Alaric
From the secondI marched away from the dragons’ castle until the next morning, I couldn’t stop thinking about that asshole Jade.
I spent the whole night tossing and turning, replaying the deranged series of events in my head like a video stuck on loop. I couldn’t concentrate on anything else—not the magnificent king-sized bed, not the soothing sounds of the ocean, not my nerves over the upcoming Games.
My mind was solely occupied by a green-haired fetish freak.
Worse, not even my unconscious mind was spared. After falling into a rough sleep, all my dreams featured said bastard. In various positions. Half of them about how good he smelled. All of them inappropriate.
To add insult to injury, when I finally escaped my dreams, I woke up with a raging erection, all thanks to that wretched alpha.
After dealing with it, I groaned and rolled over to face the alarm clock. But as I moved, something metallic tinkled.
It was the heart-shaped trinket on the fucking collar.
My cheeks went hot. So that part wasn’t a dream after all.
I hauled myself out of bed to the closest mirror. I clicked my tongue irritably at my messed-up hair and tired expression. Looking anything less than perfect was unacceptable. I brushed my hair, still scowling at the collar in the mirror. Admittedly, the luxurious leather felt soft and supple against my skin. I could tell it must’ve been expensive. Not that wealthy alpha dragons had qualms about that. Unlike the rest of us, they’d never worried about money.
I sighed as I ran a finger along the collar. The leather grain was rich, and it felt nice. Despite my griping, there was something to be said about Jade trusting me with an expensive item that clearly meant a lot to him.
But still. It was a fucking collar. That assholecollaredme like a stray he found on the side of the road. And the only way to remove it was with a key he kept tucked safely in his pocket.
Could I cover it up? A turtleneck or scarf would do the trick, but I’d brought neither to the beach. Besides, it would look suspicious day after day. No, my wardrobe wouldn’t save me from this mess.
Speaking of wardrobe...
I realized with a hot flare in my cheeks that I was still wearing the clothes Jade lent me. No wonder my subconscious mind assaulted me with all those vivid, embarrassing sex dreams about how good he smelled.
Scoffing, I grabbed the hem of the shirt to wrench it off. Then my hands hesitated.
It wasn’t like these clothes smelledbad. It was the opposite. That was the problem.
After swallowing my pride and taking one last big whiff of Jade’s shirt, I stripped and folded the outfit on top of my pillow, where it could leach its scent onto the fabric.
If Jade was going to piss me off, I could at least use his scent as an air freshener.
When it cametime for the meet-and-greet, my nerves kicked in.
I wasn’t anxious the first time. Then the second season rolled around, and I was ignored. The same thing happened during the third and fourth. It made a guy feel like half-eaten leftovers in the fridge—and I didnotdeserve to feel like cold Pad Thai.
Regardless of my apprehension, I showered and dressed my best. I wore white pants and, grudgingly, a black tank top to compliment the collar. I threw a sheer cardigan on top of it, and topped it off with a spritz of my classic perfume.
I stared at myself in the mirror and nodded. I looked good. But was it enough for an alpha to sweep me off my feet?
Would Ieverbe enough?
In an uncharacteristic misstep, I arrived late to the event. I’d spent too long primping in the mirror and fretting over my fate. When I finally got there, the beach was packed with other omega contestants.
I balled my fists irritably. I didn’t care for any of these people. I was here to find a mate, not make friends—although, I had to admit, a couple of them had wormed their way into my heart. But the only one present was Poppy, a fellow unmated omega.
He wasn’t a fan of crowds, and as the only other white-haired person here, he was easy to spot. He stood fretting at the edge of the group, too timid to dive into the crowd.
“Good evening, wolf,” I greeted him.
Poppy perked up at the sound of my voice. “Oh, good, you’re here.” He paused, staring at me. “Is that a collar?”
Dammit. Of course Poppy’s empathetic ass noticed my new accessory immediately.
