Page 15 of Alpha Dragon's Ferret (The Dragonfate Games Book 4)

Fourteen

The forest clearingwas full of contestants, and the excitement of the second challenge buzzed in the air. I shuffled around to avoid being elbowed by taller omegas, but everyone was louder and rowdier, and kept bumping me by accident.

When I finally caught a glimpse of two white-haired omegas, I made a beeline for them.

“There you are,” Alaric said. Despite his haughty tone, he seemed glad to see me.

“Hi, Mylo,” Poppy said with a gentle smile.

I smiled back. This was nice. Was this what having friends was like?

“Hey, guys,” I greeted.

“So, how was dinner?” Alaric asked.

I remembered Aurum playing footsie with me—and the unspeakable things that happened in my hotel room afterwards. A hot blush surged into my cheeks.

I cleared my throat, but it didn’t stop my voice from squeaking. “It was fine. Good.”

Alaric scoffed. “It was fine?”

“I think he’s being humble so you don’t get jealous,” Poppy pointed out, which I was grateful for. I was too flustered to explain myself to Alaric.

“I am not jealous,” Alaric griped, crossing his arms. “I’ve got no skin in the game for those twins. Besides, one of them appears to be taken already,” he added in a low mutter.

I blushed harder. Was he talking about Aurum?

A booming, charismatic voice cut us off.

“Hello, contestants! Welcome to another beautiful day on Chromatimaeus Island!” Gaius called. He stood on a large rock, his orange shirt billowing in the breeze like a safety flag.

I stood on my toes to look for Aurum. Last time when Gaius explained the challenge, the twins weren’t far behind. Unfortunately, the contestants in front of me were too tall and blocked my view.

“As you can see, our second challenge takes place in the forest,” Gaius stated. “It’s filled with scents, sounds, and textures... perfect for your animal forms to explore!”

Poppy noticed me straining on my toes. He was a bit taller than me, so he put his hands under my armpits and lifted me high enough to see.

“You don’t have to do that, I’m too heavy,” I protested in a whisper.

Bless his heart, Poppy was frail and thin. He didn’t have enough muscle mass to lift my chubby body for long. But in the few seconds he gave me a better view, I caught a glimpse of Aurum. Our eyes met for a second—enough to make my heart trip over itself—then Poppy’s arms gave out and he put me back on the ground.

“Sorry,” he murmured, looking like the saddest puppy in the world.

I shook my head. “I’m sorry. If I wasn’t so heavy...”

“No, no. I’m just weak. It’s not your fault.”

Alaric glared at us both. “Will you two stop apologizing to each other and listen to the man?”

We zipped it and turned our attention back to Gaius.

“Today’s challenge is a scavenger hunt! We’ve scattered items around the forest and it’s your job to hunt them down.” He held up one finger. “But that’s not all! Not only do you have to find the items, you also have to identify which twin they belong to.”

The crowd whispered and muttered. They didn’t sound optimistic.

But my heart picked up speed. I knew what Aurum smelled like—intimately. His scent was burned into my brain. I actually felt confident I could do this. Which was weird because I usually never felt confident about anything.

“Contestants, you may now shift into your animal forms if you wish!” Gaius instructed.

Everyone around me changed. For a few moments, I was too dazed to follow. Watching my fellow omegas shift into various animals stole my attention. Wolves, bears, big cats, birds of prey...

I felt a tight sensation in my gut. Aurum could’ve been smitten with any of these large, powerful predators. So why was he so fascinated with me, the tiniest one of all?

“What are you waiting for?” a white cat asked. The familiar arrogant voice told me it was Alaric.

“R-right,” I said.

I took a breath and summoned my shift. My clothes fell away as my body shrank and elongated. My excess skin turned to sleek fur. Soon, I saw the world from a dramatically different angle. If I couldn’t see over anyone’s head before, I sure as hell couldn’t see now.

Alaric stared down at me with his odd eyes. “You’re even smaller than I thought.”

