Page 9 of My Broken Mate

“You have done nothing but study the whole day,” he pushes. “We will eat something, and then you will go outside a bit. In fact, your friends already asked about you.”

“Really? Kiki and Lyle?”

“Yes, I saw them during dinner at the packhouse, which you missed.” He tosses me a reproachful glance. “Kiki said she tried to call you.”

“Oh, I had my phone on mute.”

“Okay,” Sean sighs. “I commend you for studying so diligently. It’s good that you are taking your studies so seriously, but you need to do other things, as well. What about meeting your friends?”

“I guess I could do that,” I admit.

Kiki and I have been friends ever since we were kids, and then later in high school, Lyle joined our group. His father is one of Gabriel’s most important business partners and comes from a very wealthy family, and Lyle’s older brother is Levi. The wholefamily either advises Sean or is in business with Gabriel. Lyle and I bonded over the fact that we both come from prestigious families, are the youngest, and can’t quite keep up with our other family members.

Lyle knows how it feels to be forced to dress a certain way, to keep up an image, to always be polite and make sure not to take a wrong step.

Kiki doesn’t know anything about that. She is our gamma’s younger sister, and a very lively and beautiful young woman. My father didn’t like the fact that I was friends with a she-wolf, but once he passed away, Sean approved of our friendship and let us hang out. Kiki is one who easily adapts to every situation, so she fits in even at those weird high society events and balls Sean and Gabriel force me to attend.

While my thoughts run wild, I shuffle around in the kitchen. “Do you want something to eat, too?” I ask Sean.

“What are you making?”

“A salmon omelet and a seafood salad,” I mutter. Cooking is a hobby, something I genuinely like doing.

“Had I known you would miss dinner and cook instead, I would have skipped it, as well,” Sean says.

“I can prepare some more, and you can have the leftovers,” I offer.

“That would be very kind of you,” Sean says.

I nod, working a part in the kitchen. Eventually, Beta Levi drops by too to discuss something with Sean. He eyes my bowl of seafood salad longingly while doing so. He doesn’t say anything, though, and instead turns his attention to Sean. “Do you need me to accompany you tomorrow, Sean?”

“Yes, the original plan was to have Gabriel come with me, but he has a client meeting tomorrow,” Sean says. “You need to come in his place.”

“Of course,” Levi says. “So, what’s the event about?”

“It’s an alpha meeting, basically just to welcome the newcomers into the country. The new alpha from our neighbor pack, Alpha Joel from Mountain Wind pack, is attending.”

“They say he is a completely clueless newcomer. Is that true?” our beta asks. “He is said to be casual, interacting on a friendly basis with his pack members, and doesn’t give off much of a stern image.”

Sean taps his lips with his fingers. “Yet, he managed to challenge the old alpha, and he won fair and square. Sometimes the truth lies in the things you don’t see, not in those you see. People talk about him an awful lot, so I want to see for myself.”

I raise my head a touch when he says these words, feeling like I should probably take these words to heart, too.

“You are saying his casualness is just an act?” Levi asks.

“No, I’m saying that I heard his pack members are eager to follow him, and they respect him. You don’t earn respect that easily. I need to see for myself. Besides, he is our neighboring alpha, and it’s important to have good relations with his pack.”

He and Levi take the discussion to the living room, leaving me on my own. I swiftly finish preparing my food and eat it before grabbing my phone and heading out of the Alpha Suite. The packhouse is eight stories high, and there is an elevator for that reason, but I take the stairs. A bit of exercise is good for me.

On my way, I type a message to Kiki and Lyle, perking up a bit when Kiki instantly answers, saying they are waiting for me at the front door.

“My sad, alpha boy,” she squeals and hugs me when I finally make it downstairs.

“Hey, man.” Lyle squeezes my shoulder. “Good to see you, I was getting worried.”

“Sorry, didn’t check my phone.”

“You missed both lunch and dinner,” Kiki says. “Alpha Sean was really worried.”