Page 9

9

Rorik

I gasped for breath as I stumbled up the stairs, running like a madman up to my floor. At each landing I slammed my palm into the cold wall, pushing off with enough force to send a booming, eerie echo through the stairwell.

My chest felt tight. Each breath came as if sucked through a straw.

What was this awful feeling? I’d endured brutal training sessions, been punished and disciplined, gone without food or water… but this pain was something worse. Like claws raking down my ribs from the inside out.

When I crashed into my frigid room, my trembling knees gave out. I collapsed to the floor as I fought to catch my breath.

What the hells just happened?

I couldn’t wrap my mind around any of it. Why did Saffron intervene? Why did he put himself in danger for my sake?

And why did I like it so much?

Sweat ran down my back. I shuddered and tossed off my shirt. The cold air rushing directly against my skin felt better. I blew out a long, haggard breath and tried to calm down.

Saffron was my enemy. The supposed dragon I was supposed to kill. But he’d intercepted that vengeful grizzly and ended the fight before it started. He’d thrown Kaskian’s body to the floor like a rag doll.

That was… strangely attractive.

I shook my head. Of course Saffron was attractive. He was good-looking. Small and annoying, sure, but a respectable and handsome alpha nonetheless.

But beneath that disarming exterior, raw power simmered. It was awe-inspiring dragon’s power.

Could he be stronger than Sheba and Knox? Stronger than Konrad?

My training kicked in, followed by a surge of guilt. I ground my teeth and put a stop to that line of thought. Sheba and Knox were my superiors. I wouldn’t dare imagine them losing a hypothetical fight, especially not to an enemy dragon.

But it was getting harder and harder to think of Saffron as my enemy.

Groaning, I sank forward and put my head in my hands. My mind raged like a deep winter blizzard. I was supposed to be a perfect warrior. I’d never had treasonous thoughts like these before. I didn’t know how to deal with them.

Sheba made a mistake. I wasn’t the bear for the job. I was a failure.

“Rorik.”

My blood chilled. That was Saffron’s voice outside my door. He’d followed me to my room.

My heart lurched with confusion. Back home, this would never happen. Alphas summoned omegas directly to them; they didn’t seek them out.

“Can I come in?” he asked.

I was too dazed to stand, or even answer. Gods, I was pathetic. What happened to the confident polar bear who’d sworn to kill the dragons? Instead, I’d crumbled at the first sign of uncertainty.

After a long silence, Saffron sighed. “Listen, I really don’t want to barge in, but I need to know you’re okay. If you don’t open the door, I’m gonna use the override key card.”

My chest tightened.

He followed me just to ensure my safety?

My body moved on its own. I rose unsteadily, then pulled the door open.

Saffron’s eyes flashed with relief when he met my gaze.

Stop that, I thought desperately. Stop looking so damned happy to see me.

“Thank you,” Saffron said, then stepped inside. “Rorik, I—holy fuck, it’s cold in here. How are you shirtless right now?”

The dragon was in my room.

Alone.

This was the perfect opportunity to kill him.

So why couldn’t I? Why was happiness the only thing I felt?

“I... prefer the cold,” I said, slumping on the edge of the bed.

“I can see that,” Saffron mumbled, rubbing his arms. In a gentler voice, he said, “What happened back there, Rorik? You really worried me.”

The way he spoke my name reminded me of the morning sun’s reflection off ice. Bright. Warm. A good omen.

But it came from the mouth of a dragon—a creature so heinous and despicable that I should’ve been poised to strike. To kill.

And I couldn’t do it.

“Rorik?” Saffron prompted. “Come on, talk to me. Please.”

Worry dripped from his voice. An alpha dragon plagued with concern for an omega? It sounded like a joke.

But if Saffron was an excellent liar, then I was a fool who fell for his tricks.

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I’ve never been so… dysfunctional.”

The words spilled out. I couldn’t muster the pride to hold them back. If I was destined to be a weak, emotional omega in this moment, then so be it. Let the dragon hear my pitiful feelings. At least if he snapped and killed me now, nobody else would witness my failure.

Dammit. I almost wish he would kill me, I thought miserably. At least then I wouldn’t be so confused...

