Broken Mate

BROKEN MATE BOOK 5 OF THE FALLEN BLOOD SERIES SARA SNOW This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. © 2023 J&B Online Enterprises, LLC No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of the trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners. CONTENTS 1. A New Understanding 2. And New Allies 3. Revelations 4. An Invitation 5. Back Online 6. The Fallen-bloods 7. A New Friend 8. Cute? 9. Changing Views 10. Try, Try Again 11. The Influencer 12. Meditation For Dummies 13. The Cure 14. Family First 15. Designated Ruler 16. If This Were A Movie 17. Haunted 18. Tea Time 19. Live and Let Die 20. Girls’ Night 21. If It’s Broke, Fix It! 22. Truth Be Told 23. Quietus Also By Sara Snow Enjoy This Book? I would love to hear from you… All My FREE BOOKS About the Author 1 A NEW UNDERSTANDING ARIA “We have company,” Atlan called, body twisting and morphing like water as he went from wolf to human in a matter of moments. It was disorienting to see someone shift that fast, but maybe that was just a perk of being as old as he was; the man hadn’t even taken a complete step, and there he was, fully wolven. While I was admittedly jealous of their ability to just be fully clothed and not have to deal with any of the uncomfortable reassembling of civilized appearances, now seemed like a bad time to sulk. Yet another round of howls went up. Kiran hurried out behind his brother, lips pulled back in a snarl that made my hair stand on end, before he followed suit and shifted as well. “I noticed,” Auren said with a grimace, staring toward the woods. My wolf was clawing desperately to get free. Sariel didn’t seem to be holding up much better, trembling beside me in an attempt to hold the shift back. Are you okay? His eyes were wild when I asked, and I nodded slowly in understanding. Pack dynamics were always strange, but when it came to entering another’s territory, announcing your presence like this was the polite thing to do. Even though it never failed to alert the nearby wolves of your intent to stop by, intentions did not translate well without accompanying body language, so it always made the resident wolves jumpy and territorial. There weren’t enough of us here to really take issue with any visiting packs, but our wolves considered this territory their turf regardless. “Is it an attack?” Auren asked, looking at me as if I would have the answers. I then realized the others were relying on me to navigate this situation. “I don’t think they would announce themselves if they were here to hurt us,” I offered hesitantly, making him purse his lips. It really would have made more sense for them to try sneaking in and ripping through us before someone could sound the alarm if they’d wanted to, after all. “We come in peace,” a voice suddenly called from the trees. We all turned to squint into the shadows. “Pinky swear.” The voice was followed by a chuff of annoyance that had to be a wolf’s. When a lithe man slipped from the trees with a smile, hands up in a placating gesture, Auren made a quiet, strangled noise. I frowned at him, inching away from Sariel to whisper, “Auren?” “That’s my mate,” he hissed. I imagined that behind those aviators, he was wide-eyed with surprise. I knew I was. All three Ambrose brothers had a mate? What were the odds? I soon squinted into the dark to try and get a better read on our new visitor. Looking at him felt… odd. Like I shouldn’t be, even though he was literally walking towards us. “Are you sure? How do you know?” I asked. It was hard to see the newcomer fully in the darkness, but I thought I could make out a glinting, toothy grin. “I just do.” Back in control all at once, the man rolled his shoulders. I glanced at Sariel to see if he was also concerned. My mate gave away nothing, though, just staring into the trees with near-glowing eyes. “We just want to talk,” the man called out again. A pair of wolves stalked out of the woods behind him, settling on their haunches as if to show support. “Okay,” Auren relented after a moment. “Let’s talk.” It was probably his bond that made him so amicable to the strangers prowling into our safe haven, but I didn’t tell him that. The wolves ducked back into the trees as his mate approached us, slow but confident in his stride. When the moon finally hit him, I was caught off guard by how beautiful he was; he had long, dark hair tied back in a braid and even darker eyes, which met mine with a wink. It was disarming, and for a second, I went speechless. “They’re going to shift and join us,” the man explained. “We didn’t bring the entire pack, just enough.” Enough to fight their way back out if they’d been attacked in the trees. In a twisted way, it made sense—no reason to risk your entire pack on a potential suicide mission. A voice barked out from the treeline. “Ashe!” Our mystery speaker stopped a few feet from us with a huff and roll of his eyes. “Then hurry up!” he responded, hands on his