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Saffron

If you’ve never been charged by a polar bear, it sure is one hell of an experience. If I couldn’t shift into my dragon form at the first sign of danger, I absolutely would’ve pissed myself.

The bear was silent as he stared. Two small black eyes were focused on me, standing out like an adorable pair of buttons on a huge patch of white.

He was really, really cute.

And also terrifying. As I looked him over, I nearly choked at the sight of his claws. Four inches of curved black knives, solid and unyielding. A single claw spanned the length of my human hand—and he had five of them on each precious paw.

But it was odd to see a contestant in animal form. Usually they shifted to human as soon as they arrived on the island—to beat the heat, if nothing else. But it was even stranger that he’d missed an important social cue. Normally when shifters took a certain form, everyone surrounding them followed. It was considered rude to remain in animal form while the majority were not.

The other contestants side-eyed the bear irritably. Either for his social ignorance, or because he’d haphazardly knocked people aside with his massive bulk upon arrival. In any case, this bear wasn’t winning any congeniality awards.

But he might win something better, I thought with a twinge of excitement.

Before his arrival, the meet and greet had been a frenzy. Having my attention pulled in a million directions was chaotic. Fun, but chaotic. All the contestants wanted me to notice them—especially that one pushy guy, Kaskian. I suddenly had a new appreciation for the indescribable fatigue my brothers faced after this event—hell, I was a pure extrovert, and even I was getting tired.

But after the polar bear slid into the picture, all the friendly chatter stopped. Everyone simmered in silence as they glared at the bumbling interloper. Although the bear didn’t seem to notice their judgmental stares, I felt the need to stand up for him.

“Don’t be shy,” I said, flashing him a smile. “Come join the party.”

The polar bear didn’t reply. He still hadn’t spoken at all, not even to return my greeting. I wasn’t an expert on bear body language, but his brow was scrunched up in an almost human fashion, as if baffled.

“What’s your name, buddy?” I asked.

The bear swallowed dryly. “Rorik.”

He sounded parched. No doubt the heat was killing him.

I thought I heard a soft gasp from the back of the crowd, but it might’ve been a taunting yawn. It didn’t matter, anyway. My focus was purely on Rorik. I sensed he needed my help. Even though he was huge and physically powerful, he was an omega, so I felt the basic alpha urge to tend to his needs.

As our eyes met, my heart skipped a beat.

Could this protective urge be deeper than a regular alpha instinct?

Then my doubts flooded in: Don’t be overwhelming. Don’t jump for the first guy who catches your attention. Don’t let someone take advantage of you.

Ugh. Anxiety was so fucking annoying.

Pushing aside my brain problems, I strode towards Rorik.

“Let’s get you a drink,” I suggested. “I could use one myself, too.”

More gasps—louder and bolder. I could imagine the other contestants’ protests: How dare you abandon us cool people for this clumsy oaf?

I didn’t know how or why yet, but Rorik needed me. I sensed it in my gut. There was something different about him.

And he was so freaking cute.

Besides, this was my meet and greet. Shouldn’t it be my choice who I spent my time with?

As I sauntered up to Rorik, his forehead wrinkles intensified. He looked lost and confused. Poor guy.

“Follow me,” I encouraged. With a wink, I added, “I know where all the good stuff is.”

Rorik grunted, then fell in step behind me like an obedient worker ant. That was weird. Why didn’t he walk beside me as an equal? Maybe he was shy. In that case, I’d pull him out of his big furry shell.

My heart danced. This is so much fun! I love the Dragonfate Games!

As I led Rorik to the nearest drink table, we passed Kaskian, who stared at us with his jaw unhinged.

Kaskian sputtered, “Saffron, come join me! I just poured a fresh cup of—”

I gave him a polite wave. “Maybe later, Kaskian. Rorik is parched. I’ve gotta take care of him.”

Both Kaskian and Rorik looked utterly dumbfounded.

What? Did I say something weird?

Once we were alone at the furthest table, I poured Rorik a cold cup of water topped with a few ice cubes. My heart skipped as the ice clanked against the glass. I couldn’t tell if I was excited or nervous. Maybe both.

“There we go. Nice and icy, just how you like it.” I chuckled. “I mean, ‘cause you’re a polar bear, so I assume you like it that way. It’d be super weird if you loved drinking warm water. Not that I’m judging. You can enjoy water however you want.”

Shit. I’d started blathering. I practically heard Aurum’s voice echoing: Okay, Saffron, shut the fuck up and give the bear his water. You’re embarrassing yourself.

“Anyway, here you go.” I offered the cup to Rorik, then realized he had no hands to take it. “Uh… Heh. You’re allowed to shift into human form, y’know.”

Finally, Rorik spoke. “I don’t want to.”