Poppy—now a wolf with creamy fur—tilted his head. He looked huge from where I stood. I could fit my entire body in his mouth.

“Me, too,” he said, his voice soft even as a wolf. “I thought ferrets were bigger.”

Figures I can never be the right size,I thought. I’m too big as a human, and too small as a ferret.

Gaius went on explaining. “Everyone gets a chance to smell the twins’ articles of clothing. The scavenger hunt items are already hidden in the forest. Please form a line up front!”

As we waited for our turn to sniff the clothes, my anxiety grew. Remembering Aurum’s scent in human form was one thing, but what about the rest of the contestants? Many of them possessed keen senses of smell. One sniff might be all it took to figure it out...

I fidgeted with my hand-paws. I wanted to win the challenge, not anybody else. Was that selfish?

“You look nervous, Mylo,” Alaric remarked. “Don’t think you can remember the scent?”

“That’s not it,” I murmured. But I couldn’t elaborate with all these people around. I didn’t want to sound arrogant or self-absorbed.

When we reached the front of the line, my heart felt like it would explode from my tiny rib cage.

There was Aurum.

When he saw me, his eyes lit up brighter than fireworks. “Holy. Fucking. Shit.”

My heart pounded anxiously. This was his first time seeing my ferret form. Was he happy to see me, or disappointed? Maybe I didn’t live up to his expectations.

I raised a hand-paw. “Um... hi.”

Aurum scooped me up, holding my armpits so my long body dangled in the air. “How are you so fucking cute, Mylo?”

My jaw fell open in surprise. “Huh?”

“Look at you!” Aurum laughed. “You’re a fluffy little tube! And you’ve got tiny ferocious fangs.” He wriggled a finger near my teeth. “You gonna bite my finger off? Huh?”

Gaius cleared his throat. “Maybe you can stop teasing the contestant and focus on the challenge?”

I think the scene amused Gaius, because he didn’t sound that chastising.

I noticed Saffron standing next to Aurum, too. He looked less annoyed today. In fact, he glanced over, watching our interaction with great interest.

“Fine.” Aurum pressed me against his chest. “Go ahead and sniff me.”

Gaius held up a shirt pinched between his fingers. “You know, we do have other articles of clothing that aren’t currently on your body...”

“Whatever. Easier this way,” Aurum said, gently scratching the space between my ears. “Right, Mylo?”

I was grateful to be in ferret form. If I was in human form, my face would’ve been bright red.

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath of his scent. A shiver ran down my long spine. It made me tingle from the tip of my nose to the end of my tail. He somehow smelled better than he did last night.

Unfortunately, Aurum’s scent was mingled in my memory with last night’s intimate acts. I fought my body’s instinct to get aroused.

I had to focus. Other shifters here had good noses, too. I couldn’t let them win.

“I’ve got it,” I said.

Aurum nodded and gently placed me on the ground. He looked like a giant from down on the forest floor.

“Are you finally done?” Alaric asked, his tail flicking impatiently. “If so, let’s get this over with.”

Gaius offered Alaric and Poppy the shirts—one from Aurum, one from Saffron. As I waited, I noticed they weren’t wearing identical outfits today. Had Aurum given up trying to fool the contestants? I wasn’t sure it mattered anyway. Distinct clothes or not, nobody else seemed able to tell them apart.

Aurum knelt down to my level. “Hey,” he whispered. “Good luck.”

My heart skipped a beat. “Thanks.”

Okay, now I had to win. I couldn’t let anyone else sink their teeth into Aurum. I felt weirdly jealous and possessive over him. The last time I felt so passionate was when someone else bought the last copy of the new video game I wanted. I’d seethed inside watching him grab the only copy off the shelf and walk out the door with it...

Not this time. I wasn’t willing to let Aurum go.

My fur felt hot with determination. I flexed my claws in the dirt, eager to start.

