Muzo laughed. "You're a funny guy, Tay."
I splashed water at him with my paw. He knew I hated that nickname. "Get out of here, you annoying hyena."
"I'm ajackal!" Muzo called back as he swam away.
Turning around, I headed back to meet Poppy. Unfortunately, I ran right into Alaric, who'd managed to keep pace. The tiny cat was soaked to the bone, but surprisingly, he didn't look as miserable as I expected him to.
Hedidglare furiously at me, though.
"What are you doing?" Alaric hissed.
"Going to Blockbuster. What does it look like I'm doing?"
That angered Alaric. "Helping your sad little friend won't help you win. If you were smart, you'd turn around and swim to the island."
"Then I guess I'm not as smart as you."
I didn't wait around to hear Alaric's retort. Flicking my tail dismissively, I swam back to my friend. Poppy's ears were flat against his head and his lips were pulled back into an anxious grimace. His wolf paddling hadn't gotten him far.
He whimpered when he saw me. "Taylor? What are you doing here?"
"Funny. Alaric just asked me the same question." I pressed my body weight against his. "Grab onto me."
"But... is that against the rules?" Poppy asked nervously.
"Gaius didn't say we couldn't help each other," I replied. "And if I'm breaking some hidden rule, then so be it. Come on, we're wasting daylight."
Poppy hesitated, then gently grabbed the loose scruff of my neck with his teeth. I shot forward.
It took no time at all to reach the front of the pack again. Though, I was focused on getting ahead, I noticed the shifters around me. Deer, foxes, bears, and various other species I couldn't pick out over the waves. None of them could outpace me. My strong paws and powerful muscles put me in the lead once more.
Actually, Iwould'vebeen in the lead, but there was one more person in front of me—a soggy-wet cat pushing himself to the limit. I was honestly surprised to see Alaric beating the rest. Maybe he wasn't as much of a fragile twink as he looked like.
Alaric was centered on winning. He didn't realize I gained on him until it was too late. He did a double-take and hissed loudly.
"When didyouget back here?" Venom dripped from his voice.
"Just now," I replied.
Without waiting, I pushed on ahead. I felt Alaric's radiating fury behind me like swarming black tentacles.
But he was a house cat and I was a tiger. There was no competition in a physical race.
The shore of the little island was a few strokes away. With one final push, I leapt onto the strip of land. After Poppy detached from my scruff, I shook out my pelt and instinctively licked the water from my paws. Being in the water was fine, but being wet on dry land afterwards wasugh.
I felt somebody's burning gaze on me, but for once, it wasn't Alaric and his rage-filled, odd eyes. It came from above. I lifted my head.
In the center of the island, the tall man in a suit stood on the edge of the hill looking down at me. The alpha dragon.
Crimson.
A wave of irritation washed over me. My claws sank into the dirt. This river-crossing charade was all his fault. The guy was deranged for making omegas compete against each other like this.
Then again, I agreed to be on this idiotic game show, so maybe I was deranged, too.
As I locked eyes with Crimson, I glared at him. He met my gaze without blinking. I couldn't read his expression. He didn't seem particularly thrilled or displeased.
"He's staring right at you," Poppy murmured.
