So I Married a Werewolf Read online

  “I’ve already gone through wardrobe, hair, and makeup. Only an asshole would walk out now.” If Margaret was so concerned with my career, she never would have booked me on this job in the first place. “What’s going on?”

  She let out an exaggerated sigh. “I need to be honest with you. Since the incident, it’s been hard to book jobs for you. They all want you to, you know...”

  “Shift.” I finished the sentence for her. “It’s not a dirty word.”

  “No. No, of course not.” Margaret was human, but she had the biggest supernatural client list in the business. Production companies loved us because we saved them a shit ton of money on special effects. Why fake a werewolf shift when you could have the real thing? So I’d let myself be typecast. I worked constantly, mostly on a long-running series called The Wolf’s Moon, with a few movies fit in during breaks for good measure.

  That was, until the incident.

  “I’m booking different projects for you. A reinvention of sorts. If you play a human, you have to go all the way, Logan. These are bigger, higher-profile roles.”

  Of course she’d think human roles were better roles.

  “Last week, when you begged me to take this job, you told me it would be the easiest money I’d ever make. Or was it the easiest money you’d ever make?”

  “Very funny. I’m trying to save your career. Things are changing. It’s a moving target, knowing what’s right for you now.” Her tone changed. “I’ve been getting my hands on some great scripts. But when I pitch you as a potential audition—”

  “Audition?” I hadn’t auditioned in years. I had reads, but most of the time, directors asked for me. The Mating Game might have been easy money for Margaret, but she’d been riding the gravy train with me for years.

  “This is a whole new world, and you’ll have to prove yourself all over again.”

  “I don’t have to prove anything,” I growled.

  “You do, and you need to put that giant wolf ego of yours aside if you want to keep acting. It’s getting out that you’re tied to this dating show. It’s not a job that an actor at the very top of his game would attach his name to.”

  “Let me get this straight. Last week, you thought I was a has-been, and you figured this job might be the last money you’d ever make on me. But now, you have a script on your desk and stars in your eyes, and you want me to bail.”

  She had the nerve to laugh. “When you put it like that, it does sound pretty terrible.”

  “What else is getting out?” I asked, my gaze shifting around my small dressing room. My giant wolf ego expected that the show would want to catch every moment they had with me. Whether my career was on the skids or not, my name was recognizable to both humans and shifters, and this was a brand-new show with a lot to prove.

  “No one knows why The Wolf’s Moon is on hiatus,” she said. “It’s run for ten seasons, and some critics think the time has come for—"

  “I don’t know what your human clients do, Margaret, but I’m a wolf. Let me tell you what wolves do. They don’t bail on their commitments just because something better came along. They see things through to the end and they make them better than they were before.”

  “It’s very admirable.” Her tone was far too sarcastic. “We’ve made mistakes with your career. We pigeonholed you, and this is an opportunity to take things to the next level.”

  “You made mistakes. I gave every role my absolute best. Why don’t you take things to the next level and figure out how you’ll get my next job after I complete my commitment to The Mating Game? That’s what I’m paying you for.” I was a gentleman, and it was the most professional way I could tell her to kiss my ass.

  “Logan,” she said. I was about to hang up on her. “I’m still getting plenty of scripts for wolf roles. They’ll do pretty much anything to get you. You need to make a statement. Tell them why you can’t be a part of their project. They won’t understand why you’re on this show, but you won’t take their jobs.”

  I sighed. “I will. When I’m ready.”

  “Please reconsider. What will your fans think if you’re on a reality show?”

  “Now it’s about my fans?” She was grasping at straws. Once I was done with The Mating Game, it was time to find a new agent. A shifter this time.

  “I can handle the unpleasant part of this for you. Let The Mating Game down easy. All you’d have to do is get in your car and go.”

  “I’m not leaving. I said I’d do this show, and I’m a wolf of my word.”

  A knock on the door startled me, and a production assistant poked her head in. “It’s time. We’re ready for you.”

