Page 13 of So I Won a Werelion

Her eyes glossed over with emotion. No, there was no way she was willing to walk away from Gabe.

“I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, but let’s face it. I’m a disaster when it comes to shifters, and maybe Gabe was right the first time.”

“Wait. What? You let her quit?” Marissa’s mouth gaped.

“People don’t usually ask permission to quit.” I sighed. It wasn’t often I couldn’t deliver on a promise. I’d told both Wendy and Gabriel I’d find their forever mate, and right now, I needed a miracle to make it happen. “We had a really good talk, and I’m confident after she has a little perspective, she’ll be ready to start fresh.”

Marissa nodded. “I did Gabe’s exit interview—”

“I’m not leaving.” The big cat growled. “Since your chat with her went so well, are you ready to let me give it a try now?”

I called an emergency meeting atThe Mating GameHQ to discuss our next steps. As a reality show, we prided ourselves on our flexibility, but Wendy and Gabriel were determined to give us a run for our money.

“Not yet. Wendy’s departure has made things a bit more complicated.” And Gabriel’s presence threw a curveball into this meeting. No way would we be able to discuss the situation objectively with him here. “She needs time. And space. But I’m not giving up.”

Marissa pushed a tablet into the middle of the table and tapped the screen. The feed onThe Mating Gamechat moved faster than we could read. “The forums are going nuts. Opinion is split. Some of them are glad to see Wendy gone. Others think she should get her happily ever after, but not with Gabe. They think we need to start over with brand new contestants.”

“Like hell you will,” Gabriel growled.

“Should he be here?” Bjorn asked. He was in the corner of the room with the camera, but I always welcomed his perspective on every episode. “Sorry, man. I like you, but we’ve got to do what’s best for the show. And Wendy. We might say some stuff at this meeting that’s uncomfortable for you to hear.”

“Gabriel should be here.” I surprised myself with the declaration. “Not only does he have to win Wendy over,wehave to win Wendy over. He’ll have all the juicy inside information we’d never get anywhere else. That being said, we must be prepared for a scenario where Wendy never comes back to the show. Who’s our next contestant?”

Marissa tapped her laptop’s keyboard. “Hannah. She won a contest in the forums, and I’m still gathering information about her. At this point, she’s still a bit of a wildcard.”

“We’ve never met a wildcard we didn’t like. I assume she’ll be eager to get her new life started early if need be. Is she here yet?”

Marissa looked up from the laptop, wide-eyed. “No. Should she be?”

“I’m sure you have a plan to change that immediately. Now that we have Plan B in motion, we can focus on getting Wendy back to the show. Gabriel, if you were in charge ofThe Mating Game, what three things would you do to bring Wendy back?”

“Wendy was radiant the night of Cindy’s mating ceremony. She came alive in front of the cameras. That was why I came to you instead of doing this on my own,” he said. “And I know what she’s thinking. She wants someone who will claim her. And I’ve wavered too many times. So I need to be the mate she’s waited for.”

I shook my head. In theory, the lion was on the right track, even if he didn’t directly answer my question. “She needs you to be you. The two of you have changed since you’ve last seen each other, and I believe that you’re both grappling with that. Scared that things will change, but if your relationship stands a chance, it has to grow.”

The big cat softened. “You’re right. I need to get to know her all over again.”

“Yes!” Now we were getting somewhere. I’d been a little apprehensive about this episode because I thought the viewers would be robbed of the moment these two fell in love with one another. “We’ll treat it like a brand-new relationship, and the two of you will get to fall for each other now, instead of being in love with the ghost of what could have been. Oh, I’m so excited. But if we’re going to make this work, Gabriel, you need to make a promise.”

“Whatever you want.” He was excited too. This was going to work.

“No talking to Wendy. I know that’s a big ask, but all communication must go throughThe Mating Game.”

His lips parted.

“Okay,” he finally said. “I came to you because I had a feeling this might happen.”

Hmm. The big cat had to be feeling some doubts about the end of his career and starting his life over in his hometown. I had a feeling he was leaving out some juicy details, and I’d get them all out of him soon enough.

“Leave everything to me. I’ll have you and Wendy together in no time.” The wheels were spinning. “This will be perfect. If your pride will approve, I’d love to bring a camera crew up there. Viewers will love to learn more about your pride, their history, and the recent changes they’ve made to make this possible.” It also gave me a chance to keep tabs on him when we weren’t officially shooting.

“Not everyone in our pride is happy about this,” he rumbled. “The lion and deer alliance that works with the council is new. There are still some real old school lions up in those mountains that say having a true mate is impossible. They might not take kindly to a camera crew.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” I knew a lot of those lions, and I was confident I could win them over.

Bjorn’s eyebrows rose as he scrolled on his phone. “I have alerts set for the show, and my phone is going crazy. The reporters are having a field day with this story. They’re calling Wendy the Runaway Mate. They think the local shifters scared her off. They’re hinting at something more sinister at play.”

“At least they’re talking about us.” I sighed and turned to Gabriel. “Any ideas what sinister things they might be talking about?”

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