I felt like a cartoon character with a piano dropped on my head. Great. My first interaction with Rorik, and he shot me down. Was he even interested in me at all?

Of course he is, idiot. Why else would he sign up as a contestant on the Dragonfate Games?

My brothers’ cautious advice swarmed in my mind. There was a huge difference in a contestant being interested in a wealthy alpha dragon and being interested in me.

As the doubts crawled in, I looked closer at Rorik. His deep, dark eyes bore into mine. They never faltered, and he didn’t blink. His gaze was so intense that a shiver rolled down my spine.

The doubts scurried away. No, there was something between us. I felt it in my bones. Maybe Rorik turned me down because he was simply voicing a preference. That was fine by me. I wanted to make him feel comfortable.

“Hey, I don’t control your life,” I said with a casual shrug. “You don’t have to shift if you don’t want to. Your choice.”

Rorik’s bearish brow rose ever so slightly, then returned to normal. “I… appreciate that.”

My heart lifted. He spoke again—and positively this time.

Oh, I was so back.

I flashed him a grin, too excited to play it cool. Since Rorik remained a bear, I slid the water cup across the table towards his snout.

“There,” I said.

Rorik hesitated, then his tongue darted out to lap the water. But the cup wasn’t meant to be used by a bear. His long, powerful tongue knocked the cup over, spilling water across the tablecloth.

As if by instinct, Rorik tensed. His black eyes darted nervously to me.

“I apologize,” he said quickly. “It was my mistake. I’ll clean it.”

What a silly bear. Why was he so apprehensive over a spill? As if my brothers’ kids didn’t knock over their sippy cups every five minutes.

“It’s just water. No big deal,” I assured, pouring a fresh cup. “Here, let’s try it this way.”

I held the cup tightly in my hand, tilting it below his snout for easy access.

Rorik blinked. His eyes flicked between the tantalizing water and my face. He seemed wary, like I was trying to poison him.

I chuckled. “Don’t worry, it’s just water.”

Rorik grunted affirmatively. He lowered his boxy snout, then lapped at the water with his long tongue. It only took a few gulps to empty the cup.

Rorik drew his tongue over his muzzle, then stared at me. His nose twitched as he sniffed the air, slow and deliberate.

My heart skipped faster. Was he smelling me?

I cleared my throat, then asked, “Feel better?”

“Yes.” Then a long, pregnant pause. “Who are you?”

My heart dropped. Oh, no. Did Rorik suffer from short-term memory loss? That was tragic. It was like the plot of a romantic drama movie—a patient alpha helping an omega with his memory struggles, supporting him graciously until they fell in love...

Don’t worry, Rorik. I’ll save you.

“My name’s Saffron,” I replied with a gentle smile, hoping to ease his worries. “Remember? We met a few minutes ago.”

Rorik’s brow knitted together, confused by my tone. “I know that.”

My imagined movie plot vanished in a mental puff of smoke.

“Oh,” I said.

Rorik spoke carefully. “You share a name with the dragon called Saffron. But you are…”

At first, I didn’t understand why he was confused. Was he puzzled by my appearance? I figured a fellow shifter would understand why I chose to be in human form at the moment.

Then I had a crazy thought: had Rorik never watched the Dragonfate Games?

“It’s hard to mingle and pour drinks with talons,” I joked. “But yeah, I am a dragon shifter.”

Rorik’s black eyes flashed. He radiated a burst of energy—a tangible mix of excitement and nerves. But there was also a guarded note in his expression, like he couldn’t quite believe me.

When I searched Rorik’s gaze, I shivered. His expression was so… fierce.

My heart picked up speed. The sparks between us were real—I wasn’t imagining them.

Could he be my fated mate?

Rorik cleared his throat. “And you are an alpha… sir?”

I snorted, shaking my head. “Yeah, but don’t call me sir. That’s weird.”

Rorik’s small round ears pricked. “Weird?”

His tone was strangled, like he was insulted but managed to rein it in at the last second.

“Yeah, dude, it’s weird. I’m an alpha, not, like, your boss,” I explained.

Rorik stared blankly, as if I’d told him the moon was made of cheese.

If that’s what he thinks, his beliefs are kinda screwy, I thought. Unless I’m reading way too deep into it…

I took a sip of my own water. “Hey, you must be burning up under that fur coat. You sure you don’t wanna shift?”

Rorik groaned. “You and the man in the horrible shirt keep reminding me I’m allowed to shift.”

I nearly spat the water all over him as laughter bubbled out of me. “Horrible shirt? You mean Gaius?”

His lower lip jutted out in a cute bear pout. “Yes. He was the strangest person I’ve ever met.”

I laughed harder at the serious yet baffled look on Rorik’s face. “Yeah, he’s zany. Don’t tell him I said this, but he reminds me of Eggman from the Sonic movies. Except not an evil scientist. The third one was so freakin’ funny. Have you seen any of them?”