  “The paparazzi loves these shows like a fly loves shit. If you go through with this, you’ll have to make a statement sooner rather than later. Whether you’re ready or not.”

  She was right. But I was a grown-ass wolf, and I didn’t need anyone to tell me how to save my reputation. I was going on that stage.

  “We’ll deal with that when I’m done with the job.”

  I winked at the production assistant as I hung up. Margaret was still talking, but I’d made a commitment, and I wasn’t going back on it just because it would make my agent’s job harder. She’d just booked this job for me less than a week ago. Said all I’d have to do was go on stage, play to the camera, and answer a few questions.

  She knows something she’s not telling you, my wolf said.

  Wait a minute. I shook my head. I waited for him to say something, anything else. Tell me what the hell he needed from me.

  The production assistant had started down the hallway, and now she stood waiting for me with her head cocked.

  I wanted to tell her my wolf had just talked to me, when I thought he might never do it again. Wanted to hug this human stranger and have her celebrate with me. But I couldn’t tell her this was the first time he’d talked to me since the incident. If all went well, she’d never know about the incident. Playing it cool would be the biggest role of my entire career.

  “We’re excited to have you on The Mating Game, Mr. Mathis. I’m a huge fan of The Wolf’s Moon. I know you’re no stranger to shows like ours, but this is what will happen next,” the production assistant said as she led me down the hall. “Our leading lady, Cindy, will ask the contestants a series of questions before she chooses her mate. There will be a wall between her and the contestants, so she’ll be choosing her mate sight unseen. If that mate happens to be you, then the production crew will pull out all the stops to make sure you’re a match before the mating ceremony of your dreams.”

  Mating ceremony. Wolves mated forever.

  I waited for my wolf to say something now, but he was just as shocked as I was.

  If I got picked, that was what was on the line. A little more serious than the go on stage and answer a few questions I got from Margaret.

  Which was exactly why she wanted me to leave. There was no way I could be picked for this...

  “Is there a script I can take a look at?” I asked. Usually I got one in advance, but they’d hired the best wolf in the business. I’d make the magic happen.

  The production assistant turned and gave me an incredulous look. “We don’t do scripts here. We want your honest answers.”

  My wolf stirred inside me. No more words, but the beast had some life in him yet. “So when you say forever, you mean forever.”

  “Yeah.” She scoffed. “Isn’t that what wolves do?”

  “Yes, they do,” I growled.

  She was human, but she didn’t jump.

  “Is the woman an actor, too?”

  “No, she’s not.”

  That was why Margaret wanted me to run, not walk out the door.

  Stay, my wolf insisted. This job will change your life.

  So that’s why he’d decided to make an appearance. The last movie I worked on had asked me to sign an NDA. If they ever told the truth about why they finished the movie with a fuckton of CGI, they’d owe me more money than they could possibly pay me in this or any other lifetime. They were probably thanking the moon that shifters had evolved out of their immortality.

  Margaret was right. I needed to get the hell out of here, right now. But something about The Mating Game had awakened my wolf.

  I’d never take the advice of a human over my own animal.

  Maybe it was just shifters supporting shifters. We had to stick together. Humans accepted us, but they still considered us to be other.

  The production assistant grinned as she opened the door. The scaffolding supporting the stage came into full view, and there were about ten other guys waiting for direction.

  “What’s going on?” The way I’d understood things, I’d be one of three contestants on the stage. Not competing against a whole pack of wolves.

  And they were all wolves. I recognized a couple of them as character actors, but none of them had the box office pull that I did.

  One of them strode over to me, cocky as hell. “What’s the matter? Logan Mathis doesn’t think he can stand out against the competition?”

  “Boys. Boys!” A drag queen with a pink wig and a sequined dress to match waved her manicured hands. “The only competition on The Mating Game is for Cindy Charon’s heart. Save the wolf fights for the forest.”

