Page 1 of Bearnapped at the Altar

Chapter

One

Tegan

My name is Tegan Reynolds, and I am seriously regretting my life choices at the moment.

I couldn’t confide in any of the ladies who had been staying at this glamped-up campsite with me for the last four weeks. We were contestants on Moonlight Mates, a shifter dating reality show where we vied to be chosen by an alpha beast.

Competition for Gideon Silverclaw, billionaire wolf shifter, was cutthroat. And tonight, he was slated give away his final rose.

The excitement around the set was palpable. My fellow contestants had spent the day getting right with the universe and making themselves the most desirable Beastlerette.

I couldn’t believe I was still counted in the ranks of that groan-worthy title. Not only was I forty-one and way too fluffy to be stuffed into this glorified prom gown, but Gideon Silverclaw was the wolf I’d come here to expose.

Did I expect some sort of enemies-to-lovers fairy tale where the lovable, imperfect heroine reformed the big bad wolf? Hell no. My mission was simple: use the notoriety and the money I made from the show to stop Gideon in his wolf tracks. I’d use my fifteen minutes of fame to expose him for exploiting packs and stealing their land.

I had all the time in the world to pursue this mission after I was fired from Gideon’s company, Wild Adventures, for uncovering his plan to extort local shifters out of the land their packs had lived on for generations.

But the joke was on me when he showed up as this season’s Moonlight Beast. He’d pretended he had no idea who I was, after we’d worked together for the last five years. When I tried to alert production, they told me it had to be a case of mistaken identity. Like I didn’t know who I worked with for the last three years. They insisted that lots of Beastlerettes had nerves once their episode started.

Okay, fine. I decided I’d go through with it because maybe I’d get the piece of information that would blow my case wild open. It made filming awkward, because it took everything I had not to confront him on camera.

Plus, with a half-dozen eligible Beastlerettes within earshot at any moment, anything I said could and would be used against me.

The whole time I’d been on this show, I’d pretended to be something I wasn’t. That ended tonight.

The spotlight clicked on, and show host Larrie Winslow strode on too-high heels to the center of the stage. Those were risky on a good day, but tonight, she’d broken into the champagne and started celebrating early.

A gasp radiated from my fellow contestants as Larrie turned her ankle and fell into the moon shaped pool of light.

“Even I get nervous on nights like this.” She chuckled as the production assistants rushed to help her up. She adjusted the column skirt of her dress. “That will be edited out, right?”

“Of course, that’s why we don’t actually film live,” one of the producers assured her. “Everything will look like a fairy tale, because that’s what this is. Right, Beastlerettes?”

A cheer rose from my fellow contestants. I clapped—it felt so gross, but I didn’t want to bring any more negative attention to myself. There was a literal spotlight at the end of the tunnel. I’d collect the money from the show’s contract, and use every penny of it to stop Gideon.

The money wouldn’t cause much more than an annoyance, but it would give me a chance to book all the tell-all interviews as a recently jilted Moonlight Mates Beastlerette.

Once people learned the truth about this wolf, they’d help me put a stop to this nonsense.

What kind of wolf displaced other packs? And most importantly, why?

The director counted down, and Larrie was once again her most radiant self.

“Welcome to this very special episode of Moonlight Mates. Tonight’s the night all you beast lovers have been waiting for.” Larrie beamed. “Tonight, alpha wolf shifter Gideon Silverclaw will give his final rose away under the light of this gorgeous full moon. I can’t think of a more romantic way to bring this season to a close.”

The cameras panned over the Beastlerettes. My fellow contestants gave themselves a quick fluff to make sure they were ready for their second of screen time.

I couldn’t breathe as Gideon took the stage. Tonight he was dressed in a tux that hugged his slim but muscular body. A suit and tie never really did it for me, but I could understand the attraction. His dark hair had been slicked back on the sides, and the curls on top left free. His jaw was square, and his gray eyes glowed in the moonlight like he might shift and ravage his new mate.

Normally, I was into that sort of thing, which was why I was here, but with him? Hell no.

He nodded and smiled as he took us all in.

I’d never felt so much like I’d joined a cult in my entire life. Or like my longline strapless bra was about to give out at the worst possible moment. I wasn’t sure which scenario I preferred.

“Gideon, you’ve taken your eligible Beastlerettes out on a series of romantic and thought-provoking dates. You got to know a little about each lady, and in turn, they were lucky enough to get to know you.” Larrie batted her eyelashes at him, and I had a feeling she hoped he’d choose her in the biggest plot twist of all. “It’s such a big decision to choose just one of them to be your mate.”

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