But the one I’d spoken to—Saffron—seemed excited. Remembering Alaric’s statement, my stomach twisted. I knew it. The alpha dragonwasn’tinterested in me. If he was, he wouldn’t look so thrilled about talking to all the contestants.
“Oh, by the way,” Poppy began as we waited together. “I spoke to Taylor this morning. He said I remembered correctly. The twins usuallydolook different. But right now, they don’t. Even he couldn’t tell them apart this morning when he went to check.”
The sunglasses slid down Alaric’s face as he gasped. “What? So this is a purposeful stunt to confuse everyone?”
Poppy shook his head. “I’m not sure. Taylor didn’t make it sound like that...”
“Ugh, will you stop giving everyone the benefit of the doubt? It’s absolutely a stunt. I wouldn’t be surprised if they coordinated this on purpose for the drama of it all.”
It amused me to hear Alaric of all people calling others dramatic. But was he right about this being a purposeful trick to stir up intrigue? I couldn’t put my finger on why, but I wasn’t sure.
The twins finally assumed their seats in their separate partitions. Time dredged by as I waited for my turn—which, being at the very end of the line, took forever. By then, many of the contestants had finished their chat with the first twin and waited for the second. I noticed more hopeful expressions, like they’d figured out the mystery. I wondered if I would be able to do it, too.
After Alaric and Poppy finished, it was my turn with the alpha on the left side of the partition. Poppy was second to last, and he smiled and wished me luck as he joined the other line.
I swallowed the anxious lump in my throat.
Here goes nothing...
I stepped into the partition and took a seat in the armchair opposite the golden alpha. We hadn’t even exchanged a single word and my palms were already clammy. The cameras flanking us didn’t help. I tried not to think about this horribly awkward conversation being televised, otherwise I might pass out.
The alpha dragon looked tired, but offered me a polite smile. “Hey.”
“H-hi.”
He nodded, but wasn’t in a hurry to talk. I bit my lip as silence hung in the air.
Which one was he? Saffron or Aurum?
Saffron was the one who’d spoken to me privately yesterday. He’d protected me from the cruel comment.
That meant Aurum was the one who’d showed up later, begging his twin for help with the overwhelming crowd.
The alpha in front of me had no strong familiarity in his eyes, not enough to ping anything. I met both twins last night, but only one sought me out—and I didn’t think it was the man sitting across from me.
So, that meant he was Aurum... right?
Just to make sure, I regarded his face. His beautiful, full lips were something you’d see on a model. He had perfect skin, fluffy golden-yellow hair, and matching eyes. But so did his twin. Neither had scars or makeup or anything that would help differentiate them.
The alpha cleared his throat. “So, do you have any questions for me?”
My mind went blank. I asked the only thing I could think of: “Do you, um... remember me?”
The alpha paused, his brows knitting together. “Yeah. You were hanging out with—” He stopped short, his mouth making an ‘o’, then he slowly said, “My brother.”
That gave me pause. If I hadn’t been focused on how gorgeous his lips were, I wouldn’t have noticed it, but he nearly made the wrong sound. If this was Aurum, and Saffron was the twin I knew better, shouldn’t this alpha have made an ‘s’ shape with his mouth instead?
Or, I was reading way too hard into it. He could’ve been about to say something else entirely. I had to stop making assumptions.
“That’s right,” I said, nodding. “Saffron talked to me a bunch last night.”
The alpha’s eyes flashed so coldly it frightened me. Did I say something wrong? He masked it fast, but it didn’t stop the anxiety pumping through my veins.
There was something else, too. The way he glared at me felt different than how the golden dragon stared at me during the opening ceremony. He seemed distracted, like he wanted this to be over so he could investigate something that was bothering him.
“So, what kind of shifter are you?” the alpha asked. His tone was brisk, and he seemed eager to change the subject.
That proved it. The twin I’d spoken toknewmy shifter species already. This wasn’t the knight in shining armor who’d protected me from callous remarks.
