Page 9 of So I Dared a Dragon

“But if Bibi doesn’t go on stage, the viewers will always question who her mate truly is.” Hannah went over and put her hand on his arm. My wolf didn’t budge. “You deserve better than that. The few moments of discomfort will be worth it, I promise.”

I’d make her a full-time producer if she and Lars didn’t have a budding off-the-grid concert-experience business in the works.

“What happens if she picks you?” Hugo’s question made a chill go down my spine. “No matter what you say, there’s a chance it could happen. She’ll know something’s up when you’re not hosting the show, and you have a distinctive voice. There will only be three contestants. As soon as she figures it out, she’ll choose you just to prove her point.”

He was more right than I wanted to admit. I went over to him. I wanted to hug him, but a forcefield had formed around him. “By then, she’ll already know I belong to you.”

Tina and Hannah’s mouths dropped. I’d just admitted the thing that scared me more than anything.

He narrowed his eyes. My confession didn’t soften him at all. “Then don’t do it. End it now. It’s that simple.”

Before I had a chance to say anything else, he turned and left the room.

“Hugo,” I said, but the door slamming behind him was the only response. My heart smashed to pieces with the impact.

“Go after him,” Hannah urged, but I was already on my way to the backyard, where I found Hugo in one of the lounge chairs by the fire pit.

I took the one next to him.

“I’ll call it off,” I said. “We have a bunch of great contestants who’d be delighted to go on stage. I’ll call Marissa and have her book Calista another room at the chalet. Chances are, she’ll refuse to do the episode.”

“You don’t get it, do you?” Hugo turned to me. “I brought you to Vegas because I wanted nothing more than for you take a weekend to yourself. Let yourself relax. But you figured out a way to jump back into work immediately. I know you’re gonna say you love it, but I have to wonder what you’re so afraid will happen if you take a break. If you’ll ever let yourself be with me.”

My lips parted.

“I never felt like I could be myself with my pack. They’d trained me to be a killing machine. I tried to put a stop to it, but they didn’t listen.” This never got easier to talk about. “Once I left, I realized I could fix people’s problems. I could make them happy. Now, I have an entire production team depending on me for their livelihood. If we alienate the viewers and the show gets canceled, they’re all out of a job. We’re out of a job.”

“I understand how hard it is to be yourself when you don’t fit in with your pack,” he said. “I followed Pedro for a long time because I didn’t think I had any other options. But then I took a chance on you, and I thought it was the best thing I ever did. I could finally be myself. Use all the things I learned working with Pedro on a much bigger scale than I ever imagined. I met the wolf I thought was my mate, but the crazy thing is, I have no idea how to make her happy.”

“That’s not true.” Tears stung my eyes, but I couldn’t cry. Bjorn was in the living room, setting up for Calista’s imminent arrival. “You make me happy just by being you. We just had a wonderful adventure in Vegas, and there is no one I would’ve rather had by my side while we found Jesse’s killer.”

“I thought things would change once we got back to Sunset Springs.” He shook his head. “But it’s business as usual.”

“Hello! We’re here!” Marissa called out. Sweet moon, Calista wasin my house.

Hugo tented his fingers, pressing the tips together, with his elbows resting on his thighs. “I gotta let you in on a little secret. I didn’t stop working while we were in Vegas, either. I wanted to find out what Calista was up to while she was missing, and why those wolves might have taken her into captivity. But it turns out, she was involved in something much more dangerous.”

“Tell me everything you know.” Why hadn’t he done so before now?

Marissa knocked on the door. “We’re thinking it will be more authentic if we film you greeting…oh, you’re in the middle of something. We can make it work.”

She turned on her heel and disappeared.

I threw my shoulders back and fluffed my hair. The show was calling, but my wolf needed me more. “What happens now?”

Hugo rose from his chair, all gorgeous muscle. His body was vibrating wolf energy, and it was only moments before he shifted.

“You’ll start filming. I said I’d be here, no matter what, but I’m not so sure that’s the right move. If I want things to change, I need to change them.” He shook his head and walked away.

“Hugo.”

By some miracle, he turned around.

“Are you quittingThe Mating Game, or are you quitting me?” I braced myself for the answer.

“I’m not quitting anything,” he said. “When you’re ready to go all in, you know where to find me.”

four

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