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She simply nodded, since she had no intention of lying and saying something like “It’s good to be here” or “Thank you for inviting me.”
“I’m so sorry for your loss. I can’t imagine what you are going through,” he said.
“Thank you,” Angie said.
“I wanted to let you know that I’ve had the elders begin the preparations for our mating ceremony to take place as soon as possible,” he said.
“Wait. What?” she asked, completely confused. This was the last thing she had expected to hear when she came to the shifter world.
“The elders are arranging for our mating ceremony to take place in two weeks. I don’t see any reason to wait. I trust that two weeks is enough time to get your affairs in the human world taken care of,” Noah said.
“What are you talking about? Why in the world would we go through a mating ceremony?” Angie asked. “I don’t even know you.”
Noah looked over at Angie’s grandfather and then back at her. “I guess your grandfather didn’t tell you. Your grandfather and my father made arrangements for you to be my luna when you were born. I wasn’t in a hurry before, but with your parents suddenly deceased, it seemed like the appropriate time to go through with the ceremony.”
Angie simply stared at him, her eyes wide and her mouth open. A million thoughts raced through her mind, bouncing around like ping-pong balls against rubber walls. At first, she wasn’t even sure that she heard him right.
She looked over at her grandfather, who stood next to the dais, staring at her, as though daring her to object. Her eyes moved back to Noah, who was waiting for her to agree that she could get her affairs taken care of in the human world in two weeks.
Angie bit her bottom lip as one thought screamed at her. I can’t mate with the alpha. I’m a human.
Everyone stared holes through her.
Finally, she found her voice. “It’s an honor, Alpha, to be considered as a potential mate for you. However, I must decline.”
Then, while everyone stared at her in complete shock, she and Apollo walked out of the cave back to the portal.
2
Noah
What in the hell just happened? Noah thought as he watched Angie and her dog walk out of the ceremonial hall.
He thought she would be excited, happy, maybe even grateful, that he was arranging their mating ceremony. She obviously hadn’t known about the arrangement, but most women would have been honored to be chosen as his luna. But she basically said, “No, thanks,” and left.
Abner, Angie’s grandfather, looked as stunned as Noah felt.
Noah had known about the arrangement since he was young. He had still dated a few women and enjoyed their company but never got serious about any of them. Even when the sex was great, he made sure that he never even hinted at any kind of promises besides a good time in the sack.
It never occurred to him to object to having his life arranged for him like that. He had known he was going to be the alpha since he was born. Noah figured that if he and his mate didn’t grow fond of each other after a while, they could do their duties, have some pups, and then they could discreetly indulge in other relationships. He had read the history books and knew that was what had happened in the past, although the woman was expected to remain chaste. Noah decided that he wasn’t going to be that unfair.
Although his father and the elders mentioned, more than once, that it was time for him to go through the mating ceremony, he had never been in a rush. However, once Angie’s parents died, he figured the time was right. He sent his brother, Keith, and his second-in-command and best friend, Elijah, to the human world to ask her to come to the shifter world.
“Go get her,” Abner roared at Keith and Elijah.
They looked at Noah, who shook his head. Chasing her down like a wild animal wouldn’t further his cause.
All eyes were on him as he went into his office with Keith and Elijah close on his heels.
“I can’t believe she did that,” Keith said. “No one turns down the alpha.”
“She should be honored to be the luna,” Elijah said.
“It was obviously a shock,” Noah stated. “It seems that no one had told her about the arrangements. I thought that she knew.”
“Do you think that was the reason that she turned you down? She was in shock?” Keith asked.
“I honestly don’t know. It could be, I guess. There could be other reasons, too. She might have a significant other in the human world. Maybe she just doesn’t want to go through a mating ceremony with anyone,” Noah said.
