5. Jade

5

Jade

By the time I returned to the castle, I felt ready to explode.

What a disaster. Now I finally understood why Crimson, Thystle, Cobalt and Aurum were so cranky after their respective meet-and-greets. Talking to droves of unfamiliar people was exhausting, especially ones with a one-sided relationship with the dragon brothers from their favorite reality show.

But worst of all was being the cause of Alaric's disappointed and furious face. I knew I'd hurt him. If only I could've explained why.

I sighed as I walked through the great hall. I was ready to strip and decompress in a hot bath before I had to do it all over again tomorrow.

"Yo, Jade!"

I withheld a groan at Aurum's voice. Getting back to your room was never easy in a house full of nosy brothers.

He sidled up to me with his regular posse in tow. Mylo and Saffron orbited him like moons while his twin daughters, Kiara and Desiree, relaxed in Mylo's arms like a pair of fuzzy noodles.

"Hello, Aurum," I said curtly. "Can this wait? I'm overdue for a break."

He smirked. "There's no breaks when you're the bachelor, big bro. Now you know what you put us through."

I sighed. At this point, there was no escaping the empathy crash course. "Yes, yes. What can I help you with?"

In a comedic gesture, Aurum and Saffron crossed their arms at the same time.

"You can help us by, I dunno, acting like a damn bachelor?" Aurum accused.

"I'm sorry?" I asked.

"Dude, you barely talked to anybody out there," Saffron added.

Was that true? I'd felt like I'd spoken to half the world's population.

I rubbed my temples. "Come now, don't be so harsh on your big brother. I made an effort."

Aurum snorted. "Yeah right. You were as cold as a popsicle, man. Even to Alaric!"

I winced internally. Had they seen that, too? If even my dense twin brothers recognized my apathy towards Alaric—however forced it was on my end—it must've been bad.

Alas, I couldn't tell them the real reason, either. It was just one more secret to hold close to my chest.

"My apologies," I said. "I didn't mean to snub any omega in particular."

Rolling his eyes, Aurum said, "You didn't snub one. You snubbed all of them."

"We know you didn't wanna be the bachelor, but I thought you'd be interested in at least one person at the meet-and-greet," Saffron said, sounding disappointed.

Mylo chimed in to save my hide. "It's okay, guys. The Games have barely started. There's still plenty of time for Jade to open up."

The ferret omega offered me a sympathetic smile, which I gratefully returned. His marshmallow energy balanced out Aurum's obnoxious attitude.

Not one to be quelled, Aurum grunted. "You are gonna make an effort, right, Jade?"

"What makes you think I'm not making an effort?" I asked.

He vaguely gestured in my direction. "I dunno. You were just so... polite?"

I arched a brow. "Is that a bad thing?"

Saffron interjected, likely having the same train of thought as his twin. "No, but it makes you seem kinda fake. Like you're not really interested."

That was the issue. I wasn't interested in the horde of omegas clamoring for my attention, and aside from surface niceties, I couldn't pretend to be. That required an amount of social stamina I simply did not have.

There was only one person among the crowd who piqued my interest, and I'd upset him tonight.

"Very well. I'll try to act more friendly," I promised.

Aurum groaned. "Dude, don't act friendly. Be friendly. Are you trying to fail on purpose?"

I was not in the mood to take a verbal smackdown from my irritating younger brother. I sighed, pushing up my glasses. "Aurum, I am exhausted. Can we save this conversation for later?"

Once again, Mylo came to my rescue. He put his hand on Aurum's arm. "Let's give Jade a break. It was a busy day."

"Yeah, you're right," Aurum admitted. "Besides, we gotta put Kiara and Desiree to bed. Don't we, you little stinkers?"

The girls yawned and burrowed closer together in Mylo's arms. Despite my fatigue and annoyance at their alpha father, gazing at the ferret twins lifted my spirits. I was happy to be their uncle.

But being an uncle wasn't enough. Despite my flaws, I wanted a destined partner. I wanted to father children of my own. Yet without a mate, that was impossible.

