Page 13 of The Alpha's Runaway Bride

“That he is. He needs to go back to the shifter world. I don’t want to fall in love with him,” Angie said mournfully. “Even Apollo loves him, and it’s not just because Noah is a shifter. There are some shifters that Apollo hates.”

“Tell him the truth. I’m sure that he would keep it to himself.”

“He might, but other people would ask questions. The elders and my grandfather. I’m pretty sure that if Noah went back to the shifter world and told everyone that I wasn’t going to be the new luna and that was the end of the story, at least my grandfather would show up on my doorstep demanding to know why.”

“Ask him if he is writing a book and that he just needs to leave that chapter out and call it a mystery,” Flora said.

“Mmm, my guess is the old man doesn’t have a sense of humor and wouldn’t appreciate it. He might even become violent, and Thomas would pull his arms and legs off,” Angie said. “Then, we would have to find a pig farm to dispose of the body because Thomas wouldn’t look good in orange.”

Flora laughed and then said, “Whether Noah knows the reason or not, there are going to be questions when he goes back without a mate. He doesn’t sound like the kind of man who would give up without an answer.”

“I know. You’re right. And if the old man shows up, I should tell him the truth, too. Maybe he would be too embarrassed to tell everyone. Although they are gone, I don’t want their reputation hurt. If it got out, the elders would banish me from the pack. That’s not a big deal for me, but it would reflect on Mom and Dad.”

“Your parents loved you. They would not be ashamed that you are their daughter. They stayed in the human world to protect you. They didn’t want you to be the target of small-minded talk,” Flora said. “If you get banished from your pack, I’m sure Zac would adopt you into ours, whether you are a shifter or not.”

Angie sighed. “You’re right. Look, I’ve said it twice in one conversation. You need to mark it on a calendar.”

“I hate to say it, but you’re going to have to do something to get rid of Noah soon. You don’t need a broken heart on top of losing Mom and Dad,” Flora said.

“Do you think that a garlic necklace would do the trick?”

“That doesn’t even work on vampires. I highly doubt it would work on the alpha of a wolf shifter pack.”

Angie took a shower and laid in bed, thinking about Noah. It had been just the barest whisper of a kiss. She had been kissed more soundly by other men she had dated, but none of them affected her as Noah’s light touch on the mouth did.

She closed her eyes and pictured his intense eyes. Today they had changed from blue to green to gold. He had the sexiest grin that made her heart thunder in her chest. The image of his naked body haunted her. She fantasized that he was lying next to her in the bed.

She imagined the contours of his body as he held himself up by his hands as he lay on top of her. Hot wetness flooded between her legs. She reached down and found the hard pebble and lightly rubbed it.

In her mind, Noah filled her, moving back and forth as she pushed her finger inside of her tunnel and then rubbed the wet digit against her clit. Moaning, she imagined Noah was touching her.

A raw heat burned inside of her and she felt a wave of electricity course through her body. She exploded just as she imagined a final thrust from Noah’s hardness.

After washing up, she cuddled against one of her pillows, wishing it was Noah. Was it already too late? Had she fallen for him or was it a mere passing crush?

“I need some fresh air. How about a walk?” she asked Apollo.

“Woof.”

They veered off the mountain trail into the woods. A lot of people got lost doing that, but Angie knew the mountain like the back of her hand. Ten minutes into the walk, Apollo started barking and ran off. He came back a couple of minutes later with a giant black wolf.

The wolf shifted and said, “It seems like we both had the same idea. Where are you headed?”

“The creek.”

“My clothes are in that tree over there. Hang on.”

Angie watched him saunter over to a tall tree.

He has a nice ass. He has a nice everything.

Her fingers itched to touch him. She imagined her hands flat on his chest, feeling his heart beating under the hard muscles. In her mind, she ran her hands down his arms and around his back.

Stop it.

Noah pulled a baggie from the tree and pulled on his clothes, much to Angie’s disappointment. She would have loved seeing him lying on the creek bank naked.

As though he read her thoughts, he said, “Walking through the woods as a human naked can be painful. You never know what might get caught on bushes and brambles.”

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