Ryker came loping up to Daisy, and changed back into human form.
“Where is Jasmine?” Daisy demanded in alarm.
Ryker pointed at a lean brown coyote who was wrestling a member of the Bennett pack to the ground.
“She’ll be fine,” Ryker said to Daisy. “She’s a scrappy one. I’d hate to have her mad at me.”
Then he took her face in his hands. “I hope you know I only told the reporters that our engagement was off so I could fool your mother and Frasier. I wanted their packs to lower their defenses.”
“Jasmine told me that. She said that she’d just come here as an advance scout,” Daisy said. “But I already knew. When I saw that picture of you and your pack, nothing that you said in the story sounded like it came from you. My mother didn’t take into account how well I know you and your family. I trust you. I believe in you. And I believe in us.”
Chapter Twenty
One week later, Daisy sat in Ryker’s office at Big Bad Wolf Apparel, holding Ryker’s hand and waiting to hear the news. The day they’d brought Daisy back, they’d announced that they were no longer seeking traditional investments. Instead, they were taking the company public and using a crowdfunding campaign to finance it. It was an incredibly risky move, and the future of the pack depended on it.
However, there had been an enormous wave of publicity after the Harrison Pack’s rescue of Daisy and Jasmine. It fed into Ryker’s image as a badass; what could be more Alpha than invading another pack’s territory and rescuing your kidnapped mate?
Not only that, but Jasmine had been hired to work for the company as a designer. It gave the company even more street cred to have a teenage graffiti artist designing clothing for them. She was on probation for her revenge graffiti spree, which actually made her even more popular.
They’d done an initial, secret private offering in what was known as “stealth mode” to get feedback from the securities commission and investigate whether an IPO would be viable. Daisy didn’t understand the details and it made her head hurt when Walt kept trying to explain it to her, but if the response was positive, then the company would survive and the pack could keep their land.
Walt walked in the door with a somber look on his face. He cleared his throat and looked sad.
“Well, I’ve got news,” he said, his voice grim.
“What?” Jasmine cried out, looking up from a new jacket design she’d been sketching. “It didn’t work?”
“Oh no,” Daisy said in dismay.
“Cut it out, Walt,” Ryker said in annoyance. He glanced at Daisy. “I know him too well. He’s being a drama queen. If things were really going badly, he’d come in here and try to cheer us up and put a positive spin on things.”
“All right, fine, way to ruin a man’s dramatic moment,” Walt grumbled. Then he grinned at them. “Huge, overwhelming, crazy success. People are throwing money at us. The crowdfunding campaign is going wild, and we’re going to go ahead with the IPO.”
Daisy fell into Ryker’s arms as a wave of relief rushed through her. She’d been petrified that all the controversy surrounding her would be the pack’s downfall.
The factory could expand and they could hire more people. The rec center would be funded. The pack would be able to stay on their land, and pay it off so they’d never be at risk for losing their homes again.
“So does this mean that I’ll get my own office?” Jasmine asked.
“Yes, but you still have to go to school in the morning and you’ll be working for us twenty hours a week during the school year,” Daisy said.
“Aww, man.” Jasmine looked at her with dismay. “I risked my furry hide for you! And I still have to go to school?”
“Boo hoo. Yes, until you are sixteen, it’s the law. You can work here full time over the summer,” Daisy said. “Just be happy your salary is good enough to get you and your grandmother a nicer place, and she doesn’t have to go back to work.”
“Fine,” Jasmine muttered with a shrug.
“Hey, what’s she doing?” Ryker asked. “Is she carving a likeness of you with devil horns into my desk?”
“Let it be,” Daisy advised him. “It’s a Jkat original. Someday it will be worth millions.”
* * * * *
It was crisp and clear on the day of Ryker and Daisy’s wedding, which took place in the clearing by the swimming hole, with the whole pack and most of Daisy’s coworkers in attendance. Cadence and Wynona were her maids of honor. News helicopters buzzed overhead.
Daisy’s wedding dress was sleek ivory silk, with nary a ruffle in sight. Ryker looked splendid in an matching tuxedo.
They were taking a ten day honeymoon, and when they came back, the rec center would be finished. Ryker had handed the reins as CEO of his company over to his uncle, and had joined the board of directors for the rec center. He was drawing up plans for an extension of the rec center to be built on pack property, along with a summer camp, for at-risk students. Ryker would teach them horseback riding and farming, and provide summer jobs for them.
After the wedding ceremony, Harriet bawled like a baby as she watched Daisy and Ryker walking hand in hand through the clearing towards the dirt road where Ryker’s pickup truck was parked. The fact that Daisy had worn the wedding dress sewn for her by Harriet and Marge meant more to her than she could ever express.
Of course, Ryker had threatened Harriet with actual violence if she didn’t stop demanding a specific date that she could expect cubs.
Harriet had ignored him.
“Give me your kerchief,” she sniveled to Lem as they trailed behind the happy couple.
“I’m using it,” he said, dabbing at his eyes. “My allergies.”
“Oh, you big baby.” But then she grabbed his hand and squeezed it hard. “Aren’t they the most gorgeous couple?”
“Sure are,” Lem said, and honked into his kerchief.
As the wedding party walked up to the road, Cadence, who was Daisy’s bridesmaid, let out a cry of alarm.
“Oh, my God, your car has been vandalized!” she said.
Daisy peered at the truck. She recognized the style of graffiti. “Nope, that’s just spray-paint by Jasmine. That must be her wedding present to us.”
“Are you kidding?” Jkat called out from the crowd of shifters. “I’m sending you a bill! That’s a Jkat original!”
Daisy flashed her a grin.
“Goodbye, everybody! Thank you for the best day of my life!” she called out to them, and Ryker did a deep, dramatic bow to the crowd before opening Daisy’s door for her and helping her climb in to the truck.
As they drove away, she stuck her hands out the window and waved at the crowd behind them.
“I’m surprised your mother isn’t following us,” Daisy said, glancing in the rearview mirror to make sure.
Ryker laughed. “Are you kidding? Of course she is, she’s just too cagey to let you spot her,” he said. “To spare her the trouble, I quote unquote left out our vacation itinerary for her to find. She’s just planning on meeting us there.”
“She what?” Daisy cried out in dismay.
Ryker snorted. “Come on, Daisy, you think I didn’t anticipate this? I booked a second destination for us under a fake name. We’ve got ten parent-free days ahead of us.”
“Oh, thank God.” Daisy slumped back in her seat in relief.
“I love you, Mrs. Ryker Harrison,” he added, stroking her knee.
“Mrs. Ryker Harrison,” she mused dreamily. “It has a very nice ring to it.”
Thanks so much for buying The Mating Game: Big Bad Wolf! If you’d like to be notified of future releases, freebies, contests and more, please sign up for my newsletter at http://mad.ly/signups/83835/join I blog regularly at www.georgettewrites.com, and my Facebook page is www.facebook.com/georgettewrites
THE END
<
br />
The Mating Game: Big Bad Wolf Page 13