Gaius finally stopped beside a wide, rushing river. In the center was a small, grassy island. I paused when I saw Crimson standing there. Even from the side of the river, there was no mistaking that fancy suit and black-and-red hair.

  I huffed at the sight of him. What made him so important?

  Gaius raised his voice to be heard over the rushing water. "All right, omegas! Here we are at our first challenge. Your task is to cross this river and reach Crimson in the center. As a dragon, Crimson needs a mate who can keep up with him, through brains or brawn or something else entirely. There's no wrong way to win the challenges. Creativity is key!"

  "Woohoo!" Muzo's voice overpowered his. "Finally, we're on a private island and we get to swim!"

  Poppy fussed beside me. "We have to cross the river? The water looks fast..."

  As a wolf, Poppy should've been a decent natural swimmer. But he was anxious about everything, including this. I put my hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

  "I'll be right next to you. Don't worry," I said.

  Poppy frowned. "But you should be trying to win. I'll slow you down if I can't keep up."

  "I don't care about that."

  That wasn't the whole truth. In the very back of my mind, I did care, for some strange reason. Maybe I was more competitive than I thought. But it was overpowered by my urge to protect my friend.

  Gaius looked ready to start the challenge. "Any questions, omegas?"

  "I've got one," Alaric announced. He stood at the river's edge, not yet shifted but clearly ready to go. "So the first contestant to reach the island—and Crimson—is the winner?"

  "Not quite," Gaius said. "Any contestant who reaches Crimson has a chance to win. I'm sure plenty of you are strong and determined enough to make it across the river. Ultimately, it's his choice who wins."

  Alaric looked slightly peeved. "All right. Then if Crimson chooses us, what do we win?"

  Gaius grinned. "A dinner date with the dragon himself."

  Alaric's eyes widened, flashing intently. It was obvious he'd do anything to win that date. I'd think he was pathetic if some secret part of me didn't also want to win.

  "What happens if we don't make it to the center island?" Poppy asked.

  Gaius gave him a warm, sympathetic glance. "Unfortunately, any contestants who don't complete the challenges will be disqualified."

  Poppy's shoulders slumped. "Oh."

  I hated seeing Poppy like that. Growling softly, I lowered myself to his eye level. "Hey. Don't give up when it hasn't even started yet."

  "But the water's so choppy and fast, and I'm not the best swimmer..." Poppy rubbed his arm. "If you and Muzo make it and I don't, they'll send me home. I'll be all alone..."

  "You will make it," I assured him. "I won't let you be alone, Poppy."

  He took a deep breath. My promise calmed him down a bit.

  Alaric snorted. "If you need a pep talk on the very first challenge, you're not cut out to be a dragon's mate."

  I held Poppy's gaze so he couldn't look at that asshole and give him the satisfaction of getting attention.

  "Don't listen to him. He probably can't even doggy paddle." I smiled at Poppy. "But you can wolf paddle. Right?"

  That earned a small smile back. "Yeah, I can do that."

  "Good. Do it all the way there. Slow and steady, okay?"

  Poppy nodded.

  With my friend cheered up, I readied myself at the river's edge. Determination roared inside me. I'd show up that asshole Alaric and help Poppy to the finish line.

  "Omegas!" Gaius called. "You may now shift!"

  I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

  It was time to unleash my tiger.

  Pure rippling power washed over me like a tidal wave. I let my human soul be swallowed up by the feral tiger roaring within me. My body twisted and reshaped itself in its image. When I opened my eyes, I stood on four huge paws. My long tail lashed like a whip. My curved, white claws flexed, gripping the earthy edge of the river.

  With my sharpened eyesight, I glanced along the starting line. Beside me was a soft, fluffy Arctic wolf. Poppy.

  Next to him was a smaller, pointier canine with tawny fur and a black back. Muzo's snout split in a toothy grin, the same as in his human form.

  Beyond my two friends, I didn't recognize anybody. Except...

