1. Jade

1

Jade

It was another beautiful morning. As sunlight filtered in through my window, I greeted the day with a tranquil smile. My daily life was peaceful, and I had everything a man could ever want—a stunning castle on a private island, delicious food, and a hoard overflowing with books.

There was only one thing missing. But I tried not to think too hard about that.

After rolling out of my king-sized bed, I took a hot shower, stretched my body and read a few fleeting pages of my novel before heading downstairs.

Unfortunately, my peace was shattered as soon as I left my room.

Standing in front of me was a man dripping in leather. His scowl was legendary. If he frowned any harder, his face would be frozen in that position forever.

"Good morning, Viol," I said pleasantly. "Is there a reason you're standing outside my door like a debt collector?"

My brother snorted. "Family meeting. You're late."

One of my brows inched higher. First of all, who'd called for a family meeting? I was the only person in this family who arranged those. Second, how could I be late to an event I didn't even know about?

"All right," I said. "Let's head down together. You can explain the situation on the way."

"I ain't explaining shit," Viol grumbled. "You'll figure it out when we get there."

Clearly, I wasn't getting any information from my dear brother.

"Someone's in a chipper mood," I remarked. If I poked Viol enough, he might crack and let something slip.

He groaned. "Oh, shove it. It's early, and I'm fuckin' tired."

Unlike my nocturnal brother, I was an early riser. The current time was later than I usually started my day, but I had no immediate work to be done, so I'd taken the morning slow.

"Indeed. It's only—" I checked the expensive silver watch on my wrist. "Nine AM. Ghastly hour to be conscious at."

Viol's glare cut through my chipper sarcasm. "It's early for me ," he retorted. "And other normal people."

I smirked. Viol was joking about calling me abnormal, but he had no clue.

"So, any hints about the nature of this meeting?" I asked. "Let me guess. Nobody knows what to have for lunch."

"Wow, so funny," Viol deadpanned. He strutted faster in an attempt to escape my interrogation, but my long legs allowed me to keep stride with him.

"How about this? Another plushie has gone missing, and you all require my help to solve the mystery," I suggested.

Viol hissed out a sharp growl of frustration. "No."

It sounded like I'd touched a nerve. "Are you sure? I'm an excellent detective, you know. I have an entire bookshelf dedicated to mysteries."

"I'm ignoring you."

No luck. Oh well. I'd find out the meaning of this detour soon enough.

Viol trudged the final steps towards the meeting room, then threw the doors open. He didn't wait for me to catch up before he found a chair—pointedly far away from me—and slumped in it.

The seats were full of familiar faces. My brothers perked up at my arrival. I noticed the mated ones' partners were absent, as were their children. This must be an alpha dragon-only affair.

"Good morning, my beautiful family," I greeted, slipping into my usual seat at the round table.

I surveyed the room. Barring Viol, my brothers' expressions all indicated excitement, though with an oddly mischievous undercurrent.

"I have to say, I'm surprised to see you all gathered on time for whatever this meeting is about. Perhaps you'd like to fill me in?" I asked.

They exchanged glances. Though they all seemed eager to speak, none wanted to go first. Since I was the one who led family meetings, it didn't surprise me that nobody knew what to do. The awkward silence after my question was embarrassing.

I sighed, then addressed our eldest brother. "Cobalt?"

Cobalt sat straighter, his wide shoulders squaring up. "Yes. We called this meeting because there's something we want to discuss."

I smiled patiently. "Yes, that is generally the point of family meetings."

Cobalt cleared his throat. "Right."

He was acting oddly reticent. Maybe I should've asked someone else. Bless him, Cobalt had never been the most eloquent speaker among us. Who was the most likely to give me a straight answer?

"Thystle," I called, facing my other purple-haired brother. "Care to elaborate?"

Thystle attempted to stifle a grin. He shared a quick glance with the twins, which made me suspicious. Had they cooked up a scheme together? I folded my hands neatly together while I stared at Thystle, waiting for his response. His bravado wilted under my unrelenting gaze.

"Well, Jade," Thystle began. "You know how much we appreciate all the work you do around here, right?"

My smile didn't budge. "You could all stand to put it into words more often, but yes."

Thystle nodded. "Right. And we couldn't run the Dragonfate Games without you, either."

That was a plain fact. Without my hours of administrative paperwork, phone calls, funding, organizing... the Games simply would not happen.

My gaze skimmed towards the last few unmated alphas at the table. Only Saffron and Viol remained bachelors. Was the point of this meeting to discuss their upcoming seasons? That explained the excited grin on Saffron's face, as well as Viol's sour mood.

Ideas instantly swirled in my mind. Planning each season would consume many sleepless nights, but proper preparation was key for the Games to function smoothly. Unless, of course, the bachelors threw a wrench into my plans. That happened more often than I'd care to admit.

"So, who's the lucky bachelor this time?" I asked, glancing back and forth between Saffron and Viol.

