Page 114 of Rejected By My Shifter Billionaire

I stared at the bag like it might contain a bomb.

“You have nothing to worry about. It’s entirely appropriate.”

Right, right.

I’m totally buying that.

Not.

“What do you know about the Lucent Summit?”

“Not much,” I admitted warily.

“It’s to celebrate the revival of the Faes’ High Circle,” Nicolo murmured, “and this is their second year to host it.” Nicolo unzipped the bag while speaking, his fingers working its usualbrand of elegance and efficiency. “Invited guests are to showcase the floral species unique to their territories...”

My breath caught as Nicolo pulled out looked like the most beautiful dress I’d ever seen.

The dress was midnight blue silk that seemed to shimmer between black and deep purple depending on how the light hit it. It was cut in a classic style that would hit just below my knees, with delicate straps and a neckline that was modest but somehow still managed to look sinfully elegant.

“The ballroom is enchanted,” he continued, seemingly oblivious to my stunned silence. “The walls bloom with every flower represented by the attending delegations. Moonflowers that only open in darkness, solar blossoms that glow like captured sunlight, ice roses that never melt, and passion vines that respond to the emotional state of nearby couples.”

“That sounds incredible.”

“The air is perfumed with natural scents from the botanical displays,” he said, “which means scent dampeners are mandatory for all attendees. No one can detect natural pheromones or identify others by scent alone.”

“So it’s truly anonymous.”

“Completely. Which makes it the perfect venue for compatibility testing without outside influence.”

He reached into the garment bag again and pulled out a small, sleek box that definitely hadn’t been there when I was admiring the dress.

My blood turned to ice.

“What is that?”

“Required monitoring equipment,” he said calmly, opening the box to reveal something that looked like a piece of very expensive, very discreet jewelry. “All test participants wear them during formal evaluation periods.”

I stared at the device, my brain struggling to process what I was seeing. It was small and elegant, designed to look like decorative jewelry, but I wasn’t stupid. I knew exactly what it was.

“That’s not monitoring equipment,” I said slowly. “That’s a—”

“Biometric response tracker,” he finished smoothly. “It monitors heart rate, skin temperature, stress hormones, and other physiological markers relevant to compatibility assessment.”

I might not be the most experienced person in the world, but even I knew what that was.

“Seriously, Nicolo?”

“It’s completely wireless and calibrated to respond to remote commands during testing scenarios.”

“You want me to wear avibratorto a formal ball?”

His expression didn’t change. “I want you to wear regulation testing equipment during a mandatory compatibility evaluation.”

“That’s the same thing!”

“Semantics.”

Oh, if only I were born alpha as well, I would...I would semantics the stuff out of him!