Page 94 of So I Won a Werelion

There was no telling if those wolves would bring their retaliation to the big stage.

“Today we’re only welcoming one shifter to the stage.” Bibi’s voice boomed over the PA system. “Please help me in giving a warm, Mating Game welcome to Gabe Wylde.”

I was greeted by mostly cheers, but there were some boos too. The stories about why I’d left snowboarding had gone viral after I attacked Derek. Coincidence? I doubt it.

None of it mattered anymore. I’d been so afraid of the reports coming out, my reputation, and if I’d learned anything duringthe filming of this episode, it was that I wasn't meant to fit into anyone’s expectations anymore. I’d spent too much time away from my pride because I was afraid of change. I’d denied my mate. I thanked the moon every day that she was mine now. I’d lost too much time, and I planned to make up for every single second.

Out of the game at forty-two? I was just getting started.

“Hello, Gabriel.” Bibi came over to my side of the stage. “It’s been quite a journey for us to get to this point.”

“Sure has.”

“We have a moment to chat, just between the two of us.” Bibi winked into the camera, and the crowd went wild. “What surprised you most about Wendy during the filming of this episode?”

“I always knew that she was smart, funny, and absolutely gorgeous.” That got a swoon out of the audience. “What surprised me was how much she blossomed during this episode.”

“All she needed was someone to believe in her. Oh, and a fairy dragmother.” Bibi patted her platinum blonde wig. She wore a full-length leopard print gown with a slit all the way up the leg. “Wendy will have a few questions for you. But before we hear from her, we’ve put together a sneak peek at your episode.”

The reel started to play. It started at Cindy and Logan’s mating ceremony, with me gazing deep into Wendy’s eyes. She’d wanted me, and I was still too scared to tell her that we were meant to be together.

“Kiss her!” someone yelled from the audience.

As long as they could hang in there, they wouldn’t be disappointed.

Then it cut to us on this stage. Shock clear on Wendy’s face when I came out from behind the wall. I’d known all along I’d come face to face with this moment when I came back on thisstage. It was a kick to the balls to relive it, but it was part of the story. Our story.

The video cut to the ski resort, and fuck, I hardly recognized myself. I’d thought Wendy had blossomed over the last few weeks, but I’d changed too. I looked lost, angry, a hull of a lion who didn’t feel like he belonged anywhere.

The crowd went wild as they watched Bibi and I get off our motorcycles and retrieve Wendy from Woodhead Family Realty. I’d have to take her out on the bike again soon. Teach her how to ride on her own.

A sweet picnic, with the two of us gazing into each other’s eyes cut to us walking off into the woods, when I’d come back from my shift. When I’d fought those damned wolves in the forest and kept it my secret, hoping they’d go away.

They’d filmed rehearsals of Wendy on the pole. Hot damn, did she look amazing. Blaire tried to teach her how to twirl the tassels, and it wasn’t working.

Didn’t matter, I would have taken them off her immediately.

And it ended with the two of us face to face, gazing into each other’s eyes, just before a kiss. Chants ofkiss her! Kiss her!Broke out in the crowd, because if they knew anything by now, it was that nothing with us was guaranteed.

But that time, I gave everyone what they wanted.

Especially myself.

“Wendy Woodhead.” Bibi’s voice brought me back to reality. She’d gone to the other side of the stage. “Looking gorgeous as always.”

My screen had gone toThe Mating Gamelogo. Damn it, Bjorn. I was about to prowl over there and take a look for myself.

“As do you, Bibi,” she answered.

“Don’t I?” The crowd went wild, and I wished I could see what was happening. “Okay, so before I ask you the big question, is there anything you’d like to say to Gabriel?”

“So many things.” I could imagine her expression—the devilish grin, the light dancing in her eyes when she was up to something. “But if I had to pick one thing to say to him, it’s thank you for always being there for me. Through good, bad, and ugly. I was so scared I’d lose my best friend in this process, that I’d have to change who I was to date you, but it’s felt so good to finally be able to be myself with a lover. To have fun and be my dorky self…where have you been all my life, Gabe Wylde?”

“I should’ve been right by your side the whole time.”

The crowd liked that. A lot.

“So, Wendy, last time we were here, you had three shifters competing for your attention on this stage.” Bibi brought us back to task. “You didn’t exactly have three traditional dates with Gabe, but you definitely got up close and personal with the big, handsome lion. It’s the moment of truth. Will we all meet again in a few weeks for a mating ceremony?”

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