I already knew that, but I nodded gratefully anyway. “I’m Mylo,” I said.
“Nice to meet you.” Poppy flashed a timid smile.
Meanwhile, Alaric was face-down on the bed. He was too deep in his feelings to acknowledge me, which was fine. At least there was one friendly face in this room, and it wasn’t the ornery drunk guy.
Poppy sighed. “Sorry about Alaric. He’s not usually like this.”
“That’s okay,” I said. Talking to Poppy was nice, especially since he was shy like me.
“Is this your first time on the Dragonfate Games?” Poppy asked.
“Yeah. I’d, um... never even heard of it until I came here,” I admitted.
Alaric wept into the mattress. “Oh, for gods’ sake... He’s completely ignorant!”
“Don’t mind him,” Poppy encouraged. “It’s okay that you’re new.”
I nodded, feeling better about it now. “So, are you two... not new?”
“That’s right. This is our fourth time on the Games,” Poppy explained. “Neither of us have found our fated mate yet, but we receive open invitations to return each season.”
“Wow.” A cynical question floated to mind, and I felt comfortable enough with Poppy to ask it. “And you haven’t just... quit trying yet?”
Alaric pushed himself off the bed with an offended gasp. His cheeks were pink and smeared with tears. Or drool. I couldn’t tell.
“Quit?” he cried. “How can Iquitwhen I know my mate is on this gods forsaken, stupid island?”
Poppy’s eyes widened. Even he seemed taken aback by his friend’s outburst. “C-calm down, Alaric.”
“I can’t calm down,” Alaric grumbled. “Not when tigers and eagles and jackals keep being chosen by the alpha dragons, leavingmebehind. Can’t they see how perfect I am?”
He flopped back onto the bed with a dramatic, longing moan.
“Um...” Poppy turned back to me. “Anyway, I agree. I can’t explain it, but I have this urge to keep returning here...” He clutched his chest. “I don’t want to get ahead of myself and assume my fated mate is here, but I don’t have much to go back to in my normal life, so there’s no harm in trying.”
It never once crossed my mind that I’d find my fated mate. Black-footed ferret shifters only mated within our own community to ensure more of our kind was born. Essentially, we mated for procreation, not love. “Fated mates” wasn’t a term I heard often.
I’d wondered why my parents signed me up for the Dragonfate Games if the alphas were all dragons, not black-footed ferrets. Then again, Mom was obsessed with looking good in our community, so maybe the allure of a rich, exclusive dragon son-in-law beat out her desire for ferret grandchildren. Or maybe my parents didn’t carewhomy mate was as long as I had one at all.
Still, it surprised me to hear Poppy say he didn’t have much to go back to. He was a young, unique-looking, attractive omega.In a beauty contest, he’d beat me every time. It was weird that he didn’t already have a mate. Maybe he was too shy?
On the other hand, Alaric wasn’t shy at all. He was beautiful, outgoing, and confident, yet he was still unmated, too. Were the alpha dragons that picky?
“I don’t really get it,” I said, scratching the back of my head. “Wouldn’t the dragons justseeyou and know? That’s how fated mates work, right?”
Poppy hummed. “Yes, but I think it’s more complicated than that. We’ve never met them all, since each season only focuses on one dragon bachelor. Well, except this one.”
That made sense. If they threw all the omegas and all the alphas into one room, they’d instantly jump on each other and there’d be no suspense for the TV show.
Alaric sprang up again. “You. Mylo. You spoke to Saffron.” He narrowed his eyes. “Did he confess his love to you yet?”
“W-what?” I cried.
He huffed impatiently. “He said he sensed his fated mate, then pointed atyou. How are you not aware of this?”
Heat rushed to my cheeks. Was that why the alpha stuck his thumb out at me earlier?
“I’m sorry, but I wasn’t paying attention to you guys,” I explained. “I honestly was just trying to get some soda...”
