Page 33 of His White Moonlight (Dominant CEO Shifter Romance #1)

Grandma’s gaze was filled with compassion and sorrow as she sighed and folded her hands on the tabletop.

“If there are other potential mates for Bennett, he’s never noticed them in the last thirteen years. Once he saw you on TV, that was it.”

“Saw me on TV?” I had no idea what she was talking about.

“The fire that killed your family was on the news. You were in the background. I think a firefighter was holding you. Bennett saw you and, without even smelling you, said you were his mate. We tried to tell him that wasn’t possible, but he was so insistent that we relented and arranged for Christine and Aaron to see you in person.

“Christine fell in love with you at first sight. Whether you were Bennett’s mate or not, she thought you were precious and wanted to adopt you then.

But they were worried about what would happen if Bennett was right.

You were human and didn’t know anything about our kind.

He was too young for…well, everything. And most importantly, mates don’t find each other that young. Ever.

“It always happens after maturity. The youngest we know of was fifteen, and that was back when most females that age were getting married.”

“Why didn’t anyone ever tell me this?”

“We were afraid you would think you were only fostered because of Bennett.”

“Well, that’s what I do think.”

Grandma shook her head. “Christine was decided, but she needed to know for certain if Bennett was right, to protect you both. So she brought something of yours home for him. He reacted to your scent immediately, but not the way a mature mate would. He held your hair tie, looked at Christine, and said you needed their protection or you would disappear and he’d never find his mate again.

“You know Bennett well enough, I think, to know he isn’t overly emotional or dramatic. His firm certainty convinced us. So we made arrangements and brought you home soon after.”

The light above the door blinked rapidly.

“That’ll be our dinner,” Grandma said.

We waited for the server to enter, carrying a tray with burgers and soft drinks on it. Once he handed everything over and left again, I looked at Grandma.

“I don’t understand. If I’m Bennett’s mate, why did they send him away within a year of bringing me home? I thought he hated me.” I nibbled on a fry.

“Not at all. Just the opposite. He was…entranced by you. When you played with Aiden and Karter, Bennett hovered close by, worried you’d get hurt.

He was very aware of your human fragility while Aiden and Karter were less mindful of it.

His concerned attention along with his insistence that you weren’t his sister any time you tried to claim him as your brother, like you did with Aiden and Karter, began to upset you.

“Although not intentional, he was hurting you, and it was frustrating him. All he wanted to do was to protect you. His focus on school dwindled, and he began to snap at Aiden and Karter for being too rough with you, even though you were clearly enjoying their play.

“We sent him away so you could both continue to thrive separately. It didn’t work like we’d planned.

You were slow to thrive, and Bennett struggled, often calling for updates or asking for pictures as if he needed proof that you were safe.

The instructors at his school said he wasn’t sleeping well and would pace at night while the others were resting.

We implemented more physical training, which helped for a time, but the only thing that truly helped him focus was clothes. ”

I choked on the bite of burger I’d taken.

“Excuse me?” I knew he liked his suits, but they actually calmed him?

“Only the clothing you outgrew,” Grandma said.

“ My clothes ?”

“What clothes did you think I meant?”

“His suits!”

She laughed so hard she cried. When she was done wiping her tears, she shook her head at me as I kept eating.

“Your scent calmed him.”

“I want to say that’s disturbing, but I know that’s the judgy human in me not empathizing with your wolfy obsessions. So is that why I was sent away when he came home? Because he was still smotheringly annoying?”

“In part.”

“And the other part?”

“There were several, but the most important one was so you could experience life a bit more.”

I snorted. “By locking me away in an all-girl boarding school? Right. Is there a chance he’ll find someone else once I reject him?”

“Are you sure you want to?”

“Why wouldn’t I want to? I haven’t been free for the last twelve years. Why would I commit to a lifetime of that?”

“Oh, Wren, that’s not what it’s like.”

“Really? Because that’s exactly what it’s been like since I got home. I can’t breathe, Grandma. It’s suffocating. So, just give me a straight answer. Is there a chance he’ll find someone else once I officially reject him?”

“That he found you and bonded with you so young is very rare. It indicates a bond stronger than any I’ve ever seen or heard of. If you reject him, I doubt he’d find someone else.” She held my gaze. “Do you want all of the truth or only what you’re asking?”

