by Lola Gabriel
Noah went on. “There’s plenty of time for me to find a mate and produce an heir. Look at you two! You waited almost three hundred and fifty years before you had me.”
“And you can choose to wait before you have a child, as is your right. But you know the pack gets angsty if the future isn’t clear to them. They need to know that their next leader has a mate, Noah, and that’s that. You already know all of this.”
“I will find a mate. I promise. But I don’t want an arranged mating. I… I want to marry for love. Like you and Mom did.”
“Things were different then, son. Your mom and I had the luxury of marrying for love. Now… Well, as you well know, things aren’t that simple. Do you have any idea how hard it was to find a female bear that wasn’t already mated?”
Noah thought again how Esmerelda had a hell of a lot to answer for. He allowed himself to drift off for a moment, imagining himself hunting down the elusive witch and making her undo the curse.
“Noah?” his father said, pulling him back to the conversation.
“But—”
“But nothing!” Gideon shouted, slamming his fist down on the table hard enough to startle Sophia and make the glassware rattle. “You know as well as I do that this is your destiny, Noah. We’ve let you have your freedoms where we could, but it’s time to grow up and start being responsible.”
Noah silently seethed. He glanced at his mom, hoping she would see how distressed this was making him and take his side. His heart sank when he caught her eye and she nodded encouragingly at him. Noah knew she loved him and wanted him to be happy, but she had spent so long at his father’s side, always putting the pack first, that it was second nature to her now.
“Fine. Who is she?” Noah asked. He was in no way ready to agree to marry the girl, but his father wasn’t going to come around to his way of thinking. He could at least buy himself some time to decide what to do by hearing more about the girl.
“Her name is Raina Delaney. She’s a two-hundred-and-fifty-year-old bear shifter, and she’s willing to marry you,” his father said.
“Willing to marry me? You make it sound like she’s being forced into this,” Noah said.
“That was not my intention. Of course no one is forcing her to do this. Honestly, Noah, do you still not understand that you are the heir to the pack? That makes you a very desirable husband.”
“So, she’s a gold digger then?”
“No. She’s someone who has loyalty to the pack and is willing to step up and perform her duty. Which is more than I can say for you in this moment.”
Noah’s mind raced. The thought of an arranged mating filled him with dread, but his father was right. If he wanted to fulfil his destiny and lead the pack one day, he really had no choice about it. It was simple; either he would marry Raina, or he would have to leave the pack.
Leading the pack might be his destiny, a given, but the way he felt about them was more than just an obligation to him. They were his family, his brothers and his sisters, and he couldn’t walk away from them.
He had considered it once, for Chessa. And Noah knew if Chessa walked through the door now and asked him to leave with her, he’d go, no questions asked. But Chessa wasn’t about to walk through the door. What they’d had was over now, and Noah could see no other reason to walk away from the pack.
“Fine. Make the arrangements, and I’ll meet her,” he said. “But I want some time to get to know her before we’re mated.”
3
Noah walked slowly towards the bar, as though he could somehow make this whole thing go away by taking his time. This wasn’t how a guy was meant to feel going on a first date, Noah knew, but this wasn’t like an ordinary first date. He supposed he should be grateful to his parents in some way. At least they had agreed to let him meet Raina and spend a bit of time getting to know her before the mating ceremony took place.
He had a plan. He was going to act like the biggest jerk Raina had ever seen and send her running for the hills. If he could get her to back out, then his parents couldn’t put all of the blame for ruining things on him. He would be doing them both a favor, because as much as he knew that being the mate of the alpha had its perks, being mated to someone who could never love you for all of eternity wasn’t going to be much fun for Raina.
Noah reached the bar and paused, taking a few deep breaths. He thought about his plan. Would it work? He hoped so, but a part of him felt like he should at least give Raina a chance. He couldn’t spend the next seventy years pining for Chessa, knowing it was pointless. And what about after that? Could he live alone for the rest of time? It was easy when he knew she was out there somewhere, but after she was gone, it would be harder. Perhaps too hard.
He knew in his heart that Chessa was his one true love, his soul mate, and that he would never feel that way about Raina or anyone else. Maybe, though, just maybe, he could feel something for her. Maybe they could somehow make it work; a marriage of convenience. They could become friends who did their duty to the pack and got on well enough to coexist together. There was only one way to find out for sure.
Noah pushed the door to the bar open and stepped inside. The lighting was dim, intimate. Quiet jazz music played, drowning out the murmur of conversation. The bar had been his father’s choice. He said it would be a good place to talk and get to know someone. That was what Noah was afraid of. He would have much preferred a lively bar with hard rock pumping out of the speakers, rowdier than this, somewhere that meant any conversation would be yelled pleasantries and nothing much more.
Just stop putting it off and do it, Noah. This is your duty, your destiny, and your father is right. You always knew this day would come. Now suck it up.
Noah looked around, looking for a lone female. His father had given him Raina’s number, and he had texted her, asking her how he would recognize her. She had texted back saying she had long blonde hair and would be wearing a red top.
