Page 50 of So I Won a Werelion

“It’s been a rough morning.”

“I talked to you over an hour ago. The least you could’ve done is tell them I’m fine. And why was half the town and most of the local TV stations in the parking lot, organizing search teams and working on my eulogy?”

“That’s a bit dramatic. I should be asking you questions.” My sister bristled. “A reporter came in this morning. He wanted to talk to you—I told you, you should have never quit, because think about what a project like Ranchero Hills could do for your career. Anyway, I was frantic when he arrived. You weren’t at your house, it looked like it had been ransacked—”

“No, it didn’t.” My housekeeping skills wouldn’t win any awards, but a chill went down my spine. What if someone had been in there after we left? And why was that reporter looking for me in the first place? Was he the same one who’d found the Scepter—or was he here for another reason?

“Your car was still here after you took off with…them.” Wanda shot a distasteful look at Bibi, Gabe, and Bjorn. “I was distraught, Wendy. This nice man came in looking for you andI had to tell him the truth—I had no idea where you were. He encouraged me to get the police involved. I guess he thought you were newsworthy.”

“Guess we should’ve let her see me naked last night.” Gabe chuckled.

Wanda’s face scrunched with disgust. “I see your time away didn’t turn you into a gentleman.”

That was pretty high praise from someone who had a crush on Derek Jared. Ugh. I was still jarred from Bibi’s question—if Derek was a shifter, he would most definitely be a snake.

“You never bothered to tell them you found me?”

Wanda shrugged. “I guess I forgot. There’s a lot going on.”

“I’ll take care of everything.” Of course Bibi would. “Give me a few minutes, and the entire world will know you’re very much alive and back onThe Mating Game.”

“Why are you here, Wendy?” Wanda had no right to be the exasperated one. “You’ve really put me in a bind, taking off to do this show. The work site was vandalized last night, and let me tell you, when they get their hands on whoever is responsible, it won’t be pretty.”

That could totally be Wanda exaggerating—she was a big fan of gloom and doom prophecies. But I couldn’t risk a glance at either Gabe or Bibi. We hadn’t disturbed anything, aside from taking the vessel. Maybe there really was someone on our tails last night. Whatever they’d done had riled up my sister, and I couldn’t lie…I was feeling uneasy.

At least one person had already been looking for me. They wouldn’t be the last.

Being a contestant onThe Mating Gamehad gone from the worst idea ever to probably the only thing that would keep me alive.

“That’s what I came to talk to you about. Ranchero Hills.” My body shook. In all the chaos that had taken place since wearrived at Woodhead Family Realty, I’d almost forgotten what had brought us here. “Work needs to stop at the site. Ancient shifter artifacts were found there. Important artifacts.”

Wanda narrowed her eyes. “When?”

I was skirting dangerously close to telling on myself, and Wanda already had the police on speed dial. I did not want to end this day by making bail. “At the groundbreaking.”

My sister steeled herself. “Anything found at Ranchero Hills is the property of Jared Associates.”

My heart sank. I knew Wanda would be difficult, but I was still disappointed she was so wholly Team Jared.

“Shifter artifacts should be returned to their rightful owners,” Bibi said gently. “It’s possible that land should be returned to shifters. It’s very close to Wolf Rock.”

Wanda crossed her arms but didn’t say anything.

“We’ll give you some time to consider Wendy’s proposition. If you’ll excuse us, we have a show to work on.” Bibi motioned for us to follow her.

My legs were rubber, and the sun seemed unbearably bright when we returned to the parking lot. All the reporters and well-wishers had left. Not in a million years did I expect that conversation to go well, but somehow it had gone so much worse than I anticipated.

“She’s a real piece of work.” Bibi shook her head. “Don’t worry, if she won’t cooperate, we have resources. And that reporter will most definitely come looking for you atThe Mating GameHeadquarters, and we’ll get that piece of the Scepter back.”

“I better get back to Woodland Park,” Gabe shoved his hands into his pockets. There was something primal and sexy about the way he did it, like he didn’t trust himself to keep his hands off me. “I need to tell the pride about what happened so we can plan the next step.”

“Should I come?” I asked.

Gabe’s lips parted, and I braced myself for a no. Bibi put her hand on my shoulder. “Let them come up with a plan on their own. Tensions are high right now. I’ll make sure you’re involved in the execution of their plan. Let them do what they’re good at, and you’ll have a chance to shine too.”

I nodded. “We can accomplish more if we divide and conquer.”

She brightened. “Exactly!”

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