Saffron chuckled under his breath while Viol stared at the far wall and pretended I didn't exist.

Thystle coughed. "Actually, Jade, that's why we called this meeting." He cast a sidelong look at his brothers for backup. Curious now, I watched them gather their courage to chime in.

Crimson straightened his posture and smoothed a hand through his black-and-red hair. "Do we really have to spell it out?"

I quirked my brow, intrigued. "Whatever do you mean, Crimson?"

"C'mon, dude," Aurum interrupted. "How many of us are left?"

"Two. Saffron and Viol," I answered.

Aurum made an obnoxious buzzer sound to indicate I was wrong. "Try again, smarty pants."

I held my tongue. After all the hard work I did for his season of the Games, the least he could do was keep his sass to himself.

"Guys, I think Jade forgot how to count," Saffron said with a grin.

If anybody present was good at math, it was me. But before I could formulate a witty comeback, the true meaning of their words sank in.

Technically, three alphas remained: Saffron, Viol... and myself.

"All right, yes, I understand now," I said. "You're including me in the number of bachelors."

Aurum snorted. "Obviously. Why would we leave you out?"

Honestly, it was more odd that they'd included me. I was the behind-the-scenes conductor. I didn't appear on camera. I stayed in the shadows, lurking behind the curtain where I pulled the strings and helped everything function. I was the foundation that shouldered the weight of the Dragonfate Games. I couldn't be the bachelor, especially not when two of my brothers lacked mates.

"No, thank you," I said simply, putting an end to that. Then I turned to Saffron. "Now, if you'd like to discuss preparation for your season—"

To my surprise, Saffron wagged his finger to cut me off. "Nuh-uh. You're not getting off the hook that easily."

I blinked in confusion. Out of everyone, Saffron was the most eager candidate for a mate. He should've jumped at the opportunity to be the next bachelor. So, why did he deflect my offer?

Glancing at the dark, dour shape that was Viol, I searched his expression in case I missed something. His icy glare said he'd slap the glasses off my face if I tried roping him into this.

Turning back to the others, I admitted, "I'm afraid I don't understand."

"Jade," Cobalt said, his deep voice commanding the room's attention. "We want you to be the next bachelor."

I met my elder brother's gaze evenly. "And I said, no thank you."

The twins exchanged an incredulous look.

"Why the hell not?" Aurum demanded.

"Yeah, why?" Saffron added.

I withheld a massive sigh. Good heavens, where could I even begin? I wasn't about to reveal my deepest inner thoughts to my brothers, no matter how close we were.

"I believe my time is better spent away from the spotlight," I explained, dodging the true reason. "Besides, if I'm the bachelor, who's going to do my job?"

"I can do it," Thystle suggested.

I bit my tongue to stop myself from laughing. It was sweet of him to offer, truly, but Thystle alone couldn't do half the work I did.

"I'll help, too," Cobalt added. "You brought Muzo to me."

The laughter bubbling in my throat stopped. Thystle was one thing, but if Cobalt assisted him...

Crimson clicked his tongue. "Oh, hell, why not. I'll chip in, too. It's my way of repaying you for bringing Taylor into my life."

"And Matteo into mine," Thystle said.

Aurum put his hand on the table as if dealing into a card game. "Me and Mylo owe you. Count me in."

Now this was interesting. I had not one, but four offers to run the Dragonfate Games. Five, if you counted the fact that the twins were attached at the hip. Could my brothers really do it? The doubtful part of me assumed they'd crash and burn, ruining the whole season...

But what if they didn't?

I examined the facts. They'd have experienced help from the production kobolds. Crimson was organized, Cobalt had a take-charge attitude, Thystle absorbed media production knowledge from Matteo, and Aurum and Saffron... well, they were available pairs of hands.

Considering all that, it wasn't impossible for the season to run without my input. Yet I still hesitated.

Finding a mate meant revealing the depths of your heart. Could an omega handle what was in mine?

I considered it for a moment before doubt swirled in my stomach like a frigid storm front, smothering any speck of hope.

I shook my head. "Thank you all for your help, but I insist you reconsider. Let's run Saffron's season first."

Saffron scoffed like I'd insulted him. "C'mon, Jade. Think about the audience. Aurum just went before me. I know we're two different people and all, but they don't wanna see the same thing twice in a row. Shouldn't you space us out?"

I loathed to admit it, but he had a point.

The only other option was Viol—and if I suggested he go next, I'd surely face his wrath.

Was this the only way forward?

To my chagrin, I had to give my brothers credit for their dastardly strategy. Despite my efforts to fight back, they'd cornered and pestered me until I caved. Their scheme paid off.

I sighed, feeling like a weight was suddenly crushing my chest. "Fine. I'll go next."

They all cheered like students on the last day of school. Even Viol smirked in satisfaction.

I kept a patient smile on my face, keeping up my calm facade. But on the inside, I was mired in dread. My mind raced with doubts and anxieties.

I'll go next... but don't expect me to walk out of this season with a mate.