Ivan snickers and slides beside her. She startles as he leans around her and picks something out of her pan and tosses it in his mouth.
“Did you enjoy the show, at least?”
Though I only see a sliver of her face when she looks at him, I can tell how red it is with embarrassment. “How could I not? You’ve seen yourselves.”
“And now you’ve seen us, too.” He leans over and kissesthe tip of her nose. “Plus, you know Grant likes to be watched. He enjoyed that more than he’ll admit.”
She clatters around in the cabinets for plates. They hit the counter with a thunk, and she starts plating the food she made.
I grab my plate and look to see what she made. “Fried rice?”
“Yeah. We had leftover rice and eggs. It’s one of my favorite breakfasts.” She places a handful of forks on the table before grabbing the mug of coffee she left beside the stove.
“Well, I for one am stoked.” Ivan snags the chair next to Ariana and pushes it so close to her that they’re almost on top of each other.
“It smells delicious.” My first bite confirms that it tastes even better than I thought it would. It’s the perfect savory breakfast that will fill me up until lunchtime, for sure.
We eat in a not-quite-comfortable silence for a few minutes before the TV pings and Bridgette’s voice fills the room.
“Good morning, lovebirds!”
Ariana wrinkles her nose in displeasure. I don’t know if it’s the interruption, calling us lovebirds, or just Bridgette in general that she dislikes.
“Sup, Bridgette?” Ivan doesn’t turn to the television, but he does stare at the camera on the fridge with unnerving eye contact. “What have you got planned for us today?”
“As I’m sure you’re well aware, you will be leaving the house tomorrow. That means you’ll recieve your last challenge today. If you successfully complete it, you’ll recieve our grand prize.”
My Alpha’s back goes ramrod straight. “There’s a grand prize?”
“Told you you should’ve watched the show,” I mutter.
Ariana nods and turns toward him. “Yeah, not every group is keen to complete the challenges given to them. I mean, some people are lied to by their moms, their bosses, whoever. Once, they even had the jealous best friend who was pretending to be a famous Alpha in an attempt to make her Omega friend cheat on her partner.”
That was a crazy season.
She pushes her hair behind her ear. She hasn’t changed out of her pajamas or put her contacts in yet. I love this soft look on her. It’s what I want to wake up to for the rest of my life.
“They do a grand prize if you complete all the challenges. There’s only been two or three seasons where someone’s got it. Honestly, our challenges have been fairly easy in comparison to a few of the seasons.”
Bridgette interjects as soon as Ariana finishes speaking. “Which was a decision made by production since you all were already going through so many difficulties with the accidental scent matching and heat spikes.”
My Omega buries her face in her hands with a disdainful whine.
“Aren’t you curious about the prize?” Bridgette may not have access to our live video feed, or she might be bad at reading the room, because she embarrassed the shit out of Ariana.
Ivan rubs his hand over our Omega’s back as he answers her. “Yeah, sure.”
Bridgette squeals in excitement. “Round-trip, first-class flights to Vegas, premium tickets to see the incredible Cirque de Mordu, and two weeks in the penthouse suite at the luxurious resort Hedonistic Heat!”
Oh, shit. That’s a great prize.
Hedonistic Heat is a resort that caters specifically toOmegas and their packs during heat. Two weeks is more than enough time to get through a heat and do some sightseeing. I’ve never been, but I’ve heard people talk about it. It’s all-inclusive, with a nesting space, jacuzzi tubs, and food and drink delivered.
It takes on many of the difficult parts of a heat and outsources them, while offering beautiful views and luxury accommodations. There’s one in most major cities.
But the one in Vegas? That’s the pinnacle. And the penthouse? That has to be tens of thousands of dollars a night. Plus the flights, the circus tickets, and all our expenses?
This is an incredible prize, and I want to earn it for Ariana. She deserves to be spoiled.
