I narrowed my eyes at her.

“You’re sweating.”

“That’s a good thing. A very good thing.” I unbuttoned my shirt and pulled it out of my pants. Marissa’s eyes widened, but she better get used to seeing shifters ripping their clothes off if she wanted to work on The Mating Game. “That’s what happens before I shift.”

“Oh.” She jumped up. “That is good news. Do you need me to point the camera at you? Would that help? If you felt like you were on set?”

“No,” I growled. It was the last thing I needed. I squeezed my eyes closed. If I had to fake it, if I couldn’t do this because my mate could be in danger and needed me, I didn’t deserve to be a wolf.

Sweat soaked my shirt. I tore it away and threw it on the floor. Come on, wolf. You know what to do. You did this a thousand times when it didn’t matter.

Maybe Cindy wasn’t my mate. Maybe I was holding onto the fucking pipe dream that she was because it meant I was a real fucking wolf who could honor traditions and keep good on his promises.

This pity party wouldn’t do me any good. I’d attended it too many times since my wolf decided to go on strike. I wouldn’t say he quit on me, because that meant he wasn’t coming back.

And he would.

The heat was unbearable. I tipped my head back, surrendering to my animal. Maybe if I wasn’t such a control freak...

My temperature plummeted. I opened my eyes, pissed to see my very human skin, slicked with cold sweat. No fur. No wolf.

“Fuck,” I grunted under my breath. That vibration that warned people my animal was on its way was gone too.

I’d never felt so human, so lacking in my life.

Marissa held out a glass of water. The egomaniac inside me, the one who gave a shit about all those headlines, wanted to knock it out of her hand. This wasn’t over.

But she’d probably been more helpful than any other human had been since my wolf went AWOL. This wasn’t her fault.

It’s not yours either.At least my wolf was still talking to me.

“Thank you.” I took the glass and drank it in one gulp, fooling myself for a moment to think a glass of water could make a difference. All it did was bring me back to normal.

Normal for a human.

Marissa pulled up a chair beside me. The little human was brave. “I really thought you were gonna shift.”

“But I didn’t.”

“No. But I could sense your wolf.”

She was saying whatever she thought would make me feel better, but I chose to believe her. Because I had to believe he was close, too.

“You’ll shift again, Logan. Don’t give up on your wolf.”

“I’d be dead if I did,” I huffed.

“Is that the closest you’ve gotten?” Marissa was doing her best Bibi impression. But she’d seen me at my worst and didn’t run away. It was more than I could say for a lot of humans. Wolves, too. “Since everything happened?”

I nodded. “Don’t tell anyone about this. If this makes it to the gossip sites, I’ll know who leaked the information.”

She held her hands up. “I wouldn’t. But I do wonder if it would help if you talked to one of those experts Bibi mentioned.”

“My wolf doesn’t need a therapist.” He needed a clear way out. I rose from my chair, pacing the room again. Like I could lure my animal back. “My mate could be in danger, and we’re sitting here talking about my feelings.”

“No. We’re not.” Marissa rose. She was tiny, but the woman didn’t get intimidated easily. “But maybe an expert who gave a shit about you because they’re a shifter and not because you make a ton of money for them will give you the right answer.”

I stopped dead in my tracks and turned to her.

“It’s been a while since anyone’s cared about you. Logan Mathis. Not some character you play, or the number in your bank account.”

“Yeah.”

She gave me one of those pity frowns I’d gotten all too familiar with since the incident. “Things are different here. Yeah, we care about ratings and money. This is a business. But I learned real fast that the most important thing on this show is the people. Nobody here wants you to fail because it’s good for ratings. People want to see you fall in love, and they’ll want to see your wolf come back too. No one here is rooting for you to fail.”

“Okay. I’ll talk to your expert.”

“Amazing. I’ll get the info from Bibi and make an appointment first thing in the morning.” She looked down at her phone, and I couldn’t read her expression. “But now that I know you’re staying human, I think we can both agree that we need to make sure Cindy is safe.”

Tags: Kristen Strassel Paranormal
Source: readsnovelonline.net