“There,” I said.
Rorik hesitated, then his tongue darted out to lap the water. But the cup wasn’t meant to be used by a bear. His long, powerful tongue knocked the cup over, spilling water across the tablecloth.
As if by instinct, Rorik tensed. His black eyes darted nervously to me.
“I apologize,” he said quickly. “It was my mistake. I’ll clean it.”
What a silly bear. Why was he so apprehensive over a spill? As if my brothers’ kids didn’t knock over their sippy cups every five minutes.
“It’s just water. No big deal,” I assured, pouring a fresh cup. “Here, let’s try it this way.”
I held the cup tightly in my hand, tilting it below his snout for easy access.
Rorik blinked. His eyes flicked between the tantalizing water and my face. He seemed wary, like I was trying to poison him.
I chuckled. “Don’t worry, it’s just water.”
Rorik grunted affirmatively. He lowered his boxy snout, then lapped at the water with his long tongue. It only took a few gulps to empty the cup.
Rorik drew his tongue over his muzzle, then stared at me. His nose twitched as he sniffed the air, slow and deliberate.
My heart skipped faster. Was he smellingme?
I cleared my throat, then asked, “Feel better?”
“Yes.” Then a long, pregnant pause. “Whoareyou?”
My heart dropped. Oh, no. Did Rorik suffer from short-term memory loss? That was tragic. It was like the plot of a romantic drama movie—a patient alpha helping an omega with his memory struggles, supporting him graciously until they fell in love...
Don’t worry, Rorik. I’ll save you.
“My name’s Saffron,” I replied with a gentle smile, hoping to ease his worries. “Remember? We met a few minutes ago.”
Rorik’s brow knitted together, confused by my tone. “I know that.”
My imagined movie plot vanished in a mental puff of smoke.
“Oh,” I said.
Rorik spoke carefully. “You share a name with the dragon called Saffron. But you are…”
At first, I didn’t understand why he was confused. Was he puzzled by my appearance? I figured a fellow shifter would understand why I chose to be in human form at the moment.
Then I had a crazy thought: had Rorik neverwatchedthe Dragonfate Games?
“It’s hard to mingle and pour drinks with talons,” I joked. “But yeah, I am a dragon shifter.”
Rorik’s black eyes flashed. He radiated a burst of energy—a tangible mix of excitement and nerves. But there was also a guarded note in his expression, like he couldn’t quite believe me.
When I searched Rorik’s gaze, I shivered. His expression was so… fierce.
My heart picked up speed. The sparks between us were real—I wasn’t imagining them.
Couldhebe my fated mate?
Rorik cleared his throat. “And you are an alpha… sir?”
I snorted, shaking my head. “Yeah, but don’t call me sir. That’s weird.”