  A few rumbles and growls, but no one dared challenge her. The drag queen was a shifter, too, and my wolf knew better than to push her limits.

  “You all know our host, Bibi le Bonnet.” The production assistant swept her hand toward Bibi, who curtseyed at us. “In a moment, you’ll be following her onto the stage for the first round of interviews.”

  “Will my mate be there?” one overly confident wolf asked.

  My own beast growled. It would take some time to get used to him again.

&nb
sp; “Not yet.” Bibi winked at him. “You have to get through me first. I’ll ask you three questions, and the audience will help me decide who moves onto the next round.”

  She turned and headed up the stairs that led to the stage, and the production assistant motioned for us to follow.

  This wasn’t what I agreed to. I had half a mind to call Margaret and tell her that...but she’d already told me to leave. What the hell was I worried about? Answering a couple of questions for Bibi would be a breeze. If she knew who I was, she didn’t let on.

  That wasn’t what was bothering me. Rational me knew I should turn around and leave. There were nine other wolves here willing to compete for Cindy’s heart. One of them would sweep the she-wolf off her feet.

  No.

  The production assistant narrowed her eyes at me, waiting for me to head up the stairs.

  I didn’t want to answer Bibi’s questions. I wanted to talk to my mate.

  Fuck.

  It wasn’t a coincidence my wolf had chosen today to make an appearance. He’d come to claim this woman named Cindy. I didn’t know anything about this woman but her name.

  Yet, my wolf said. Soon, you’ll know everything about her.

  The crowd went wild when they saw me. There was no script, so it couldn’t be that big of a deal if I went to the edge of the stage to soak in some of the love. My fans were the reason I’d gotten contract after contract, and soon, I’d have to tell them why there wouldn’t be any more.

  “I love you, Logan!” someone called out from the crowd.

  “Logan Mathis is my mate!” another yelled.

  “Claim me!”

  “Ladies, we’re taking applications for contestants for The Mating Game, so if you want to be on this stage and have a wolf claim you for his very own, make sure to check our website for more information.” Bibi commanded center stage, and the production assistants motioned for us to take our seats. The guy next to me sized me up, and I nodded to him.

  Shifters recognized each other, but they all knew who I was.

  “Welcome to our first episode,” Bibi continued. “And as part of our live audience, you have an important job to do. Out of these ten hunky wolves, only three will move on to meet the lovely lady who’s looking for a mate today. You get to help me narrow them down.”

  “I’ll take Logan!” someone called out. A few growls emitted from the wolves in the lineup.

  Bibi turned to us, and her gaze landed on me. “Looks like we have someone famous with us today. I’ve been watching Logan Mathis on The Wolf’s Moon and on the big screen for years, and it’s an honor to have him here. So my first question will go to you, Logan. What will make you a good mate?”

  “I can tell you why he won’t be a good mate,” the guy next to me said, earning a chorus of boos from the crowd.

  “Your last movie fired you. Finished without you,” he said. It took everything I had not to pull my phone out of my pocket and speed dial Margaret. “What do you have to offer?”

  “Boys.” Bibi waved to the roaring crowd, signaling for them to be quiet. “There’s no reason to fight. We’ll let Cindy choose her true mate.”

  Chapter Four

  Cindy

  “Is it too late to back out?” I arrived backstage for The Mating Game in a T-shirt and sweats, hair in a ponytail, and no makeup. It wasn’t the first time I’d been here, but it was the first time I’d seen everyone on their marks—I wasn’t quite sure of all the production speak, but I’d be learning in a hurry. “I’ve never felt more out of place in my life.”

  “Don’t you dare.” Wendy laughed. Her episode was slated to film when mine completed, and she’d come with me for moral support. Once I said yes to spending forever with a wolf who wasn’t Pedro. “If you back out, then Bibi will send me up on that stage, and let me tell you, I’m not emotionally prepared for that yet.”

