Suddenly, a wretched idea struck me.
“What if they don’twantus to find our mates?” I blurted out.
Poppy tilted his head. “What do you mean?”
Paranoia swirled in my mind, solidifying into a crystal-sharp belief. “That has to be it,” I muttered. “I’m a perfectly good omega. Ishouldhave a mate by now. It’s ludicrous that I don’t. Somebody in production must have it out for me. I’m too bold and demanding. Is that it?”
Poppy fiddled with his hands uneasily. “Erm, I don’t know if—”
“Or it’s because I fought with Taylor on the first season,” I declared. “Did that put me on some kind of Dragonfate blacklist? Except they keep inviting me back. Why would they do that? Is it because I make good television?”
“Um... Alaric?”
“They just want me for the ratings, is that it?” I hissed. “Those production bastards. If they want to mess with me, they’ll get my claws.”
Poppy furrowed his brows in concern. “What are you talking about?”
Defiance burned like lava beneath my skin. “They don’t want me to win. I know it. Why else would I not have a mate yet? Someone’s out to get me.”
“You really think so?” Poppy asked. His tone hinted that he didn’t agree with me, but he wasn’t bold enough to refute it.
But it didn’t matter what Poppy thought. This wasmybattle formymate—and if some higher-up barred me from finding him, I’d make them regret it.
“The mastermind must be one of the dragons. Nobody else has that much authority,” I decided.
I pulled every memory of the Games to the front of my mind, picking through them with a fine-toothed comb. There were three dragons I hadn’t met personally, and only one stood out as a plausible suspect. A tall, well-dressed man who lurked behind the scenes during filming, and ran damage control when the other dragons went off-script.
Jade.
My nails shifted into sharp cat claws and a low growl vibrated in my throat. That green-haired bastard must’ve donesomethingto stall my progress in this idiotic game show.
“Alaric? Are you okay?” Poppy asked.
I realized my demeanor might’ve frightened Poppy. I hid my claws behind my back and flashed him a civil smile.
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me,” I reassured him.
He didn’t look comforted. “If you say so...”
That cotton ball of a wolf was too soft-hearted to be within my revenge radius. I needed privacy to plan my strike, and for that, I needed Poppy out of here.
“Why don’t you go back to your room and rest?” I suggested. “We’ll reconvene later.”
Poppy hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “All right. Maybe you should rest, too.”
“I’ll try,” I lied.
As Poppy left, my rage returned to full force. I considered raking my claws across all the hotel furniture like a stereotypical angry cat, but that kind of retaliation was too juvenile. Jade’s embargo on me was personal. My revenge had to be just as intimate.
I glared towards the forested horizon, where I knew the dragons’ castle loomed. If I caught him alone, there’d be no gaggle of security. Perfect for a face-to-face confrontation.
As twilight fellover the island, I seized my opportunity. Luckily for me, no animal was more graceful than a cat. I slipped into my feral form, gripping the outside of the building with my claws while carefully shimmying down the side, then landed on all four paws on the sand.
I’d never been to the dragons’ home, but with my keen vision and sense of smell, it couldn’t be hard to find. It was acastle,for gods’ sake.
And find it I did. My cat vision pierced the darkness. After a walk along the shore, I saw an unnatural, jagged shape beyond the treetops, a towering spire in the distance. That had to be it. I broke into a gallop, fuelled by spite, ignoring my breathlessness and the burn in my muscles.
When I finally reached the castle, I stopped to catch my breath—and to admire the castle. I had to admit, its grand sizeand beauty took my breath away. It was one thing to see it from afar, but up close, its presence nearly overwhelmed me.
