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“Sounds like it’s pretty on brand.” Hugo turned to me. “Anything you need to tell us about this guy? He passed my security check too. We make sure that there isn’t anything on their records that would make us concerned about the contestants’ safety. He didn’t list pack affiliation. That’s not required. Bibi understands that sometimes the pack your born into isn’t the pack that you call home.”
“He’ll stop at nothing to get what he wants.” What would translate into modern-day conflict to make these guys understand? “My brother refused to introduce humans into our society, so Armand tried to make his land a sovereign territory, free from my brother’s rule. He illegally collected fees and taxes from those who benefitted from that land. But it didn’t belong to him. It belonged to all of us.”
“Did he have contact with humans back then?” Bjorn asked.
“Yes. He thought they could be allies. They were smaller than us and had different needs. He wanted to put them to work. Make them more like us. At the time, we were concerned that the humans didn’t have the resources to survive as a species.” If only we could’ve seen into the future. “I had wanted to help them, but Leif insisted that we let nature take its course. He forbade mating with humans, because he thought it would create conflict within their own race. Some would be strong, some would be weak, and the weak ones would seek us out. But his biggest concern was that it would weaken us. That there would be no difference between man and beast. Armand ignored my brother’s wishes, encouraging the wolves to take humans as their mates. That’s when Leif started banning humans from our pack. And eventually, he took away our idols, which led to the downfall of our civilization. Some thought he’d handed power to the humans to punish us. Ironically, it led to his own demise.”
“It’s always fascinating to talk to you about your history, Lars. This isn’t over. Once this initial dust settles, I’ll have you talk to Bibi—”
“I’m not sure I trust her.”
“Listen, if anyone knows what it’s like to be one of a kind, it’s Bibi,” Hugo said. “She’s in a hard place right now. To keep the show running, she needs to make the network and all the viewers happy. They’re human, for the most part. None of them know what happened between your family and these wolves. Once Bibi is aware, she’ll make sure everyone has a chance to be heard.”
“If anyone can give the past a makeover, it’s Beebs,” Bjorn added. “Not that we want to erase what happened. Something tells me you’ll never see eye to eye with these wolves. Bibi might be able to find some common ground.”
“All I want is Hannah.” We were out of town now, and the paved road curved between the mountains. I remembered when this was built. The disruption it caused. Those of us who were still around from the old days had thought we were being cursed all over again. For the most part, there were only humans brave enough to venture deep enough into the mountains to find me.
“You’ll get her,” Hugo insisted. “What the hell is going on here?”
Bjorn slowed the van. Trucks lined either side of the narrow street and humans spilled into the middle of the pavement. They were carrying guns and arrows. Some had rope slung over their shoulders. Others waved nets.
On the back of one of the truck windows someone had painted the words ‘Bigfoot or Bust.’
“We can’t leave you here alone,” Hugo said. “They’re here to hunt you.”
eight
Bibi
This was an absolute mess. I’d ignored the little voice inside me that insisted I should override Lars and Hannah and start their episode with a cute montage about the night he saved her from the avalanche and go straight to their dates. Putting Lars on stage like this was a bad idea.
So why did I go with it? Because the mission ofThe Mating Gamewas to find love and acceptance for all creatures. I wanted humans to fall in love with Lars, not put a bounty on his big, fuzzy head.
If one of them was able to collect on that bounty…a chill ran down my spine. I’d never let that happen.
“Lars should be here,” I said. There had to be a rational end to this madness. Something about this episode that was still in our control. “As long as he stays with us, he’ll be safe.”
Marissa typed on her phone screen and frowned. “Just heard from Bjorn. Lars insisted on leaving. He wanted to walk back to his mountain, which means he had no idea what kind of threat waited for him there. Thank the moon Hugo was able to talk him into accepting a ride back with him and Bjorn. Once they got close to the mountain, the roads were clogged up with Bigfoot hunters.” She clapped her hand over her mouth. “He says some of them have guns.”
“Where are they now?”
“Headed back here.” She dropped her phone in her bag and shook her head. “They’re not sure what to do with him.”
“I’ll figure this out. I just….need a minute.” I headed away from the crowd, ignoring the protests. That wasn’t like me at all. They all needed me. I’d promised to fix all their problems. But they’d come into this understanding all the consequences of their actions, and how the show worked.
Lars did not. He was here with the blind faith that he could make Hannah the happiest woman on earth. I vowed that I wouldn’t fail him. Nothing about that changed.
Maybe we could still do that montage, interview both Lars and Hannah, and start the episode off like that. Why was I thinking about production at a time like this? Because it was something I could usually control. Happily ever after. That was the goal. Instinctively, I headed to the green room because a part of me wanted to believe Marissa’s report was false. The rumors Zoe had reported were just wild internet rumors.
I pushed the door open and found the room disappointingly empty. The glam station had been knocked over, chairs overturned…Lars had been here. If only I’d gotten to him sooner—
“Bibi?” A voice I didn’t recognize came from the doorway.
I turned around, expecting to find someone on staff, but it was one of Hannah’s friends.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have followed you.” She swallowed hard. “But everyone was so focused on Hannah once you left, they didn’t notice me slip away, and I had to talk to you.”
