4. Mylo

Four

My mompersonally packed my bags, stuffing them to the brim until I was terrified they wouldn't fit on the plane, and yet she still somehow forgot to pack sunscreen. Among all the excitement and chaos, the whole tropical island thing must've slipped her mind.

Good thing I snuck a long-sleeved shirt into my carry-on.

I squinted against the blazing sun in the blue sky. It was hot, and the long shirt wasn't helping. Sweat dripped down my forehead, making my glasses slip down my nose. I pushed them up every five seconds so they wouldn't fall off my face.

The crowd didn't help the heat, either—or my nerves. Slim, attractive omegas flanked me on every side. They wore flattering outfits, like weather-appropriate tank tops that showed off their toned muscles and glistening skin. Meanwhile, I wore an old shirt just loose enough to cover my chubby belly.

I arrived on Chromatimaeus Island yesterday afternoon, but I still hadn't adjusted. Talk about overstimulation. There was too much to take in. For a guy who spent all his time between his bedroom and his job down the street, it was overwhelming. I felt like my parents had thrown me in the deep end of a pool and expected me to swim.

On the bright side, at least they weren't hovering over me. I wasn't used to that, either.

After breakfast at the hotel, a handsome guy wearing a neon-orange shirt flounced into the lobby and invited us to join him at something called the "opening ceremony." I had no clue what that meant. Dad encouraged me to watch a season of the Dragonfate Games to prepare, but at the time, I was too nervous. Now I regretted it.

All the contestants gathered in front of a big fancy stage on the beach. The neon shirt-wearing guy was there—Gaius, I believe was his name. He said he was a gryphon shifter, but I must've misheard him. Gryphons didn't exist. Probably.

As I tried not to rub elbows with the omegas beside me, I wondered what species were present. Wolves, for sure. Canines and bears were the most common shifters in society. They got all the representation in movies and books. Nobody ever heard of a black-footed ferret shifter.

Oh gods, would I be the first one ever on TV? That was so much pressure...

Chatter filled my ears. The other contestants talked non-stop, flinging around unique names I didn't recognize but sounded like celebrities. Unlike me, everyone else was stoked to be here. I shrank into myself, feeling deeply out of place. I had plenty of practice being a loner, but that never made it easier.

The only other quiet person was the young man next to me. He had a slight build with a couple inches of height on me, and he was much thinner. His fluffy white hair had a yellow tint, and his dark eyes looked anxious.

Weirdly enough, it made me feel a little better that I wasn't the only person who looked nervous.

Then he turned to look at me.

Crap. I didn't mean to stare at him for so long.

My stomach churned. Should I smile and say hi? Should I apologize for staring? Should I walk into the ocean?

He smiled softly and opened his mouth to speak. An initial rush of relief slammed into me. Thank gods, he wasn't mad.

Then he said, "Alaric!"

My relief crumbled to dust.

Ah. He wasn't talking to me...

I heard a disgruntled huff behind me. Another white-haired young man showed up, followed by the scent of baby powder. His perfectly groomed hair was pure white, and he had striking odd-colored eyes. Was he a husky shifter? Or maybe a domestic cat?

"There you are, Poppy. I've been looking everywhere for you," Alaric drawled. "Is it just me, or does the amount of frat-boy meatheads increase each year?" He waved a well-manicured hand. "Ugh, I swear I've walked through three separate clouds of Axe body spray."

"I haven't noticed," Poppy replied. His voice was as gentle as his appearance. "It's good to see you again."

"Likewise."

I stood there awkwardly. The two white-haired omegas had an entire conversation over my head, like I was a garden gnome or something. I couldn't leave because that would draw attention to my existence, but the longer I stayed, the more embarrassing this became.

Finally, Alaric huffed. "You know what—excuse me."

He slipped past me gracefully to stand closer to Poppy. I blew out a relieved breath. Now I could go back to total obscurity.

But then Alaric suddenly faced me and raised a sharp brow. "Aren't you boiling to death in that outfit? Honestly, who wears a black long-sleeve to the beach?"

His blunt words caught me off guard. "Oh. Well... I thought—"

"What's that? Speak up."

The half-baked answer tumbled out of my mouth. "It seemed like a good idea to bring it?"

Alaric stared like I was an idiot.

But the soft-spoken one, Poppy, chimed in. "I think it looks nice on him."

What did he say? Did he just compliment me?

The words ‘thank you' got stuck on my tongue for too long. I had no experience being complimented. I felt like the training wheels had just been yanked off my bike and now I was spinning out of control.

Finally, I mustered the courage. "Thank—"

"Good morning, contestants! Welcome!"

The booming voice cut me off, followed by a raucous cheer from the crowd that nearly gave me tinnitus.

Gaius strutted across the stage, microphone in hand and a huge grin on his face. "I bet you're all as excited as I am."

Another ear-splitting cheer of approval.

"I know you are!" Gaius laughed. "Then let's not waste any time. Welcome, omegas, to season four of the Dragonfate Games! Four seasons... Can you believe that? Time flies when handsome alpha dragons are discovering their fated mates."

I grimaced. The cheesy reality TV dialogue was killing me. How could anybody watch this stuff?

"Four seasons," Gaius repeated as he strode back and forth. "Interesting number. Because half of four is two." He arched his brows and shot the audience a pointed look.

A rising murmur of understanding rose among the crowd. The significance of Gaius's speech was lost on me.

I caught Alaric and Poppy's whispers.

