Mated to the Playboy Wolf: A BBW Valentine's Day Wolf-Shifter Romance

by Cara Wylde

  “Life is good.”

  ***

  “Oh. My. God.”

  Tessa’s hand shook uncontrollably as she read the message on her phone. Matt was asking her to be his bride. Already? Was he serious? Sure, she wasn’t the most experienced in this whole mail-order bride thing, but that seemed a little excessive. Shouldn’t they message for a bit longer, then meet up, see if there was any real-life chemistry between them, before jumping right in? After all, marriage was for life. The service Alma Venus was offering was incredibly serious. She didn’t want to assume that Matt was treating it all as a joke, especially not after she’d been so honest and put so much of herself into it, but what else was she supposed to think?

  Unfortunately, she couldn’t freak out and scream because she was sitting in the middle of a classroom, surrounded by many other girls in the same position as she was. She glanced around her, looking at everyone with panic in her blue eyes, but all her colleagues were too focused on their studies to notice anything different about the blonde sitting at her desk.

  Tessa didn’t really have any friends at the agency, anyway, which was more than likely her own fault. When she had arrived at Alma Venus, she had felt too broken from all her horrible past experiences, so she kept mostly to herself. She wasn’t brave enough to put herself out there, and no one seemed to want to bother with her, either. There was only one person she could talk to about this dilemma, and that was Monique Delacroix, the manager of Alma Venus. At least, with her years of experience, she’d be able to tell her whether this was as unusual as it seemed, or not…

  As the class started drawing to a close, Tessa packed her belongings. Usually, she was one of the last to gather up her things. She was always the one still writing as everyone else left, but she couldn’t concentrate today, not with that message sitting in her inbox, waiting for an answer. She needed to figure out what to do, and it was better to do it as soon as humanly possible.

  She all but ran from the classroom and tore down the corridor, the entire time her ears buzzing with the secret knowledge that she’d been proposed to. Of course, that was the reason she had come to the agency in the first place. That was the end goal of Alma Venus. But she still couldn’t manage to understand how it had happened so quickly and unexpectedly. Was it just her luck? Or… maybe, her curse?

  When she reached the manager’s office, Tessa stopped to catch her breath and smooth down her clothes and hair. Monique Delacroix was one of those intimidating business women one wouldn’t want to disappoint by looking and behaving less than excellently. After taking a deep breath, Tessa tapped lightly on the door. As it creaked and swung open, she found herself almost at the point of hysteria, which showed in her slightly manic expression and twitchy body language. She hadn’t expected Miss Delacroix herself to open the door, and now that she was face to face with her, it was almost impossible for her to keep her emotions in check.

  “What’s going on, Tessa?” Miss Delacroix asked her, remembering her well, despite having hundreds of students at her agency. She might have been sixty-six years of age, with greying hair that had seen better days, but her mind was still as sharp as ever, and once she saw a face, she never forgot it. “You seem a little distressed.”

  Tessa gulped and tried to keep herself calm. Miss Delacroix was one of those well put together types, the sort of women who always looked good, no matter what. Her red lipstick never smudged, a stray hair never dared to leave her bun, her stark black dresses never wrinkled. She was the sort of woman Tessa would love to become one day. Unfortunately, she had been blessed with the scatty gene, which meant it would never happen.

  “I got this message,” she eventually gasped out, handing the manager her phone, figuring that the text would explain itself far better than she could. “From Matt, Beta or Karl Blackmane. He started talking to me last night, and then today… well, see for yourself.”

  “I know Matt,” Miss Delacroix said quietly as her eyes scanned the page. Her eyebrows knotted up in confusion, which caused Tessa’s anxiety levels to soar through the roof.

  “Do you… have you met him? In person?” She thought about seeing that red hair, those gorgeous eyes, that wonderful body in real life, and it made her incredibly nervous.

  Monique looked at Tessa with her deep, grey eyes, trying to work out just where her student’s head was at. She had seen many, many things during her time as manager of Alma Venus, so nothing really surprised her anymore. Yet this… all of a sudden… coming from Matt… It did take her aback. From what she knew about him, he had no desire to meet a human and settle down, but then again… anyone could change.

  “I’ve met him once, but it’s more his reputation that precedes him,” she finally said.

  Tessa hung her head in shame. She should have probably felt that something had to be wrong with him. Yet, last night she had had so much fun that none of her red flags had been triggered.

  “He’s a very fiery and impulsive character, but he’s also very devoted. To his Alpha and his pack,” Miss Delacroix continued.

  “What… what do you think about him?” Tessa asked shyly.

  She couldn’t believe she was in this position, never mind having this conversation. What sort of world did she live in where she had to ask her manager about her potential future husband? If someone had told her over a year ago that this was where her life would end up, she probably would have laughed hysterically at the idea. Back then, she might not have been content, but at least things were making sense around her. How wrong she’d been… Again.

  Miss Delacroix gave her back her phone and took her hands in hers, squeezing them kindly.

  “He’s a good guy,” she nodded in a reassuring manner. “He is, but it’s up to you to decide what you want to do. You should follow your heart. Your instincts know better than anyone you might ask for advice, trust me.”