Saffron stepped closer to me. “You’re not dysfunctional. You’re upset. Tell me why.”

Authority laced his tone, but it wasn’t domineering or oppressive. He was so different from the alphas back home. Try as I might, I could not understand him.

What was his goal? What was his reason for following me, talking to me, protecting me? Why did he invite me into his home and allow me to play with his nieces? Why did he trust me when I was sent here to murder him?

Compelled, I glanced up at Saffron. From my position on the bed, he finally stood taller than me. His legs were spread in a confident stance, and his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes were tiny yellow flames, warm and inviting.

Another shiver shot down my spine. I forced myself to look away.

“It’s impossible to explain,” I mumbled.

“Try me,” Saffron countered.

I shook my head. He couldn’t possibly understand. We were too different. Besides, who ever reacted positively when faced with an attempted assassination?

“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again,” I said listlessly.

Saffron huffed in frustration. “Don’t be sorry for having feelings, Rorik.”

He casually crossed the room and sat next to me on the bed. His arm brushed mine. His skin was warm.

“Rorik,” Saffron began.

My breath caught. He was so close to me.

Something in the air smelled good again.

Saffron stared at me. “Why are you pushing me away? I can tell you don’t want to.”

His remark slipped past my defenses and struck me like a falling icicle. How did he know that? Was I that easy to read?

Saffron’s voice took an edge, but he didn’t seem angry. More reserved. “Does it have anything to do with what Poppy said to me?”

My gaze snapped to his.

“What did Poppy say?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Nothing. He said I’d better hear it from you.”

As Saffron spoke, I heard his teeth chatter. I suddenly remembered that he was a tropical creature, unequipped for the cold. But he was too invested in our conversation to put my borrowed clothes on. Stupid reptile.

I grunted. “You’re going to freeze. Use my fur.”

Before Saffron could respond, I shifted into my polar bear form. The luxurious king-size mattress dipped beneath my weight, but to its credit, didn’t bow or groan like it was about to expire, unlike my cot back home.

Saffron’s eyes widened as he stared at me in disbelief. “Oh. Thanks, Rorik.”

As he shuffled closer, the motion stirred his scent into the air. It brushed my sensitive nose, and I swallowed hard. Since taking that volleyball to the face, my nose was hyper-perceptive. Saffron’s scent infiltrated my nose in the best way possible.

My heartbeat skipped. An alpha had never smelled so painfully good to me. Was it another trick? Some kind of pheromone-manipulating cologne? As much as I wanted that to be the truth, I doubted it.

Saffron sighed, leaning against my dense fur. “Wow, that’s nice. No wonder you prefer the cold.”

I noticed he was still holding his limbs close to his chest. I raised my furry arm and put it around his human shoulders, creating a wider pocket of warmth. Saffron relaxed. His sigh of relief tickled the tips of my fur.

“Thanks, Rorik,” he murmured.

My ribs tightened again.

“Now, do you wanna talk about it?” Saffron asked.

Dammit.

How could I tell him now, while he was snuggled up against me?

My current feelings warred with the training drilled into my core. Sheba’s militant voice rang in my ears: Finish the job .

I finally had the dragon right where I wanted him—one snap of his delicate neck, and it would be over. One less dragon to terrorize the world.

But the thought suddenly revolted me. My own mission left a bad taste in my mouth. As I glanced down at Saffron curled snugly against my side, wrenching his neck was the last thing I wanted to do.

As a dragon-killing warrior, I was a failure. I couldn’t do it.

“Rorik?” Saffron prompted.

Looking at him, I came to a strange realization. Saffron was shorter and slimmer than me, but his presence was not small. An intense aura glowed around him, an invisible reminder of what he truly was—an alpha dragon. His physical shape didn’t matter. It was what lurked beneath that mattered.

Immediately, I stopped thinking of him as delicate. He could handle the truth.

I steeled my nerves and bowed my head. “All right. I’ll tell you everything. It’s your right to deal with me how you see fit.”

Saffron raised a brow at my cryptic message. “Okay?”

The raging storm in my mind vanished. Clarity descended over me. Whatever happened next was up to Saffron. I didn’t understand why, but something about giving up control alleviated my fear.

