Page 10 of The Alpha's Runaway Bride

“No. She said she didn’t feel like it.”

“Who won the splashing contest?”

“She says that she did.”

“Who do you say won?”

Laughing, Noah said, “Apollo did. He splashed us and moved away quickly. Then, once we were on the bank, he shook all over us.”

“Yep, the mundane dog beat your ass.” Elijah laughed. “Have you learned anything about her?”

“Yeah, a lot, but not what I came here for. She is a great person with a huge heart,” Noah said, describing her projects.

“Angie sounds like she would be the perfect luna,” Elijah commented.

“I agree and that’s what I told her, but she still won’t tell me why she won’t go through the mating ceremony with me.”

“Is it really that important that you know?”

Noah thought about it for a second and said, “If you had asked me yesterday, I would have said no. I would have done my investigation, asked her why, and if Angie still refused to tell me, then I would have gone home and said the hell with it.”

“What changed?”

“There is something about her. I couldn’t even begin to explain what it is. It’s almost like she cast some type of spell.”

“Did she?”

“A witch wolf shifter? I suppose it’s possible, but I doubt it, especially since she isn’t trying to seduce me or anything else like that. If she had her way, she would use some kind of alpha repellant.”

“Don’t give her any ideas.” Elijah laughed.

“I know,” Noah said. “I don’t know if he’s her butler, house guardian, or what, but the guy that answered the door today reminded me of Lurch.”

“That’s pretty cool. He was my favorite character from that show,” Elijah said. “Was there a Thing or Cousin It?”

“No, but Lurch had a normal-looking wife, named Betsy,” Noah said, laughing.

“What are you going to do? You can’t stay in the human world forever,” Elijah said.

“I hope that I can get her to trust me enough to tell me what is the problem. Then, we can figure out how to fix it. She would be great for our pack. She is extremely wealthy but doesn’t let her money dictate who she is. She uses it to make life better for humans and animals,” Noah said. “I think she would be good for me, too.”

“Sounds like you are starting to like her.”

“I do like her, but I don’t have any feelings for her. Angie is the first woman who hasn’t tried to chase me down, lasso me, and get me to the altar. She doesn’t do anything to impress me. She is who she is,” Noah said. “I think I can’t let this go yet because I’m like a dog with a bone when it comes to challenges. I don’t like to lose.”

“Don’t I know it? Do you think that maybe she turned you down because she has some incurable disease or a man?” Elijah asked, joking about the first possibility.

“I don’t think so to either one, but I’m going to find out,” Noah promised. “Can you hang in there until I do?”

“I got your back, Bro.”

“Thanks. Anything interesting there?”

“Not a damn thing,” Elijah said. “I’ve annoyed a couple of the elders, though, because I skipped a couple meetings.”

“I do it all the time. That’s why I’ve got someone who takes the minutes.”

“Good to know,” Elijah said. “Stay safe.”

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