After all the contestants whiffed the twins’ scents, Gaius leapt onto the boulder and raised his arm. The searing orange shirt was a good visual to grab our attention.

“Ready, omegas? Go!”

I took off like a shot. As a human, I wasn’t athletic. But in my ferret form, I ran and jumped with ease. Well, a little more ease, at least.

But I wasn’t the only one on the move. Different colors and shapes blurred past me. My stomach tightened. Plenty of shifters could find a scent in the woods—and worse, their legs were longer than mine. What if they got there first?

The ground under my paws thudded. I nearly leapt out of my skin when I glanced over my shoulder and saw a white wolf running behind me. I skidded to a halt, and he did the same, careful not to crash.

“Poppy?” I asked.

His ears flattened. “Sorry, did I scare you?”

“Er, kinda. What are you doing?”

“I thought I could help you win the scavenger hunt,” he explained.

I blinked in confusion.

Alaric caught up to us. He sauntered closer and sat down, wiping a paw over his whiskers. “Yes, the faster we help you win, the sooner we can all go home.”

“Me?” I blurted.

The cat sighed. “Must we always play dumb? Anyone with functioning eyes can see how smitten Aurum or Saffron or whichever gods-damned twin is over you.”

“It’s Aurum,” I corrected.

Alaric’s tail flicked smugly. “See? You can tell. Clearly you’re his fated mate.”

I choked on air. “Fated mate?”

That came out of nowhere. What was Alaric talking about? Yeah, Aurum gave me special treatment, and he broke into my hotel room for a mutual jerk-off session, and he cuddled me against his chest five minutes ago—but that didn’t make us fated mates.

I shook my head. “N-no, Alaric, you’re confused. There’s no way I could be Aurum’s fated mate.”

Alaric scoffed and leveled an offended sneer at me. “Excuse you. This is my fourth time on this program. I’ve seen plenty of fated mates find each other, and I know exactly what it looks like. You, my elongated friend, are definitely Aurum’s mate. I’d bet my fur on it.”

I felt dazed, like Alaric had thrown a bowling ball at my head.

Me? Aurum’s fated mate? It sounded like a cosmic joke. He was everything I wasn’t—thin, attractive, charismatic, confident. I was his polar opposite. How could he settle for somebody like me?

But at the same time, fire burned in my chest when I thought about him. The idea of him going home with someone else infuriated me, and I didn’t get mad easily.

I wanted Aurum. I wanted him more than the last copy of that video game. I wanted him more than anything I’d ever wanted in my whole life.

And maybe... he wanted me, too.

Hope sparked inside me. The fire in my heart blazed into a raging inferno.

I leapt to my paws. “Let’s go win this scavenger hunt.”

Alaric groaned. “Finally.”

“Yay!” Poppy said, his tail wagging.

I put a lid on the thoughts bouncing around in my head. I had to focus.

I stood up on my hind legs, closed my eyes, and sniffed the air. Somewhere in this forest were two articles of clothing. One belonged to Saffron—the other to Aurum. I had to find and correctly identify them both.

That part was simple. The problem was that my legs were short. I couldn’t cover as much ground as bigger animals. Would I make it before someone else won? Once the clothes were found, there was a 50/50 chance of guessing correctly. I didn’t like those odds.

But I wasn’t alone. In a move that still boggled my mind, Poppy and Alaric offered to help. I made a mental note to repay their kindness sometime.

“I’m pretty sure I smelled something over there,” I said, pointing to a nearby thicket. “Can you guys smell it, too?”

Poppy’s nose twitched, and Alaric’s jaws parted as he breathed in the air. The latter coughed. “Yes, that’s certainly the rank odor of an alpha... and not in a good way.”

“Huh? But it smells good,” I said.

Alaric sneezed, then wiped his paw over his nose. “To you.”

“There’s no time to waste,” Poppy urged. “Mylo, you lead us.”

“Okay.”

