He whisked off his denim over-shirt and threw it at me. I blinked, grasping it in confusion. I was covered in blood. Besides, didn’t he want me dead? But Cobalt’s glare left no room for arguments, so I silently tied it around my waist.
The door flew open with a bang. Others streamed into the room, joining Cobalt and Jade as they encircled me. One alpha had red-and-black hair; the other was pale-skinned with light purple hair.
Saffron and Aurum were absent. From Jade’s comment, I assumed another one of their brothers, Viol, was also missing.
Jade cleared his throat and gestured to the newcomers. “Crimson. Thystle.” He finished with me. “Rorik.”
Why bother introducing us? What was the point?
“Anyone care to explain why we’re not eating bear steak right now?” Crimson snarked as he glared at me.
Thystle curled his lip, shooting me a nasty look. “I should’ve known this would happen. Once you get too famous, stalker freaks come out of the woodwork.”
Their comments drenched me in a fresh layer of shame. This wasn’t the first impression I wanted to make.
When did I start wanting to make a good impression with Saffron’s brothers?I thought.Why do I care so much about dragons’ opinions of me?
“Why’d you do it?” Thystle barked, jerking me from my thoughts. “Fame? Fortune? What possible reason could you have to hurt my little brother, asshole?”
Little brother. Baby brother. Twin brother. An alpha mate. And to his daughters, a father, too. Aurum was something unique to each family member—and I’d nearly destroyed those bonds.
A cold shiver ran down my spine. I felt the old Rorik fading, stripped away like a shed skin. He no longer represented me. I was changing into something new and different; it both excited and scared me.
“I have no excuse,” I said, staring at the tile floor.
“I don’t want an excuse,” Thystle spat. “Just tell us why.”
A heavy sigh escaped me. It felt so easy telling Saffron the truth—in hindsight, everything felt easy with him—but repeating the same words to his furious brothers made me nervous. Not because I was afraid of their physical retaliation, but because I couldn’t stand to see them any more disappointed in me.
I remembered Cobalt’s kindness when he offered me his clothes, and I remembered Jade’s easy understanding when I admitted to nearly bashing Kaskian’s face in. They didn’t judge me, or belittle me as a weak, useless omega. Not like the alphas in the tundra clan.
My words came out hoarse and thin. “I was sent here on orders to kill dragons. My clan alphas told me not to come home if I failed.”
Shock rippled across their faces. Their collective anger fizzled into confusion.
Cobalt was the first to speak. “Where is your clan?”
The question was measured, as if he already knew the answer.
“In the tundra, up north,” I replied.
Cobalt stilled. His gaze darted to Jade, whose cognizant eyes sharpened.
But Thystle was oblivious to whatever hidden knowledge his older brothers shared. He continued railing at me. “So what? Are you a loser who does everything commanded of you?”
“Yes,” I said honestly. “I was.”
That answer took Thystle off guard. He crossed his arms, frowning. “Hmph. At least you admit it…”
“You spoke in past tense, Rorik,” Jade pointed out. “Do you feel differently now?”
I nodded. “I do.”
Crimson scoffed. “Please. Don’t tell me you believe this radical change of heart, Jade? It’s obviously a ploy so we don’t tear him apart.”
I interrupted them. “If killing me would fix this, I would offer my life in a heartbeat.”
Crimson’s brows rose. He looked surprised, too. He clicked his tongue, sliding his hands into his suit pockets. “If Viol were here, I’m sure this conversation would’ve been a bloodbath instead,” he muttered. “But he’s off gallivanting around as usual.”
