Whatever. It wasn’t like I gave a shit romantically about anyone besides Rorik. I was determined to have fun with it. After all, it was the only challenge based on my hoard—and the last one of my season.
I met Rorik’s gaze in the crowd and winked. His eyes widened into round, dark buttons, like a teddy bear. He was so cute; I resisted the urge to leap off the stage and tackle him in a hug.
“All right, folks, let’s get this show on the road,” Gaius announced. “Form a neat line and grab your paper…”
I shuffled impatiently on my feet as the contestants each took their turn writing things down and depositing them into the bowl.
“What’s the point of picking them randomly if I have to read them all anyway?” I complained to Gaius under my breath.
Gaius flashed a dazzling white smile. “The magic of TV, my draconic friend. You can’t just pick Rorik’s answer on the first try. You have to go through two wrong answers before the third time becomes the charm.”
I snorted, amused. “So, you know about Rorik, huh?”
Gaius put a hand on my shoulder. “Oh, Saffron. Atapewormcould see how much you love Rorik.”
“Ew. Don’t talk about tapeworms and my mate in the same sentence ever again.”
“You just did it, too.”
“Shut up.”
Gaius grinned. “Unfortunately for you, Jade pays me a lot of moneynotto shut up.”
I glared at the walking chicken nugget, but my ire disappeared when Rorik took the stage. My heartbeat picked up speed as he met my gaze. The corner of his mouth curled in a small smile, then he quickly wrote down his answer and tossed it into the bowl.
Once everyone was finished, Gaius ushered me to the table.
“Here it is—the moment of truth!” he declared. “Saffron, go ahead and pick your poison.”
I reached into the bowl, digging into the pieces of paper. They all felt the same. But as I shuffled them around, a familiar smell wafted from the bowl. It was distinctly bear—thick, warm, potent. Rorik’s scent. As my fingers explored the paper, I noticed the corner of one was folded into a sharp point.
Gaius quietly cleared his throat behind me.
Yeah, yeah, I get it,I thought.Don’t pick his first.
I pushed Rorik’s answer aside for safekeeping, then grabbed a different paper at random. When I unfurled it, it read:A moonlight walk, followed by a kiss.
I ignored the instinct to grimace. I didn’t know who submitted this, but it wasn’t Rorik, so I didn’t care. Besides, a moonlight walk? Seriously? I wondered if that was inspired by Aurum’s season.
I read the answer out loud, then placed the paper on the table. “Sorry, not this one.”
“Ooh, no dice,” Gaius lamented. “Try again, bachelor. Will the next one be our lucky winner?”
Already knowing the answer was no, I reached for a second answer. I pulled out the paper, which was folded neatly in half, and saw text written in neat, small handwriting, as if the writer was afraid of shouting on paper.
Then I read the text and knew immediately who’d written it.
Ignore me please! Pick Rorik’s paper instead!! → It has a folded corner.
I caught Poppy’s eye in the crowd—the frail omega was impossible to miss beside Rorik’s huge frame—and gave him a reassuring smile. Geez, that wolf would do anything for his friends, wouldn’t he?
“Ah, man,” I said out loud, putting aside Poppy’s paper. “Video games are Aurum’s thing, not mine. Sorry.”
Poppy looked relieved. He nudged Rorik excitedly, but my bear remained stoic as he stared at the bowl. Still, I noticed that gleam of anxiety in his eyes.
Dummy,I thought, shooting him a smirk.Do you really think I’d pick anybody but you?
I shoved my hand back into the bowl and pinpointed Rorik’s paper with its distinct scent and curled corner. When I lifted it out, I saw him stand taller in the crowd.
