Unfortunately, Aurum’s scent was mingled in my memory with last night’s intimate acts. I fought my body’s instinct to get aroused.
I had to focus. Other shifters here had good noses, too. I couldn’t let them win.
“I’ve got it,” I said.
Aurum nodded and gently placed me on the ground. He looked like a giant from down on the forest floor.
“Are you finally done?” Alaric asked, his tail flicking impatiently. “If so, let’s get this over with.”
Gaius offered Alaric and Poppy the shirts—one from Aurum, one from Saffron. As I waited, I noticed they weren’t wearing identical outfits today. Had Aurum given up trying to fool the contestants? I wasn’t sure it mattered anyway. Distinct clothes or not, nobody else seemed able to tell them apart.
Aurum knelt down to my level. “Hey,” he whispered. “Good luck.”
My heart skipped a beat. “Thanks.”
Okay, now Ihadto win. I couldn’t let anyone else sink their teeth into Aurum. I felt weirdly jealous and possessive over him. The last time I felt so passionate was when someone else bought the last copy of the new video game I wanted. I’d seethed inside watching him grab the only copy off the shelf and walk out the door with it...
Not this time. I wasn’t willing to let Aurum go.
My fur felt hot with determination. I flexed my claws in the dirt, eager to start.
After all the contestants whiffed the twins’ scents, Gaius leapt onto the boulder and raised his arm. The searing orange shirt was a good visual to grab our attention.
“Ready, omegas? Go!”
I took off like a shot. As a human, I wasn’t athletic. But in my ferret form, I ran and jumped with ease. Well, a little more ease, at least.
But I wasn’t the only one on the move. Different colors and shapes blurred past me. My stomach tightened. Plenty of shifters could find a scent in the woods—and worse, their legs were longer than mine. What if they got there first?
The ground under my paws thudded. I nearly leapt out of my skin when I glanced over my shoulder and saw a white wolfrunning behind me. I skidded to a halt, and he did the same, careful not to crash.
“Poppy?” I asked.
His ears flattened. “Sorry, did I scare you?”
“Er, kinda. What are you doing?”
“I thought I could help you win the scavenger hunt,” he explained.
I blinked in confusion.
Alaric caught up to us. He sauntered closer and sat down, wiping a paw over his whiskers. “Yes, the faster we help you win, the sooner we can all go home.”
“Me?” I blurted.
The cat sighed. “Must we always play dumb? Anyone with functioning eyes can see how smitten Aurum or Saffron or whichever gods-damned twin is over you.”
“It’s Aurum,” I corrected.
Alaric’s tail flicked smugly. “See? You can tell. Clearly you’re his fated mate.”
I choked on air. “Fated mate?”
That came out of nowhere. What was Alaric talking about? Yeah, Aurum gave me special treatment, and he broke into my hotel room for a mutual jerk-off session, and he cuddled me against his chest five minutes ago—but that didn’t make us fated mates.
I shook my head. “N-no, Alaric, you’re confused. There’s no way I could be Aurum’s fated mate.”
Alaric scoffed and leveled an offended sneer at me. “Excuseyou. This is my fourth time on this program. I’ve seen plenty of fated mates find each other, and I know exactly what it looks like. You, my elongated friend, are definitely Aurum’s mate. I’d bet my fur on it.”
