11. Jade

11

Jade

My brothers went back to basics with the second challenge reward: a classic moonlit dinner date. That was fine by me. As long as I got to be with Alaric, the occasion didn't matter. But I knew my kitten's preferences—he loved being treated to luxurious experiences. To make sure everything was perfect, I couldn't help but stick my nose into the preparations.

The dinner date setup began immediately after the second challenge was torn down. I lingered behind as Duke, the director kobold, shouted orders at the staff.

It didn't take long for my brothers to notice my unwanted presence. The twins surrounded me like a pair of hyenas.

"Hey! What are you doing here?" Aurum demanded.

Saffron chimed in with the same offended tone. "Yeah, you should be at the castle getting ready for your hot date!"

Thystle floated over to glare at me in preemptive warning. "You'd better not have a problem with the second challenge, too. We worked really hard on this one."

I smiled to calm them down. "Actually, I quite enjoyed this challenge. Thank you."

They lit up, then cheered, "Yes!"

Cobalt joined us, carrying a huge stack of books in his strong arms. "What's going on?"

Crimson wasn't far behind him. He grunted beneath the weight of a much smaller stack of books. He cursed as he nearly bumped into Cobalt, who'd halted to speak with us.

"Why in the name of Holy Drake are we stopping?" Crimson complained. Seeing me, he scoffed. "Must you always butt into our business, Jade? Can't you see how hard we're working?"

"I do see, and I appreciate it," I replied with a grateful nod. "I'm not here to scold anyone. I simply want to discuss my upcoming dinner date with Alaric."

My brothers' suspicion and weariness were instantly replaced by excitement. They looked like a scheming gang of villains.

Crimson unloaded his share of books into Cobalt's arms so he could put his hands on his hips. "Your date with Alaric, eh? Sounds like you're looking forward to it."

There was no point denying his accusation. A slight smile worked its way onto my face.

"You could say that," I replied.

"Ooooh," Aurum and Saffron said together, their golden eyes glittering impishly.

Cobalt raised his thick brows. "I'm lost. Do you like Alaric?"

They all stared at me with burning anticipation.

I sighed. There was no escaping this one.

"I am fond of him, yes," I admitted.

"I knew it!" Aurum yelled, pumping his arm. "I saw the swoony way you looked at him when he roasted our book!"

Thystle looked gobsmacked. "Seriously?" he asked, raising a brow. "Alaric, of all omegas?"

My inner dragon growled at his remark, forcing me to soothe it back into dormancy. Sure, Alaric wasn't a wholesome cinnamon roll like Mylo, a gruff protector like Taylor, a beacon of charisma like Matteo, or a lovable goofball like Muzo. Alaric was clever, venomous and beautiful. He was his own unique person with his own flaws and charms—and I valued him above all the rest.

"Yes," I repeated.

"Are you sure? Like, he's not blackmailing you or anything?" Thystle prodded.

I gave my younger brother a sharp look—perhaps sharper than I intended, seeing how he shrank back.

"No, Alaric is not blackmailing me, and there's no ulterior motives present," I stated. "Why are you concerned about that?"

Saffron shrugged. "I mean, the guy's abrasive. He's not exactly who I pictured as your type."

"And what exactly is my type?" I asked.

"A fellow bookworm?" Crimson suggested. "A quiet, shy omega content to curl up in your library with you?"

I held back a scoff. If that was their concept of my ideal partner, they were sorely mistaken. Not that I wouldn't enjoy reading alongside Alaric in my library, but having my interests reduced to my hoard alone was tiresome. In that regard, Alaric had already glimpsed a deeper side of me than my own family.

I smiled thinly. "Sharing the exact same passions as your partner sounds a bit boring, doesn't it?"

They took the hint. Nobody pried further.

Crimson cleared his throat. "Anyway, what did you want to discuss about that date?"

"Spare no expense," I instructed. "Make it luxurious, a world-class experience. I want it to be an evening he'll always remember."

Thystle's eyes rounded. "Wow. You actually really like him, don't you?"

His question forced me to confront my own emotions. The answer was yes; every second that went by confirmed my rapidly cementing feelings for Alaric. I'd never fallen for anybody this fast and hard—or fallen for anyone at all—so I wasn't accustomed to this terrifyingly wonderful sensation.

