I sighed and sat on the ledge of a boulder, looking out at the ocean. I put my headphones on and hit play.
TalonStorm’s debut album,Wings of the Sun—my favorite album of all time—began playing. Vani and Keaux were on electric guitar and drums, respectively. But Aquila’s voice rose above it all. That beautiful, melodic, raw voice that gutted me every single time. It was the voice I heard in my dreams. The one I so desperately wanted to hear in real life, whispering in my ear and telling me everything would be all right...
I got too emotional, so I ripped the headphones off and wiped the tears from my eyes. Even though I was alone, I couldn’t look weak. Now that filming was nearly underway, I never knew when a kobold would be hiding in the bushes, filming me when I least expected it.
I was an alpha dragon, a creature meant to be strong and confident. But how could I be when I felt like I was missing my other half?
A deep voice came out of nowhere. “Don’t discard them. Your tears are one more drop for the ocean.”
Cobalt’s sudden appearance scared the crap out of me. I turned around to see him standing on the boulder.
“It would be nice if everyone stopped manifesting behind me today,” I mumbled.
Cobalt ignored my tongue-in-cheek comment and sat next to me. With his tall stature and broad shoulders, he seemed as big as the boulder itself.
“It’s always okay to cry,” he said, “but if you’d like to talk it out, we can.”
I rubbed my arm, feeling embarrassed. Cobalt was so cool and calm all the time. Meanwhile, I was the most emotional out of everyone. The emo label wasn’t for nothing.
“I’m just... lonely,” I said under my breath.
Cobalt nodded stoically. He said nothing, giving me space to continue.
“And nobody understands how I feel about Aquila,” I went on. “They think it’s some kind of stupid obsession, like my feelings about him aren’t real.”
Cobalt faced me. “I don’t think that, Thystle. Your feelingsarereal.” He pulled up his sleeve and held up his bare forearm. “You proved that to me ten years ago.”
Emotion welled up in my chest. Cobalt’s challenge meant a lot to me. Despite the thin line of scars that remained, the wounds had healed well, but I still remembered the day I sank my fangs into him to prove myself. If nobody else did, at least he believed in my obsessive faith.
I blew out a breath, feeling a bit better. “Thanks, Cobalt.”
He nodded. “I hope you meet your fated mate soon. I want that for you. For all of us.”
My heart fluttered as I thought about Aquila.
“Yeah,” I said wistfully. “Me, too.”
Five
Matteo
I feltlike a sardine packed in a tin, but at least the hotel was still nice.
The plane landed earlier that day, unloading a metric ton of ecstatic omegas who swarmed the hotel. Winnie wasn’t joking about the rooms filling up. Not a single empty one remained. Everywhere I looked, there was a fresh face—competition in finding my fated mate.
I forced myself not to get caught up in the hype. Fated matesalwaysfound each other, no matter the circumstances. It didn’t matter if there was one other omega here, or a hundred. If Thystle and I were meant for each other, it would all work out in the end.
But that didn’t stop me from getting annoyed at a solid chunk of the other contestants for existing, especially when they clogged up the damn hallways like a bunch of frat boys in their first year of college.
The producers didn’t waste any time. Filming had already begun. Kobold crew members casually followed us around, giving us time to get accustomed to the cameras. I was used to them already, but some of the new guys wereinterestedin them, to say the least. They put on pompous airs, acting like each camera was their own personal YouTube audience.
I kept my distance from those people.
We had the day to relax and prepare for the meet-and-greet that evening. There was an ice breaker for the contestants in the hotel lobby, which I attended despite being wary of the crowd. There must’ve been at least three dozen contestants. I searched for anyone I recognized. I couldn’t be the only omega from season one who’d accepted the invitation to return, could I?
As I scanned the lobby, I heard a shrill yowl behind me. I turned to see a tall omega I didn’t recognize, and a shorter one that I did—Alaric, the Angora cat shifter from season one.
Alaric’s face twisted in an offended snarl. The other omega awkwardly held an empty cup.
