Page 66 of Mate
“A little less than that. But yeah.” She sets the mug down, as if she’ll need all her limbs for this. “She was a fantastic Alpha. Also, she was in love and unapologetic about it. She asked the Assembly to rescind the covenant. According to my mother, at the time the Assembly was a crock of geezers whose main hobby was to shake their fists at the clouds. Or maybe they were just cautious. They studied every known case of Alpha misconduct, came up with a hundred scenarios in which revoking the covenant would lead to an asteroid shower extinguishing all aerobic life, and denied her.”
“Is that why the huddles seceded?”
“Yup. I was born within the core, that year. And the huddles . . . Even after the partitioning, most members’ instinct was still to unite under one Alpha. The Assembly continued to exist as an entity, to ensure good relations among the huddles, which all formed a loose alliance. And over the years, as new huddle leaders were elected, its composition changed to more progressive Weres, and . . . the tide was shifting. It seemed certain that the pack would reunite soon enough.” Her fingers tighten around the balustrade. “And then we were attacked.”
“Amanda, I— ”
“You’re sorry, I know.” She reaches out to me with a small smile. Clasps my upper arm through the fabric of my sweater. “I appreciate it, Serena.”
“I know it was the Humans, and I— ”
“What?” Her eyes round in surprise. “Who told you that?”
“Brenna.”
She rolls her eyes. “That’snottrue, and such a bullshit read of what . . . Humans were involved, yes, but the true responsibility is with the Weres.”
“Wow, that’sbothmy species. What a coincidence.”
Amanda laughs. Squeezes me one last time before letting go. “You’re no more to blame for this than I am. Or Koen. He was fifteen, but he took over, neutralized the threat, convinced the huddles that we’d be stronger together. And when the Assembly’s condition was to reintroduce the celibacy covenant . . .”
“He agreed.” I nod, ignoring the rocks in my stomach. Koen doesn’t need me feeling sorry for him.
“It’s kinda funny. I mean, Koen truly does whatever the fuck he wants. He hasn’t met a rule he didn’t love to break, but the covenant . . . he’s a stickler for that one.” A small shrug. “I’m just not sure that he cares to be, at the moment.”
I don’t get it, the weight settling on my chest. Koen is a powerful man with near-unlimited resources and the adoration of the masses.Somemasses. He even has his own private fight club— the dream of every thirty-six-year-old teenaged man.
Except, being barred from relationships cannot be an easy decision to make, especially at fifteen. And . . . why did he not tell me? The first time we met, he informed me that I was his mate, but he never mentioned the covenant.
This conversation isnotan invitation.
Even when I clumsily asked him out . . .
Like me, or don’t. I really couldn’t care less.
And last night . . .
I told you. I’m not interested.
He made it sound like he didn’twantto be with me. Never mentioned that he wasn’tallowedto.
“We were wondering . . .” A male voice interrupts my thoughts. When I glance up, Saul and Jorma are standing in front of the cabin, naked. I deliberately keep my eyes above their necks and try not to choke on my own breath. “Hey, guys.”
Saul grins. Winks at me, like one does. “Hey, honey. Jorma and I were in the area, to . . .”
“Take Koen’s beatings?” Amanda offers.
“Yeah, that. And we remembered that last night you mentioned how much you love to cook. So we figured you probably made something for breakfast today, and since it’s so hard to eyeball portions, you might have leftovers. Wouldn’t want it to go to waste, you know?”
I bite back a smile. “What would you guys like?”
“Oh, we don’t want to put you out. Just, if you have something you’re gonna toss anyway . . .”
I turn to Jorma, who’s high on directness and low on bullshit. “What would he like?”
“French toast, please,” Jorma says. “With a side of sausages.”
“You absolutely donothave to cook for these losers,” Amanda tells me. Then adds, “But if you do, please remember that I, too, did not have breakfast.”