Yet the analytical worm in my brain stopped me from declaring him my fated mate. In its vile, nagging voice, it insisted that a destined connection between us simply wasn't possible. I was too weird. Too absurd in my desires. Too sexually incompatible with anyone to be their fated mate.

Wasn't I?

After saying my piece, I returned to my room to prepare. I showered and put on my finest outfit, a custom-made suit by an expensive designer. I wasn't one to get nervous before events, but the idea of meeting Alaric tonight made my heart pump faster.

I expected the date to be on the beach, the way it always was—but as I reached the castle's ground floor, Gaius met me in the hallway. Shockingly, he wasn't wearing a neon Hawaiian shirt. Instead he wore a simple yet classy waiter's uniform. It wasn't the first time I'd seen him wear one, but this one seemed fancier than before. Had my brothers given him my memo about the luxurious dinner service?

"Good evening, Mr. Chromatimaeus," Gaius said in an affected voice. "Please allow me to be your guide to your dinner reservation."

I followed him with an amused smile. "And where exactly is my dinner reservation being held?"

One of the unspoken rules of the Games was that no filming was to occur in our castle. It was our home, after all. Yet Gaius never left the building. He escorted me down a rarely used hallway, as if he was the one who lived here instead of me. The sprawling castle had more than enough room for all of us, and as a result, space went unused. I couldn't recall the last time I'd taken this hallway. What would I find at the end of it?

"Your dinner reservation is in the brand-new restaurant, of course," Gaius replied jauntily.

I had no time to pry further. As Gaius opened the door at the end of the hall, I was met by a baffling sight—a beautiful, high-class restaurant that came out of nowhere. What had previously been an empty room was now an inviting, extravagant place to eat.

Gaius chuckled. "It's not often I see you speechless, Jade."

"It's not often I am speechless," I admitted. "What happened here? How did you summon an entire restaurant into my home?"

"The answer, my friend, is always money. Well, that and a lot of effort." Gaius put a hand on his chest. "Alas, I'd love to take the credit, but I had nothing to do with it. Your brothers made it happen."

A familial warmth bloomed inside me. They'd done all this for my sake?

"Ha! Surprised, aren't you?"

Aurum's voice cut into my thoughts. I turned to see him and the rest of the brotherly admin crew beaming with pride.

"Yes, actually," I said. "I wasn't expecting all of this."

Thystle scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, we felt bad for saying that stuff about Alaric earlier, so we wanted to make it up to you."

"Thystle," I murmured, touched by his heartfelt apology. "Thank you, everyone."

"You can't help who you fall in love with. Even if it is an arrogant cat like Alaric," Crimson teased.

He wasn't wrong about that. But Alaric's arrogance was one of my favorite qualities about him.

Then the rest of Crimson's statement hit me like a bucket of ice water.

I started to speak. "Did you say lo— "

"And there's the lucky cat himself!" Gaius announced. His powers of projection smothered everything I said, ensuring nobody heard my half-spoken question.

I whipped around to see Alaric, and when I did, my heart tangled into a fuzzy knot. His silky white hair tickled his bare shoulders, which were revealed by a loose cream wool cardigan. The black collar remained striking against his pale skin. As always, he was effortlessly gorgeous.

His heterochromatic eyes flashed when I met his gaze. A shiver of anticipation rolled across my skin. How did he look even more beautiful every time I saw him?

"Good evening," Alaric said. Noticing the presence of my brothers, he added, "Am I too early?"

"No, you're right on time," I replied. "They were just leaving."

"We were?" Aurum blurted.

"Man, but I'm hungry after doing all that hard work," Saffron complained.

Since the twins made no effort to have their conversation quietly, Alaric overheard everything. He waved a delicate hand. "There's no need to leave. Stay and eat with us," he insisted.

"Are you sure?" I asked. I'd assumed he'd prefer a private fancy dinner alone. I didn't mind either way—I only wanted him to be happy.

"Why not?" Alaric shrugged. "It's not like we're strangers."

I was a tad nervous, considering my brothers' earlier doubt over Alaric's motives, but they'd since put in all this effort for our sake. Besides, this was a good opportunity for them to see a different side of Alaric.

I smiled hopefully. "All right. Why not? Gaius, push some tables together for us, won't you?"