“I was sent on a mission to kill you, Saffron,” I said solemnly. “To kill all of the dragons here.”

Saffron blinked. “Uh… what?” He chuckled. “Okay, that was pretty funny. Now tell me the real mission.”

I stared back at him for a few silent seconds.

“Oh. You are serious,” Saffron said, incredulous. “Can you, like, elaborate?”

His casual tone rendered me speechless. How could he be so nonchalant when I just admitted my plan to murder him?

The next words felt like a fish bone stuck in my throat. “My alpha superiors ordered me to come here and kill as many dragons as possible. You were supposed to be my first target.”

I expected Saffron to bristle and dodge away from me, but he stayed right where he was.

“Whoa, whoa, hang on. You must be exaggerating, Rorik,” he said from the comfort of my chest.

“I am not. This is real.”

“Who are your ‘alpha superiors’? Why are you trying to kill us?” he asked, sounding baffled instead of frightened. “Geez, I know some people don’t like reality TV, but talk about an overreaction.”

I blew out a patient exhale. He didn’t understand the severity of the situation. Even now, he was clueless in my grasp. If I weren’t so weak, I could wring his neck. End him.

The thought of it made me shudder with disgust, and I didn’t understand why. Saffron was a dragon. How could I forget the torment that dragons wrought on my home? He was my clan’s enemy.

But that was just it. Saffron was not my enemy. I’d been sent on this mission to fulfill orders. Yet the lithe man curled up against my fur was not dangerous. He’d been nothing but kind. He stood up for me when no one else did. He’d invited me into the heart of his home and allowed me to play with his nieces. And he put himself in harm’s way to protect me.

Nobody had done that before.

Guilt stirred in my chest. “My alphas sent me here to destroy you. That is all that matters,” I murmured.

Saffron’s eyes narrowed. “I hate hearing you call them ‘your alphas’. You’re not inferior to anybody. And you’re certainly not theirs. ”

His comment took me by surprise. That raw energy flared again, reminding me of his power—and how good he was at controlling himself. Sheba and Knox never held back. They were always eager to show off their authority.

“I’m sorry. I meant my alpha superiors,” I corrected.

A shadow fell over Saffron’s usual sunny expression. His shoulders straightened as he looked me in the eyes. “I hate that, too. An alpha is supposed to protect you, not deploy you like a soldier.”

The guilt gnawing at my insides chewed harder. I didn’t deserve Saffron’s inexplicable kindness.

“I’m an omega, and—”

“And what?” Saffron demanded, his voice sharp with a warning edge.

His intensity made the hairs on my pelt stiffen. But I felt no fear. Only a bizarre, overwhelming attraction.

I dropped the subject. “I admit my crime, and I understand if you wish to banish me from your island,” I said, starting to stand up.

Before I got an inch off the bed, Saffron dug possessive fingers into my thick fur and pulled me down. My fat bear bottom hit the mattress with a thump . I was so startled that I rolled onto my back.

Saffron sat on my waist aggressively, like he wouldn’t tolerate another escape attempt.

“Yeah, no, I won’t be doing any of that banishing stuff,” he said. “You’re staying right here, Rorik.”

“Why?” I asked, stupefied. “Why aren’t you sending me away?”

He grinned. “You sound like you want to be banished.”

How could he joke with his failed assassin? Didn’t he take anything seriously? Or was he so comfortable with me that he didn’t care?

“You make no sense,” I grumbled. “I confessed my plan to kill you, and you’re smiling about it.”

Saffron looked amused. “You’re not doing it, though. I’m clearly still alive. So it doesn’t matter, right? Besides, you could never kill me.”

I grimaced. He was right, but I didn’t want to admit how endearing I found him. It was treasonous to think of an enemy alpha this way—especially a damned dragon.

“No,” I agreed. “My mental state is too weak.”

“Well, that’s not what I meant,” Saffron corrected. “You literally couldn’t kill me. I’m too strong.”

I’d still never seen Saffron’s dragon form, but maybe that was why he stayed as a weak-looking human. Saffron knew his own power. He felt no need to flaunt it.

