Page 56 of My Broken Mate

It seems like it wasn’t a minute too early for me to have left the scene because I feel shaky again. Kiki catches on immediately and grabs my arm. “Remy, I know,” Kiki says, “that you don’t want to hear it, you never do, but you are pushing yourself way too hard. That’s not good.”

“I know, it’s pathetic.”

“That’s not what I said,” she says, a hint of frustration in her voice. “Why are you twisting my words?”

“Sorry, an old habit,” I admit.

“You trust no one, do you?” she asks quietly.

“I do trust you and Lyle.”

“But not enough to tell us everything that’s on your mind,” she says.

I can’t deny that, so I stay quiet.

“It’s okay, I don’t want to overstep,” she says. “Your secrets are yours, and I am not entitled to them, but maybe you should find someone to talk to?”

Again, I seeherface in front of me for a split second, but I shake it off. I certainly ruined the opportunity to befriend Kata.

While Kiki and I are still talking, I see Sean approaching us. “Hello, you two,” he says. “Seeing how you just talked to Lyle and Cora, I assume you heard the good news already?”

Kiki chuckles. “Yes, finally one of us off the market!”

Sean looks mildly amused by her juvenile comment before his face turns serious again. “Remy,” he says. “I want you to go home.”

“Why?” I ask quietly. “Did I embarrass you? If yes, I apologize. It wasn’t my intention.”

“Not at all,” Sean says. “You have played your role perfectly, but it’s past midnight now, and the first guests are leaving. Gabe and I have it covered. You look pale and exhausted.” He reaches out his hand to touch my shoulder but then drops it as if he isunsure about what he is supposed to do. “Why don’t you take Kiki and go home. Unless you want to stay, Kiki?”

“Not at all. My mate isn’t here,” she says. “I am more than happy to go home with Remy. I am still hungry! We can eat something on the way, something with a name I can actually pronounce!”

I struggle with an answer, mainly because leaving now feels like failure. I have to retreat because my body's giving in again, like usual, because nothing about me works like it should. But by now, Kiki actually looks happy about the prospect of being able to leave, and Sean obviously has reason enough for his suggestion.

“Is it truly not weird if I leave now?”

“No, quite a few young family members of other alpha families have left, too. Soon it’s just going to be the working ones, and it’s going to be the usual cutthroat networking.” He pauses. “No one noticed how sick you probably are,” he adds. “I did because I am your brother. As I said, you were masking perfectly.”

At least a bit of relief. I didn’t bring shame upon my family. “If it’s honestly alright with you,” I say.

“It is,” Sean reassures me. “I have linked one of our warriors. He is going to make sure you get home safely.”

“Then let’s go,” Kiki encourages me. “I want to stop at a pizza place to grab something on the way.”

I have no reason to object anymore. “I hope you have a successful evening, Sean.”

He nods at me. “Thank you.”

*CORA*

My mate and I are ready to leave the gala, finally. I can’t wait to spend some time alone with him. He is just so yummy. A perfect gentleman, polished, polite, a bit serious, but he has that silly side to him that he already showed me when we were dancing, and he was twirling me around like we were in a cheesy movie. I can’t wait to learn more about him. I briefly want to say goodbye to my cousin and the others. Rhodes is a scary-looking man, tall and strong, and he tends to smirk when he is lost in his thoughts. Seriously, he looks like a sociopath sometimes, though he doesn’t notice.

Others have a resting-bitch face, whereas he has a resting-sociopath one. But he is a much better person than anyone gives him credit for. Rhodes’ family took me in when I was just a kid and my parents passed. He is more like my brother than anything else, and I am happy with how supportive he is of me being mated to someone who lives pretty far away.

“So, he comes from a good family?” Rhodes asks his beta, a very quiet and broody guy named Sky.

“Very well-established family,” Sky answers. “The guy himself seems to be very unproblematic. Good student, said to be respectful, friends with the alpha family and the youngest brother in particular, good warrior and comes from old money.”

“The parents won’t give her a hard time for not coming from old money?”