  “So, this isn’t totally bizarre? This is okay?”

  “Trust me, dear,” Miss Delacroix mused, smiling secretly to herself as memories from her past flooded her mind. “This isn’t by any means the strangest thing I’ve seen happening at Alma Venus. Now, I do believe you might be late for your next class, in which case I’ll write you a note. Just spend some time to really think it through. You’ll know what’s best for you.”

  “Thank you,” Tessa nodded.

  She waited for Miss Delacroix to write a note and hand it to her, then headed for the door. She wasn’t sure their chat had clarified anything at all, but at least she wasn’t a dithering mess anymore. That had to be something, right?

  She just needed to focus on getting through this day, then everything would be okay. She could make some decisions later, maybe speak to Matt the next day. If he was the right one for her, then he wouldn’t mind waiting.

  This was an opportunity, a huge one, that might never come her way again, but she couldn’t help fearing the consequences of saying “yes” too soon. What if he didn’t like her when he met her in person? What if she didn’t like him? Then again, she couldn’t imagine not having strong feelings for Matt when she saw him in person, considering what his picture alone did to her. But marriage? Already? She wasn’t sure about that one.

  ***

  Tessa slid under the bubbles of her bath, allowing the day to wash off her. She’d struggled to focus since morning, learned nothing from her classes, and now all she wanted was to forget it all. This mess with Matt was totally consuming her, and she still had no idea what to do with it. He’d asked her to marry him after only one conversation, and the crazy thing was that a small part of her actually wanted to go through with it!

  As the water covered her face, she prayed that a solution would come to her. What she needed to do was listen to Miss Delacroix and follow her heart, but the problem was she didn’t really know what her heart truly wanted yet. Maybe she should try and speak to Matt a little, find out more about him before making any serious, future altering decision, but as she reemerged from the strawberry scented bubbles, grab
bed her phone and logged on, she was faced with the very words that had put so much fear and confusion into her:

  hot_freckled_dude: Good morning, beautiful! I hope you managed to get some sleep. I know last night I asked you on a date, but today I think it might be better if we took it one step further than that. All I can think about is you and my future with you, so… will you be my bride?

  How the hell did he expect her to respond to that? Did he think she would be over the moon, too overjoyed to see the craziness of it all? With a racing heart and an intense heat flooding her body, she typed the only words she could.

  Tessa: Hello, Matt.

  “Hello” was possibly the lamest thing she could say, but it was that or nothing. She could see that he was online, but he didn’t respond right away, which made her anxious. Maybe she was being hurtful with her evasive reply, but she didn’t mean to be. Hopefully, he had gotten enough of a sense of her the night before to know that much.

  hot_freckled_dude: So, what do you think?

  His reply almost infuriated her. Her own gut reaction to it surprised her, as Tessa was usually shy and calculated. But he hadn’t even said “hello” back. Why was he in such a hurry? She’d wanted a casual conversation with him, one to help her determine more of what she wanted, but he wasn’t getting the hint, and she honestly wasn’t sure if he would let it drop until he had his answer.

  Tessa: I’m not sure. It’s all a bit sudden.

  hot_freckled_dude: You mean you haven’t fallen in love with me already? How can that be?

  The smiley faces that came after that told her it was meant as a joke, but she didn’t feel like laughing. If he kept this up, he would soon end up not being that funny anymore.

  Tessa: I want to get to know you better.

  She hoped that her obvious refusal to play his game would make him understand this was serious.

  “Enough with the jokes already!” she screamed at her phone.

  hot_freckled_dude: If you’re my wife, you’ll have all the time in the world to get to know me. How much more of me can you understand through messaging, anyway?

  Fair enough, she could see the logic in that. But did they have to move so fast?

  Tessa: Should we not meet up first? Spend some time together?

  hot_freckled_dude: I want to spend time with you knowing that you’re going to be my wife. I’m sure about you, more certain that I have ever been about anything in my life. Do you not feel the same?

  She sat up straighter, allowing the water to flow off her body as she read his words, then read them again. It was odd, but that sentence felt like the most romantic thing anyone had said to her. She had become so used to being second best, that to have someone so cocksure about her felt strangely endearing. It was hard to admit, but she could feel herself being drawn in… Could it have anything to do with that thing shape-shifters seemed to believe in? Fated mates? Was that why she was still attracted and intrigued by Matt even though he was being so childishly pushy?

  Tessa: Maybe I do.

  She typed that before she had time to really think about it. She was listening to her heart now, because her emotions were screaming for attention. In fact, they were pretty much all she could hear. Her heart was begging her to throw caution to the wind and grab on to the one person who seemed to truly adore her, but her brain was trying to get a small word in edgeways, to tell her to be careful and protect herself.

  hot_freckled_dude: Then go for it! Marry me!

  Oh God, this was it, the moment when she had to choose. Did she listen to her screaming heart, or to her reasonable head? Did she take a leap of faith, or remain stuck in the box that she’d been in her whole life?

  Tessa: Okay… Yes.

