Page 52 of So I Won a Werelion

I shook my head. “Wanda was too busy playing victim to give us any useful information. No telling if he was the one who found the Scepter, or if he was there for another reason.”

“I’ve been watching social media for mentions of the Scepter,” Dylan said. “Nothing’s come up so far. So either this guy doesn’t realize what he’s got, or he does, and he’s waiting until he has the whole story to go public with it. To be honest, I’m not comfortable keeping those artifacts atThe Mating Gameoffice. They should be on shifter land.”

“The more pieces we get, the more powerful those artifacts will become.” I had no scientific proof of this, but my body was still experiencing aftershocks from coming in contact with theScepter. If I closed my eyes, that ceremony was waiting for me. Wendy’s hot, slick, naked body, begging for me to mark her…

It was all I’d been able to think about since I’d held it in my hands.

“That’s one concern, but the other is you,” Leo said.

“Me?”

“When you retired—” he put air quotes around the word “—there were a few stories speculating about why you’d leave the sport when you were posting better times and stats than you did in your twenties. The press accepted your story that you were ready to live life off the mountain, but ever since you got involved withThe Mating Game, they’ve been taking a closer look.”

“What are they saying?” I growled. Leo was the only beast outside of New Zealand who knew why I came home.

“Nothing yet, but they’re getting warmer. The last article was called “Gabe’s Wild Past” and they quoted people who’d competed against you, and some of them accused you of intimidation off the slope.”

“They’re liars.” But like he said, they were too close to the truth for comfort.

“Maybe these reporters got the real story, and they’re going easy on you because of your history and trying to send you a message.” Leo was my alpha, but it was still uncomfortable for both of us. I was ten years older than him. “No matter what they’re doing, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the Scepter suddenly fell into Wendy’s lap once she became a contestant onThe Mating Game. We need to be prepared for the possibility that whoever has the rest of this is expecting her to come looking for it, and they already have their attack plan in place. Come clean with the guys. We can’t expect other packs to fight with us if they don’t know what they’re getting into.”

Leo’s ominous conclusion sent a chill down my spine.

“I haven’t thought about the Sempiternal Scepter since I was a kid,” Saint said. “I have to admit I’m a little rusty with the stories.”

“Pedro’s been running his mouth about it,” Jackson said. “Honestly, I thought it was bullshit because pretty much everything out of his mouth is a lie lately.”

“What did he say?” Leo asked.

“That some of his new crew had found it and they’re reaping the rewards. Won’t say what they are...just that we’ll find out.” Jackson turned to me. “I don’t remember the stories, either. Can you fill me in?”

I described the scene I experienced. I’d done way more than witness it. “I can barely keep my hands off Wendy since I held it.”

“You’ve got to stay smart. Focused.” Saint had long been considered the lead alpha of the local packs. “I don’t doubt she’s your mate. But there are a lot of shifters and humans around here who have a bad taste in their mouth about her—"

“Stay away from humans,” Leo warned. “You don’t want a repeat of New Zealand if one of those reporters gets mouthy.”

Jackson and Saint glanced at each other.

I sighed. My secret had never only belonged to me. I told them the whole story, and how the people I’d trusted—my coaches and mentors thought it would ruin me for good.

“You need to stay one step ahead of the paparazzi,” Saint said. “If they break this story before you talk about it, you’ll lose control all over again. You need to go big with this, and make sure there’s no stone left unturned.”

“Give it to Bibi,” Jackson added. “Let her do an exclusive.”

Leo groaned.

“They’ve gotThe Mating Gameplatform, and you can’t deny she gets things done.” Saint was one of the executive producersof the show. “If it wasn’t for her, you’d still be licking your wounds from Wendy rejecting you.”

“Okay. I’ll have Bibi break the story.” I rose from the table. I’d come to put a plan in place for the Scepter. Not to clean up my own bad publicity. “But I have a question. If someone planted the Scepter on that land, why did they do it, and what do they want?”

“They could have known Wendy would be working on the job,” Leo suggested. “They took a giant risk, putting that out in the open like that and now we might all pay the price.”

“Get in touch with Bibi now,” Saint growled. “If you need to shift, make sure you have someone with you—”

I growled. “I can take care of myself in a fight.”

“They know that, and next time, they’ll bring friends,” Leo rose and put his hand on my shoulder. “I know you’ve felt out of place in the pride since you’ve come back. We have your back.”

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