“I have to say, I’m surprised to see you all gathered on time for whatever this meeting is about. Perhaps you’d like to fill me in?” I asked.
They exchanged glances. Though they all seemed eager to speak, none wanted to go first. Since I was the one who led family meetings, it didn’t surprise me that nobody knew what to do. The awkward silence after my question was embarrassing.
I sighed, then addressed our eldest brother. “Cobalt?”
Cobalt sat straighter, his wide shoulders squaring up. “Yes. We called this meeting because there’s something we want to discuss.”
I smiled patiently. “Yes, that is generally the point of family meetings.”
Cobalt cleared his throat. “Right.”
He was acting oddly reticent. Maybe I should’ve asked someone else. Bless him, Cobalt had never been the most eloquent speaker among us. Who was the most likely to give me a straight answer?
“Thystle,” I called, facing my other purple-haired brother. “Care to elaborate?”
Thystle attempted to stifle a grin. He shared a quick glance with the twins, which made me suspicious. Had they cooked up a scheme together? I folded my hands neatly together while I stared at Thystle, waiting for his response. His bravado wilted under my unrelenting gaze.
“Well, Jade,” Thystle began. “You know how much we appreciate all the work you do around here, right?”
My smile didn’t budge. “You could all stand to put it into words more often, but yes.”
Thystle nodded. “Right. And we couldn’t run the Dragonfate Games without you, either.”
That was a plain fact. Without my hours of administrative paperwork, phone calls, funding, organizing... the Games simply would not happen.
My gaze skimmed towards the last few unmated alphas at the table. Only Saffron and Viol remained bachelors. Was the point of this meeting to discuss their upcoming seasons? That explained the excited grin on Saffron’s face, as well as Viol’s sour mood.
Ideas instantly swirled in my mind. Planning each season would consume many sleepless nights, but proper preparation was key for the Games to function smoothly. Unless, of course, the bachelors threw a wrench into my plans. That happened more often than I’d care to admit.
“So, who’s the lucky bachelor this time?” I asked, glancing back and forth between Saffron and Viol.
Saffron chuckled under his breath while Viol stared at the far wall and pretended I didn’t exist.
Thystle coughed. “Actually, Jade, that’s why we called this meeting.” He cast a sidelong look at his brothers for backup. Curious now, I watched them gather their courage to chime in.
Crimson straightened his posture and smoothed a hand through his black-and-red hair. “Do we really have to spell it out?”
I quirked my brow, intrigued. “Whatever do you mean, Crimson?”
“C’mon, dude,” Aurum interrupted. “How many of us are left?”
“Two. Saffron and Viol,” I answered.
Aurum made an obnoxious buzzer sound to indicate I was wrong. “Try again, smarty pants.”
I held my tongue. After all the hard work I did forhisseason of the Games, the least he could do was keep his sass to himself.
“Guys, I think Jade forgot how to count,” Saffron said with a grin.
If anybody present was good at math, it was me. But before I could formulate a witty comeback, the true meaning of their words sank in.
Technically,threealphas remained: Saffron, Viol... and myself.
“All right, yes, I understand now,” I said. “You’re including me in the number of bachelors.”
Aurum snorted. “Obviously. Why would we leave you out?”
Honestly, it was more odd that they’d included me. I was the behind-the-scenes conductor. I didn’t appear on camera. I stayed in the shadows, lurking behind the curtain where I pulled the strings and helped everything function. I was the foundation that shouldered the weight of the Dragonfate Games. Icouldn’tbe the bachelor, especially not when two of my brothers lacked mates.
