Poppy did a happy little clap with his hands. “That’s wonderful! You must be so thrilled.”
A smile crossed my face. So much happened since our discussion that I hadn’t thought about it, but since Poppy brought it up, I realized Iwasthrilled. If I was pregnant, then I was carrying our baby inside of me right now...
Alaric let out a good-natured snort. “Getting pregnant while still participating in the Dragonfate Games seems to be a recurring theme. Congratulations.”
His tone was genuine, though I sensed a prickle of envy. I remembered his breakdown earlier about how badly he wanted to find his fated alpha mate. Now that I’d found mine, I understood his desire. It couldn’t be easy to want something so desperately and not know when it would happen to you.
“You’ll find your mate, Alaric,” I said. “I know you will.”
He lifted his chin haughtily. “I know I will, too. The waiting is the annoying part.”
“At least we’re waiting together,” Poppy offered sympathetically.
Alaric flashed the wolf shifter a wry smile. “Yes, that is true.”
Our attention was summoned as Gaius took the microphone and welcomed us to the third and final challenge. The back of the stage was blacked out by a large curtain, blocking our view of whatever lay behind it. I remembered last night’s events, and how Viol promised to speak to Jade about changing the third challenge to be about video games. Was that what was behind the curtain? My heart leapt at the idea. I already knew Aurum was my fated mate, so I’d technically already ‘won’ the Games, but the idea of a video game challenge lit a competitive spirit in my blood.
“Good morning, omegas!” Gaius announced. “It’s a beautiful sunny day. What better weather to sit on the couch and play video games?”
On the last word, the black curtain drew back, revealing a huge projector screen and a wide loveseat. The projector displayed the main title screen of a popular fighting game, Cruel Combat, ready for players to take the controllers.
My heart skipped faster. It was really happening!
Jade might’ve intimidated his brothers, but I had to give him credit for setting this up on such short notice. He must’ve worked overnight to see it happen. He really did care about his family, including his alpha siblingsandtheir omega partners.
My heart leapt again as two familiar golden figures waltzed onto the stage. Saffron and Aurum stood together, closer than I’d seen them during the other challenges. I was so relieved they’d patched things up.
Gesturing to the twins, Gaius resumed his announcement. “In your final challenge, you’ll enter a virtual fighting tournament. The player who rises to the top will earn the right to challenge the bachelors in a final duel! If they’re impressed by your strength, then we might have our winner of the Dragonfate Games!”
Alaric snorted under his breath. “Like he doesn’t already know there’s a winner.” He turned to me. “I assume this preposterous challenge has something to do with you?”
I scratched the back of my head sheepishly. “Yeah. I’m a big gamer.”
Alaric sighed. “Of course you are. The last video game I ever played was Solitaire.”
“Did you win?” I asked, curious.
The unamused death glare Alaric shot me said enough.
“I’m no good at games, either,” Poppy fussed. “Can I forfeit and let you win, Mylo?”
I smiled at his sweet offer. “Sure, Poppy. Most fighting games have a forfeit option.”
He looked relieved. “Thank goodness. I don’t like fighting...”
“I don’t, either. Not in real life, anyway. Games are just make-believe,” I explained gently.
Poppy’s eyes turned big and puppy-like. “But the characters still get hurt.”
Alaric groaned. “You’re ridiculous, wolf.”
“No, it’s okay, I understand,” I told Poppy. “There are other story-based games where I sympathize with the characters and their pain. It’s like I’m really there with them.” I clutched my chest, thinking about DreamHunt 14. “But fighting games are like... say, wrestling. The characters are playing a role. They’re not really hurting each other.”
Poppy nodded, less worried now. “Oh, I see. That’s fun, then. Thank you, Mylo. I think I’ll still forfeit, though.”
I was glad to put him at ease. “No problem.”
As we lined up to start the tournament, my heart pounded. I recalled how terribly anxious I was during the first challenge, but that felt like a distant memory now. I wasn’t nervous anymore. This was what I was good at, and I knew regardless of the outcome, Aurum would be waiting to hug me in his arms.
