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ChapterTwenty-Seven
Cindy
Sometimes, I felt like the actor on The Mating Game. After a few expert tweaks from Bibi, it was like I’d stepped into someone else’s life. My closet was full of clothes that made me look and feel amazing. I’d gotten my first real haircut, and I hadn’t had the urge to put it up in a messy mom bun since. We’d managed to find kid-friendly furniture that hadn’t belonged to anyone else before it belonged to me, and someone was coming out to the house to fix all the stuff that didn’t work.
And that was before I factored in the sexy, famous wolf who’d been waking up in my bed every day. Life with Logan was amazing so far. He hadn’t quite settled into Green Mountain village life yet, and I didn’t want things to go back to business as usual. We all deserved better.
Tonight, I’d been whisked away from Green Mountain in The Mating Game’s production van. The kids were spending the night with Jackson, our pack alpha, and his mate, Michelle. They had kids about the same age as mine, and if anyone was up to the challenge to babysit, it was them.
And no one would mess with our alpha.
My hair had been curled, my lips glossed, and my boobs hoisted. All my shirts showed off my newly unmarked shoulder. Now I was sitting in a director’s chair, opposite the fabulous Bibi, who’d truly delivered when she said she’d be my fairy dragmother. I’d had doubts, but only because I’d convinced myself that dreams didn’t come true.
I’d never been so glad to be wrong in my life. And I couldn’t wait to see what The Mating Game team would do for Wendy. She’d become a really good friend, and she deserved to find a hot shifter that could keep up with her.
Marissa counted us in, and Bibi smiled at me. “How are you feeling tonight? Tell me everything.”
“I was actually just thinking about what would happen when you moved onto Wendy’s episode.”
“Oh no, tell me anything but that. We’ll have plenty of time to focus on Wendy when it’s her turn, but tonight it’s all about you.” Bibi laughed. “Now I want you to tell me why you’re so uncomfortable being the center of attention.”
“Because it’s never been for a good reason before.” How many times had I moved through the village with my gaze focused on the ground, embarrassed to be in my own skin? Too many. “My pack always had something to say when I stepped out of line. Things still haven’t been mended after the standoff in the forest. I’m hoping we can bring the pack together in time for our mating ceremony.”
“What will you do to make that happen?”
My wolf snapped to attention. Bibi had just called me out—I was quick to point out what everyone else was doing wrong, but what did I do to fix it? Hiding wasn’t the answer. “I’ll go door to door and hand-deliver the invites. That way if they have any questions about what we’re doing—what I’m doing—they’ll get the answers from me. If they don’t want to come, that’s fine. But they can’t say I didn’t want them there.”
“I love that. Now, tell me how you’ll keep that feeling alive after your episode ends.”
I sighed. It certainly wasn’t the first time I’d thought about this. There were nights I’d lie awake in Logan’s arms, because those old demons hadn’t quite gotten the notice things had changed around here. The forest had been too quiet since the night Joe and his wolves came to do Pedro’s bidding. They weren’t the type of wolves to let someone like me get the last word. “Our pack has never embraced change, even when it’s good for them. I want them to accept Logan, but I know that means we’ve got to extend the olive branch. He’s been talking about offering acting classes—probably at the new school when it’s ready—but he’s been working on something at the Colorado Ranch library so he can get started right away.”
“I’m not sure that’s the right thing for him to do.”
My mouth dropped. “Why not?”
“Because offering acting classes will remind those wolves that he’s not one of them. He’s other. If he really wants to be a part of the pack, he’ll do something that really helps them.”
I sighed. “You’re right. I’ll talk to him.”
“He doesn’t have to come up with something right away. Once the show ends and life resumes, it will come. But what are you going to do?”
“Oh, you are on fire tonight, Ms. le Bonnet.”
“You wouldn’t want me any other way.”
This was the first time I’d said this out loud. “I’d like to help Wendy on some of her shifter studies. She said she—”
Bibi waved her hand. “She asked us not to talk about her work on camera.”
“Oh.” She’d had to stop her research, and she’d been working in town with her family, which she wasn’t happy about. “A lot of pack history was lost because we didn’t have the means to record it properly. We relied on word of mouth, not realizing those stories would fade and change with time. That names and places would be forgotten. I wonder if that’s why morale has been so low with the pack. Why bother to make things better if no one’s going to remember?”
“You might have a point,” Bibi said. “So we’ve covered the past and the future, how about the present? You have a date tonight with Logan Mathis.”
