Page 14 of His White Moonlight (Dominant CEO Shifter Romance #1)

He stepped back out of her reach and nodded in my direction. “I have company.”

Storm’s gaze never wavered from Bennett’s. “If you’re this caring about your sister, I bet you’ll be an amazing dad too.”

I rolled my eyes at her desperation.

“She’s not my sister,” Bennett said.

Storm’s smile grew a little brighter at his attitude toward me. “Which is why I thought you might like a little break and a change in company. We can go for a run.”

“No.”

He started to close the door on her, and she had the guts to put out a hand and stop it.

“Bennett, I’ve heard what’s happening at the office. You’re pushing your luck. You need to choose soon, or you’ll risk your position in the pack. Aiden and Karter aren’t the leaders you are.”

“Excuse me?” I said. “That’s a shit thing to say to their brother.”

Her gaze shifted to me, and she shrugged. “They spent their childhoods playing with you, and Bennett spent his training and studying. Who do you think has more skill? I’m just stating facts.”

Bennett’s hand fisted at his side, a telltale warning sign. Although part of me wanted to see him physically toss Storm to the curb, the other part of me knew we couldn’t afford any more trouble.

I heard Mom’s voice in my head.

Are you going to be able to smooth things over at the first sign that he’s about to lose his temper?

…Try giving him a hug…

Forget hugs. Those did not end well for me. Bennett needed a tranquilizer dart shot in his ass.

Stepping forward, I grabbed his shirt, just a pinch of material between my fingertips that I tugged gently to get his attention.

He looked down at me like he couldn’t believe I’d grabbed him.

“You need to stop making people cry.”

His expression shifted so quickly, I almost didn’t catch the flash of guilt I saw. He took my hand in his and looked at Storm.

“If you heard what happened at work, you know I don’t like uninvited guests. Please leave while I’m asking nicely.”

Storm’s gaze shifted from Bennett’s face to his hand, which was holding mine prisoner, then to my face.

“Asking nicely is overrated sometimes,” she said. Her gaze shifted back to his. “I’ll see you at the pack run.”

He didn’t wait until she stepped back to close the door.

I tugged my hand free of his.

“As much as I hate to say it, I think you should listen to Storm and just claim your mate. Everyone around you will breathe easier then.”

“Not everyone,” he said, watching me.

He was right. There was one person who might not breathe easier, but I didn’t think his mate would turn down the type of hard breathing he probably had in mind.

My heart skipped a beat as I recalled last night, and I quickly pushed the thought away.

“Are you ready?” I asked.

Again, his expression shifted, but he wasn’t as quick to hide his shock, and I realized he’d misunderstood me.

“To leave, Bennett, not to claim your mate. Dragging your feet on that is your business, not mine.”

I turned away from him, wondering if that was why he’d done what he had last night.

Was he so strung out and desperate that he’d used me as a substitute for a few seconds?

It wasn’t like we were blood-related or anything, and I’d never really viewed Bennett as my brother, just as he’d never viewed me as his sister.

But even if that was what had happened, he needed to pull himself together because it couldn’t happen again.

Imagining Mom and Dad’s various shocked reactions to learning Bennett had kissed my neck yielded the same result.

They’d be furious with both of us. Probably Bennett more than me, but maybe not.

After all, he was struggling for his mate, and a wolf’s mate was the end-all be-all of his existence. I was the one with the no-boys rule.

In the garage, Bennett beat me to the driver’s door and opened it for me. Once I was in, I set up the GPS on my phone to guide me to the nearest lower-class clothing store.

“Any specific destination in mind?” he asked, getting in.

“Yep.” I didn’t say where, though. If we made it there, it would probably offend his high-end tastes.

The second time driving into the city was much better than the first. The number of cars on the road didn’t seem that different, but they weren’t driving as aggressively as the commuter crowd had been.

I successfully navigated us to the first exit before things got more stressful. Knowing what lane I needed and figuring out which exit was next when they were right on top of each other wasn’t easy.

“If you miss your turn, it’s okay,” Bennett said as if reading my mind. “You can turn around and try from the other direction.”

It helped that he was calm and understanding about it because I did end up missing the turn and had to circle around.

By the time we arrived at the store I wanted, my hands were sweaty. I parked, turned off the engine, and looked at Bennett.

He was watching me.

“You amaze me, Wrenly. You were nervous, but you kept going. You always keep going, no matter how hard things get.”

I thought of school again, where I hadn’t had any choice but to keep going.

Every second had been hell, and I hated that I’d had to endure it.

I hated that I’d had a safe home I hadn’t been allowed to return to.

I didn’t want to keep fighting through what was hard because it was expected of me. Easy sounded good.

Unfortunately, easy didn’t play with the princess card I’d been dealt. I always had to fight for everything, just like Bennett said. And I felt no pride in it. I was too tired for pride.

“Ready to shop till you drop?” I asked him.

“Ready.”