He threw in a dutiful bow. "Right away, m'lord."

As Gaius performed his task, I noticed Thystle and Saffron were visibly surprised by Alaric's offer. Did they still suspect him of foul play?

The seating configuration was disrupted by the addition of new tables, so I asked Alaric, "Should I sit across from you, or beside you?"

"Beside me," he replied without hesitation.

My heart skipped again. Did he want to be close to me?

"Certainly," I said, taking the seat next to him.

As we assumed our seats, I finally got a good look at the refreshed space. What was previously an unused guest room had been transformed into a spectacular banquet hall. Fresh flowers scented the air, and candles gave the room a warm glow. The angled skylight displayed the stars and moonlight, and the furthest wall was composed of glass doors, adding to the airy atmosphere. It also allowed the camera crew to remain—technically—outside the castle, as they filmed us from a distance with their high-tech gear.

I had to commend my brothers for stepping up to the plate. They'd clearly taken my comments to heart. I just hoped this evening was to Alaric's taste.

Once everyone took their seats around the table, Gaius handed us each a menu. My overthinking brain instantly brainstormed ways to improve it. I should've asked Alaric his favorite meals beforehand, then relayed that information to my brothers. What if there was nothing on the menu he liked? I couldn't have him go hungry.

I leaned over while Alaric perused his options and murmured, "If you'd prefer something else, tell me. I'll have the chef prepare something just for you."

He raised a brow. "I appreciate that, but have you seen the menu? It's so incredible that I'm having trouble choosing just one item."

Relief washed over me. "In that case, don't choose. Order everything you want."

He smirked. "If I do that, I'll lose my figure."

"Lose it. You'd look gorgeous with a bit of a belly."

Alaric's eyes widened and his cheeks turned a deep shade of pink. I realized after the words left my mouth that I might've overstepped, especially in front of other people. But it was too late to take it back, and in any case, I meant it.

Alaric stared at me, unblinking. "You mean... pregnant?"

That knocked the wind out of my lungs. I stared right back at him, unable to speak. I'd wanted him to know he was beautiful no matter what he looked like, but I'd stumbled into unprecedented territory by accident—the topic of mating and pregnancy.

I swallowed the formidable lump in my throat. Was that subconsciously what I'd meant to say? Is that what Alaric wanted me to say?

My mouth was dry. "I—"

"Wow, this sure is a great menu!" Aurum said loudly. "Gee, I don't even know what I wanna pick. Jade, how about you?"

I wasn't sure if I was grateful for my brother's interruption or annoyed by it, but judging by the concerned furrow in his brow, it seemed like an attempt to help me out of a sticky situation.

I cleared my throat. "Yes, I should choose as well. I'll go with the filet mignon." Trying to repair that awkward moment, I turned to Alaric. "And yourself?"

Alaric's cheeks were still dusted pink as he scanned the menu restlessly. "I'll have the same." He paused. "And a side of sweet potato soup." He paused again, longer than before. "Is there a separate dessert menu?"

"Duh," Saffron chimed in. "We thought of everything. "

Alaric cleared his throat softly. "Then I'll take a look after dinner."

My heartbeat quickened. Was that his way of accepting my clumsy compliment?

Holy Drake, I'd never been so nervous during a simple dinner. Once we'd put in our orders, I could only sit and fixate on Alaric. We sat so close together that I felt the warmth radiating from his slender form. He was only inches away—I could've slid my hand over his thigh beneath the table without anyone noticing. The shameless idea crossed my mind more than once, and worse, it made my cock throb. I channelled my willpower into not getting hard, but it was a challenge with Alaric's scent constantly tickling my nose.

"So, Alaric," Thystle began. "You enjoying this season so far?"

Alaric took a sip of water. "Yes, I am. For one thing, it's the first time a bachelor has given me the time of day."

The dry jab targeted four of my brothers—Crimson, Thystle, Cobalt and Aurum—but they took the comment in stride.

Crimson grinned. "Guilty as charged. Sorry, Alaric. You just weren't the right cat for me."

"Oh, don't apologize," Alaric replied, waving a manicured hand. "I wouldn't have lasted two days listening to you gush over clothing."

Crimson made an offended sound. "How could a fellow well-dressed man say something so cruel?"

