Page 12 of So I Fell for Bigfoot

“Because I feel bad sending anyone home. These guys were here because they want a mate.”

“That’s sweet, which is why the shifter you choose will be lucky to have you. There will be more episodes, and only one of them can be fated to you,” Bibi reminded me. I was probably reading way too much into the way she pursed her lips together. Like I’d made the wrong decision. “Of course, some shifters have more than one mate, but we have yet to encounter that onThe Mating Game. We’re all dying to know, Hannah. Which one of these shifters will you be giving a chance at forever?”

I closed my eyes for a long blink, doubting every decision I’d ever made. But I had to stop beating myself up long enough to try to pick up on Lars’s vibration. If he could dig me out of a freaking avalanche, I could choose him from the other side of the stage.

“I choose Shifter Number One.” I beamed. I was fairly certain I’d made the right choice, but I wouldn’t know until Lars came around the corner.

Bibi’s face fell, and her mouth formed a purple O.

Oh, shit.

six

Hannah

“Well then, let’s meet the lucky winner, shall we?” Bibi said. “We actually don’t know too much about this wolf, but he says he is an expert on Sunset Springs history and he’s very interested in protecting the future. Hannah, please say hello to Armand!”

The stage rocked in response to a sound that I would imagine was similar to a volcano erupting. The only other time I’d heard any similar noise was when Lars had rescued me. He’d saved my life and I couldn’t even pick him on a dating reality show.

I had to fix this.

The crowd gasped, their eyes glued to the other side of the stage.

“No!” I cried. “That was a mistake. I meant Shifter Number Three.”

For once, my fairy dragmother had been rendered speechless.

I was about to run over to the other side of the stage when a really hot guy appeared from the other side of the wall. His hair was red with a white streak in the front. His skin was smooth, and he looked like he might be younger than me. Bright blue eyes. His suit fit well, and he probably had a decent body under there.

Under normal circumstances, I’d let this wolf buy me a drink at a bar.

But these were not normal circumstances, and I couldn’t let him think for a minute that he had a chance of claiming me.

“I’m so glad you picked me, Hannah.” Armand reached for my hands and I pulled them away. The crowd was in chaos, and I had to fix this. Now.

“It was a mistake. I’m not your mate.” I pushed past him. “I need to find Lars.”

Armand grabbed my arm. “You don’t know who he really is.”

Dude was strong. He grinned as I struggled to get away from him. “If you don’t let go of me, I’ll kick you in your wolf junk.”

The crowd hooted.

“Feisty. Just how I like them.” He pulled me toward him. “You’re perfect, you know that?”

My body went into autopilot. A swift connection of my knee to his groin loosened his grip enough to give me the chance to get away. The crowd roared once again, and I charged to the other side of the stage.

Now they were booing. Whatever. I did not give one single fuck if anyone thought this was fixed. This was more than a TV show, this was my life. Lars’s heart.

I couldn’t believe I let him down like this. He’d only agreed to go on stage and expose his natural form to all these humans so I could have the full experience of the show. I’d put him in danger, but I had no idea that I’d be the one who delivered a near-fatal blow. Why didn’t Bibi hold up three fingers? She knew me well enough to know I couldn’t be trusted with important decisions like who I’d spend the rest of my life with, sight unseen. That was why I’d placed my future in her well-manicured hands.

Something about Armand raised my hackles. I’d figure out what exactly it was later—after I’d fixed this massive mistake and I was safe in Lars’s big, fuzzy, strong arms.

When I got to the other side of the stage, there was no sign of Lars. My heart shattered into pieces.

One of the production assistants pointed toward backstage. I ran down the stairs, only finding Marissa and Tina with pinched expressions of worry on their faces.

That couldn’t be good.

---