  Now it was my turn to laugh. Wendy was human, but lately, she’d understood what I was going through better than anyone in my pack. She had an unsuccessful appearance on The Real Werewives but she wasn’t giving up on finding a shifter mate. “Spoiler alert. You’ll never be emotionally prepared.”

  Bibi appeared, already gorgeous in full makeup and a pink wig. She wore a silk robe, probably saving her outfit reveal for the stage. Camera people were behind her, and it was official. My episode started right now.

  “If it isn’t my favorite ladies. Cindy, we’re ready for you in the hair and makeup trailer. Once the team is done with their magic, we’ll bring you over to wardrobe. Then it will be time for you to meet your mate. How are you feeling?”

  “Like I’m probably going to puke all over my pretty new dress.”

  No one quite knew what to make of that.

  “Sorry, I spend a lot of time with my four-year-old boys. They’ve got me convinced bodily functions are funny.”

  Bibi waved it off. “The only thing I ask from you is you never apologize for saying what’s on your mind again. You have nothing to be afraid of. I’ll be with you every step of the way on this journey. Come with me.”

  My body was numb as I slipped into the makeup chair. The hairstylist freed my hair from the scrunchie. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d bothered with a professional haircut. Before I had the kids, I’d worked on a farm. Fashion hadn’t been a concern.

  “What do you have in mind?” Bibi asked.

  No one answered. Was I that hopeless?

  She put her hand on my shoulder. Oh, she’d been asking me.

  “What do you think?” It might be dangerous, deferring to someone as glamorous as Bibi, but she wanted the best for me.

  She smiled. “I think we should play up these gorgeous eyes. Have you ever worn lashes?”

  I shook my head.

  “Definitely give those a try. They make all the difference.” She picked up a lock of my hair. “What do you think of a cut?”

  I shrunk back in the chair. “Not sure I’m ready for anything drastic.”

  What I really wanted to say was I wasn’t ready for anything I couldn’t put in a messy ponytail when dealing with the kids, but that would probably disappoint my newly appointed beauty squad.

  “Are you open to a trim?” the hairstylist asked.

  I nodded.

  “Then we can curl it, maybe pull the front of it back?” Bibi suggested. “I want you to feel confident when you head out on that stage. There will be three wolves up there who are willing to do whatever it takes to make you happy.”

  I gulped back the nerves. “Any last-minute advice?”

  “I wouldn’t have chosen you for the very first episode of The Mating Game if I didn’t have the utmost confidence that you’ll knock this out of the park.” She squeezed my shoulder. “I can’t wait to see your transformation when you come onto the stage.”

  And with that, she was gone. I closed my eyes and let the team go to town. They’d blacked out the mirrors and told me to relax.

  Right.

  After a trip to the wardrobe trailer, I was transported back to the makeup trailer. The curtains had been lifted from the mirrors, and I could hardly believe this was me.

  “Wow.” I couldn’t stop staring at myself. The hair and makeup team had transformed me into a woman I hadn’t seen in a long time. My lash extensions looked amazing, and I couldn’t stop examining my eyelids because my eye makeup looked like it came straight from a social media inspiration board. My hair fell in shiny waves down my back, and the wardrobe lady managed to find a bra that picked my boobs up and put them back where they used to be before I breastfed three babies.

  “You look great.” Marissa slid into the makeup chair beside me. “How are you feeling?”

  Bjorn crammed his giant body into the corner so the camera wouldn’t catch him in the mirror’s reflection. Like anyone would notice anything besides my banging cleavage.

  “I’m feeling like I’m going to need a whole bunch of these bras for date nights.” I laughed. “Do you go through hair and makeup every day? I might have to do that too.”

  “If that’s what you want for your dates, we’ll make it happen.”

  “Maybe not, because then I’d have to keep it up after the show is over, and that’s definitely not going to happen. I don’t want to sell this poor guy a lie.” I hadn’t answered Marissa’s question because I was avoiding it. My feelings had been nothing short of volatile for years. “I’m nervous. I’ve never really dated. Pedro and I...”