The way she said it made me nervous. Whatever she had to say probably wouldn’t be good. Yet, I’d rather know everything than be ignorant.

“I want all of it.”

“In order to reject the bond, you first need to complete it.”

My stomach gave a nervous lurch, and I set my burger down.

“How do you complete it?”

“Remember watching the pack run?”

“Unfortunately, yes.” Most girls got a lesson on how to use pads and tampons during their first period. I got a bonus lesson in shifter mating. Seeing pairs rutting in the woods in their fur had been both traumatically embarrassing and fascinating for tween me.

“Remember the biting?”

“Yeah, that’s the part I’ve been trying to forget.”

“That’s the mating bond. Without the bite, you won’t be Bennett’s mate, only his potential mate.

And if you’re not his mate, you can’t truly reject him.

Everything you’re doing now, you're just refusing to admit he’s a potential mate, which is understandable.

Humans don’t have the same instincts we do. ”

“So what you’re saying is that there’s no way for me to get rid of Bennett unless he bites me?”

“Unless you mate and he bites you. But I have to warn you, the stronger the attraction, the stronger the mate bond will be once it’s completed. You might not want to reject him once the bond is made.”

“Okay, so sex with Bennett to get rid of him is out. What about setting him up with other women?”

“I doubt it would work. He’s been working in that office for years with different women throwing themselves at him. If there had been even a hint of interest, I’d tell you, but there wasn’t.”

“What am I supposed to do, then? I don’t want to keep living like I’m in a cage.”

“Then don’t. Be yourself. Be a menace. Live your life the way you want to.”

“I want to leave for school.”

She nodded. “I heard. Coalwell. Sounds like it’ll be fun. Bennett missed out on fun. He needs it.”

My frustration vanished, and I looked at Grandma suspiciously.

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, he’s already buying an apartment for you near campus. It’ll have enough room for a home office for him.”

And just like that, the frustration was back.

I didn’t talk much after that. Too many thoughts were filling my head.

Mostly not nice ones. I appreciated knowing that Mom and Dad hadn’t fostered me solely because of my potential mate status with Bennett.

It didn’t make me less bitter about the time I’d spent fighting for my life at school, though. Or make me less determined to leave.

Bennett’s interest in me was his problem.

Hadn’t he pretty much said the same thing Grandma had? Live my life the way I wanted to so I could love it?

“Are you ready to go home?” Grandma asked when we were both finished.

I wasn’t, but I also knew that avoiding Bennett forever wasn’t an option.

Grandma messaged her driver that we were ready then settled the bill at the bar.

The owner was a good-looking man with a flame tattoo running up his arm.

His brown gaze met mine, and he smiled. I quickly turned away before realizing what I’d done.

Because of how I’d been sent away, I was afraid to show any interest in a guy, and now I was just supposed to be okay with the fact that Bennett was interested in me? It just felt so hypocritical.

“Is it going to get worse once he knows I know?” I asked once we were in her car.

“I don’t think so. It might get easier once you acknowledge what you are to him.”

“Might,” I said. “That’s not a guarantee.”

“Very little in life is a guarantee.”

I still hadn’t decided what to do by the time Grandma dropped me off at home with a kiss on my cheek.

Bennett opened the door for me as I approached and inhaled deeply.

I knew he was trying to gauge my mood. Did he already know why I’d wanted to meet with Grandma?

I thought of what I’d overheard Grandma say to Mom last night, and thought he probably did.

If so, there was no use trying to pretend I was still ignorant.

Both of us would be able to move forward better once everything was in the open.

“We need to talk,” I said as he shut the door behind me.

“Okay.”

When I faced him, I saw his mask slip into place even as his pupils expanded.

“I don’t want to be your potential mate, and I don’t want to have sex with you just to officially reject you.”

He shoved his hands into his dress pants pockets so hard I heard seams rip. When he looked down at the floor, nothing about it said guilt or submission. It screamed barely contained anger.

“I also don’t want to live in an apartment with you at Coalwell. So, where does that leave us?”

“Can I ask why?”

“Why what?”

“Why are you refusing to see me as a potential mate?”

“Because I see you as my brother.”

His gaze flew to mine, and I knew the moment he smelled the lie. His slow smile sent a thread of panic through me.

“If you take one step?— ”