Page 47 of So I Won a Werelion

“How? We broke into that site and—”

She waved her hand. “I’m talking about your feelings for Gabe, which I totally understand. You’ve been hurt so many times. I wish I could say that was the most important issue we had to address at the moment, but these big cats are right. You aren’t safe. You’ve found something those wolves want, and I have a feeling I know exactly who they are.”

I gasped. “Your old pack?”

She nodded. “They’ve always been hungry for land and real estate because those things equal power. I hadn’t been familiar with the legend of the Sempiternal Scepter until I started working on your episode, but it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if they’ve been looking for it. The energy that relic is giving off is crazy strong.”

“Do you want to see the new piece we found?” I asked.

“Absolutely, but not where the littles might see it. Don’t want to put them in the middle of this. We need to get you to a safe place. Immediately. But where?” She tapped her finger against her chin. “The chalet could work. Our new contestant, Hannah, has just moved in, so we’ll have security there. I’ll justcall Saint Lovell and let him know… No. Too many people in and out of there. It’s too easy for them to slip one of their own in there. You’ll be staying with me. Starting immediately.”

My mouth dropped. “Like, at your house? In Colorado Ranch?”

The last time I’d been there, I’d been humiliated. Rejected.

It shouldn’t have mattered. Sterling was happy with his mate, Tina, and their newborn twins. And if I was staying with Bibi, there was no way I could quit the show.

“Yes! I have a spare bedroom. I keep some of my wigs and fanciest gowns in there, but there will be plenty of room for your things. I would never build a cute little bungalow that didn’t have ample closet space. I need to call Saint and let him know you’ll be coming, but then we’ll be able to get you settled.” She clapped her hands together. “Oh, this will be so much fun. Let’s go find those big, handsome cats and tell them what we’ve decided.”

Chapter

Thirteen

Gabe

“Take it from her.” Lucy was still in her human form, but her demand reverberated off the foothills as a roar. “You can’t let her walk around with a priceless artifact in her purse like a half-eaten sandwich. A human should never lay a finger on one of our sacred artifacts.”

“You’re right.” I had a pounding headache. Probably not helped by staying up all night with Wendy. I’d missed being close to her and had a lot of time to make up for. But this hangover came from the energy of the Scepter and the vase we found at the construction site. Without it, my animal felt like it was getting sucked dry.

“Of course I am.” She folded her arms and came closer. “It’s bad enough you brought her here. You stink like a human, too. At least this one doesn’t smell as bad as the rest of them. That fake air freshener and fast food fart stench is enough to make any cat gag.”

“Lucy brought up several good points,” Leo said. We’d gathered in the outdoor eating area of the ski resort.

“Damn straight I did. But the real question is, when are you Wylde boys gonna stop thinking with your dicks? This supposedmate brings a potential war with her, and the rest of you have mates that can’t defend our pride.” Lucy shook her head. “Your doe and human mates are a problem.”

Leo shook his head. He’d almost ripped apart our pride once over this. He would have my back. “We need to get the artifact from Wendy, along with any information she can provide about it. If we do this quickly, and take the right action based on that information, who we’ve chosen as mates will never be called into question.”

“And then what? We cut Wendy out of our plans?” I asked. That would never fucking happen.

“Yeah. What part ofshe’s humando you not understand?” Lucy scoffed.

“I understand all of it,” I growled, rising from my seat to challenge her. The corner of her mouth turned upward into a smirk. I was giving her what she wanted.

Too close to what cost you your career, my lion warned.This time it will be your pack.

“Wendy knows more about these legends than we do. She can help us decipher the messages written on the artifacts. We only know what our elders chose to tell us.” I wasn’t winning anyone over with my pro-Wendy argument. “Those pieces have power. Real power when you touch them. We only have one chance to make the right decisions about this. It doesn’t make sense to block out an ally because she can’t shift.”

“I agree with Gabe.” Leo held up his hands to stop the protest. “But that doesn’t mean we give Wendy carte blanche to do whatever she wants. These are our traditions, and our future. First thing we need to do is get these artifacts to a safe place.”

“Wait.” Lucy waved a hand. “If these things have power that flowed into you, is that finite energy? And what happens when a human touches it?”

I had to admit, it was a good question. “Wendy felt things too.”

“Which means that reporter might realize he’s got more than a fancy looking rock on his hands.” Leo groaned. “We need to alert the council—”

“Ladies and gentlemen. Let’s stop fighting when we should be celebrating.” Bibi sashayed into the middle of the meeting, but the glittery drag queen wasn’t the most spectacular sight.

Wendy followed behind her, her hair piled on top of her head in a bun, wearing a long T-shirt and jeans. Didn’t matter that her counterpart looked like she was ready to take a stage, any stage, and absolutely own it. My mate was natural, raw, and gorgeous.

---