Everyone around me changed. For a few moments, I was too dazed to follow. Watching my fellow omegas shift into various animals stole my attention. Wolves, bears, big cats, birds of prey...
I felt a tight sensation in my gut. Aurum could’ve been smitten with any of these large, powerful predators. So why was he so fascinated with me, the tiniest one of all?
“What are you waiting for?” a white cat asked. The familiar arrogant voice told me it was Alaric.
“R-right,” I said.
I took a breath and summoned my shift. My clothes fell away as my body shrank and elongated. My excess skin turned to sleek fur. Soon, I saw the world from a dramatically different angle. If I couldn’t see over anyone’s head before, I sure as hell couldn’t see now.
Alaric stared down at me with his odd eyes. “You’re even smaller than I thought.”
Poppy—now a wolf with creamy fur—tilted his head. He looked huge from where I stood. I could fit my entire body in his mouth.
“Me, too,” he said, his voice soft even as a wolf. “I thought ferrets were bigger.”
Figures I can never be the right size,I thought.I’m too big as a human, and too small as a ferret.
Gaius went on explaining. “Everyone gets a chance to smell the twins’ articles of clothing. The scavenger hunt items are already hidden in the forest. Please form a line up front!”
As we waited for our turn to sniff the clothes, my anxiety grew. Remembering Aurum’s scent in human form was one thing, but what about the rest of the contestants? Many of them possessed keen senses of smell. One sniff might be all it took to figure it out...
I fidgeted with my hand-paws. I wanted to win the challenge, not anybody else. Was that selfish?
“You look nervous, Mylo,” Alaric remarked. “Don’t think you can remember the scent?”
“That’s not it,” I murmured. But I couldn’t elaborate with all these people around. I didn’t want to sound arrogant or self-absorbed.
When we reached the front of the line, my heart felt like it would explode from my tiny rib cage.
There was Aurum.
When he saw me, his eyes lit up brighter than fireworks. “Holy. Fucking. Shit.”
My heart pounded anxiously. This was his first time seeing my ferret form. Was he happy to see me, or disappointed? Maybe I didn’t live up to his expectations.
I raised a hand-paw. “Um... hi.”
Aurum scooped me up, holding my armpits so my long body dangled in the air. “How are you so fucking cute, Mylo?”
My jaw fell open in surprise. “Huh?”
“Look at you!” Aurum laughed. “You’re a fluffy little tube! And you’ve got tiny ferocious fangs.” He wriggled a finger near my teeth. “You gonna bite my finger off? Huh?”
Gaius cleared his throat. “Maybe you can stop teasing the contestant and focus on the challenge?”
I think the scene amused Gaius, because he didn’t soundthatchastising.
I noticed Saffron standing next to Aurum, too. He looked less annoyed today. In fact, he glanced over, watching our interaction with great interest.
“Fine.” Aurum pressed me against his chest. “Go ahead and sniff me.”
Gaius held up a shirt pinched between his fingers. “You know, wedohave other articles of clothing that aren’t currently on your body...”
“Whatever. Easier this way,” Aurum said, gently scratching the space between my ears. “Right, Mylo?”
I was grateful to be in ferret form. If I was in human form, my face would’ve been bright red.
Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath of his scent. A shiver ran down my long spine. It made me tingle from the tip of my nose to the end of my tail. He somehow smelled better than he did last night.