Rorik seemed like a serious guy. Was he even into comedies? Maybe he preferred dramas, or action films. In any case, I’d successfully brought up my greatest passion—and the object of my hoard. I mentally patted myself on the back for my smooth conversation skills. Movies were always a great starting point, since everybody had a favorite they were eager to gush about.

But Rorik had a blank look on his face that morphed into discomfort the longer I stared at him. The silence went on for so long it became painfully awkward.

Finally, Rorik mumbled, “I have… never seen a movie.”

I dropped my cup. Water splashed across my shoes.

“You—”

Words failed me. I waved my hands around like a lunatic, unable to express my disbelief. There was no way that was true. How was that even possible in this day and age? DVDs existed. Streaming existed. Hell, maybe his family had some VHS tapes kicking around.

My shock took a sharp turn into denial. “You’re joking, right?” I managed to say through an unhinged laugh.

Rorik’s expression was unchanged. “No.”

I searched his face, wanting to see any indication that he was lying. But all I saw was stoic sincerity.

“You have never watched a movie,” I repeated. The words felt like sacrilege. It was like Rorik told me he’d never breathed air.

“No,” Rorik confirmed.

By now, the crowd had drifted vaguely in our direction. They stayed a healthy distance away but were clearly eavesdropping. A few contestants muttered about Rorik, shooting him judgmental glares.

Defensiveness flared within me as brightly as a flame. Rorik was a rude bear—and had apparently never seen a movie, what the fuck— but he was my rude-and-never-seen-a-movie bear, dammit.

If Rorik had been in human form, I would’ve grabbed his arm and dragged him to my room for a movie marathon, but it’s impossible to drag a polar bear anywhere.

I leaned in close so only he could hear my quiet, conspiratorial words.

“Okay. Here’s what we’re gonna do. Meet me at the edge of the forest tonight around ten.” With a grin, I added, “I’ll take you back to my room. It’ll be fun.”

Rorik’s eyes widened until the blackness was edged in white. They gleamed with excitement, which he quickly subdued.

Oh, he’s adorable when he tries to hide his feelings, I thought wistfully.

Rorik gave a solemn nod.

“I will be there,” he promised.

“Dude, if you wanted some alone time with this guy, why’d you bring me along?” Aurum asked, leaning against a thick tree.

“Because I want you to meet him, duh,” I said, leaning against the opposite tree.

The crescent moon hung in the black sky, glittering alongside a sprinkling of stars. It was the perfect moody atmosphere for an illicit evening encounter. My heart skittered as I imagined Rorik walking out to greet us.

“So, it’s barely been a single night, and you’re already inviting this guy to our room,” Aurum said. His tone was more curious than judgmental. “You think he’s the one?”

My chest tightened. I liked Rorik. He was adorable, and his stoic mannerisms were charming. I was drawn to him immediately, which was a feeling I didn’t have with the other contestants.

But doubts gnawed at me like lurking shadows waiting to pounce. I’d had bad judgment in the past. Could I be sure of anything anymore?

That was half the reason I’d brought Aurum along tonight. He’d seen the truth before, and saved me from a crappy situation. If I couldn’t trust myself, I could trust my twin.

I turned to Aurum and dropped the same bomb I’d heard earlier: “By the way, Rorik has never seen a movie before.”

Aurum choked as he whipped his head towards me. “What? And you like this guy?”

I rolled my eyes. Aurum got lucky with his mate, who was just as video game-obsessed as he was.

“Just ‘cause he’s never seen a movie doesn’t mean he won’t enjoy one,” I retorted.

Aurum was still shocked. “I don’t get it. How? Is this dude from fucking space?”

A flash of bright white among the trees caught my attention. A polar bear in the dark was hard to miss. As Rorik stepped towards us, my heart picked up speed.

“Rorik, over here!” I called, waving him closer.

Rorik stopped mid-step, holding his massive paw in the air. He tilted his head.

“There’s… two of you,” he said.

I chuckled. His bluntness was so funny.

“Yeah, this is my twin, Aurum,” I introduced.

Aurum nodded in greeting. “Yo.”

Rorik looked back and forth between us, genuinely surprised. Did he seriously not know we were twins? Did he know anything about the Dragonfate Games before signing up? Combined with the fact that he’d never watched a movie, this was bizarre. I supposed it was possible he was old-fashioned, and simply didn’t own a TV or computer. There was nothing wrong with that. But I had a feeling something else was going on with him.

Rorik finally put his paw down and sauntered towards me. His white fur reflected the moonlight, making him glow like a beacon in the darkness. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. My fingers itched to comb through that thick, dense fur. It was probably so warm to cuddle against...

But we had more important matters to handle.

“Follow us, Rorik,” I said with a grin. “You’re about to have an awesome night.”