I was so confused. “Don’t wolves have packs, not clans?”
His head drooped lower. “Um... I suppose we’re different.”
Weren’t wolves supposed to be noble and proud? There was no pride in his voice. In fact, he seemed nervous while talking. But the wolf intrigued me. I was excited to keep talking to him.
“So, what are you doing out here?” I asked, getting comfortable in my crappy snow nest.
My question seemed to pour a fresh wave of anxiety over Poppy. He shot another furtive glance backwards. Was he waiting for somebody, or was he nervous about being seen? I couldn’t tell, but either way, it ticked me off. I didn’t want to be interrupted.
Poppy sighed, the corners of his gentle eyes tense. “I shouldn’t be all the way out here. I just needed a minute alone. Then I saw the strangest thing—fire reaching for the sky. But there was no smoke. It was only there for a second, then it was gone.” He dropped his gaze as if ashamed. “I must’ve been seeing things...”
“Haha, nope. That was me,” I explained. “Look.”
I raised my neck, ignoring the pain in my muscles, and breathed out a puff of flame.
Poppy gasped, the fire’s glow shining in his eyes until it fizzled out of existence.
“H-how did you do that?” he asked, both excited and jumpy.
I puffed out my chest. “Dragons can breathe fire. It’s one of our unique abilities. And we can fly, too.”
Poppy’s eyes widened. For the first time since our conversation began, he no longer looked afraid. His fear was replaced by total awe as he stared at my wings. His face lit up as he stepped closer like a curious puppy.
“Your wings actuallywork?” he asked softly.
I grinned, ready to show them off, but when I budged my wing joints, they stung. I gritted my teeth so I wouldn’t hiss in pain.
“They usually work,” I grumbled. “But I hit a bad storm while flying, and I think I passed out and crashed.”
“Oh no,” Poppy cried. “You’re hurt?”
His genuine concern warmed my heart.
“I’ll heal fast since I’m a dragon,” I boasted. “But the worst part is that I lost my satchel. It had food and—something really important in it.”
I stumbled over my words at the last second. My plush toy was my most precious item, but apparently, it was abnormal for a guy my age to carry one around all the time. I didn’t want Poppy to judge me, or think I was a weirdo and stop speaking to me.
“A satchel?” Poppy asked.
“Yeah, like a bag. It probably came undone when I fell. I wonder if it’s around somewhere.”
“I.... I could try to find it for you,” he suggested, then hurriedly added, “If that’s okay.”
I blinked, wondering why he was so deferential. “That would actually be amazing. You’d do that for me?”
He smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I like having something to do.” For a moment, it seemed like he’d say more, but he didn’t elaborate. “Um, I need a good whiff of your scent to help me find your satchel. Is that all right?”
“Sure,” I agreed.
Poppy padded closer until his snout was inches from my chest. I suddenly felt flustered. I’d never been this close to an omega before. Especially such a cute one.
The cold, wet flesh of Poppy’s nose brushed my scales as he sniffed me. Then it dawned on me that this was a huge display of trust. Even with my injuries, he was close enough for me to snatch in my front paws. For such a wary wolf, he was putting a lot of faith in me. I felt grateful. I wanted to return that trust.
“Okay,” Poppy said, pulling away. “I’ve memorized your scent. I’ll try to find it.”
Again, I felt flustered that he’d committed my scent to memory. Did he also find it intimate, or was it a normal wolf thing?
Poppy turned to trot away, then paused and asked, “Will you be okay by yourself, Violet?”