Those words still sent a shiver down my spine.
“Tell us how you’re feeling.”
“I’m excited. Logan and I have been spending a lot of time together, and we’ve had dates, but this is the first official date, if that makes sense. The kids aren’t here, everything is planned, hopefully perfect, and I’m nervous. I think I’m used to chaos.” I laughed. “It happens when you have three kids. So I want to see what happens when this wolf has a chance to pull out all the stops and woo me tonight.”
“You’ll be pleased with what he has in mind.” Bibi rose from her chair. “This isn’t our first outing, but our others have been a little more guerilla-style. It feels a little weird to be going over the rules at this stage of the game, but better late than never, right? We’ll film the date, and we’ll try not to interfere, but we might step in and ask questions. We’ve set up as much as possible, so the two of you can have a chance to enjoy each other, but we have left some things to chance.”
“Oh boy.” My legs felt like rubber when I stood. There was no reason to be nervous.
You deserve this,my wolf reminded me. Doesn’t matter that this wolf is already yours. Let him romance you. Show you why he deserves to be your mate.
I used to second guess my animal’s confidence. Think it was something reserved for the forest. But now it applied to all aspects of my life.
“For filming purposes, I’ll have you both come on stage tomorrow night. There will be an audience there. They know you had the date with Logan at the chalet, but we’ve been careful to keep everything else under wraps. And I’ll ask you if you’re willing to spend the rest of your life with Logan. Then we’ll start unveiling our plans for the ceremony.”
“I’m so excited.” There had barely been any celebration around my ceremony with Pedro. Our families got together, had a cookout, and my family helped me carry my stuff over to Pedro’s house. “Maybe I should get a new house.”
Bibi’s eyebrows rose. “We can certainly look at land or listings if you want something closer to town.”
“It would be best for all of us if we had a totally fresh start. The new clothes and the new furniture have gone a long way in making that happen, but houses have ghosts. We need a place that only holds our memories.”
The van waited for us outside the studio. Word had leaked we were filming, and fans jockeyed for position with paparazzi. They cheered when they saw me.
“What’s it like dating Logan?” one of them asked.
I’d been cautioned against engaging with any of them, but this question was completely harmless.
“Amazing.” Not to mention, fun to answer.
“Is he as good in real life as he is in the movies?” She nudged her friend. “You know what I mean.”
“Even better.”
“Another wolf lays claim to you.”
“Not anymore.” I winked at them as I pulled the van door closed, making sure to show off my bare shoulder. and turned to Bibi. “I want to wear a sleeveless dress to my mating ceremony. Maybe spaghetti straps. Something’s got to hold these girls up.”
“You can wear whatever you want, but if you really want to send a message, you’ll accessorize with Logan’s mark. What we’re doing is purely ceremonial. But for him to really claim you—”
“I know.”
He’d had plenty of opportunities, but he had yet to leave his mark. It could be true that he wouldn’t be able to do it unless he shifted.
The ride to the park took moments—under normal circumstances, we could’ve walked. But all I could think of was Logan. Would he be able to mark me? And why was I letting it matter so much? The wolf had more than proved he was my mate. Some stupid mark meant nothing. To me, anyway. But to everyone else, it would make the difference between him being taken seriously and fighting off endless challenges.
It was a perfect spring night, and the place was packed. Sunset Springs Park hosted bands in the warm weather, and food trucks ringed the perimeter. There were places for people to play volleyball and basketball, and it wasn’t quite time for the water park yet.
But we’d be back.
Hugo had hired a new security crew. They were shifters, but I didn’t know them. Some of them, I couldn’t even tell what they shifted into. They lined the walkway, and no one was messing with these guys.
Logan waited for me. He was gorgeous. His dark hair was a little longer now, and it fell onto his forehead. I loved it, along with the days’ worth of scruff he seemed to favor when he wasn’t filming. Tonight, he wore jeans and a black button-down shirt with thin white stripes that dared my eyes to travel from those broad shoulders down to his narrow waist.
My mouth watered, knowing what waited for me underneath that outfit.
He strode forward and took my face in his hands, but he didn’t kiss me right away. Our gazes locked. Everything else faded away.
“You look fucking fantastic.” He brushed his lips against mine, whisper-soft. “I’m so glad you suggested this.”
“I used to love coming here when I was younger.” Before the she-wolves in my pack mated off, we used to come for the concerts, pooling our money together to buy ice cream or pizza. I’d always wanted to come here on a date, but it never happened.
