I smirked. “I’m the alpha dragon bachelor. I can do whatever I like. And if I want to spend all evening in the medical ward with you, nobody can stop me.”
A rosy hue colored Matteo’s face—and it wasn’t from the inflammation.
He parted his mouth. “Thystle—”
The door burst open. An obnoxiously dressed Gaius flounced into the room. For a second, I saw the kobold nurse behind him. She looked smitten. I guessed Gaius had sweet-talked his way in.
Unlike her, I wasn’t as pleased to see him.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, grumpy that my alone time with Matteo had been interrupted.
Unlike my stupid brothers, Gaius was more perceptive than he let on. With a single glance, he understood what had transpired here.
“Hello, Matteo! Sorry to hear about the incident. And I’m even sorrier to whisk you away like this, Thystle,” Gaius said, shooting both of us a sympathetic look, “but Dukescreamedat me to fetch you for the meet-and-greet. His voice is still ringing in my ears...”
“If Matteo’s not going, then I’m not, either,” I griped.
Gaius stroked his chin. “Hm, that is a pickle, isn’t it? What do you say, nurse? Can you clear our buddy for an easygoing walk on the beach?”
My annoyance at Gaius’s random appearance turned to gratitude when the nurse happily agreed while making googly eyes at him.
Gaius clapped his hands. “Wonderful! Now, let’s make our way to the set before Duke plucks my feathers, shall we?”
“We wouldn’t want that,” Matteo said as he pulled back the white sheet to hop out of bed.
That was when I noticed that he wasonlywearing boxers under there. I gawked silently at the curve of his cock in his underwear and his toned, hairy legs before I wrenched my gaze away. I hurried out of the room before anyone saw my deeply flushed cheeks.
And as I did so, I realized something else.
During the whole time I spent with Matteo, I hadn’t thought about Aquila once.
Seven
Matteo
Despite my visionbeing impeded by two black eyes, the beach was still gorgeous. The shimmering sunset turned the white sand golden, and the gentle ocean waves flowed back and forth on the shore in a comforting rhythm.
It was all perfect... except for the unholy amount of omegas crowding Thystle. The black eyes ended up being helpful since I could glare at them without anybody knowing.
When I regained consciousness after the brawl, I didn’t expect to see an identical pair of curious alphas wearing weird hats. They had introduced themselves as Aurum and Saffron—Thystle’s brothers. After the nurse chased them off, I figured I’d be alone until I got better... but then Thystle himself showed up at my door.
My heart skipped remembering the way he looked at me. Even before he spoke, I could tell he felt awful about the whole thing, even though none of it was his fault. The staff was responsible for the overcrowding, not him.
And then, when Thystle’s entire face lit up during our conversation...
A pleasant shiver ran through me. His smile was so beautiful. It seared into my mind, a permanent memory of his joy.
As I watched him mingle with dozens of contestants, that genuine smile was absent. I could tell he was faking it to varying degrees of success. It mostly resembled an awkward grimace. Poor guy. I’d suggested to Alaric that Thystle might be more social than he assumed, but I was wrong. I’d bet $100 Thystle would rather have a root canal than talk to one more stranger.
But that didn’t stop strangers from wanting to talk tohim.Omega after omega swarmed Thystle, boasting and showing off as they clamored for his attention. I thought Alaric was desperate in the first season, but compared to these guys, he possessed the patience of a saint.
“This is ridiculous,” the cat shifter in question grumbled beside me. We stood by the bar—which was securely staffed after the lobby incident—since neither of us wanted to breach the chaotic crowd. “How is anybody supposed to have quality one-on-one time with Thystle when the frat crew mobs him?”
I took a sip of my gin and tonic. It was a plain drink, just the way I liked it.
“Claw your way in?” I suggested.
“I seem to recall from a recent event that violence gets you kicked off the show,” Alaric said wryly.
