Page 66 of My Broken Mate
Kata grabs the bowl with dessert. “Do you want some? I made it from scratch, all with fresh ingredients!”
She looks at me through hopeful eyes, and I just know I can’t hurt her again. I wasn’t aware my actions were hurting her, but it doesn’t change the fact that they did. “I am lactose intolerant,” I say, fighting back my anxiety. I usually don’t lay anything bare to others. “I should have told you earlier, I am sorry.”
“What?” she exclaims. I expect her to judge me for being so weak that, as a wolf, I can’t eat everything. But instead, she just slaps her forehead. “I should have realized something was off! I thought you just didn’t want anything because I was the one who made it.”
“Why would I not want anything you bake?” I ask, surprised. “Everything looks fantastic!”
She perks up even more. “Now that I know, I have so many ideas! I learn all my cooking from Eve, you know? He is so good at that. Now I can learn even more. But you like sweets, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Awesome!” She jumps up and grabs the bowl, taking it out of the room as if she is scared it might bother me by simply being around me, and then returns with some home-made granola bars. “Can you eat these?” she asks. “Eve made them for Joel. They give him energy for his training, and they are entirely without milk.”
“These look great, thank you,” I say, taking one of the bars. Actually, they might give me energy, too. I am always low on it.
“Next time, I will have something even better,” she promises.
“You still want me to come?” I ask, not able to beat around the bush anymore. If she wants to quit our tutoring sessions, I’d better know now.
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“You clearly don’t need my help anymore,” I say. “You have it covered, Kata.”
She makes a dismissive gesture with her hand. “It’s more fun to study together,” she says. “Besides, I like having you around.”
She looks at me curiously as if she is trying to gauge my reaction. I am not so sure what she is implying or how she wants me to react, but so far, it seems like being honest worked the best with her, so I nod. “Then I will happily continue this.”
She smiles so brightly that for a moment, it feels like the sun is shining out of her, and she is brightening my day.
It’s only later that day, when Levi is driving me back home, that I realize my headache has completely stopped.
*KAT*
“So that was the reason, huh?” Ayden says. “Who would have thought that he just can’t eat it. He probably didn’t want to bother you with some extra requests.”
“Yes, maybe he just wanted to be polite,” I say. I am full of motivation. My meeting with Remy today was the best one to date. Not only did he share his health issue with me, but he also said he wants to continue meeting me. It seems like he doesn’t hate or despise me. I am so happy about this new change in Remy’s behavior that it takes a while for me to notice thatAyden is unusually quiet. My insecurities kick in instantly. “Is something wrong? Do you think it’s a bad development?”
“Not at all,” he says. “I am just surprised he opened up so suddenly. But maybe I am overthinking things. This is still good news. So, what’s the next step?”
“What do you mean? I’m meeting him in a couple of days for—”
“For tutoring. Yes, I know. But he pretty much confirmed with you that you don’t need his help anymore, yet he is willing to come just to meet you.” Ayden grabs me by my shoulders. “Girl, this is really good. It’s time for the next step in your plan.”
“I don’t have a next step… actually, I don’t have a plan,” I admit before it strikes me. “I don’t have a plan, although I should have one! I didn’t expect him to be so nice today. I thought he would immediately reject my ass!” I take a deep breath. “So, next step! What should I do?”
“I can’t believe I am doing this,” Ayden mutters. “Anything for you, Kat, seriously, you owe me.” With that, he hands me a flyer. “Someone handed this to Fi. I think she really wants to go.”
It’s an indie rock band playing this coming Saturday. I know them. I’ve seen them once during a college party, and they were really fun and good. I love this kind of music. I also know the place they are holding it, and it’s certainly not a top-notch place, but rather a crowded underground garage. However, it’s also not a rundown, creepy or gross place. Better indie bands with a good following usually play there. I’ve gone to a few concerts there. But I have no idea if this is the type of music Remy even likes. I don’t know anything about him. “Do you think Remy will like this?”
“Does it matter?” Ayden says bluntly. “It’s going to be a relaxed atmosphere. It’s crowded, so you will stay close to each other. I doubt he will be able to resist the bond if you are basically at his chest.”
“But if I invite him to it, it will sound like a date. What if he shoots me down?”
“That’s where the ’you-owe-me’ part comes into play,” Ayden says. “Fi and I will come, too. Then we are a little group. It’s always easier that way. If things are going well, you can just ditch Fi and me. And as for him turning you down and not even coming, we need to nip that in the bud before he can even say no. And I just know how.”
“How?”
“We’ll ask Eve to give his friend Gabriel a call. They are buddies, and from what I heard from Fi, the brothers are very traditional, also in the way they treat each other. Remy would never disobey his older brother if he told him to go to this concert, especially now that Alpha Sean and Joel have struck a deal. You know, it’s all about tightening the bonds between our two packs.”
