"So what am I supposed to do?" I asked. "Just drop my whole life to go on some reality TV show where a rare, handsome dragon could possibly choose me to be his mate?"
Apparently, Winnie did not pick up on my sarcasm, because she chipperly replied, "Yep, that's right!"
I sighed. What a hassle.
"I sense your hesitation, so let me try to persuade you," she said in a friendly manner. "It's an all-expenses-paid experience. You won't have to spend a single dime. We take care of travel, lodging, food, everything you can imagine."
"Right, because they're rich dragons, right?"
Once again, my snarky comment flew over her head. Either that, or she was pointedly ignoring it, in which case, well played.
"Yep!"
"What about my job?" I asked. "Not everybody can afford to just drop their work and prance off to some fancy island."
I did actually have a reserve of vacation time, but I didn't tell that to her. At this point, I just found myself playing devil's advocate, trying to think of some reason why I shouldn't do this.
She chuckled. "We take care of that. The brothers want this to be a stress-free experience for all the omegas involved."
My eyes twitched. That was right. If I accepted, I wouldn't be the only omega on the island. There'd be tons of them running around and vying for a dragon's attention. I rolled my eyes. How pathetic could you get?
And yet, despite my distaste for the idea, I was strangely intrigued. Dammit.
I suddenly remembered something. Muzo and I weren't the only ones who’d entered the supposed quilting sweepstakes.
"Winnie, can I ask if there is another contestant I know?"
She hummed. "Well, I'm not technically supposed to give out that information, but for you, I'll make an exception." I could practically hear her winking.
"Thanks. Is there a Poppy Faolan on the list?"
Keys clacked. "There most certainly is!"
I felt relieved. Poppy was sensitive. It would've hurt his feelings if the two of us were accepted and he wasn't. More than anything, he hated being alone.
I pinched the bridge of my nose and exhaled slowly. What would happen if I didn't accept this offer? I thought of my friends on this remote dragon island. Would Muzo get into trouble? Would Poppy get bullied by the other contestants? Was it safe to just let them go?
I grumbled, pacing more. It wasn't like I was their parent or anything, but I couldn't help feeling protective of my friends. They needed me to watch over them.
Or… that was just the excuse I needed to go.
Winnie waited patiently on the other end of the line. I found that comforting. If this had been some elaborate scam, she would've rushed me into accepting.
"I don't know," I mumbled. "This is all so much, so fast."
"I understand. If you like, I can give you a day or two to think about it. But if you don't have an answer by then, I'll be forced to move on to the waitlist."
"Why me?" I asked. Out of all the people who'd entered for a chance to date a dragon, why was my name chosen?
"All the names were randomly selected," Winnie explained. "So who knows? Maybe it's fate, after all."
A shiver went down my spine.
Fate. That was laughable. As if anyone would ever find their fated mate on a stupid reality TV show.
It was almost so stupid that I didn't want to pass up the opportunity.
There was a long pause before Winnie said, "Well, Mr. Chalchin—"