  Standing off to the side was a haughty figure I'd recognize in any form. With pure white fur that matched his human form's hair, Alaric perched on the edge of the river as a domestic house cat. His perfectly groomed long fur was about to get ruined in the water.

  No wonder he had such an attitude problem. His shifter form was tiny. I could've batted him around like a soccer ball with one paw.

  I didn't have time to get a good look at the other shifters. The challenge was about to start.

  Gaius raised his arm. "Ready, contestants? On three... One... two…"

  With my sharp tiger eyes, I glared at Crimson. I could see him better in this form. He stood there with his hands tucked into his suit pockets like he was some great prize. What a joke.

  And yet, I couldn't help the burning feeling in my chest that I wanted to win.

  "GO!" Gaius yelled.

  I leapt into the river. I didn't let the cold water slow me down. I paddled out with my powerful paws, letting my natural instincts take over. Tigers were gifted swimmers and I was no exception. Crossing the rushing waves came easily to me.

  I didn't see anybody else. Was I in the lead?

  I paused to glance over my shoulder.

  Muzo was behind me, spitting water out of his mouth and paddling hard. His jackal form was small and he struggled in the river. "Argh, I hate swimming!"

  "I thought you wanted to swim," I reminded him.

  "Changed my mind," he grumbled. "Where's Poppy?"

  We both looked behind us. A yellowy-white wolf paddled slowly near the starting point. My heart sank. He'd barely made any progress, but at least he hadn't given up.

  Muzo sighed. "Oh, Pops."

  "You go ahead," I said. "I'll help him."

  Muzo cocked his head. His wet, pointy ears flopped awkwardly. "You sure? You've got a huge lead on everyone else. You could be the first to the island."

  "What do I care?" I grumbled. "If Poppy doesn't make it, then winning is worthless."

  Muzo laughed. "You're a funny guy, Tay."

  I splashed water at him with my paw. He knew I hated that nickname. "Get out of here, you annoying hyena."

  "I'm a jackal!" Muzo called back as he swam away.

  Turning around, I headed back to meet Poppy. Unfortunately, I ran right into Alaric, who'd managed to keep pace. The tiny cat was soaked to the bone, but surprisingly, he didn't look as miserable as I expected him to.

  He did glare furiously at me, though.

  "What are you doing?" Alaric hissed.

  "Going to Blockbuster. What does it look like I'm doing?"

  That angered Alaric. "Helping your sad little friend won't help you win. If you were smart, you'd turn around and swim to the island."

  "Then I guess I'm not as smart as you."

  I didn't wait around to hear Alaric's retort. Flicking my tail dismissively, I swam back to my friend. Poppy's ears were flat against his head and his lips were pulled back into an anxious grimace. His wolf paddling hadn't gotten him far.

  He whimpered when he saw me. "Taylor? What are you doing here?"

  "Funny. Alaric just asked me the same question." I pressed my body weight against his. "Grab onto me."

  "But... is that against the rules?" Poppy asked nervously.

  "Gaius didn't say we couldn't help each other," I replied. "And if I'm breaking some hidden rule, then so be it. Come on, we're wasting daylight."

  Poppy hesitated, then gently grabbed the loose scruff of my neck with his teeth. I shot forward.

  It took no time at all to reach the front of the pack again. Though, I was focused on getting ahead, I noticed the shifters around me. Deer, foxes, bears, and various other species I couldn't pick out over the waves. None of them could outpace me. My strong paws and powerful muscles put me in the lead once more.

  Actually, I would've been in the lead, but there was one more person in front of me—a soggy-wet cat pushing himself to the limit. I was honestly surprised to see Alaric beating the rest. Maybe he wasn't as much of a fragile twink as he looked like.

  Alaric was centered on winning. He didn't realize I gained on him until it was too late. He did a double-take and hissed loudly.

  "When did you get back here?" Venom dripped from his voice.

  "Just now," I replied.

  Without waiting, I pushed on ahead. I felt Alaric's radiating fury behind me like swarming black tentacles.

  But he was a house cat and I was a tiger. There was no competition in a physical race.

