Page 17

Chapter Seventeen

Tegan

“Never seen you done up before,” Barrett said from the makeup chair beside me. “I like it.”

“You did on my fake wedding day.”

He shook his head. “Doesn’t count because it had been ruined by the time I had a chance to really get a good look at you.”

“So which one is better? Hot mess express or just plain hot?” A piece of me wanted him to vote for door number one because this level of glam was a lot of work every day, and the last thing I wanted to do was disappoint the bear when he saw me in my ripped jeans and vintage concert T-shirt collection.

But I could probably get used to this bombshell thing too.

He rumbled. “They both have appeal.”

The last place I ever expected to find myself was back on the set of Moonlight Mates . Today, the crew had an energy I’d ever seen before. It was magnetic.

I wondered how long Larrie had been making terrible deals at the expense of everyone on the show. She wouldn’t be able to do that any longer. Rumors were flying around that The Real Werewives were interested in taking on the future Beastlerettes, and were already in talks with some former contestants to see if they could give them the happily ever after they deserved. There were a lot of fictional stories that came to life on the set of reality shows, but I really hoped this one was true.

A lot of people’s lives were about to change, including mine.

“Do you want to go with your regular lipstick, or something bolder?” the makeup artist asked, holding out my usual light pink gloss with a little shimmer, which had seemed so sassy before, and a gorgeous hot pink. No shimmer. Just rich, bold color.

“That one.” Today, I was team magenta. I let her apply the color and then turned to Barrett.

He’d gone through a complete grooming ritual—his hair had been trimmed, his beard shaped and tamed with the most delicious smelling oil…I couldn’t wait until we were done with this press conference.

“What do you think?” I asked.

There was fire in those dark eyes. The wardrobe team had dressed him in a black button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows and dark jeans. “I think you’re absolutely gorgeous. I always thought that, but I love seeing you in your element.”

“I don’t know if this is my element.” I was wearing a light purple mini dress with a lace overlay and the softest little black cardi over it.

“Should be.”

I narrowed my eyes at Barrett. “Are you growling?”

“If I am, does it mean you’ll wear more of those dresses and that lipstick?” He waggled his brows. “Until we’re alone, that is.”

“Absolutely.” I leaned in closer, but I didn’t care who heard me flirt with my bear. “I’ll make sure you’re wearing this lipstick in some very scandalous places.”

“Can’t fucking wait.” Definitely a growl.

“We’re ready when you are.” A production assistant stood at the door, probably saving us from ripping each other’s clothes off in the middle of the makeup trailer.

“Let’s do this.” I took a deep breath as I rose from the chair. Barrett offered me his hand when we got outside.

Damn right I took it.

I loved the quiet confidence of this bear. He could’ve easily torn Gideon to shreds in that office to avenge what he’d done to his clan, but instead, he let me finish what I started. My original plan of humiliating the wolf publicly wasn’t so important anymore. Now I wanted everyone he’d wronged to have a chance to share in this moment of justice. I couldn’t give them back what they had lost, but I could reassure them that he’d never be able to hurt anyone else.

Reporters shouted at us as we approached the stage.

“Tegan, how long have you been planning to destroy Gideon Silverclaw’s empire?”

“We heard that you were fired from his company. Care to comment?”

“Who’s this man with you? Is he a shifter?”

“Wait, isn’t he the one who abducted you on your wedding day?”

“Are you going to reshoot your episode so he can be your Moonlight Beast?”

“Would you consider The Real Werewives offer for a do-over?”

My legs shook as I climbed the stairs. Gideon was already there, along with Larrie. She stepped to the podium first.

“Thank you for gathering on such short notice. As you can see, Tegan Reynolds has been found alive and unharmed, which is such a relief to all of us. Thank you so much for your well wishes.” She pressed her hand to her heart.

It took everything I had not to roll my eyes. Less than twenty-four hours ago, she’d been ready to destroy me, and now the tables had turned.

“You’ve all gathered to hear the statement she’s prepared, so without further ado, I’ll turn the microphone over to her.”

Silence had fallen over the crowd. Barrett leaned in close and squeezed my hand. “You’ve got this, babe.”

I winked at him and then headed to the podium. As much as I’d dreamed of this moment, I’d never thought it would be so public. After a season of Moonlight Mates , I knew how hungry the reporters were for a juicy story. There was a possibility one of them could throw me a curveball that could ruin our case.

Deep breath. Trust the process.

I’d thought about writing down my statement, but there had never been a better time to speak from my heart.

“In the three years I worked for Gideon Silverclaw, I witnessed him do unspeakable things that cost some shifters their homes and others their lives. I always knew I had to do something, but what? I was just a middle-aged lady who had trouble paying her rent. How would I take on a huge company? That was what led me to Moonlight Mates , because I wanted to use my fifteen minutes as a chance to right his wrongs. If I was famous, maybe I could get people to listen. To care. But what I didn’t know was Gideon was one step ahead of me. He worked with the production company to find a way to silence me for good. Yes, Larrie Michaels and Moonlight Mates were complicit in his plan. I’m not Gideon Silverclaw’s mate. Trapping me into a marriage against my will was a way to keep his nefarious business practices quiet for good. But I’ve been able to uncover the evidence that proves that Gideon was negligent in his dealing with the shifters who had participated in the Wild Adventures tours, that he had displaced many of them, had deals in place to take more land from shifters, and not give them what he had promised in return. I’ve turned those files over to the proper authorities, and they will be made available by the legal teams soon. Going public won’t give those shifters their land or their lives back, but they can rest easy knowing Gideon Silverclaw won’t take anything from anyone ever again. I believe he’s also prepared a statement.”

I couldn’t wait to look him in the eye when I stepped away from the podium. I had nothing to hide, nothing to apologize for, nothing to be ashamed of.

But the wolf bastard wouldn’t meet my gaze.

“On behalf of Silverclaw Enterprises and Wild Adventures, I deeply apologize to anyone who feels that I’ve wronged them. My lawyers are reviewing the evidence Ms. Reynolds obtained for its legality, and I’ll make a more in-depth statement after I’ve spoken to them.”

But the biggest statement of all were the police officers who waited for Gideon and Larrie at the bottom of the stage.

“Sweet moon, is that not the most satisfying thing ever?” I said to Barrett as the officers cuffed them and hauled them away.

Barrett shook his head. “Watching you completely ruin that asshole was the only thing that could possibly top it.”

The reporters went wild as he pressed a kiss to my forehead.

“Let’s get out of here,” he said. “Assuming you still want to hang out with me. You’re not in danger anymore. You don’t need me to protect you.”

I took his hands in mine. “Bear, I would follow you anywhere.”