The Prince's Mate

Chapter 43

"Where's your home now?" Bennett asked, just as my fingers brushed against the door knob.

"Denver."

"But you just told me that you regretted moving to Denver and going to college." Bennett argued, finally looking at me.

"Cass is going home to stay with my dad. I don't have to worry about her safety anymore. But I'm staying in Denver. If I can't be a queen I might as well follow through with my original plan and go to college, get my degree and start my life as a human." I answered.

"Will you be happy?"

"I don't know. I really don't."

Bennett stood up slowly, his eyes finally softening out of their hard glare, "Do you think you could be happy here, with me?"

"Yes, I knew I could live a happy life here before I left for college." I said, trying not to sound too optimistic. "But do you want me here? I left you in the worst time, I think that goes to show I'll make a pretty terrible queen." I stated.

Bennett shook his head, "I realized something when you left. I was trying to change everything right away, I was trying to move forward too quickly and it scared people." He chuckled a little, "It even scared me. Then, when I was sitting alone in the diner I figured that I didn't have to change everything and I didn't have to make everyone happy. The important thing is to get the movement started and to make sure if we have an heir that they know right from wrong. These types of things take time. You can't change the way werewolves think overnight and you can't snap your fingers and become a perfect queen."

Bennett stood up and walked towards me, taking my hand when he got close enough.

"But I screwed up, very badly." I protested weakly. I just wanted to collapse into his arms and have him hold me while I went limp with relief.

"You did, but you can admit it. I made mistakes too, sweetheart. And honestly, being left alone in that diner hurt, but it hurt even more to think about you never coming back to me. If you want to live here, and be my mate again I will be happier than I've ever been." Bennett whispered.

"Really? You forgive me?"

"Only if you forgive me, sweetheart."

I threw my arms around him, yanking him tight against me as I laughed with relief. Part of me had been certain that I would walk out of this palace and never be welcomed back. I worried that my family would be shamed forever and I would be a disgrace to werewolves everywhere. But all those worries melted away when I felt Bennett hold me equally tight and kiss the top of my head.

"But wait, my college has already been paid for, and my apartment too. My poor dad, that's so much wasted money." I whispered.

Bennett chuckled in my ear, "Did you really care that much about college?"

"Yes, I loved college so much, it was my dream to go and be an accountant, but when I got there there were so many opportunities and I ended up straying from my original plan, but it doesn't matter. I took an accelerated bookkeeping class, and then jumped right into a Bachelor of Arts program. God, Bennett, it was so amazing." I said dreamily.

He moved away from me slightly, studying me and I briefly wondered if he doubted my loyalty to him and the werewolf community now that I had fallen in love with human college. But he didn't look angry, just calculating.

"You always wanted to go to college? I never knew that. Why on earth would a werewolf want to go to a human college?"

I gently took Bennett's hand and led him back over to our bed. I sat down and patted the spot next to me encouragingly. He flopped down instantly, but watched me intently, waiting for an explanation.

"I grew up differently than most wolves. My dad loved my mom unconditionally and was as open minded as any human. He never laid a hand on her, even when she made him furious. I grew up thinking that I wanted that kind of love, it was just beautiful to see everyday. But my parents kept me very sheltered for much of my child hood. Then, my mom got cancer." Bennett didn't bat an eye at the idea of cancer, most werewolves got over it, but I felt my eyes well up with tears for the millionth time this month. "She didn't make it." I choked out.

At that confession Bennett's expression changed into one of pity and his arms instantly went around my shoulders, pulling me into him. I pushed him away immediately, knowing that his condolences would only make me sob so hard I wouldn't be able to speak.

"After she died my dad kind of fell apart, which meant I was became more exposed to the outside world. What I saw wasn't flowers and daisies. I saw men screaming at women they supposedly loved, young girls holding hands with guys who gave them bruises, and I read newspaper articles about innocent victims that were beaten to death by their mates. Needless to say, my perception of the werewolf world changed instantly.

"Between my father being a daily reminder of the negative side to a soul binding and seeing so many women being abused regularly, I decided that I wanted nothing to do with the werewolf world. I wanted to go to college, get a job, and slowly lose my wolf over time. Going to college meant I would still have a decent life, even if it wasn't with werewolves. Plus, I always thought that werewolves were ignorant. So few of us get educated on the world, it's really a shame."

Bennett nodded his head slowly, "Would you want to stay in college if you could."

"Oh yes." I said eagerly.

"Well, I do have one condition that you'll have to meet."

"What's the condition?"

"That you come home every weekend to see me." he said, almost shyly.

I just grinned and threw my arms around him, "You mean it?"

"Yes, of course. I think if you're going to be a queen you should be educated and I don't want to be the one who stops you from being the best you can be."

!;>3Sfy