Alaric turned his gaze to Cobalt and Thystle. "And you two were both obsessed with someone before the Games started, which was a blessing in disguise, since neither of you are my type."

Cobalt smiled wistfully, as if thinking back on his first meeting with Muzo. I briefly tried to imagine an alternate universe in which Alaric was Cobalt's fated mate, but it was impossible. I tried the same exercise with Thystle, who was head over heels for the musician Aquila—whose true identity was his fated mate, Matteo—and couldn't do it. Alaric's four failed attempts at winning a bachelor's heart weren't his fault—he just wasn't romantically compatible with my brothers.

But Alaric and I had forged a connection that deepened by the day. I caught a glimpse of him from the corner of my eye and felt a vivid jolt of desire. My intention to think celibate thoughts during dinner was rapidly falling apart.

" Mais oui , my friends!" Gaius cried in a fake French accent. "Dinner is served!"

The steaming-hot plates were placed in front of us. The mouth-watering smell of food nearly overpowered my senses, but Alaric's equally mouth-watering scent won out in the olfactory war.

Alaric's eyes widened at the sight of his juicy filet and rich soup. I saw his throat bob as he swallowed in anticipation, drinking in the sights of the skilfully prepared meals. Our chefs always did good work, of course, but I had a feeling my brothers encouraged them to make it extra spectacular for tonight's service.

"Dragons don't do anything halfheartedly, do they?" he remarked.

"Never," I promised.

Alaric sat up straight and held his knife and fork primly, cut himself a bite-sized piece of filet, then nearly moaned when the flavor hit his tongue.

"This is..." He swallowed. "I don't even have words to describe how good this is."

My pulse raced at his pleasured reaction. "I'm glad to hear that."

Alaric cut a second bite-sized piece, then tilted his head to catch my gaze. "Jade, you simply must try this."

My analytical brain almost objected—after all, I had the exact same dish on my own plate—but as Alaric turned towards me, his knee grazed my leg. An electric shock bolted up my thigh like fireworks.

It was just an accident. I composed myself.

"Of course," I said.

I leaned slightly forward to catch Alaric's offering. The taste was fantastic, but it barely registered—my senses were laser-focused on Alaric's knee now pushing firmly into my thigh.

"It's good, isn't it?" he asked. His ocean green and blue eyes glinted with subtle amusement.

That was when I realized the naughty cat was teasing me on purpose. Was this his revenge for my teasing during the massage?

My rapidly beating heart leapt into my throat. I struggled to swallow past it. "Yes. Quite good," I agreed.

"Would you like another bite?" Alaric asked.

One bite was perfectly acceptable, but two teetered beyond the line of normalcy. Everybody at the table could see that a carbon copy of Alaric's dish lay on my own plate, yet he insisted on feeding me from his fork. Could we get away with a second offering?

I considered turning him down, but as Alaric brought the fork closer to my lips, his hand caressed my thigh beneath the table.

I clenched my teeth hard enough to hear them clack in my skull. If I hadn't, I would've let loose a pleasured cry so loud, the entire island would've heard it.

Meanwhile, Alaric's expression didn't betray his naughty secret. The only evidence was the subtle mischievous glimmer in his eyes, and I doubted anyone else noticed it, since my brothers were busy wolfing down their food.

Alaric's soft palm wandered over the curve of my thigh as if memorizing it. A thrum of hot lust burned within me. I sat rigid, afraid to move a single inch, afraid to even breathe lest I succumb to desire and fuck Alaric silly right there on the dinner table.

A smirk toyed at the edge of Alaric's mouth. He slid his thumb down my inner thigh, dangerously close to my now-hard cock. I bit my tongue, but the sharp pain didn't distract me from the all-consuming pleasure blazing between my legs.

Alaric took a nonchalant sip of water with his other hand. Above the table, there was no sign that he was acting out of the ordinary.

"Well?" he prompted, flicking the fork.

I summoned every last scrap of willpower to suppress my carnal urges, then took the second bite of filet from Alaric's fork. I swallowed it instantly, not even tasting it, then sat back stiffly in my seat, hoping that would dissuade him from teasing me further.

His hand did not move. It stayed right where it was—pressing gently against my clothed, painful erection.

Oh, Alaric was a bad boy indeed. This called for real punishment. The naughty kitty would face my wrath tonight.