The Werewolf King Series

The Werewolf King’s Mate

RORY

Scurrying around the house with dripping wet hair, I already knew I was not going to make it to this meeting on time.

I woke up late, and I probably shouldn’t have tried to squeeze in that trip to the gym. In my defense, this was meant to be my day off, and the last thing I had been expecting was to have a wedding scheduled for next week calling to ask me to step in.

Next week!

I received the call five seconds ago, and the client was demanding my presence at her venue in the next half hour. At first, I was tempted to turn it down. I mean, a last-minute wedding was no easy feat.

But then, she started talking about the venue and guest list. Then, she told me how much I’d be compensated. Needless to say, she’d made it difficult for me to say no.

My business has been on a steady rise lately, but it wasn’t there yet. And a girl’s gotta eat!

At this point, I really only had two decisions. Either I was climbing into a cab with wet hair or with my undereye circles naked to the world because there wasn’t time for hair and makeup today. Decisions, decisions.

I still couldn’t believe this woman had called me, of all people. I mean, this was New York City. There certainly wasn’t a shortage of wedding planners, and it sounded like their budget didn’t have a cap.

It had long been a dream of mine to land something like this to add to my portfolio, and I couldn’t help but worry that it must be too good to be true. Offers like this always were.

Sure, I’ve worked with plenty of bridezillas in my time, and I even spoke their language quite well, or so I’ve been told, but what did I need to be preparing myself for here?

It didn’t matter. I would worry about that on the drive down, but for now, I needed to squeeze my ass into a skirt and drag a comb through my wet hair.

If I went light on the makeup, maybe I could pull my soaking-wet mane into a bun—that could be professional. Right?

I didn’t care. That’s what I had time for. If they didn’t like it, well, they could give me some notice next time.

Beep, beep.

Shit, the driver was here, and my buttons weren’t even fastened. I hopped around on one foot, trying to drag on my shoe. I quickly gathered the last of my things and promised myself never to agree to a meeting like this again.

Even if she offered me a million dollars, it wasn’t worth walking out into the street half-dressed.

***

Okay, so maybe this wedding would be worth the trouble, I considered as we walked around the giant estate.

When I had been pulling up down the long gravel driveway onto the secluded property just outside of the city, I wondered why on earth I hadn’t seen this venue listed before?

I thought I had all the hidden gems pinned down, or at least all of the ones within a twenty-mile radius, but this was something else altogether.

This place could play host to a royal wedding, and even a princess would find nothing to complain about here. The marble flooring was flawless and polished. The natural light was extraordinary, and don’t even get me started on the decor! If I weren’t about to meet my client, I’d have gotten lost examining the art in the entry hall, but luckily, she found me just in time.

Arya was the definition of the perfect bride-to-be—friendly and so naturally beautiful that I found myself staring for a second when she first shook my hand.

Long blonde hair, big eyes, and a refined nature, she hurried up to me with a smile. She resembled a carved marble statue—too perfect to be your typical human.

As I was getting to know her better, I discovered that this estate was actually her family home, and the whole wedding was being bankrolled by her billionaire brother or something.

I made a mental note to ask for an introduction. If I could list this place as a private venue, it wouldn’t just be me who made a ton of business off the back end.

“Let me introduce you to my fiancé, Mike,” her face lit up just at the mention of him. For a second, I felt jealous of the love sparkling in her eyes.

It surprised me, as I was usually good at keeping my emotions at bay around a client. When you worked with loving couples as much as I have, you got used to the sappy nicknames and quirky meet-cutes.

Still, there was no faking the love in her eyes just now. I wished I had someone I loved like that.

The groom was, erm… well, let’s just say that he was a less photo-perfect client. His hair looked unwashed, and he’d obviously been sweating a lot. I also caught his eyes lingering on my breasts for far too long to classify it as an accident.

It depressed me to see a man like that marrying a beautiful, kind woman like Arya, but that was none of my business. I was here to give them the perfect wedding, and that’s just what I would do.

Who cared if the groom was a creep? As long as the bride was happy, I was happy, and I could also promise that my bank account was about to be a satisfied customer as well. Did that make me a bad person?

“Do you think you can do it?” Arya pouted in my direction. “I just hate to have to dump this on you last minute, but my original planner, Harriet, had her baby a month early, and your reviews were amazing online.”

I checked the list we’d gone over again—while mentally thanking my new website—before answering. I failed to see anything impossible on the list of requests she had handed to me.

She was perfectly reasonable with her expectations, and goodness knew she had the budget to make it all happen.

She needed that huge budget, though, given how expensive some of these requests were—a starry-night ceiling made of crystal?”

“I think this will be perfect! Leave it with me.” I gave her my best charming smile.

She squealed with joy.

I could actually see myself enjoying this wedding more than most. I definitely enjoyed a good challenge. As long as this Mike character kept his distance, I’d just be counting the days.

What could go wrong?