Page 13 of A Broody Mate for the Human
I wipe the sweat off my forehead while I stack the split wood onto a pile. Working outside is one of the best things ever, and ever since I was freed from my father and joined a new pack, I’ve done everything to be outside as much as possible.
“Luca!” Marcel approaches me. He is an elite warrior who has basically adopted me as his little brother when I came here. He ruffles my hair playfully. “What did I tell you about spending too much time at work and not eating enough?”
“I did eat enough,” I say while grabbing my axe again.
Marcel easily tears it from my hands and nudges me in the direction of the pack house. “Food, now,” he commands. “Either you come with me, or I’ll throw you over my shoulder and carry you back.”
I blush a bit. The first time he threatened me that way, I thought he was kidding. He wasn’t. He indeed carried me back to the pack house and into the dining hall. My only luck was that it wasn’t prime time that moment, or it would have added to my embarrassment.
He is very serious about helping me heal from my past.
I nod. “I’m coming.”
“And here I thought I would have to drag you back by your ear,” Marcel teases.
“My ear?” I ask.
Marcel teasingly tugs at my earlobe before laughing and tousling my hair again. “Don’t test me,” he says with a chuckle.
“I’m not,” I mutter, flushing a bit. He is the last person I want to disappoint. This pack, their alpha, Celine, the other ranked members, and Marcel have been so kind to me. I was the son of the man who attacked an important member of Moon Blood, yet they took me in and gave me a home.
Marcel just smiles at me. “I’m just teasing you, Luca. Don’t take it to heart.” He starts leading the way out of the forest. “You need to eat properly to heal fully.”
I sigh, casting my eyes down to the ground. While following Marcel, I try to reach out to the other half inside me, to my wolf, but only silence greets me. I can feel his presence sometimes, but he never really comes forward.
Most teens are stronger than me. Although I’m already eighteen, my connection to my wolf is very weak.
Marcel seems to catch my somber mood because he stops and turns to me. I barely stop in time not to bump into him. “Your wolf will heal fully,” he says warmly.
“How do you know that?” I ask sadly.
“Listen, Luca, it just takes some time. Your father has suppressed your wolf even before he could fully awaken. But the damage is not irreparable.”
My stomach churns at the mention of my father. He hated me, always did. He only loved my sister and succumbed to madness when she died. I loved her, too, and wanted so much for her to be able to pass on and rest peacefully. But he wouldn’t let her. And to punish me for surviving while she died, he turned me into a slave.
I rub my shoulder slightly. I haven’t been whipped ever since I came to Moon Blood, but sometimes it feels like my welts are still there.
“Your healing is already faster than before,” Marcel points out. “Isn’t it?”
I nod tentatively.
“See?” Marcel smiles. “You are going to be fine. Give it time.”
“Will you train with me later?” I ask quietly. I can’t join the warrior training yet, as my wolf is still weakened, and my body hasn’t recovered fully from being exposed to wolfsbane and silver for so long. However, Alpha Celine allows me to train with Marcel.
“If you manage to empty your plate today, I will,” Marcel promises.
“Can we do this regularly?”
Marcel tilts his head. “If you do your part in trying to heal, then I’ll train with you more regularly. This means you’re coming to breakfast, lunch, and dinner without me having to drag you along, and you will pay attention to your health.”
I beam at him. I’m a small eater, but if it means Marcel will truly start training me, I’m eager to try. “We have a deal!”
“Alright.” Marcel laughs good-naturedly. “Who can say no to such puppy eyes.”
Chapter six
A Night Out with the Alpha