He spotted her easily. She was sitting at a table close to the bar, but not too close that their conversation would be overheard by the half dozen old men who propped it up. His heart skipped a beat when he saw the top she wore. It was the exact same shade of red as Chessa’s prom dress on the last night he had seen her.
Raina slowly turned around as Noah looked at her. She had obviously felt him staring at her, and he felt his cheeks color slightly. He recovered quickly and walked towards the table at the same time Raina got to her feet. Her blonde hair hung in loose curls over her shoulders. Her eyes were an intense sky blue, and objectively, she was pretty. Beautiful, even. But he felt nothing except regret as he held his hand out to her and smiled.
“Raina?” he asked.
“That’s me,” she said. “And you must be Noah.”
They shook hands kind of awkwardly, and then Raina sat back down.
“Would you like a drink?” Noah asked.
“Sure, as long as you don’t think that means I’m putting out.” Raina grinned. Noah found himself laughing despite himself. He shook his head.
“Nope. I just think it might make tonight a little less awkward if we have a drink. Or ten,” he said.
“Works for me,” Raina agreed. “I’ll take a bottle of Bud, please.”
Noah went to the bar and returned to the table with two bottles of Bud. He handed one to Raina, who thanked him. He sat down opposite her, suddenly at a complete loss for what to say or how to act. The trouble was, Raina seemed nice, funny, like the kind of person he could get along with, and although he felt no real attraction to her, he couldn’t bring himself to be a jerk to her. This was not her fault.
“Forgive me for being blunt,” Noah said. “But how do you get to your age and not have a mate?”
Raina laughed softly. “That was a nice and subtle way of asking what the hell is wrong with me.”
“I didn’t mean it like that,” Noah added quickly, but he found himself smiling along with her.
“I just haven’t found the one, I guess,” Raina said.
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br /> “And you think that might be me?” Noah asked, genuinely shocked.
“It’s unlikely at best, isn’t it? I mean, who finds their true love this way? I guess I’m just hoping you’re a nice guy. Are you?”
“No, I’m awful,” Noah answered with a grin. “I’m a stickler for punctuality, which I’m told is a bad thing. I’m kind of messy. Oh, and I leave the lid off the toothpaste.”
“Oh, you slob,” Raina teased him. “However will I cope with such a bad man?”
They laughed and chatted for a while. Three bottles of beer later, Noah had decided his initial assessment of Raina had been spot on. She was nice, someone he could definitely become good friends with. But that was all. There was no spark between them, and he was pretty sure Raina felt the same way.
“You know, I almost came in here and acted like a total douchebag,” Noah admitted.
“Huh? Why?” Raina asked.
“To put you off me.”
“And do you still want to put me off you?”
Noah decided to be honest with her. If this had any chance of working in any way, shape, or form, they would have to be honest with each other.
“I don’t want you to think I’m a douchebag. You seem like someone I’d have a lot of fun with. But…” He trailed off with a shrug.
“But you don’t find me attractive,” she finished for him.
“I—” he started.
Raina laughed and held up a hand, cutting him off. “I’m not trying to make you feel bad, I’m just putting it out there. I think we both know there’s no chemistry between us. But hey, it could be worse. We could hate each other. At least I get to spend all eternity with someone I can have a laugh with.”
So she isn’t planning on calling this off, Noah thought to himself. And she doesn’t seem like the gold digger type.
“What’s in this for you?” he asked.
“Your scintillating company, of course.” Raina smiled.
“Seriously, Raina. Why did you agree to do this? You’ve held out for over two centuries waiting for Mr. Right. So, what changed?”
Raina looked down at the table, no longer laughing and no longer meeting Noah’s eye. He reached across the table and gently squeezed her hand.
“Hey, you can tell me,” he said. “I’m not like my father. And nothing you say to me will be going back to him.”
Raina slowly looked back up at Noah. She took a moment to study his face. She must have seen enough to know he was genuine, and she gave a small nod of her head.
“It’s kind of a long story. You sure you want to hear it?” she asked.
Noah nodded. “Sure. We’ve got all night.”
“A long time ago, my father made a big mistake. He heard a rumor that a vampire who lived around these parts was talking shit about the pack. He convinced one of his friends to go with him to confront the vampire. What he didn’t know at the time was the place he had traced the vampire to wasn’t, as he had believed, the vampire’s home. It was a lair. When they arrived, they found themselves surrounded by vampires.
“My father told them why he was there. The vampires tried to reason with him, to make him see that none of it was true. It was a witch rumor, started with the aim of causing a war between the two packs, leaving the territory open for the witches to control. My father refused to believe it, and he charged the vampire who he believed had started the trash talking. A fight broke out, and his friend was killed.
“The pack leader, your father, found about it all and made it his business to discover exactly what was going on. The vampire had been telling the truth. The witches had started the rumor. My father’s mistake cost his friend his life and almost ignited the war of the century. Your father knew any retaliation on the pack’s part would be devastating for both the pack and the vampires.
“He went to the vampire leader, and they made a pact. They would remain at peace, not letting the witches win. In the meantime, my father had stirred up enough pack members with talk of a vampire attack that they planned to go back to the lair and finish what my father had started. Or, more accurately, what the witches had started.