And with my abnormal proclivities, would an omega ever accept me for who I was?

The final stretch towards my room took an eternity. My feet dragged like lead, and I felt burdened by the knowledge that I'd have to do this all over again tomorrow. I regretted not holding my ground during the family meeting. I should've insisted that I wasn't fit to be a bachelor. But I'd clung to that small hope of finding my mate on the Games, just like my brothers before me. Now I had to live with the consequences.

As I entered my room—my inner sanctum—I stood on the precipice of relief, ready to have a moment to myself; one where I could simply relax and breathe.

Until someone slammed into me from behind, shoving my chest against the door.

My dragon instincts flared. I whipped around, ready to shift and fight my assailant.

Until a familiar baby powder scent tickled my nose. The fire in my chest died, and my muscles went limp.

"Alaric?" I said incredulously.

"Oh, now you know my name?" he hissed, digging his hands into the front of my shirt. The aggressive motion made the heart-shaped lock his collar jingle.

He was still wearing it.

Something fluttered in my chest. After the way I'd treated him tonight, Alaric had every right to forcefully rip the collar off, to tear it to shreds... yet he didn't.

Alaric tightened his grip. "Answer me, dammit!"

"You didn't take the collar off," I said in disbelief.

The fire in Alaric's eyes didn't snuff out, but the flames paused. "What? Of course I didn't, asshole. You're the one with the key."

"You could've destroyed it," I pointed out.

He scowled. "Why would I do that?"

I didn't know how to respond. In the midst of his fury, he never thought to destroy the bondage I'd placed on him.

I felt a ray of warmth in my icy heart. The pleasant surprise made me break into sudden laughter.

"What's so funny?" Alaric growled.

I smiled down at him. "Nothing. Please continue your attack."

Alaric scoffed. "You really are a freak. Here I am threatening you, and you're laughing about it."

I shrugged. "What can I say? I like your intensity."

Alaric's eyes widened. A dash of pink bloomed across his cheeks before he scowled harder. "I don't think so, you silver-tongued bastard. You're not getting away with it that easily. I demand an explanation for the stunt you pulled earlier."

I couldn't help but be charmed by his arrogance. Alaric had broken into my room for a second time, and still had the audacity to interrogate me.

His claws tightened in my shirt. The way he pushed his body up against mine sent ripples of heat through me. Was he aware of how close we were? Or was he too angry to notice?

"You're right, Alaric. I owe you an explanation," I said.

His passion didn't waver. His eyes flashed expectantly.

"I was wrong to ignore you tonight," I admitted. "Trust me, I didn't want to."

"Then why did you?" he challenged.

I couldn't dodge the question anymore. He'd rightfully cornered me and I had nowhere to run.

"Please don't be offended by what I'm about to tell you," I began.

Alaric glared daggers. "Why? Are you about to offend me?"

I smiled disarmingly. "Not on purpose. What I'm about to say is simply not... polite."

"You've engaged in a lot of not-polite behavior tonight," Alaric reminded me in a mutter.

"Yes, that's true. But this is more..." I cleared my throat. "Lascivious."

Curiosity wavered in Alaric's eyes, but he was quick to smother it. "Spit it out, alpha."

There was no dancing around it anymore. I had to tell the truth.

"Very well. During the meet-and-greet, I didn't speak to you because I was painfully hard."

That caught Alaric by surprise. He furrowed his brow. Then his lip curled sourly, as if jealous. "Why?"

"Because of you," I confessed.

He reeled back. "Excuse me?"

"Our little encounter from last night combined with the sight of that collar wrapped around your throat... it was too much for me to handle," I explained. "There wasn't a moment between those two incidents when I wasn't consumed by lust."

Alaric's eyes flashed. He shrank back, but not far. His fingers still curled steadfast in my shirt.

"You're not serious," he said.

