AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m waiting for the but,” I rumbled.
“Marissa tampered with a sacred shifter artifact, and left it in the forest unprotected, making it an easy target for her mother to recover it,” Saint said like I needed a refresher. “I understand that she’s your mate, but if she insists on inviting trouble to Sunset Springs, we won’t continue to sacrifice our pack’s wellbeing to correct her mistakes. We won’t be able to offer her our protection. This wasn’t an easy decision for us, but we have to make a stand, or else we’ll lose everything we’ve worked so hard for.”
The alphas tipped their hats on the way out the door, leaving me alone in the office with a very shell-shocked fairy dragmother.
“Fuck.” I balled my fist, but there was nothing to take out my frustration on. “I won’t let anyone touch Marissa, but I have a feeling they know more than they told us.”
“That’s probably true, and we can consider that our warning. Saint is an executive producer of the show, meaning he’s signing our paychecks. He has access to our schedule and carte blanche at HQ.” She sat in the chair behind her desk. “I didn’t know they were coming, or I would have never let them ambush you. For the record, they did ask me to fire Marissa. I said no because, in the long run, I believe it would make the situation worse. While Suzanne is beyond reproach, I believe Marissa can still learn from this. So we both have a lot riding the resolution of this situation.”
“What do we do?” I asked. Bibi had just put her job on the line for my mate. I would never forget that. “I’m so pissed it’s come to this. I’m sorry that you’re caught in the middle.”
“Marissa was controversial when I hired her, so none of this is a surprise, even though it is a disappointment,” she said. “I’d hoped this would come to a peaceful resolution. That Suzanne would take her toys and go home when she saw that we were living our best lives despite her presence in them. But that’s not happening, so now I believe the best thing to do is to bring her home.”
“Run her out of town,” I clarified.
“She’s human, so we’ll be using human methods.” Bibi’s red lips turned into a frown. As fierce of a fighter as she was, she hated conflict. “Once we secure the Hudaknocker and make sure it’s the authentic artifact, she’ll be asked to leave the chalet and Sunset Springs. In the meantime, we’ll be moving back the zone around HQ to make it harder for reporters and fans to have access to the show. There will be significant changes made to the live events. Our lawyers will be talking to you about a countersuit. I know it’s not what you wanted, but it’s time to speak to Suzanne in a language she understands.”
I nodded. No more playing nice—it didn’t work. “We can sue her.”
“It’s a big change in plans, and I understand it feels uncomfortable. I consider the situation fluid, so if you have any ideas, I’m all ears.” She chuckled sadly. “Marissa’s here, in the makeup trailer, getting ready for tonight. She doesn’t know about this visit. She’s got a beautiful date planned, and—”
“Don’t tell her yet,” I said. “Let’s have a great night, and we can deal with the bullshit tomorrow.”
Bibi brightened. Not to her usual level of sparkle, but there was hope, and I really needed some of that right now. “You’ve handled this with a lot of class, Bjorn. I’m proud of you.”
“I learned from the best.” I grinned. “Will these new plans affect Bibifest?”
That was what Marissa and I had started calling Bibi’s plans for dispelling any dirt that Suzanne could possibly dig up on her. As far as I knew, it was still scheduled for right before we took the stage to announce that we were indeed mates.
“Absolutely not.” She waved her hand and huffed. “In fact, I’ll be making it even more fabulous now than I had originally planned. I know it seems like we’re making things smaller, restricting access, and hiding. Hell no. Now is the time forThe Mating Gameto be bigger and better and ever.”
“And Marissa will be the odd woman out.” I sighed. “She’s my mate. If she’s on the outside, I’ll be standing with her.”
Bibi rose from her chair, put her hand on my shoulder, and gave it a squeeze. “The most important thing you can do right now is show Marissa what real love is and what it means to stand up for what is right. She’s told me time and time again that she doesn’t want to be like her mother, and in these next few weeks, we need to give her a chance to shine.”
“You always know what to do, Beebs.”
“I don’t, but I know how I want things to end, and that’s what I work toward.” She smiled. “Are you ready to start your date?”
“You have no idea.” Although I wasn’t sure what I’d say when I saw Marissa. My bear wanted to protect her. To simply make the problem go away. But this wasn’t the forest, and Suzanne wasn’t a shifter. Marissa needed to have a say in this.
She softened. “Good. May I make a proposal?”
“Always.”
“That’s what I like about you. You’re willing to try everything.” She steeled herself. “Let’s clear the slate and stick to the original plan tonight. Tomorrow we can deal with Suzanne Marlowe and all the fuckery tangled around her.”
“Deal.” I’d gone all out on planning my half of the date, and like hell I’d let Suzanne ruin it. We had a fight ahead of us. Not only for the Hudaknocker but for Marissa. Her reputation. Her place in this pack. Without the protection of the pack, she’d always be considered a liability.
My mate deserved better, and I’d make sure she got it.
I followed Bibi into the stage area. Before we got to the directors’ chairs, she stopped and cocked a brow. “Is there anything in your past that Suzanne could dig up to sway Marissa against taking you as her mate?”
“Absolutely not,” I rumbled. “If I thought there was any reason this episode wouldn’t have worked, I wouldn’t have agreed to it. I know how hard these episodes can be. I wouldn’t do that to you. Or Marissa.”
“But she’s your mate. Would you have been able to stay away?”
“Never.”
