“Welcome to the world of air conditioning, my snow-loving friend,” Gaius announced as we stepped into the lobby.
The cool air hit me like a beautiful slap in the face. I gasped in relief, nearly throwing myself on the cold tile floor to dispel the heat still clinging to my fur.
But I stomped down my needs and remained composed. I wouldn’t act like a fool.
Gaius shot me a curious look. “You know, most contestants shift into their human form to combat the tropical heat. Ever consider that?”
Not this again.
“No,” I ground out through my teeth.
“Whatever you say, big guy.” Gaius gestured to the front desk. “You can grab your room key over there, and take the elevator up to your floor.”
“Why are you explaining this to me?” I asked, suspicious again.
Gaius smiled. “Because you look lost and confused.”
“I’m not either of those things,” I snapped, louder than I intended.
Although I wasn’t actually trying to bite him, Gaius dramatically danced out of range of my huge fangs. My sudden outburst didn’t faze him at all. Was a gryphon—whatever that was—so powerful that he could easily relax in the presence of a polar bear?
I noticed with a pang of regret that I was being watched. Other omegas filing into the hotel lobby stared at me uneasily, as if worried I’d go after them next. Their gazes boring into my skull bothered me.
I needed to retreat to my room and calm down. I wasn’t here to make a good impression, but making a bad one could harm my mission. I had to blend in.
Which, as a gigantic polar bear, was impossible.
After concludingthat a hotel was just a stupidly large, needlessly extravagant version of the barracks back home, I found my room. The first thing I did was turn the temperature down to freezing. The second thing I did was mentally prepare for the upcoming event that evening: a “meet and greet.”
Sheba’s debriefing was useful, but it hadn’t prepared me for the actual experience of being on the dragons’ island. I didn’t know what to expect. Everything—and everybody—was strange here.
When I arrived in my room, I found a printed piece of paper on the counter that detailed my schedule. As I scanned the paper, my heart raced with excitement. Just my luck—I already had an opportunity to come face-to-face with a dragon tonight. From there, I’d begin my plan of attack.
My heart ticked faster. My mission now felt dangerously real.
I strode to the huge window and scanned the beach below. Tables and decorations, doused in golden sunlight, were already set up for the event.
I balked at the idea of going back outside in that foul heat. Turning my head, I caught my reflection in a wall-mounted mirror. A white bear with tired black eyes stared back at me.
Recalling what Gaius said earlier, I sighed. I didn’t like shifting into my human form—it was weaker, slower, and less competent in every way—but it might be the only way to survive the heat.
The meet and greet started at seven. I would not be late. Bypassing the elevator—I didn’t trust that witchcraft-powered thing—I stomped down the stairs to the ground floor. With a grimace, I left the cool embrace of air conditioning, bracing myself for the heat, and trudged towards the beach.
Music blasted on speakers. Drinks and cups were available on every table. Omega shifters in human form mingled, chatting and laughing and shooting jealous looks at each other that weren’t as subtle as they hoped.
I regarded the gaudy scene from a distance, reluctant to join in. The frivolous excess was foreign to me. These people’s lives were wholly different than mine, and for the first time in my life, I felt like an outsider. The crowded beach was somehow lonelier than the sprawling, empty tundra back home.
But my feelings didn’t matter. I had to find the dragon.
Bracing myself against the unholy temperature, I loped towards the crowd. I was stubborn, and refused to shift unless the heat was literally unbearable.
Unfortunately, that choice made me stand out. Every other contestant was in human form. They dodged out of my path, parting like a flock of birds before I knocked into them with my massive shoulders.
As I looked around, I grew frustrated. I didn’t see anything. Where was the dragon? A giant winged lizard couldn’t hide, even in this crowd. As far as I knew, dragons weren’t shifters, so if one was present, it should’ve been easily visible.
As I scanned the beach, I noticed a tighter throng of people by the shore.
“What’s going on over there?” I asked the nearest omega, who poured himself a drink by the table. Judging by his scent, he was a large bear, but not an arctic one. Grizzly, probably.
