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The wind rustles my hair, and the quiet lapping of the water against the platform relaxes me, when suddenly the sharp whistle blows, signaling the line of shirtless alphas to begin. I jump in my seat, a hand flying to my racing heart at being startled. It kicks into double time when I watch the men dive headfirst into the water.
Several excruciating seconds pass before a few of them re-emerge. It’s hard to tell from this distance who’s in the lead, so I bring the binoculars to my eyes and spot two familiar sets of dark brown hair in the lead, with Matthew and Chad hot on their heels. I ignore the two assholes, instead choosing to focus on my alphas cutting through the water, their muscles flexing with each stroke.
They impress the hell out of me. It’s as if they were built for the water, slicing through it like it’s nothing. In a few more long pulls, the twins are climbing up the ladder, their arms bulging with their effort.
Matthew scrambles up in third and immediately throws himself into the obstacle course instead of taking a moment to study the best way across like the twins. He jumps onto the first floating landing pad but completely underestimates the sway and tumbles face first into the lake with a resounding smack. I wince for him because it looked like it hurt.
The rest of the alphas reach the ladder as the twins work together as a team to make it across the free floating platforms. There are nine in total, all attached by a rope, giving zero stability. The slightest pressure has the inflated pad moving with any momentum inflicted upon it.
The loud splashes of alphas hitting the water fill the air, but I don’t pay it any mind because the twins made it safely. I can’t help but cheer for them as they quickly scale up a wall and slide down a rope. It’s not anchored at the bottom, making their descent wild as they sway to and fro. Taking their example, Chad and Kyle also partner up, assisting each other to the other side.
This next obstacle will be way trickier, considering it’s made up of moving arms pinwheeling from a base in the middle of a large circular platform. You either have to jump or duck as you make your way around. Which for someone like me, is a lot of coordination I don’t really have.
Matthew, who’s followed by two other alphas, catches up to them and hops into the fray. While Matthew manages to duck in time, the other two get smacked in the chest and dumped into the water by one of the rotating arms.
Seeing another alpha take the lead instantly puts the twins into fight mode and they, too, leap into the rotating obstacle. “Jump!” Jedrik hollers, but Andrik isn’t fast enough and the arm trips him at the ankles. He lands face first onto the spongy-looking mat, water sloshing over him. Thankfully, it doesn’t knock him off completely, and with a hand from Jedrik, he’s able to get up before the swinging arm can knock them in the chest. A few moments later, Kyle also makes it across.
“Yes! Go, Kyle!” I scream as his feet land in the safety zone, barely missing a swipe to the side. Unfortunately for Chad, he isn’t so lucky and plunks into the water with a big splash. As he surfaces, vulgar curses spew from his lips, and they don’t stop until he makes it back to the beginning.
What a very unsportsmanlike display. It makes me glad he’s at the bottom of the leaderboard. I doubt the footage will end up making the cut for TV, but I sort of hope they censor it with one long bleep and air it, anyway.
I turn my attention back to the “frontrunners” as they weave through swinging pendulums. One of those swaying logs could really give someone a concussion if they were hit in the head.
It’s neck and neck between the twins and Matthew, all of which are completely determined to be the one winning a date with me at the end of the week. Something seems to transpire between Andrik and Matthew as the former explodes, tackling him to the mat.
A gasp escapes me, and I tune into Mrs. Violet’s commentary for the viewers. “Oh my, and look here! Andrik has apparently sabotaged Matthew and they both go tumbling as Jedrik soars into the lead! But that’s not all. Kyle found a shortcut and flew through to the other side. He’s certainly a resourceful alpha, isn’t he? I bet he’d make a great lover for our omega. There you have it, Heat Fiends. It’s down to Jedrik Hart and Kyle Draper. Who will be the one to pull ahead in the final section and make it to Verity’s platform? Will Andrik and Matthew be able to recover from their blunder?”
I can’t help but chuckle at her obvious copy of a sports broadcaster. I swear you could put that woman into any role and she’d execute it perfectly. It almost makes me sad the more I think about it. Does she even know who the real Mrs. Violet is herself?
The last leg of the inflatable course is simple. Climb up one side and slide down the other into the water before swimming to my platform. It’s one last endurance trial where anyone can catch up.
For a second, it seems like Kyle will beat Jedrik, but Jedrik sees Matthew and his brother gaining on them and erupts with a newfound burst of strength. His arms expertly glide through the water and he crosses the distance between us with long, determined strokes. Andrik hits the water before Matthew and manages to recover the time he lost with his swimming skills.
I climb from my perch, wanting to greet the victor. Jedrik reaches my platform a second before Andrik. He fist pumps the air as Andrik playfully splashes him. In unison, they push up from the lake, trails of water glistening along their skin, highlighting their muscles.
A squeal escapes me as a very wet Andrik scoops me into his arms and twirls me around, effectively soaking my shirt. Not that I mind one single bit. His delicious toasty spices are slightly muddled by the water, dampening his scent. Same with Jedrik, who crowds into my back, his smoky maple dancing with Andrik’s in a perfect mix.
Kyle walks over, his hand outstretched to congratulate the twins, when Matthew interrupts, shoving Andrik to the side, which also knocks me off balance. Three loud growls echo in the space between us, and Jedrik reaches out to steady me, positioning me slightly behind him. Matthew’s soggy, decaying leaf scent is so prominent right now, it almost makes me choke. “Fuck you, asshole! I had that shit in the bag.”
“You’re lucky tackling you is the only thing I did, you fucking pig,” Andrik replies, chest to chest with Matthew.
A whimper escapes me, and my sweet pears turn sour with fear. Immediately, the alphas around me notice and I’m pulled into Kyle’s chest as he attempts to comfort me. Matthew’s lip curls and he sneers at me. Suddenly, Ryland appears out of nowhere, climbing the ladder soaking wet. As soon as he sees the expression on my face, he marches over to Matthew and Andrik, breaking them up. “Chill the fuck out. Both of you.”
“And who are you, little beta? The lost puppy dog following Verity around trying to get in her panties? Think again, fucker. You’ll never see her again when I’m in her pack.”
His admission makes me gasp and clutch my stomach. His eyes light with a sick sort of satisfaction at seeing me upset. Kyle growls, low and deep. “Get out of here, Matthew, before I make you.”
Matthew laughs and licks his lips, his gaze dipping to my breasts. “Whatever. Comfort her while you can, assholes. It’ll be my knot in her first, whether she likes it or not.” A shiver travels down my spine as he immediately plunges into the water before anything else can be said.
Four pairs of arms wrap around me, their scents bringing me a sense of comfort I desperately need. They don’t let me go until I’m no longer breathing hard and my scent isn’t plagued with that sharp, sour undertone. I’ve never smelled something quite like that coming out of me before, and I never want to again. Something about Matthew scares the shit out of me, and I’ll be damned if he ends up in my pack after something like that.
I turn to Mark, the cameraman, who has a weird expression on his face. “You’re going to air that, right?”
He sighs. “I only shoot the footage, Verity. I don’t decide what ends up on TV. Considering his family paid a lot of money to get him here... I doubt it’ll ever make the light of day.”
His admission makes my stomach clench with anger. “The viewers deserve to see that and know what he’s really like.”
“I’m not disagreeing with you there. That was... something else. I’ll see what I can do, okay?”
