4. Alaric

4

Alaric

From the second I marched away from the dragons' castle until the next morning, I couldn't stop thinking about that asshole Jade.

I spent the whole night tossing and turning, replaying the deranged series of events in my head like a video stuck on loop. I couldn't concentrate on anything else—not the magnificent king-sized bed, not the soothing sounds of the ocean, not my nerves over the upcoming Games.

My mind was solely occupied by a green-haired fetish freak.

Worse, not even my unconscious mind was spared. After falling into a rough sleep, all my dreams featured said bastard. In various positions. Half of them about how good he smelled. All of them inappropriate.

To add insult to injury, when I finally escaped my dreams, I woke up with a raging erection, all thanks to that wretched alpha.

After dealing with it, I groaned and rolled over to face the alarm clock. But as I moved, something metallic tinkled.

It was the heart-shaped trinket on the fucking collar.

My cheeks went hot. So that part wasn't a dream after all.

I hauled myself out of bed to the closest mirror. I clicked my tongue irritably at my messed-up hair and tired expression. Looking anything less than perfect was unacceptable. I brushed my hair, still scowling at the collar in the mirror. Admittedly, the luxurious leather felt soft and supple against my skin. I could tell it must've been expensive. Not that wealthy alpha dragons had qualms about that. Unlike the rest of us, they'd never worried about money.

I sighed as I ran a finger along the collar. The leather grain was rich, and it felt nice. Despite my griping, there was something to be said about Jade trusting me with an expensive item that clearly meant a lot to him.

But still. It was a fucking collar. That asshole collared me like a stray he found on the side of the road. And the only way to remove it was with a key he kept tucked safely in his pocket.

Could I cover it up? A turtleneck or scarf would do the trick, but I'd brought neither to the beach. Besides, it would look suspicious day after day. No, my wardrobe wouldn't save me from this mess.

Speaking of wardrobe...

I realized with a hot flare in my cheeks that I was still wearing the clothes Jade lent me. No wonder my subconscious mind assaulted me with all those vivid, embarrassing sex dreams about how good he smelled.

Scoffing, I grabbed the hem of the shirt to wrench it off. Then my hands hesitated.

It wasn't like these clothes smelled bad . It was the opposite. That was the problem.

After swallowing my pride and taking one last big whiff of Jade's shirt, I stripped and folded the outfit on top of my pillow, where it could leach its scent onto the fabric.

If Jade was going to piss me off, I could at least use his scent as an air freshener.

When it came time for the meet-and-greet, my nerves kicked in.

I wasn't anxious the first time. Then the second season rolled around, and I was ignored. The same thing happened during the third and fourth. It made a guy feel like half-eaten leftovers in the fridge—and I did not deserve to feel like cold Pad Thai.

Regardless of my apprehension, I showered and dressed my best. I wore white pants and, grudgingly, a black tank top to compliment the collar. I threw a sheer cardigan on top of it, and topped it off with a spritz of my classic perfume.

I stared at myself in the mirror and nodded. I looked good. But was it enough for an alpha to sweep me off my feet?

Would I ever be enough?

In an uncharacteristic misstep, I arrived late to the event. I'd spent too long primping in the mirror and fretting over my fate. When I finally got there, the beach was packed with other omega contestants.

I balled my fists irritably. I didn't care for any of these people. I was here to find a mate, not make friends—although, I had to admit, a couple of them had wormed their way into my heart. But the only one present was Poppy, a fellow unmated omega.

He wasn't a fan of crowds, and as the only other white-haired person here, he was easy to spot. He stood fretting at the edge of the group, too timid to dive into the crowd.

"Good evening, wolf," I greeted him.

Poppy perked up at the sound of my voice. "Oh, good, you're here." He paused, staring at me. "Is that a collar?"

Dammit. Of course Poppy's empathetic ass noticed my new accessory immediately.

Maybe if I acted casual, he wouldn't push the issue. I stood tall, like nothing was out of the ordinary. "Yes, it is."

"It looks nice on you. Where did you get it?" Poppy asked.

The warmth of his compliment died when I had to come up with a fake answer. I couldn't tell Poppy the truth. Not only would I have to confess to my crime, but I'd have to explain the Jade situation, and that was not happening.

"I've been wearing it the entire time," I lied. "You just didn't notice."

Poppy looked embarrassed. "Oh, I'm sorry! I'm so clueless."

Guilt swirled in my gut. I felt bad for lying to that poor, naive wolf. How did he survive for so long in this cruel world?

I sighed, crossing my arms as I scanned the crowd. "So, did you sneak a peek at the bachelor yet? Those goons are making it impossible to see."

