Muzo shifted and gave me a weak thumbs up, while Poppy remained in his wolf form and nodded. I gave him a friendly lick between the ears before we all shifted to human form.
"Dude, I hope the cameras caught your epic moment," Muzo said.
He was talking about the rock again. I huffed. "It wasn't a big deal."
"It totally was! If you didn't intervene, it would've bonked me on the head like a cartoon."
A voice I didn't recognize interjected. "Yes, I was quite impressed."
I turned to see the bird from before speaking to me. Now that I caught a good look at him, I realized he was a golden eagle. I quelled the pain of jealousy I felt towards him, since he'd technically reached the top first—but that didn't mean Crimson would choose him as the winner.
"Thanks," I said. "Sorry, I didn't catch your name."
"Matteo."
"I'm Taylor."
"I know. Hard to forget the winner of the first challenge."
His tone was coy, but it lacked the venom of Alaric's jabs. Matteo seemed like a good sport, which made me feel bad for being jealous.
Gaius's announcement voice rang out. "And it looks like all of our final contestants are here! Great job today, everyone. I know it certainly wasn't easy for you four-legged folk." He winked in our direction. "Now it's time for the big moment… Who will Crimson choose as today's winner?"
As Crimson stepped out from behind Gaius, my heart skipped a beat. It hadn't been that long since I last saw him, yet it felt like an eternity. I stomped out the desire to rush over to him. What was I, a teenager with a crush?
Then I locked eyes with him. The fluttering of my heart went from a skip to a storm.
Maybe I wasn't much better than a teenager with a crush after all.
Twelve
Crimson
I was perfectlycalm as I stepped out to face the expectant crowd of omegas. There was no conflict in my mind. I already knew exactly who I'd choose as today's winner—and I hoped he knew I'd pick him, too.
The kobold crew crouched eagerly around us in a loose circle, cameras at the ready. Gaius inclined his head and offered me the mic.
"Well, Crimson? You've got a fine group of contestants here. But there can only be one winner. Who's it going to be?" Gaius prompted.
My gaze drifted naturally towards Taylor. The rest of the omegas may as well have not existed. In fact, I felt sorry that they'd been dragged into this.
Then again, before the Games began, I didn't know I'd fall for Taylor. I’d written off the whole show as frivolous, yet here I was staring at the man I wanted as my mate.
It was so quiet on the cliff, you could've heard a pin drop. The omegas, the camera crew, and Gaius all waited with bated breath for my final decision.
"For his continued display of bravery and compassion, the omega I choose as the winner of today's challenge is Taylor."
Taylor's eyes flashed, but he expertly kept his composure. The same couldn't be said for some of the other contestants. That white-haired omega, Alaric, was visibly furious. I half expected him to leap at Taylor and attempt to throw him off the edge of the cliff. Not that I’d let that happen. Meanwhile, Taylor's friends looked happy for him, congratulating him earnestly. Their friendship warmed my heart.
I'd watched the whole challenge from behind the scenes. Honestly, I nearly had a heart attack when Taylor launched himself off the cliff in order to protect Muzo. But I understood why he did it. Taylor's stoic exterior hid a kind, caring personality. It was one more thing I loved about him.
Love… Yes, I was certain about the feeling now. It couldn't be anything else.
Gaius took control of the situation. He sauntered over to Taylor, thrusting the mic at him. "And for the second challenge, Taylor is our winner! How do you feel about that?"
Taylor shifted his weight uncomfortably. He clearly didn't enjoy being in the spotlight. "Fine, I suppose."
Gaius laughed heartily. "He wins twice in a row, and he feels fine about it!"
