I narrow my eyes. “You tested drugs on us without telling us?”
“Honey,” Lydia interjects. “It was my idea. Please don’t be mad at your father.”
“Still! You should have at least told us beforehand or, here’s an idea, why not just ask?”
“You’re right, Alex. I’m sorry, but we didn’t want you to be let down if it didn’t work. Though you might have shaken off any disappointment easier than Tyler.”
“What exactly was supposed to work?”
“Miles, help me out here?” Dad says.
I glance at Miles who’s still smiling. “You and Tyler are mated.”
I scoff. “That’s a shifter thing.”
“Welcome to the club, man. I could smell it on you the moment you opened the door. Oh, and congratulations on that and, well, you’ll find out shortly.”
Not possible. “What are you talking about?”
“Son, my team and I have done a lot of research. For humans, the drug is designed to stimulate the dormant alpha or omega gene that all humans appear to have from birth. From there, the DNA is altered to mirror that of a shifter’s human side and biology simply takes over. When the transition is complete, an omega would experience their first heat. An alpha would, well, be able to do what alphas do.”
I tear my gaze away from my dad and look past Miles down the hallway where I can hear noise coming from the bathroom. Thinking back, I piece it all together. All the things I experienced over the course of several days. The heaviness in my groin. The sudden increase in Ty’s scent. The way my cock swelled up inside him, like a knot. The deeper connection between us after that first night. The fact that we didn’t need any lube because Ty was already wet.
Because he was in heat.
Ty was in heat.
I blink, trying to wrap my head around what all this actually means. Everyone learned about alpha/omega biology right alongside human biology in high school. Knotting an omega in heat almost always resulted in pregnancy. Was that actually possible in our case?
A loud crash echoes from the hall bathroom. I’m on my feet in less than a heartbeat, running toward the bathroom. As I reach the door, Jordan pulls it open as if expecting me. He steps aside and I see Ty sprawled on his ass in the tub with his legs hanging over the side, the shower curtain partially draped across him still attached to the rod leaning against the toilet. Normally, I’d laugh and he would too, but the shock in his eyes has me worried.
“What happened?” I rush to help Ty up. Pushing the shower curtain aside, I grasp Ty’s wrist and pull him out of the tub, bringing him back to sit on the edge.
“He was sitting and just slipped, falling backward. I think he’s just a little shaken, but don’t worry, he and the baby will be fine.”
“Baby?” I look back at Ty, ignoring the small crowd gathering at the doorway.
“Alex.” Ty’s voice trembles as he points toward the sink. “It says I’m pregnant.”
I pick up what looks like a pregnancy test and sure enough, there’s no mistaking the word on the digital display:PREGNANT
Anger floods me. “This had better not be some sick joke.” Because if so, how dare they tease Tyler with something he wants but could never have. I’ll be damned if anyone ever hurts him.
“No joke, Alex,” Jordan says, the sincerity in his voice far too real. He turns toward my dad and stepmom. “Wow, he really is all alpha,” he adds quietly before turning back to me. “You should be able to scent it, but you’re probably not used to it. Your mate is going to have a baby.”
Mate. Baby?
I look down at Ty as he stares up at me through watery eyes. The door behind my closes, and we’re now alone, just the two of us. Or is it three?
“Is this real, Alex?”
My chest burns, hope and anger warring against each other. If this isn’t real, it will crush him, and I’ll be furious.
“Dad explained it, mostly. Put it this way. If it’s not real, I’m gonna be fucking pissed, but I don’t think our parents are that cruel. It would explain the morning sickness, and why I’ve felt closer connected and more protective of you.” I drop to my knees in front of him, settling between his thighs, and look into his eyes as I wrap my arms around his hips and ass. “I think they’re telling the truth, and those tests are pretty damn accurate.”
“So, I really am pregnant?”
“It would seem so.”
