The Fake Mate

“It’s rare, what I am—but it doesn’t make me all that different from any other shifter. Maybe once it did, back when shifters were still living in secret underground hierarchy systems unbeknownst to everyone else—but now it just means that I have an annoying stigma that I’m somehow better in bed than other shifters.”

In this passage, Mackenzie’s words highlight the implied history that lies beneath the more overt aspects of Ferguson’s world-building. Although stigmas and stereotypes still abound and contribute to Noah and Mackenzie’s issues throughout the narrative, Ferguson hints that despite the misogynistic assumptions that Mackenzie must navigate as an omega, some social progress has nonetheless been made.

“I can sense a sharp tinge of suppressants rolling off him, which I find odd; most male shifters choose to forgo them, too hung up on their ego to miss out on clouding a room with their scent in the hopes that a female shifter will come running.”

Mackenzie’s comment in this scene alludes to Noah’s tendency to erase key aspects of his identity. Unlike other alphas, who do not shy away from their identity or its biological implications, Noah’s use of a pheromone suppressant broadcasts his discomfort with his designation as an alpha shifter. Because he fundamentally rejects who he is, this internalized form of self-loathing contributes to his relationship issues with others.

“‘You can think of something you enjoy, like glaring at small children or criticizing baristas at Starbucks.’ 

 ‘I don’t do either of those things,’ he snorts. ‘Thank you very much.’”

Though Mackenzie speaks in jest in this excerpt, her comment nevertheless highlights the fact that even she, as a shifter herself, has been influenced by society’s misunderstanding of the alpha designation. In this case, her sense of Noah’s personality has been distorted by a barrage of rumors and misinformation. The scene therefore suggests that Mackenzie, despite her open-mindedness, is equally prone to believing unverified gossip.