I followed my nose—and the fiery sensation in my chest—towards the source of the scent. The forest was loud with the sounds of animals crashing through the bushes and undergrowth. Poppy reminded me that time was of the essence. I couldn’t lose this challenge to another omega who worked faster.

My heart raced as I tracked Aurum’s scent. It was a beacon calling out to me. I flew over the forest floor and leapt over a rocky ridge. My nostrils flared as the scent got stronger and closer—I could almost taste it.

Then it suddenly disappeared.

“Huh?”

I dug my paws into the soil. I’d gone too far. But how? It was right there just until a moment ago.

Poppy and Alaric looked confused, too. They raised their heads, scenting the air in confusion.

“Where’d it go?” Poppy asked.

Alaric clicked his tongue. “Dammit. Of course there’s some kind of shenanigans. The challenges can never just be straightforward.”

My chest squeezed painfully. I fell to all fours, breathing hard. Was I too late? Had the scent disappeared because someone else already found the article and took it?

My whiskers twitched.

Wait...

Could it be?

I lowered my nose to the soil, sniffing it. A jolt ran down my spine, making my pelt bristle.

There it was again—Aurum’s scent.

My ferret instincts took over. Despite my cute face and tiny stature, I was a predator. I knew how to hunt.

I backtracked, peered over the ridge, then gasped. In my haste, I hadn’t noticed the dark opening beneath the rock outcrop. Aurum’s scent flooded out of it. The entrance was just small enough for a rabbit, snake, or other small creature to squeeze into.

Maybe even a chubby ferret.

I poked my head into the narrow opening, twitching my whiskers in excitement. I could fit!

I squeezed into the hole. It was pitch-black inside and smelled of cool soil, but Aurum’s scent overpowered it like perfume. I followed my nose instead of my eyes. When my nose bumped against fabric, my heart leapt.

I did it!

Snagging the fabric with my teeth, I dragged it out of the hole. It was just a piece of clothing, but I felt a hunter’s pride at bagging my prey.

“Mylo, there you are.” Poppy’s ears pricked. “Oh! Did you find it?”

My mouth was full, so I nodded.

“Not bad,” Alaric remarked, looking pleased. “I doubt any other shifter would’ve fit in that hole.”

My chest felt warm and fuzzy with satisfaction. Not only did I find Aurum’s shirt, but my new friends were proud of me.

But it wasn’t time to celebrate yet. Saffron’s article was still hidden in the forest somewhere. I had to find it fast.

I stood on my hind legs again to sniff the air, but with Aurum’s shirt in my mouth, his scent flooded my nose. I couldn’t smell anything except his delicious musk.

I dropped the shirt into my paws and looked up at my friends. “Do you guys smell anything?”

They both scented the air. Alaric turned his head to the left. Poppy turned to the right.

“That way,” they said simultaneously.

Alaric sniffed. “Well, we clearly have differing opinions.”

Poppy lowered his head. “Sorry. I thought I smelled it over there.”

“You may be right, wolf,” Alaric conceded. “How about this? The ferret stays here with his prize. We’ll split up and check the forest, then return to you.”

I nodded. “That makes sense. But... you guys would really do that for me?”

Alaric rolled his eyes and slapped me with his feathery tail. “Ugh, please, save the friendship melodrama. Let’s move out.”

“Right,” Poppy agreed.

The two white-furred animals took off in opposite directions. I sat against the rocky outcrop with a sigh, clutching Aurum’s shirt to my chest. It smelled so good and comforting. Even if he wasn’t here, his scent made me feel safe.

As I waited for my friends to return, I closed my eyes and cuddled Aurum’s shirt. Thank gods nobody was around to see.

“Hey.”

I yelped, nearly jumping out of my fur. Every hair on my pelt stood on end as I turned around to see a familiar face behind me.

For a second, my heart lifted. I thought Aurum came to see me. But then recognition settled on me. It wasn’t Aurum, but Saffron.

He kneeled on the rocky outcrop and nodded in greeting. “Sorry. Did I scare you?”