The store was bright and loud, filled with people who dressed as if they would never be able to afford a custom-made suit in their lives, and I loved it.

Bennett stuck close to me like he had at the arcade, but he seemed fairly impassive about all the people this time.

He occasionally asked why I liked a particular item or why I put an item back, but never with any tone to suggest he was impatient, only curious.

Normal clothes shopping was probably a novelty for him. It had been the same for me the first time I’d ventured out. Before that, the only clothes I’d ever owned had been given to me by Mom since as far back as I could remember.

Once I had a few pairs of shorts to try on with some spaghetti-strap tops and sports bras, I headed to the changing room. Bennett stood right outside while I did my thing. Each of the outfits showed more skin than ever before, and I felt like I looked normal for a change.

When I emerged once more dressed in my jeans, Bennett looked up from his phone.

“I’m all set,” I said, holding up my selections in one hand and discarding the others.

He glanced at what I put on the rack but didn’t comment as he followed me to the registers at the front.

He paid for everything, which was both good and a little disappointing.

It saved me money, but it also robbed me of the joy of buying my own clothes.

I was smart enough to know, though, that I couldn’t draw attention to the fact that I had money they didn’t know about yet.

Bennett carried the bags out and opened the back door to put them in the car.

When I moved to get into the driver’s seat, he put his hand out and closed the door, trapping me between him and the car as he planted his other hand on the other side of me.

I stayed facing the car, unwilling to turn around. I didn’t trust what he’d do.

“Are you going to tell me how you knew how to do all of that, Wrenly? The changing room, the return rack, and removing the hangers to make checking out quicker. You haven’t been shopping for your own clothes your entire life.”

My mind raced as I struggled to find a way to explain how I knew that wasn’t the truth and wasn’t a lie. I couldn’t tell him that I’d walked through stores and watched people. He’d want to know why and, more importantly, how, since I’d been at a school with a locked-down campus.

“Talk,” he said roughly.

“I hate my life.” The words were out before I could stop them, and my eyes went wide.

I watched his hands fist against the door and felt him rest his forehead on the back of my head.

“Don’t say that,” he said, sounding strained.

I bit my lip, unsure how to take back what I said without making things worse. Then I decided honesty was the only thing that might save me.

“Where to go. What to wear. Who I can talk to. I’ve never had any freedom, Bennett. I know Mom and Dad love me, but it’s…”

Bennett grabbed my shoulders and spun me around. His pupils had devoured his dark irises, and his jaw was tense as he stared at me.

“It’s what?” he demanded, his voice rough.

“It’s not living, Bennett. It’s a suffocating cage, and I want out.”

He closed his eyes.

Desperate for him to understand, to win him over to my side, I cupped his jaw, gently smoothing my fingers over the muscles that were twitching.

“Please help me convince them that they should let me go to school this fall. Please. I just want what everyone else my age has, what you had. A little bit of freedom to decide my own life.”

He hit the door so hard that the metal groaned. I jumped at the sound, and my forehead hit his jaw. It hurt enough that I automatically rubbed the spot.

Bennett’s arms wrapped around me.

“I’m sorry. Forgive me.”

“I’m fine, Bennett,” I said, feeling the panic start and pushing him. “You’re holding me too tight.”

He immediately loosened his hold and pulled back enough to look at me. His gaze searched mine, then lifted to my forehead.

“Are you okay, Miss?” a man asked, drawing my attention away from Bennett.

He caught my chin to stop me from looking at whoever was there.

“She’s fine.”

“I’m not asking you,” the man said.

The way Bennett slowly turned his head to look at the guy rang all the warning bells. I reached up and covered Bennett’s eyes.

“I’m fine,” I said.

“The bruise on your cheek and the way he just hit the car say you might not be. I can call the police.”

Bennett’s growl was soft enough that only I heard it. At least, I hoped that was the case. I removed my hand from his eyes and grabbed his chin so he faced me, and I gave him a warning look.

“I appreciate you cared enough to stop and ask,” I said to the man as I held Bennett’s gaze. “And so will the next girl, who might be in trouble. I’m not. At least, not from this guy. He’s overbearing all of the time, but he’s not a bully, just protective.”

Bennett winced and closed his eyes.

“Sometimes, that’s how it starts,” the man said. “Don’t justify bad behavior. If someone really cares about you, they’ll find every way to lift you up, not break you down.”

“Thanks,” I said, finally glancing at the middle-aged man. He nodded at me and walked away.

I waited until he was gone to nudge Bennett away from me.

“If you’re done acting like an insane person, can we please leave?”

He opened his eyes and shot me an annoyed stare.

“I’ll drive home.”

He walked me around to the passenger side of the car. Once I was seated, he leaned into the car suddenly, invading my space, with his face once again inches from mine.

“Don’t hate your life, Wrenly. Fight to make it what you want until you love it.”

My seatbelt clicked into place, and he withdrew, closing the door for me.

I exhaled shakily and hoped Bennett’s words meant he understood and was on my side. I really needed someone on my side.