So I Married a Werewolf

ChapterNineteen

Bibi

“Thanks to all of you for your hard work these past few days. Can you believe we were at the stage only two days ago? Things move fast around here, and it’s important that we capture as much of Cindy and Logan’s lives as possible.” I thought I was ready for anything this couple had to dish out to me, but of all people, I should know to expect the unexpected. But I’d have to trade my stilettos for running shoes if this kept up.

“Should we have a camera crew stationed at Green Mountain, keeping an eye on Cindy?” Bjorn asked.

Marissa rolled her eyes. “Her family needs some privacy.”

“That’s not what I’m concerned with,” the big bear rumbled. “One of the kiddos claimed Pedro is slipping into the house in the middle of the night.”

“That would be security’s issue. Not the show. Bibi doesn’t want us dealing with Pedro,” Marissa said.

“I’ve got wolves watching the house,” Hugo said.

“But the most important wolf is still slipping in.” Bjorn crossed his arms. Such a bear. I loved how protective he was.

I rubbed my temples with my pointer fingers. “You’re all right. I would love to have a crew with Cindy all the time, but that might be too much for the kids. Maybe that’s a consideration for future contestants on upcoming episodes. But of course, that means a bigger crew.” It might not be the worst thing to split up Bjorn and Marissa. They’d both proven they were excellent at their jobs—even if there had been a few missteps in the beginning. I was ready to trust them with more responsibility. “Pedro is tricky. He’s not our responsibility unless he interferes with the filming of the show.”

“Or does anything to put those kids in danger,” Bjorn huffed.

“I’d like to talk to them, if that’s okay.” Hugo looked to me for approval. “I’ve known them their entire lives. I was there when they were born.”

“That’s a wonderful idea, especially since Cindy’s said the pack is divided over Pedro’s absence.” I smiled at him. This episode hadn’t been easy for him. He’d tried to keep the conflict to himself, and we had yet to talk about it. Problem was, things happened so fast once an episode started, we hadn’t had time to sit down and talk about anything.

Hugo was so much more wolf than me. He was an incredible resource. But to truly access everything he had to offer, I would have to face my own wolf. And all the mistakes I’d made following a pack that didn’t have my best interests in mind. Interfering in pack politics was always messy—especially when it wasn’t my pack—but I couldn’t let Hugo lose himself for the sake of his pack.

We were already trying to dig Cindy out of that hole.

“Okay, everyone. Deep breath.” I had no doubt that Cindy and Logan wanted to be standing on that stage together, exchanging vows that promised forever, but we had some pretty big obstacles to overcome before we got them there. “Tomorrow we continue Cindy’s makeover. We’ll be meeting the babysitters and bringing her into town at ten. If we have time, I’d love to interview her too. So much has already happened, I want to capture her thoughts before we lose them. But tonight, we have Logan in the studio. Since he came to us as a complete wildcard, I’m sure we all have questions for him.”

Marissa raised an eyebrow. “All of us?”

“Why not? You’ve all been a part of the show. I’m good, but even I miss stuff sometimes. We want to make sure Logan answers everything possible from us, so the press won’t have any room for creative interpretations.” I’d taken a quick look at the latest headlines before we started this meeting. Some stories had Logan on death’s door, with only months to live, claiming that a shifter couldn’t live without their wolf. They’d even cited anonymous medical professionals.

Other articles claimed that Logan hadn’t been a wolf for a long time anyway, because he’d abandoned the needs of his pack to entertain humans. They even had the audacity to point a finger at The Mating Game, claiming that we were exploiting shifters.

Oh, hell no.

“These interviews will be part of our teaser reel, and our chance to control the narrative until people can see the show for themselves. Marissa, start a shared document so we can all add our questions for Logan. I’m going to freshen up before the interview.”

The crew nodded and got right to work. Marissa and Bjorn worked tirelessly, and I had to be careful not to take advantage. Reality show hours were notoriously brutal, but we were here to break that mold and so many others.

I sighed as I sank into my makeup chair. I’d promised Cindy I could find her true forever mate, and I believed that I’d delivered.

But getting these two across the finish line would be a challenge.

“Come in,” I said as I touched up my blush. “I wasn’t expecting a handsome wolf to come see me.”

Hugo had been taught to hide his emotions, and I understood how hard it was for him to admit anything but victory. Perfection. In some ways, we were so much alike, but he embraced the parts of himself I ran from.

“Didn’t want to bother you before the interview.”

“You’re not bothering me. You’re doing your job.”

He groaned. “Got a message from Joe, Sarah’s dad. He was good friends with Pedro. He’s not happy that the show is, in his words, interfering with pack business.”

“We’re only concerned with Cindy’s business. Pedro made his statement when he left.” I eyed Hugo in the mirror. “We can replace Sarah, if that’s what she wants. I have a feeling that there have been a few wolves speaking for the entire Green Mountain pack for too long.”

“That would be a fair assessment,” Hugo said. “Maybe it would be better if we filmed the remainder of this episode in Sunset Springs.”

I turned to him. “Are you and your wolves in danger?”

He shook his head. “The pack doesn’t like newcomers.”

“Which means they may never accept Logan.” I knew for a fact some of those wolves had looked outside the pack for their mates, but none of them had been as high-profile as Logan Mathis. “I understand their concern. The pack isn’t used to this type of attention. But I think if they gave it a try, they might like it.”

“I wouldn’t be supporting you if I didn’t tell you everything that was going on.” He put his hand on my shoulder. The contact sent tingles down my spine. “You’re doing amazing things for Cindy. She deserves this, and if it wasn’t for you, it probably never would’ve happened.”

“I want to help your pack.” I nodded at Marissa, who’d appeared in the doorway to tell me it was showtime. “But first, they have to realize they’ve been hurting themselves.”

Hugo had given me a warning—get the hell out of Green Mountain. But I wasn’t going anywhere with my tail between my legs. I steeled myself, walking toward the interview room with a brand-new conviction to make this right for everyone involved, including Cindy’s pack.

Logan was getting fitted with his microphone.

“You look handsome.” I appreciated that he’d chosen a suit jacket with a button-down shirt and jeans. It showed he took this seriously, but he didn’t take himself too seriously.

“Gorgeous as always, Bibi.” He gave me his signature movie star megawatt smile.

“I’m not supposed to give you advice, but I’m not known for following the rules.” I leaned forward. “Don’t tell me what you think I want to hear. You’ve never had to be more authentically yourself than you do tonight. Your critics are coming hard for you, and our audience can sniff out inauthenticity from a mile away. You need to treat tonight like you’re fighting for your mate, because you are.”

Logan Mathis didn’t flinch at my challenge. “You’ve been in the public eye long enough that you know that people will make their minds up about you no matter what you say or do. There are some minds I’ll never change. But I won’t waste time convincing those people the reason I came here. Because Cindy is my mate.”

“Ready to start?” I had to admit the prospect of interviewing Logan Mathis still made a few butterflies flutter in my belly. I’d gotten to know the man, but in this setting, he was every bit the celebrity.

“Never been more ready.”

“Why did you take this job? Reality shows aren’t a part of your repertoire.”