“N-no,” I lied.

He eyed the shirt held tightly in my paws and grinned. “You found that, huh? Guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”

I fidgeted with the fabric. I’d never been alone with Saffron before, and it made me feel awkward. It wasn’t anything like being alone with Aurum. They were incredibly different. Why was I the only one who noticed it?

“So, we didn’t quite get off on the right foot,” he said. “I’m Saffron. But you already know that, don’t you?”

I nodded meekly.

He let out a one-note laugh. “I dunno how you figured it out. No one’s ever been able to do that. Not even our own brothers.”

I tilted my head. “Really? But it’s so... obvious.”

Saffron regarded me curiously. “First I’ve ever heard that. You’re something special, Mylo. I can see why Aurum likes you.”

My face felt aflame.

Saffron scratched his head, then glanced around. “I’m only saying this because it’s you, okay?” He let out a deep sigh. “It’s cheesy as hell, but I thought we’d find our fated mates at the same time. Twin connection and all. I told him I didn’t want to share a season with him, but that was because he pissed me off.” He flashed a lopsided grin, but it fell away into a frown as he fiddled with something in his pocket. “I mean, I like someone too, but...”

After he dropped the phrase ‘fated mates’, I could barely concentrate on his words. I thought I was going to faint. Not just Alaric, but Saffron too? How could all these people make the same mistake?

“That can’t be it,” I interrupted. “I can’t be Aurum’s fated mate.”

Saffron leveled a sharp look at me. “Why?”

I swallowed. “Um...”

He didn’t wait for me to bumble around. “Let me tell you something about Aurum. He hates romance. He insisted he’d never find his fated mate because he said he didn’t have one.” Saffron’s eyes softened. “But I see the way he looks at you. The way he talks about you. He’s so fucking head over heels, he doesn’t even realize it.”

I couldn’t wrap my mind around this. Was Saffron telling the truth?

Was Aurum really in love with me?

My ribs shrank around my pounding heart. I felt dizzy with emotion. If I pinched myself hard enough, would I wake from this dream?

“Tell me something, Mylo,” Saffron said gravely. “Do you love my brother?”

My body froze. I met his gaze, unblinking. His amber eyes were knives carving past my shield of shyness. I couldn’t lie or be humble anymore. Saffron wanted the truth from me, and he was going to get it.

“I...” My voice broke. “I do.”

As the words left my mouth, a weight lifted off my shoulders. I’d suppressed my emotions so hard, I didn’t realize how good it felt to embrace them.

I sucked in a shaky breath. “Yeah,” I said, nodding slowly. “I do. I love Aurum.”

A genuine smile broke over Saffron’s face. His eyes were warm and happy, but I thought I saw a bittersweet flicker, too.

“Glad to hear it.” Saffron fished in his other pocket, pulled out a yellow bandana, and tossed it to me. “There. That’s my hidden item.”

I blinked. Saffron’s scent was on it, but it wasn’t as strong—or alluring—as Aurum’s scent.

“I thought this was hidden in the forest,” I said.

Saffron shrugged. “I dug mine out since I didn’t want randos finding it. Seriously, I can’t stomach another dinner with strangers.”

“Then... you want me to win the challenge?” I asked in disbelief.

“Yup. Win it and go on a date with my twin.”

“I don’t know what to say,” I murmured, taken aback at his generosity.

He stood up and stretched. “Don’t mention it. I’m pretty sure we’re family at this point.”

A surge of feeling flowed through me. Saffron’s acceptance made me so happy, I felt like I would float away.

Saffron paused, touched something in his pocket with a somber expression, then waved at me.

“Gaius is waiting over in that clearing.” He gestured to a light spot in the trees. “Go win that date.”

I held Aurum’s shirt and Saffron’s bandana tighter in my paws. “Right. Um... Thank you, Saffron.”

Clutching the scavenger hunt clothes like precious jewels, I made my way towards Gaius to become the first—and only—winner of the second challenge.