Finally, I said, “I had sex with Saffron again.”
Poppy’s eyes widened. Before he could stop himself, his tail wagged. “You did? I mean—wait, no. I’m angry at you.” He pinned his tail in place with his paw to prevent it from wagging again. “I can smell the blood soaked into the forest floor from miles away. It’s on you, too.”
I frowned, glancing down at my white furry chest. I’d scrubbed it clean in human form, but the particles must’ve lingered.
“No fooling a wolf’s nose, is there?” I asked.
“You lied to me,” Poppy said. “You promised you wouldn’t hurt any of the dragons. I know you didn’t kill anyone—I saw Aurum standing there beside Saffron, thank gods. He’s okay. But he… he didn’t deserve that.”
“No,” I agreed. “He did not.”
Poppy tilted his head, observing my expression. His accusatory edge softened. He must’ve sensed the guilt weighing me down.
“I met Mylo,” I told him. “He nearly bit my face off. I’d never seen an omega so fiercely protective over their alpha. I didn’t know it was possible.”
Poppy smiled softly. “I told you. It’s because they’re fated mates.”
The memory of Mylo clinging to Aurum flashed in my mind. Then, the image of Saffron beaming at me, staring into my eyes like I was the only man in the world. I had no doubts anymore.
“I believe you now,” I murmured.
Poppy leapt to all four paws. “You do?”
“There’s something else.” Somehow, I got the words out through my pounding heart. “Saffron said he loved me.”
He gasped. “Oh, Rorik!” Then he stopped and asked in a pleading voice, “Do you love him, too?”
He looked like he’d fall apart if the answer was no. Poppy had always been softhearted, but when did he become so invested in love?
I smiled down at him. “If this is what love feels like… then yes.”
Poppy threw himself at me, nuzzling my chest and wagging his tail so hard it thumped against his own haunches. I draped my large paw across his back to return the hug.
My heart swelled. It was the first time since our reunion that Poppy didn’t seem nervous around me, and for that, I was deeply grateful.
“Okay,” Poppy said, invigorated. “I’m going to help you win this challenge.”
His enthusiasm surprised me. “All right. I know where one earring is hidden. Can you find the other?”
Poppy nodded. “I’ll do it.”
He wasted no time darting off into the opposite end of the forest.
As Poppy left, I ran ahead to the clearing. It was quiet. The soil still reeked of dragon’s blood. I bit back my disgust and focused on my task. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath.
I remembered the exact place Aurum touched down, and where his talons scraped the earth. He’d been searching for something. Only too late did I understand what and why—he was trying to help me win by finding the buried earring.
I grimaced, but quickly shook off my guilt. It wouldn’t help me now.
Lowering my nose to the soil, I sniffed past the blood and searched for something else. It didn’t take long to find it. That familiar scent was all over the twins’ shared living space. This earring belonged to Aurum—the brother who’d forgiven me for my colossal fuck up. I would never forget his generosity. From now on, I’d use my fangs to protect him and the rest of the family.
I plowed through the dirt with my claws until the golden earring gleamed. I snatched it delicately with my teeth, pride swelling in my chest, then turned on my heel to find Poppy again. His scent was ingrained in my mind, so it wasn’t difficult to hunt him down.
After ten minutes of scenting his trail, I saw him above on the edge of a hillock, digging into the loose earth. My heart flipped with excitement. He must’ve found the other earring, which meant I was moments away from winning the challenge. All I had to do was climb the slope, get the earring, and present it to Gaius.
But as I loped upwards, a large figure emerged from the thicket and strode between me and Poppy.
A grizzly bear.
