Page 9 of Her Fake Mate

It’s fast. Comes out as, Ithinkweshouldpretendtodate.

Mia blinks. “What?”

Oh, please don’t make me say it again. “You heard me.”

“You want us to… pretend to date?”

“Yeah,” I grunt.

Mia’s face looks like she bit into a rotten apple. “Why?”

I hold up my fingers. “One: you all need some good PR. People have a tough time with foxes, and they’re still unsettled. Two: people trust me. By extension, they would trust you. Three: if people think the pack’s lead enforcer is dating a certain fox’s older sister, then they’ll be less worried about him exposing himself as a shifter in public.”

I feel bad when she winces at that one. “You have a really high opinion of yourself, I see.”

I shrug.

Mia doesn’t respond. She sips her coffee again before looking at me over the rim of her cup. “You really want to fake date me?”

“No. but I think it gets the task done quickly.”

“What task?”

“Public opinion. I’m well respected and well-liked within the pack. People who are still pissy about the fox leash like me, and they think I’ll keep Josh under control.”

“Wow. Apparently, humility is not something they teach at the school down on the pack grounds.”

“Ha,” I murmur tonelessly. “It’s not bragging. It’s true.”

Mia considers this, then nods. “I really hate this, and I’m not saying yes. But with Josh…” She shuts her eyes. When she speaks again, her voice is thick. “He… our dad died right as he started to shift. He needs someone more than me,” she whispers.

I can see how much it pains her to admit. “I can help,” I say softly.

I’m surprised as hell that my offer is genuine.

Mia sucks in a deep breath. “Josh is the only reason I’m considering this. I don’t care about people’s opinions about us. We’re foxes, I’m used to people saying nasty shit. I’m also working on a backup plan, so that we wouldn’t be a burden on you if that happened.”

I step closer. “What backup plan?”

She ignores me. “But Josh… He needs someone. He needs someone other than me,” she murmurs.

The pain in her voice makes me feel restless.

Mia’s eyes snap open. “And there’s not… someone you’re interested in?”

My mind briefly goes to Terra. She’s gorgeous, and the wolf that I’ve always thought of as my mate. I’ve had some level of a crush on her since we were kids, but she was always hung up on Rylan. Even after he was banished.

Would it be disappointing to miss out on something with Terra? Yeah. But honestly, it’s not like Terra is trying to become my mate. Unless being in a fake relationship with Mia lights the fire she needs to make her choice.

I’ve offered before to be Terra’s mate. She always declined, stating that Rylan was the one for her.

He’s been banished for a long, long time. Maybe if she sees me with another woman….

Guilt swamps me.

I won’t pit them against each other. Not without Mia’s involvement and full participation. I’m not that much of a dick.

“It’s an easy question, and I’m going to need an answer before we move forward,” Mia whispers.

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