Page 12 of So I Dared a Dragon

“As the body count increased, wolves started pointing paws at each other. Whose fault was it that our fighting machine was gone? Things got real ugly while the pack failed to prove they didn’t need you. But eventually they found something they could agree on. You left because of me.”

“Oh, sweetie. No. This isn’t your fault. Our pack sold their souls to the devil long before we were even born.”

I tipped my head. “It took me a long time to realize that was true, but then when I finally came face-to-face with you, you said you left because you didn’t think I could handle the changes in your life.” I put my hand up before Bibi had a chance to protest. “Listen, you’re one hundred percent the reason thatIleft Montana. I thought if I could find you, I could make the pack stop fighting. Not that I wanted you to fight anymore. Just because you always won didn’t mean you didn’t have wounds to heal from. They wanted you back. I wanted you back. When I didn’t get an answer from you, when your phone number suddenly belonged to someone else and your email bounced back to me, I went looking for you.

“You would’ve been proud of me. I snuck out in the middle of the night and was in Idaho before anyone even realized I was gone.”

“That was dangerous,” Bibi said. “You’d never even left pack land before, right?”

“Not by myself.” Looking back, it was reckless. I’d been so naïve. But I’d never felt like I made the wrong decision. Our packwas on a collision course with oblivion. “At first, it was a lot of fun. Going on the road, following a rock band. I made a lot of good friends, though now I realize that some of them were only around because they thought I could get close to you. Close to the band. Even before you met this pack and Hugo, you found a group of wolves that would do anything to protect you. When the tour ended, those friends disappeared. I was out of money and I couldn’t go home. For the first time, I was truly on my own.

“So I did what I had to do to survive. Some of it I’m not proud of, but I picked the best bad options I had.” Hopefully there would be no need for me to elaborate. “And you can take the girl out of Montana, but seems like you can’t take Montana out of the girl. I attracted shifters with bad intentions. I broke promises. Did things I absolutely wasn’t proud of. For a long time, I thought it was all for nothing. But finally, it led me to you. Please don’t make it be for nothing, Bibi.”

“I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I had no idea in those early days you were so close by. I never intended to shut you out. I only needed space to blossom into who I was meant to be. A part of me might have dreamed about the possibility of going home, too. Both of us know why that couldn’t happen.” She gave a sad chuckle. “Once I knew you left Montana, I did everything in my power to find you. I laid awake at night, worrying that you’d gotten yourself into a predicament like you just described. My blood ran cold listening to you confirm those suspicions.”

“And you’re still pushing me away.” I sighed.

“No, I’m offering you a chance at happily ever after. It just won’t be with me.” She paused, probably to let me state my case again about why she should reconsider, but I didn’t have any more left to give. My she-wolf knew if we were this close and she wasn’t feeling what I felt, maybe all this really was for nothing. My heart… oh, that was another story. “Are you still in trouble?”

It was my turn to laugh. “Always.”

She closed her eyes for a long blink, then finally nodded. Even if she didn’t want me as a mate, we shared enough history that I knew she was imagining what that meant. I wanted to tell her she couldn’t, because she couldn’t possibly make it bad enough. But did I ever want that chance at happiness that she was dangling in front of me like a carrot.

But once again, my heart wanted nothing but Bibi. And it was unwilling to think of her as anything less than perfect. I’d put her on a pedestal, and if she fell, shattered, then I’d have nothing left to believe in.

“You keep telling me you've changed, but I see you, the parts of you that you didn't let the pack see. How kind you are and how you want to help people even at your own expense.That hasn't changed. Wish I got your street savvy, and the ability to turn everything I touch into gold like you do. Maybe you can show me your ways during this episode.” I reached for her hand. It was soft, but still strong. And her vibration did unspeakable things to me in places she might never see. “But you can’t fault me for hoping that maybe you’ll teach me how to make you fall in love with me.”

Bibi squeezed my hand. “That’s all lovely, but that doesn’t explain why you’re in too much danger to return to the chalet.”

I reached into my purse, which was still slung across my body. I hadn’t had a chance to take it off before Bibi tried to send me away. The notes were crumpled, because I’d tossed them in the trash, trying to make the whole situation disappear. I knew better, that I needed them, that they might be the only thing that could save me. So I’d dug them out and guarded them like treasures.

I handed them to Bibi. Her red lips formed a concerned O as she read them. “Do you know who wrote these?”

“I have a few ideas.”

“A few?” Her brows went sky high. “Meaning you’ve pissed off multiple beasts enough to make serious threats?”

I nodded. “That’s exactly what it means.”

Bibi rose from the couch and began pacing in the crowded living room. “I need names. All the information you can give me. I’m about to put eligible shifters on the stage—”

“Is this such a good idea?” Bjorn’s deep voice made the question sound even more ominous. “Maybe we need to find out who’s sending those notes before we start the next episode.”

Bibi threw her hands up in the air. “We’re supposed to film in four days!”

“We could postpone the episode,” Tina suggested.

“No,” Bibi and I said at the same time.

Our gazes met, and her lips curled into a familiar smile. My heart cracked open, and for the first time, I felt something I’d longed to feel since I’d gotten myself into trouble. Hope.

My best friend was much sparklier, more fabulous than ever. But the important things hadn’t changed.

“As I was saying, we go on stage in four days.” Now those eyes were as sparkly as the rest of her. “We send a message to these beasts—we won’t be intimidated.”

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Marissa asked. “Hugo just walked off the job.”

He did? Oh, this was worse than I thought. And I was ashamed to admit my she-wolf was thrilled.

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