Page 32 of My Broken Mate

“And your brothers don’t mind?”

“Not at all,” I say. “Joel is super laidback and understanding, and Eve, I mean Evander, is very supportive and just wants to see me succeed and find my path.” I look at Remy curiously now. “You are on top of your classes, right? I bet you are super-duper smart. You really like studying?”

Remy looks at me for a long while, his eyebrows scrunched together. Then he relaxes them slightly. “I do what’s expected,” he answers.

What’s that supposed to mean? It seems like Remy won’t give me any real answers to any of my questions. “Do you always answer so cryptically?” I tease.

Remy ignores my question completely and instead counterattacks with his own question. “And what happens when you do study?” he asks.

Answering a question with a question. Yeah, this is a hard guy to crack. And it doesn’t help that, apparently, we are mates. I know I am too invested in this to remain cool-headed andunderstanding for long. It’s just so frustrating to have him sitting here and not acknowledging me at all!

I hate confrontation, though, so I decide to answer him. Everything else needs to wait for later. I have no fucking clue what I am supposed to do about this situation. “I can’t concentrate well,” I admit. “I get so bored that I would do anything else just to avoid it.”

“Hm,” Remy says, furrowing his brows.

“Maybe it’s just not for me,” I say quietly.

“Or maybe you lack the proper strategies,” he says, much to my surprise. “Why did you pick economics? Are you particularly interested in that?”

“No, I am doing it for my brother, for Joel,” I say promptly.

“He wants you to study it?”

I laugh. Even imagining that Joel would force anything onto me is hilarious. “Of course not, he would never do that,” I say.

Remy looks surprised at my reaction. “Then, what is your reason?”

“I want to help him,” I admit. “With the pack and all. And I thought that would be the best way. I love him so much for being the best big brother he can be, and I am so proud of him for what he achieved. I want to help. I just don’t know how, and so thought this might be it.”

I expect Remy to say something cryptic again or to ask one of his slightly judgmental questions, but much to my surprise, Remy just looks away. Something in his eyes flickers for a moment. “Well then, let’s start with statistics,” he says. “You will have a short exam soon, and I think we could still make you pass.

I nod at his words while completely lost in my thoughts. I don’t understand Remy. Now Ayden’s words make a lot more sense. He is incredibly hard to read. He isn’t unfriendly or anything, maybe a bit judgmental, but for the most part, he is just so distanced and doesn’t seem to want anyone to get to know him.

How am I ever going to make him open up to me and make him accept me as his mate?

I groan while I let myself drop onto one of the comfy chairs in my go-to coffee shop, namely the one Ayden works at. It’s a cozy place with only a small menu, but every cake and every biscuit is handmade and chosen deliberately for the week. I love it here.

“Bad day?” Fi asks when she sits down at the other side of the table, squishing some of the pillows to snuggle into them.

“Not bad, just exhausting,” I mutter, knocking my forehead against the table.

“Here,” Ayden says, handing me a huge cup of coffee and a gigantic slice of chocolate cake. “You look like you need it.” He sits down as well.

“You can sit with us?” Fi asks.

“I am on my break,” he says. “And I know that Kat had her first tutor session with Remy. I am dying of curiosity!”

“Was that today?” Fi exclaims. “Goddess, Kat, spill it! I can’t believe we walked the whole way to the café without you saying a word!”

“Sorry,” I say, not sure how to answer. “I was just—” I pause, deciding to do what I can do best, and smile brightly. She is right, I didn’t talk about my afternoon with Remy, mainly because I was exhausted, having sat with him and studied, all the while seeing how he ignored the mate bond. And then, when I met Fi, I just didn’t want to tell her anything. Sometimes I don’t want to talk, but just want to keep to myself and allow my mind to rest, and I don’t want to hurt others by telling them my reasons. So instead, I smile. “I wanted to wait for the three of us to be together, so I can tell you all at once,” I lie.

“That makes perfect sense,” Fi reassures me.

Ayden looks worried. “Was it that bad? Did something happen?”

“Not at all,” I say. “I just stuffed my brain with so much knowledge, it needs a break. Remy thinks I can actually pass my statistics exam if we try for it.”

“And how did you manage to stay cool with that bundle of handsomeness?” Fi giggles.