Page 75 of Rejected By the Shifter King
“—and that’s when Mother suggested I should try meeting someone more...traditional.” The man across from me adjusts his glasses for the third time in as many minutes. “She says a woman who’s never had a boyfriend by your age must be waiting for the right man. Someone who understands family values.”
I force my lips into what I hope passes for a smile. “That’s...nice.”
“Mother will be so pleased when I tell her about you. Greek girls are known for being good homemakers. And you’ve never dated anyone?” His eyes light up like he’s found a mint-condition collectible. “That’s so rare these days. Mother says modern women are too—”
Ding.
“Oh, time’s up.” I try not to sound too relieved as he reluctantly gathers his scoring sheet. “It was nice meeting you.”
“I’ll definitely be marking you as a yes. Mother will want to meet you for lunch tomorrow. She—”
“Next rotation, please!” The event coordinator’s voice cuts through whatever else his mother has to say.
I scribble‘Does not believe in leave and cleave’on my notes as he shuffles away. Loving your mom isn’t ever a bad thing. But loving them too much to the point that she’s become more like your god?
Oh well.
At least he didn’t judge me for being relationship-inexperienced. Point in his favor, never mind if he also spoke of me being boyfriendless sound like I’m some untouched artifact in a museum.
The chair across from me fills again. “Hi there.”
“Hi—” My voice falters as I try but fail to read what he’s written on the name plate he has pinned to his coat.
“It’s Rhys.”
“Rhys.” I repeat his name with a smile while trying not to show my confusion. Is it because I’m Greek or is it because he’s a shifter and I’m human that I didn’t know how to pronounce ‘Rwyz”?
I glance at the short bio the organizer has supplied me with about Rhys, and my eyes widen when I read how he describes himself.
Heir to alpha?
It’s only been a couple of years sinceThat Day,but we humans are quick to adapt and assimilate when our survival depends on it. Even before L’Alliance was officially established, thousands of videos were already up online, talking about the common tells one can look for to determine if someone’s preter or not.
So, this guy?
Mm.
I honestly can’t sense anything ‘alpha-like’ in him, but maybe that’s just me knowing so little about preters in general. Maybe, if I look at him hard and long enough, I’ll eventually—
“Samira, right?” He glances at my info card, and did he just...sneer? “And you work in show business?”
I know I should be offended, but I’m just having a hard time fighting back a smile at the way his voice drips with judgment.
“You want to be an actress?”
I really think I should be offended by now, but it’s just so hard. I was born with pretty thick skin, and it’s only gotten thicker over the years, with my Grandpa being the way he is.
But...wait.
I should probably let Rhys know he’s gotten it all wrong about me, right?
So I shake my head and say, “Actually, I—”
Rhys raises his hand in a gesture for me to stop speaking. “It’s fine. Everyone in Hollywood’s an aspiring something.”
“Well, if it, um, means anything—” I don’t know why, but he makes me feel obliged to share the rest of my work history. “I also worked in retail. I started at sixteen. Part-time bagger then—”
“Back up a bit, will you?” He’s looking at me now like I’ve just admitted being guilty of, I don’t know, having my name blacklisted from a Michelin-starred restaurant because I violated their dress code?
