Page 11 of A Broody Mate for the Human
Chapter five
Pain
*JUN*
Ilookatmyphone with a frown. It’s been two days since I wrote Dave, and it’s a bit weird that he didn’t answer at all. It’s not like him, but then he told me he might be busy with his post-grad studies. Maybe he just forgot to reply… it can happen. I mean, it happens to me all the time.
It’s just that I promised Ye-Joon I’d watch his performance. Actually, I got to know him through Dave. They know each other from some sort of theatre club meeting, I think. I didn’t think much about it the first time I went to watch him dance. I just accompanied Dave when he took me to one of Ye-Joon’s performances. Until then, I didn’t know that ballet can be so alluring. Ye-Joon mixes classical ballet and contemporary dance styles and uses traditional Korean and Japanese gadgets like fans and colorful clothes.
Also, his music choices are peculiar.
I can recognize talent when I see it, and he is freaking talented.
Dave and I normally visit his performances regularly, but I might need to go alone this time. I don’t want to miss it though. Ye-Joon became a good friend, and I promised I’d come.
“What’s with the long face?” Liam asks me when I almost bump into him in the pack house. I was about to look for my luna and see if she needed assistance when he and Beta Dante returned from a meeting. “Do I need to whip you into shape again?” he teases.
I smile. “You seem to like doing that, Alpha.”
“He absolutely does.” Dante chuckles, though he probably shouldn’t tease anyone about leading a harsh training. He is the same. He and Liam are both lycans and obviously Dante as his first beta is incredibly strong. He is leading the advanced warrior classes and spars with Liam regularly.
“I just miss having my younger brothers around,” Liam says dryly. “Jun is my surrogate brother now. He fits the role.”
“I’m very thankful for your time,” I say honestly. It’s not always that the alpha trains one of his pack members personally, ranked or not. “I do feel like my form is still lacking a bit,” I admit.
Liam shrugs. “There is always room for improvement. For all of us. But I can see the effort you put into training. I knew you had it in you when I appointed you as gamma.”
“I can’t believe that was two years ago,” I muse.
“Time passes fast,” he agrees. He pauses, looking at me. “So, what’s wrong?” he asks without further ado.
“I was just thinking,” I admit.
“What about?”
“Oh, I’ve promised a friend to watch his performance, but I don’t feel like going alone,” I say, frowning a bit.
“You wanted to go with Dave?” Dante asks in an unusual, carefree tone. Dante is never carefree, which immediately makes my alarm bells ring.
So that’s what this is about.
I can’t help but smile. “Yes, I normally go with Dave, but don’t worry about me and him. We stopped dating months ago. I’m not being heartbroken.”
“Are you sure?” Liam asks earnestly.
“It’s a new situation,” I admit. “A bit confusing. I mean… I never expected Dave to find a mate. I admit that I expected it would happen to me. Maybe that was condescending from my side—”
“Hardly,” Liam interrupts me. “I would have expected that too.”
“However, it happened, and I’m happy for Dave,” I say. “He is my best friend, and he deserves some happiness. He is quite lonely, and I know he has been longing to find the one,” I explain, not going deeper into this. Dave’s much lonelier than everyone thinks he is. He has barely any family. His friends are his family, and I know how much they mean to him. That’s why I’m sure he wouldn’t just ignore my message without a reason.
“So, you were truly just thinking about that night out?” Dante muses.
I nod. “It’s very short notice, but I could ask one of my other friends.”
“Or you could ask us.” Dante chuckles. “You know, talking about friends and alike.”
“We could make it a men’s night out,” Liam contemplates. “I haven’t been anywhere since forever.”
