6. Mylo

Six

After the meet-and-greet finally ended,I returned to the hotel in a daze.

It felt like stepping out of a dream and back into reality. Except not exactly, because I was in a 5-star hotel on a pristine beach on a private island owned by dragons, and that certainly wasn't my usual reality.

But still, the wildest part was my conversation with that golden-haired man. He'd singled me out of the crowd, defended me from cruel comments, then pulled me aside to talk to me one-on-one...

I felt breathless thinking about it. Before the show, I expected to disappear into the background and be forgotten. Instead, I had thirty cameras circling me like vultures.

"Are you going to move so others can use the elevator?" a dry voice asked behind me.

I jolted as Alaric slipped next to me and jabbed the elevator call button. His cheeks were flushed from alcohol, and he wore a scowl that didn't look like it was leaving his face anytime soon.

"Sorry," I said.

He sniffed. "Whatever."

My stomach fell. Was he mad at me? What did I do wrong?

"Don't mind him," Poppy said gently, appearing on my other side. "He had a little too much to drink."

"I am perfectly fine," Alaric slurred.

"So, he's not upset with me?" I whispered to Poppy, hoping not to draw Alaric's ire.

"I am upset," Alaric snapped. "But not with you... whatever your name is. I forgot." He waved it off. "I'm upset at the situation I find myself in for the fourth time. Augh!"

Poppy anxiously glanced behind him. He and I must've been kindred spirits, because I noticed the same thing he did. Other contestants listened closely, seeking information and drama. Plus, there were camera crew in the hotel lobby.

"Come to my room," Poppy said under his breath. "We'll talk there."

After an awkward elevator ride in which Alaric bemoaned his life, Poppy herded us to his room. The casual way he strode down the hallway and unlocked the door made me think he'd done this before. Come to think of it, their chatter during the opening ceremonies hinted they had more experience with this game show thing than I did. Maybe I could learn a thing or two from them.

The inside of Poppy's room was tidy, but smelled like wolf. We'd only been on the island for a couple days, and Poppy himself didn't exactly reek of doggy odor. Had he stayed here longer before?

Alaric pushed past me and launched himself onto the bed with a loud moan. I felt uncomfortable in a second-hand embarrassment way. Alaric seemed so prim and well put together, it was weird seeing him like this. I guess he was too drunk to care that a total stranger bore witness to his meltdown.

"This is the worst day of my life," Alaric lamented. "The twins aren't even my type, but come on." He threw his arm vaguely in my direction. "They picked that guy over me!"

His words stabbed me in the gut.

"Alaric, that's not nice," Poppy chided.

"What? I don't know his name."

Poppy put his hand over his mouth. "Oh... I don't think we ever introduced ourselves, either. I'm Poppy, and this is Alaric."

I already knew that, but I nodded gratefully anyway. "I'm Mylo," I said.

"Nice to meet you." Poppy flashed a timid smile.

Meanwhile, Alaric was face-down on the bed. He was too deep in his feelings to acknowledge me, which was fine. At least there was one friendly face in this room, and it wasn't the ornery drunk guy.

Poppy sighed. "Sorry about Alaric. He's not usually like this."

"That's okay," I said. Talking to Poppy was nice, especially since he was shy like me.

"Is this your first time on the Dragonfate Games?" Poppy asked.

"Yeah. I'd, um... never even heard of it until I came here," I admitted.

Alaric wept into the mattress. "Oh, for gods' sake... He's completely ignorant!"

"Don't mind him," Poppy encouraged. "It's okay that you're new."

I nodded, feeling better about it now. "So, are you two... not new?"

"That's right. This is our fourth time on the Games," Poppy explained. "Neither of us have found our fated mate yet, but we receive open invitations to return each season."

"Wow." A cynical question floated to mind, and I felt comfortable enough with Poppy to ask it. "And you haven't just... quit trying yet?"

Alaric pushed himself off the bed with an offended gasp. His cheeks were pink and smeared with tears. Or drool. I couldn't tell.

"Quit?" he cried. "How can I quit when I know my mate is on this gods forsaken, stupid island?"

Poppy's eyes widened. Even he seemed taken aback by his friend's outburst. "C-calm down, Alaric."

"I can't calm down," Alaric grumbled. "Not when tigers and eagles and jackals keep being chosen by the alpha dragons, leaving me behind. Can't they see how perfect I am?"

He flopped back onto the bed with a dramatic, longing moan.

"Um..." Poppy turned back to me. "Anyway, I agree. I can't explain it, but I have this urge to keep returning here..." He clutched his chest. "I don't want to get ahead of myself and assume my fated mate is here, but I don't have much to go back to in my normal life, so there's no harm in trying."

