Seduced by the Rogue Wolf

As a she-wolf, I took being named after the moon seriously.
She was my goddess and my guiding light. And when the earth spun me away from
her? Torture.

“You’re like your namesake. You drive men wild,” Nana said
with a dismissive wave when I told her about my latest venture as a contestant on
The Real Werewives of Sawtooth Forest. “They’ll be fighting over which
one gets to claim you, like they go into the forest and fight every full moon.”

“That makes zero sense, Nana.” I checked my makeup in my
vintage compact, reminding myself I was a fucking force to be reckoned with,
even when I wrapped myself up with lipstick and pretty bows. “Fated mates means
two wolves are meant to be together. Any other wolf should be on the hunt for his
own mate.”

“This pack follows tradition only when it suits them,” she
said. “Otherwise, you would’ve never been contracted to a wolf you didn’t
belong to.”

“That’s why I refuse to settle for less than my fated mate.”
I snapped the compact closed and dropped into my purse. I’d bought them in the
same thrift shop when I was hiding out in Austin. I didn’t have a lot of
things, which meant I treasured everything I had. “It’s the only reason I came
back to Sawtooth Forest. I only have room in my life for things I love—art,
passion, or mates.”

“You’re perfect for this TV show.” Nana chuckled. “You’ll
help them sell the fantasy. We’ll have an influx of humans coming here, hoping
to snag their own personal werewolf. They’ll be high on romance and in for one
helluva tumble when they see what it really means to be pack.”

I gave an obligatory eye roll any time someone said what
it means to be pack. If it was a drinking game in Granger Falls, I’d never
be sober enough to operate heavy machinery. Yesterday, at the press conference
announcing the show, I cheered Shadow Channing on as he shattered all the tired
misconceptions about what wolves did. First and foremost? He’d freed the
she-wolves from their mate contracts. We’d barely had time to adjust to that
before he dropped the second bomb. Effective immediately, we’d outed ourselves
to humans.

I’d spent a good part of my adult life hiding. Instead of
fighting my contract, I ran. When I was eighteen, leaving was the biggest
middle finger I could give the arrangement. Now that I was back, I was
determined to leave my mark on this pack.

“Good. Maybe they’ll quiet down all the fools who think
we’re dangerous.” They hadn’t given me too much trouble, but they’d made my
best friend Willow the target of their attacks after she left her marriage to a
wolf she should’ve never been with in the first place.

“We are dangerous, Luna.” Nana sighed. “So much time away
from your pack made you forget your she-wolf nature.”

“No.” I let a little growl slip for good measure. “I’ve been
discovering what it means to be Luna. I’m more than someone’s mate. I’m a she-wolf
who wants things, loves fiercely, and will protect my right to do so.”

“I’d never expect anything less. But we have a new set of
concerns, now that Shadow Channing decided it was a good idea to out us to
humans.”

“I’ve been living as a human for the last ten years.” I
laughed when Nana made a face like she’d just sucked on a lemon. “They don’t
pose a threat to a pack.”

She shook her head. “They play by different rules than we
do, and that takes our advantages away.”

“Any good wolf should know how to gain an advantage on a
human.”

“Do you?”

“A girl never tells her secrets. You taught me that.” Truth
was, I’d passed for human so convincingly it had never been an issue. “On that
note, how do I look?”

“Like a handful.”

“Good.” For the party tonight, I’d chosen a body-hugging
leopard print dress that hit just above my knee. Winter lasted until almost
summer in Granger Falls, so I had a pink faux fur jacket that went over it. It
contrasted with my blue hair but matched my heels and lipstick. I was going all
in on this Real Werewife gig. No matter if I found a fated mate or not, I would
not be forgotten.

Nana kissed me on the cheek as I headed out the door. “I
can’t wait to meet the wolf who’s brave enough to be your mate.”

**

The Redheaded Stepchild never had a reputation for being a
chill place, and that hadn’t changed while I was away. Protesters greeted
Willow and me as we walked the red carpet, and she was freaking out.

A little piece of me loved that humans were so upset about sharing
space with another species. In most of the country, shapeshifters were out, but
the Sawtooth pack had kept their secret. The announcement wouldn’t change anything
for the humans, but I didn’t come back here for things to stay the same.

Willow’s jitters weren’t the only reason I’d encouraged her
to go into the infamous Werewives’ confessional booth first. I hadn’t been to
The Redheaded Stepchild since I used to sneak in here underage to cause trouble
with wolves I didn’t belong to.

When I realized how little Shadow’s declarations had changed—how,
even after a decade, the same men sat on the same barstools, the pool tables
still loomed in the dark corner, and sweet moon, Red Heaven still existed. That
place held secrets I’d take to the grave…

I couldn’t breathe. I’d definitely changed, but my faith
that Granger Falls could make good on its promise to do the same waned.

Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.

Could one of these wolves be the one I was meant to spend
the rest of my life with? Would they care about my hopes and dreams, when
theirs fit so snugly nestled into this valley?

Someone plowed into me with their shoulder, almost knocking
me off my high heels. “Out of the way, wolf.” A woman I’d never seen before
sneered at me.

How did she know?

I was determined to make my mark, but a woman could change
her mind when something turned out to be an absolute shitshow. If I left now it
wouldn’t be a big deal. Besides Willow and Nana, no one would miss me. I hadn’t
kept many friendships when I left town. I’d reached out to Willow when I came
back because she had to be feeling as lost and lonely as I was. There was a
line of hopeful Werewives out the door. One of them would be more than happy to
take my episode.