  The shore of the little island was a few strokes away. With one final push, I leapt onto the strip of land. After Poppy detached from my scruff, I shook out my pelt and instinctively licked the water from my paws. Being in the water was fine, but being wet on dry land afterwards was ugh.

  I felt somebody's burning gaze on me, but for once, it wasn't Alaric and his rage-filled, odd eyes. It came from above. I lifted my head.

  In the center of the island, the tall man in a suit stood on the edge of the hill looking down at me. The alpha dragon.

  Crimson.

  A wave of irritation washed over me. My claws sank into the dirt. This river-crossing charade was all his fault. The guy was deranged for making omegas compete against each other like this.

  Then again, I agreed to be on this idiotic game show, so maybe I was deranged, too.

  As I locked eyes with Crimson, I glared at him. He met my gaze without blinking. I couldn't read his expression. He didn't seem particularly thrilled or displeased.

  "He's staring right at you," Poppy murmured.

  I flicked my tail crossly. "Let him."

  Heavy wing beats sounded above us. A half-eagle, half-lion creature landed beside Crimson, then shifted into a cheerful man in an eye-searing Hawaiian shirt.

  Gaius gestured theatrically down to the shore. "And we have our first arrivals! Poppy the Arctic wolf, and Taylor the Siberian tiger!"

  A shiver went down my spine. For a moment, I'd forgotten this was all being filmed. I tried not to look too pissed off. But deep down, I was glad not to be disqualified. I didn't understand why, but I desperately wanted to win.

  I chalked it up to my protectiveness over Poppy and Muzo. I couldn't look after them if I went home, right?

  As I thought of my jackal friend, I glanced behind me. I sighed in relief when I saw him doggy-paddling his way to the shore, spitting out water. He'd made it to the next round, too.

  And he wasn't alone. A dripping-wet white furball clawed his way onto the island. If my glare at Crimson was bad, Alaric's glare towards me was ten times worse. I was sure I'd be on the receiving end of his harsh words later.

  "And two more contestants have just arrived," Gaius announced. "Muzo the black-backed jackal, and Alaric the cat! Ah, and a few more are right on their tails!"

  A couple more stragglers wound up on shore. Soon a dozen shifters stood there, wet and waiting for Crimson to announce the ultimate winner. A few shifters were unable to swim to the island and bowed out of the competition, which only served to annoy me further. Crimson thought he was too good for people who couldn't swim? What a dick.

  Muzo smacked his lips next to me. "Bleh, I swallowed a pound of seaweed..."

  "We were in a river, there was no seaweed," I grumbled.

  Poppy sheepishly licked Muzo's damp ears to dry them off. I ignored my canine friends. All my attention was on Gaius as he wrapped up his announcement of the contestants still in the running.

  "That's everyone, folks! Congratulations on passing your first challenge. You've all won a chance at a date with Crimson tonight, but the final decision is his to make. I'll hand it over to the big man himself."

  Gaius gave Crimson the microphone. Crimson looked slightly dazed. He distractedly brought it to his lips but didn't speak.

  "Well, Crimson?" Gaius prompted in an upbeat tone. "Which omega will it be?"

  Crimson glanced over the line of wet omegas. He didn't spare any of them a lingering glance—except for me.

  My heart suddenly began pounding.

  Why was my body reacting? I didn't give a damn about this stupid competition. I couldn't care less if I won or lost.

  But as Crimson's ruby eyes dawdled on me, my pulse picked up speed.

  Finally, Crimson opened his mouth.

  "The winner of this challenge, and the omega I choose to take on a date tonight... is Taylor Chalchin."

  Eight

  Crimson

  Perhaps I should've paid more attention during the planning stage of the Dragonfate Games, because I surely would've spoken up about the utterly ridiculous "challenges" my brothers had thought up. Honestly, asking omegas to shift and swim across a river? Who came up with this nonsense? The worst part was that I was positive every challenge would be as idiotic as this one.

  After the producers propped me up on the island in the middle of the river, I had no choice but to stand there and watch the water race. I didn't give a kobold's ass if my potential mate could swim across rushing waters. I mean, really, when was that ever going to be an issue? I'd rather my mate be challenged in dry cleaning or sewing in order to maintain my suits...

