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“You, as his officially betrothed, are going to go through the mating ceremony with him,” her grandfather said.
“Have you talked to Micah about this?” she asked.
“We have,” her grandfather said. “Micah understands the necessity of taking a mate. He understands that the two of you have an official engagement, and he is willing to go through the mating ceremony with you.”
“No,” Lucy said.
“No?” her grandfather asked, his voice deadly calm.
“No. I love Micah as a friend and as a brother. I am not in love with him. I will not spend the rest of my life trapped in a loveless relationship. If and when I go through the mating ceremony, it will be with someone who I love.”
“You will be his mate and you will take on the responsibilities of the alpha’s mate,” her grandfather said, with finality.
“No,” Lucy replied again. “I’ve already made plans for my life. I’m going to go back to school and get my doctorate degree in social work. Eventually, I will open up my own practice. If I ever go through the mating ceremony, it will be on my own terms – not because someone else forced me to be mated to someone I am not romantically interested in.”
“You are honor bound to go through the mating ceremony with Micah. You were betrothed.”
“I was so young a child that I don’t even remember it. Arranged marriages are outdated and not done in modern American culture.”
Lucy was horrified when her grandfather chuckled evilly.
“I’m afraid, dear child, that you have no choice in the matter. You will do what you are told. In three months’ time, you will go through the mating ceremony with Micah. It is your duty and you will comply.”
With those words, he stood, as did the rest of the entourage. The elder swept out of the living room and Lucy imagined that she could see the royal purple robe of a king being twirled behind him as he made his way, regally, toward her door.
The alpha turned back to Lucy and said, “Micah really cares about you. I’m sure that he won’t mind if you go back to school and start your own practice.”
Then, he closed the door behind him as he stepped out on the porch.
Lucy locked the door behind them and leaned against it. Her face was red and her fists were clenched. How dare they invade her space to dictate what she was going to do with the rest of her life. She was so angry, she was sure that she could feel smoke coming out of her ears.
She clenched her jaw as she thought about what the alpha said. Lucy knew that he meant well, but to suggest that she would have to ask Micah’s permission to go back to school and live out her dreams was laughable.
If she was forced to marry Micah, life as she knew it would be over. First, she would be expected to pop out a couple of heirs. Then, she would be expected to take on the role of the alpha queen, which were substantial. She wouldn’t have time to do her social work or go to school.
Lucy rubbed her head and swallowed her glass of wine in one gulp. She sat back down in her recliner, the now lukewarm bubble bath forgotten.
“There has to be a way out of this,” Lucy said. “Micah is a great guy, but I can’t see spending the rest of my life with him as his mate.”
She thoroughly enjoyed the life she had now. She had her work, her plans to go to school, and she didn’t need anyone’s permission to go anywhere or do anything. Lucy valued her alone time. Nothing made her happier than coming home to her own place where she could relax to complete silence.
Pacing around her apartment, she tried to think of how she could avoid the mating ceremony. She had an idea that Micah had also been told that he had no choice in the matter. She doubted if talking to him would help, anyway. If Micah saw it as part of his responsibility as an alpha, he would likely go along with it. He was definitely all about doing his duty.
Finally, completely exhausted, she went to bed, determined to find a solution to her problem.
Dean called her the next morning and asked, “Do you have lunch plans?”
She almost told him that she was busy but decided that a distraction would be healthy. Lucy knew from experience that the best way to come up with a solution to a problem was to step away from it for a while.
Lucy smiled widely when she saw her friend waiting for her at her favorite Mexican restaurant.
They hugged and Lucy felt relieved that at least something in her life was normal.
Dean asked her what was going on in her life. She told him about her recent break throughs with some clients and then told him about her plan to go back to school, get her doctorate, and then one day, open her own practice.
“That sounds incredible,” he said.
“So, what’s been going on for you? It has been a couple of weeks since we’ve hung out,” Lucy said.
