50

“And before you ask, this isn’t sexism. In the seasons when it’s a single male reject and a bunch of female wolves trying to win him over, it’s the same thing. The main contestant always sleeps alone.”

Zoe crossed her arms and cocked her head. “Always?”

The witch rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean. Some trysts may happen during filming, that’s to be expected—but no crew members or support staff are to stay with the lead contestant.” She turned back to me. “And even though she’s your friend, she’s still designated as your stylist. Therefore, she’s considered support staff.”

“No,” I said firmly. “Absolutely not. I want her with me. We only got here a few hours ago, and I’d like to have someone who knows me to help me get settled.”

I wasn’t asking, I was demanding. The witch could hear it in my voice. I did everything but growl at her. I would not be dissuaded. I’d fight the bitch right there in the hallway if I needed to.

The woman looked ready to argue further, but something in my face must have told her to think again. Finally, the woman sighed with annoyance, then glanced up and down the corridor as if she was afraid someone would hear her.

She held up a finger. “One night, got it? Since it’s your first night, she can stay with you to get you comfortable, but after tonight, you’re on your own. I’ll have to tell the director and Von about this, but I’ll explain you were”—she looked me up and down scornfully—“being difficult.”

I gave her a sickly-sweet smile. “Thanks for that. Come on, Zoe.” I grabbed my friend by the arm and hauled her down the hall, leaving the witch behind us.

“Her magic smells weird,” Zoe whispered with a crinkled nose.

“She probably needs a good lay,” I said absently as I pulled her into my room.

Once the door was locked, I let out a low growl and stomped my foot on the ground. My childish display didn’t give me the catharsis I wanted. Instead, deciding to take a page out of the angry-man textbook, I punched the solid wood door. My strengthened shifter bones didn’t break, and the skin didn’t tear, but it still hurt like a bitch. Not only did it hurt, but I felt no better. Why did men do that? Punching inanimate objects was so stupid. Now I was angry, hurt, and feeling dumb.

“Are you okay?” Zoe asked. She was looking at me like I’d lost my mind.

Cradling my hand, I turned around. “No, I’m not okay. Not with fucking Wyatt here.”

Zoe chewed nervously on her lip. “Yeah, that was a crazy surprise. I found out about three seconds before he showed up. Kolton found me in the crowd and told me. I would have warned you, but…well, you saw how wild it was there.”

It had been wild. The premiere felt like it had been days ago, but somehow it had only been less than five hours ago. A lot had happened in those five hours. It was stressful enough with the show alone, but now Wyatt was here as one of the contestants.

“How the hell did he do it?” I asked, still rubbing my sore knuckles.

“Get on the show? No clue,” Zoe said. “Maybe someone from the council pulled some strings.”

I shook my head. “The council might be powerful enough to do that, but they’d need a reason. The show or island would have to be involved in something highly illegal and criminal to send an operative into deep cover. I’ve never heard even a whisper of anything like that with this show. No, he managed it some other way.”

“True.” Zoe gasped. “You think he’s here to protect you?”

“Doubtful.”

“Did you give it to him so good that he’s now obsessed with you? Maybe he’s on a quest to make you his permanent sex slave.”

“Zoe, please, stop. Besides, it wasn’t that good,” I lied.

“Mmm-hmm,” Zoe grunted as she flopped into a seat. “Sure.”

“I can’t believe how obnoxious he was at dinner. Did you see all the little looks he was giving me? And that goofy introduction around the fireplace? ‘Hi, my name’s Wyatt,’” I mocked. “Ugh. The winking and laughing when I said something he knew I didn’t mean. Like, I know I’m acting for this stupid show, but I don’t need someone subtly pointing it out. It was fucking exhausting.”

Zoe chuckled. “I don’t think the contestants are supposed to know each other before the show starts. I can’t remember that ever happening. I wonder if the showrunners know? As far as everything I’ve read, there’s no firm rule about it.”

“I don’t care what the rules are,” I said. “I’m not giving him a chance to ruin this for me. I’m gonna keep pretending I don’t know him. That’s all I can do. If there is a rule about it, we both might get kicked off. Then, I’ll be even more ostracized. No, I won’t play his little game. As far as I’m concerned, the first time I laid eyes on Wyatt Rivers was on stage at the premiere.”

“That’s probably a smart way to go about it,” Zoe said. “If it got out among the other contestants, it could cause a lot of extra drama. And if there’s one thing The Reject Project doesn’t need, it’s more drama. You’ll have more than enough to deal with as it is. Surviving all the challenges will be difficult. If the other alphas think one of them has an unfair advantage, they may try to sabotage the others. Which is fine and dandy, but sabotaging a competing alpha can sometimes end up putting the woman in even more danger. I think you’re making the right decision.”

“Thanks.” Having her agree with my plan made me feel a little better.

Zoe started getting ready for bed, but I stood at the window, staring out at the jungle beyond. Even through the thick glass and the magic shield, I heard a bizarre keening sound. The volume rose and fell. It was unlike anything I’d ever heard before. It was too dark to see past the magical barrier, and part of me didn’t really want to see what was making that noise.