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ChapterThirty-Three
Bibi
Moving a mating ceremony celebration at the very last minute from downtown Sunset Springs to the side of a mountain was no small feat, but if anyone could pull it off flawlessly, it was a fairy dragmother and The Mating Game crew.
I was so proud of my team. Not only because they managed to convince the caterer to go from buffet to BBQ faster than they could swipe our corporate card, or that they somehow moved the miles of string lights from our original venue into the trees in Green Mountain Village, or even that they figured out a way to get the band to play when their amps overwhelmed our generator. No. It was because all the shifters who’d passed security and got invited to our now very exclusive shindig for Cindy and Logan kept coming over to me and raving how this was the best ceremony they’d ever been to.
I had to agree, even if I was a little late to the party. A girl couldn’t host an important night like this when she had wolf fur and Pedro guts all over her party dress. If I had the unruly wolf’s address, I’d send him my dry cleaning bill.
Oh, I couldn’t sweat the small stuff when love truly conquered all.
Almost all.
Hugo spun me around as the song ended The wolf had no business being such a good dancer. It had me thinking the wrong kind of primal thoughts, especially when we needed to have a difficult conversation. It had to be handled delicately because I needed this wolf by my side.
At least the corsage he’d given me survived the surprise visit from Pedro, even if it didn’t quite match the red satin wiggle dress I’d changed into after the attack.
“You did great tonight, Bibi.”
“I know.” I sighed. “Now’s not the time to ask why Pedro slipped past our new security crew, but in the morning, I’ll need answers.”
I couldn’t lie—I wouldn’t have moved the party to Green Mountain if Cindy hadn’t insisted on it. Pedro’s appearance was too perfectly timed, and had “orchestrated by the Montana pack” tattooed onto its behind. Getting us into the forest would work in their favor. Thankfully, there were a whole bunch of wolves at this party who’d had enough of their nonsense.
Hugo rumbled. Heat rolled off him and his shirt clung to his muscles. “Absolutely. I’ve already talked to some of the guys. I promised this wouldn’t happen again and it did. That means that we still have a leak.”
The Mating Gamehost in me wanted to push his shoulder playfully and tell him everything would be okay. That we could forget about our problems as long as the cameras kept rolling. It gave us a false sense of security. But the wolf exiled from the Montana pack knew this was no time for play. Now more than ever, I needed to be fierce, and I had to do it on my terms. I smoothed my dress, and Hugo’s gaze followed the motion.
He was on my side.
“It makes me wonder if I need to reconsider your position. I hate that it has to be said, but we’re going full speed ahead into Wendy’s episode. We already know that she’s got quite the reputation with the local packs. They won’t be happy that we’re handing her what they don’t want her to have on a silver platter.”
If I fired Hugo, I’d be hard-pressed to find a wolf with such intimate knowledge of shifter politics in the forest. Other local wolves were well versed in security measures, but Hugo knew our enemies. He’d run side by side with them. Pushing him away could cost me much more than our relationship. It could cost me the show.
Which was why I had to remain professional, even when his earthy scent made my wolf’s mouth water.
Hugo steeled himself. “Bibi, I’m not perfect, but I’m loyal. There’s nothing I hate more than a beast who says one thing and then does another in the heat of the battle. You have my word. I’ll get to the bottom of this.”
“This is probably a bad time.” Marissa frowned as she approached with Bjorn in tow.
“It’s never a bad time.” I stepped away from Hugo, and the wolf rumbled his disapproval. We had to talk about more than security. “Unless you came to tell me it is a bad time.”
She laughed. “No, everything’s going smoothly. I was hoping we could film the outro for the episode while the party is still in full swing, so the viewers can get your thoughts in the moment, and see what a mating ceremony is really like.”
“Of course.” I turned back to Hugo, who looked so handsome tonight, even if his suit got ruined during the fight. “We’ll pick this up later?”
He nodded.
Marissa motioned for me to follow her over to a tree stump that had production lights set up around it. We didn’t have time to bring all the tables and chairs with us, and the Green Mountain pack had graciously let us use whatever they had to make the night a success.
I grasped Marissa’s arm, stopping her in her tracks. “Look at Wendy and Gabe.”
Our next contestant and her best friend were on the edge of the dance floor, moving, grooving, and making eyes at each other.
“I know. Aren’t they adorable? They’ve been doing this will-they-won't-they thing all night and I just want to scream kiss her already.” Marissa laughed.
I turned to Bjorn. “Tell me you’ve been filming them.”
“I got some footage when I filmed some crowd shots, but I haven’t focused on the two of them because Wendy’s our next contestant and I didn’t want to give anyone the wrong idea.”
“What? Why not?” I didn’t wait for an answer. I might intrude on a sexy moment, but what was a moment compared to a lifetime?
“Bibi!” Marissa raced to get in front of me. “They’re best friends. We might be reading too much into it.”
I turned back to the couple in question. Since I first noticed our potential new couple, Gabe had put his hands on Wendy’s shoulders, and he was looking at her like no one else at the party existed.
Can I say swoon?
“Sometimes a couple needs a little push in the right direction from their local fairy dragmother.”
“But if we do it tonight, then what will we have for Wendy’s episode?” Marissa grinned, knowing she had me there. “And I’ve found some great shifters who are very interested in courting Wendy.”
“Oh, I love it when the beasts are ready to work for it.” I settled on the stump and I pulled my vintage compact out of my red sequined purse. Lipstick, perfect. Eyeliner on point.
“Okay, we wait. But I’m keeping my eye on them.”
Wendy and Gabe weren’t the only ones I had my eyes out for. Those Montana wolves had to be watching this party. And I needed to send a signal to make sure they knew I had my eye on them, too.
“Ready?” Marissa asked.
“I was born ready.” I winked at the camera.
“Tell the viewers why they should stay tuned for the new episode?”
“I thought I had a complicated past, but Wendy gives me a run for my money. Like me, she knows exactly what she wants. She’s given her heart to more than one shifter and has been rejected every time. Who will be the beast brave enough to make her his mate?’
“What do you think—”
I didn’t hear anything else that Marissa said because Gabe had his finger under Wendy’s chin and the way he was looking at her sent chills down my spine.
Chills.
Wait. Did Gabe just walk away without kissing Wendy?
My eyes widened and I glanced at the camera. “Darlings, things might have gotten a little bit more complicated for our next episode.”
* * *
