Her Arranged Alpha Husband by Alicia Banks
Chapter 4
Teri
“Come on, Teri. You know that you have to go down there and meet him eventually.”
Teri agreed that she knew that she had to go down inevitably, but that didn’t mean that she had to go down there in that moment. She was just fine to stand up on the bluffs overlooking the small village she called home for a little while longer.
“Isn’t your father going to be mad that you weren’t there when he arrived?”
Teri scoffed. “I don’t care what my father thinks. I am liable to run away and never look back. I don’t care what Ashley says. Marriage is not something that I want. I just want to have fun, dance, be outside and feel the vibes of the world. Why do I need a man for any of that?”
Candace was Teri’s best friend and she had heard those sorts of questions for as long as the two girls had known each other. Even when Teri was little, when she found out that one day she would be sold off to some guy, she knew that she didn’t want it to happen. So to her, it didn’t matter who the guy was or what he looked like. He wasn’t what she wanted. The future that was forced on her was not one full of mystery and wonder. It was one that was full of obligation. Teri didn’t want to get married to anyone. Ben could have been great, but he was everything she hated about her people and the rules that governed her life.
“You know that it doesn’t matter what you want. They will find you and drag you to the wedding. It will be so embarrassing.”
Teri shrugged and said that she didn’t care, when in fact she did. It was easy to see that if Candace looked hard enough. She didn’t have to though; the girls were one in the same.
“I have to be there to mate him. It doesn’t mean that I have to be there all the time before. I know the rules, I went and looked them up. My parents can be mad about it all they want to, but there is nothing that says I have to go down there. I don’t have to do anything but mate with him. After that, it is all over and done for me. I have a couple of weeks of freedom, and I’m not going to waste them with Ben.”
Candance shook her head like Teri was being silly. They were distant cousins, thus why they had the same black hair and tanned skin. They resembled each other a bit, and Teri wondered how she would advise her if things were reversed. She couldn’t imagine and had nothing she could say.
“It happened too fast. I wish I had more time.”
Candace agreed. “I don’t have long either. We are all coming of age, but you are the only one of us that gets to marry an Alpha. He is hot too. Have you noticed?”
Teri said that she hadn’t. She was doing her best to keep her distance, though from far away he looked rather good. She wanted to keep any thoughts of the two of them together out of her mind for as long as possible. Soon, she wouldn’t have any freedom to speak of, and she didn’t want to jump any sooner into that boat than she had to.
“Come on, Teri, you have to lighten up. So many girls would gladly take your place.”
Teri didn’t want to hear how she was lucky. She felt like she was being coerced into something that she didn’t want to do. Nothing good would come out of it. She wanted to stay there in the village and just do what she wanted. Why did she have to be dragged away, to leave her family and everything she knew and loved behind? It didn’t make sense, and if that was her Fate, Teri didn’t want any part of it.
“They can take my place, then! If I could give away my place, I would.”
Candace shook her head. “You don’t mean that. I think once you get to know him, you won’t feel that way anymore.”
Teri said that she would always feel the way she did. It didn’t matter to her what Ben looked like. It wasn’t going to change anything. Teri wasn’t attracted to a guy enough to give up her freedom. She didn’t think that a man like that existed.
“I’m going to take off before it gets too late. Are you coming to the ceremony this evening?” Teri asked with hope. She wanted Candace to go with her, so that she would feel better about it being her last time to dance with the other women of the village as a single. She would have to leave as soon as the mating ceremony was over. Teri wanted to stay where she was happy at home, so the idea of it being the last time she could dance and sing to the night, made her sadder than she could have imagined. It was like everything that she had waited so long for was going to be over.
Candace said that she would be there. It was unsaid between them that it was the last time and everything was about to change. Teri didn’t want it to be true, but she knew that it was. The excited rumors of her new beau were already swirling around the village, as was her refusal to meet with him. Teri saw the looks she was being given, but it changed nothing. She wasn’t going to give in until she had to, which was when they got mated. Teri was going to avoid Ben and all of her duties as long as she possibly could.
“Good, I’m going to get out of here before my dad hunts me down.”
Candace told her friend that she was being ridiculous, but Teri didn’t care. She was worked up over everything that was going on and before she could really think anything through, she shifted to her true form and sped away from the village. The heat of the day was already starting to rise. She had to get to the canyons quickly, or she wasn’t going to make it out there long. Teri had all intentions of staying away all day, for as long as she could. It was only a matter of time before she would have to show herself and do her duty, but not yet. Teri wasn’t ready to give up her freedom just yet.
***
Teri’s sister came to find her later in the day, giving her water and asking her when she was going to stop acting like a child. Teri didn’t care what was said. She knew that she wasn’t going anywhere close to Ben. She wasn’t ready to give in and she had a similar conversation with her sister that she’d had with her friend, though Ashley had better weapons of emotional blackmail to use.
“Mother is beside herself. She doesn’t know where you are, and she is worried. I have tried to tell her that you will come to your senses, but I don’t know if she believes me. I don’t know if I do either. What are you doing, Teri?’
Teri didn’t answer. She knew that it wasn’t normal for her to run away, and it did her no good. She knew all of that and still couldn’t stand still long enough to meet him. Teri had too much on her mind and giving in would be giving up. She couldn’t do it. There had to be a way out of it. What if he just left and gave up? There was always a chance that she could be refused. For other women, it would be the worst thing ever, but not for Teri. She would have been so happy if she was refused and then left alone. The only way a woman was left to her own devices was to be turned away once or twice. No other man would want her, and then she would be left alone. Teri had always saw that as a way to fix everything. She just had to not be desirable.
“You have to know that he isn’t going anywhere.”
Teri wondered if her sister could read her mind. She was trying her best to hold her focus, but there was no use. “He might.”
“I doubt it. Father has talked up your beauty, and he knows that you are going to be beautiful like mother. I have also been paraded around to make it clear that you are handsome enough for him.”
Teri pressed her lips together. “What about the guy? What do you think of him?” Teri couldn’t believe that she was asking, but she did wonder.
Her sister grinned. “He is quite handsome. I think if you saw him in person, you would give up on trying to run from him. I think you would run toward him if you knew what was good for you.”
Teri scoffed at Ashley. “That’s not going to happen. Ever.”
“You never know, Teri. You should keep an open mind.”
Teri didn’t think that would help anything. She was never going to want Ben, no matter what he looked like.
