Mate (Bride, #2)

by Ali Hazelwood

“Is this the way you talk to your beloved mate?” A single eyebrow lifts. “I said you were my mate. Not that I loved you.”

“She explained what a mate is?” Slowly, I nod. “What Misery is to Lowe, you are to me.” Oh. Oh? Oh. “Is this a, um…terminal diagnosis?” His lips twitch. “No cure, I’m afraid.” “I see.” I clear my throat. “Well, this relationship sure escalated quickly.”

“Should you be calling me ‘kid,’ given the situation?” “I’m not married to it. What would you prefer?” “Well, there’s always my actual name. But if you insist on a nickname, I’d prefer something with a bit more…” “More?” “More teeth.” His eyebrow rises. “Root canal?” “No. Come on, you know what I mean. Something that inspires fear.” “Real estate market crash.” “Okay, maybe less fear and more…awe. Warrior-like.” His once-over is skeptical. “You’re what? Five feet?”

“Lowe seems…” I return to my chair. Run my palms down the legs of my sweats. “Very protective. Of me and of you, I think.” “Isn’t he fucking adorable?” Koen’s tone is pure fondness.

“You’re the most beautiful woman that I’ve ever seen,” he says simply. Like it’s not a big deal.

“And I’m not going to say that I can fend off whoever comes for me. However, if I know about a threat, I can prepare and take care of myself—” “I will take care of you,” he says roughly.

“Thank you,” I say with sincere appreciation. “For coming to get me. For being there right on time.” “Don’t thank me.” “Why?” “I fucking hate it.” “You hate to be…thanked?” “Yup.”

“You might be the worst person I’ve ever met.” “Wouldn’t be surprised,” he mutters.

He’s the only person in the building not wearing business attire. I’d say he didn’t get the memo, but knowing Koen, he sent it back with I do whatever the fuck I want scribbled all over it. In blood, most likely.

Would you like to apologize to the lady, or would you like to learn what that means?” The man’s scent is pure terror, mixed with a drop of shame. He started shit but doesn’t want to lose face in front of his colleagues. “Is this a threat?” “If you have to ask, I must be doing something wrong.”

“You have two options, shitmuncher. You can apologize to the lady this very instant, or you can wait till later to be fucked up. Your choice. And don’t worry, I won’t be disappointed either way.”

“I’m not afraid of your animals. Send them after me, and see what—” “Whoa. Highly offensive. Whatever have I done to make you think that I wouldn’t kill you myself?”

“If you make any more comments about this girl over here and I find out,” Koen says, too low for anyone but the three of us to hear, “it’ll be your throat.”

Lazily, I paw at Koen’s shoulder and stretch in his arms. “I can walk.” “Me too. Wanna start a club?” “Can I be president?” “Treasurer at most.”

“So,” he starts, “what the fuck just happened, and who do I kill?”

Lowe sighs. “We are producing a list.” “Nice.” Koen sounds ready to roll up his sleeves. “I’ll take the first ten names.”

“They’re going to come back for me.” “They’re not going anywhere near you,” Koen mutters, arrogant and a little too certain.

“Shut up. Acknowledge me as your Alpha!” “Love, we’ve been over this,” Lowe murmurs, patting her knee. “It’s not how it works.” “And bring me gifts of gold, frankincense, and peanut butter!”

“I’m thirty-six. Even more decrepit than you thought.” “Oh.” “I know. Highly disturbing that Weres are allowed to advance to such a ramshackle state.”

“Not on my watch. Not in my territory. Not under my protection.”

“In the meantime, I’ll have Saul bring you food. Since you look so gaunt.” “I do not.” “Right. Picture of health.”

“Hearing you verbally acknowledge your limitations brings flavor and spice to my life. Why were you keeping it a secret?” “I don’t know. I…Maybe I just didn’t want you looking down on me.” “I will never not look down on you, chiefly because of our height difference.

“Pretty sure being Alpha of this pack doesn’t give you a pass to eavesdrop on people.” “Pretty sure being Alpha of this pack gives me a pass to run people through the paper shredder and make dinosaur-shaped nuggies out of what’s left.”

“Must be nice,” I muse. “What?” “Being you. Knowing everything.” “It is, yeah,” he agrees.

“Thing is,” I try again, “I really like living alone.” “Maybe you had shitty roommates,” he says casually,

“I, on the other hand, am a fucking delight.”

“Does it not bother your back, Koen?” “You mean, the supermassive weight of my ego? No, it does not.” “Oh, come on. How did you know—” “You’re gonna have to come up with more creative insults than that, Serena.”

Cute, how she thinks he’d ever let her out of his sight.

“You look better,” he declares. “Less like you’re going to collapse and start fertilizing the meadow.”

“If I’ve given you the impression that I’m kind, something is very wrong, either with me or with you. Ready to make your debut in Northwest society?”

Look at her. Just—look at her.

“I do have some money,” I insist. “You do? No need to flex, Serena.” “I mean, I just need to—” “This conversation is very tedious.” He sounds distracted as he glances around.

“Don’t criticize my looks. It hurts my feelings.” “Your what?” I ask.

“Please. Let me make you pretty.” “I’m already pretty. I’m fucking stupendous.” I sigh. “Oh, if only you could use suppositories to—” “To cure my malignant narcissism?”

Her laughter adjusts the spin of his atoms.

When I look over, Koen’s a couple of feet away. Looking bored. “Mouthy, isn’t she, Boden?” He sighs. “Never thought I’d be into that, and yet. Bane of my fucking existence.” His eyes flit to mine. “Don’t stop on my account,” he says with a lopsided smile.

He told her that he would never touch her because he didn’t want her enough; in truth, he will never touch her because he wants her too much. The make-believe, he thinks, was kinder to both of them.

“Well, Brenna had an idea, but if it works, I’ll pass it off as mine.” “An idea for…?” “Figuring you out.” “I love it when you talk about me like I’m the ultimate escape room. Tell me more.”

He wants to show her every corner of his territory. The deep blue lakes and the snow-capped peaks. Moss-draped trees and rock spires. He wants to be with her for each marveled intake of breath.

“You want her, but you are not worthy of her.” “Man, you don’t know me. I think I bring a lot to the table.” “Like several moldy unicorn waffles,” I mutter. In response, Koen playfully drums his fingertips over my stomach.

“And now he’s back.” “He’s dead.” “Could reports of his passing have been greatly exaggerated?” “I ripped his heart out of his chest, chewed it for half a minute, and then spit it into the ocean.” I nod slowly. “A simple ‘no’ would have sufficed.”

“Do you want to come with me?” Yes, with every single cell of my body. “Why would I come with you?” “Because the idea of having you out of my sight makes me want to flip those cars one by one.”

“Before I leave, I think I need to hold you for a minute.”

“I’ll be back tomorrow morning. If anything happens to me, what do you do?” “Buy a black veil, pretend I’m a widow, cash in on your life insurance.”

There’s a flicker of something unreadable in his face. “If I come back and something has happened to you, Serena, I’m going to be so fucking pissed.”

“If you think I’m going to let you die, Serena, you know fuck all.”

“She’s in pain,” Koen snarls, leaning forward over Sem’s desk.

“When I die—” “Not on my fucking watch, Serena.” “Okay. But when I die—”

“Anything that’s going to happen to you,” he promises, voice honest and pitched low in the swish of the breeze, “is going to be over my dead body.”

He easily resigned himself to a lifetime without her, but… Simply put, he is unwilling to contemplate a universe in which she no longer exists.