"Is he talking about the twins?" Alaric said, astonished. "I knew there was a twist, but certainly he can't mean both of them."

"I'm not sure," Poppy admitted.

Twins?I thought. Oh boy, there's a lot of lore I've gotta catch up on...

I bit my lip. Should I ask? Alaric and Poppy seemed to know a lot, and I was a total noob about this whole situation. I steeled my nerves and leaned towards them.

"Hey," I whispered. "Did you say there are twin dragons?"

The question felt silly. I still hadn't seen a dragon in the flesh. I was convinced Dad made it up to sway my opinion about being on the show.

Alaric sighed. "Yes, of course. How do you not know that?"

Embarrassment flushed my cheeks. "I don't really watch TV."

"Oh." Alaric stared at me like I'd picked up a video game controller for the first time and didn't know how to move the character in any direction. "Well, that's new."

His reaction stung, but at least he bothered speaking to me at all.

Poppy was nicer about it. "There are twin golden dragons, Saffron and Aurum," he explained in a hushed tone. "But they can't both be the bachelor, can they?"

"They're dragons. They can do whatever they want," Alaric said bluntly, examining his manicured nails.

The fresh names tumbled in my mind. Saffron and Aurum... What were they like? And were they going to show up before I baked to death in this heat?

Gaius's booming voice cut off all the whispering. "That's right—I said two! Because this time, the Dragonfate Games will feature not one, but two bachelors. Come on down to the stage, boys!"

He swept his arm across the empty stage. No one appeared. Was this a planned joke, or were the so-called twin dragons actually late?

Then the sky glinted. I blinked, raising my head.

I sucked in a breath. Two gleaming shards of gold descended from the sky. As they plummeted towards the stage, they got bigger and bigger until my bamboozled brain recognized what they were.

Dragons.

Two sleek, shining dragons landed on opposite sides of the stage with Gaius dwarfed in the middle. They were mirrored in appearances and motions—a pair of perfectly identical twins.

But I was still busy wrapping my mind around the fucking dragon thing.

As they hit the stage with heavy thuds, a gust blew out into the crowd. I was still shocked, and the blast of air caught me off guard, toppling me backward. I yelped as I landed on my butt. When a few people chuckled, my face went beet-red.

"Are you all right?" Poppy asked, offering me a hand.

I let him pull me up, but I felt very conscious of my weight.

"Thanks," I mumbled.

When I looked back at the stage, I noticed the dragons staring directly at me.

The blood drained from my face. Oh, gods. I could die from embarrassment. Not only did I fall on my fat ass in the middle of a huge crowd, I did it in front of a pair of rich alpha dragons.

And it was being filmed for TV.

Awesome.

I clenched my eyes shut, taking a second to exist in the reprieve of total darkness, then faced the world when I was ready.

One dragon lost interest in me and looked away. But the other glared at me.

Not just staring. Glaring. As in, narrowed eyes that were clearly pissed.

Could this day get any worse?

Yet I couldn't tear my gaze off the dragon. He was breathtaking, a giant piece of living jewellery. His scales gleamed like fragments of the sun. The long arch of his neck reminded me of a swan, but more beautiful and elegant. His huge leathery wings folded over his back, and the talons jutting out of his paws put expensive kitchen knives to shame.

Did I mention he was a freaking dragon?

He blinked slowly but didn't stop staring. Meanwhile, I wasn't sure if I'd blinked at all during this charged encounter. The dragon mesmerized me, as if I'd fallen under a high-level magic spell.

I was suddenly aware of my intensely dry throat. I swallowed.

The dragon finally turned his head away in a stiff motion. I could've passed out from relief.

My ears rang like I'd been hit in the head with a football—not that I actually knew what that felt like—but I recognized Gaius announcing things in the background.

"...you won't be competing for both bachelors' affections, of course," Gaius went on. "Each dragon is seeking his own fated mate. But as you can see, our bachelors are identical twins." Gaius beamed, spreading his arms towards the opposite dragons. "Will you be able to tell them apart?"

I glimpsed at both of them. They were identical, no doubt about that. But the one that glared daggers at me stood on the right side of the stage. After I fell on my ass, the left dragon hadn't spared me a second glance.

"Wait," Poppy murmured, pale brows furrowed. "So, two omegas could find their mates this season?"

Alaric crossed his arms. His odd eyes flashed with intrigue. "Sounds like it."

"I wonder who they'll be," Poppy pondered.

Alaric's fingers tightened. "I intend to be one of them."

"Oh! Good luck, Alaric," Poppy said warmly.

I sneaked another glance at Alaric. With his perfect hair, skin and body, he was attractive enough to be a model. It wouldn't surprise me if an alpha picked him to be his mate. Compared to him, I looked like a lump of dough stuffed into a sweaty, clingy shirt.

"You're wishing me luck?" Alaric asked with a scoff. "Honestly, wolf, you need to focus on yourself. You're just as single as I am."

So Poppy was a wolf shifter? I didn't expect that given his soft-spoken demeanor. I assumed he was a bunny, or a sentient cotton ball.

"You'll have a chance to meet the twins tonight at the meet-and-greet," Gaius stated. "Good luck, omegas!"

As he wrapped up his speech, my gaze slipped back to the dragon on the right side of the stage.

He glared at me again.

I swallowed the anxious lump in my throat. Was it too late to grab a plane back home? Or was I stuck on this island until I made an utter fool of myself on national TV?