ChapterEight
Cindy
Wendy was the only other contestant confirmed for this season of The Mating Game. She’d originally been chosen as a Real Werewife of Colorado, but her wolf changed his mind and went with another mate. That was one of the main catalysts for this show, and Bibi had encouraged us to support each other. Wendy was human, and a native of Sunset Springs. She had a completely different perspective than I did on pretty much everything.
I loved it. She gave me hope that things could actually be different.
We’d already had our weekly coffee date planned for this morning, once it was confirmed I’d be choosing my mate last night. She’d sent multiple texts after I’d walked off the stage.
What would I tell her? I’d been thinking about it all morning. Okay, most of the night, too, since I kept waking up from dreams where Pedro came home. In some versions, the kids were so happy to see him I couldn’t tell him to leave, and in others, he kicked me out of the house and told me that it was my turn to run.
I kept expecting him to show up. To have one of his infamous middle-of-the-night talks. But he didn’t, because that would be too easy.
“Auntie Wendy!” Carter and Caleb leg-tackled her the moment she walked in the door. She hadn’t been in their lives for long, but since Pedro left, they were craving authority figures, people who would love them and wouldn’t leave them, and they accepted her into their lives quickly. It boded well for introducing them to Logan.
Was I already thinking of doing that?
You chose him as your mate, my wolf reminded me. He’s gonna see it all eventually.
“What did you bring us?” Carter asked.
Her body swayed from the impact, and she took a step back, but she retained possession of the coffee cups in each hand.
This morning, I might have to spike mine.
She feigned indignance. “What did you bring me?”
The boys looked at each other, incredulous, and giggled. Caleb picked Charlotte’s interactive book off the couch and offered it to Auntie.
Little sister did not approve.
“Finish your breakfast.” I took the book from Caleb and accepted my coffee. It was a rare morning I actually got to drink it warm. “Auntie and I are going to talk in the kitchen.”
The kids settled around their little table. I’d have to wipe down everything after they ate their fruit with their fingers, but maybe I could talk to Bibi about getting a house cleaner as part of her makeover package.
A little brush with fame goes straight to your head. That wasn’t my wolf. Those were the voices of all pack members who thought I was stepping out of line by stepping into the limelight. The ones that wanted to remind me where I was from and who they thought I was.
“Have you put an online alert on your name yet?” Wendy asked when we sat down.
I shook my head. The last thing I’d ever assume was that strangers were taking time out of their day to talk about me. “I take it that means you have, and there’s news to report?”
“Did you think no one would have anything to say about you choosing Logan Mathis after a blind taste test? Girl, you’ve spent too much time on this mountain.”
“A wolf mama from the mountain? Not exactly front page news.”
“A wolf mama blindly choosing a super-hot actor as her mate is definitely front page news.” She laughed, pulled her phone out of her bag, swiped it, and handed it to me. She was about to have her hands full with Charlotte, who’d come to show off her new doll.
Wolves go head-to-head over The Mating Game’s first contestant, but that wasn’t the real shock of the night.
A capacity crowd came to the Sunset Springs Amphitheater to kick off The Mating Game, a spinoff of the popular The Real Werewives franchise. In this iteration, the female contestants—some shifters, some human—choose their mate, sight unseen in a nod to classic dating shows. Dates, makeovers, and the confessionals we’ve come to know and love ensue. If the shifter she chooses is indeed her true mate, then we’ll be treated to live footage of their mating ceremony.
No one expected to see superstar actor and wolf shifter Logan Mathis on the stage, much less for Cindy Charon to pick him. But the real question isn’t will they or won’t they, it’s why is Logan here instead of the set of his next blockbuster? And why did he leave his last project before it was finished?
Will The Mating Game be his comeback, or a footnote at the end of his career?”
“His career’s in trouble?” I took another sip of coffee, giving the double shot of espresso a chance to circulate fully through my veins. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t wondering why he was here, too.”
“Take these stories with a grain of salt. The reporters get rewarded for being first, not always being right. When I first got sidelined on the Werewives, I talked to a couple of them, but it felt gross. They live and die for juicy stories like Logan Mathis unexpectedly popping up in Sunset Springs. They’re gonna be real curious about you.” She gave Charlotte a kiss on the head and slid her off her lap before taking the phone back. A few more swipes and she handed it back to me. “I always go to the Werewives forums... There’s one that just popped up for The Mating Game. Those ladies know things before they even happen. Apparently, one of them knows someone on the set of Logan’s last movie and said that everyone signed an NDA about why he left, and there are serious repercussions if they talk. Like Logan will ruin them.”
“Logan doesn’t seem like the type who would ruin anyone.” At least, I didn’t want him to be. I hoped the wolf I picked was the polar opposite of my ex-husband in every way possible.
“No, but it means that he might not have been completely upfront when he was vetted for the show.” She leaned in closer. “Which concerns me, because my episode is next. I have some history with the packs—”
She had a reputation with the packs. “You mean you don’t want her to pick one of your exes.”
She laughed. “That, and if they don’t have a rock-solid security system, the wrong shifters might get access to places where they can do real damage.”
“I’ll talk to Bibi about it.” Where was my phone? Right, Charlotte had already claimed it for the day. “Did anyone mention anything about Pedro?”
“Only that he made an absolute ass of himself doing too little too late, in typical Pedro fashion.” Wendy rolled her eyes. “Wait a minute. Don’t tell me you’re thinking of taking him back.”
“I’m not.”
“Why do I feel like there’s a but in there?”
“I want closure.” I pulled my sweater tightly around my body as I scanned the living room for the phone. “He shouldn’t be able to just leave and get the last word whenever he doesn’t get what he wants.”
“His actions speak louder than words. I say good riddance. There’s something else I didn’t show you.” She followed me into the living room and held the phone in front of my face. It was a picture of me and Logan on stage right before Pedro so rudely interrupted everything.
The look on my face. I mashed my lips together to hold back the emotion. I looked like someone had lifted a ten-ton weight from my shoulders.
So that’s what I looked like when I was happy. Full of possibility.
And the way Logan was looking at me, like I was the only woman in the world, made long-neglected muscles deep in my core pulse.
I found my phone. I needed a distraction, or I’d keep thinking about how far I’d fallen. And how ridiculous it was to think Logan Mathis wanted me. It was on the couch, the screen covered in fruit goo. As I wiped it off, I noticed the notification.
From Bibi. Logan wants to see you.
How long ago did she send this? Only ten minutes ago.
He’ll wait for you.That one came in about three minutes ago. My she-wolf was amused, because I wasn’t sure if I should answer right away or not.
The kids are here. Maybe you can use your magic powers to get a babysitter?
He’d like to meet them, if you think you’re ready for that.
My mouth dropped and Wendy raised a brow, wanting the dirt.
Was it too soon? What were the rules, and did they even matter? The minute word got out about our dates, there would be half a pack, a whole forum, and a bunch of reporters telling me I broke them.
Seriously. Fuck that. This wasn’t about everyone else. It was about me, and I couldn’t do this wrong.
Now, for my she-wolf to convince my human side of that.
And then there was the other issue.
Do you think he’s ready for my kids?