  She had just agreed to marry Matt on a whim, and she desperately hoped she wouldn’t go on to regret that rash decision.

  hot_freckled_dude: See? That wasn’t so hard. :) I will pick you up tomorrow!

  His icon instantly went a dull grey color, proving that he’d logged off, leaving her completely and utterly alone with her thoughts.

  With that, Tessa stood up and got out of the bath, feeling a little like she was in a dream world. Had that actually happened? Had she just agreed to marry the first person who had asked her to? The guy she’d only been speaking to for a few days? Was she insane? Tessa was normally so cautious when it came to opening up her heart, so it was a shock even to her that she’d jumped in.

  Then again, the way she’d acted before hadn’t exactly been working out for her, either.

  Tessa felt like she probably should be happy, now that she was an engaged woman, but she was nothing but numb. She glanced around her bathroom, went into her bedroom, and the reality of it hit her hard. If Matt was picking her up tomorrow and taking her away from the agency, then this would be the last time she ever saw this place. She’d arrived here thinking she would stay for ages, yet her life was about to change all over again. Come tomorrow, she would be taken God knew where to become someone brand new, someone’s bride. That thought was absolutely petrifying.

  She chose a dress from her wardrobe and took a deep breath. However scary it was, it was happening now. There wasn’t anything she could do about that, so what she really needed to do was get ready. She had to stuff all her belongings into the same bag that she felt like she’d only just unpacked.

  She hoped and prayed that things would work out all right, and there would be something real between her and Matt. She had no idea how one could know when one met a mate, but she hoped it would be obvious at first glance. She wanted to like Matt, and for him to like her, too. She wanted chemistry, emotion and, eventually, love. The fact that there was no real way of telling what the following day would bring could paralyze her if she thought too hard about it.

  “I hope you were right Miss Delacroix,” she thought. “I hope that following my heart is the right thing to do, and it doesn’t end up getting shattered all over again.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  Tessa sat perched on the edge of her bed, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. To the outside world, she looked like she was calmly waiting for whatever was about to happen next, but on closer inspection it was obvious that her knuckles were white, her jaw was strained, her eyes were fixed firmly on a single spot on the wall, trying to disguise the fact that her mind was whirring.

  She had no idea about how things would unfold, and that terrified the living hell out of her. Her phone vibrated, and her trembling hand reached out to answer it. There was only one reason why Miss Delacroix’s secretary was calling her, and it was because Matt had arrived. He had actually turned up, which was the first hurdle. Tessa had to admit she had had nightmares the other night, all about him not showing up. From her experience with her exes, she wouldn’t have been too surprised.

  “He-hello?” she stammered, gripping the sleek smartphone with both hands.

  “Hi, Tessa! Are you ready? Someone is here, waiting for you at the reception.”

  Oh, God! It was really happening. Tessa’s heart raced in her chest, perspiration popped out across her forehead, and her knee started bouncing up and down.

  “Yeah, okay, I’ll be there in a moment.” She couldn’t help but notice that her voice sounded about as hollow as her chest felt. “Thank you.”

  She grabbed her bag and tried to steady herself on her feet for a few moments. She still wasn’t quite used to the idea that she was leaving Alma Venus behind. She hadn’t adjusted to the massive upheaval that she was going to face, but there was no point in hanging around any longer. Putting off meeting Matt face to face wouldn’t prevent it from happening.

  She sucked in a few deep breaths, clutched onto her chest with her free hand, and did her best to appear composed. “At least, Matt seems nice,” she thought. “Plus, Miss Delacroix vouched for him. That’s got to be enough, right?” The last thing she wanted was to be tossed aside once more, but, deep down in her gut, she didn’t think it would happen. Now, she just needed to make herself trust that fe
eling. “Shape-shifters are nothing like humans. Especially wolf-shifters. They’re loyal to their clans and packs, they believe in fated mates, they take human brides because they want a family.”

  As she walked down the stairs, she could hear a distinctly male voice ringing out from the reception area, and the sheer sound of it made her heart flutter. It was him, it had to be. She could almost match his voice to the way he spoke online, which made her feel an instant connection to him. This wasn’t like a blind date; they knew each other, so it wouldn’t be that bad, after all.

  “…so, that’s the donation paid,” Tessa could hear Miss Jones replying. “And you’ve filled in all the paperwork…”

  “Yes, it’s done,” the man said, and Tessa smiled as she noticed the impatience in his tone. “What else do you want? My shoe size? I’ve told you everything, we must be done already.”

  “We are,” Miss Jones giggled. “Tessa will be down any minute now.”

  That was her cue, and the anticipation that flowed through her veins drew her forward. Tessa had the strong feeling this moment would define everything, that they would soon find out if they truly felt something for each other. She walked slowly, fixing her eyes on him, and she was relieved to see his familiar face, the red hair and cute freckles she’d been staring at on her computer screen for the past two days. As Matt smiled at Miss Jones, baring his beautiful white teeth, dimples appeared on his cheeks, and Tessa’s pulse rate kicked up a notch. Seeing him in the flesh was strange; he was both familiar and foreign to her at the same time.