If I hadn't experienced it, I wouldn't have believed it myself. Never in my life had I reacted so strongly to another person. It was difficult to convey just how bizarre the sensation felt. Normal people were physically attracted to others all the time, weren't they? Especially alphas. It was part of why I felt so disconnected. My sexual desire was solely for vinyl tools and fetish gear... until Alaric stepped into my life.

"I can assure you I am," I promised.

The proof was currently straining between my legs, although I didn't mention that out of courtesy. However, my silence proved meaningless. Alaric's sharp gaze darted down, seeking the evidence for himself. He stared at it for a few heartbeats as the color in his cheeks deepened.

"I see," he said, his voice slightly thicker. "If you were so aroused, then why ignore me?"

A smirk tugged at the corner of my lips. "Because I couldn't just throw you to the ground and mount you in front of everybody, could I?"

"You—ugh. You really are crass."

His words were barbed, but the dreamy glow in his expression confirmed his disgust was only surface-level.

"Indeed, I have peculiar tastes," I agreed. "But do you understand why I acted that way now?"

He scoffed. "Because you're a perverted, lecherous alpha who does a good job of hiding it."

Alaric kept his hands fisted in my shirt as he glared at me. In spite of his insults, he made no attempt to leave, as if some invisible force held him in place. The heat of his lithe body emanated like a furnace, and his scent flowed around me like a spritz of perfume. There was the distinct aroma of baby powder, but beneath it was Alaric's natural scent—one I found deeply alluring.

To my own surprise, my hands itched to grab his waist. But I restrained myself. I'd irritated him enough tonight.

The rhythm of Alaric's breathing sped up. The cat claws digging into my shirt loosened their hold and slowly shifted back to manicured nails, but they remained on my chest. His palms were warm.

"Is this a game to you?" Alaric demanded. "I don't mean the reality show. I mean you and me right now."

I sensed him on the edge of retreat. One wrong move and he'd bolt—and I would not let that happen. Despite our playful conflict, I wanted him to feel safe with me.

"No," I said firmly. "I'm enthralled by our relationship thus far, but it is not a game to me. I have no intention of toying with you."

Not without his consent, anyway.

The hard edge in Alaric's gaze softened. "Hmph. Our relationship, huh?"

I smiled. "What else should I call it?"

He blew a loose strand of white hair out of his face. "We are keeping each other's secrets."

I noticed the subtle flaring of his nostrils, as if sampling the air. Was he as fascinated by my scent as I was by his?

Alaric cleared his throat, then finally drew away. Disappointment followed his absence. I held myself in check so I didn't grab his wrists and put his hands back on my chest.

"Well, I suppose I have the answer to my question," Alaric mused.

There was a hanging edge to his comment, as if he was silently asking my permission to leave. Or was it permission to stay?

He met my gaze. "Thank you for your honesty."

"You're welcome," I said. "It's not every day I meet someone I can be totally honest with."

I watched the black collar tighten around Alaric's throat as he swallowed. "Is that so?" His eyes flicked back down to the bulge in my trousers before he wrenched them away with a grunt. "For gods' sakes, do you get this horny over every omega you see?"

"No," I said.

The speed and force of my answer surprised Alaric. He paused before replying in a curt tone, "Sorry if I find that hard to believe."

I shrugged. "I understand. But it's the truth. I've never once been turned on by another person—until I met you. That's a fact."

Alaric let that sink in. His cheeks flushed an adorable shade of pink. Then he snorted. "But it's completely normal for you to get turned on from wearing latex and dominating innocent pool toys."

My tone was gentle. "The heart wants what it wants."

We held unblinking eye contact for a few seconds. Then Alaric huffed and stalked towards the door. "I'm leaving. I need my beauty sleep before the first challenge tomorrow."

A mixture of excitement and weariness swirled in my chest. It was another chance to see Alaric—but it also meant dealing with the rest of the exhausting contestants.

"Good night, perverted alpha," Alaric stated. Once again, his insult sounded fond.

"Good night, criminal omega," I replied.

He scoffed as he walked down the hall. "I used the front door this time, thank you very much!"

"Still trespassing," I called after him with a smile.