"Yes, I did," Poppy said. "Actually, he wanted to know where you were."

My heart skipped a beat.

The bachelor knew who I was? And he'd asked about me?

"Who is it?" I demanded, my blood racing.

"Jade."

My heart skidded to a halt. I felt like I'd run face-first into a brick wall.

"What?" I snarled.

Poppy flinched, staring at me with wide eyes. "Um, is something wrong?"

I breathed out slowly. It took every ounce of willpower to restrain my claws from shifting out.

"Sorry, wolf. I didn't mean to snap at you," I mumbled. "Let's just say I'm surprised."

Poppy observed my face. "Are you... upset that it's Jade?"

"No," I said quickly. Too quickly. "I'm going to talk to him. Will you be okay by yourself?"

He nodded, still looking concerned for me.

I weaved into the crowd like a hot knife through butter. Nobody would stand in my path. I didn't care how many clambering, desperate omegas I had to elbow out of the way. My cat's instincts latched onto Jade's scent, focusing on its trail. I smelled it clearly above the sweaty, unfamiliar bodies.

With a final push, I broke into a circle in which Jade stood at the center.

The Jade in front of me was a far cry from the latex-clad freak I'd met last night. It pissed me off to admit it, but even without the fetish gear, he took my breath away.

Like his clothing-obsessed brother Crimson, Jade wore a suit, except Jade wasn't a snob about it. And in my opinion, he looked better in one. The dark green two-piece was form-fitting and flattering, exuding an aura of wealth, intelligence and prestige. He looked effortlessly perfect.

Ugh, what was I thinking? Jade was not perfect. He was the bastard currently ruining my life with his kinky blackmail collar.

But I wasn't alone in the circle. Surrounding me were omegas clamoring for Jade's attention.

Jealousy pricked my skin like thorns. The other contestants were nobodies. They were fools who'd watched the Dragonfate Games and cooked up hopes of finding their fated mate among the dragons.

Which was patently different than what I was doing.

Jade fielded annoying questions from wannabe mates. Voices all spoke at once. Standing around looking beautiful wasn't going to work with this much white noise. I had to get my foot in the door somehow.

"Jade," I called.

The alpha stopped mid-sentence. As he turned to face me, the crowd died down.

I crossed my arms and glared at Jade, waiting for an explanation. First of all, he hadn't told me he was this season's bachelor. That was a pretty damn important piece of information. Secondly, why hadn't he sought me out? We already had a rapport, however fraught and peculiar. It offended me that he didn't even try to meet me in the crowd.

"Hello, there," Jade said with a polite smile. "What can I do for you?"

My jaw dropped.

Was this bastard really acting like he didn't know me?

My claws unsheathed. "Excuse me?"

"I'm terribly sorry, but I'm in the middle of a conversation," Jade replied, half turning his shoulder to indicate our little chat was over.

I barely had time to process his icy words before he resumed talking to other people. I stood frozen like an idiot, too stunned to respond.

A surge of white-hot anger erupted in my veins. How dare that bastard blatantly ignore me? Me, a gorgeous specimen among a throng of miserable, hopeless omegas? I'd never wanted to rake my claws over someone's stupid, beautiful face this badly before. I wanted to spit something in his face, and I knew just the topic: his bizarre pool toy bondage fetish.

The venomous jab was right on the tip of my tongue, ready to stab him the way he'd backstabbed me.

Then I paused.

Jade clearly didn't want people to know that. And for some reason, his trust in my silence made me want to guard his secret. How many people in the world knew about it? Only him and me, I suspected.

In a fucked up way, that bond connected us.

My hand floated absentmindedly to my neck, fondling the collar. It represented our pact of silence. Our promise not to out each other.

So, I held my tongue—a brave and monumental achievement, to be sure.

But he was still an aggravating, green-haired asshole of an alpha. I wasn't about to let this misdeed slide.

As I touched the collar, Jade's gaze flickered in my direction. He looked slightly pained. He didn't address me, or stop talking to a random contestant, but I saw the subtle gleam of desire in his eyes.

Well, tough shit.

I whirled on my heel and stormed away, throwing in a hair-flip for good measure. Let Jade watch my sexy ass as it walked off, since he had the gall to act lecherous after snubbing me.

"Oh, you're back," Poppy chirped as I stalked past him. "How'd it go?"

"Fine," I replied.

"Um... where are you going?"

I shot Poppy a prim smile. "Don't worry about it, wolf. You enjoy yourself. I'll see you tomorrow."

He blinked in confusion. "Okay. Good night, Alaric."

"Good night, Poppy."

It would be a good night, all right. Because unlike last night, I would get my revenge this time.