  Apparently, those activities didn't make good television. None of it was up to me except the final choice of the winner—and in this case, there was no contest. I'd had my eye on Taylor since the meet-and-greet when he gave me the cold shoulder, and I'd been drawn to his photo before filming even began. There was something about that stoic tiger that intrigued me.

  When the challenge started, Taylor had instantly taken the lead. It made sense. Tigers were excellent swimmers. I was secretly pleased he'd make it to the front of the pack.

  But then he turned around.

  At first, I couldn't comprehend what he was doing. Was he giving up? Was he doing the challenge all wrong just to spite me?

  Then it dawned on me. He turned around to help his struggling friend.

  That's what made my heart skip a beat. Taylor had a huge head start and an incredible advantage. He could've beaten the crowd and come in first place with plenty of time to spare. Instead, he’d aided someone in need. I didn't see that kind of compassion every day, especially not on a reality TV show.

  When Taylor arrived on the shore with his wolf friend, I couldn't help but stare at him. He enthralled me. He was something special.

  And what did I get from staring at Taylor?

  A furious glare back from the sassy tiger.

  I couldn't help but be amused. Even his thorny side was endearing.

  It felt like an eternity before the final line of omegas appeared before me. I already had my choice. When Gaius handed me the mic, I was relieved for this to be over.

  "The winner of this challenge, and the omega I choose to take on a date tonight... is Taylor Chalchin."

  Taylor's eyes widened. For a split second, the righteous fury in his eyes vanished, replaced by pure shock—and maybe something else—but then the irritated glare returned with a vengeance.

  And speaking of vengeance, that white cat shifter Alaric looked ready to go on the warpath.

  That was none of my concern. I only wanted to know what Taylor was thinking.

  Gaius leapt down to shore, ready to carry on with the production. "Congratulations, Taylor! You've won the honor of dining with Crimson tonight. How do you feel?"

  He thrust the mic at Taylor, who looked too shocked to respond. A million cameras were trained on him, along with the eyes of every omega who'd lost to him. I felt empathy for Taylor. He wasn't the type to bask in the spotlight. Just like me. Maybe that's why I felt a connection with him.

  "I... I don't know," Taylor mumbled.

  Gaius laughed good-naturedly. "That surprised, eh? Don't worry, Crimson doesn't bite. Unless you ask."

  My jaw dropped as Gaius winked. That bird brain...

  Taylor didn't respond to the teasing joke. He didn't even give a polite chuckle.

  But Gaius was a champion showman and didn't let the brief lull become awkward. "Good luck tonight, Taylor! And great job to the rest of our contestants. You're still in the running to win the Dragonfate Games—and Crimson's heart."

  I saw Alaric's eyes flash hungrily. He was a cute omega, but the ravenous desperation wasn't my thing. I wasn't looking forward to turning him down.

  What I was looking forward to was my date with Taylor. After Gaius's announcement wrapped up, I eagerly headed down the hill to talk to Taylor. But before I could even get close, Gaius grabbed my arm and shuffled me away.

  "What are you doing?" I demanded.

  He shot me a sorry look. "No can do, drago."

  I hated that stupid nickname. "And why not?"

  "We need tension for the cameras. Keeping you two apart until your date builds drama."

  A growl slipped from my teeth. "I don't care about drama. Let me speak to him."

  "C'mon, Crimson. Duke will have my tail feathers."

  I tried to sidestep around him. "You can afford to lose a feather or two."

  Gaius gripped me tighter. Bird brain or not, he was still a gryphon and had the strength of a mythical beast the same as I did.

  "Weren't you listening during the million briefings?" Gaius sighed. "Just because this is a fun game show to find your mate, you still have to follow the rules."

  "I think we have a different definition of fun," I said sourly.

  Gaius smiled and patted my upper chest. "Your date's only a few hours away. Relax for a while. Have a drink or two beforehand. It'll be time before you know it."