BK 4 - Chapter 24 - Someone From the Past
Everyone stared at the tall, blonde-haired man with pale blue eyes who looked vaguely familiar. Who was he talking to? They all looked around, and their eyes fell on Breanne.
Breanne stared at the gorgeous man who had just said the words she'd been waiting to hear. However, she looked at him and thought about how she would look next to him, and her heart broke. He wouldn't want her. She was nothing compared to someone like him. Before anyone could say anything, she took off, running toward the driveway where the cars were parked.
Lisa stared in disbelief as her friend ran away crying. She thought Breanne would be happy that she was right about having a mate. Just as she got ready to follow, she saw the man run after her with a look of anguish on his face. Lisa knew it was better to let him take care of Breanne.
Breanne stopped when she got to the cars and leaned against one as she cried. She heard footsteps behind her and assumed Lisa had come to see what was wrong.
"I'm sorry if I frightened you. I didn't mean to blurt out that you're my mate like that, but it was out before I could stop myself." Breanne froze when she heard his voice. It was deep yet soft and made her feel like he had just wrapped his arms around her. She still faced the car, not wanting to see his disgust at being mated to someone like her.
"You don't need to apologize. I know how this is going to end, so why don't you go ahead and get it over with," Breanne replied as the tears continued running down her face.
"I'm not sure what you're talking about. Can you please look at me? My name is Dustin." He said. She could tell he had moved closer to her as her body felt warm from his closeness. Breanne took a deep breath and turned around slowly, looking at the ground, too afraid to meet his eyes.
"I'm not a shifter like you, but my friends are. They told me about how mates can reject each other. You're going to reject me, aren't you? I mean, look at me and look at you. Why would you want someone like me?" Breanne asked as her tears started flowing again. Dustin moved, so he was standing right in front of her. When she felt his hand take hers, she shivered from the tingles that ran all over her body. It was better than she'd imagined.
"Look at me," He said softly. Breanne slowly raised her head to look into his beautiful blue eyes. "I'm not going to reject you. I've been looking for you for a long time. Can you tell me your name?"
"Breanne," She answered, still keeping her eyes on his. Dustin smiled before bringing his hand up to wipe away her tears.
"That's a beautiful name to match a beautiful woman. So I guess you already know about shifters and what it means to be someone's mate. That saves me the trouble of having to convince you I'm real." Breanne couldn't help smiling at the relief she heard in his voice.
"Are you sure you're okay with me as a mate? I'm not pretty, and I have to wear glasses when I'm not wearing contacts. You're like a walking God," She said softly. Dustin laughed lightly.
"You're more than pretty; you're gorgeous. I don't care about your glasses, but if you let me mark you, there's a good chance you won't need them anymore. I'm not okay with you being my mate. I'm thrilled, and so is my panther Nelo." Breanne felt her heart racing at what he said. No one had ever said she was gorgeous. Then the last part sunk in.
"You're a werepanther, and your panther's name is Nelo?" She asked excitedly. When she heard the purring coming from inside him, she put her head against his chest. The purring got louder, and she giggled.
"He likes you," Dustin said, putting an arm around Breanne. His heart felt whole for the first time when it had been empty for so long from years of loneliness.
"Dustin? Is that you?" Breanne and Dustin looked toward Cat as she walked over with a small smile.
"I had to come and pay my respects to Roger. He was a good man," He answered, getting choked up. It had shaken him to the core when he'd heard about his passing. Breanne looked up at him in confusion but didn't move away.
"You knew Grandpa Roger?" She asked.
"I was kidnapped as a cub in Rio after my parents were killed. Cat and Trey brought me to their group home when I was rescued. Roger and Valerie were like grandparents to me. Are you part of their family?" Dustin asked in disbelief. He would have remembered her if he had seen her at the group home.
"No. I go to school with Lisa and Alex. Their family has more or less let me join them because I don't have any family," Dustin groaned; he had tried to forget about her.
"Oh brother, why on earth did you have to be mates with a panther?" Lisa asked, narrowing her eyes at Dustin. She hadn't recognized him at first because she had been too emotional. Breanne looked between the two as they glared at each other.
"I take it you two know each other?" Breanne asked, already knowing the answer. Lisa crossed her arms and smirked.
"He was rescued around the same time Alex and I were. If I remember correctly, Dustin is a few years older than us but acts like a needy baby," Lisa replied. Dustin felt his face turning red. How could someone so small make him feel the size of an ant?
"That's not how I remember it." He said softly. Breanne could tell Dustin was uncomfortable, and she knew Lisa well enough to know she was trying to fight with someone to hide her grief. She glanced at Alex, who nodded. He walked over and held his hand out to Dustin.
"It's good to see you again. Don't mind my sister; she never learned to control her mouth. This is my mate, Kiersten," Alex said as Lisa scowled at him. Dustin shook Kiersten's outstretched hand. The rest of the family came over and hugged him now that they recognized him.
"Thank you for coming. We always wondered what happened to you when you left," Valerie said as she hugged him tight. Dustin felt fresh tears stinging his eyes. He thought he had plenty of time to see them all again but now realized it was better not to put things off. He regretted not being able to tell Roger how much he meant to him.
"I'm sorry I stayed away for so long. I just never felt like I fit in." He replied. Cat felt like she'd been slapped. She never wanted any of the kids in the group homes to feel like outsiders. They were all part of the family.
"Oh, Dustin, I'm so sorry you felt like that. You were always part of our family." Cat hugged him with tears in her eyes.
"Thank you. That means a lot. I'm here to stay now, though. I just transferred to Sacramento," Dustin replied.
"Transferred? What kind of work do you do?" Valerie asked.
"I work for the FBI. When I left here, I went to the police academy. I wanted to be a sergeant like Roger. After a couple of years, the FBI recruited me. I was on the east coast but missed it out here." He looked down at Breanne and smiled. Now he had more than one reason to stay.
"Well, we're so glad to have you back. Will you come to the memorial service with us? It's going to be at Cat and Trey's house," Valerie asked hopefully.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world. I'll follow everyone over there," Dustin answered. As everyone went to get in their cars, he turned to Breanne.
"Would you like to ride with me?" He asked her. He hoped to talk to her more on the short ride.
"I would love to," Breanne smiled as he led her to a black sedan with dark-tinted windows. He walked to the driver's side after helping her into the passenger seat. Dustin took her hand as they followed the line of cars.
"Do you have a boyfriend?" He asked, glancing at Breanne. He saw her face turn slightly red.
"No. I've never had a boyfriend." Dustin almost slammed on the brakes. How could an angel like Breanne have never had a boyfriend?
"You're kidding? How is that possible? You must have been living under a rock because there is no way any man with half-decent vision wouldn't want to be with you," He said as they drove down the street in the procession of cars.
"I had a few people ask, but none interested me. I've focused on my schooling." Breanne felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest. Dustin was better than she could have ever dreamed.
"Well, I'll consider myself lucky if you decide to accept me as your mate." He pulled her hand up to his lips and kissed it.
"What about you? There's no way looking like you do that you don't have a girlfriend." Breanne bit her lip as she waited. She braced herself for the worst when he looked away from her as they stopped in Cat and Trey's driveway.
"I want no secrets between us, so I'm going to be honest with you." Breanne nodded as she waited. "I have something I need to tell you."
