The Fake Mate

Noah worries about the near-kiss with Mackenzie for the next two days. As they go to meet with Moira, he grows anxious. They discuss Moira’s insistence on finding Mackenzie a partner, and Noah conveys his sympathy for the idea that her grandmother only wants to see her cared for. When they arrive, Mackenzie notices that his scent has once again faded from her, so they embrace in the car to allow him to scent her properly. The experience leaves them both unnerved. 

Over dinner, as they discuss the falsified details of how Noah and Mackenzie met, Moira reveals that Mackenzie is an omega: a fact that stuns Noah. Rather than sparking his anger, however, the revelation elicits new unspoken desires in Noah’s alpha side. Before dessert, Noah and Mackenzie go outside, where Noah confronts her for concealing her designation. He proposes to resume using the suppressants, stating that their designations will naturally drive them “crazy,” and he also admits that scenting her is affecting him. However, they are interrupted by her grandmother. To distract Moira, Mackenzie insists that Noah kiss her, and the passion of this intimate moment leaves Noah unnerved. When he argues that they should put a stop to their arrangement, Mackenzie counters that they should follow their desires instead. As they return for dessert, Noah vehemently tells himself that he will decline her offer.

On the way back from her grandmother’s, Mackenzie silently rationalizes the idea of having sex with Noah as merely another benefit of their partnership; she wishes to experiment with the common assumptions made about alphas and omegas. She asks Noah to come up for a drink, and he hesitates. She argues that sex could be an addendum to their contractual relationship and eventually convinces him to come up to her apartment. Once there, Noah explains that he is worried because he has never entered into a physical relationship with an omega before, just as she has never engaged with an alpha. Still adamant, Mackenzie propositions him by asking if he would like to “knot” her, referring to a physical aspect of his penis that can only manifest during sex with an omega. They have sex, and he does, in fact, knot her.

Noah wakes up alone in Mackenzie’s bed and worries about their new level of intimacy. While Mackenzie seems to breeze through her day, Noah is out of sorts and is often reminded of the night they spent together. He worries about their new, casual physical affection. Later, he meets with a former patient of Dennis, and as he explains his treatment plan for her, Dennis enters the room and subtly undermines him in front of the patient. In the hall after their meeting, Noah confronts Dennis, who comments on Noah’s “alpha” attitude; his bigoted accusations worsen Noah’s mood. 

After a few hours, Noah wanders down to the emergency room to find Mackenzie, but when he sees her chatting with Liam, he grows possessive. Mackenzie introduces them, and Noah uses body language to intimate the closeness of his relationship with Mackenzie and fend off Liam’s interest in her. He invites Mackenzie to lunch, but since she already has plans with Parker, he then makes a point of kissing her in front of Liam. He leaves and gets a message from Mackenzie, who asks about his odd behavior. While he outwardly blames his mood, his visit, and the kiss on his meeting with Dennis, he privately acknowledges that matters with Mackenzie are becoming complicated for him.

As Mackenzie tells Parker about the night she spent with Noah, Priya arrives and demands to know the details. When Mackenzie isn’t forthcoming, Priya tells her that Noah’s visit to the ER has the whole floor chattering with rumors; she explains that Liam was the one to tell Jessica, the resident rumor mill. Priya tells Mackenzie that Liam is in love with her, but rather than focusing on Liam’s secret feelings for her, Mackenzie wonders whether Noah was jealous of Liam. When Priya leaves, Parker comments on the oddity of Noah’s kiss in the ER, but Mackenzie assures him that she won’t develop feelings for Noah. Despite feeling clammy and a bit ill, she goes to ask Noah about his earlier mood. Noah tells her about the incident with the patient and admits that he went to see her because he needed to be sure they were okay. They discuss their feelings about the night before, and Mackenzie reiterates that they don’t need to fear having sex together as they’re both clear that he will be leaving for his new job in Albuquerque. She invites herself to Noah’s home to prove her point.

Noah and Mackenzie have sex immediately upon entering his house, and Noah struggles with a part of himself that desires Mackenzie intensely. The next day, Noah leaves Mackenzie to sleep and goes to work. He receives a call from his mother, who has found out he is allegedly mated. She is furious that she had to hear about it from someone else, and Noah quickly explains his and Mackenzie’s scheme. When he describes Mackenzie, his mother suggests that there is more to their relationship than he believes. She asks to meet Mackenzie, but Noah refuses. Her mother berates him for closing himself off, but he ends the call. When he receives a text message from Mackenzie, he wants to drop everything and return to her. He knows then that his desire for constant intimacy is making the situation far more complicated and dangerous than he imagined.