It never once crossed my mind that I'd find my fated mate. Black-footed ferret shifters only mated within our own community to ensure more of our kind was born. Essentially, we mated for procreation, not love. "Fated mates" wasn't a term I heard often.

I'd wondered why my parents signed me up for the Dragonfate Games if the alphas were all dragons, not black-footed ferrets. Then again, Mom was obsessed with looking good in our community, so maybe the allure of a rich, exclusive dragon son-in-law beat out her desire for ferret grandchildren. Or maybe my parents didn't care who my mate was as long as I had one at all.

Still, it surprised me to hear Poppy say he didn't have much to go back to. He was a young, unique-looking, attractive omega. In a beauty contest, he'd beat me every time. It was weird that he didn't already have a mate. Maybe he was too shy?

On the other hand, Alaric wasn't shy at all. He was beautiful, outgoing, and confident, yet he was still unmated, too. Were the alpha dragons that picky?

"I don't really get it," I said, scratching the back of my head. "Wouldn't the dragons just see you and know? That's how fated mates work, right?"

Poppy hummed. "Yes, but I think it's more complicated than that. We've never met them all, since each season only focuses on one dragon bachelor. Well, except this one."

That made sense. If they threw all the omegas and all the alphas into one room, they'd instantly jump on each other and there'd be no suspense for the TV show.

Alaric sprang up again. "You. Mylo. You spoke to Saffron." He narrowed his eyes. "Did he confess his love to you yet?"

"W-what?" I cried.

He huffed impatiently. "He said he sensed his fated mate, then pointed at you. How are you not aware of this?"

Heat rushed to my cheeks. Was that why the alpha stuck his thumb out at me earlier?

"I'm sorry, but I wasn't paying attention to you guys," I explained. "I honestly was just trying to get some soda..."

Alaric's face went deadpan. "Unbelievable. An alpha dragon senses you as his mate, and you want soda."

No alpha wanted me. Alaric was drunk and spewing nonsense. There was no way any dragon had said those words.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I insisted. "And I think you're mistaken."

Alaric scowled, pointing a finger at me. "I may be intoxicated, but I am not mistaken, thank you very much. I know exactly what I heard. Hell, that's why I drank in the first place!"

"Please, everyone, let's calm down," Poppy interjected. He sounded nervous, probably due to our argument.

Alaric released a heavy sigh and slumped back on the bed. "You're right, wolf. There's no use in causing a fuss now..." Then he bolted back upright, eyes flashing eagerly. "Hang on. Did Saffron say anything about Aurum? Did he sense his mate, too? Or is he still available?"

Alaric's mood swings gave me whiplash. I blinked, trying to recall our conversation.

"Um, I don't know," I admitted. "I only spoke to Aurum for a few moments. He was overwhelmed by the crowd, and he wanted Saffron's help dealing with it."

"Ugh. Never mind." Alaric collapsed into a limp puddle of limbs. "I don't have time for alphas who need hand-holding... You can have him. Hell, take them both for all I care."

Something about his comment made me pause. If they were twins, was it possible they'd both fall for the same omega?

I recalled the identical golden dragons on the stage. Only one of them stared at me, not both. And during the meet-and-greet, only one spoke to me—the other was in a hurry to leave. The dragons might've been twins, but they weren't the same person. They each had their own personality, their own quirks, their own wants and needs.

"Now that you mention it," Poppy began, tilting his head curiously. "Wasn't there something odd about the twins?"

Alaric opened one blue eye. "How so?"

"Maybe it's just my imagination, but I thought they looked different," Poppy said, unsure.

"They're identical twins. What part of that is unclear?" Alaric argued.

Poppy bit his lip. "I know, but... Remember the first season, during the closing ceremonies? They were both there for a minute. I could've sworn they looked a little bit different from each other."

"You're delusional," Alaric mumbled, throwing his forearm over his face.

Since I had no clue what they were talking about, I couldn't defend Poppy. Yet, deep down, I wanted to agree with him. I had no clue why. It was true that when I met the twins, they looked identical, like mirrored images. But they felt different. Was that what Poppy meant?

"I should ask Taylor about it," Poppy mused. Noticing my confused expression, he added, "Oh, Taylor is my friend. He won the first Dragonfate Games. He's a tiger shifter mated to one of the dragons. He lives in the castle with his mate, so he's met the twins in person."

I gawked. "They live in a castle?"

"Yes, on the other side of the island."

This was absurd. An alpha dragon who lived in a castle on a private island was not my fated mate, no matter what Alaric said.

Besides, we'd only spoken for what, five minutes? That wasn't long enough to know somebody.

But if that was the case, why did I feel like I could distinguish one twin from the other?