I wanted to tell Rorik not to worry—if he wanted the win, he would easily have had it. I already knew he was special to me. The problem was the emotional wall he’d put up between us. Was it something I said last night? Or did my shifted talons unnerve him?
“You don’t have to crush anyone’s skull,” I told Rorik. “This isn’t life or death. It’s a game show. Don’t take it so seriously, okay?”
Rorik’s jaw tensed. He looked like he wanted to argue, but then he sniffled, gearing up to sneeze. When he did, his sensitive nasal vessels burst again. A few flecks of blood landed on my white shirt.
“Dammit. I’m sorry,” Rorik said. He braced his arm against his face, but it didn’t stop the blood pouring down his nose. “Let me bleach it.”
“I care aboutyou, not some stupid shirt!” I snapped.
Rorik’s eyes widened.
“You’re bleeding too much. Let me take you to the nurse,” I insisted.
Rorik hesitated. “All right. But only if Poppy joins us.”
I only just noticed the white-haired wolf omega standing nearby.
“Poppy? Sure,” I said.
There was a familiarity in Rorik’s voice I didn’t expect. Did Rorik and Poppy know each other? I was in too much of a rush to ask. After rounding them up, I ushered Rorik to the nurse’s office in the hotel.
Cringing inwardly, I remembered when my and Aurum’s antics landed Matteo in the very same nurse’s office a few seasons ago. It felt like forever since that incident. My brother was different now. Aurum had matured after finding his fated mate and starting a family. Mylo made Aurum shine; my twin had evolved into an elevated version of himself.
But what about me? I felt stuck and incomplete. I wanted a mate more than anything, yet I couldn’t even get Rorik to smile.
I felt stalled. I knew there wassomethingbetween us, yet our relationship wasn’t progressing. Why wouldn’t Rorik open up to me? Was I flawed? Or did Rorik just hate my guts?
The kobold nurse took a quick peek at Rorik’s nose, then thankfully cleared him of any major injuries. Knowing Rorik wasn’t going to die from blood loss, I suggested taking over clean-up duty. I couldn’t sit back and watch anymore. I had to be involved in Rorik’s care.
The nurse agreed and left us alone. Rorik sat on the edge of the bed while Poppy crouched meekly against the wall, as if trying to disappear.
It was just the three of us now. Awkward tension hung in the air.
I poured antiseptic on a cotton pad. “So, uh… volleyball, huh? Throw the ball… hit the ball. Wild stuff.”
Nobody responded.
“Geez, tough crowd,” I mumbled.
I walked over to Rorik. His expression was guarded, and he stared at me like I was a stranger. My heart sank into the pit of my stomach.
I tried not to let it show on my face. Lifting the cotton pad, I said, “Stay still. This might sting.”
Rorik remained stoic as ever, barely reacting as I wiped the crusted blood off his upper lip. He didn’t look into my eyes—he looked right through me, unfocused and uncaring.
Frustration welled inside me. I wassoclose to him. If I leaned in, I could press our lips together—and fuck, I wanted to.
But Rorik obviously didn’t. It was like he wanted me to disappear. When did he start acting so cold towards me? Did my partial shift last night scare himthatmuch?
My heart sank deeper. I couldn’t help the fact that I was so damn emotional. My talons were an expression of my righteous anger. I just wanted to protect him. How could I make him understand that?
I tossed the used cotton pad and doused a fresh one in antiseptic. Point blank, I asked, “Did I scare you last night?”
Rorik’s gaze snapped back to mine, actuallyseeingthis time.
“No,” he said.
I laughed humorlessly. “C’mon. Don’t lie. It doesn’t suit you.”