“I had a feeling I’d see you here, Luna.” Justin, the wolf
I’d been sold to all those years ago, the one I’d spent my entire adult life
avoiding, stood in front of me wearing a lopsided grin and one of his many
suits, like he had to make sure everyone in the room knew he was important.

Somehow, he’d always managed to track me down and send me
trinkets to remind me of his inflated opinion of himself. He missed the mark by
several miles every time.

“Are you a Real Werewife?”

The temptation to say no was overwhelming. “I am.”

“I signed up for the show, too. You can’t deny what a
coincidence that is.” Somehow, he’d moved closer, sucking the little bit of
remaining oxygen out of the room. “Are you ready to give me a chance, moon
child?”

“Don’t call me that.” I tried to step away from him, but the
bar was crowded, and he moved with me. He’d never respected my boundaries; it
was unreasonable for me to expect him to start now. But it would never stop
pissing me off. “Justin, you finally have the opportunity to find the she-wolf
who wants you. Don’t waste it. Please.”

“I want you,” he insisted. “We have a contract.”

I shook my head, swallowing my fury he still thought that
worthless piece of paper bound me to him. “You want to own me. I’m not for
sale.”

“Shadow Channing doesn’t get to change everything about this
pack.”

“If you’ve learned anything about me, it’s that I don’t wait
around for the men of this pack to tell me what I can and can’t do.” This time,
I managed to get around him and headed straight for the bar, letting the crowd
swallow me.

Tessa Williams, executive producer of The Real Werewives,
had promised she recruited wolves from outside the Sawtooth pack when she
assembled the cast. Because I’d had concerns about the very thing that just
happened. Justin was a lawyer, and he was probably cooking up a plan to keep
the Sawtooth pack in legal purgatory over those contracts. Didn’t matter. That
wasn’t what I signed up for. I had a fated mate out there somewhere. I never
imagined I’d find him in Sawtooth Forest, but I was willing to try almost
anything.

And at this point, I’d take a shot of anything, but
whiskey was strong enough to burn away my doubts and give me a fresh
perspective…

I closed my eyes and shuddered as I downed the shot. Heat
radiated through my body as the whiskey erased my bad feelings about running
into Justin. The rules were different now.

A man stood on the other side of the bar. Many men—the place
was packed, and a band wailed through their set—but this man was different. I
blinked to make sure my eyes weren’t lying to me after an infusion of ninety
proof, but he didn’t change. He was definitely a wolf, all freaking wolf. His
T-shirt clung to his muscular chest, riding up on his biceps. I gulped, because
he’d caught me checking him out. Normally, this guy wasn’t my type—I’d bet he
was insanely loyal to whoever his pack leader was, and more comfortable in the
forest than in this packed room full of people.

It was sexy as hell.

Maybe he was my type after all. I met his gaze, and from
across the bar, his eyes shined like platinum. Dark hair fell past his
shoulders, and he ran his fingers through it, pushing it away from his face.

I looked down at the shot glass, wishing I had more magic
potion.

When I looked up again, he was gone.

I caught a flash of Willow.

“Hey, how did it go?” I asked, but the look on her face said
everything I needed to know. She didn’t answer and plowed right into a massive
mountain of man. Now it was my turn to be shell-shocked, because he was with
the gorgeous creature I’d locked eyes with across the bar. But now was not the
time to make a move.

Something was happening with Willow and her wolf. She wiped
tears away from her cheeks and smiled as she walked away with him. Okay, so
maybe I could talk to his friend. We definitely had a common interest.

“Ready to come into the confessional?” Tessa’s question made
me jump. I’d let my guard down, confusing being back in my hometown with
safety, and I was making rookie mistakes.

“Now?” I almost said my forever mate is right
there, but the last thing I wanted was for Tessa to make an awkward
introduction. And my she-wolf was still urging me to run.

She shrugged. “Doesn’t have to be. We have a few Werewives
who have already signed on, but none of them stand out on camera like you do.
We’ve had multiple wolves express interest in you already.”

I was about to ask who, but I didn’t really care unless it
was the man from the other side of the bar. The friend of the wolf that had
disappeared with Willow. And unless he’d seen me come in and made a beeline to
Tessa, who’d been in the confessional booth with Willow pretty much the entire
time I’d been in the bar…he wasn’t one of the wolves she was talking about.

“I have my eye on someone.” Awkward introductions be damned.
I had control of my destiny on the show. Tessa had drilled that into us since
she first pitched the idea. Especially to the she-wolves who’d been under
contract. I always loathed that term. It sounded like we’d negotiated a deal.

We’d been sold.

Tessa’s expression brightened. “Excellent. Show me who he
is. If he’s not signed up for the show yet, I’ll pitch him.”

Oh, right. I had to find a fated mate that was willing to
fall in love with me in front of an audience.

“He’s right…” He was still there, in all his tall, dark, and
handsome glory, but now he had company. Tate Ulrich, Willow’s ex and shit-stirrer
extraordinaire, had walked in, flanked by his boys. I groaned. This could mean
nothing but trouble for my friend.

If he saw her with another wolf, he’d do whatever he could
to stop it. The wolves in this pack had a hard time letting go, even of things
that should have never belonged to them.

My wolf nudged his friend, tipped his chin toward Tate, and then
followed him. They were either working with them or against them. Neither
option was good.

I didn’t miss this crap when I was away from Sawtooth
Forest.

“I have to find Willow. You can follow me if you want.”
Having a camera record whatever was about to go down was convenient. “I have a
feeling all hell is about to break loose.”