Page 8 of My Broken Mate

“Hello, Gabriel, Beta Levi,” I greet both of them politely. “Yes, I’m back.”

Obviously, duh.

Awkward silence stretches around us before Gabriel clears his throat. “So, did you get your paper returned?”

“Yes,” I say, rummaging in my bag to find it and hand it to him.

Gabriel skims through it, reading parts of it. I cringe inwardly – I’ve always hated my family reading what I wrote. “Not bad,” he says. Previously, I would have felt happy about his words, but I just know him so well that I know that whenever he might praise me, he has a follow-up. “I think your introduction and summary could be better, though.”

“I know,” I say shortly.

“Don’t be moody,” Gabriel says, sounding annoyed. “It’s just some advice.”

I don’t say anything, because what the heck is there to say? Instead, I grab my glass of water and decide to remove myself from the situation.

“Have you eaten, young Alpha?” Beta Levi asks. He always makes sure to address me formally, especially in front of the pack, so that they know and understand my rank—although it doesn’t matter much to me. “Gabriel and I wanted to eat something.”

“I’m fine,” I say, although I haven’t eaten. It’s better to starve, though, than to get into an argument with Gabriel. I just don’t trust myself around him.

Before I can leave, though, Gabriel calls me back. “Remy, I want you to tutor my friend’s younger sister,” he says. “Her name is Katalina, and she is failing her college classes. They are going to pay you for your work.” He pauses, and before I even have the chance to say something, he continues. “This will be good for you. Teach you responsibility and make you interact with other packs. As the alpha’s younger brother, you have certain responsibilities, as well.”

“Alright,” I say coolly. “It’s not like I have anything better to do.”

While I leave, I can hear how Gabriel turns to Levi. “Did I say something wrong?” he asks, sounding surprisingly worried.

Levi groans. “I don’t even know where to start, Gabe,” he mutters.

I don’t linger any longer and instead head to my own room. It’s spacious and decorated in cool tones. I like it that way, relaxing. With nothing better to do, I take my books and start going through my notes from today, summarizing them once more, before working on my next paper and studying for my upcoming exam. It’s only in a few weeks, but I like to be well prepared.

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see my phone lighting up a few times, but I have it on mute. I hate any distraction whenstudying. It’s best when it’s one hundred percent silent around me. I work like that for a few hours, not realizing how the minutes drip by, until it’s pitch-black outside and my stomach rumbles.

I rummage in my backpack and my drawers for a granola bar or anything edible, but it seems I’ve eaten everything.

There is no avoiding it, it seems.

With a sigh, I get up, deciding to go downstairs to the kitchen. As much as I prefer to lock myself in my room, it’s not like I can go through the day without eating anything. The top floor, where my room is located, is completely silent, as is the second floor, where Gabriel and Sean have their rooms.

The first floor of our apartment, however, is livelier. There is light on, and Gabriel is sitting in his home office, classic music coming from his radio while he types something on his notebook. He doesn’t seem to notice me, too engrossed in his work. On my way to the kitchen, I bump into my oldest brother.

“Remy,” he says, smiling slightly.

“Sean,” I mutter, feeling a bit awkward, but also happy to see him. “I’m sorry for not greeting you earlier. I didn’t know you were home.”

He is such an incredible man. He wears his dark brown hair shoulder-length. And although it’s slightly curly and he is a typical alpha male, he always looks well put together and elegant, but not too over-the-top. He gives off the image of someone who can be in a business meeting, and then come to the pack, take off his suit, let his hair down and engage in battle, not scared to get roughed up or dirty. A lot of alphas have tattoos, but he doesn’t. He only has a burn mark our father branded him with on his lower arm. Everyone keeps saying that he is a bit too serious, too stern, but he just likes to be in control of his emotions.

He thinks his temper is his weak point, so he always tries to remain in control.

“I just came home,” he reassures me. “Have you eaten, Remy? You look tired and a bit too pale.”

I can lie to Gabriel with ease, but not to him. So, I just stand there, awkwardly, not sure what to answer.

Sean takes my silence as what it is. “No?” he asks, frowning. “We have talked about this. You need to eat properly.”

I feel genuinely bad for upsetting him. He is going above and beyond to make sure I get the best treatment and have the best shifter doctors look at what's wrong with my wolf. He hasn’t kicked me out. He is still here and protecting me. The least I can do is to feed myself properly. “I apologize, I forgot,” I admit.

“You forgot to eat?” he asks.

“I came home around lunch and then went to study immediately.”