“Your father couldn’t let that happen. He forbade the pack members to attack. My father argued with him, and the eventual result was that my father was disgraced. He was still a member of the pack, but he was demoted to the very bottom of the ladder, where he would remain until the day came when he was able to repay his debt to the pack.
“My father convinced me to leave Alaska. He told me that, even though I wasn’t involved in any of it, I would be viewed differently now, and the pack would be suspicious of me. Besides, I was curious to see the world, and I left for Europe the next day. Now the time has come for my father to repay his debt to the pack and be welcomed into the fold once more. I am the repayment.”
Noah’s jaw dropped, not for the first time through Raina’s story.
“But you didn’t do anything wrong,” he said. “Why should you be the one to suffer?”
Raina smiled sadly. “Are you really that bad that being mated to you will count as suffering?”
“I hope not,” Noah said. “But you get what I mean. You’d built a life for yourself. Why is this on you?”
“Technically, it’s not. My father didn’t force me to do this. I was given the choice. But if I said no, my father would be cast out of the pack for good. Despite the unrest of earlier years, the pack is his life, Noah. And for all of his faults, he has always been good to me. I owe him this. And I owe it to the pack. So yeah, here I am. Baggage and all.”
“Oh, shit, Raina, I’m sorry,” Noah apologized. “I never expected my father’s obsession with me being mated to drag someone else into something they didn’t want.”
“It’s not your fault.” Raina shrugged. “It is what it is, that’s all. It’s the downside to the pack mentality, isn’t it? We all end up sacrificing something for it in the end.”
“I guess,” Noah agreed. He could feel the easy laughter between him and Raina drying up, and he suddenly missed it. He stood up abruptly, and Raina frowned. “Shots,” he explained. He went to the bar and came back with four shots: two bright blue and two bright green.
“Oh, my God, what are they?” Raina laughed when he placed one of each in front of her.
“No idea.” He grinned. “I asked the bartender for shots of something strong, and this is what we got.”
“Cheers, I guess,” Raina said with a grimace. She picked up the green shot, and Noah followed suit. He raised his glass to Raina and downed the shot, his face twisting at the vile taste. Raina made a similar face of disgust, and she reached for her bottle. Noah moved it away, grinning and shaking his head.
“Drink the blue one first,” he said.
They downed the blue shots, which tasted slightly better than the green ones, although they were still vile, and finally, they chased them down with the beer.
“Well,” Raina said, “you’ve heard my sob story. Now I want yours.”
“Huh?” Noah asked.
“Look, I get that female bears aren’t exactly common, but you’re going to be the alpha of the district. Why the arranged mating?”
“When I came back from college, my father made it clear to me it was time I started looking for a mate. I didn’t. And here we are.”
“There’s more to it,” Raina prompted him.
“Do you believe in soul mates, Raina?” Noah questioned. “That there’s one person with whom you just know you are destined to be?”
Raina nodded slowly. “Yeah. I’d like to.”
“I met mine. Her name is Chessa. She’s mortal, but I don’t care. I…” Noah stopped himself. “No, I shouldn’t say this…”
“Come on, Noah. What I told you could ruin my family. You think I’m about to run to your father with whatever you tell me?”
Noah considered it for a moment. Oh, what the hell.
“I was ready to leave all of this behind. The pack, my destiny, all of it. For her. That’s how
much she meant to me. She left me because she said it wasn’t fair on me to watch her grow old and die.”
“Ouch,” Raina winced.
“Yeah,” Noah agreed.
“So, I take it she didn’t have Sanmere in her blood?”
“That’s the thing. I didn’t know about Sanmere when I met her. She left me at our senior prom. All I knew back then was that most humans who try to turn died doing it, and I wasn’t willing to risk Chessa’s life. When I found out about it, I tracked her down to California, but seven years had passed, and I figured she’d moved on. I had no right to burst in there and attempt to disrupt her life after so long.”
“And you were afraid she didn’t want it to be disrupted?”
“Yes. And part of me was afraid she did, too. That we did the test and found out she didn’t have the Sanmere. I mean, what are the chances she does, Raina?”
“Higher than you’d think,” she commented. “Immortals have been searching for human mates for a long time, using them to have female children. But to have a genuine connection with a mortal? That means something.”
“What do you mean?”
“Think about it, Noah. Our bear sides are animals with animal instincts. They feel lust when we do, but they feel love when there’s a chance to pass on the gene. If you really think Chessa is your soul mate, I’d be willing to bet the chances of her having the Sanmere protein are pretty high.”
Noah shook his head, trying to push away the spark of hope Raina had ignited within him. “It doesn’t matter now, does it? It’s too late.”
“Maybe. Well, then I guess the dream ends here for both of us.” Noah nodded, his face serious. Raina laughed and nudged him. “Oh, come on. It could be worse. I reckon as consolation prizes go, I’m not that bad.”
“Shit, sorry, Raina. I didn’t mean to make you feel like you’re some sort of consolation prize.”
Raina laughed, a musical sound that Noah couldn’t resist. and he felt himself laughing with her.
“Seriously, Noah, you’re either going to have to get used to my sense of humor, or you’re going to spend a lot of time apologizing.”