Still, I was a proud polar bear. His overconfidence slighted my ego.

“Hmph. I’m the strongest fighter in my clan,” I pointed out. “You think I couldn’t land a blow or two?”

Saffron suddenly burst into cackling laughter.

“What?” I asked.

His grin was mischievous. “You said blow. ”

“I don’t get it.”

“Like… blowjob?”

“What is that?”

His eyes went wide and sympathetic. “Oh, you poor guy. Want me to demonstrate?”

As the gears in my mind turned, I squinted at him. “Is this a sex thing?”

“Yes, Rorik,” Saffron said angelically. “It is a sex thing.”

The room suddenly felt hot again, despite the air conditioning on blast.

Saffron wanted to do a sexual act with me? Why?

I cleared my throat, ignoring the sudden warmth flaring between my thighs. “In my clan, sex is not for pleasure. It is only for breeding omegas,” I explained. “Omegas are child-bearers. That is our purpose.”

An inferno blazed across Saffron’s eyes. In a swift motion, he swooped down, slamming his hands into the mattress on opposite sides of my head. His face hovered an inch above my nose.

“Don’t let me hear you say that ever again,” he growled. “I won’t have you reduced to a womb. ”

My heart lurched. Saffron’s words robbed me of breath. His intensity made me shiver. There it was again—Saffron’s dragon power, now simmering right below the surface.

And it was aimed not towards me, but for me. Brandished as a shield instead of a sword.

He is… not what I expected at all, I thought. None of this is.

I stared at him, mesmerized by the passion burning in his gaze. Flecks of sunny yellow glimmered against the amber backdrop, like a warm lantern on a cold evening.

Suddenly, he was a lot closer—and I was a lot less fluffy. At some point during the last few seconds, I’d shifted to human form. When did that happen? Did Saffron’s remark trigger the shift, or was it his physical closeness? In any case, I was now naked beneath him while he straddled my waist.

And that was… surprisingly acceptable.

Saffron breathed hard, radiating a mix of fury and desire. His ragged puffs of air ghosted across my face. I understood he wasn’t angry at me , but I still felt bad for upsetting him.

“I’m sorry,” I murmured.

“Don’t be sorry. Be angry that some fuckers warped your brain into thinking you’re not worthy.”

I grimaced, feeling defensive of my clan alphas. All through my life, they’d been there for me. But now I felt lost, my sense of purpose hazy and unclear…

“Rorik, look at me,” Saffron demanded. When I met his fiery gaze, he said, “You’re worth more.”

My throat felt tight. I swallowed past the lump.

“Do you… desire me that much?” I asked, desperately trying to understand him.

Saffron scoffed. “Desire you? Isn’t that obvious? You’re the hottest guy I’ve ever met. Can’t you tell I’m hard as hell right now?”

I opened my mouth to respond but was cut abruptly short at his final statement. The warmth blooming in my cheeks grew hotter, and my mouth went dry.

I felt Saffron’s bulge pressing into me. I thought it was his knee, or elbow, or some other sharp part of him. I hadn’t realized it was… that.

“Yes, I can tell,” I replied hoarsely.

A slow grin curved along Saffron’s mouth. “You can, huh? Too polite to mention it?”

He adjusted his lower half, causing his erection to brush me again. My heart raced faster than a penguin slipping down an ice floe. I’d never done this before. How was I supposed to react?

“Not to be presumptuous, but…” Saffron tilted his head. “Are you a virgin?”

No point trying to hide it. I gave a stiff nod—and it wasn’t the only stiffness I experienced.

“Where I’m from, omegas are not allowed to… indulge in frivolous activities,” I explained.

“Frivolous?” Saffron said skeptically. “Well, whatever. You’re in my domain. With me. And I say you’re allowed to do whatever you want.” His eyes flashed. “So, what do you want, Rorik?”

My pulse quickened until it throbbed in my veins. My skin was hot, and sweat beaded on my forehead. I felt myself growing harder by the second.

Meanwhile, Saffron’s eyes raked hungrily over my body. He was practically salivating. This wasn’t just any vanilla desire: it was raw, draconic lust.

This dragon was going to be the death of me—just not in the way I’d anticipated.