Page 29 of Moon Destiny

I gave him a stern look as I ushered Brooke inside. “No more tracking for you tonight. You’re off duty.”

“I can stay here at the house.”

“Nope,” I said firmly. “Go home and sleep. And for god’s sake, eat something. You’ve dropped at least twenty pounds since this morning.”

It was obvious he wanted to argue, but he lowered his gaze. “I’ll call in the morning.”

“You won’t because you’ll be sleeping.” I put a hand on his shoulder to soften the command. “I appreciate everything you did today, taking charge of the investigation and making sure my”—I caught myself before I could say mate—“Brooke was safe.”

Tanner noticed the near slip, of course, but he’d never say anything. He just moved toward the door. “Julia and a few of the others left a bunch of food in the kitchen if you’re hungry.”

“Thanks.” I decided not to tell him Brooke and I had just eaten together in town. After my earlier display in the foyer, the whole pack was probably buzzing with speculation about what Brooke was to me.

“Well. Goodnight,” Tanner said with a nod toward Brooke.

Then he was gone, and it was just the two of us in the foyer—in the same damn spot where I’d told her I couldn’t lose her. It was as good a place as any to tell her the first step in my plan to separate ourselves from one another for good.

“Ah, I think you should shift tomorrow.”

Her eyebrows went up. “Like…into a wolf?”

I lost the battle not to smile. She was so effortlessly cute. And it would be best if I could stop noticing. “Like into a wolf.”

“Okay…” She frowned, clearly hesitant about the whole changing-into-an-animal thing.

My fingers twitched with the need to touch her. Not for any reason other than reassurance, but it was still a bad idea. So I ran my hand through my hair instead—then immediately regretted it when her eyes followed the movement and her heart sped up. “We can’t do the rejection ceremony until you’ve shifted,” I explained. “Not everyone manages to change forms the first time, or even the second. The first transformation can be especially difficult for turned wolves. The full moon is still a month away. It’s best to work on your shift as soon as possible so we don’t miss the opportunity.”

“Oh. Right. That makes sense.”

“I’m going to work in my study for a bit. My room is across the hall from yours if you need anything.”

Her cheeks turned the palest shade of pink, the color spreading under those distracting freckles. “I’m sure I’ll be fine. Thanks for dinner, by the way.”

“You’re welcome.”

We looked at each other for a minute, and then she turned and went to the stairs while I stood still and silent by the door. When she reached the first step, she turned, a little frown between her brows. “Why doesn’t the book talk about rejection?”

I hesitated, but only for a second. “I can’t really say for certain.”

Her gaze sharpened, her reporter’s eyes pinning me in place. “But you have an idea.”

I thought about lying. Her senses probably weren’t sharp enough to scent falsehoods yet. But I discarded that idea. If she was going to reject me, she deserved all the information I could give her. And given her journalistic savvy, she might very well be capable of sniffing out a lie.

“Some wolves wait centuries for their mate. They long for the connection. For most wolves, it’s inconceivable that anyone would willingly give that up.”

The silence lengthened, growing longer than the space between us. At last, she said, “Does fate ever give you a different mate? If the first one…doesn’t work out?”

“No. To my knowledge, that’s never happened. Once a pair rejects each other, they’re free to move on. Have a regular relationship with whomever they choose.”

She started up the stairs, only to stop again and turn back. “But it’s possible, right?” She gave a weak smile. “I mean, anything is possible.”

The words hit me like a slap. Because they were dead wrong. And, suddenly, the laughter I’d shared with her over dinner rang hollow. Alex’s funeral pyre still smoked outside. I had no business laughing with the woman he’d hoped to build a life with. No business noticing her freckles or the way her blue eyes sharpened when she was curious about something. Those things had belonged to Alex—and then they’d been stolen from him.

“Some things are impossible, Brooke.” Her eyes widened at the ice in my voice. “You only need to remember Alex to know that. I can’t bring my son back no matter how much I wish it.”

I left, my footsteps the only sound in the lingering silence.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

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