

I’ve been trying to learn more about him since yesterday. My plan was to find Remy and secretly check him out. It just drives me crazy that I don’t know him. I don’t even know what he looks like.

“Here, have a cookie,” Ayden tells me with a groan while bringing me coffee and cookies. He works in a small coffee shop twice a week, and I normally hang out there with him. Since our shopping trip, Fiona has started joining us, as well, and even Clara said she would love to hang out more. “You look way too pitiful and depressed.”

“What’s wrong?” Fi wants to know.

“It’s just… my brothers have set me up with a tutor,” I explain. “His name is Remy.”

“Remy?” She stares at me. “As in Remy Floris?”

Seems like everyone knows him but me. Just awesome. “Yes.”

She squeals so loudly that several guests turn around to look at us. Fi, however, doesn’t seem to mind. Her cheeks turn rosy with joy, and she looks even younger that way. She is really sweet like sugar. “He is so cute,” she blabs. “He has that broody, mysterious emo thing going for him, and he is so beautiful.”

“Beautiful?” I ask.

“I probably shouldn’t say that about a guy,” she sighs dreamily. “But he is. It’s that look of pain in his eyes. He makes me want to write poems about pain and loss all the time.”

I’m not sure if that’s a good thing. Fiona is an artist, and she writes poetry and short stories, and weirdly enough, her stuff reminds me of what Eve does. “How do you know him?” I ask. “From college?”

“No, I am a pack member.”

“Wait, what?” I exclaim.

Ayden scoots closer, too, now. “I didn’t know that, Fiona.”

“We never talked about our packs,” she says. “You probably thought that because my sister is mated to an alpha, it couldn’t be Dark Forest. Alpha Sean is unmated after all.” When we nod, she chuckles. “My parents and I stay in Dark Forest pack. It’s our home pack, and Alpha Sean is fantastic.”

“Does this mean you know all the stories about the old alpha?” Ayden asks.

“No,” she says. “My parents sent me to my grandma during his reign. He was said to be a total psycho.” She furrows her eyebrows, and I decide not to comment on what she just said. If it’s true, then her parents took a massive risk in sending herto another relative and another pack. It could have gotten them killed.

It’s certainly not my place to tell her, though.

Ayden seems to think the same because he skillfully shifts the topic. “So, you are friends with Remy?”